Author: Lauren Wolk
Narrator: Emily Rankin
Publisher: Listening Library, 2016
Format: 6 compact discs, 7 hours
Genre: young adult fiction
Obtained: library
Synopsis: Someone has thrown a rock causing Annabelle's friend, Ruth, to lose an eye. Was it Betty Glengarry, the mean and manipulative bully, or Toby, the odd World War I veteran who keeps to himself, but has only shown Annabelle kindness?
Thoughts: My synopsis does not come even close to describing what this story is about because there is so much more to this book, but I don't like knowing too much going into a story. I think it can take away from the reading experience and I don't want to do that to any potential readers. This story is about bullying, stereotypes, judging people, friendship, family, looking at the outside of a person and not what's inside, jumping to conclusions, manipulation, psychiatric disorders, death, courage, speaking up, lying, finding your voice, taking responsibility, standing up for what you know is right, truth, kindness and strength.
This book is recommended for ages 9-12, but I have to warn that it is a haunting story with depressing topics. My 11 year old son and I listened to this book for the Massachusetts Book Awards project. It was in the 5th grade section and listed as a level X F&P and 800 Lexile. My son is immature for his age, so this was not really a good match for him. He followed the story and felt the ending was sad, but didn't really get all that the author was trying to convey. I wonder if a mature 5th grader would even "get" it all. I also believe that for those preteens that "get" it, the book could be disturbing to them. I encourage parents to read this wonderful book to see if it would be suitable for the child they would be giving it to. Personally, I think it is more appropriate for middle school and up.
As an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I usually don't like books without a happy ending, but I was okay with this one. I loved the author's writing style and her characters. The story was told at an excellent pace and was balanced with action, thoughts, and descriptions. The narrator was excellent and a perfect fit to read this story. I felt like I knew the characters and that the setting was real. The story was unique and interesting. It is very hard to write more without talking about what happens in the book, so I will stop there.
I highly recommend this book to adults. I also recommend it for mature kids ages 12 and up, but I really encourage the adult to read it before giving it to a child to make sure it is appropriate for that particular kid.
Tea: Comfort Blend Black Tea
Obtained: sample with tea of the month club delivery
I tried Comfort Blend Black Tea from Plum Deluxe today. The ingredients were black tea, cinnamon chips, orange peel, ginger, clove, and orange extract. This tea is also available without the caffeine. The black tea leaves were all shapes and sizes and were mixed with off-white and brown chunks. The leaves had the scent of oranges and cinnamon. I put the teaspoon of leaves in my tea ball and poured 12 ounces of water that had been boiled over the leaves. I let this steep for 3 minutes. The liquid was a yellowish brown and had a mild scent of oranges and cinnamon. The taste was a wonderful blend of oranges and spice. It is sometimes hard for me to find an orange spice blend that I really like- but this one is excellent. It is a tad lighter on the orange and a bit heavier with the spice than other orange spice teas I've purchased . I found it refreshing, revitalizing and delicious. It gave me a calm, yet awake feeling.
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