"She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain."

I love that quote! It's by Louisa May Alcott, who wrote Little Women, which is a very good book, by the way. I have so much to say today and I am so glad for this little forum called my blog, and I'm glad to be back on the world-wide web because we've had computer woes since last Friday. It's a terrible thing to be cut off from all the information that the internet has to offer...especially when one is trying to find pictures and facts about king cobras to help a little second grader make a cool poster for school AND when one is preparing for a cub scout den meeting. Computers are crucial in these instances!! So, back to books. I have read the most wonderful books lately and I thought I would share. I am a firm believer that a book should help you think about life differently by presenting a scenario that you can place yourself in and, along with the main character, learn from. If a book teaches you nothing, and only stimulates your senses, IT ISN'T WORTH READING!! Good books "turn our brains" and open our eyes and expand our view.

The Truth About Sparrows is a gentle and simply, yet beautifully written book. It is told from the perspective of a twelve year old girl named Sadie and speaks about family, a self-worth, compassion for others, embracing new things, living up to one's potential, and learning what is of real value in life. When I read the small snippet of prose on the back of the book I knew I had to read the story because that one paragraph was so well written! This is a wonderful book!




This story is set in the early 1900's and chronicles the real-life journey of a young woman into the Canadian wilderness. I simply marveled at the experiences she had and the way of life she embraced. I'll never look at mosquitoes the same way again! Ack!! I laughed and cried my way through this book and hugged my children tight at the end, it is a simply wonderful story.






The Graveyard Book begins with a murder, which is quite an eye-popping and disturbing way to start, but the book is about death, so it is also appropriate - just beware. The story is about a boy called "Nobody Owens" who is orphaned by the aforementioned murder and is raised by ghosts in an old graveyard. The young boy grows from toddler to teen in the course of the book, learning life's lessons from the dead and coming to realize his own strengths, weaknesses, and the power to be found in living a full life. It is clever and a bit melancholy and turns modern ghost stories on their ears. The book also has the reader consider death (which I don't think we like to do) and whether or not death is the end of all things or the start of something else.

I love, Loved, LOVED this story. It grabbed me right from the beginning. What a clever and funny and imaginative book! The characters are so interesting and their is someone for everyone to identify with: straight arrow Kendra, fearless and mischievous Seth, talented and mysterious Lena, honest and hardworking Dale, competent and straightforward Grandma Sorenson, and fair minded Grandpa Sorenson. This is not only an entertaining story, but a moral story as well, one which could provide lots of opportunities to talk to other readers (including kids!) about gospel principles such as agency, obedience, justice and mercy, truthfulness, and integrity.



Hooray for good literature! If you read any of these, let me know what you think and thanks to all those who put these books in my path.