Year 1978

After a week and some days I finally feel more like myself.  So-long mucus (except for the smokers cough that still lingers) and good riddance!!  Therefore, I feel more prepared to write something longer than a paragraph for this week’s winner: Bridge to Terabithia.  (Sorry again to Westing Game.  I did not do you justice.)

Read with kleenex.

This is one of the few Newbery’s I had read pretty recently but since renewing the quest I wanted to give it a good re-read.  And even though this books has been on shelves in bookstores for thirty plus years I actually saw the movie before reading the book.  Actually, I saw the movie with Missy, Sarah and Forrest before we were “Forrest and Elizabeth.”  I remember being so excited that we got to sit next to each other in the theater and was surprised when I realized that Forrest was shedding a few tears right along with my gasping sobs.  Like any good story, whether in book or movie form, it doesn’t matter how many times you see (or read) it for the tears to flow.  For example, cheesy as it is, I ALWAYS cry when I watch An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.  Always.  I think the same will be true for me and Terabithia.

I’m assuming most of you know the story, but summed up it’s really about friendship and learning how to be brave.  What stood out to me during this read-through was the insecurity and low-self esteem of Jess at the beginning of the story and his transformation into someone willing to become brave.  I think it’s definitely Leslie who teaches him to look beyond himself to the beauty of the world around him, but his insecurity and fears before, during and after this friendship made me feel a sort-of kinship with him.  Just like Jess, Leslie is the one I want to be like: someone who is ready at a moment’s notice to go an adventure and throw caution to the wind instead of being impaired by fears or thoughts of “I’m not good enough.”  The people in Jesse’s life before Leslie did nothing to change the way he viewed himself with the exception of the beautiful Zoe Deschanel Miss Edmunds. Through his friendship with Leslie a whole world was opened up to him, and not just the imaginary Terabithia.  He was given a glimpse into what it’s like to have people believe in him and embrace him as a friend simply because he was willing to be friends right back.  (There is SO much in this book to dissect I’m almost overwhelmed!  Such as: Jess’ relationship with his dad and his turbulent one with May Belle, how he deals with grief and has his eyes opened to other people who have been grieving when he had no idea, the Janice Avery situation, the question: does God really damn people to hell, and so many more!  All I can say here is: well done Katherine Paterson.  Well done.)

(Okay, this is a side note that only people who have read Harry Potter will probably appreciate and understand, but do you think that when Harry can see the thestrals and Luna explains that only people who have lost someone can see them is similar to the situation with Jess and Mrs. Myers?  After Leslie dies Mrs. Myers pulls Jess out of the classroom and starts crying about when her husband died everyone wanted her to forget and move on but she just couldn’t.  Jess had no idea she was grieving and it wasn’t until he had lost someone that he was invited into her grief.  You can’t see the thestral until you’ve been there yourself.  Okay, nerdy Harry Potter moment over.)

I realized the other day at work when I was reading this on a break how when I am old and wrinkled I’ll probably still be reading children’s books.  It seems like every adult should every once in awhile if you’re not in the habit of it already.  It really does restore the soul and in some ways bring us back to the basic life lessons we might have forgotten like: how to share and that it’s okay to be sad and even how to love with abandon.  Jess loved Leslie like that and even after crying to his dad the day after she died: “I hate her…I hate her. I wish I’d never seen her in my whole life (pg. 147)” he only says it because of how deeply his love for her had gone. Painful as it is to love that fiercely I think we’d all agree that we’re created to and only satisfied when we do.

Apparently this has been the week of realizations because I’ve also realized that I want to be a writer when I grow up.  It’s been a long time in coming to make this declaration out loud but lately I’ve been feeling that this is what I’m itching to do.  I wish I could quit my job and focus on it entirely but I’m not quite that brave yet.   Forrest and I were talking the other night about why it’s so scary to tell people that writing is our profession of choice.  Maybe it’s because it sounds like you’re patting yourself on the back and saying you have talent when the truth is: who knows?  But if I take away anything from this quest and reading books like The Giver or Bridge to Terabithia is that sometimes we have to be brave and take a step forward even if we don’t know quite where it might lead.  So, for now, telling this audience is my equivalent of grabbing hold of that old rope tied to the crab apple tree and swinging across the creek into Terabithia.

Till next time…

Year 1979

Still sick.  Going on day 8 now.  I’m hoping that this is the final day of feeling puny and then I can get to feeling more like my usual self.  The good part about being sick this past week is that I finished The Westing Game in record time.  I actually was kind of depressed when I finished it because it was such a good book and with it’s conclusion I felt a sort of loss.

The Westing Game is just that: a game played by specifically chosen individuals who are extended the invitation to live in Sunset Towers.   Mr. Westing (of Westing paper products) has been murdered and in his will he lays out the rules of the “game” where the players are supposed to find out who among them is the murderer.  It’s a fascinating story because you get caught up trying to solve the puzzle but you also get quick snapshots of each player and their character development throughout the story.  It’s impressive how well Ellen Raskin wrote the story because even though it’s not a terribly long book you still feel connected to several characters at once and feel like you know each of their stories as if it were your own.

Once again this is not quite up to par, but I need to go lay down.  Oh the joys of a head cold.

Till next time…

Year 1980

It is 4:59 pm on Monday afternoon and instead of logging off my computer, pushing my chair in and slipping into my jacket to finally leave the office and head home I am in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, coughing up a lung.  Ahhh…this is the life?  Several of my co-workers were out sick last week and then this past weekend several more friends from our church retreat got sick as well.  As luck would have it, sore throat, nasty cough and headache sent me home from the office early today.  It’s a good thing too considering I still had not finished my book from last week.

A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos took me awhile to finish and not because of its length.  Even though I faithfully took it with me everywhere I went I very rarely cracked the spine.  (deep prolonged sigh)  It ended up not being too bad, but one of the few reasons I actually stuck it out and finished it was because of this here blog and quest.

Remember last week when I mentioned going back and reading through some of my old diaries and cringing at what I’d written?  Ironically enough, this book was a diary.  The diary’s author was Catherine who lived on a farm in New England around the mid 1800’s.  She lived with her dad and younger sister, her mom having died several years earlier while giving birth to a boy who also died.  The diary spans approximately a year and gives a glimpse into the work of keeping a farm through each season.  The controversy of slavery is touched on sporadically but the reader is under the impression that the country is on the brink of some big change.  The diary entries vary from the detailed events of what’s going on at school to a one line description of the weather.  I found the diction difficult to understand because Blos wrote it in the voice of someone from the 1800’s.  Smart plan on her part but difficult for me, the reader, to understand at times the meaning behind the different grammatical structure or vocabulary.

The book begins and ends with a letter from the now very old Catherine to her great-great granddaughter.  Catherine thought her ggg, also Catherine, might enjoy reading her old journal.  After finishing the last journal entry there is the final letter giving a sort of epilogue about what happened to the characters.  What I take away from this book is found at the end of this letter:

“And remember, as we used to say, that life is like pudding: it takes both the salt and the sugar to make a really good one” (p 144).

It resonates with the reader who is just finishing a story where good and exciting things took place but where sadness was also deeply felt at the loss of what was held dear.  (Could I get any more ambiguous about what actually happened in here?  Probably, but I won’t.)

While I realize I probably didn’t do justice to last week’s winner I’m going to let it go because a) I’m sick and I don’t think my synapses are firing all that correctly, and b)  I’m just too excited for this week’s read…..THE WESTING GAME.  Oh man.  I listened to it during my many drives to and from houses for babysitting a few years ago and I loved it.  If anyone wants to join me this week I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll love it as much as I did (do).  As weird as it sounds, I’m looking forward to reading something I’m familiar with.

Till next time.

and the winner is…

Forrest and I awoke at 5am this morning to witness the announcement of the ALA youth media awards only to find that our Mac didn’t have Windows Media Player.  It was a hurried few moments while we downloaded the program and crossed our fingers it would work.  Thankfully we made it in time to see most of the program and, of course, they save the best for last.  Best being the Caldecott (picture books) and Newbery.  Here, at long last are the winners:

Honor:

Claudette Colvin

Calpurnia Tate

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Medal Winner:

When You Reach Me

I was disappointed that my personal favorite didn’t win but I’m happy with the results.  WYRM deserves the medal and it really is a terrific story.  But that review is for another day because there’s a birthday breakfast to be eaten and enjoyed!!

Year 1981

I would be interested in hearing the reaction and/or opinion of those who read this week’s winner Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Patterson when they were younger.  The reason for my curiosity being that about halfway through the book I realized I had taken the perspective of Wheeze (Sara Louise, aka Twin #1) as fact, not even taking into consideration that her point of view was biased and might not be altogether accurate to the situation.  For those who read the book as a teenager or younger, did you side with Sara Louise or did you wonder if she was exaggerating even just a little bit?

It’s a classic story of sibling rivalry and jealousy set on an island in the Chesapeake Bay, year 1941.  The siblings are twin girls and the story is entirely told from the perspective of the older, forgotten one: Wheeze.  When they were born Caroline, the younger, was weaker and therefore got more attention and care.  In Wheeze’s eyes this never changed.  For awhile I sided with Wheeze and thought Caroline was a stuck up brat who was consumed with herself.  It wasn’t until about halfway through the story, when I was actually starting to feel connected to it, that I realized that everything Sara Louise described about her sister wasn’t as awful as she perceived.  I started wondering what the story would look like from the another perspective.  Honestly, if it was from Caroline’s perspective I think that Wheeze would be the crazy, over-emotional sister who no one could understand because she wouldn’t let anyone in.  Yet, deep down something about Wheeze resonated with me.  At some point in my life, and in yours probably, I’ve felt misunderstood, unloved or less important than so and so.  The unfortunate thing is that those feelings and beliefs about myself (and yourself) stem from a deep-rooted jealousy or insecurity and only serve to push us farther away from the people who want to love us.

In talking about the story to Forrest this morning I realized that most of what was going on in this story was overly dramatic in Wheeze’s eyes because, well, she was 14.  Who wasn’t dramatic and crazy as a 14-year-old girl?  Heaven knows I was.  Jeez.  In fact, I went back through some of my old journals to try to remember what it was like being a teenager and homeschooled and I was so….what’s the word….mortified by the exuberant, overly gushiness of myself at that age.  I won’t even let Forrest read them.

All I’m really trying to say is that I think most of what Wheeze felt or perceived from her family was all in her head.  Well, the Grandma didn’t help matters and I felt myself getting angrier and angrier at the meanness of that women.  She would quote Scripture to the family, specifically to the girls’ mother, about being a whore and all other kinds of niceties.  And when Caroline is given a chance to attend a music boarding school and Sara Louise has to stay on the island the Grandma whispers maliciously, “Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.”  Horrible, horrible.  I shudder to think of being that mean when I’m old.

I will add a disclaimer to the above statement about it being all in her head: rotten things did happen to Sara Louise.  Near the end of the story your heart gets heavy when door after door of opportunity is slammed shut in her face.  When Call, her childhood best friend comes back from the Navy and she thinks maybe they could end up together she experiences a shock when he says Caroline said yes to his proposal of marriage.  Ouch.  The story does improve for Wheeze when she finally allows herself to shed the shell of pity and take charge of her future.  She goes to college off the island and becomes a mid-wife in a mountain village where she meets and falls in love with a guy whose name is escaping me at the moment.

What did I learn from the story?  (An important question that I think I should start asking with every Newbery I read.)  I learned that when I start to feel myself doing a “Sara Louise”, aka: pushing everyone away because of my own insecurities and perceived notions of what everyone is saying or thinking about me, I need to view the scene from the other side.  Perhaps embrace the reality that the world doesn’t actually revolve around me and my wants and I need to stop living like it does.  Who knew you could learn so much from a book that looks like this one?

On that purely superficial note: what do you guys think of the cover of the book? Pretty awesome, eh?  I told Forrest, “it just looks so 80’s!”  Oh wait…

Birthday is coming up as is the live webcast of the Newbery 2010 proceedings.  We’re getting up really, really early to watch it live and I feel more ready this year considering how many books I’ve read that have been published in the last year.  Ooh boy.  It’s going to be good.  I’ll do a short little blurb here on Monday announcing the winner.

This next week is A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos.  The last book of the 80’s!!  Any takers?

Till next time…

My own Mock- Newbery

…that’s right.  Since I didn’t get to attend the real one last Saturday Forrest suggested I give my own two cents about which books should win this year.   Here it is:

2010 Newbery medal:

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

2010 Newbery Honors:

When You Reach Me

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

The Dunderheads

There you have it.  We’ll find out on Monday, the 18th of January, which ones actually made the cut.

Fingers crossed!

Year 1982

This inn belongs to William Blake
and many are the beasts he’s tamed
and many are the stars he’s named
and many those who stop and take their joyful rest with William Blake.

Two mighty dragons brew and bake
and many are the loaves they’ve burned
and many are the spits they’ve turned
and many those who stop and break
their joyful bread with William Blake.

Two patient angels wash and shake
his featherbeds, and far away
snow falls like feathers.  That’s the day
good children run outside and make
snowmen to honor William Blake.

-William Blake’s Inn for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard.

I love this book more than I can say.  As soon as I pulled it off the hold shelf at the library I knew it was going to be good.  I was drawn in from the first page, which tells the story of a young girl with measles (Nancy Willard) who asks her babysitter for a bedtime story.  The sitter quotes a poem by William Blake instead.  The fascination and appreciation for Blake’s poetry inspired Nancy to write sixteen poems about an Inn run by the man himself.  The poems seems to build off the one before and by the end I was wishing there was such a place and that I could go there for a holiday.

The illustrations are also something to be admired.  Not done by Nancy but by Alice and Martin Provensen they immediately transport me to a feeling of childhood.  It’s no wonder that it won not only the Newbery but a Caldecott honor as well.  While I hope to one day own all the Newbery winners (wait, did you just hear that?  it was my bank account letting out a long sigh) this is one I feel particularly strongly about owning.  Oddly enough, when Forrest and I took a Powells excursion Thursday night and I perused the Newbery section it was nowhere to be found.  Not in the picture books section either.  Even when I searched for it in their computer system they had no record of having it.  Say what?  Amazon here I come apparently.

My guess about why I feel so strongly about it is because it allows the reader, for just a moment, to live in a world where rabbits show you to your room, angels fluff your sheets, dragons bake your bread and the man in the marmalade hat cleans out your room.  It gives your imagination a push that lasts long after you’ve closed the book.  I need that in my life.  While working a job I don’t particularly love and wondering where my place is in life and feeling like I can’t do what I want because there’s no money in it it’s nice to be given an excursion and a chance for respite at William Blake’s Inn.

On another note, after a two-week break I finally got to go the library on Tuesday night and Joan and I had good conversation about the list of Newbery maybe’s for 2010.  After a bit she then asked, “Are you going to the mock Newbery on Saturday?” (On the inside I felt like my heart had stopped) “You don’t have to be a librarian to attend?” I asked.  “I don’t think so,” she replied  (On the inside I’m jumping up and down).  So she printed off the info sheet for me and I couldn’t wait to get home to tell Forrest, who, true to his wonderful nature, got just as excited as I did.  So, the mock Newbery was this Saturday from 10 to 4.  Librarians and non-librarians would talk about the books published in 2009 and basically discuss which one should win the Newbery for 2010 and why.  Bliss.  I was so excited and nervous all rolled into one.  So the next day I emailed the guy in charge just to make sure there was room because Joan had mentioned that she wasn’t sure if there was.  He emailed me back that same day to say it had capped out awhile ago and they only had resources for 60 people. Sigh.  It’s disappointing to be sure.  I’m not wallowing or anything but at this moment 60 people are talking about books I’ve read and feel strongly about and I really wish I was there. C’est la vie.

In more exciting news, I purchased Jacob Have I Loved and Westing Game at Powells for cheap and now I have all the books in my possession for the rest of January.  Yeah!  I also read Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.  Personally, I think that the latter has a good shot of winning and I’m secretly crossing my fingers that a non-fiction one doesn’t.

Once again I extend the offer for reading along with me this upcoming week.  On the docket is Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (author of Bridge to Terabithia, which is also this month).

Till next time…

Year 1983

To all those who felt at a disadvantage while reading this week’s Newbery winner (Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt) please stand.

Once I got a grasp of the characters and the feel of the story I did just fine but, seriously?  Why do they choose winners that are sequels?  It makes it difficult for those of us who are reading through the Newbery list and don’t really have time to read all the preceding novels in a series.  Thankfully, Dicey’s Song is only the second in the series and not the fourth or fifth.  But, still…  it’s the principal of the thing.

I read this book almost entirely over the weekend in three different locations.  The first was at a coffee shop over a bagel and latte, the second was in bed prior to falling asleep for the best nap I’ve had in ages and the third was this morning cuddled up on the couch with two dogs.  All three provided the right atmosphere to slip into the world of the Tillermans: Gram, Dicey, James, Maybeth and Sammy.  From what I can gather from the hints dropped by the author, the first book was about four kids who traveled all summer to get to their Grams because their mom went crazy and had to be hospitalized.  So, the second book is about how these kids settle into life at their new home, adjust at school and form deeper bonds with one another and their Gram.  It’s easy to get attached to each one of them and identify with their idiosyncracies.  The Grandmother reminds me a little bit of the one in Richard Peck’s Winner, A Year Down Yonder.  She does her own thing, and while the town thinks her somewhat crazy she actually proves to be pretty awesome.  The story is unique in that it picks up where the previous one left off (I’m assuming) and the conclusion is extremely open-ended since there are at least four more books to go in the series.  When I’ve read series before (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, etc) I get tired of the way the author always has to give background.  I always feel like, “get on with the new stuff already!  all of us reading this have already read the previous stories and don’t need a refresher course.”  But in this case I was desperate for one!  Unfortunately, the flashbacks or background set up in Dicey’s Song were brief and hazy at best.  Apparently Voigt assumed everyone had read her first one thereby knowing all there was to know about the history of the Tillerman kids.

Dicey is the oldest and has felt responsible for their well-being her entire life.  But when they arrive in the safe haven of Gram’s Dicey is freed somewhat from the heavy load she’s been carrying and is free to start taking care of herself and fashioning her own ideas.  She learns how to let go of the past but also how to embrace and hold on to what is dear to her (lessons from Gram.)  She learns to open up her hand and let people other than her family in.  With the death of her mother near the end of the story all these lessons she’s in the process of learning come to the forefront, and as the reader I was thankful to witness the development of her character.

Looking ahead at next week’s book I think that my disadvantage felt this week will be relegated to a distant memory.  No need to worry about it being another sequel considering it’s another book of poetry.  It’s called, A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers.  Would anyone want to take a stab at reading it this week also?  It would be a good excuse to visit your library and I’d love the company.  Reply to this post if you so choose to take up the quest with me even if it’s only for the week.

Also, this week’s winner was from my birth year, which is kind of fun.  If you feel so led take a look at the Newbery list and let me know which book falls on your birth year.  http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberywinners/medalwinners.cfm

Till next time…

Year 1984

Dear Blog Reader,

This week I had the opportunity to read a book by one of my favorite childhood author’s: Beverly Cleary.  Ramona Quimby was a staple of my childhood as was Henry and Ribsy, Beezus and the mouse who loved his motorcycle.  But, I had never actually read the one that won her the Newbery award: Dear Mr. Henshaw.  Written as a series of one-sided letters from Leigh Botts to his favorite author Mr. Henshaw the story centers around Leigh’s difficulty with his parents divorce and his loneliness at school.  The reader’s view of the story is extremely limited to whatever Leigh chooses to share in his letters and/or diary.  We never know the thoughts of his mom, trucker dad or anyone else in the story unless Leigh himself observes something or explains a situation.  It’s definitely an interesting way to write a story, and I did enjoy it to some extent.  To me the frustrating aspect of this literary form is that when the book ends you feel like you’re still left hanging.  It’s like the story is really never supposed to end even though you’ve had your climax, denouement and everything else that makes a story a story.  When Joan and I were looking through the Newbery list together and mentioning our favorites (we both love Walk Two Moons by the way.  Kindred soul that Joan.) she said, “I don’t understand why Dear Mr. Henshaw won.”  Well June, I agree with you.  Perhaps it’s my bias to Cleary’s other more well-known and beloved characters that makes me wonder why they only won the Newbery honor and this one won the medal.  But what are you going to do with librarians?  They’re a tricky bunch.  Who knew what was going through their mind when they chose this one?  Maybe all the other candidates for 1984 were awful.  In any case,  it was nice to be reminded of Ramona by virtue of the author and to be reminded that Beverly Cleary lived in Portland and that the Klickitat street where Ramona lived actually exists.  One more reason I love the city I live in.

Love,

Elizabeth

Dear Blog Reader,

We’ve had a wonderful week, soaking in the Christmas spirit as well as the presence of family and friends.  We had a relaxing day yesterday where a fire was usually present in the fireplace, friends and family alike were here for breakfast, gifts were opened, knitting was finished and White Christmas was watched.   Amazing.  And since the gifts have finally been distributed I can show the pictures of my handiwork!

Whew!

Till next week.

Love,

Elizabeth

The pictures are as follows: Annika’s fingerless gloves, Christina’s leg warmer (one of two), Mom Johnson’s cowl, Mom’s scarf, Dad’s i-phone sock, Forrest’s last minute gloves.

Year 1985

I got a little distracted this week.  The plan was to re-read The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley even though I just read it about a year ago.  I figured it would be a good chance to remember the story line and what my thoughts toward it were.  I started the book last Sunday and then hit a wall on Tuesday.  That wall’s name is Joan from the library.  A few weeks ago when I initially got up the courage to talk Newbery with her she mentioned that the Multnomah county librarians hold a sort of mock Newbery event where they read the possible winners for the new year and then convene to discuss them.  So this last Tuesday I asked Joan for “the list.”  Here it is:

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone

How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills

The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

She then offered to let me borrow the last one on the list that she had just checked out from the library.  She said she had loved it and after reading it hurriedly over the last few days I wholeheartedly concur.  IT’S AMAZING!  Rich with Chinese culture and folk-lore the heart of the story, rather the moral of the story, is finding contentment where you’re at and being thankful.  I loved it.  From the list I had already read Season of Gifts and liked it as well.  Not as much, but it’s good.  All the others are on hold at the library and I’m currently reading Oliver Olson.  So, I figured a cursory glance at The Hero and the Crown is just fine, especially when the 2010 Newbery medal is at stake.  (It’s announced on January 18th.  Um, that’s my birthday.)

I initially read The Hero and the Crown because of Amy Wood.  I had asked her to check out some books she had read and liked from the library that I could take with me on my honeymoon.  As is typical in a stack of books I loved some of them (like Alex and the Ironic Gentleman) felt so-so about others (Beauty) and felt like it was a huge accomplishment when I finished a select few (The Hero and the Crown).  Typically I can really get into Sci-Fi fantasy novels but this one was difficult for me.  Surprisingly during my second, sort-of read through I enjoyed it a lot more.

The books setting reminds me a little of King Arthur folk-lore in that there is the royal family living in a castle, surrounded by a village, while dragons and magic are still a regular part of life. (were there dragons in King Arthur? now I can’t remember.)  But they were little dragons, mind you.  Not the huge, fire-breathing, scare the pants off you dragons;  little guys that still cause a lot of damage but are more easily killed.  Robin McKinley does a great job at giving you a setting that makes you feel comfortable, like: “yeah, I’ve read books like this before so I have a good frame of reference,” while still throwing in phrases or cultural differences where you feel the need to keep reading to understand what it’s about.

Aerin, our red-headed heroin, doesn’t really fit into royal life because everyone believes her dead mother was a witch who bewitched the king into marrying her and giving her a child (preferably a son, but what are you going to do).  So Aerin scares them a bit because she is a tad unknown.  Not to mention she doesn’t have the royal, magical gift common to all her other family members, which, unfortunately I don’t remember what that is.  She’s also clumsy and awkward and altogether out of the ordinary.  The story picks up when Aerin realizes she wants to be a dragon slayer.  She starts out with the little ones and eventually takes on one of the few large ones left.  The story sounds like it’s full of action and adventure, and it is, but it’s also got some tender moments.  It’s also interesting and easy to see the character development of Aerin as she grows out of her clumsiness and embraces confidence in her abilities, even though they look different from the abilities of her family, peers, and even sex.

Thanks for the recommendation Amy!  It took me awhile to fully appreciate it but I finally got there.

On another note: Forrest and I went to the Title Wave Bookstore yesterday and it was so amazing!  It’s run by the library and all the books are old, unwanted library books that are sold for dirt cheap prices.  Some of them are .75 cents!!!  Yeah!  I got two Newbery titles and am extremely excited about them.  Forrest and I also purchased $1 t-shirts with the Library summer reading program logo on the front.  We’re nerds and proud of it!

Till next time…