I just finished a book that MomOutnumbered passed on to me last week. I tend to like MomOutnumbered’s books (It is her fault I picked up Twilight, remember?) and just looking at the cover of How High the Moon by Sandra Kring made me want to start reading right away.

Last year I read The Book of Bright Ideas by Kring and loved it as well. Like her last book Moon has a young girl as the main character. Set in the 1950′s she has some of the innocence of the times, yet is more knowledgable about life than she can ever imagine!

Isabella “Teaspoon” is a ten year old with a lot of heart, who wants to help and cannot stop talking. I seem to attract these traits with my own girls!  Her character reminds me of a Pippi Longstocking and Anne of Green Gables rolled in with some Shirley Temple. Teaspoon says it as she sees it and I found myself laughing out loud through out the book.

This book is a fun and easy read that also touches your heart and shows how fragile life is and how important it is to care for your children. Maybe my connection with adoption is why this book has become an instant favorite.

I cannot really call this a review if I don’t say something on the critical side, can I?  If I had one wish about this book, I would have loved to have had a few chapters narrated by Teddy, the man raising Teaspoon. Of course this may have changed the story to much, but he is such a kind character. I wanted to get to hear his thoughts as well.

If you have already read this book, let me know what you thought of it.   If it sounds like a good read for you , go to your library or ask Mom Outnumbered to borrow it!

Other posts on Books and Reading:

Books Make A Difference

I’m A Reader

(Disclaimer:  I was not ask to write a review, nor do I have an affiliate link on this post!)

Photo Credit: Mandy W. 2010

As a young child in the second grade I remember being sent to a “special reading” class in school.  It was one of those things that people didn’t explain or talk about. I just went.

I cannot remember her name, but the teacher of that class had treats when you finished books.  I remember feeling so warm and happy in her class room with books and treats.  I honestly don’t remember how long I went to her class, but it couldn’t have been very long, since my memories of it are so vague.  I think she realized that I could read well, I just was very painfully shy and didn’t like to read out loud.

This “poor” reader label stuck with me until my family and I moved to California.  When asked what my reading level was I promptly said, “The lowest one.”  My scores told them differently and I quickly went from “poor reader” to “above average”. I was still shy, but my love for books was evident.

I would like to share with you a few books that have meant a lot to move through the years.  This is not a big, impressive list, mind you, as I have never been an intellectual reader.  Reading to me is an escape, an imaginative adventure, a no-thinking-needing form of entertainment that rescues me from reality that sometimes is overwhelming or an informative experience that teaches me more about life and what is going on in the world.

The Little House On the Prairie series, written by Laura Ingalls Wilder formed my enthusiasm for pioneers and historical books.  As a girl I would pretend that Laura traveled in time to 1983 and I  had to show her all the modern ways.   I have actually been to Walnut Grove and hope to do a Little House road trip with the girls some day!  How cool would that be?

As a child books that I also treasured were:  The Great Brain byJohn D. Fitzgerald, a series about a really smart boy who caused trouble in his town in the 1800′s.  The Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel.   One of my favorite things as a mom is sharing my love of these books with my kids.  Meg had Frog and Toad memorized as a young child and she is now reading The Great Brain.  She is also a fan of Little House of course!

I read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom in high school.  It is a very powerful book that I read annually through college to help me remember what truth Faith was.  I’m currently looking for my copy, as I hope to read it again.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is still one  I adore and hope to share with my girls.

Here are a few of my favorite books I have read over this past year:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Greene

Saving Cecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

The entire Harry Potter Series

The Twilight Series (Still don’t know why so don’t ask!)

No matter what genre of books you enjoy, reading is a wonderful way to spend time and reading to  your children in an investment that will continue to pay off in the future. Our kids have minds that absorb so much (even if they don’t seem like it!). Books are a way to help them learn, explore and grow in knowledge.  If you want to help give a book to a child, please take the time to go to BlogHer and make a comment on the Books Make a Difference post.  Every comment gives a child a book.  How cool is that!

(Disclosure:  None of the links above are affiliate links!  I should do something about that shouldn’t I!)

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I love to read.  I would read all day long if that was possible. I have been know to digest a 600 page book in a day with no problems.

Once in High School I re-read Gone With The Wind in one day.   Honest.  I had read it before and was sick in bed from school. I read from the time I woke up until late that night, but I did complete it.

I also am a re-reader as mentioned above.  I used to read the following books annually:  Little Women, Corrie Ten Boom and The Notebook. I don’t read them anymore like I did, but Meg and I are reading Little Women together this summer and I need to read Corrie Ten Boom again to remind myself how good I have it in life!  I am currently re-reading Harry Potter 6, The Half-Blood Prince in preparation of seeing the movie next week.  J.K. Rowling is an amazing writer and this has to be my favorite series ever, even more than Twilight, which for some reason is embarrassing to admit I love it so much.   Maybe the teenage love plot seems unbecoming a mother of four?

The other day  I read a post by Firemom over at Stopdropandblog.com and she admitted that she dog-eared her pages. I admit I do as well. I think the more a book is loved the more worn it looks. My mom who worked for years at a library frowns upon my dog-ears and will often give me book marks.   I try and remember to use them when I am reading other people’s books, but I do so love folding down the pages.

The kids are all doing Summer Reading at the library again this summer. It is always a lot of fun and the kids adore books as well.  If I have done anything GREAT as a parent it is that my kids read and enjoy books.

I have an eclectic collection of books as most of my reading comes from the library, and if you were to look at the books in my house I would not be accused of being an intellectual by any means.  I sometimes get on a kick to read the classics, but it never lasts long.  At this point in my life I need easy reads to take me away from the everyday stress that comes with motherhood. I would rather read about a vampire’s first love than Shakespeare.

I was a bit offended though today when I opened up and email for Amazon today recommending the following book to me:

Walter the Farting Dog: Banned from the Beach

Really, what does this say about me?  I have no idea why this would be recommended to me. Did someone tell the Amazon folks my kids were gassy?  I’m sure this is a wonderful book and am not giving it a bad review, but I will not be buying it and  I am seriously thinking a asking Amazon how they pick these things!

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Thumbs Up From Me!

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I must be honest, I neglected my house cleaning and eating lunch to get it finished.  It is so real and raw that you feel as if you are in the deep south during the 1960′s.

I won’t give away anything, but you can read a full review at SeOhioMoms.com, written by my friend Teachermom!

Have you read this book? Did you like it?