Newbery Books discussion

At the very start of the book I didn't think the tone was sitting very well with me. But boy, as I got into it . . . it sucked me in and there was no going back. I am not a very emotional person and I usually can't stand things that seem like they are trying to make me cry.

I have lost a few close family members and I guess I identified with some of the issues. I REALLY loved this book. One of my favorite Newbery books ever.

Sometimes a book I've read gets intertwined with the memory of the place I read it. I was reading this one at Thanksgiving time and left it at LAX on my way to Boise. I ran off the plane to retrieve it but it was nowhere to be seen. Luckily my niece had a copy stored in the attic and I was able to finish it amid family, good food, horseback riding, and exploring an area I'd never been to, which might even be like Lewiston, ID where Sal and her grandparents were headed. Unfortunately I lost my notes as well. I know there was something I liked about Grampa's marriage bed story. I liked the way the kids created off-the-wall stories for things they couldn't easily explain. I liked the way Sal matured on the trip, learning more about herself and her family. I think this is a book that people 14 to 104 could enjoy.

I agree with Kristine about Walk Two Moons. I read it shortly after it won the Newbery. My daughter in Middle School brought it home as said, "Mom, you gotta read this", so I did. While I don't recall the names of the characters I remember the storyline. I think that says a lot for a book when one can remember the plot after many years. It is one of my favorite Newbery's as well.

This was one of the best Newberry books I have ever read. I read it at least twice a year and often give it as a gift.

I have been thinking about it and one of the things I like about it was all the different storylines - this is a book about Sal . . . but the parallel stories Creech set with her friend (I forget her name) and friend's mom (and her mom's own story of self-discovery) I was very impressed with. After I read it I think I was in awe of the author, to have produced such a work was definitely worthy of my admiration!

Like Holly, I also read this book because my daughter recommended it. It was the first Sharon Creech book that I had read and it spurred me to read other books written by her. I really like Creech's style. I like her sense of humor and how she throws in little tidbits of wisdom into each of her books. I do feel that this book deserved to win the Newbery.

I absolutely loved this book. It has to be one of the best juvenile fiction books that I have ever read. It is thoughtful, as well as entertaining. I very much appreciated the depth of emotion that Creech gave her characters. I think that we often forget that kids can feel and understand that much.