Sunday, June 7, 2009

48 hour book challenge wrap-up


Well, the weekend is over and I've read 3 new books. On total, I read for 9 1/2 hours. Not bad for a weekend full of family events - dinner with my parents, sleepover party for 7 girls, music recital at my house.

I read:

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly. While I found this a bit slow to get into, I did appreciate its sense of wonder at the natural world and astonishment at what the future will bring.
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, by Sonya Sones. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in free verse. It was light, but thoughtful. A bit predictable, but kept me wanting to know what happened next. And I discovered that while my 10 year old would like to read this, it definitely belongs in the too-YA for her shelf!
Prince of Underwhere (Underwhere Series), by Bruce Hale. A fun way to wrap up the weekend. I do think that 3rd and 4th graders will enjoy this. It is a graphic novel / chapter book combo. It has potty humor that took me a while to get (the great Lump of Pu). Plus classic good vs. evil story.

The best news: I discovered new friends and blogs, and I want to keep reading more! I'm excited about my quest for this summer: digging into middle school (grades 6 - 8) reading. So if you have any great suggestions for this level, send them my way!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for playing! Those new blogs you've found are sure to have great suggestions for your summer reading. Glad you've found me, I mean, all of us. ;)

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  2. I liked Calpurnia Tate, too. I'm not generally a fan of the episodic story - I like more plot - but this one still kept me reading. She's a great character, and that helps.

    You might try Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire as a middle school book. It definitely has that "tween struggling with friends who are more mature than she is" flavor. But my favorite in this category remains Jenny Han's Shug, which you MUST read if you haven't already.

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  3. Jen, thanks for the recommendations. These look like great books. Shug just made it to the top of my pile. And our library has it - a bonus!

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