Mission: READ

This month’s theme for Books and Bites is Feel-Good stories, which leaves room for sharing many interesting books.

First up is Perfect by Natasha Friend:  Isabelle Lee does NOT feel good AT ALL. She is a blend-into-the-crowd girl when she longs to be as popular as Ashley Barnum, who gets straight A’s, is great at sports, has perfect hair, teeth, and skin, and is as thin as a model. Her dad dies two years ago, and her mom has put away all his pictures and refuses to talk about him, even though her daughters really need to. And the WORST thing is that Isabelle’s “former little sister” April TOLD. She told mom that Isabelle was sneaking into the kitchen, eating everything she could get her hands on and making herself throw up–every day, and more than once most days. Now Isabelle has to go to Group, an eating disorder and body image and therapy group, so that she can start to feel good. Isabelle hates going, and doesn’t think it will help, and then she meets a most unlikely person at group. . . .

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Di Camillo is a story of a china rabbit doll who feels good about himself and his fine clothes, but only about himself; he does not know how to love, even though he is dearly loved by his owner, a little girl named Abilene. When Abilene’s grandmother, Pellegrina, tells Edward she is ashamed of him, a chill runs down Edward’s spine, and it is not too long after that that he is swept overboard when Abilene takes him with on an ocean cruise. After spending years on the ocean floor, Edward is “rescued” by a fisherman and has many adventures: being a scarecrow, riding the rails with a hobo and his dog, comforting an ill child, and more. Will he ever learn to feel good about others and to make them feels good?  To love?  Read the book and find out.

If you liked Where the Sidewalk Ends or A Light in the Attic, you’ll love Runny Babbit, A Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein. This funny book is full of Runny Babbit speak, but it’s not hard to understand at all. It is hilarious to read out loud to your friends and family, too. I dare you to read “Runny Mancey Feal” on page 50 out loud, trying not to make any mistakes. . . .

“Defiance” is defined as “a daring or bold resistance to authority or to any opposing force,” according to dictionary.com. In the book Defiance by Valerie Hobbs, we meet three defiant characters. Pearl is an elderly lady who lives on a farm with a sign on her door that reads “Whoever steals my freedom takes my life.” Blossom is a stubborn, old cow who walked away from her cruel owners and found Pearl. Toby is an eleven-year-old boy who is vacationing for the summer in a cabin nearby. How is Toby defiant?  He has cancer, as everyone can tell from his lack of hair. He has cancer which is supposed to be in remission but he has recently discovered a lump on his side that means the cancer is coming back. Toby is defiant because he keeps the lump a secret from his parents. He can’t bear to go back to the children’s hospital and undergo the painful cancer treatments that make him sick and weak—no matter what the cost. You may be wondering how on earth this could be a feel-good story.  Read the book to find out how Toby, Pearl, and Blossom are of great help and comfort to one another.

Mission: Accomplished