Points to ponder...
The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.
~ H. U. Westermayer
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
~ Melodie Beattie
On a lighter note - some books to enjoy over the break...I am reading them for the next Garden State Book Awards list (6th - 8th grade fiction) If you read any, please pass along your feedback.
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
A re-telling of a little known Grimms fairy tale. Dashti, the mucker maid and her lady are sentenced to 7 years in a tower because her lady refuses to marry the evil Lord. Dashti eventually leads Lady Saran to the land of her true love, where the 2 work as kitchen maids until they can figure out how to reveal themselves. Better than Twilight ;) !
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod really hates junior high. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: His mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: He’s being hunted by a vampire killer.
Beastly by Alex Flinn
A modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form. I love the "chat room" bits. Good humor throughout.
Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
When twelve-year-old Stephanie inherits her weird uncle's estate, she must join forces with Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton mage, to save the world from the Faceless Ones.
Miss Spitifre: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller
A fictional account based on fact. At age twenty-one, partially-blind, lonely but spirited Annie Sullivan travels from Massachusetts to Alabama to try and teach six-year-old Helen Keller, deaf and blind since age two, self-discipline and communication skills. Includes historical notes and timeline. Loved this one- a must read for Helen Keller fans like me.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in. Next on my list - can't wait!!
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~ Marcel Proust
