The Help

I finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett early this morning (around 1:45). It is a story that takes place in Mississippi in the 1960's. Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny are the three main characters and their lives become intertwined in a way that none of them would ever expect. The story was a little slow to get started, but as I read, I enjoyed learning more about each of the characters. Stockett does an excellent job telling the story and making the story believable. I was tempted to read the end (the book is more than 400 pages long) so I could go to bed, but decided to just finish reading the book instead, even if I had to stay up late to finish it. I would definitely recommend this book.

A Pen Pal for Max

A Pen Pal for Max by Gloria Rand is a picture book I enjoyed reading. It is the story of Max, a boy from Chile, becoming pen pals with a girl in the United States. It reminded me of some of the pen pals that I had growing up, including Laura, who lived in Hong Kong. It was always exciting to get a letter from her. We probably wrote for several years and I acquired a lot of postage stamps from there. I think that she even sent a coin or two. I realize now people know people from all over the world via e-mail, but I don't think it can compare with the excitement of getting a real letter in the mail from a distant place. I wish that I would have been able to keep in touch with her cause maybe I would have eventually been able to meet her. Did anyone else have a pen pal growing up?

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo is a book I enjoyed reading. This book tells the story of Edward Tulane, a china rabbit. I picked the book up because I have read a few of DiCamillo's other books (Because of Winn-Dixie and some of the Mercy Watson series) and this story did not disappoint. When I realized that Edward was a china rabbit owned by a girl, Abilene, the story reminded me of The Velveteen Rabbit. It would be a great read aloud for bedtime for school aged children, as at the end of each chapter, you are wondering what adventure will befall Edward next. There is a more mature theme in one part of the book that I would say makes the book not necessarily great for very young children. When I finished, I thought that the ending was thought provoking, maybe more for adults than children. The illustrations are great, too, though there aren't a ton of them. If I ever teach fourth or fifth grade, I would definitely consider this for a read aloud.

recommended reading

A couple of weeks ago I gave my brother a short list of books I thought he should read. He made a comment about it not even being February and I love to read month. It seems to me that it is always a good time to read, and below are a few books that I think everyone should read. If you click on the title, you'll be able to see what I wrote about it on my blog.

Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

End of the Spear by Steve Saint

Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Saint Ben by John Fischer

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

Have you read any of these?

numbers

I have...

0 cavities
1 dad
2 sisters
3 brothers
4 wheels on my car
5 shoeboxes full of letters from friends and family
6 Old Navy flag t-shirts
8 Bibles (2 are New Testaments)
10 aunts
11 mugs
12 quilts
12.5 years full time teaching experience
13 pairs of shoes
16 pairs of pants
25 cousins
33 short sleeve t-shirts
36 journals
49 CDs
50 friends on Facebook
206 bones
and 435 books. (yes, I counted, but I may have missed a couple)

What about you?

Ella Minnow Pea

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn is third book that I have read in the week since school has gotten out. Ella Minnow Pea is a person that lives in the made up country of Nollop. The story is about the country banishing, one by one, different letters of the alphabet. It doesn't seem like a huge deal when the first letters are banished, since they are letters like z and q, but then it gets more difficult since soon the letters that are forbidden from use are much more common. The story is told in letter format, many written by Ella, but others written by family members like Amos, Tassie, Mittie, and Gwenette.