Liesel Meminger

Have you ever read a book that makes you feel like you've been punched in the stomach, in a good way? Just minutes ago, I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Wow! What an amazing story.

I'm feeling very overwhelmed by it and too wound up to go to bed. The Book Thief is a profound story of a Liesel Meminger, a little girl who lives through Nazi Germany. We've all read books about this period in our world's history, but I have never read something from this perspective. Most of the characters in this book are not Jewish. They are not haters of the Jews. They are not supporters of Hitler and his "reign of terror". They are regular people dealing with the atrocity of the time. I am having a difficult time wrapping my brain around what it must have been like for these "regular" people. They were torn. Torn between their disgust for the evil taking place in their country and the paralyzing fear they had about opposing it. It is heart wrenching and so very clever.

Liesel, the main character, is remarkable. She's the book thief. Even though she is just a child in the story, she is strong, brave, smart, sensitive, and funny. She's a hero. An unsung hero. We never hear or read about people like her. She's not media worthy. But people like her have to exist. They just have to. I would've liked to have known her.

I have never read a book like this before.

Go to the library or bookstore and pick it up right now! Be sure to stop and pick up a box of Kleenexes on the way home as well. You will need them, but in a good way.

Open a Book

(Thanks to Jill for allowing me to use this picture of Téa)

Books to the ceiling,

Books to the sky,

My pile of books is a mile high.

How I love them!

How I need them!

I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

-Arnold Lobel

The holidays are just around the corner. If you are looking for a good book for a loved one or a book for you to curly up next to the fire and read, let me help.

The Thirteenth Tale was chosen by Jason for our book club about a year ago. At first I was skeptical. I am not a reader of fantasy/weird/unreal type books. In fact, the back of the book mentions ghosts and ghost stories. I complained a little, but started the book - I always start the books for bookclub, even if I don't finish them. However, after about a chapter I was hooked. It is an outstanding book with a lot of twists and turns and the "ghosts" are explained in the end. It is one of the best books I have read. Really!

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree is an oldie but a goodie. In fact, the book I have is from 1963 and done in ink drawing and green washes. It is very cute and the story is a sing-songy rhyme - there's just something fun about stories that rhyme. My mom read this to me when I was little (way after 1963 by the way) and I loved it. I read it to my students last week and they enjoyed it as well, even without the color pictures. All ages will love it!

Open a Book

(Thanks to Jill for allowing me to use this picture of Téa)
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
-Arnold Lobel

Don't Forget to Tell Me What You Think in the Poll ---->

The Barrytown Trilogy by Roddy Doyle is actually three short novels published together into one. All three are about the Irish-Catholic Rabitte family and take place in Barrytown, a working-class suburb in Dublin. All three of the stories were made into movies, the most well-known being The Commitments.

Various members of the family are the subjects in each story. I come from a very small family, so reading about a very large family and all the craziness was a lot of fun. Plus, these stories have the typical Irish wit prevelent in all of Doyle's novels. It is laugh-out-loud funn.

The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper is only a few years old now. It was recommended to me by a children's bookstore owner and what fun it is!

The magician's boy wants to be a magician so badly, but the magician doesn't think he is ready yet. While the boy assists the magician at one of his shows, he gets pulled into the Land of Story in order to find the missing St. George puppet. Along the way, the boy meets many "old school" fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters like Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe. They help the boy find St. George. Does he become a magician? You'll have to read it to find out!

Open a Book

I love to read, and have since I can remember. Between the books I read for pleasure, for book club, and for work/school, I have probably read thousands of them, and of course have an opinion about each one. Some I don't remember and some I didn't like, but since I enjoy reading so much (when I have time) I do like most of what I read and thought this is a great forum to share my favorites. Since I couldn't find a day of the week that goes along with "book", actually it's not that I couldn't find one, there just isn't one, this may or may not be a weekly post. Anyhoo, if your looking for something to read, try one of these.

(Thanks to Jill for sending me this picture of Téa)

Books to the ceiling,

Books to the sky,

My pile of books is a mile high.

How I love them!

How I need them!

I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

-Arnold Lobel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel was amazing. I have to admit that I was the dummy who thought it was a true story (because it's written like one and story teller states that it is), but that's just because it was so good and I guess I wanted it to be true.

A boy named Pi is the lone survivor when the ship he and his family are on sinks. Unfortunately, he is not alone in the lifeboat. The zoo animals that the ship was transporting also managed to survive and end up on the boat with Pi. The interaction between the boy and the animals is intense and, at times, heart-wrenching.

I was exhausted at the end of this one, but it was well worth it!

I have few favorite books because there are so many of them that I love, but Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes is one of my favorites. In the last few years, the language used in children's books has changed from formal and boring, to modern and conversational. These books are not always great for grammar examples, but they are so much fun to read.

Lily is a sassy, school-aged mouse who loves her teacher, but one day she comes to school so excited about some goodies she received from her grandma, including a purple, plastic, purse (who wouldn't love that?). These things distract Lily and the teacher finally confiscates the items until the end of the day. Lily is livid and her favorite teacher quickly becomes her least favorite teacher. The story continues as Lily learns her lesson, and all is right in Lily's world again. Cute, cute, cute!