NYtarheel Female, 31, Married. USA

This is my all-time favorite book for children. It has the potential to be very confusing, however, as there are 16 main characters. I have always found that reading this book with a reading group, where we can discuss it as we go along, has been very successful. I have read this book with children as young as 4th grade and feel that, through our discussions, they have come out with a good understanding of the book. It is a classic mystery which will keep them (and you!) guessing until the end. No matter how many times I read it I just love it more and more.

This is the only book that I've ever loved enough to buy a class set for so I could do a whole-class book study with it. Since it is told in verse, it is a quick read, but the underlying message is timeless and shows how writing can be cathartic and help one get past life's tragedies. I also enjoy the poems that are in the back, but for best reading, each poem should be read as Jack is experiencing it in the book. This takes a little bit of planning ahead of time, to know when to flip to the back to read a certain poem, but it facilitates understanding of the book if you (and/or the children) have read the same poems as Jack, at the same time he's reading them.

I read this book as required reading when I was in high school, and it all but changed my life. It let me know that the alienation and isolation that come with being a teenager are normal and I almost felt like I had found a friend in Holden Caulfield. I read it at just the right time in my life, and each time I've read it thereafter I remember why I loved it so much the first time.

This book, told from the perspectives of two different main characters, is a classic adventure story that appeals to both boys and girls. Written in journal form, the reader gets to experience the action, as well as the other characters' antics, through the eyes of Sophie and Cody, cousins joined together on this trans-Atlantic journey. What I love most about this book, is seeing the same events from the points-of-view of both Sophie and Cody, and comparing how each one views the world around them. Through their journal entries, we also learn a lot about the personalities of each, and we begin to make realizations about the characters at the same time THEY begin to make them. Overall, it is a moving book that both children and adults will love!

I picked this book up one day in the bookstore, totally by chance, just because I thought the title was clever and it intrigued me. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. It just so happened that the year I read this book was the same year I had an autistic child in my class. I read this book about halfway through the year, but it was as if I were reading my student's life story. It opened me up to so much of what his world is like, and was so informative, even though it is meant to be a fiction book. It made me so much more understanding towards him, and helped me be a better teacher, not only for him, but for all future students I may have who will have special needs. I also know several parents of autistic children who are grateful for this book, and once you read it, you'll understand why.