A Book Challenge for Andre


Andre was 37 years old. He died from heart disease. He was a very nice man. He lived with Stacey and his two cats and one dog. He was my uncle and l loved him a lot.

I am donating money for the Family Room at the hospital to remember Andre. I want to help to make $250 - maybe more. I am going to ask people to give me 25 cents for every book I read. My goal is to read 100 books.
By Kael


Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Kael is My Hero by Aunt Stacey

Aunt Stacey writing to say I couldn't be more proud of Kael!  
 I am so excited that he finished his book challenge but a little sad that it is over.  I have really enjoyed all of our time reading at the library and at home.  Especially the nights where Kael reads until I fall asleep.   


Going over the long list of books, so many hold strong memories of Andre and Kael reading and laughing together.  Andre loved to hear Kael's big belly laughs when they read a funny story or acted out scenes from the books they had read.  Andre would be bursting with pride to see all the hard work Kael has done this year and how much his reading has improved.  


Kael has been a real hero to me.  There are days that he has made me smile when I didn't think it was possible.  He loves and misses Andre as much as I do.  We talk about Andre often and fondly remember all of the good times.  Even though it is very hard and very sad, I am so proud that Kael has done something positive to remember Andre.  It has been good for both of us and good for the hospital.


Family and friends were the most important things to Andre.  Creating a comfortable space where friends and family be together for strength and support during a difficult time is a great way to honour the love and support he showed so many of us in our own hard times.  


Thank you to everyone who followed Kael's progress. We never imagined his blog would have over 4000 hits.  Kael is thrilled to have exceeded his goal of $250 and to have over $2000 pledged to help refurnish the ICU Family Comfort Room. 

If you have made a pledge you can use the green link to the right of this page to make your donation directly to the hospital.  Please be sure to add Kael's Book Challenge to the comments section and/or send us a note to help us track the money that Kael has raised.  We would also be happy to hand deliver any donations to the hospital when we take Kael to meet with the the Foundation later this month.   kaelsbookchallenge@gmail.com   

We would like to collect the pledges by January 20th so we can annouce the total raised and make arrangements to have Kael present the money to the Chalmers Hospital Foundation.  Again, thank you so much for honouring Kael's achievement and Andre's memory.  


Very proudly,
Aunt Stacey

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

BOOK 100 - You're Finally Here by Melanie Watt

I am FINALLY DONE !!
Which is why we read You're Finally Here!

It is about a bunny.  The bunny is really excited to see me and tells me "What took you so long?"   My answer is "I was reading 100 books!"

She says "I got off on the wrong foot" but says "Seriously, where were you? I said "I was reading 100 books !"  Seriously, what got into that bunny?

The bunny says do you know how bored I was waiting.  It was like finding a needle, paint drying on a bench, a whole whack of stuff, gathering dust bunnies - there was one that looked like the bunny's uncle. 

The bunny says "Do you know how rude it is to make me wait?"  Like talking with food in you mouth.   Really, what got into this bunny, I was reading all these books!

The bunny says "You should STAY so I have you hear all the time.  He says "Yes- you agree" but I didn't agree.   And then he is talking to his friend and says "I'm doing nothing important, sure we can hang out."

The last thing he says is "Wait!" and he asks you for your phone number but I said "No" as in I'm not going to tell him!  

Because I finished my book challenge the librarian gave me a candy cane.  

This book was a GOLD Star because it was my last book and it is a great last book.  

I might start another book challenge in January until next Christmas!  

Aunt Stacey and I sang a song all the way home - 

99 books on the shelf!
99 books on the shelf! 
Kael took one down and read it aloud,
99 books on the shelf!

98 books on the shelf....

99. Fluffy Saves Christmas by Kate McMullen

This book has a more than 1 story and it should count as more than 1 book!

99. (a) Fluffy and the Christmas Cookies 
Fluffy has a dream in his cage that bad guinea pigs are stealing presents but he caught them, ties them up and  throws them in prison.  When he wakes up he sees the guinea pig cookies and thinks they are even scarier bad guys than the others.  - Bronze Star

99. (b) Fluffy meets Santa - Gold Star
This is a gold star because the guinea pig doesn't know what Santa was and talks to Santa and thinks and thinks but he can't figure it out.  So he goes looking for what he wants - a big giant carrot.  He crawls up Santa's belly and so Santa jumps up and his friends don't know where he is and they are wondering where the guinea pig went.  They search and say that he is likely with Santa because he wanted a big juicy carrot.   My favourite part is that Santa gets tickled by the guinea pig.

99. (c) Fluffy Saves Christmas - Gold Star
Fluffy dreams Santa ahs the flu and he has to save Christmas and he dreams he saves Christmas with is guinea pig brothers.   Just like Santa he slides down chimneys.  And in the morning there was the biggest, most yummiest carrot under the tree for him. 

Book 98. Scaredy Squirrel makes a Friend by Melanie Watt

 This book is about a squirrel named Scaredy who just wants to make friends with a goldfish but things don't go according to plan so he ends up making friends with a dog instead.

His plan was to give him lemonade, wear a name tag and to wear mitts to hide his sweaty hands. 

He becomes friends with the dog when the dog is chasing him and he plays dead for 2 hours.  A couple of seconds after the 2 hours he noticed that the dog wants a friend and he wants a friend.  Things didn't go according to the plan so he made friends with the dog. 

My favourite part is where he ends up with a dog.