Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

I could tell you that Whirligig by Paul Fleischman is the story of a teen boy who kills a girl because he is driving drunk, and that would be true. You'd wonder about the curious title and its connection to the boy. You'd notice that it's a short book, only 133 pages, and might be enticed to read it as you could finish it in a day or two. I will tell you - this book is a must read!

Brent has killed Lea while he was driving drunk but he was also trying to kill himself. He never intended to hurt someone else. His heart is heavy knowing what his irresponsible actions have caused. How can he ever atone this? Lea's mother asks Brent to set her daughter's spirit free by building four whirligigs, one for each corner of the country. We follow Brent as he sets out toward Washington, California, Florida and Maine. His journey brings him closer to peace and an understanding of what is important in life.

Don't be confused by the chapters of this book. Interspersed with Brent's story are short story chapters of the lives of individuals who encounter the completed whirligigs. Each whirligig brings meaning to others lives as well. Could Lea's mother have known the impact each whirligig would have on so many lives? Did she realize how Brent would grow and heal as he traveled, designed, and built each one? Perhaps you will feel, as I did, that Brent may be able to feel a sense of atonement having been on this personal, self-reflective journey.

Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.

15 year olds Carmen, Lena, Bridget and Tibby have been life-long friends, and it's the first summer they are all going in separate directions. Through one pair of "mystical" blue jeans they stay connected for the months they are separated (they make up rules to go with the pants!)

There are three more books in this series:
*The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
*Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
*Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood

Throughout the four summers of the series, each of the girls learn a lot about themselves and about life, while always staying loyal to each other.

I laughed and cried and completely enjoyed all four of these books. There have been movies made from the first and second books - they were good but the stories were changed. I liked the books better!

Reviewed by Mrs. Dunaski

One Thousand White Women : the Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

This story is fiction based on something that actually happened, but with a twist. In the second half of the 1800’s a Cheyenne Indian Chief recognized that the eventual fate of his people was doomed. Because the Cheyenne society was matrilineal (all children born belong to their mother’s tribe) he made a request of the American government. He requested that the U.S. government make them a gift of one thousand white women as brides for the warriors of his tribe. By this request he thought that children of these women and his warriors would be assimilated into the white man’s world, and the legacy of his people would live on. In reality the U.S. government said no. In this story the U.S. government said yes.

The story is told through the journals of May Dodd, one of the white women who became an Indian bride. It is a fascinating story of the time that May and a group of white women spent with the Indians - the final days of the American Indians living on the land as free people, as they had done for thousands of years, before their demise at the hands of the U.S. government.

I enjoyed every page of this book and didn’t want it to end. It is full of remarkable characters whom we come to know well and love. It gives a different perspective on this period in American history - one which is most times completely overlooked.
Reviewed by Mrs. Dunaski

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The following quote is from the author on the jacket of the book:
“Usually we give some clues about the book on the jacket, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about. If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn’t a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.”

This was a great book - another intriguing story about the World War II Holocaust. There is now a movie based on this book, and I am looking forward to seeing it.
Reviewed by Mrs. Dunaski

President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

This image is a visual representation or Wordle "word cloud" of President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address. You can see that the predominant theme of his historic address is America: New Nation.



Image created with Wordle.

Guys Write For Guys Read and Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka

Jon Scieszka is a very funny, irreverent writer. His well-loved books have made children laugh for several years. You may remember the Time Warp Trio series, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs from your younger days. He is such a prolific author and is always thinking about you and hoping you'll fall in love with reading just as he did.

To write Guys Write For Guys Read, Jon asked over 80 authors and illustrators to tell him about their life and reading. Included are Brian Jacques author of the Redwall series, Anthony Horowitz author of the Alex Rider adventures, Eoin Colfer author of the Artemis Fowl books and many more. The proceeds from the sale of this book support Jon Scieszka's website he created just for boys - Guys Read. The website is also funny like Jon and let's guys find books that guys like to read, no matter your age. Check it out!

Recently, Jon published Knucklehead : Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka. You guessed it, this is another very funny, irreverent book. He has five brothers, Jon is the second oldest and they grew up in Flint, Michigan. I recently saw Jon at the 2008 National Book Festival in Washington, D. C. where he read from this book. He had the audience in stitches! Imagine growing up with all those brothers, no sisters, and the fun or trouble you could have. That was his life.


In this photo that I took of Jon at the 2008 National Book Festival, you can see that he is wearing a red, white, and blue ribbon with a medal around his neck. That weekend he had been presented with the very first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress! Congratulations Jon! Keep writing those wonderfully funny books we love to read.
Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Ten year old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen, live in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 1943 and the Nazis have occupied Copenhagen. Life as they once knew it has changed for all Danish people - there are armed soldiers everywhere, food shortages, lack of clothing and electricity, and restrictions on all aspects of daily life. When the Nazis start rounding up all Jews, Annemarie knows that she must try to help Ellen, who is Jewish. Annemarie and her mother work to smuggle Ellen out of Denmark. This is a story of tremendous courage in the face of terror, all told from a child’s point of view. I am drawn to stories about the Holocaust - they always make me realize what a far-reaching effect that had on people throughout the world right up to the present time.
Reviewed by Mrs. Dunaski