The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

At first I had difficulty reading this book because it is written in letter format. It was kind of hard to follow. It was easy to read and after awhile I was caught up in the story. It was fun to read the different letters and by so doing, learn more pieces of the story. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a historical fictional story based on true events. It is a very clever way to read about events that took place during World War Two. I fell in love with the characters and desired to know more about them. This book is definitely worth reading.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

My sister let me borrow this book. Her brother-in-law is from the middle east. He read the book and he said the facts presented in the book were accurate. I learned so much from this book. There were things about Afghanistan that I never knew before. It was a great way to learn a bit of history. It gave me a better understanding of the Afghan people. Though there were some disturbing scenes, they helped to paint an accurate picture of the life some people struggle with. Some of the experiences expressed in this book are universal, people all over the world, sadly, experience similar circumstances. It was an easy book to read and I enjoyed reading about what would happen next. I think I came away from reading this book a better person than I was before. I certainly have a better understanding of some of the terrible things some people have to live through every day, in every country, in every culture, in every race. We all have our struggles and I think you can better appreciate what you have or feel you are not alone in your own struggles, depending on what kind of conditions in which you are living.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I read this book in college. I really enjoyed the book. The ideas are fascinating and after reading the book, it is very fascinating. This book does cover some concepts that might be too disturbing for younger readers. It definitely brings to mind some great topics for a meaningful discussion. It also allows you to discuss things of the world without actually pointing to real examples. You can discuss the examples from the book. The setting is somewhere in the future. I enjoyed the story and I enjoyed the chance to really contemplate the ideas presented in the story. This book certainly deserved its Newberry Award.

Holes by Louis Sachar

I like reading books by Louis Sachar. I read all of his Wayside School books and the Marvin Redpost books are so fun to read. When I found out that he had written a book that received a Newberry Award I was in shock. I could not believe that Louis Sachar could write a book that good. The cover of the book gave me an impression of Sci-fi and I could not believe that he could write a Sci-fi book worthy of a Newberry Award. Sadly to say, I judged the book by its cover. When I found out Disney was making a movie about Holes I decided that "Holes" must be worth reading after all. As usual with Louis Sachar books, it was a delight to read but I was still unsure about the Newberry worthiness. Then as I came near the end of the story, I discovered how cleaver and wonderful the book was and felt it deserved the award. I also chastised myself for waiting so long to read the book. The movie does a fairly good job following the book and I did enjoy watching it. There is nothing like the wonder of reading this book, it just is not the same if you saw the movie first. I am glad I read the book before seeing the movie.

Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

I was flipping channels one day and I stopped on a movie that looked interesting to me. I really enjoyed the movie and later found out it was "Love Comes Softly" based on the novel by Janette Oke. After reading the book I was happy to see that the movie captured most of the book, though there were some changes. I learned that Janette Oke had written a whole series. I bought the whole series! I also bought all of the movies (over time since they had not all been filmed at that time. . . I just got the last movie for Christmas!). I enjoy the movies as much as I enjoy the books but be warned. There are more and more creative licenses as the movies progress through the series. The movies become less and less like the books. The books are written in a mid-western pioneer dialect. If you find it difficult to follow, this might not be the right series for you. Here is an example, "Pa's got to go now, and yer gonna stay with yer mama."

Never Talk to Strangers by Irma Joyce illustrated by S.D. Schindler

Since I brought up "stranger danger" I thought I'd bring up this book too. The first time I read this book, I was babysitting. I had never read this book before but the child had selected it. I really liked it because although we teach children to not talk to strangers, there are times when they are allowed to and this book distinguishes the difference between the appropriate and inappropriate times to talk to strangers. The "strangers" in this book are animals and may require more adult-child communication on the subject but presents the message in a fun way.

The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi

When I first saw this picture book I was attracted to its gorgeous illustrations. The old fashioned black and white silent film look to it is really fascinating. I was at a book fair at school and one of my second grade students was near me.  She allowed me to read the book to her. When the story was over, I was in shock. I put the book down and she walked away. I had not been prepared for the ending. A few moments later, when the shock was over, I asked the student what we can learn from the story of the Spider and the Fly. Without hesitation she said, "Don't go into a stranger's house." This simple story teaches an important lesson in a very safe environment for children. Since that time, I have read this story to all of my classes. After the story is read, I ask them what we can learn from the story and each time, the first thing they mention is not to go into a stranger's house. The only exception was when I substitute taught a kindergarten class. I think the concept was too abstract for their young minds.