Friday, November 30, 2012

Those We Love Most

I sort of feel as though I "know" Lee Woodruff. I read the memoir she wrote with her husband, journalist Bob Woodruff, In An Instant, about her husband's injury while embedded with the military in Iraq.  When her second non-fiction book, Perfectly Imperfect was published, I quickly bought and read it as Lee shared her feelings and memories about various occurences in her life.
Those We Love Most is Woodruff's first foray into fiction, and I greedily read every single page. 
Margaret is in her mid-sixies, already having raised her children. She enjoys her grandchildren living close by, and despite having been married for several decades to Roger, her husband, has a life set apart from his largely due to his travel with work. The marriage which looks happy on the outside has its troubles, as Roger has been carrying on an extramarital affair for several years with Julia, a woman he sees regulary when on business in Florida.
Although part of this story is Margaret's, another portion is her daughter, Maura's. Maura married her college boyfriend, Pete. The two have three children and although their marriage is mediocre at best, have a typical suburban lifestyle.  All of that changes in just the blink of an eye when their oldest child, James, is hit by a car while riding his bike to school. Maura had been walking with him and their other children and glanced away for just a second to check her cell phone - something she will blame herself for and regret for the rest of her life.
Those We Love Most explores the dynamics of this family and the way that these women deal with the challenges they are confronted with.  Woodruff's characters are so human that I could understand both Maura and Margaret's reactions even though I didn't always agree with them. 
Book clubs and readers of women's fiction will especially enjoy Those We Love Most.  Woodruff writes in her acknowledgements that it took her three years to complete this novel, which seems entirely too long to wait until she is published again.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Cold Snap

I so wish that the temps in the mid-50s we have been having would stick around.  No such luck, of course, as winter-like weather is getting closer to reality. 
Eileen Spinelli's new book, Cold Snap was a great read-perfect for the type of weather we will be seeing soon. The illustrations are colorful and I loved reading about the residents of the small town of Toby Mills.  Although the temperature is getting lower, the coldness is more easily measured by looking at the growing icicle hanging from the nose of the statue of General Toby that stands in the town.
I love Eileen Spinelli's work, and have read many of her books to my children.  One of their favorites is Heat Wave. During our read aloud I mentioned to the girls that Cold Snap reminded me very much of another story we enjoyed.  Proud librarian-mom moment when my middle daughter chimed in instantly that Heat Wave and Cold Snap were very similar and written by the same person.
I'm trying to find a way for my students to read and compare both books as well as the weather in one short library lesson.  Cold Snap is going on my next library order as well as being added to my personal collection. 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

This week's pick: The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
Due out: March 26, 2013

Product Information taken from Amazon:
Elizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” wrote The New Yorker on the publication of her Pulitzer Prize–winning Olive Kitteridge. The San Francisco Chronicle praised Strout’s “magnificent gift for humanizing characters.” Now the acclaimed author returns with a stunning novel as powerful and moving as any work in contemporary literature.

Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever.

With a rare combination of brilliant storytelling, exquisite prose, and remarkable insight into character, Elizabeth Strout has brought to life two deeply human protagonists whose struggles and triumphs will resonate with readers long after they turn the final page. Tender, tough-minded, loving, and deeply illuminating about the ties that bind us to family and home, The Burgess Boys is Elizabeth Strout’s newest and perhaps most astonishing work of literary art.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.
This week's topic:  Top Ten Books I Am Anticipating in 2013 - how difficult is that! There are lots of books I am excited about but here are my highlights:

Monday, November 26, 2012

Candy Smash

The fourth installment of Jacqueline Davies' The Lemonade War was a happy surprise in my Amazon Vine newsletter.  The Lemonade War is an Iowa Children's Choice book from a few years ago now.  When I read it I could see why it had been chosen. It is an easy read with some great teaching moments tied in.  I didn't love it, but every time a teacher read it aloud to her class, the kids really liked it.  My own daughter really liked it.  Then the second and third books in the series were published (The Lemonade Crime and The Bell Bandit) and I started to like this series more with each installment. 
Candy Smash is a great next chapter in this series.  Evan and Jessie are still in the same classroom at school which  makes for some interesting dynamics.  As Jessie struggles (at least in my mind) with social skills, I began to feel as though Evan was a pretty awesome older brother who put up - and even tried to understand- his little sister. While most kids might not pick up on it, Jessie's acceleration to a higher grade certainly didn't help her out socially. Kids in her class are starting to have crushes on other kids and Jessie tries to disclose this private information in her class newspaper she writes, not understanding that this might be a bad idea.
Evan and Jessie's class is also working on a poetry unit, which Davies does a marvelous job of writing about.  Teachers could use this book as a springboard for their own poetry unit, and I felt my own hesitance around this genre to turn to intrigue as I watched Evan excel at this type of writing.
Just as in previous Lemonade War books, a new vocabulary word that fits in with the story line is shared at each chapter's beginning, providing another teachable moment.
Davies' series just keeps getting better, and I can't help but hope Evan and Jessie show up again in future books.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Sunday Salon

Reality is starting to creep into my thoughts as I begin to plan for the week at school. It has been great to have four days off!  No matter how many days off I get, though, and how much I like my job, I could still always use more time off to get stuff at home done.

Thanksgiving was nice and fairly quiet with my parents and my husband's parents as our only guests.  There was too much food and we still have a lot of leftovers.  Yesterday my siblings and their families and my family got together at my parents' house.  Again, more food.  I don't feel like I overate at any of the official Thanksgiving meals, but I did overeat before and after with all my snacking.

I love the Pioneer Woman's olive bread and made that for our dinner yesterday. What I probably like even more than the olive bread is the olive mixture on crackers as a dip.  What a great salty treat- and so not healthy.  Going back to work and getting into a routine and better eating will be good for me.

Usually I take my girls shopping on Black Friday - more to look than to buy.  This year we did hit Target and Hobby Lobby, but my sister-in-law and I managed to shop on Thursday night, hitting Target at is opened at 9 PM.  I've never done that before, but even though it was crowded I was happy with the items I was able to buy and the fact that I didn't have to try and find another time to shop sans children.

Other weekend highlights:
going to the dollar theater to see Wreck it Ralph with my brother's family
getting a lot of cleaning/laundry/decorating for Christmas checked off
reading several books that I am excited to review

Saturday, November 24, 2012

The Elf on the Shelf


Never before has the Elf on the Shelf visited my home.  This year the girls and I purchased Jennifer Elf (Little Sister's name for her) while at Target.  Little Sister is excited by Jennifer's presence in our home and has been doing a great job of making sure Jennifer reports some good things to Santa.  The other two girls, however, aren't as gullible and are already irritated by Little Sister's reminders that Jennifer is watching their behavior. 
This morning Jennifer had trapped Little Sister in her bedroom, much to her delight.  I wonder where she will end up tomorrow morning!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Losing It

Erin Fry's debut novel, Losing It, is a great motivational and heartwarming read.  Bennett is a middle school kid who is self conscious of his oversized body, but still enjoys eating junk food and watching sports instead of playing them.  When his dad suffers a stroke and Bennett is forced to move in with his aunt, Laura, Bennett's life takes some drastic turns.
I loved this novel which felt to me a little like the male version of Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee.  Bennett is a character that was so human - he is a boy who has been through a lot - the death of his mom when he was just five is still with him, and he has never become close to his mom's sister, Laura, who seems overly controlling.  When he is forced to move in with his aunt and her family, she initiates a healthy living movement -daily exercise and healthy meals- that will cause Bennett to begin to think about the lifestyle choices he and his father made.  The decision to join the cross country team is his own, yet, he finds support from new teammates and his family that helps him to realize he can do this - despite the fact that there is a lot of hard work involved.  The only person not so excited about Bennett's new lifestyle is his best friend, PG, who is also overweight.
Although the end felt a little too perfect, I have thought about Bennett a great deal since I closed this book.  Fry's message is inspiring without being preachy and I can't wait to press this in the hands of many readers- both male and female.  Losing It shares a wonderful message while still entertaining.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving, Part 3

Although I am writing this in advance of the holiday, I can antcipate that come Thursday, our television will be tuned to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. On Monday, I mentioned the book Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet, and then realized that I never posted about this book last year, although it was my favorite Thanksgiving book and I read it to nearly every class I saw that week.
From illustrations to writing, this story is a winner.  Sweet's artwork is entertaining and colorful, so much so that I could spend hours just looking at the pictures.  Tony Sarg's life story is laid out for all to know - how he began working with marionettes to then engineering the biggest marionettes of all - the balloons in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Sweet includes an author's note at book's end to give a bit more information about Balloons over Broadway as well as a bibliography.  Just as with Sarah Gives Thanks, my students loved that this story was "real" and also that they could relate to their own experiences watching the parade on television.
There are a lot of Thanksgiving books out there, but Balloons Over Broadway is a unique look at what is now a Thanksgiving tradition.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


This week' pick: The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darrian Gee
Due out January 29, 2013

Product Information taken from Amazon:
Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Kristin Hannah, Beth Hoffman, and Kate Jacobs, this luminous novel from the author of Friendship Bread follows a group of fascinating women who form deep friendships through their love of scrapbooking—as memories are preserved, dreams are shared, and surprising truths are revealed.

Welcome to Avalon, Illinois, Pop. 4,243

At Madeline’s Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past: Isabel Kidd is fixing up her ramshackle house while sorting through the complications of her late husband’s affair. Ava Catalina is mourning the love of her life and helping her young son grow up without his father. Local plumber Yvonne Tate is smart, beautiful, and new to Avalon, but finds that despite a decade of living life on her own terms, the past has a way of catching up—no matter where she goes. And Frances Latham, mother to a boisterous brood of boys, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a little girl from China—unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of foreign adoption.

Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. Under Bettie’s guidance, even the most reluctant of Avalon’s residents come to terms with their past and make bold decisions about their future. But when the group receives unexpected news about their steadfast leader, they must pull together to create something truly memorable.

By turns humorous, wise, and deeply moving, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a luminous reminder that the things we hold most dear will last a lifetime.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Thanksgiving, Part 2

While some people rave about Junie B. Jones, I have always been in the less enthusiastic crowd.  I have a hard time with her incorrect use of the English language - the kiss of death for many of my ELL students. And, Junie is just plain naughty, which usually grates on my nerves after a while. That's not to say I haven't read these books to my girls or pressed them into the hands of many of my readers, but they aren't my personal favorite.
And yet, I was excited to begin reading the newest Junie B book last night. Junie B., First Grader: Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (And Other Thankful Stuff) is installment number twenty-eight in this series. Junie returns much like the girl I remember, but instead of feeling a bit annoyed by her, I couldn't help but chuckle.  My middle daughter is in third grade and has already edged out of Junie, but my kindergarten daughter is just beginning to know this crazy girl. 
As Junie and her first grade class along with their teacher Mr. Scary list the things they are thankful for, I laughed about the items that made the top of their list.  Exploding biscuits - something we all enjoy eating and making at our house, along with cranberry jelly still in the form of the can is what they are most thankful for. My girls could recognize the ridiculousness of this and list the things on the top of their lists (family, friends, grandparents, cousins).  I could relate as a teacher to poor Mr. Scary who is never quite prepared for the bizarre responses of his students. 
Junie is finding us at a perfect moment and we are counting down to our night-time reading session.  Junie fans, early chapter book readers, and anyone looking for a Thanksgiving story, or a bit of humor will find this to be a great read.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving

I've got a few Thanksgiving books to share this week, which is exciting because it means that there are new Thanksgiving titles out there that I get to read to my classes and children - and because it gives me a few days to catch up on some other books that I might finally get to blog about!
Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra is my go-to title this year.  Last year I raved about Balloons Over Broadway, which is still one of my favorites, so this year I have moved on to sharing a bit more about the Thanksgiving holiday.
Sarah Josepha Hale is the woman we can credit Thanksgiving to.  She was a widow in 1822 with five young children and found reason to still bow her head and give thanks.  A great reader and writer, she eventually began to make a living by writing and later became an editor of different ladies magazines.  All the while, Sarah continued to champion her cause, writing to four different presidents before Abraham Lincoln eventually decided that Thanksgiving should become a national holiday.
My students enjoy the illustrations, but they especially appreciate knowing that a book is "real" and were excited to find out that Sarah Josepha Hale is the reason for our Thanksgiving holiday.  We've read this one at home already, but I am sure it will get read a few more times this year - and in the future as I plan to purchase a copy for my own library.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Art Forger

Often I purposely try and avoid books that are getting a lot of buzz simply because I just can't make myself jump on the bandwagon.  However, when I saw The Art Forger by B A Shapiro as a selection on Amazon Vine, I couldn't pass up the chance to read a book receiving so much praise.
Claire Roth is an aspiring artist, making her living working for Repro.com, a company that pays her to reproduce famous works of art.  However, Claire, who struggles financially, is taken in by Aiden Markel, the owner of a gallery, who presents her with an odd chance at fame and fortune.  She is being hired to reproduce a famous Degas' painting that was stolen in a 1990 art heist, and he will give her her own show at his gallery.  Not only is the money enticing, but Claire's reputation isn't very good after she accused her ex-boyfriend, Isaac, of taking the credit for one of her paintings.
The plot thickens as Claire, who worries about the repercussions of her decision, finds herself in the middle of some intrigue and historical research of Degas' work.
I enjoyed The Art Forger, although the description of the details of painting techniques were hard for me to imagine.  My knowledge of the art world is minimal, so I did appreciate this look into this community.  I also found Shapiro's book entertaining and suspenseful as I raced to discover what would happen to Claire.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Hair Dos and Don'ts

 
Last night I had my hair cut and colored.  I have been pondering a style change for a while, but just cannot decide what exactly would look good on me.  I still think of myself as having long hair, since that is how I had my hair for most of my life.  However, for the past couple years, I have had a mid-length style that requires nearly no skill to maintain. Perfect for me.  I have always wished I would have the nerve to get my hair cut short - like Jamie Lee Curtis short. However, that hair-do looks good on her, but I am not convinced it would do much for me.  I told my hairdresser that what I really needed was a program that allowed me to try different hairstyles on my face just so I had an idea what they would look like.
In our high tech world, that is now possible for a mere $1.99.  The Hair Makeover App on my ipad is providing a lot of fun for me and my girls.   While I don't intend to try the hair-do below, it is fun to try on some different styles.

Little Sister think this is the best look for her.  I'm glad we can just try this out virtually, instead of having to invest in this hair do.
This is Middle Sister's favorite do.  I'm pretty sure we could spend hours using this app.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Hattie Ever After

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson was an instant favorite of mine when it was published.  As a long time fan of The Little House on the Prairie Books, Hattie seemed like a natural progression - a slightly older, more mature prairie girl story with a touch more humor thrown in.  Despite the fact that it is a tad too long for most of my elementary students, I recommend this title to teachers for a read alouds, and there has yet to be a single adult  I know that has read it and not enjoyed it.
I was thrilled to learn that Hattie Big Sky was to return, this time in Hattie Ever After (to be released in early 2013).  Despite the fact that a few years had passed since I left Hattie and I was a little confused at first, I quickly caught up with where Hattie's life left off. 
In this second installment Hattie has moved to California, following her dream to be a newspaper reporter. Most of these jobs go to men, and Hattie takes a custodial job just to get her foot in the door. She also manages to locate Uncle Chester's girlfriend (at least that's who Hattie thinks she is) so she can pass on word of her uncle's passing. Charlie tells Hattie of his feelings, but she is so busy trying to pursue her own dream, that he moves to Seattle himself to begin working for Boeing. 
Larson has recreated early 1900s California perfectly and watching Hattie working diligently - as always- in order to realize her dreams just deepens my love for this character.  As Hattie Ever After ends I am hopeful this is not the last we will see of Hattie; Larson has left a perfect opportunity for us to see Hattie again.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Speaking from Among the Bones: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley
Due out: January 29, 2013

Product Information taken from Amazon:
From award-winning author Alan Bradley comes the next cozy British mystery starring intrepid young sleuth Flavia de Luce, hailed by USA Today as “one of the most remarkable creations in recent literature.”

Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they’re found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her insufferable sisters’ diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies. Upon the five-hundredth anniversary of St. Tancred’s death, the English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey is busily preparing to open its patron saint’s tomb. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked. Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place? The irrepressible Flavia decides to find out. And what she unearths will prove there’s never such thing as an open-and-shut case.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society

Amy Hill Hearth's novel, Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society is a perfect book club read.
Dora, an octogenarian, narrates this book some fifty years after she lived the 1960s and became friends with a group of women (and one lone male) who started a reading group at their local library.  Jackie Hart, newly transplanted from Massachusetts to Florida, challenges the beliefs that Dora and her friends have always abided by.  They read books like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique and discuss how these books have impacted their life.  Jackie is especially frustrated with her role as "just a housewife" and easily relates to Friedan's book.  Yet, when the group talks about this novel, Priscilla, the lone African American in the crowd shares a perspective none of them had ever entertained.
Miss Dreamsville deals with a world that is changing quickly and the book club members are doing their best to keep up.  Jackie's Northern roots help them look more carefully at their own beliefs and actions, and helps them forge friendships that long outlive their book club.
Book clubs will love this title, but this is also a novel I will be recommending to a wide audience- Miss Dreamsville is a great story without any questionable topics or language that turns some people off.  And, although this is a quick read, there is meat enough in this book for plenty to discuss and ponder long after the last page is read.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

The Queen of Kentucky

Alecia Whitaker's Ricki Jo, the protagonist if The Queen of Kentucky, made me feel a bit as though I could be reliving my early high school years.  Ricki Jo is entering her freshman year and beginning high school after attending the small Catholic school in her town.  She wants to fit in with the in crowd, taking up cheerleading and developing a crush on Wolf, a star athlete of the freshman class. 
Ricki falters plenty along the way, forgetting who her true friends are for a bit. There are times I wanted to scream at her to wake up as she handed over her homework to her new "friends" to copy, and tried out drinking despite the fact that she knew it was wrong.  Yet, Whitaker's depiction of Ricki as a fourteen year old girl who wants her body to mature, who wants to fit in, who is struggling to grow up and figure out who she really is, is so spot on, that I was able to recall vividly feeling much like Ricki Jo. 
I also attended a small private (in my case Lutheran) grade school and began high school knowing just a handful of people.  As a late bloomer myself I remember changing for gym and being in awe of the girls who looked like women, while I was still waiting to grow up.  Part of the teen experience is the awkwardness and feeling of not fitting in that Ricki is able to portray perfectly.
Ricki's friendship with her neighbor Luke was one of my favorite parts of The Queen of Kentucky.  A truly good guy, I continued to root for Ricki to finally decide that although Wolf was good looking, Luke had much more going for him.
Whitaker left the ending up to her readers - at least a little bit- yet finished her novel in a perfect way.  This is a debut novel, and I can't help but hope for more from Alecia Whitaker in the future.


Thursday, November 8, 2012

Hong Konged: More Armchair Travel

I've never met Paul Hanstedt, but after reading that he is the son of Lutheran minister, grew up in a small Wisconsin town and attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, I feel as though we could be living in a parallel universe. I am the product of two Lutheran school teachers from a small Iowa town and attended Luther's rival, Wartburg College.  If that weren't enough, my brother-in-law graduated from Luther the same year as Hanstedt, and was happy to find a picture of him in his old college yearbook with the satisfaction of knowing that someone he "sort-of" knew - at least by appearance- is now successful.
All that is a circuitous introduction to Hanstedt's memoir, Hong Konged: One Modern American Family's (Mis)Adventures in the Gateway to China.  The list of places I someday want to visit is long, but I will admit that Hong Kong probably isn't anywhere on that list. However, Hanstedt's descriptions of this portion of the world make Hong Kong seem as majestic and breathtaking as any of the locales currently on my "must see" list.  I enjoyed hearing about how he and his family managed to spend an entire year in a culture foreign to themNavigating new friendships for his children, travel, different foods, and even his wife's year without working outside of the home make the Hanstedt's seem like the family next door- except their door is a few thousand miles away.
There are plenty of touching moments in this memoir - from the way the loss of a family member at the trip's beginning  is dealt with, to Hanstedt's round about way of deciding to embrace life instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop - as he is confronted with the realization (as we all are) that life can change in an instant. Despite the serious moments in this memoir, Hanstedt's writing is funny, and I found myself smiling as I read. 
Luckily, Hanstedt also has his own blog, which means that this family I grew to know while reading is one I am still able to check in with from time to time.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: The Smart One by Jennifer Close
Due out: April 2, 2013

Product Information taken from Amazon:
From the author of the national best seller Girls in White Dresses (An "irresistible, pitch-perfect first novel." --Marie Claire): a gloriously funny new novel of sibling rivalry, thwarted expectations, and that place you return to when things go staggeringly awry: home.

Weezy and Will Coffey raised their children, Martha, Claire, and Max, to be kind, smart, and independent. They gave them help with their homework, a dog, and homemade birthday cakes. It's true that Martha's a little too sensitive--she calls Claire several times a week to discuss natural disasters and local crime. And Claire has a short fuse with her sister--she becomes irate when Martha suggests that the two of them attend couples therapy. And Max, the baby and a senior in college, is a little too happy-go-lucky, though not as lucky as everyone would hope. Still, their parents did their best preparing them for the world. So why, Weezy wonders, is Martha living in her childhood bedroom after a career flameout? And why has Claire canceled her wedding and locked herself in her New York apartment? And how has Max managed to get himself into a girlfriend fiasco? A story about the ways in which we never really grow up, The Smart One is a witty, gossipy, perfectly-drawn portrait of family life.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Safekeeping

Karen Hesse's books are always must reads for me.  Typically the books she writes are historical fiction, which is certainly my cup of tea. When I saw Safekeeping was to be published, I instantly fell in love with the cover, but was somewhat surprised to read the synopsis, which sounded as though the book was dystopian.
The book is definitely dystopian, featuring a grim future in the United States. Interspersed in this story are photographs taken by Hesse herself.
Radley has been helping abroad in Haiti, but has now headed home after the American People's Party has come to power.  Life in the United States has changed dramatically with power outages, food shortages, and overall chaos. When Radley's plane lands, her parents aren't there to greet her and despite traveling for many hours already, she must walk to her home. 
Radley can trust no one and isn't sure at first what to do.  As the days pass and her parents are still nowhere to be found, she comes up with a plan to walk to Canada, where the government is stable.
There is now a new normal in Radley's life, and things will never be the way they were before the American People's Party took control. Yet, Radley is a remarkable girl.  She is able to find things to be hopeful about and ways she can help make an impact in the world.
Hesse's black and white photos are a perfect accompaniment to Safekeeping.  I felt as if I were looking on the scenery Radley encountered on her journey.  The story itself is fascinating, and while presenting a rather scary scenario, did so without totally freaking me out. 
Safekeeping provides plenty of discussion points as readers can examine the choices Radley faced and try to gauge their own reaction in similar circumstances.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Blast From the Past

These eight books are just a snapshot of the books I was reading ten years ago.  Lots of great titles.  What were you reading a decade ago? Last year?