I was a reading FOOL!

   This past week. I read four Fabulous books I have to share with you.

   The first was "How I Live Now" (or "how i live now" if you have the hardcover) by Meg Rosoff.
   It deserves every bit of praise it is receiving. What an amazingly talented writer – and this is her first book! Not a word out of place, every idea was perfectly formed. Her pacing was perfect. I was truly awestruck. I HIGHLY recommend it if you haven't had a chance to read it yet.

   Next was "Millicent Min Girl Genius" by Lisa Yee.
   I hung out with the bright kids in school (I guess I hoped it would rub off). Actually, I love geeks, always have. But consistently, truly intelligent people have a hard time interacting socially.
   Millicent is off the charts intelligent. This is the funny story of how she learns to interact socially and find where she "fits."

   "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech.
   Wow do I need to read more by this author. "Walk Two Moons" won the Newbery in 1994/5 (?) and I'm sorry I've only just now read it. It's a wonderful story. Funny and moving - the voice is fantastic. Yes, it has a dead mother, but wow is it handled well. It's a story of personal growth as Salamanca, "Sal," and her father heal from their loss.

   "The Rules of Survival" by Nancy Werlin.
   This is a disturbing book to read. These kids are stuck and leaning on their big brother who is really too young and stuck himself to know what to do about their abusive and dangerous mother. Until he sees Murdoch, that is.
   It's a well-written book and probably very important in the hands of the right child.

   So, all in all, I recommend these books highly. And what a great few days I had gobbling them up!