Inkheart

Our most recent book that we read was called "Inkheart." It was about a book about a father and a daughter (Meggie and Mo) who travel around binding books.  But one night when a mysterious stranger comes to visit, Meggie isn't so sure that they're safe. When she consults Mo about the visit, he won't answer. Mo has the ability to read things in and out of books. The problem is he can't read them in/out again. Does Meggie have the ability too? Will she be able to find her long lost mother? Read Inkheart and you'll find out. It's a nice and thick book so if you have a vacation bring that with you. I hope you enjoy Inkheart as much as I did.

Fun with Grandma!

The great depression sends Mary Alice to Southern Illinois, a place very different from her home in Chicago. It takes Mary Alice forever to get used to her grandma’s town and even the ways of grandma herself! Grandma always gets her way. From bending rules, to breaking laws, Grandma gets what she likes, usually to the benefit of her fellow townspeople. A Year Down Yonder is a humorous story about an ordinary girl in an unfamiliar town, getting to know her amazing grandma. 

During book club, we discussed what it would be like to be an outsider, and if there was ever a time when we had felt like one. I’m sure Mary Alice would have been happy to know that she is not the only one who has felt like an outsider! All in all, A Year Down Yonder is a pretty good book. It is an easy read that will bring you laughter.

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Daughters Interview the Dads!

We decided to take all we've learned in book club and use it to interview our dads!

We went out to lunch and asked them a few questions including:

1.  Were you just as excited to find out you were having a daughter as finding out you were having a son?

2.  (Based on The Penderwicks) Do you think you could suddenly raise 4 daughters alone?

3.  Based on Hairspray, Tracy is kicked off of being in the daily show just because of how she looks.  What do you think of this?

4.  (Based on Hannah Divided) Would you send your daughter away to school alone?

We learned that men can also care about females and think that they can do whatever they put their mind to, but we did already know that our dads were on our side.

One thing that surprised me is that both dads said they hoped for a daughter, actually.

Keeper

In our Mother Daughter Book Club we just read a book called Keeper. It is about a girl named Keeper who is very questioning about her past, because she wasn't born a human, she was born a mermaid. Her mother, Meggie Marie, wasn't very loving to Keeper, and almost hurt her and made her very scared. But, Signe, who really truly took care of Keeper and loved her, told Meggie Marie she had to leave Keeper...Forever. So from then on, Signe raised Keeper, from 3-10. One day when Keeper was 10, she thought she had ruined everything, especially for Signe. That night, she made a plan to go out to sea on a little boat and tell Meggie Marie everything, and she brings a few wishing charms with her. Out of 100, I thought the book was 50/100, because it was mostly Keeper sitting in the boat. All the people in our book club also thought that it was pretty much a 50/100. The actual story was good, but the book...not so much. We all thought that the characters were pretty interesting. Overall, the book was okay. Keep reading and you'll see what we read next!

It ain't so awful, Falafel

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel was a great book about a girl growing up in the late 1970s. She's Iranian and she has been repeatedly moving back and forth from Iran to America her whole life and finally, she settles down in Newport Beach, California. Her name is Zomorod which means emerald in Iranian, but she decides to change it Cindy because she thinks it will make her fit in more. All of her family is back in Iran while Khomeini takes over. Part of her is in Iran and the other part of her is in California. The book is sad at some points and really funny and happy at other points. In the book Cindy goes over to her friend's house and discovers taco night. That becomes her favorite meal ever! So we had taco night for our book club.

Boy it was good! But whoever you are I think you should definitely read It Ain't So Awful, Falafel.

Zora's Wild Imagination

In Zora’s mind, it’s all imagination! From neighbors with gator heads, to Gator Kings, Zora’s imagination takes her and her friends on a mysterious adventure. In the book Zora and Me, Zora and her friends Carrie and Teddy hear about strange happenings occurring around the town’s favorite swimming hole, and they are determined to get to the bottom of this gator business.

This incredible mystery was our book club book for Black History Month. The book was most interesting because it was set in Florida, so I really got to compare how Florida used to be to how it is now. When we came together for discussion, our book club mostly talked about the differences between last months’ book, Stella by Starlight, and Zora and Me. One of the differences was that Zora’s life was a lot easier than the characters in the other book because Zora lived in a town with a population of only African Americans, which reduced racial conflicts.  I hope you decide to read Zora and Me, and that you enjoy it as much as I did!

Stella by Starlight

Our last Mother Daughter Book Club book was called Stella by Starlight. It was about a girl named Stella who isn't good at writing and experiences the Klan at times. It takes place a very long time ago, when black and white people were segregated. One of the most surprising parts of the book was when Stella was taking a walk outside at night and she heard a screaming noise coming from a lake, so she went in and something grabbed her. She pulled it to the surface and then looked at it. It was Dr. Packards daughter, Paulette. The worst and most scariest three parts were when Tony got beat up, when the Spencers' house got burned down by Klansmen, and when Stella's mother got bit by a poisonous snake. My favorite part was when Ms. Spencer gave Stella and her little brother, Jojo, tons of gifts. And the silliest part of the book was when Stella's school had the Christmas Pageant. I think that even though Stella had rough times, she still had a good life. I really loved this book, every time I finished a chapter, I was eager to read the next. I think that people should read this book, because once they read the book, the will have learned some very helpful and interesting lessons...