>I’ve been trying to declutter my life, and realized after several consecutive nights of insomnia that it might be wise to begin with my brain. How does one declutter a brain? Meditation? Perhaps. I’ve never been very good at meditating, which is obvious because one needs a decluttered mind in order to be good at…
Author Archives: Jessica@Team Rasler
Sounder (1970)
My rating 3/5 stars. I got Sounder from the library, and put off reading it. I could tell just from the dust jacket that it was bound to be a Dead Dog Book, and I tend to avoid those. I was right, but it was far more and far less than that. First of all,…
The Graveyard Book (2009)
My rating: 4.5/5 stars I must confess to not being a huge Neil Gaimon fan. The first time I read Coraline, I found it a little weird and creepy. I reread it as a literature circle book with my students, and found it slightly more enjoyable, but it does have the distinction of being one…
The Lightning Thief
No, The Lightning Thief is not a Newbery winner, but it was so good that I felt it deserved a review here anyway. This book is now my new favorite read-aloud book. It has action designed to hook you right from the start, engaging characters, hilarious dialogue, and a brilliant irreverence for the characters of…
A Gathering of Days (1980)
My rating: 3.5/5 stars A Gathering of Days was a very quick read, being only about 145 pages and written in the form of a teenage girl’s diary with frequent breaks. This would be a great book to read with elementary students who are learning about 19th century New England because it chronicles a year…
