48 Hour Book Challenge - Wrapup (Karen)

What a fun weekend this has been! By participating in MotherReader's (thanks, Pam!!) 48 Hour Book Challenge, I created many opportunities for reading and activities surrounding the reading community since Friday afternoon. I didn't exactly follow the rules because we had a friend of my youngest daughter staying with us , so I read and participated in chunks of times over the last 3 days. I read 2 books Friday afternoon, met my fellow Central Ohio bloggers for breakfast and book shopping on Saturday morning, read 3 1/2 books on Saturday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon, when I was the only one in the house, I read 3 more books (finished the other 1/2 from Saturday, and ended the evening by beginning another one).

Final total: reading off and on for 3 days, I managed to read 8 1/2 books. I'm so pleased that I was able to set aside time to immerse myself in some new books, and some great conversations (both online and in person) with people who love books as much as I do!

I already shared about my Friday and Saturday reading, but I have to share about my last three books I read yesterday. They were probably my favorite.

I finished Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. I don't want to ruin the plot, because this book doesn't even come out until this October, but I do have to say the themes within the story make it an incredibly important read. A couple of notes, however. The main character is at one point reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I loved how cleverly Ursu lets the reader know that without ever mentioning the actual title, and how well she connected the two story lines. Another part that truly stuck a chord with me is the following:

"Somewhere ahead there was a boy who had been her best friend. She had known so many versions of him, she carried all of them with her."

If that passage doesn't capture the essence of friendship, I'm not sure what does. I kept reading the section over and over, loving it more each time.

The next book I read was a picture book, A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Both the words and illustrations are amazing. I can't wait to pair this picture book with Bird in a Box, a historical fiction by Andrea Davis Pinkney. I'll need to post more about this book later, but let it suffice to say that this pair of books is definitely on the "short list" of books I've already to begun to think about sharing in read aloud with my class.

The final book I read was The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson. I've read several other bloggers who thought the same thing, but this book is very reminiscent of Edward Tulane. The doll in this story answers a need for both young and old alike who come into her presence. Again, not wanting to ruin the story for anyone, I will say I loved the way Kirby Larson concluded the story. It gave me a real sense of closure in a story like this that jumps from setting to another.

Great reads, great weekend! Thanks again to Pam for hosting such a fun event!!