For me, reading comes in peaks and valleys. I inhale books for several weeks, then suddenly nothing excites me and I turn my attentions elsewhere. At the moment I am quite enjoying my literary pursuits, most of them pure fiction.
Anyway, I finished the last two Newbery Honor books, Rules by Cynthia Lord and A Penny from Heaven by Jennifer Holm. I enjoyed them both. Rules is told through the eyes of a teenage girl whose brother has autism. Its subtle lessons of tolerance and appreciation of differences are sorely needed among all people today, but particularly youth. It was sweet and well written.
A Penny from Heaven nearly rivaled Hattie Big Sky (which I adored, in case you didn't read my post about it). Penny brought to life the culture of Italian Americans and the challenges they faced during and post WW2, also through the eyes of a teenage girl. Her lovable but troublesome cousin and best friend adds a male element to the story that is missing from the other books. This book also brought me to tears--the characterization of Penny is superb and you can't help but empathize with her through the plot twists. Read it! You'll be glad you did.Strangely, I still like the actual medal winner least of all this year. If you read these, post and let me know what you think.
2 comments:
Hey, can't wait to start reading some of your picks. You know we share a love of adolescent lit. If I were to do a Ph.D., I would have a hard time deciding between adolescent lit. and Austen-esque stuff. : )
When I read a book I have to be completely committed to giving up life for a few days. (And my husband has to be willing to also!) I am a voracious reader and can't put a book down once I start. That being said, I can't seem to finish Eclipse right now because I am exhausted all the time. Maybe after the marathon. :-) I would love to pick up some of your suggestions. I appreciate your insight. What a great mom you have!
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