I enjoyed this book, thought it starts off with "The Giver" vibes, I enjoyed it more than I did Lois Lowry's, "The Giver". It is sent in post-apocalyptic times where an underground city has been established. I appreciated the main characters, Lina and Doon, and found it to be an easy, interesting read. In a surprising twist, I also enjoyed the movie- which never happens!

"The Outsiders" Book/Movie TANGENT: The only other book - movie combo I like is "The Outsiders". S.E. Hinton and Francis Ford Coppola did a nice job! I think I like it so much because it starts at chapter 3 and ends at chapter 10. By eliminating only five chapters of the book they were able to stay true to the storyline and keep it a manageable movie length while still honoring the details.

Now, back to "The City of Ember"- What stood out to me was the fantastic imagery. DuPrau did a wonderful job of painting a picture of her underground city in the minds of her readers. The characters were strong and the descriptions were beautiful.

5/5

I'm excited about this. It's such a good book. Maxx and I read it when he was in 4th grade.

Copied from the MN Department of ED site:

The Minnesota Department of Education is excited to be a partner for the new statewide book club, One Book | One Minnesota. Throughout April and May, Minnesotans of all ages are invited to read a common title and come together virtually to enjoy, reflect and discuss. The first book selection is New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor winner “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Minnesota’s own Kate DiCamillo. Each week, local libraries will be hosting online discussions about the book. Digital copies of the book will be available on Ebooks Minnesota for eight weeks, at no cost. Visit your local library’s website to learn more. #onebookmn

Author: Rainbow Rowell

This is a book that had been on my radar for awhile. It is..."one of the year's best books: New York Times, Amazon, Indigo, Goodreads."

It is good! This is a book I'll be teaching for a junior high book club beginning on Monday. It has some strong language (and it's debatable whether it's necessary or not) but it also has strong topics. It runs through many common things teenagers are dealing with from social anxiety, to realizing your parents are just humans too, to relationships, oh, and underage drinking and really just discovering what kind of human you're going to be. As I try to type a list of possible discussion topics they just overwhelm my brain. (Which is why it's perfect for book club!) The one thing I TRULY appreciated about this book was its genuine look at relationships. There are three highlighted in this book. 1) Sister - Sister 2) Boy - Girl 3) Girl - Friend. I appreciated how genuine these interactions felt. The immediate friend does turn out to be fake while the tried and true relationship is actually in it for the long haul...but it's not going to be the same as it was before you broke her heart by abandoning her for the new immediate friend. It represented the idea that yes people can forgive and move forward, but they also can add a layer of protection, a layer of distance that wasn't there before. I am excited to explore this book with junior high kids because they always make me think about things in a new way. I can't wait to hear what they think after reading it!

This novel by Kristin Hannah was amazing. It was recommended to me by our vet during our most recent visit. I am so glad that I was able to find it at our library before we left for our camping trip. I especially enjoyed the relationship shared by the mom and daughter. I have heard that all of Kristin Hannah's books are good, and this one convinced me to go looking for more!