The Hunger Games

CAPTIVATING!  That is the best word I can use to describe this book.  I would also use INTRIGUING, too!  My Aunt Cindy suggested this book, and when she told me what it was about I kind of thought she was crazy.  The whole story line seems a bit far out there...Basically, it is about a torn apart North America that has been rebuilt and is now comprised of 12 districts.  Once a year, each district has to send a boy and a girl, between the ages of 12 and 18, to the Capitol.  These children participate in the Hunger Games-a fight to the death.

And while it sounds weird, it ISN'T!  It's AMAZING!  ...and you should read it!  One of my all time faves... I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading it in just hours...

ENJOY!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The name of this book does it NO justice.  Something about it just turned me off.  However, I really enjoyed it.  It is about the German Occupation, and the whole book consists ONLY of letters.  It was not like anything else I have read before.  One thing I really enjoyed about the fact that it was written in letters, is that you can start and stop a lot, instead of waiting for a chapter to end.  It was nice while I was teaching and waiting for the kids to complete an assignment.

Some favorite quotes:

"She's one of those ladies whose more beautiful at sixty than she could possibly have been at twenty."  I loved this.  I think that about people sometimes.

"My friend Sophie calls it coincidence, and Mr. Simpless, my parson friend, calls it Grace.  He thinks that if one cares about someone or something new one throws a kind of energy out into the world, and a 'fruitfullness' is drawn in."

I would suggest this book!

You Can't Say, You Can't Play!

Okay, Okay! So, I read the book "You Can't Say, You Can't Play." Talk about controversial. We had a big discussion in my class about it, and since we are ALL teachers, of course we all had an opinion about it.

It poses a question...Should we, as teachers, have the right to tell children they HAVE to play with each other? Do children have the right to pick who they want to play with? It deals with Kindergartners. I'll admit, it CAN be a bit of a gray area... but I AM curious what every one thinks...

Here is my conundrum (I took it from the book): Who loses more? The kid that is told they can't play? Or the kid that HAS to play with the kid they don't want to play with?

So, PLEASE, everyone that reads this, even if I don't know you, VOTE. I am posting a poll to see what everyone thinks. I will post later on my blog what I think.

Thanks :)

BTW, I don't really recommend the book. The author writes it in a whiny way, and quite honestly, it got annoying...

Samm

Book Review!!!

The Secret Life of Bees

By: Sue Monk Kidd

Did I like it: Yeah. It was an easy read.

Should you read it? Sure.

This book its about a little girl named Lily Owens. Lily is a little girl living in South Carolina in the early 1960's (during segregation). The book is focused around Lily's search for answers about her mother. It's heartwarming and teaches you to look for love in all people, no matter how they look. The story is also centered around bees, which keeps it interesting...

The Kite Runner

I don't know how many of you have read this book, but I thought I should recommend it. It was my summertime favorite. It is one of those books that you cannot put down. Every page is

wonderful and in every chapter, there is something happening. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. If you are ever looking for a great read, I would highly suggest this one.

The book is takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan before the Russians invaded (1978-ish). It is about two little boys from different social classes, and the story is about their life, culture and friendship.

It is absolutely heartwarming, but I must warn, there are some parts where your jaw drops. It can be tough to read because of the situations the characters encounter. READER DISCRETION ADVISED!

Anywho, I have been raving about the book for months, and Dave and I heard that they made a movie based on the book, so David took me to see it the other night. IT WAS GREAT! It was really close to the book, and I loved the way the director tied it all together. David really enjoyed it too, and he hasn't read the book. I would recommend reading the book first though, because I can see how the movie would be hard to follow otherwise. SO READ THE BOOK AND SEE THE MOVIE! You won't be sorry!