I had such a good time reading this to my daughter and we really liked the main character Ida. She was sharp and tenacious and I am happy I got my hanI had such a good time reading this to my daughter and we really liked the main character Ida. She was sharp and tenacious and I am happy I got my hands on a paperback copy of this book. Historical fiction is so important for young kids to read because while it may not be a true story, it could have happened and there were definitely young women like Ida who did whatever they could to bring education to others. ...more
I remember why I enjoyed this book so much as a kid. I read it out loud to my daughter and we had a great time with the mystery and intrigue. I apprecI remember why I enjoyed this book so much as a kid. I read it out loud to my daughter and we had a great time with the mystery and intrigue. I appreciate the level of vocabulary used and I will be keeping this one so my kids can read it for themselves later....more
**spoiler alert** I read this book aloud to my daughter who was 6 at the time. While she enjoyed the book, there were themes that were a bit dark and **spoiler alert** I read this book aloud to my daughter who was 6 at the time. While she enjoyed the book, there were themes that were a bit dark and probably not the most appropriate like the king's best friend being the person who killed the king and then hiring someone else to get rid of a child he did not want. It was very well written and a fantastic take on the story of a magic mirror that may or may not be the origin of the magic mirror from Snow White. It sucked us in and it had a lot of excellent turns. I highly recommend this book!...more
This book reminded me of high school so much. It follows a pretty average high school sophomore who is neither popular nor unknown. He considers himseThis book reminded me of high school so much. It follows a pretty average high school sophomore who is neither popular nor unknown. He considers himself a king dork and continually changes the name of his band that he and his buddy have. He lost his father to a supposed accident and lives with his mom and stepdad and sister. After finding his father´s copy of Catcher in the Rye and discovering a note written in it, he sets off trying to figure out what it means. This book is not a mystery though. This is just a sub-plot because there are plenty of other things that happen including an encounter with a Sofia at a party and a surprise regarding a certain teacher.
I really like how this book is written and it transported me to high school again. I can just imagine this guy being someone I knew back then. The way he talks and thinks and explains things has just the right mix of teenager angst and intelligence. It is a decent length but it keeps you interested with the various sub-plots. ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it while I was a teen because my best friend recommended it and I really enjoyed it then. I enjoyed it reading I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it while I was a teen because my best friend recommended it and I really enjoyed it then. I enjoyed it reading it again because it reminded me of my high school years and Harley is definitely a relate-able girl and could easily be a girl I went to school with. She goes through a journey of figuring our if she is adopted or not and on her way goes through typical things of an adolescent such as liking boys, fighting with siblings/parents and the ups and downs of puberty. I am glad I had my mom send me this one from home. ...more
I have to say that this was my least favorite book from the triology. I enjoyed it a lot but I had issues with district 13 being underground and havinI have to say that this was my least favorite book from the triology. I enjoyed it a lot but I had issues with district 13 being underground and having an absurd amount of technology like the printing of your schedule on your arm every day. I also got really tired of the story by the end. Maybe I was in a rush trying to read it but I was a bit disappointed....more
This was a great book. For some reason I think I always meant to read it as a young adult but never got around to it. It has obviously gotten some merThis was a great book. For some reason I think I always meant to read it as a young adult but never got around to it. It has obviously gotten some merit for a reason. First off, I really enjoyed Ms. L'Engle's forward that explained her outlook on life and that we should always question the things around us. She voices this through the character of Ms. Murray when she says to her daughter that just because we don't understand something doesn't mean there is no explanation behind it.
The story follows a girl named Meg Murry who finds herself on an adventure with her younger brother Charles Wallace, a precocious 5-year old way beyond his years, and a new neighborhood friend Calvin. They are guided by witches named Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which who take them through different dimensions in search of Meg's father who has been missing for over a year. He worked for the government and was working on a top secret project dealing with different dimensions and something called tessering. Of course, there is evil among them and the kids must overcome a great power called "IT" in order to get home.
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to being able to read it to my kids but something I found disconcerting is how good and evil are very black and white. IT is bad and the kids are good. It is the classic white is right and dark is evil. I understand that much of our world and society reinforces this idea but I would really like to see a little more gray because honestly, there are more gray instances of good and evil in life than not and I am sure Ms. L'Engle would be interested in developing this a little more. I will have to read more of her books that correlate with "A Wrinkle in Time". ...more
**spoiler alert** I definitely understand why this book is so popular. Collins created a world that is very intriguing and terrifying. The possibility**spoiler alert** I definitely understand why this book is so popular. Collins created a world that is very intriguing and terrifying. The possibility of ever having a Hunger Games in so unlikely with all the outcry it would cause but it is a clever thought. The main character Katniss Everdeen is a fighter at heart and quite the hunter. There is obvious sexual tension between her and her best friend Gale but that is quickly nipped in the bud when the hunger games come along and Katniss volunteers at tribute for her district in place of her sister. For some reason I wasn't expecting the blood and gore of the games but it makes sense and I definitely would be throwing knives into people and dropping tracker jackers on people as well if I was in Katniss' situation.
The biggest problem I had with this book is the lack of people. How are there so few people left and what happened to the rest of the world that they are not entering Panem, the country that used to be the United States/North America. The Capitol has a ton of technology and hovercrafts and all sorts of fancy stuff and yet the rest of the country lives on the verge of starvation. It seems a bit far out that there would be no planes or anyone coming from other parts of the world to Panem. I realize that there is some suspension of disbelief necessary when reading science fiction books but it really bothered me that sharp comparison of high tech life in the Capitol and lack of it everywhere else.
Overall it was a fast read and super fun and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the trilogy. ...more
In the Diary of Anne Frank we learned the first hand tale of a Jewish girl's fate during Nazi Germany. In The Book Thief, we learn about a German girlIn the Diary of Anne Frank we learned the first hand tale of a Jewish girl's fate during Nazi Germany. In The Book Thief, we learn about a German girl's story. Although it is fiction this book captures the time and feeling of Nazi Germany in a different and compelling way. The narrator is death who leads us down the pathway of Liesel Meminger who gets dropped off in the little town of Molching after her brother dies and her mom is taken away. The first book she stole was The Grave Digger's Handbook and with the help of her foster father Hans she learns to read. The tale chronicles her adventures as she matures to the age of 15 through all the Nazi youth activities to the Jew parades and bombings that eventually came. The story isn't outlandish and nothing caught me off guard but maybe that is because I have grown up learning about the horrendous and sad things that transpired during World War II in Germany. Maybe that is why this book seems like it could be non-fiction other than Death being the narrator. I really like how Zusak used death as the narrator and made it almost human in its portrayal of Leisel and the people around her. I didn't realize it until a little while into the book. At first I thought it was a soldier who saw her or was watching her but after a few chapters it made sense. ...more
This book is very clever and surprisingly sad. It is, however, very very good. Sherman Alexie depicts the life of a 14 year native american, Arnold "JThis book is very clever and surprisingly sad. It is, however, very very good. Sherman Alexie depicts the life of a 14 year native american, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, on the Spokane Reservation in Washington as seen through his eyes. Junior is a very clever and artistic boy but has all sorts of things that are not going his way. Number one is that he is Indian and that automatically puts him lower than anyone on the class/race scale, or so he thinks. The book is filled with cartoons that Junior draws which add humor and art to his life. Junior gets the courage to go to the school in town and off the reservation after one of his teachers shows interest in his abilities to do so. His trials and tribulations among his tribe and the white kids at the new school make for some funny and heartbreaking realizations. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know a little more about current life on a reservation in the US. It is a short read and took me about 4 hours....more