Recent Reads

Mayflower

This book read a little like a text book at times, but I personally found it fascinating. I learned so much from this book. For example, I NEVER knew that the pilgrims sold Native American's into slavery. This is a great, though slightly heavy at times, historical read.

Little Bee

I'm not sure that I can recommend that anyone read this book, simply for the fact that as a very empathetic person, this book was very emotionally difficult for me to read. It was this month's SDBBE selection and the subject is VERY tough. It is about the attrocities that occur in Africa and one girl's personal story of horror. There is no salvation, there is no joy in this book. It left me greatly disturbed, gave me nightmares and panic attacks. It was very well written and told a great story but the emotional price was too high for me. It left me feeling weak, and hopeless, and ineffective. Knowing what is going on over there, and not being able to do anything about it. It was very disturbing to me.

Saavy


This was our neighborhood book club selection for this month. I really enjoyed it. I so desperately needed something light and witty after reading "Little Bee" which put me in such a dark place emotionaly. This is a fun youth literature book about a family with special powers. Their powers begin on their 13th birthday and the main character in the book drags a group of siblings and friends on an adventure trying to get to her father who has been in an accident and is now in coma in the hospital. She believes her "Saavy", or special power, will be to save her father. There are some really funny moments and it's a great, light, easy read. Very enjoyable!

Dear America- Diary of Margaret Ann Brady
These books are written for youth, but if you haven't ever read one, I highly recommend them. I buy them at my local thrift whenever I find one, I absolutely love them. This one is about a girl named Margaret Ann Brady, she is a ladies' companion abord the RMS Titanic. These books are all written in journal form. And they teach kids history at the same time as telling a great story. Aside from this one we have read one about a Japanese boy in an internment camp in California during WWII. One about a boy that went with the Donner Party. And next up we are reading about a little blonde girl who was kidnapped and held captive by the Indians during the pioneer era.