Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
I thought that this was a very imaginative book. It is about a boy who is genetically engineered to be a force for good against aliens for a futuristic United States. Ender, the main character, learns how to play the game of life and how to deal with growing up in an ever demanding world. I thought it was a bit violent for a children's book. It was a quick read.
Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine. I loved it! It was the Cinderella story told in a different way. With fairies and a spell to overcome Ella learns about who she really is and how to overcome difficulties to triumph over trials. It was a fast read and is a great one to read to little kids!
People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks. This was a fabulous book! It is about a woman from Australia who restores books and is asked to restore a Hagaddah, the Jewish worship book with illustrations. These books are rare because iconization is prohibited in Jewish text. She goes to restore it in war torn Sarajevo. It tells the story of her findings as she restores the book and then goes back in history to tell the story of the book.
The Wanderer, by Sharon Creech. I enjoyed her book
Walk Two Moons and found this one on the Newberry Honor list. It is a story of a girl named Sophie and her sailing journey to England with 2 cousins and three uncles to visit her grandfather through two different points of view: that of Sophie and that of her cousin Cody. It is a great coming of age book and tells a great story of family. This is a great book!
Penny from Heaven
, by Jennifer Holm. This book was awesome. It too is a coming of age book about an Italian American girl named Penny. She is torn between her American family (her mom and grandparents) and her Italian family of her dead father. As she discovers the secrets of her family she learns about who she really is. I love it! It is historical fiction and is a Newberry Honor book.
Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli. FABULOUS! I loved this book. It is about WWII in the eyes of a boy that does not know who he is. This boy, who later is dubbed the name Misha, learns how to steal to survive. It tells his story in Warsaw and in the ghetto. It is well written and is a great depiction of the sufferings of the Jewish during WWII.
Those Who Save Us, by Jenna Blum. This is also a historical fiction book by one of the interviewers of holocaust victims of WWII for Stephen Spielburg. This book tells the story of a woman named Trudy looking for her past. She is German American and moved to the United States after WWII at age 5. It is a great depiction of past and present. It tells the story of her mother, Anna, and how she survives the war. It is a great depiction of the German view of the war. There is some bad stuff in it, but it is about the worst war ever, so it is expected. It is a good read
Tori is just relaxing with her new friend Giraffie! She loves that blanket and we can get her to giggle...or at least try. Her giggle sometimes sounds like a fake cough, but it sure is cute!!!!
