It's Monday! What are you reading?

Labor Day weekend--and I caught up on two more Bluebonnet Award Nominees today!

Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes is an historical fiction novel--if historical fiction can be written in present day mode.  The story opens on Dèja waking up in a family shelter, about to face her first day of fifth grade in a new school.  Her mother works hard as a waitress, but cannot make ends meet for Dèja, her two younger siblings, and her father, who can't hold a job due to physical and mental illness.  The curriculum that year is centered on the events of 9/11.  What Dèja learns about the event will impact her relationships with friends and family in ways she didn't anticipate.

I read this book in one day, sitting in the quiet of my living room.  When I finished the last page, I was glad for the stillness of my surroundings; it allowed me to think about the messages of this book, to breathe and let go of the tension I felt for Dèja's family and friends.  I was really impressed with the way the author handled the details of 9/11 with a gentle touch, giving just enough to emphasize the tragedy without overwhelming younger readers.

Little Cat's Luck by  Marion Dane Bauer was a much lighter read!

Patches loves her home and her girl, but has an inexplicable yearning to find a place that is dark, warm, and cozy.  A story in free verse, we follow Patches as she follows a leaf through town, getting lost in the chase.  Luck is on her side, however--she has traveled safely to the yard of Gus, the meanest dog in the neighborhood, who just happens to have a dark, cozy doghouse.  But will Gus let Patches stay?  Animal lovers will enjoy this story's personification of suburban creatures, and the twists and turns this story takes before a happy ending.

It's a Monday off for teachers and students--what did you read today?