Julie and Julia

I went to see Julie and Julia at the theater on Sunday afternoon. If you are a blogger, a fan of either Julia Child or Meryl Streep, or interested in cooking, you would probably enjoy the show. One part made me laugh so much I started crying. I wish I had been able to go with my sister Amanda, since she is so much more into blogging than me or my other sister. When it comes out as a DVD I will probably watch it again. Anyone else see it?

First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg is a great book about the first day at a new school. I would recommend everyone read this book, especially teachers. The story is of Sarah, who is anxious about her first day of school. Although some people think reading picture books is only for young children, I would say this one is really for any one of school age...maybe even up to middle school. I read it to my niece and nephews last weekend and hope to read it to some students the first day of school.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This afternoon I finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. When I started reading it, I knew that I would enjoy the story and didn't want to read through it too quickly...good books are meant to be savored. The story is told through a series of letters written by Juliet, Sidney, and as the story progresses, a wide variety of residents of the island of Guernsey. It is set in Europe in 1946, so the story includes many references to World War II. As I read it made me wish that more people wrote letters and that I had traveled to Europe this summer. It was a well told story with believable characters. As it progressed, I was surprised at the direction of the book, but not disappointed. If my book club wasn't so adamant about reading books that no one has yet read, I would take it as a suggestion for our next book choice.

The link to the book is also currently having an essay contest regarding your favorite book, and if you win, you will recieve a copy of the book.

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.