Ok,
this was a re-read. That just shows how amazing the story is. I only re-read
books that are truly compelling and have great writing, and I’ve re-read this
book three times. I first encountered Jeannette Walls at a writing conference.
I thought: “If she can write as well as she speaks, I’m in.” She does. I love
books with excellent writing and not-to-be-forgotten stories.
Since I read so
many books a year, only the best ones rise to the top of my memory. I can
remember exact scenes from Jeannette’s book year after year.
Now a major motion picture starring Brie Larson, Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson.
This is a startling memoir of a successful journalist's journey from the deserted and dusty mining towns of the American Southwest, to an antique filled apartment on Park Avenue. Jeanette Walls narrates her nomadic and adventurous childhood with her dreaming, 'brilliant' but alcoholic parents.
At the age of seventeen she escapes on a Greyhound bus to New York with her older sister; her younger siblings follow later. After pursuing the education and civilisation her parents sought to escape, Jeanette eventually succeeds in her quest for the 'mundane,…
When
I find an author I like, I follow them and read everything their mind produces.
That’s how it is with Geraldine Brooks. I’ll read anything she writes because you’re bound to get a
deep, insightful book with the sweep of history, in this case, horse racing and
race relations in the US. Historical novels are some of my favorites.
I read to
understand the past and present and gain deeper compassion for humanity.
"Brooks' chronological and cross-disciplinary leaps are thrilling." -The New York Times Book Review
"Horse isn't just an animal story-it's a moving narrative about race and art." -TIME
A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history
Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an…
There’s
nothing like reading a gifted author. This is Lorraine Hansberry (playwright of
A Raisin in the Sun) in her own
words. Lorraine died tragically young. There are many biographies about her,
but her own words shine.
It’s a strange autobiography, compiled after she
died and mixed with journal writings as well as unfinished plays.
What strikes
me most about her is her sharp intelligence and the aching in my heart for the
works she left unfinished. We get a glimpse of them here.
“Anyone who has ever wondered what it really means to be Black will find the answer in this book.”—MINNEAPOLIS TRIBUNE
To Be Young, Gifted and Black is a special kind of autobiography, in a very special voice. Both the story and the voice belong to a young woman from Chicago who moved to New York, won fame with her first play, A Raisin in the Sun—and went on to new heights of artistry before her tragically early death.
In turns angry, loving, bitter, laughing, and defiantly proud, the story, voice, and message are all Lorraine Hansberry’s own, coming together in…
It is a charming, adventure-filled debut novel that’s perfect for fans of The Penderwicks series.
Siblings Meg, Will, and Ariel Griffin are off on an adventure! They can’t wait to spend a week visiting their eccentric aunt and her giant, tongue-drooling Newfoundland dog in England. But when they finally arrive, they’re faced with a few local secrets that stir up more than a little trouble.
Add in some very peculiar lights, strange new friends, a police chase, and some stampeding sheep, and the Griffin kids are in over their heads, literally. Apparently, this town has a ghost problem, and the three children must race to solve the mystery before the ghosts take something that doesn’t belong to them.
It’s a clever mystery, so clever it keeps you
jumping out of your seat. We listened to it together as an audiobook, and he
kept exclaiming “Ah!” and squirming in delight with all its complexities.
This
is a one-of-a-kind book that’s been intriguing kids for generations. Best for
ages 10+
"A supersharp mystery...confoundingly clever, and very funny." —Booklist, starred review
A bizarre chain of events begins when sixteen unlikely people gather for the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. And though no one knows why the eccentric, game-loving millionaire has chosen a virtual stranger—and a possible murderer—to inherit his vast fortune, on things for sure: Sam Westing may be dead…but that won’t stop him from playing one last game!
Winner of the Newbery Medal Winner of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award An ALA Notable Book
"Great fun for those who enjoy illusion, word play, or sleight…
He waited until he was the right age. This
book is rightfully compelling, but some kids read it far too young.
The premise
of children going off to be sacrificed in a tribute (reaping, here) goes back
to ancient Greece, but this futuristic twist is one heck of a read.
She takes a
tough topic (children being told to kill) and creates a compassionate story
that is full of non-stop action and friendship.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...
This
book is different from his usual fare. It’s a realistic novel and deals with
families and adoption.
It was part of a school read. He found it engaging, so
good he couldn’t wait to see what was happening and frequently commented on
the excellent writing.
I heard a lot of “wows” about how the author built
suspense.
WINNER OF THE U.S. NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 2017 FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE!
'Sometimes, family hurts each other. But after that's done you bandage each other up, and you move on. Together. So you can go and think that you're some lone wolf, but you're not. You've got us now, like it or not, and we've got you.'
When 16 year-old Grace gives up her baby for adoption, she decides that the time has come to find out more about her own biological mother. Although her biological mum proves elusive, her search leads her to two half-siblings she never knew existed.…
