Uncategorized – Page 86 – Peaceful Reader

Snowmen, Snowwomen=Snowpeople

(photo courtesy of Snowman Pics)

This first week back at school is always tough-teachers and students are tired. In the Midwest its been cold and will be cold, cold, cold through March. It is a long season for kids to tolerate. To bring a little fun into the first week back and share their holiday break stories, we’ve been talking snowmen and reading books featuring the funny snow creations. Here’s my list of books I’m using with students through January, hopefully giving kids a light-hearted look at winter.

Read this week:

It’s Winter (2002) by Linda Glaser-great alliteration which keeps even the youngest students awake with the fun sounds. Even though this is fiction it has interesting facts and just as the reluctant listener might be giving up their head snaps back at the mention of bats and bees hibernating!

All You Need for a Snowman (2002) by Alice Schertle-I’ve fallen in love with this book and don’t know why I haven’t used it for a read-aloud before. Poetic passages and whimsical illustration keep liitle ones(and me) mesmerized. “Three hand-packed, triple-stacked balls of snow. Hat on top, where a hat should go-that’s all you need for a snowman. Except for…” and the next page gives you another item to add to the big, billowy snowman

To Read:

Snowballs (1999)by Lois Ehlert-This one has always been my go-to book for winter. This year a teacher borrowed it before I had a chance to which may be a good thing as it led me to search anew.

A Snowman named Just Bob (1999)and its mate A Snowgirl named Just Sue (2005)by Mark Kimball Moulton- good, paired set to read together. A bit over the top in cheesy though and long.

Oh! (1999)by Kevin Henkes-in simple form shows the pure joy of winter snow.

Tracks in the Snow (2003)by Wong Herbert Yee-good, mini-mystery showing us a lovely outdoor winter world.

Snowmen at Night(2002) by Caralyn and Mark Buehner-with a little imagination a young boy thinks of fun things snowmen must go off and do while everyone else is sleeping. Classic fun and probably what we will read next week.

Stranger in the Woods; A photographic fantasy(2000) by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick-Love this story, the kids love the “mystery” and the photos are beautiful!

There was an old Lady who swallowed some Snow! (2003)by Lucille Colandro and Jared Lee-rhyming, rollicking fun and kids cannot resist getting involved in this readaloud.

A Really Good Snowman (2005) by Daniel J. Mahoney-I discovered this charming tale last year and enjoyed reading it aloud because it has such a sweet message about helping smaller siblings out. Cute animal characters compete in a snowman competition. Perfect for 2nd and 3rd grade.

What am I missing? What snowman and winter books are your favorites?

Share your ideas in a comment so I can expand my collection.

2011 Reading from my shelves project

Last year I took on 50 books and did not finish the list so this year I’ve kept some of the unfinished and added a few. I’ve picked 24 specifically so I can read two each month,which seems like an easy way to stay on track. Thanks to Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea for rehosting this helpful challenge.

Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
The Snipesville Chronicles; Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When by Annette Laing
A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang
The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie
The Reluctant Tuscan; How I Discovered my Inner Italian by Phil Doran
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
Inheritance by Natalie Danford
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing; Traitor to the Nation by M.T. Anderson
Every Sunday by Peter Pezzelli
I don’t want to be crazy by Samantha Schutz
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Austenland by Shannon Hale
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

This year I will succeed at this challenge, This year I will succeed at this challenge, This year I will suceed at this challenge, This year I will, I will, I will….
***To join this challenge click here to sign up: Reading From My Shelves Project/2011

Almost Wordless Wednesday

My Library Guinea Pigs and their fan club, the “GP crew”

Dark Places

Gillian Flynn

2009

345 pages

From the back cover:
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” She survived-and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, when the Kill Club, a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes, locates Libby and pumps her for details-proof its members hope may free Ben-she hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started-on the run from a killer.

Gripping! Genererally this is not my type of book but my husband picked it out from Barnes and Noble(he’s into the three for the price of two member deal) and I’m sure this heading on the back helped [Named one of the best Books of 2009 by The New Yorker]-my husband loves The New Yorker. He begged me to read it so we could talk about it-he liked it that much. I read it in 2 1/2 days because it is a thrilling, alternating chapters book to read. You get to know all these different angles and I couldn’t put it down. And even though the murders were gruesome to read about I didn’t get scared, really-just emphathetic to the characters involved.

Random quote:
I steal underpants, rings, CD’s, books, shoes, iPods, watches. I’ll go to a party at someone’s house-I don’t have friends, but I have people who invite me places-and I’ll leave wearing a few shirts under my sweater, with a couple of nice lipsticks in my pocket, and whatever cash is floating inside a purse or two. Sometimes I even take the purse, if the crowd is drunk enough. (52)

My husband has become a fan of Paperback Book Swap as well and he quickly located a copy of Sharp Objects, Flynn’s first book so we have that on our to-read pile now. His pile is not as big as mine by any means but just the fact that he now has a pile is a fantastic coup for me.

Along for the Ride

Sarah Dessen

2009

383 pages

     I’ve now read all of Sarah Dessen’s books and as soon as I was feeling good about this, my friend Tina gave me the news-Dessen has a new one coming out in the Spring. Bring it on, Ms. Dessen-I’m ready for it.
     This is the story of Auden and her dysfunctional family. Both parents are college professors, accomplished writers but short on emotions. She has one older brother, Hollis who seems to have used up all their parental energy leaving none for Auden. This is the story of her summer; the big one set between high school graduation and her freshman year at a prestigious university. Her parents are divorced and she chooses to spend it with her father, his new wife and their baby. Luckily they live in a house on the beach and there is an extra room for Auden.
     It is a perfect time for some reflection as Auden prepares to make the leap to college student, away from her mother. She is a complex character, silently suffering from her parent’s divorce. She doesn’t have a set of girlfriends to hang with and she seems to just be waiting for college and the comfort books and studying bring to her. She’s is a night-owl, a loner and smart beyond her years. Her stepmother, at first glance, is flighty, girlish and struggling with her new role of mother and wife. Her dad is a self-centered poop who shuts himself off from those at home, those closest to him, making the same mistakes he made during his first go-round as a parent.
    Auden spends her time running interference between her dad and her stepmother, Heidi, and trying to comfort the colic-y Thisbe-who knew this would be just like her own parent’s marriage.   To get away she spends time on the boardwalk. During one of these late night wanderings she meets Eli, a night time loner as well.   I enjoyed the casual relationship between Eli and Auden, which develops more as they understand each other better. Eli has layers; he is worth getting to know which makes it difficult on both of them as neither is interested in spilling their sad secrets.
     I loved the surprises many of these characters hold in store for the reader, making it easy to understand how not to judge a book solely by its cover or a person by their first impression.  Speaking of book covers; the cover art on this one is cute, adorable-love the pink polka-dot dress BUT…who is that boy on the cover…that is not Eli, who is described “a tall guy with longish dark hair pulled back at his neck, wearing a worn blue hoodie and jeans.”(41) Bike-riding guys tend to be leaner, less muscle-y in their arms and Eli is usually wearing a dark hoodie. Maybe it’s just that Eli appeared to me in a different way and the guy on the cover seems more Jake than Eli. That’s about the only thing I disliked about this book. What I liked: the shop girls at Clementine’s, the quest to fulfill Auden’s lack of normal childhood experiences and Heidi’s transformation back to independent can-do woman. If you haven’t read any Sarah Dessen books yet you are missing out on an author who really sees things from a teenager’s angle.

Random Quote:

“In truth, I hadn’t expected my mom to care whether I was around for the summer or not. And maybe she wouldn’t have, if I’d been going anywhere else. Factor my dad into the equation, though, and things changed. They always did.” (19)

Click Sarah Dessen for her author website.
Another point of view review:

Missie at The Unread Reader.
and Samantha reviews it at Someone like Samantha.
Find it at an IndieBound book store near you…Along for the Ride

New Year's Day – Black-Eyed Peas

How many of you eat black-eyed peas, a symbol of prosperity, for the new year? It is a family tradition for us. Each year I’ve tried a new recipe and it isn’t always easy to find one that is meat-free. This one I found in a recent parade magazine in an article about Katie Lee from The Early Show. It was easy to make and tasted great.

Hoppin’ John

serves: 6

1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 15-oz cans of black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
Cooked rice
Shredded white cheddar
Hot sauce (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in black-eyed peas, broth, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low; cook 10 minutes. Stir in green onions and parsley.
3. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with cheese and hot sauce.

My Tweaks: I soaked a bag of black-eyed peas from the bag instead of using cans. Like lentils, they are easy to soak and cook. I did not add green onions and I used parsley instead of cilantro (flat leaf parsley) only because I had parsley from another recipe. I didn’t add parsley to the recipe but put it on the table as a “condiment” so my kids could add it if they chose. Same with the cheese as Groovy Girl is not a cheese lover. I used brown rice and my husband and I added hot sauce to our bowls, which added just the perfect amount of spice.

Cheers to prosperity in 2011.

Teenage Boy said “why do we keep eating black-eyed peas for dinner?-it hasn’t worked yet.” This led to an interesting discussion of how many different ways prosperity appears in our lives if not in cash form!
Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and I’m late in posting because I took a three hour nap after church. It felt great and must be my way of shoving my head into the sand as my holiday break comes to a close. Tomorrow it’s off to work we go!
This is what comes up when you google the peas…

2010 Challenge Up-Date and 2011 Challenges-Yes, Let's do it again…

In 2010 I participate in three challenges and finished…drum roll please-none of them. I could be morose about this or hide it under the proberbial rug but it was my first time participating and I just didn’t accomplish it. I do have a busy life, two busy children and a husband in overdrive 90% of the time. Like I tell my children: “oh well, these things happen.” The thing is I am more than willing to try again. I plan to finish my 2010 challenges while working on the new ones…full circle. I signed up for this last year at J. Kaye’s blog which is now Home Girl’s book blog. My stats are here-2010 Reads. I read 86 books-some fantastic and I’m happy about all of them. The key is I want, really want to get to 100+ and I’ll keep trying until I do. I’m awed by people like Janssen (200 books) and Tina (250+)

This year I’ll be logging here with my reading numbers and reviews.

Find the details here at My Overstuffed Bookshelf

I did this one last year hosted by Diane and also failed miserably but I want to keep going to finish the stack not read and I’ve added some new titles. What this challenge did for me was to curb my desire to buy books. I sought other sources-like I’m now a full-fledged member of Paperback Book Swap. I never have an excess of money so I’ve always been slow to purchase brand-new hardcovers but found it incredibly easy to buy paperbacks or second-hand-I’ve slowed this down cuz my stacks were too tall. So I’ve gotta keep going with this challenge, making up for unfinished reads. Here are my stats(19 out of 50, so sad, can only go up from here) for this challenge-Reading from my own shelves list. See my new list tomorrow.

Home Girl’s Book Blog, formerly J. Kaye’s blog hosted this last year and again I made not a great showing. I’m going to finish the titles on this list but am not signing up for it again. Here are my stats (33/50)-Support your local library challenge.

How did your challenges go this year? Let me know with a comment. Happy Reading!

2011 Reads

Acronyms for my reading log:
(GSBC=Good Spirits Book Club, RFMOS=Reading from my own Shelf Project, GG=Groovy Girl read-aloud, LDBC=Long Distance Book Club, Library posting=Library Challenge books, SBC=School Book Club)

January:

1. We can’t all be rattlesnakes by Patrick Jennings (elementary fiction/library)****
2. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (elementary fiction/library)*****
3. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes (middle grade/library)****
4. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks (adult historical fiction)GSBC****
5. Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska (adult fiction)RFMOS*****
6. Sophie the Amazing by Lara Bergen(elementary fiction/GG)***
7. For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suiced/When the Rainbow is not Enuf by Ntozake Shange(poetry)library*****
8. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale(middle grade fiction/SBC)*****

February:

9. The Reluctant Tuscan by Phil Doran (ARC-adult travel/memoir- RFMOSP)**
10. Sophie the Hero by Lara Berger (elementary fiction-GG)***
11. Milo; Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg (middle grade-library)*****
12. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (adult fiction-GSBC)****
13. Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (last year’s list of reading from my own shelves-women’s fiction)****
14. Clara’s Kitchen by Clara Cannucciari (Foodie and Library Projects)****
15. Come to the Table; The Slow Food Way of Cooking ed. by Katrina Heron (Foodie and Library Projects)*****
16. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (RFMOS)***

March:

17. She Looks Just Like You; A Memoir of a (Nonbiological Lesbian) Motherhood by Amie Kelmpnauer Miller (Library Project)****
18. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (GSBC)****
19. Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Scott (RFMOS-SBC)*****
20. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (SBC)****

April:

21. Saraswati’s Way by Monika Schrader (from author)****
22. Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpoole(library)*****
23. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (RFMOS-2010)****
24. The Sister’s Gimm by Michael Buckley (library-GG) ****
25. Not Your Mother’s Casserole’s by Faith Durand (Foodie Project)****
26. The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca (ARC)***
27. Bitter End by Jennifer Brown (ARC)***
28. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (library-SBC)*****
29. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos ***
30. I’ll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan (ARC)*****

May:

31. River House; A Memoir by Sarahlee Lawrence (library challenge)***
32. Winter Garden by Johanna Verweerd (book club mistake)***
33. The Sister’s Grimm (2) by Michael Buckley (GG/library challenge)****

June:
34. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese (GSBC)****
35. Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson (Foodie Challenge)*****
36. Newsgirl by Liza Ketchum (library)***
37. Little Klein by Anna Ylvisaker *****
38. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver****
39. A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand****
40. If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Coonie (library)**
41. The Sisters Gimm (3) by Michael Buckley (GG/Library Challenge)

July:

42. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Library)
43. Changing Heart by Jodi Piccoult (RFMOS)
44. If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Library)
45. Fire by Kristin Cashore (library)
46. Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm (library)
47. Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm (library)
48. Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm (library)
49. Sisters Grimm (4) by Michael Buckley (Library/g.g.)
50. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm (library)
51. Forever (Mercy Falls Book 3) by Maggie Steifvater
52. One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus (RFMOS)

August:

53. Where She Went by Gayle Forman (library)
54. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (library)
55. The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter (my own shelf)
56. Gemma by Meg Tilly (my own shelf)
57. In The Green Kitchen by Alice Waters (foodie, library)
58. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (library)
59. Countdown by Deborah Wiles
60. How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson (my own shelf)
61. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (library)
62. True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet by Lola Douglas (library)
63. The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas (library)
64. The Love Season by Elin Hilderbrand (my own shelf)
65. Matched by Allie Condie
66. Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone (library)
67. Storm Runners by Roland Smith (library)

September:

68. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney (husband)
69. A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz (library)
70. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (my own shelves)
71 . Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (GSBC)
72. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (Library)
73. Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven, Book 3) by Brandon Mull (library)
74. Tales of the Hood (Sisters Grimm, Book 6) by Michael Buckley (library-GG bedtime)

October:

75. My Brother’s Shadow by Monika Schroder (ARC-sent by author)
76. The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere) by Jacqueline West (library)
77. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (library)
78. Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel (library)
79. Next to Love by Ellen Feldman (library)

November:

80. Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson (my shelf)
81. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman (library)
82. Spellbound (The 2nd book of Elsewhere) by Jacqueline West (library)
83. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her own making by Catherynne M. Valente (library)
84. Organizing the Disorganized Child by Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran (new purchase)_
85. Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef by Shauna and Daniel Ahearn (library and Foodie Reading Challenge )
86. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (own shelf)

December:

87. Moosewood Restaurant’s; Cooking for Health (Library and Foodie Reading Challenge)
88. Lucky Cap by Patrick Jennings
89. Dear Papa by Anne Ysvilaker (library)
90. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ysvilaker (library)
91. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
92. The Daughters by Joanna Philben
93. Bettina Valentino and the Picasso Club by Niki Daly
94. Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick
95. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
96. Radiance by Alyson Noel
97. Shimmer by Alyson Noel
98. So Sweet by Sur La Table
99. Pearl vs. the World by Sally Murphy
100. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Top Ten-2010

I’ve checked out a few top ten lists around the blogosphere so I thought I needed to add my ten cents worth. I’ve divided them into three categories: Adult Fiction, YA Fiction and elementary fiction as these are the areas I do the most reading. I’ve grouped several series titles together as you’ll notice. For example, I loved Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series but can’t give it three spots on my list. Also they are not in any particular order as to how much I enjoyed them-too difficult to pick an absolute winner. Links added are to my own review of each book.How many of these titles have you read? Tell me your thoughts. Enjoy!

Adult Fiction

1. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson-mystery, never reviewed it because so many others had but I’m a big fan of Lisbeth Salander, a kickin’ heroine from Sweden.

2. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford-Historical Fiction, alternating between 1942 and 1986, Asian-American, Internment Camps during WWII.
3. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack-Historical Fiction, Nazi Germany, narrated by Death. Brilliant!
4. Serena by Ron Rash-Historical Fiction-North Carolina Mountains, environmental destruction amisdst ruthlessness.
5. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley-1950, England, 11-year-old star heroine, Flavia solves great mystery.
6. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow-interracial story of Rachel’s family, told in alternating chapters, 1980’s.
7. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender-present day quirky family, Rose can taste her mother’s feelings through her cooking.
8. Buying Time by Pamela Samuels Young-Diverse, mystery, loved the layers and interconnecting of many characters.
9. Still Alice by Lisa Genova-Harvard professor with Alzheimer’s disease, amazing in-depth story, had me in tears.
10. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver Historical Fiction-just finishing this but am amazed by the research and layered history of this tale.

YA Fiction

1. Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye-Emigration tale from America to Palestine.
2. The $66 Summer by JohnArmistead- Historical Fiction, Alabama, 1950’s.
3. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier-Fantasy,beautiful fairy tale with shades of the 12 Dancing Princesses.
4. Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony-Dystopian world, Canada and U.S., 2031, Anthony creates a unique world of the future.
5. Shiver/Linger by Maggie Stiefvater-Fantasy, werewolves, love story, excellent writing.
6. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson-Historical Fiction, Revolutionary War and Slavery.
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen-Realistic Fiction, smart girl meets beach boy=complicated romance.
8. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen-Realistic Fiction, Owen helps Annabel understand the complicated parts of her life.

9. Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan-September 9, 2001, teens deal with fall-out before, during and after the towers fall. Heavy, timely and funny.

10. Devil on my Heels by Joyce McDonald-Historical Fiction, 1950’s, racial strife in Florida, great rabble rousing.

Elementary/Middle Fiction

1. Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman-Historical fiction, Civil Rights Strife, tear-jerker.
2. Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur-Realistic Fiction involving death of sibling and parent, fantastic writing.
3. Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder-Fantasy, children in Iowa small town discover a magic wall which makes for great adventure over the summer while the rest of us are just out riding our bikes.
4. Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull-Fantasy, amazing world surrounding grandparent’s house.
5. One Crazy Summer by Rita William- Garcia-1968 Historical Fiction, Black Panthers.
6. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead-A Wrinkle in Time mixed with realistic fiction, NYC drama.

7. Clementine; Friend of the Week by Sarah Pennypacker-You can make a mess of things and your friends will stand be there for you.
8. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin-Fable/Asian tales, girl and dragon change their destiny.
9. The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz-Fantasy, night fairy battles elements in human backyard after bat chews her wings.

10. Star in the Forest by Laura Resau-Realistic Fiction, Mexican family deals with deportation, difficulties as daughter takes care of abandoned dog to ease pain.

I hope each and everyone of you had a very Happy New Year! Cheers to 2011.

Road to Tater Hill

by Edith M. Hemingway
2009
210 pgs

      I brought this one home from my recent large library book order that came three days before holiday break. I knew, from the description on Titlewave, it was one I wanted to read and it was worth it. My husband went to school at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC and he often regales us with interesting tales of living in this part of the South. Set in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina in 1963, Edith M. Hemingway draws on her own family’s experiences to create this tale.
     Annabel (Annie) and her mother are spending the summer with her grandparents while her dad is stationed oversees. Her mom is pregnant but the baby, born early, dies. Annie spends the summer missing this baby sister, Mary Kate, wondering what her days would be like if things had gone differently. She finds a nice sized rock and holds it like a baby, cuddling it, as she sits by the creek.   Her mother struggles and cannot get past the baby’s death, reeling in grief, forgetting she has a living daughter.   As Annie spends time by the creek, away from home, she meets a mountain women, Eliza McGhee who helps her come to understand her mother’s depression.
     Eliza is a most fascinating character and she slowly reveals her history to Annie. Through Miss Eliza’s revelations we learn of her abusive husband and death of her own child years earlier. Their relationship leads to Annie’s ability to help her own mother and also allows Annie to understand the other people in her life.
     Perfect Quote:

I was close enough now to see the woman sitting on the back stoop of her house with the door open behind her like a narrow slit leading to a dark cave. She reminded me of a character in some fairy tale I had read years ago-not a scary person, but someone who had lived through hard times. Her head was bent over an instrument that lay across her knees, and her face was hidden by the floppy folds of her sunbonnet. She bobbed her head to the rhythm of the music that she plucked from the strings. (58)

I loved Miss Eliza’s ability to envelope Annie into her life even though, previously, she shunned close relationships. Ostracised in her own community Miss Eliza deftly steps in and fills the gap in young Annie’s life. Annie leans on Miss Eliza for understanding and learns what it takes to be friend during difficult times; standing up for what is right and true. These two share a love of reading which is a wonderful connection-I loved Miss Eliza’s recollections of the librarian who brings books to her in prison.
When I get back to school I know I will be able to book talk this one right into an eager student’s hands.
Edith M. Hemingway’s website
Here is a good book trailer video.
Sherry at Semicolon liked it too!
Buy it for someone you love at an Indiebound store near you-Road to Tater Hill