I love fiction in general and as long as the characters are strong or the plot interesting, I will read just about any genre. As a younger person, I read the Chronicles of Narnina and the Chronicles of Pydrain several times each. Also, any book related to animals or based around animals captured me. The Westing Game, 21 Balloons, and The Cay were all books dear to me during 4-8th grade. They were a little young for me as I was in middle school, but I kept going back to them because they were so wonderful. More recently, I've been enjoying more and more historical fiction and non-fiction. I love funny books and also books that draw out strong emotions in me. I know I'm wrapped up in a book or character when my mood matches theirs when I have to put the book down.
If I were to pick my top three books ten times, I might list three different books each time. So I've just chosen three wonderful books I've read sometime in my lifetime.
Good Night Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian will always be a special book to me. It follows Willie, an abused eleven-year-old boy form London, who is evacuated to the country during WWII to avoid German bombing. He is placed with old and gruff Mr. Tom, who seems a surly loner in the village. As they get to know each other, past hurts are revealed and their true natures becomes evident. Each has suffered in their lives and only together are they able to begin to heal and reach out to the world again. Just as the reader thinks things may work out, their lives are thrown into turmoil again. This is a wonderful historical fiction piece and considers a side of war not always brought to light.
the curious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon is told from the perspective of a boy who is very bright in math and also very autistic. He is brutally honest, but since he has almost no social awareness his words and actions related to the death of a neighbor's dog are misunderstood. He also does not understand the words and actions of his father, the police or his neighbor and ends up deciding to solve the mystery of the dead dog himself. Instead he ends up learning more than he ever expected about his father, his dead mother, and himself and goes on an amazing solo journey. This book is very funny, even though the main character does not really understand humor. This book gave me real insights into some of the students I have taught and made me aware of how my perceptions of the world are not universal. Some strong language in this book in the PG-13 category.
It is really two stories in one, told from the perspectives of two women fighting for Great Britain during World War II. One woman, Maddie is a pilot, who through her own skills, initiative and some luck, is among the most experienced fliers of her time. She befriends another woman with a subtler, less clear, but no less impressive set of skills. The story of their friendship is full of passion and joy and told in a very touching and meaningful way. The book is set in 1943, and they have both crash-landed in Nazi occupied France, with a mission to help the French Resistance. The book opens with one captured friend writing a confession to the Gestapo. The confession is part history of the characters, and part description of what’s happening during her confinement and torture. The torture descriptions are real enough, but they are not overly descriptive. They are however, for more mature readers. But these scenes get mixed in among the writing and the story, both of which are amazing. The story has plenty of clues and hidden messages and it is a wonderful challenge to try and accurately decipher the truth. Both friends must make hard choices and while the ending is satisfying and well done, it is a war they are part of. One great thing about this book is it gives homage to women in general and to them during wartime. I loved this book and could not put it down. I highly recommend it!
Looking forward to continuing our reading blogs and discussions! I'm so excited by the initial set of posts and comments! Keep it up!
Max
