The illustrations in this book are beautiful. This is an updated version of a story by Rawlings published in 1956. The story tells of hard times in a forest and a girl who wishes to make it better. Quite long for the group I normally read-aloud to, but would work well for school-age children.

This book describes an island in Denmark that has become almost entirely energy-independent. It's an interesting look at how one community came together to do something for the environment. I did have trouble with the green sidebars at times and they distracted me from the text. Still a good story for people to read.

I don't really like basketball but I did really enjoy this book. It is the story of the first women's basketball game between UC Berkeley and Stanford. It is told from the perspective of Agnes Morley, a woman from New Mexico who isn't very ladylike. And of course, the book has a small (very small really) Smith College reference, which always makes me happy.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I found the borders rather distracting (am I supposed to be looking for those items in the picture?) and I didn't find the text as engaging as I hoped. Other reviews seem to really like the book, so maybe I am just missing something.

I think the idea behind this story is awesome: a look at where two people are each year on the same date: July 15. Dex and Em may have been able to have a romance once, but missed opportunities happen.

So I was really enjoying this book until the climax of the action, which I HATED. The ending was alright, if you accept what happens, but really, I don't understand what the point of that plot twist was.

It wasn't my favorite book I've read about the Black Panther Party but it was pretty good. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it.

I think I actually liked this book better than the first one, which is rare with second books in series.

Do I think this book does a pretty good job of explaining what it's like to be a Pakistani Muslim female teen in America? From what little I know, yes. However, I think it is marred by the narrator's sudden change in personality at the end of the book. She suddenly gets super introspective which I found weird.

I think that this book is only going to appeal to adults. The text, written in dialect, is not going to be an easy read for young kids. I found it hard to follow at times myself! I noticed the professional reviews seem to have a lot of disagreement over what age range this book is appropriate for. Some say 2nd-5th grade, others say ages 10 and up. I can't see a second grader enjoying this book. I think Barbara Kerley's biography that came out last year was much better.

Sydney Taylor Award Winner 2010

I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like I have a better idea of what Rosh Hashanah means. I think this book could also be used for discussion about apologizing or forgiveness.