Book Notes

Well, here it is! The title for our first ever Live Together, Read Together program.

It all begins one rainy night with a stranger standing outside Meggie’s house. A stranger that her father knows, but has never mentioned. A stranger who does not call her father Mo, but Silvertongue. A stranger named Dustfinger.

From there, Meggie and Mo are packing up and leaving their house, heading south. Along the way Meggie begins to piece together what is so special about this book named Inkheart, why her father has never read out loud to her, and what might have happened to her mother ten years ago.

I am not a real lover of fantasy as a rule, but this book I could not put down. I love the idea, the writing, the adventure. Mo is one of my favorite characters in a long time. It took me awhile, but Dustfinger is too.

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I haven’t posted anything in awhile because I have spent every free moment plowing through a re-read of the 5th Harry Potter. That is one long book. And like I mentioned before, not my favorite. I have a hard time with the death of Sirius. It seemed unreal. There was no build up to it. I thought, like Harry, that it was an accident at first. And that he wasn’t dead, just trapped in the world of the veil. Whatever that might be. Well, there’s one more book, so I guess we’ll find out.

As I write this there are 74 more days until the release of the final Harry Potter book. It will be huge everywhere. Our library included. I’m getting quite excited about the Summer Reading Program this year. All fantasy all the time. There will of course be a huge Harry Potter party. And then a Harry Potter trivia night. We’ll see how well everyone thinks they know the books. No questions will be asked on the last book. But read those first 6 carefully. You never know how detailed the questions could get!

I just finished reading the sweetest book in the world. Toes is a very unusual cat. He has seven toes on each foot instead of five. His litter mates don’t want anything to do with him, afraid that they will “catch extra toes” so he heads off one night to find a place of his own.

Not only does Toes have double paws, he is extremely intelligent. He can turn on the t.v., he loves to listen to classical music, and he understands almost everything that people say. He winds up a stray cat in Sebastian Crabbe’s house. Sebastian is a very accomplished violin player, and loves having a cat around for an audience as much as Toes loves to listen to the beautiful music.

But Sebastian also has a problem. He would love to play with the Philharmonic, but he doesn’t have the confidence he needs. Toes has a plan though. And despite the fact that he is now up there in years, he will do what it takes to bring the Philharmonic to Sebastian’s house.

Of all the books I’ve read recently, this is one of my favorites. Toes is the sweetest, nicest cat. And his gentle nature makes him friends with mice, a dove, and of course, Sebastian.

I am currently re-reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in anticipation of the 7th and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, coming out this summer. That raises the question, which Harry Potter book do I like the best?

The first was okay. The second I didn’t care for. The third was pretty good. The fourth was okay, the ending was fantastic. You know, right at the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament when he is transported to the cemetary. The 5th was also good. I’m still in shock over Sirius. I have trouble believing that’s real. Then the 6th. Also pretty good. Also still in shock at the end. That raises the next question: Who will die in the final book?

This is a toughy. I am old-fashioned. I want the bad guys to get their comeuppance. I want the good guys to sail off into the sunset. I have my fears that J.K. Rowling will not let this happen. She’s let so many die that I really grew to like. I understand that this is an epic battle, not everyone can make it. But Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, McGonagall, Hagrid and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley have to make it through. Otherwise we will be left feeling that there is no hope.

What do you think? Who will die? Who will live? Which book is your favorite?

This is the story about Poppy, a field mouse, who is trying to find a new place for her family to live where they have plenty of food and room to grow. The difficulty is Mr. Ocax, the owl who rules the forest. He refuses to grant the mice permission to move to the other side of the forest because Poppy angered him one night. Poppy is convinced that there is more going on with Mr. Ocax. She senses he’s afraid and sets out to discover the real reason why Mr. Ocax is so set against their leaving. And there-in is the adventure.

The drawings are amazing, and my favorite part of the book. I think the story itself would be fine, it’s the characters that bother me. I feel bad for Mr. Ocax. He wasn’t evil enough to deserve what he got. And I didn’t like Poppy, or her family, enough to root for them like I should.

But, if you like animal fantasy stories, especially with an adventure, try it. You’ll probably love it. Check out the sequel Poppy and Rye.

Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski

Don’t be thrown off by the title of the book. There is more here than there might originally seem. Rachel in her Freshman Year of High School discovers that her younger sister is a real spell-casting witch. Apparently it runs in the family, but this trait skipped Rachel. However, she has a few ideas as to how her sister’s new-found talent can benefit her. She could skyrocket to the popular crowd, get the most handsome boy to fall in love with her and prevent her Dad from marrying the evil STB (step-mother-to-be).

However, every magic spell has its consequences as Rachel and her sister find out. Is love real if magic is involved? Is being popular worth it? Is STB actually the right person for their Dad? Find out by reading the first in a new series for teens.