Everyone Worth Knowing

A young twenty-something girl trying to start her career life in New York finds herself taking a job that drops her in the middle of NY's social elite.  She is soon overwhelmed with the glamour and privilege of that world, but the is the price she pays - her privacy, dignity and self-respect - really worth being a part of this world?

"Wait a second," you might be saying, "didn't she already review The Devil Wears Prada?  What is she talking about?"

I am talking about another one of Lauren Weisberger's books, Everyone Worth Knowing, which bears quite a few similarities to Prada, with the addition of more sex, drugs, and sliminess. 

Bette Robinson is a twenty-seven years old college graduate working 80 hours a week in a banking job that she hates - mostly because, as far as I can tell, Weisberger's female characters are never happy or satisfied in their lives.  She quits that job and winds up working for Kelly & Company, an event planning firm that strives to be with the "in"crowd of New York.  Soon Bette finds her life consumed with showing up and the "right" places, being at the "right" events, and even set up in a fake relationship with the "right" boy.  Slowly this new glamorous lifestyle chips away at Bette's soul until she finally realizes she has become a glorified prostitute and has to decide what she really wants in her life. 

About two-thirds of the way through the book - right around a trip to Istanbul which basically became a week-long orgy of sex and drinking - I realized this book was possibly eating away at MY soul and was the literary equivalent of a Big Mac. But I kept reading hoping that it would get better - it kept hinting at giving Bette a decent relationship, and as her life got more and more outrageous, I kept thinking "surely we are coming to the climactic scene where Bette walks away from all this."  It always seemed just out of my grasp.  When the inevitable showdown scene finally arrived, it had been dragged on so long that it had lost all its power.  Its sister scene in Prada was at least timed well.  This time, I was so OD'ed on a chick-lit that I no longer cared...then I woke up the next day feeling the same way you feel the morning after pigging out on pizza and Twizzlers.  I find myself this morning in some serious need of literary filtered water and celery sticks.  

I also realized around the same place in the book that linguistically the book was pretty weak.  All the characters sound exactly the same - no one has a distinct voice.  I couldn't "see" the scenes play out in my head because the dialogue was so canned.  And there is more than enough profanity to go around, which just got tiresome.

So did the content.  All the characters felt they were much more important than they were.  Even Bette, our heroine, was awfully self-involved - and, as mentioned above, there seems to be some sort of rule about these characters ever feeling fulfilled in their lives.  I don't understand why this twenty-something in New York thing is so attractive - it's not just in Weisberger's books, it's an epidemic.  For a woman to be strong, apparently she has to be in New York, working a corporate job, and utterly miserable.  For Pete's sake, New York is not the only place to have a life, go out and make something of yourself!   I wanted to scream at Bette most of the time to quit whining, have some self-respect, be truthful to herself and her friends, and get a life.  Which is probably one of the points the author was trying to make...but having to wade through all the drinking, clubbing, sex, and general debauchery made me too tired by the end to care what happened to these people. 

Ultimately, the book was depressing.  Depressing to think that this IS really the life some people strive to live.  Depressing to realize that although this is a work of fiction, the club/elite/superstar life is real, and that as I read the covers of magazines while standing in Wal-Mart to buy my milk and bread, many of the people on those covers live this kind of life.  And where does it get them?  Are any of these people happy?  More than that - are they joyful?  Fulfilled?  Even at the end, when Bette has finally gotten her head screwed on straight and walked away, she was still moping around her apartment, wallowing in reality TV and alcohol.  It just all seems so sad. 

So to sum up: these people need Jesus, and you don't need this Big Mac. 

Rating: 1 1/2 stars out of 5
What I'm reading now: Austenland by Shannon Hale (waiting for me at the library!)
TBR:
1. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
2. Crazy Love by Francis Chan
3. The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser
4. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
5. The Autobiography of Henry VIII  by Margaret George

Sister Emily's Lightship

Sometimes you walk away from a book loving it.  Sometimes you walk away from a book hating it.

Then there are the times you walk away from a book completely unsure what your reaction is.

I found Sister Emily's Lightship while looking for another book by Jane Yolen.  Ms. Yolen puts the PRO in prolific.  She has published over one hundred fifty books.  (I'm still trying to finish just one!)  She has written everything from children's books to science fiction to historical to fantasy.  She has been published in anthologies and collections.  This woman WRITES.

Sister Emily's Lightship is a collection of her short stories.  There is no real theme among them - her explanations in the author's note point to the idea that she just had several short stories written over the years that wound up in this collection one way or another.  The title refers to the final story, which won the 1998 Nebula award for short fiction.  It is a fictionalized tale of Emily Dickinson encountering a space alien.  Yes, that is as odd as it sounds, and this may give you an idea of what the book is like.

First, the writing.  Ms. Yolen is a wonderful storyteller.  She uses a variety of writing styles, flowing along with whatever story she happens to be writing at the time.  Very versatile.  Her choice of language is beautiful.  I love it when storytellers actually have a vocabulary.  She phrases her ideas beautifully, and her stories are a joy to read, even if you don't like the actual story.  She has the ability to bring you right into the scene and carry you along.

She also writes intelligently.  Many of her stories start in the middle of a scene or an idea.  You have no idea what is going on because you weren't there for the beginning, but she assumes you are smart enough and patient enough to hang in there, because if you are, all shall be rewarded.  She assumes her readers have brains and imaginations and don't need everything spelled out for them.  I enjoy that very much.

And then we come to content.  I truly enjoyed many of the stories.  She writes several redactions of fairy tales - telling the story in a different way to see it from another perspective. (What if Peter Pan is really the bad guy and Hook has been trying to rescue the Lost Boys?  What if Rumpelstiltskin was actually a Ukrainian Jewish man whose good name has been smeared?)  I love those stories.  They make you THINK.  She also writes several stories about fairy folk, which are fun and enjoyable.  She has some science fiction in there, which I enjoy.  She also has some strange, dark tales that made me very uncomfortable.  Some of the stories take very dark twists.  Some of them end abruptly and ironically.  Some of the stories made me sick to my stomach, while others made me go "huh?"  There is an alien story of space travelers that salvage and digest ideas in order to survive.  There is a story about a small town creepy outcast guy.  (Really didn't like that one.)  There's one that is, quite frankly, a raunchy double entendre, all the way through.  Others seem to be Native American tales or stories from other cultures.  There's one that turned out kinda vampire-y, and I could have done without that. She beats up on Creationists at one point, which annoyed me because I have no platform for rebuttal with her.  Really, she gets her ideas  from anywhere, and she writes them down as they come.

Sister Emily's Lightship gave me much to ponder.  It expanded my mind and made me see the world in a new perspective, which is exactly what it's supposed to do.  We can't just avoid anything that makes us uncomfortable or we will never grow.   So, overall, did I like the book?  I'm not sure.  Do I recommend the book?  I'm not sure.  Will I read the book again?  Probably not.  Do I regret reading the book?  No, not at all. 

Sometimes you read a book and it's just a different experience altogether.  And that's not a terrible thing.

Rating: Ummm...I don't know.  Some books are not designed for a rating scale.

What I'm reading now: Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger 
Top Five TBR:
1. Austenland by Shannon Hale
2. Becoming Myself by Stasi Eldredge
3. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
4. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
5. Crazy Love by Francis Chan 

The Laugh Book

This seems to be my week for talking about old, out-of-print books that I have loved since childhood.  If you're looking for this week's books and can't find them...I'm sorry!  But maybe my tales of finding book treasures will inspire you to go find your own rare jewel.

I have known The Laugh Book, compiled by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson, since I was about six years old.  It's a collection of funny...things.  There are jokes, riddles, tongue twisters, funny poems, tricks and puzzles, and funny stories.  They are not originals by Cole or Calmenson - the book is instead a collection of items drawn from other sources. It's designed for children of all ages, which is why I have loved it for so long.

The book starts with jokes and one-liners - very corny, and things I absolutely loved as a 6, 7, and 8 year old. "Where do cows go on dates?  To the moo-vies."  I pretty much ignored the back of the book, which is comprised of chapters out of other books (like Pippi Longstocking and Mary Poppins) and short stories.  It wasn't until later (when I was a better reader and could comprehend more) that I came to appreciate these lengthier pieces, and then it was like discovering a whole new book! 

I wore my copy of The Laugh Book out over the years, and then it was lost as I moved from place to place.  It wasn't until the past few years that I found a used edition in the Amazon.com  marketplace and was rewarded for my long search with a nice, clean, complete copy.  I have enjoyed it all over again, and I can pass the laughter and joy onto the next generation.  Tonight I read out of it to my own children, and as they start to read, I hope they find as much joy in it as I have. 

Sometimes books just stick with you.  My recent posts are an evidence of that.  I want to encourage you readers out there - explore books you've never heard of.  Find that rare book in a used bookstore or at a random library sale.  Mull over titles that aren't on the New York Bestsellers list.  There are unheard treasures out there - unsung heroes of the book world that can change your perspective and stay with you throughout your life.  The Laugh Book is something that I have carried with me, whether physically or in my heart, since I was a small child. Now I have the opportunity to pass along the joy I have experienced with it to my own children. 

And that is a precious gift. 

Rating:  I dunno, how do you rate a book that's been important to you for 26 years? 
What I'm reading now: The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George  
Top Five TBR:
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Sister Emily's Lightship by Jane Yolen
3. Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
4. The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser
5. Crazy Love by Francis Chan 

Ellie's Inheritance

Sometimes you find some of your favorite books in life on a random bookseller's shelf for 10 cents.

When I was in about 7th grade, I went to a book sale in a local mall.  It was one of those purges that libraries do every so often, and you could buy books for around 10 cents a piece or something ridiculous like that.  Yeah, pretty sure I bought 20 books that day.  The funny thing is, there's only one I can remember buying, and it is one that has become precious to me throughout my life since the age of 13.

Ellie's Inheritance  is an out-of-print book by Hila Colman.  It follows the young adulthood of Ellie Levine, a Jewish girl in New York that was raised in wealth and privilege but whose father lost everything in the 1929 stock market crash.  Now she and her father live in a ratty "hotel" room on the opposite side of Manhattan, and Ellie finds herself having to find jobs and support her father, who is of another world and generation.  Living in the shadow of the memory of her larger-than-life ambitious mother Rachel, Ellie must find her own way in the world, recognizing the unseen - but certainly felt - influence on her life while also breaking free of the expectations she feels weighing on her shoulders.  As a young Jewish woman in the 1930s, she must also face the rapidly changing world as she encounters Communism, Fascism, the upper class, the working class, immigrants and refugees in the melting pot of New York.  She also encounters love along the way, but it's a love that forces her to make choices she never thought she would have to make.

This is the kind of story that could have been written in an incredible sappy, lovesick kind of way.  It could have been written to read like a lame period piece movie script.  It's not.  Colman writes as though she is pouring out her own heart and story - or perhaps the stories of those who have gone before her - and instead of being predictable, the story invites you into Ellie's world.  You see New York from her eyes, you feel the pain of the changes in her life, you begin to cheer a little inside when she starts to raise her head from the sand and really see the world around her.  At the same time, Colman paints a brilliant picture of life in New York prior to World War II.  It was a time when everything was changing.  The Great War had changed the face of the earth - both literally and politically.  Immigration to the U.S. surged as families sought new and better lives for themselves.  Political convictions ran from waaaay left to waaaaay right - and Ellie is placed right in the middle of this struggle.   On top of that, she is haunted by the memory of a mother she can barely remember but whose legacy lives on in the family.  Rachel Levine came to this country with her mother and sisters and nothing else, and the strength of their family combined with her fierce determination to succeed raised them from the ashes to places of privilege beyond their dreams.  And then, as was the case with so many, it all came apart in 1929, and Ellie was left to pick up the pieces of her shattered life without the strength of her father or the physical presence of her mother - but she had the strength of her mother's family and her inherited strength of will of her mother to not just survive, but thrive.  Ellie just has to learn how to live that out in her own way, apart from the memory of her mother, and find her place in the world.

I love Ellie's story.  She is one of those book characters that I carry with me all the time.  She pops into my head at the most random times - I will notice a loose thread on the hem of my shirt, and suddenly I am back in Ellie's room as she designs and sews her own party dress.  I will look at my husband in love and think of the great loves of Ellie's life and how they shaped her.  Although Ellie was older than I was when I first read that book, it was still the story of a young woman searching for who she was - and that spoke deeply to me as a 13 year old girl.  It still does.  I sometimes wonder what would have happened to Ellie had Colman continued the story.  Ellie's Inheritance is, in fact, a sequel itself.  I read it first when I was 13 and had been looking for the first book, Rachel's Legacy, ever since...but it wasn't until about two years ago that I found a copy on paperbackswap.com.  Finding that book was like finding buried treasure.  It filled in all the holes I had wondered about for years.  I was so excited, I think I read it in 24 hours flat.

I wish Ellie's Inheritance wasn't out of print.  I wish it wasn't so hard to find.  But perhaps it's elusiveness as a novel is a part of its identity.  Maybe that's part of what makes the book as marvelous as it is.  Whatever the case, Ellie's Inheritance has had a place of honor on my bookshelf and in my heart for the past 19 years, and if you can find a copy of it, I recommend you allow it a place in your heart as well. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What I'm reading now: The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George  
Top Five TBR:
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Sister Emily's Lightship by Jane Yolen
3. Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
4. The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser
5. Crazy Love by Francis Chan 

Always the Baker Never the Bride

I love my historical fiction.  And I love my biographies and stories of the past.  However, occasionally it is nice to put down all the heavy stuff and do a quick read of something in which no one dies.  I am still reading The Autobiography of Henry VIII, but I know old Henry's story pretty well, so it's kind of depressing to read about him falling head over heels in lust with Anne knowing that in a  few short years he's going to have her beheaded.  I am also still reading Team of Rivals, but we all know how THAT ends.  Sometimes when you are reading big thick project books, you have to put the meat aside for just 48 hours and have some cake.

Thus enters Always the Baker Never the Bride. 

I found this book after I went to a teacher in-service on reading and everyone was encouraged to recommend a book they were currently reading.  This, of course, made my Amazon.com wish list EXPLODE.   This was one of the books recommended, so I grabbed it at the local library over the weekend.  (My husband sent me there to print off a form "really quick."  Silly husband.  I was there for, like, an hour and came home with four books and a movie.) 

Always the Baker Never the Bride is a delightful little comical book about Emma Rae Travis, a diabetic baker who specializes in exquisite wedding cakes.  She is hired to be the pastry chef at a new exclusive destination wedding hotel by the dashingly handsome Jackson Drake.  From there, we meet Jackson's lovable and very involved sisters, Emma Rae's crazy family, and a whole cast of fun other characters along the way.  We follow Jackson and Emma along as they dance around the inevitable growing romantic chemistry between them while juggling both their new responsibilities to their careers and their old responsibilities to their families.  It's a crazy, laugh out loud ride from their first initial meeting - where they, of course, don't like each other - until the last chapter where they begin to let go and let God take them where they've wanted to go all along. 

As a structural device, each chapter is punctuated with baking tips, wedding tips, or a recipe.  There are fun little entries such as "Emma's Cashew Fudge Brownies" and "Unique Wedding Themes for the Discriminating Bride."  Occasionally something more applicable to the plot is included, such a program to the opening gala at The Tanglewood, the new hotel Jackson is opening.  It's a fun way to transition from chapter to chapter.

The book took me 24 hours to read.  The plot is fairly predictable and the writing is isn't Fitzgerald or anything.  But that's the fun of it.  Bricker creates beautiful characters in a beautiful, fun setting and places them in zany, hilarious situations while they also wrestle with important life questions, such as how to heal a marriage or how to move on from the death of a spouse.  There is a gentle balance of laughter and tears to the characters' lives.  And shockingly enough, everyone keeps their clothes on, keeps their mouths clean, and has a reasonably happy view of life.  Refreshing! 

The book also surprised me with its spiritual undertones.  I would not call it a "Christian novel" by any means, which is good, because most "Christian fiction" is, quite frankly, nauseating.  It's hard to find good fiction about believing people that doesn't make you want to gag.  Bricker weaves in her own beliefs about the healing power of God in a very subtle, loving manner, making it clear what she believes while allowing the reader to make up their own mind about God's restorative powers.  Again, very refreshing.

I was also delighted to discover that the book is the first in a SERIES! I love books in a series!  It means I can go get more and dig into these characters even more!  WHO-HOO!

Overall, Always the Baker Never the Bride was the perfect little reading break to end the summer, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to take a few days and just enjoy a little laughter in their lives.

Look for more from Sandra Bricker at http://www.sandradbricker.com/Home_Page.html.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
What I'm reading now: The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George  
Top Five TBR:
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Forgotten God by Francis Chan.
3. Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
4. The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser
5. Crazy Love by Francis Chan  

The Devil Wears Prada

Sometimes I like to read a book before I see the movie.  Sometimes I see a movie and then decide to read the book.  98% of the time in both of these cases, the book is better than the movie.

There is, however, that rare moment when the movie is - gasp! - better than the book.

I addressed this issue in another review I did, Julie/Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously, which is definitely better as a movie than a book.  In this case, however, the movie is only slightly better.  The contrast in today's review is not nearly as stark.  However, I must confess that I enjoyed the movie more.

The Devil Wears Prada is a fictional story about a small town girl that comes to the Big City (i.e. New York) with big dreams, big plans, and no apartment.  She somehow lands the job that "a million girls would die for," assistant to Miranda Priestly, editor of Runway magazine, THE fashion magazine of the fashion world.  The main character, Andrea Sachs, takes the job, despite knowing nothing about fashion because she wants to break into the world of magazines and writing.  Everyone tells her this is the opportunity of a lifetime, and if she can hang in there for a year, one phone call from Miranda will put her on the staff of virtually any magazine she wants in the world.  Unfortunately, Andrea rapidly finds out that ambition has its costs, and in her case her job begins to cost her her sanity, her time, her relationships, and her integrity.  In the end, Andrea has to decide what she really wants in her life and weigh whether or not a year working for one of the worst bosses in the world is worth it all. 

This was a case where I saw the movie first.  The movie is delightful.  Meryl Streep is amazing - because, after all, when is she not? - and Anne Hathaway is perfect as the naïve-small-town-girl turned evil-empress-in-training.  Emily Blunt is also wonderful as Andrea's partner at Runway.  The movie made me want to go find the book and read it right away.

And the book was...okay. 

The story is amusing, and it's pretty much what is seen in the movie, only more so.  The job is terrible, Miranda is awful, and Andrea is finds herself more and more in over her head.  Everything is worse than in the movie - it was softened a tad for the screen.  The characters are rougher around the edges - meaner, more cussing, more drama.  It's a little edgier than I was expecting, and while that was ok, it wasn't as much fun as I was hoping for.

I had a difficult time identifying with the character of Andrea and feeling the proper amount of pity for her.  The truth is, Andrea did not come off as a very nice person, and some of the stuff she pulled on Miranda just to make herself feel better - like purchasing random Starbucks coffees on the company's tab - just made her seem petty and vindictive.  What's more, I didn't see the moral conundrum that the author was trying to set up.  Andrea's roommate in the  book slips down a dark and destructive path, and somehow that was supposed to be Andrea's fault for not paying more attention.  Yeah, she was ignoring her friends and relationships - but the whole thing was temporary, and it wasn't like she was enjoying herself.

In addition, I kinda found myself wanting to punch Andrea's boyfriend in the face.  His do-gooder, holier-than-thou character was hard to swallow, and the fact that he couldn't put up with Andrea's dreams for the year she was trying to be in Miranda's employ did not endear him to me.  He knew she just had to hang in there for a year.  This wasn't permanent.  Why couldn't he just shut up and deal with it? Maybe it's because I have an AWESOME husband who supported me through the craziness of grad school because he knew it was my dream, but I finally ran out of patience with Alex.  (The boyfriend was MUCH more likeable in the movie.)

All of it seemed pretty empty, and maybe because the world of ambition and climbing higher and having "a career" isn't all that important to me.  I'm not a claw my way to the top person.  What's more, my life fulfillment is not found in my job.  Or my writing.  Or my children or my family, for that matter.  The one and only thing that makes my life worth getting up and greeting every morning is knowing that I am cherished as a daughter of God and follower of Christ - so the rest is just details, and details that would make me miserable don't really seem worth it in the face of what I just said.  I don't think Andrea and I would have a lot to talk about.

Lauren Weisberger writes in a very engaging way, and this was a book kept me going. (She does use some profanity.  It is appropriate for the age and lifestyle of her characters, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.) It was amusing enough that I want to read the sequel, Revenge Wears Prada.  That, actually, is what prompted me to write this review - I just found out there was a sequel and I want to read it soon.  In the meantime I have checked out another one of Weisberger's books, Everyone Worth Knowing.  So I am not saying DON'T read the book.  Weisberger is a fun author who writes fun, fairly entertaining stories that don't have a ton of substance but are a nice fun reading filler.  That's pretty much what The Devil Wears Prada is. 

But I still enjoyed the movie more. 

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars
What I'm reading now: The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George  
Top Five TBR:
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Forgotten God by Francis Chan.
3. Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
4. The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser
5. Crazy Love by Francis Chan  

Number the Stars

The school year is rapidly approaching, and as a teacher, I find my mind turning more and more to school, students, lesson plans, and Pinterest finds.  (Ok, let's be honest, I pretty much think about Pinterest year round.  Come follow me!)  As I think about the school year, I like to start thinking about what books I'd like to read with my students, what books to recommend to students, and how I can get students reading.  This leads me to today's review, which is on one of my all-time favorite YA books: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.

Number the Stars is a historical fiction (I know, you're shocked) set in Denmark during World War II.  The main character, Annemarie, is best friends with a Jewish girl her age, and as the Nazis tighten their grip on the country, Annemarie and her family find themselves having to make hard choices to save their friends.  The book opens the eyes of the reader to the horrors and truths of World War II without being too graphic - perfect for young readers' minds.  It examines a harsh portion of history, but provides hope, because as long as there are people willing to fight back the evil, there is hope.  It also discusses a little-known part of World War II history, that of Denmark's role in the Resistance movement.  Denmark managed to save 80% of their Jewish population during the Nazi occupation - a phenomenal feat for that time period.  This is a story worth telling, and Annemarie's tale (based on true stories told the author by a friend) is the perfect lens through which to see this perilous yet heroic period of history.

Lois Lowry is one of the great YA authors of our time.  Her books range in topic from historical fiction to futuristic dystopia to the trials and tribulations of pre-teen girls.  She writes in a style that speaks to readers of all levels; she uses vocabulary that is easily understood, but she never "talks down" to her readers.  She assumes her YA have imaginations and is not afraid to put those imaginations to use.  The results are delightful books for a range of ages, genders, and interests. 

Two years ago I had the privilege of teaching this book to a classroom of students with behavioral disorders, and I discovered that not only was it a great book for the literature itself, it effortlessly led into fantastic character education opportunities.  We were able to explore questions like "What would you do?"  We transitioned from this into some teaching about the Holocaust in general, and we wrapped it up with one of my favorite projects, Heroes of the Holocaust, where we researched people who had made the decision during the 1940s to fight the Nazi regime by helping the Jews and others that the Nazis meant to exterminate. 

The book also gave me a rare opportunity to talk about something almost unknown in the area in which I live - Jewish culture.  My own background has Jewish ancestry, and my husband and I believe that, as Christians, it is essential to honor Christianity's Jewish roots and teach our children about them.  As a result, I have a lot of information about the Feasts and the Festivals, as well as items that have become important to our family's heritage, such as our Menorah and the candles we use for Shabbat.  Teaching this book in the classroom gave me a chance to share that heritage with my students and help open their world to a culture that was unfamiliar to them. 

If you are a teacher, I highly recommend you incorporate this book into your curriculum.  If you are not a teacher, you should read it, and then you should recommend it to your young friends.  If you are a parent looking for a book for your YA reader - pick up Number the Stars, you won't regret it! 

***If you are a teacher and would like any of the resources I used for my teaching unit, comment below, I am happy to share!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
What I'm reading now: The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George  
Top Five TBR:
1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. Forgotten God by Francis Chan.
3. Lady of the English and To Defy a King by Elizabeth Chadwick
4. The Story of Britain by Rebecca Fraser
5. Crazy Love by Francis Chan