Real Vacation = More Reading Time!

Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy by Jenny Nimmo
Genre: Children's Literature, Fantasy Rating: (out of 10): 6
These books are good light reading, but aren't deep enough for me to really like them.

Lyra's Oxford by Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy, Short Story Rating: (out of 10): 7
The short story here was interesting, and I didn't see the twist at the end coming. I haven't been able to figure out the meaning of the introduction, inserts, and additional artifacts at the end- I know that the story has a deeper meaning, and I know I'd love this book if I could figure it out. It has something to do with Lyra's time being connected to Dr. Mary's...

A Faraway Home: An Orphan Train Story by Jamie Panagopoulos
Genre: Children's Literature, Historical Fiction Rating: (out of 10): 8
While I've been doing research for my final project, I've discovered that there were orphan trains. I've been pretty fascinated by this information, and plan on teaching a unit around it this year or next. This book was interesting to me more because of the topic than because it was any great piece of writing. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, Aid Societies scooped orphans up off the streets of New York and Boston, cleaned them up, put them on trains, and shipped them out to the western states (Michigan largely included). There, the kids would get off the trains and families would come to pick out a child to adopt. They would largely help out on the farm. I just think it's fascinating.