Summer Reading Ideas for 8 Year Olds

My friend was looking for book ideas for her lovely daughter Aniyah to read this summer. I like to consider myself the book whisperer, so I thought I'd make a list of some great books for upcoming 3rd graders. I planned on making a girl-centric list, but I hate to put books into the category of boy vs. girl books. I hate to put limits on which books my students read, so I'm not going to do it here. These books won't necessarily be easy reads, but I choose them for the plot and for how much I think your kiddos will enjoy them. I also love when a book teaches and gets a child to think. Be prepared for discussions about books with your child, it will help them develop and grow as a reader!

Images Copyright their respective publishers

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis - This book is somewhat intimidating because of the issue of racial tension in the book. The main character goes to Alabama to stay with family and his move coincides with the church bombings so the whole city is reeling. The racial tension in the book is handled so delicately. The main focus of the book is the importance and strength of family. Don't be afraid of the subject matter, and be ready to discuss the truth of what happened.

Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary - A classic that all children should read. This book is great for summer because Ralph is on summer vacation in it. Simple, silly, entertaining light read for kids.

Anything by Roald Dahl but especially The BFG or The Witches - Those were my two favorite Roald Dahl books when I read them as a kid. James and the Giant Peach is another good one, but I just wasn't as big a fan. The Witches TERRIFIED me, but if your kid isn't a giant wuss like I was (or am) then they'll love it. These books are on every third grade teacher's bookshelf, I guarantee it.

Charlotte's Web by EB White - This is one of my favorites to read-aloud to second graders, but I think it would be even better for third graders. Again, this has classic themes like life or death, so be prepared to discuss. Some teachers actually skip over the death part when they read it, but I find that to be ridiculous.

Pippi Longstocking - Every little girl should read Pippi Longstocking. She's spunky and thinks for herself and goes on crazy adventures.

Look Up!: Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer - Learn about the woman who discovered the importance of a star's brightness.

Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom - Zeus is kidnapped and finds that he can defend himself

Last Laughs: Animal Epitaphs - A collection of funny poems about animals and how they died. It's pretty morbid and pretty hysterical.

Dogs on Duty: Soldiers' Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond - Pretty self-explanatory. A look
at dogs who have served in battle.

Liberty Porter, First Daughter - The story of a girl whose father is elected President and her entire life was turned upside down.

Stellaluna - A baby bat falls into a bird's nest and learns how to be a "proper" bird. A good book for teaching kids about fitting in and how sometimes it's better to just be yourself.

Magic Tree House Series - A great series that combines magic and history. Each book also has a nonfiction guide that goes into more detail.

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Ten Books I Just Had to Buy, But Haven't Read

Linking up with http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/

Do you ever buy a book because you just absolutely had to have it, only to have it sit on the shelf for months, maybe even years? Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one. Here's ten books I had to buy the second they came out... but haven't gotten to yet.

1. Jane Austen Made Me Do It - Lauren Willig, author of the Pink Carnation series, wrote one of the Austen-inspired stories in this book. Since I love her and the Pink Carnation series, I had to have it. I read her story and maybe two or three others, but it just hasn't grabbed my attention. I might put it up on paperbackswap. (Unless one of you would like it, I'd be happy to mail it off to you.)
2. The Monsters of Templeton - This one appealed to me because I love the cover (Yes, I totally judge books by their covers) and because the story sounded intriguing. I read the first couple of pages but it just didn't grab me at that time. I'm sure eventually it will. 
3. Einstein : His Life and Universe - I think Einstein was an awesome guy, and since his bio got great reviews, I had to have it. I've read bits and pieces. It is just too big to read all at once. So every once in a while, I pull it off the shelf and give it a go. 
4. The Pillars of the Earth - I know that I will love this book once I get started. It has absolutely everything I love in a book, and I know Ken Follett is an amazing author. I think I'm just intimidated by its size. I know that it is going to take a long time to read, so I'm just not ready for that commitment right now. 
5. Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton was my favorite living author after Stephen King. So when they published the last book he'd written before his death, I got it right away. I still haven't gotten around to read it though. Hubby read it and liked it though. 
6. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - I knew a little bit about Henrietta Lacks, and I found her story intriguing, so I got the book. Still haven't read it though. 
7. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel - I'm pretty sure I'm giving up on this book. I've gotten it two different times and then given it away because I haven't sat down to read it. It's time to let it go. 
8. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate - I love the cover of this book and I know I will like it, just haven't given it a chance yet. 
9. A Death in Belmont - I have a weird connection to the Boston Strangler (not like an emotional connection or anything weird, he just killed a woman on the day I was born who lived in a house I eventually lived in). This book is partly about that woman and is written by one of my favorite authors Sebastian Junger, so I had to buy it. I'm just not emotionally ready for a psycho killer book though. 
10. American Wife - This one appealed to me because it is supposed to be loosely based on George W Bush's wife's life. It sounded interesting and had a pretty cover. I just haven't read it yet. Someday. 

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Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop

It is time again for the "Clear Your Shelf" Giveaway Hop. It is that time when I get together all the books I have on my shelves that I need to get rid of (before the hubby leaves me) and you get to have them!!

You can pick from any of the books on my For Sale or Trade list.
The list has fiction, non-fiction, even a couple of children's books. There will be five winners!

The giveaway will open on the 12th and go until the 18th. To enter, just fill out the rafflecopter below!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don't forget, this is a HOP! You can hop from blog to blog and enter to win tonnnns of books!
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Book Schlumps and More

I love the word "schlump". Of course it isn't actually a word, but Julie Andrews uses it in The Princess Diaries, so that makes it real enough for me.

To the topic at hand, I am an in a book schlump. I can't find anything good to read. There are approximately 1342326341234234 books in my house and on my nook. Yet none of them appeal to me. Or they do appeal to me, I start reading, and then I get bored. I want to read a really great book. I want to be swept away in a story. You know that feeling I'm talking about. I've enjoyed some of the books I've read this year, but I haven't LOVED any of them. Other than my Gemma Doyle trilogy re-read, I don't think any of the books I've read this year have gone back onto the shelf. If I really love a book, I move it to the shelf reserved for books I never want to get rid of. I think every book I've read this year has gone to paperbackswap.

I take it back, I have read 3 great books this year - A Dance with Dragons, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, and The Garden Intrigue. So now I just need George RR Martin to finish a book in a timely manner and for the next Pink Carnation book to come out.

My goal was to read 60 books this year. So far I've read 35. I have just been underwhelmed by my book prospects and overwhelmed by life. So this is why I haven't reviewed many books this year. I just haven't been reading and what I have been reading I haven't liked enough to share with you. I am hoping that I am at least able to finish my A-Z Challenge. It would be kind of silly if I wasn't even able to win my own challenge!

Here's what I hope to read this month:

Books for the A-Z Challenge : A book for A, C, Q, X, Z, and Night Circus. Finish the 3 books I'm currently reading. Read 2 books for review.

So is it just me or has this year stunk as far as books go? Pin It

A-Z Mini-Challenge #11 - Thankfulness!

This year is absolutely flying by. Sheesh. It is now November. There are only about 50 days til Christmas. CHRISTMAS!? I know seriously. 

If you remember from last year, I'm not a big fan of the propaganda surrounding Thanksgiving, but it is still my favorite holiday. I love the idea of taking one day a year and just being thankful for everything that you have been given. You also get to spend that day with your family eating delicious food, so that is a bonus. 

To celebrate that happy thoughts that surround Thanksgiving, this month's A-Z challenge is again, pretty simply. 

Read a book with something you are thankful for on the cover. 

Are you thankful for your house? Read a book with a house on it. Are you thankful for your children? Read a book with a child on it. As usual, if you think it works for this challenge, it works. I'm not nit-picky about this. So go ahead, read a book! 

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Books I Hate

I am a book lover. I love books. I love the look of them, the smell of them, the wonderfulness that they hold within. I looooove books. But every once in a great while, I'll read a book and not love it. In fact, I'll hate it. I'll hate it with the power of 1000 suns. Some books just don't click for me, or just irritate me, or (in my opinion) just plain suck. So here are books that I hate. I apologize in advance if you love one of these books. I am not going to be nice to these books.

NUMERO UNO. The book I hate more than any other book on the planet. Wuthering Heights. I hate you Wuthering Heights. I hate you Heathcliff. I hate you Hindley. I hate you Catherine. I hate your stupid incestual children. Sorry for that spoiler there. But I saved you hours of your life. THIS BOOK SUCKS. It is extremely fitting that this book, about a psycho stalker control freak, plays a part in that other popular book about a psycho stalker control freak - Twilight. I've always wanted to go to England, but if I ever find myself on a moor, I'm gonna be mad. Stupid Heathcliff and his stupid moor.

Lord of the Flies - For some reason children going buck wild and killing each other just doesn't get me going. (Except in Hunger Games) There's this whole scene with a pig that makes me want to vomit. Gross.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I might be the only person who doesn't like this book. I hated this book, I didn't even finish it. Booooooring.

2012: The War for Souls - I liked Whitley Schrieber's books about his alien abductions. I know it sounds crazy, but they are really good. I don't know what I was expecting when he wrote a fiction book but this was... this was intense. There are aliens who have taken over people's bodies. There's a scene where Ann Coulter sheds her human skin to reveal her reptilian true nature. While that may actually be an accurate description of her innards, this book was... yea....

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty/ 50 Shades of Grey - Erotica just ain't my bag. I can't do it. I tried. Fairy tales with porn made my stomach hurt, and 50 Shades sounded like it was written by a 10 year old who just discovered what a penis was.

Waiting for Godot - Oh sweet Jesus. This was such a waste of my life. And before you get all bent out of shape, yes, I got it. Existentialism, blah blah blah. NO. It wasn't existential, it wasn't deep, it was boring, and stupid. Just go home. Just GO HOME.

A Discovery of Witches/ The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Pretty sure these are the same book. No? Could've fooled me. I like books set in Salem because that is where I was born, but this was just really boring and lame. Both of them. Or one of them if they are the same book.

So those are the books I hate. Just for fun, here's my hubby's list:

The Collected Works of William Shakespeare - Yep, my nerdy English major butt married a man who hates Shakespeare. He thinks he was a hack and that Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe actually wrote Shakespeare's works. Whatevs, doesn't just that they are AWESOME.

Gone with the Wind - Did you hear that sound? That was the sound of my heart breaking. The book that I love, that I live for, that I've read at least 100 times, is the book my husband hates.


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Top Ten Summer Books For Toddlers (2-4)

Ten Best Summer Books for Toddlers (2-4)


This is part 1 of my series on summer books. These are books that are summer-themed or I think would just be great to read outdoors. Summer is a great time to read with your kids. You (hopefully) have more time and probably a more relaxed attitude towards everything. So take your books outside and read. Maybe grab a few from the library for that long car ride. I hope you find some new favorites!

Summer  by Alice Low - This is one of the great beginner books from the publishers of Dr. Seuss. I love this illustrator, Roy McKie. The pictures are simple, and just a little old-fashioned. The images perfectly illustrate summer. A girl and a boy go through all of their summer activities. It will get you and your kids excited to plan what you are going to do with your summer.

Summer Days and Nights by Wong Yee - I ADORE the illustrations in this book. It is so freaking cute. I can't get enough of it. Follow a little girl as she goes about a hot summer day trying to keep cool. Then at night as the breeze comes, she notices all the little creatures that come out of hiding. Finally, she drifts off into a peaceful sleep and dreams about the rest of her summer. This is a good one to read as a bedtime story.

One Hot Summer Day

One Hot Summer Day by Nina Crews - This book reminds me of the lyrics "Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty". It follows a little girl on one really hot summer day in the city. The illustrations are pictures of ways of getting cool in the city, with the little girl super-imposed on top.

Summer Wonders by Bob Raczka - This is another summer book that feels like summer. The illustrations are soft and bright and playful. It has simple but fun rhyming text to go along with the fun summer images. The words describe all of the great things that your child can see and do during the summer. At the end is a recipe for making some delicious ice pops.

Biscuit's First Beach Day by Alyssa Capucilli - We love Biscuit in our house. He's super adorable and gets into a lot of cute mischief. Read along as he discovers sand, seashells, and waves all for the first time. This could be fun to take and read at the beach. Then you can go explore and find all the things that Biscuit found.

The Summer Visitors by Karel Hayes - While the title sounds to me like a horror movie, this is actually a really cute kid's book. Like its prequel The Winter Visitors , the book is about a family of bears who have moved in with a human family. This time they are living in a summer cottage. The bears enjoy cottage life while trying to hide themselves from their human hosts. Funny story with great illustrations.

Copyright Flower Fairies
( http://www.flowerfairies.com )

Flower Fairies of the Summer by Cicely Mary Barker - I think every little girl should have a few of the Flower Fairies books. There is one for every season. They were first published in the early 1900's and are now being re-released to go along with the popular Fairyopolis . Each book has a series of poems about the different fairies of the season along with gorgeous watercolor illustrations. If you've ever seen illustrations of fairies, you've probably seen some from Barker. Hers are the most vibrant and well known. They were EXTREMELY popular when they were released and I'm glad they are back. You will love the illustrations in this book I promise. Here's my favorite, the lilac fairy.

Jamberry by Bruce Degen - This book is really hard to find for some reason. It is one of CJ's favorites. We read it at least twice a week. It is great for any time it is growing season. A boy and a bear go searching for berries. They find them everywhere and eat them all day long. The author has a little tidbit in the beginning about how much he loved berry picking as a child and wanted to share that feeling with the book. He does a wonderful job of conveying that with the rhyming words and illustrations.

Zoomer's Summer Snowstorm by Ned Young - A snowstorm in the summer?! How in the world does that happen? Well, Zoomer the dog was making snowcones when ... well, you'll just have to read it and find out! Hilarious illustrations with this really silly story will make this a hit with your kids.

Mouse's First Summer by Lauren Thompson - Beautifully illustrated, this is the story a young mouse who is planning a summer picnic. The words make you feel summer in an amazing way. The writing is extremely vivid and the illustrations are wonderful. There are a few other Mouse books but this is the only one we have so far.

I hope you found some new books to read with your toddler this summer. Happy reading!!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link you will be taken to the amazon page for that title. If you purchase, I will receive a small percentage. That money goes back into the blog through giveaways. Thank you!

Also, that is not me in the image above, it is my cousin. The extremely pale child is my son. 

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Guest Post - Make Reading Cool

I was the sort of kid who thought reading was cool. I looked down on other kids who would rather play sports. I was kind of a brat. If you know a kid who would rather not read, check out this guest post for some tips on helping them learn that reading is fun.

Make Reading Cool: Tricks for Getting Kids to Read

I like being helpful, which is why I agreed to help my girlfriend with the summer camp curriculum she's writing for a local kids' museum. We were out to breakfast when she brought it up, and before I knew it, I was scribbling down her ideas in crayon on a place mat.

It's a wellness camp, and she wants kids to learn. It's also a summer camp, which means that, unfortunately, a lot of kids won't want to read. The trick is making reading fun. While she was designing and organizing the program itself, I happily agreed to figure out how to make reading cool. I've worked with kids before, both in and out of educational settings, and I've picked up a few tricks that work to get kids reading quickly and painlessly.

Reading is a practice-makes-perfect kind of subject. The more experience reading children have, the better. The biggest stumbling block for kids struggling to read is that they don't want to struggle, so they declare that reading isn't cool, and they stop doing it. Working with tablet computers and apps is great, but when the technology isn't available, you want reading to be cool on its own. Even students learning entirely through online schooling will need to pick up physical books, papers and magazines.

3 great tricks for getting kids to read

Here are some tips assembled from research and the experience of myself and others, including the SMATOOS website. These tried-and-true methods can make reading cool for camps, classes or your own kids.

1. Make it exciting. This is a participation sport. If you're trying to get kids to read more, you have to play too. Be seen reading. Be seen enjoying, quoting, learning, sharing and laughing. If you look thrilled to be reading, kids will pick up on it. You may have to battle with kids calling you a nerd, so be ready, and try to avoid reading subjects that don't interest the age group you're working with.
2. Make it subtle. When you first start getting kids to read, run with it. For the summer camp, we're using short snippets with flashy pictures and encouraging the kids to read nutrition facts on their snacks for comparison purposes. Asking questions like "Which snack has more salt?" tricks kids into reading and using information they've learned. Any games that incorporate a little reading can also be helpful.
3. Cultivate enthusiasm. First, take a field trip to a cool place, like a zoo or a planetarium. Next, get the kids as excited and intrigued as possible. Then take them home and feed them books. If they're asking you questions, pretend you don't know and direct them to the books.
4. Keep it low-key. When kids are reading, don't jump in and regulate or censor. Try a popcorn reading exercise where everyone takes turns reading in a group, and keep an eye out for difficult words or sections that you can read to save kids from mispronunciation embarrassments. Reading out loud can be stressful, so make sure you have a non-judgmental atmosphere. With help from the universities in Chicago, a project called Sit Stay Read has shown that reading out loud in a non-judgmental situation helps young readers improve, and they've done it by having kids read to dogs.

Be creative, and be excited about reading. The kids might not follow suit immediately, but they'll come around -- and you'll get in some great reading on the side.

About the Author

Karl Fendelander doesn't have an early childhood education degree, but he's been a teacher and camp counselor for years, trying to make reading cool all the while. When he's not curling up with a good book, Karl can be found biking about town and hiking and climbing throughout the West.

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Books on Books - Review and Giveaway

Where do you find awesome new (to you, not necessarily just published) books to read? Besides my lovely blog of course. Reviews are a great choice, goodreads is another one. What about books about books? It sounds silly, but reading books that are about books can help you find some great new books you otherwise would never have heard of. One of my favorites is the Book Lust series. There is Book Lust, More Book Lust, and Book Lust To Go, all by Nancy Pearl.

Soooo many books. Each book has a million different categories like Books About Teaching, Books that have female protagonists, Books about dinosaurs, Mothers and sons, Historical fiction for kids. I really like Southern Fiction and there is actually a section on that in the book. It lists Bastard Out of Carolina, The Prince of Tides, Charms for the Easy Life, and a ton of other books that are now on my to-read list. The great thing about the lists is that most of these books aren't extremely well-known. You are going to find lots of unknown book gems that I promise that you would never have heard of otherwise. 

Since I have way too many books on my to-read list already, I am giving away my copy of Book Lust. To win, just fill out the rafflecopter form below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

PS. In other news, The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary, One Vol. Edition is currently on sale on amazon for $12.19. This is the edition I have because we are big Tolkien nerds in this house and you should probably have it on your bookshelf. That is all. Pin It

Reading is Fundamental

Check out this new video from Reading is Fundamental. It's funny because I was just talking about Levar Burton the other day to the hubby. I forget why...

Who remembers Reading Rainbow? That show was awesome. It needs to come back, and I need to host it. Someone make that happen. Me and Levar man, we'd be awesome. Except I'd probably make him wear his LeForge glasses the whole time. I'd wear my Spock ears, we'd be perfect. PBS, call me.


This video also pertains to a sweet post I've got coming tomorrow, so stay tuned! Pin It

Book Review & Giveaway - Fish Tank Comic Series by Carl Ray

The Fish Tank comic book series were originally published as online comics. Each one is about 120 pages long, but they are really quick and funny reads. Before I give my review, let me introduce you to the three main characters.

Meet Angelo, an angelfish. Angelo isn't the brightest angelfish in the tank (even though he's the only angelfish in the tank) but he's loyal and generally willing to go along with his pal Ted's schemes.

And here's Hoover, a plecostamus. That's an algae-sucker in case you were wondering. Hoover is rather pessimistic, a little sarcastic, and generally wants nothing to do with what he considers to be Ted's hare-brained schemes.

And now there's Ted, the de facto leader of the fish tank. Ted is kind of like Brain from Pinky and the Brain. He is a genius and can McGyver his way out of every situation. Which is important since they happen to get into quite a lot of predicaments.






Carl sent me the first three comic books to review. In the first book, The Dawning of the Age of Aquariums, we are introduced to the three fish. We learn that Ted has managed to create a TV remote from inside the tank and he may have accidentally gotten Angelo and Hoover addicted to Lifetime. Ted goes on to invent a few other things which generally lead to more trouble. In Something Whiskered This Way Comes, there's trouble in the neighborhood, when the fish discover that a cat has moved into their place. They don't know where he came from, but they know that is them vs him, or her, the fish aren't really sure. Ted comes up with a series of plans and maneuvers to get rid of the cat. These include, but are not limited to a tazer, a grappeling hook, and home-made aspirin (which apparently is poison to cats, who knew?) And finally, in A Tale of Mothic Proportions, a mysterious blinding light appears which keeps the fish awake. They suspect is is something of sinister intentions and it turns out they are right. Who will win - the fish or their telepathic invaders?

These books are really funny. I found myself laughing out loud a bunch of times. You can read each book in one sitting and they don't have to be read in any particular order. The comics are simply drawn and yet very detailed. Carl obviously does a lot of research on how things are made, as evidenced by Ted's ability to create complex machinery while trapped in a fish tank. Nothing is really inappropriate in the books but the humor would appeal more to adults than kids. I recommend the book for mature pre-teens to adults. I look forward to many more adventures of Ted, Angelo, and Hoover. The books are available from Carl's website, the link is below.

About the author, Carl Ray. Carl is an Air Force veteran and computer programmer in Illinois. He is happily married with two children, two dogs, and ironically, no pet fish. I can tell you from our emails that Carl is one of the genuinely nice and funny people. He had the nicest things to say about my blog (and he wasn't even fishing [ahem] for a good review.

To win all 5 of the books in the ebook type of your choice (kindle, epub, or pdf), just go to Carl's blog and then come back and leave a comment with something that you learned or saw. Extra entries if you become a fan of Carl on goodreads and if you follow my blog.  Pin It

Academy Award Winning Books #oscars

So who watched the Academy Awards Sunday night? I watched the red carpet for a little while, then decided to catch up on The Big Bang Theory, Hawaii Five-0, and The Walking Dead. Then I just checked online later to see who won.

Did you know that out of the nine movies nominated for Best Picture, six were based on books? Well now you do. Including all categories, eleven of the films nominated came from books. So let's learn more about them.

The Descendants: A Novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings - This is George Clooney's latest movie. The book is about a father trying his best to take care of his children after his wife ends up in a coma. His two daughters are a mess (even before the wife's accident) and it turns out that his wife was having an affair. The father ends up taking his daughters on a journey to find the man with whom the wife was having the affair. It is set in Hawaii and the main character is a descendant (hence the title) of Hawaiian royalty. I haven't read this one, but it sounds really good. It has almost a 4 star rating on goodreads and the author is a goodreads' author which is pretty cool. I'm also a sucker for a nice cover and this cover is pretty cool looking.

Moneyball : The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis - Not going to lie, this one goes completely over my head. It is about baseball and from what I gather the Oakland A's general manager and his unorthodox hiring practices. Not really my thing, but this might a good book for the sport's lover in your life. The author, Michael Lewis, is also the author of the Blind Side. If you've seen that movie (which you should) or read that book, he is the dad.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - The movie is simply called Hugo. It is the story of a boy who lives in a Paris train station. I actually won this one a while ago and it has been staring at me from the bookshelves begging to be read ever since. It is literally staring at me as the spine is Hugo's face. I don't much about the book other than that it is a grand adventure with some sort of clock timey-wimey robot looking things. The book itself has won many awards and Brian Selznick is considered one of the most promising new authors for children.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer - This has been on my to-read list forever. I have no idea why I haven't picked it up. I think it is because I am afraid it will be depressing. It concerns a 9-year-old boy whose father died in the World Trade Center. He is on a mission to find the lock that fits a key that was his father's. Along the way he meets a crazy cast of New York characters. It has a 4.11 rating on goodreads which is really high for goodreads. I have heard nothing but good things about it and I'm sure that I'll love it once I get around to it. I do have to admit that I hate the cover. I don't know why but it just irritates me. I'm weird, I know.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo - This book is actually based on a middle grade novel about a horse named Joey. He starts his life off on the farm with his owner Albert. When war breaks out, he is sent to be a war horse. Like Black Beauty, the book is narrated by the horse. You read as he fights in the trenches, gets to know and love his fellow soldiers, and dreams of getting back to his true master, Albert. Honestly, I'm getting teary-eyed just writing the description. It has gone to the top of my to-read list. From what I can tell, it is a really quick read at only 165 pages. Probably a great book for all the young history buffs and horse lovers in your life.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett - This was one of my favorite reads of 2011. I absolutely loved this book. It is set in 1960's Mississippi and tells the story of a group of upper class white women and "the help". The help being the maids who basically are raising their children for them. One woman, Skeeter, wants to be a real writer some day, and decides to write a book about the maids. She sets into motion a lot of craziness, a TON of obnoxious racism that made me want to punch some white women in the face, and learns a lot about who she is. This is a really great book that I highly recommend.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre - This is actually a series about George Smiley, a British spy. John Le Carre is one of the foremost spy authors out there. He also wrote The Constant Gardener, which I loved. The plot centers on the spy George who must discover who the mole is in British Intelligence. The mole has been in British Intelligence for so long that they may very well be at the very top. This sounds really good, and Le Carre's books always have great ratings. You've probably heard of his most famous novel, also about George Smiley, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.

Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (The Adventures of Tintin: Original Classic) by Herge - If you don't know who TinTin is, I am sorry for your childhood. I used to love the TinTin books. The book I linked to is a reprint of the original TinTin book. TinTin is a Belgian reporter sent all over the world on assignment with his dog Snowy. Along the way he gets into tons of adventures. If you have a child, they need these books. If you want to re-capture your adventurous side, you need these books.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson - I'm not even going to describe this book. If you haven't heard of it, you might have been living under a rock for the last 2 years. This trilogy is hugely popular. I tried to get into the first one, but I just couldn't do it. I have since heard that once you get past the beginning, the book is amazing. I might re-try to read it at a later date, but maybe not.

My Week with Marilyn by Colin Clark - I really want to read this book. The book is the diaries of an assistant on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl, starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. He is assigned to take care of Marilyn. They end up traveling all over the the English countryside and of course Colin falls just a little bit in love with her as she falls into more and more pills. I can't wait to read this. I love books that are diaries and of course Marilyn is just, well, Marilyn.





In addition to these books, both Puss-In-Boots and Albert Nobbs, are based on short stories.

I hope that you find some new books to read. Remember, take the pledge and always read the book first!

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