A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

I always enjoy reading this book.  It is about a sweet little girl who is thrown into hard times.  She knows who she is and stays true to her character.  She remains sweet to the very end.  She doesn't allow the awful circumstances around her to cause her to loose her spirits.  I love how she is secretly rewarded for her kind deeds and of course in the end she lives happily ever after.  Sara Crewe is a great role model for young girls, and even for big ones, like me.  I think I need to read this book again. . .

A Corner of The Universe by Ann M. Martin

When I checked this book out at the library I didn't make the connection that this book was written by the same author of the Baby-sitter's Club series until I started reading it at home.  I enjoyed the Baby Sitter Club series as a child and Ann M. Martin did a very well job on this book as well.  It tells a story about a girl and the summer she met one of her uncles for the very first time.  This is a very touching story and I definitely recommend reading it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This is a really good book. It was easy to read. It tells the story through the perspective of different characters.  Each chapter focuses on a different character and in turn giving you new insight to the overall story.  This is a very well written book.  Skeeter decides to write a book with the perspective of "the help" who are the African American women who work for the upper & middle class white women in the south.  There are funny and touching stories and prejudice of all kinds, not just against the races but also against the classes.

The Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine

These delightful books tell the traditional fairy tales with a whole new twist.  There are 6 books in this series and I enjoyed reading every one of them.  They are very short and entertaining.  They take place in the same kingdom and there is even a little map in the books so you can see where each story takes place.  Gail Carson Levine has become one of my favorite authors.

Saving CeeCee Honeycut by Beth Hoffman

This was another enjoyable book for me to read.  Poor CeeCee had to grow up with her somewhat mentally unstable mother.  Her father couldn't handle the responsibility and as a result was gone a lot.  When her mother dies, CeeCee lives with her mother's aunt.  This book is filled with extravagant women, each with a valuable lesson to teach CeeCee.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

When I first saw this movie in the theater I did not know it was a book.  I enjoyed the movie and wanted to read the book.  Of course the book was much better than the movie.  I really enjoyed this unique version of the traditional Cinderella story.  Gail Carson Levine does such a great job bringing this enchanted story to life.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford

I think one of the saddest parts of our American History was during WWII when the Japanese Americans were shipped off to internment camps.  This is a fictional account about a relationship between a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl in Settle during WWII.  There are other themes in this book like the relationship between a father and his son.  I found this book enjoyable to read and I enjoyed the historical facts I learned while reading this book.

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

This is a story about a prince and his whipping boy.  The whipping boy takes advantage of living in the castle with the prince and learns as much as he can, receiving a "free" education.  The prince takes advantage of his position to get out of anything he doesn't want to do, like learning.  One day the prince runs away and takes the whipping boy with him.  If it weren't for the whipping boy, the prince would have died on this journey.  I thought it was an enjoyable book to read.

Pope Joan by Donna W. Cross

This was a very interesting historical fiction novel.  There were some very disturbing scenes that are not for the faint of heart.  It takes place during a time when it was okay to beat your wife and children.  What you did in your home was no one's business but your own.  It was also the time of misconceptions like how to tell someone was a witch by throwing them into a river and such.  I liked the historical knowledge I gained reading this book but I got very emotional and upset about how people were treated back then.  The concept of a female pope is also intriguing.

Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar

I love this series, including the arithmetic books.  When I read them to my students, I always have a discussion about how it may be okay for students at that school to talk that way or to do those things because they are not at our school.  I want to make sure they know it is a fictional story because I don't want them to pick up some of the bad habits that the students display in this book.  The book is so obviously fiction, it is easy to help them see the distinction.  It is such a fun series to read.  The first one is my absolute favorite.