Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson ★★★★☆

A story that stays with you.

Fiction – Juvenile - Classics

Age range: 9 - 11 Years

143 pages

Publication Date:  1977

Literary awards: Newbery Medal (1978), Zilveren Griffel (1983)

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer to become the fastest runner in school, but when the new girl, Leslie, races and wins all of his dreams of triumph are dashed.  Jess wants to ignore her, but Leslie won’t be ignored and from there they become friends, each making life more bearable for the other.  Leslie's arrival challenges everything Jess has always taken for granted in his claustrophobic world.  She opens him up to new ways of thinking and being and together they create a magical kingdom called Terabithia.  A place where they are free to imagine.

I first read this book when I was about ten-years-old and just cried buckets.  It was the first book I read as a child dealing with a child’s death.  I remember feeling such a kinship with Jess and desperately wishing I had a friend like Leslie and my heart just breaking at the end.  This is one of the books that has always just stuck with me over the years.  Reading Bridge to Terabithia as an adult I wasn’t quite as pulled into the story and definitely more inclined toward critical thinking as I read it instead of just enjoying the story, but I also understood the family dynamics and world Jess lived in a lot better.  The difference in prospective, however, didn’t lessen the emotional impact of this story on me, even though at times I did detect less than perfect writing.  It is a beautiful story about the best kind of friendship you can have and a book I have every intention of adding to my personal library to share with my girls.

ISBN  0439366771 (ISBN13: 9780439366779)

The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us by Tanya Lee Stone ★★★☆☆

Barbie; just a doll or the gateway drug to superficialism?

Non Fiction – Culture

144 pages

Publication Date: 2010

Literary awards: Golden Kite Award (2011)

This book takes an interesting look at Barbie’s influence on our culture and our influence on her.  Using memories and anecdotes from generations of women, Tanya Lee Stone, explores Barbie’s iconic status and investigates the complicated relationship Barbie has with the world at large.

Growing up I never wanted to be kid, but always an adult.  My Barbies lived glamorous lives filled with parties, dates – where Ken was always a second class citizen and basically only there to glorify Barbie and hold her purse when necessary - and paying bills, and of course every event required many outfit changes so she could look picture perfect.  From the time I tried to curl her hair with a light bulb to receiving Barbie’s silver Corvette and inheriting Barbie’s magnificent house she was a nice addition to my imaginary life.  So when I saw this book I just couldn’t ignore it.

To be honest I never really thought about Barbie as an unholy influence, with her ridiculous body or her focus on materialism.  The most passionate feeling I ever associated with her was when I took my life in my hands at the age of 3 and removed all of the rings and earrings from my Aunt’s collection – which apparently if memory serves was not the first time I violated her dolls – and she was pretty sure she needed to kill me.  And frankly for the most part I’m still basically there in my opinions as far as the doll is concerned. 

While, I liked the look into Barbie’s history and her evolution in this book, what I most enjoyed about this book was the ideas it sparked and the challenge it presented to my thoughts on women in society.  This book was very thought provoking for me, especially as a mother of two girls.  It spurred my need to clarify my own beliefs about feminism and created talking points for my husband and I on the subject.  The discussion on values we want to instill in our children is, as always, on-going, but pushing myself to put my own ideas into focus can only be helpful.

In the end I decided what matters is that my girls have the power to choose how they define themselves.  They decide what being a woman looks like to them.  They - and I – need to decide how to define ourselves and not allow the labels shoved on us to limit our potential.

For another perspective on raising girls a friend shared this article with me on Facebook and I thought I would pass it on:    http://www.raisinggodlychildren.org/2013/04/im-not-afraid-to-raise-daughters.html

ISBN  0670011878 (ISBN13: 9780670011872)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney ★★★★☆

The sort of book that makes me giggle.

Fiction – Juvenile

Age Range: 7 and up

217 pages

Publication Date: January 1st 2001

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1

Literary awards:Borders Original Voices Award for YA or Independent Reader (2007), West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Younger Readers (2009), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2009), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2008)

The quest for easy popularity is never as simple as it should be just ask Greg Heffley.   Pouring out his hilarious troubles with words and drawings into a journal, Greg shares the ups and downs of middle school for the small and weak.  With his side kick, Rowley, Greg muddles through the perils of middle school, until Rowley manages to get the elusive notoriety Greg wants and leaves Greg behind.

When I first started looking into this book to read there were a range of opinions from people who loved it – usually kids- to people who hated and could barely tolerate it – mostly adults and parent.  Personally I found Greg likeable, in the sense I don’t have anything to do with him and thus can appreciate his antics without having to deal without the inevitable consequence.  Sure he is a bit snarky, self-centered and impulsive but he’s also fun; basically he’s a regular middle school boy.  Maybe it is my middle school sense of humor, but I tend to like smart asses and have a special place in my heart for the class clown and the pursuit of trying to fit in. 

I loved the journal format and stick drawings and the fact that it was a fun book about everyday life, which almost anyone can relate too.  I giggled my way through this book and thoroughly made a fool of myself in front of people at the doctor’s office, mechanics and basically anywhere I bothered to read it, and even my husband couldn’t help but ask every five minutes what was so funny.  Unfortunately, I could never quite relate the genius of this book to others; I guess it’s just something you have to read for yourself. 

Even if you can’t like it as an adult, it’s easy to understand why middle schoolers love it, do not deny them the pleasure of reading this book.

ISBN  0810993139 (ISBN13: 9780810993136)