Batona Millville, NJ, USA

This is a modern-day Velveteen Rabbit story.

Poor Edward. He was loved by so many, but had trouble loving in return . . . at least until it was too late.

Love hurts, as the china rabbit learns so well.

While the ending was telegraphed, it was so good.

A quick easy fun read. DiCamillo is adept at creating characters one cares for.

Kate DiCamillo has a storyteller's writing style, one in which she is able to describe her characters fully.

You just know this is going to be a tear-jerker . . .

And it was. Holy smokes! I haven't cried like that since I was a boy. Sincerely.

The party of misfits is really touching, but it is Opal's relationships with her dog, her friends, and her father that make this book.

DiCamillo is excellent setting a scene. It isn't that so much occurs in the book, it's that Opal, like her tree, takes root.

I highly recommend this book!

I went to a meeting today and two of my colleagues mentioned how good this book is. I checked it out soon after.

Supposedly in January 2008 a movie version of this book will be released. It has been suggested to use this as a read-aloud to my class.

The book started out great. It lost a bit of its luster around page 70. The story was fun and I think it would make for a good read aloud.

The ending seemed rushed and not quite believable, despite the genre.

Through a weird set of circumstances, I came to read The Reptile Room with a group of students. This, as many know, is the second book in the A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. This is a series I have wanted to read, but frankly, with such a lengthy list of unread books, I have not tackled. As I read The Reptile Room, my OCD kicked in. I just had to read the first book in the series.

For the past week I had been wanting to stop off at the used bookstore in town to pick up a copy. It didn’t happen. But yesterday Beetle remained home with her mother, which freed my trip home from work. I stopped in and found two copies of the first book (The Bad Beginning): one hardcover and one paperback, both priced the same. :( I selected the hardcover.

Upon opening the book, the nameplate was signed with a familiar name; the boy who lives across the street had owned this book. I took this as a good omen. :)

The Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, and Sunny) do indeed have a series of unfortunate events. First their parents die in a house fire. Then they are shepherded off to Count Olaf, their closest (in distance) relative. The Count, a drunkard, actor, and otherwise miserable brute devises a plan to take control of the vast Baudelaire fortune.

Ah yes, dear reader, upon Violet turning of age (she is 14 now) she will inherit a great fortune. Until then, Violet and her siblings are bounced about among the seedy.

While the fortunate remains safe for the time being, there is no happy ending, as Lemony Snicket is fond of highlighting. Life is miserable for the Baudelaires.

Lemony Snicket’s writing is a breath of fresh air. The author frequently takes time out to explain terms and events to the reader. These read much like movies/television shows where the actors break out of character and address the camera. What great fun! The Bad Beginning is classic English humor that, much in the spirit of the late Roald Dahl, captures the reader immediately.

Follett states the reading level of this book sixth grade (ages 11-12). Much like Rowling’s Harry Potter series, A Series of Unfortunate Events has captured young readers. Many of my fourth graders are reading the series and an even larger group of fifth graders are too. Interesting, well-written prose will always find an audience and this book is just that.

It looks like I will be visiting the bookstore again real soon . . .