Book 4 (audio) by Robert Jordan

One Thousand Splendid Nights

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS (Hardcover)

by Khaled HOSSEINI (Author) "Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami..."

• Hardcover: 372 pages
• Publisher: RIVERHEAD (January 1, 2007)
• ASIN: B001194F5K

This is his second novel and is also a best seller. I picked this up at the library book sale because several people recommended his first book, The Kite Runner.

This book is gripping and simplistically complex in it's telling. He begins with the bastard daughter of a housemaid whose mother hangs herself. As a fifteen year old, she is married off to a 40 year old man, who physically and verbally abuses her after she miscarries several infants. At age 60, the man marries another wife, a 14 year old girl who he pulls from Taliban rubble. It speaks of the history of Afghanistan (Soviet rule, jihad, and then Taliban) through telling the lives of the people, mostly woman, who are most effected by the change in government. It is ultimately a love story. It intersperses Iranian words throughout the telling, which can be confusing because most are not defined and there is no Glossary of terms. My perspective is broadened by this book, conversely, my innocence weakened.

Skippyjon Jones

Skippyjon Jones (Paperback)

by Judy Schachner (Author) "Every morning, Skippyjon Jones woke up with the birds..."
For TV Turnoff week at school, Jonathan selected this book to bring home as his reward.
Our family has fallen for Skippyjon Jones. This wildly imaginative and hyperactive Siamese Cat who imagines he is a Chihuahua is interlaced with common Spanish words and a clever rhyming storyline that my children (ages 5-10) have loved! It makes an especially good re-aloud as the funny cat is sent to his room and imagines he is a brave bandit in old Mexico. Instead of "thinking how a cat should act" his imagination carries him into another culture and group of friends.

Product Description
My name is Skippito Friskito.
I fear not a single bandito.
My manners are mellow,
I'm sweet like the Jell-O,
I get the job done, yes indeed-o.
Skippyjon Jones is no ordinary kitten. Oh, no. . . .He's actually El Skippito, a great sword-fighter ready to battle banditos the world over! With a little imagination and a whole lot of fun, this frisky cat dons a mask and cape and takes on a bad bumble-beeto to save the day. And along the way, he'll be sure to steal young reader's hearts, yes indeed-o!

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (April 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142404039
• ISBN-13: 978-0439836968

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Bashares

Hmm. This one is a tricky one. I hesitate to post a review or even that I have read it. It is a book club book and elements of it, I like very much. This book tells the tail of a pair of blue jeans that "magically" fits the Septembers, a group of four different girls whose moms met at an aerobics class while pregnant. The moms drifted apart but the girls remain close despite or perhaps because of distinct differences.
I do not believe that this book was meant for teens. It seems like a classic "chick flick." In books I and II (unfortunately) love, lust, and romance are confused and this lead to girls having sexual relations at 15 and 16. In the first book it is briefly, vaguely described and natural consequences (not pregnancy but mixed feelings and "loss") are described. In the second book, what Joe and I thought was "real" love crosses the line into lust and disappoints the second novel and series for us. It is one in which I hope my daughters DO NOT read. Thus, I hesitated to even admit to reading these...Did not finish the last one, lying to parents to make love by the Lincoln Memorial--Hmm. "What ever happened to first comes love, then comes, marriage, then comes?..." (Poorly written to be another "best seller.") Wiuth obvious

Teaching Your Children How to Fly by Merilee Boyack

Teaching Your Children How to Fly by Merilee Boyack (Audio CD) explains how she and her husband decided early on in their parenting all the skills and at what appropriate ages their sons (4) needed to be happy and independent. Then it mentions how to implement these skills and teach them as "opportunities for service" (not chores).

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit is one of my all time favorite books. I first heard it on audio book and recently read it in paperback on an airplane. Even though it was written well over a century ago, the stories remind me of my early childhood in the US in the 1970s-1980s. I believe that is the sign of a true story teller. She makes the stories come alive irregardless of time and place.
Edith began writing short columns for a newspaper when she needed money and her mothers health was precarious. She was encouraged to write about her early childhood and that is when her writing really takes off.

Product Description
"This is the story of the different ways we looked for treasure..." When their mother dies and their father's business partner runs off with most of their money, the six intrepid Bastable children are determined to restore their family's fallen fortunes. Theseresourceful children squabble, make up, and have many memorable adventures, from publishing their own newspaper to foiling a pair of real bandits and even becoming kidnappers themselves. But while the efforts of the Bastables are often ingenious, their good intentions always go hilariously awry. This lively, funny story perfectly captures these children's remarkable bravery and deep sense of honor. First published in 1899, this children's classic is available again for a new generation of readers with a magnificent cover illustration by Caldecott winner Paul O. Zelinsky.

About the Author
E. Nesbit (1858–1924) lived in England and had dreamed of becoming a poet since she was fifteen years old. After her husband fell ill, it was up to her to support her small family. For the next nineteen years, she published a number of novels, essays, articles, poems, and short stories. But it was not until 1899, when The Story of the Treasure Seekers was published, that she achieved great success. Her groundbreaking style of depicting realistic, believable children quickly gained a popularity that has lasted for more than a century.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811854159

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan