Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is the author's story of her childhood, first with her grandparents in South Carolina and then with her mother in New York.  She tells the story in beautiful verse (poetry). She writes about her siblings and the good times they share. She writes of her deep and profound love for her grandparents. She writes about her struggles with reading and her love of writing. She writes about growing up and struggles and joy and hope.  It is a beautiful story and I could not put it down.

Return of the Babysitter's Club

When I was a child, my favorite books to read were the Ramona books written by Beverly Cleary and The Babysitter's Club.  I read every book in the series.  I OWNED almost every book in the series.  I felt like I knew the characters and that they were my friends.  I loved getting the Scholastic book order forms so I could see which Babysitter's Club books were in it.  Well, imagine my surprise and JOY when I saw a prequel to the Babysitter's Club series today at the library! It is The Babysitter's Club: The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin. I stopped right in my tracks, made sure I wasn't seeing things and grabbed it to look closer.  I immediately checked it out. It was published in 2010 so I don't know WHY this is the first I have seen it! I can't wait to begin reading it.

Another similar experience I had was in college when I discovered there was a new Ramona book. I read all of the Ramona books as a child and often while I was growing up I wished there were more Ramona books to read. I learned about Ramona's World by Beverly Clearly while I was taking a children's literature class in college.  I went right to the library and checked it out and was so excited to read it!

Sometimes, even grown-ups love to revisit their favorite childhood stories. Similarly, I can't wait to read the Harry Potter books to my children when they get older so I can share the magic of those books with them.