Ginger Pye

Ginger Pye was a pretty funny book. I really liked the way that the main characters were described. I just thought that the way they talked was great - using terms like "unsavory character" to describe another character in the book cracked me up. They also had great misunderstandings that were funny to think about!

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

I've been listening to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry on CD as I drive to and from work. It is a good story. I think I may need to read Let the Circle Be Unbroken, where the story continues for the Logan family. I read this book back in (probably the 4th grade.) I can't say that I remembered too much of it, but I really feel that one of the main themes, honor, is really important.

Out of the Dust

I liked Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. It's about a family in the dust bowl of Oklahoma and the trials that they have to deal with. It is written in verse form by the main character, Billie Jo. This story really pulls at your heart strings and makes you happy with what you have. Billie Jo goes through many trials and grows stronger as the story progresses.

Catherine, Called Birdy

Last night, I finished reading Catherine, Called Birdy. It was a really interesting historical fiction book. It's written in journal-form by a young girl in medieval times. She writes about how the things that she wants in life conflict with what her father wants for her (and himself, really.) She is a fiesty character too! You really get a lot of information on what life would have been like then. This book was a Newberry Honor book by the same Newberry Medal winner, Karen Kushman (for The Midwife's Apprentice.)

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

This was a really quick read! And I thought that it was a great story! Who better to go to for advice and reassurance and a listening ear than your grandma? This was a really sweet story about how Rosie deals with some problems and how granny Torrelli helps her through them. I would definitely recommend this one!

This isn't a Newberry medal book, but it is by the same author as Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech. I'll definitely have to read more by her.

The Grey King

Last night I finished The Grey King. It took me a while to get through it, and I can't say that I loved it. It was okay. A little reminiscent of Lord of the Rings if you ask me. I just cant' believe that it is considered a children's book. As an adult, it took effort on my part to understand what was going on so I can't imagine anyone under twelve getting it. Another problem for me was that it is in the middle of a series - I'll admit that made me feel a little bit lost. Maybe this type of book just isn't my style?

The Midwife's Apprentice

The Midwife's Apprentice was a really good book with a great moral: don't give up on yourself. This was a really quick read and I really enjoyed it. I've just started The Grey King and am not really sure what's going on because it's (like the third book) in a series. It also seems a little bit older of a reading level. Hopefully I like it as well as the others so far!

The Summer of the Swans

The Summer of the Swans was a pretty good read about a girl that realizes what she has when she is faced with losing something incredibly important to her. I don't usually like "coming of age" books. I think that they are usually downers. I thought that this was a sweet story about a girl and her brother and what she experiences on a difficult day.

Dear Mr. Henshaw

I just finished Dear Mr. Henshaw. It too was in diary/letter form. It was a pretty good story about a boy that writes to his favorite author for advice and such. I have also written to an author that I like - and even got an email response!

A Gathering of Days

Last night I finished A Gathering of Days. It's a journal-type story. It really reminded me of Little House On the Prairie, but in diary form. It was pretty good, but it took me a little bit before I "got in to it."

Jacob Have I Loved

I just finished listening to Jacob Have I Loved on CD. It was an okay story. I kind of felt the same way about Bridge to Terabithia - I just didn't totally love, love the book. This one seemed to have a pretty mature theme. I don't know - I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

I also read Mercy by Jody Picoult. I didn't love it. I've actually really liked other books by her (with the exception of one other book.) I really didn't think that I'd like her books - I guess I have a thing against serial writers - those that have so many books that I can't fathom that they could be any good, you know? For the most part, I really like the ethical situations that Jody Picoult writes about; they really make you think. This book, however, was too much like what I'd originally expected her books to be like (why I'd never read them until recently.) Unfortunately, if this had been the first book I read by her, I can't say that I'd read another.

Ida B

I just finished reading a book that's not from the Newberry list called Ida B: And Her Plans to Maximize Fun Avoid Disaster and Possibly Save the World. It was a really cute book about a little girl that has some tough problems and how she faces them. She's quite the character!

The View From Saturday

I just finished The View From Saturday. The story follows four sixth-grade students and their teacher as they compete in an Academic competition. The story explains how and why they are so successful in the competition. This is a great story about friendship and helping others.

Missing May

I also read Missing May over the weekend. It is a sweet story of a family that has to deal with the death of a loved one. Short but sweet.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

I just finished From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It was a pretty cute book about two kids that run away from home and stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I thoguht that it was a pretty creative story. Next, I'm going to read another Newberry medal book from this same author: E.L. Konigsburg.

Holes

I finished Holes last week. I thought that it was great! This is another one where the movie is excellent as well.

I also read a (non-Newberry) book called Yellow Star. It was about children in the Lodz ghetto during WWII. It waas pretty interesting, and written differently from what I've seen before.