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To Dance with Kings by Rosaind Laker

Rating 3.5
I find (French history) King Louis XIV’s court very interesting but the story is very depressing. I ended up skipping through a lot of it. I guess I have lived a very sheltered life and find it hard to imagine myself living in the 1600’s through the early 1800’s. Some it was just not fun to read about.
On a May morning in 1664, in the small village of Versailles, as hundreds of young aristocrats are coming to pay court to King Louis XIV, a peasant fan-maker gives birth to her first and only child, Marguerite. Determined to give her daughter a better life than the one she herself has lived, the young mother vows to break the newborn’s bonds of poverty and ensure that she fulfills her destiny—to dance with kings. Purely by chance, a drunken nobleman witnesses the birth and makes a reckless promise to return for Marguerite in seventeen years. With those fateful words, events are set into motion that will span three monarchies, affecting the lives of four generations of women.Marguerite becomes part of the royal court of the Sun King, but her fairy-tale existence is torn out from under her by a change of political winds. Jasmin, Marguerite’s daughter, is born to the life of privilege her grandmother dreamed of, but tempts fate by daring to catch the eye of the king. Violette, Marguerite’s granddaughter, is drawn to the nefarious side of life among the nobles at Versailles. And Rose, Violette’s daughter, becomes a lady-in-waiting and confidante to Marie Antoinette. Through Rose, a love lost generations before will come full circle, even as the ground beneath Versailles begins to rumble with the chaos of the coming revolution.An epic generational tale of loves lost, promises kept, dreams broken, and monarchies shattered, To Dance with Kings is a story of passion and privilege, humble beginnings and limitless ambition.

These is my Words by Nancy Turner

Rating 4.3
After reading the work and the glory I wasn't real excited to read more about the 1800's - (This book just continued my oppion that I am so lucky to live in this time and age.) The begining was very depressing - made me sick in my heart. But it turned out to be very good.

The Maze by Will Hobbs

Fourteen year old, Rick Walker, lost his grandmother (only family member) at age 10. After that his life took a turn for the worse. He learns a great lesson from a bird biologist in Canyonlands National Park, Utah (After he escapes a horrible situation in a youth detention center). I seem to like any book where a character makes a change for the better. A quote I liked, “After a certain point, hate becomes a brain disease. It distorts a person’s perception of reality.”
Rating: 4.7

Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn Meyer

I couldn't bring my self to watch the “The Other Boleyn Girl”. I don’t like how people acted back in the 1500’s in England. Although I find it very interesting. This book was great because it didn’t give me too much detail. The story is told by Anne. Rating 4.8

Beware, Princess Elizabeth was just as good as Doomed Queen Anne. Elizabeth is Anne’s daughter. The book is about her patients to become queen. Rating 4.8

Carolyn Meyer as written 13 books and I think I will give them all a try.

Beauty by Robin Mekinley

Beauty is the retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast . If you liked that story then you will like this book. Rating 4.0

Ella Enchanted written by Gail Carson Levine

I love a good Cinderella story
Rating = 4.2

Grade Level = 3rd

sisterhood of the traveling pants by ann brashares

The girls in this book are really lucky – Friendship should be that way. Friends should be friends no matter how crazy or weird or whatever you are. Each of the girls are very different from each other. They have their own problems to work on – it’s great they have each other to help out.
Rating = 4.4

Ida B by: HarperCollins

Ida B is an interesting child. She talks to the trees as if they were alive. She has a bad experience at school but then she has a good one. She has to deal with some very frustrating and sorrowful problems (Her mother gets cancer). She has a very hard time dealing with her situation. I was frustrated because I thought the characters handle the situation all wrong. But who am I to judge I have never been in that situation.
Rating 3.9
Lexile = 970
Grade Level = 6/7th

The Goose Girl By Shannon Hale

Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, is very unique and her mother does not like it. She gets set away to marry in another kingdom. Her plans are ruined and she has to prove who she is. I like this book except for the mystical magical stuff. I really like how she overcomes being a sheltered princess. The love story part is pretty good too (kind of a Cinderella story)
Rating = 4
Lexile = 870
Grade Level = 5th

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Stargirl is the new girl who loves long pioneer dresses and plays her ukulele during lunch. Everyone in the school is shocked by Stargirl. This story reminded me of a girl in my elementary school. She had a pet rat too. I remember trying to be nice to her and regretting it every time because she was just too much for me. I think Stargirl is too much for me too. There were two things I really liked about Stargirl. One: “She had no friends but was a friend to everyone.” Two: “Bad things did not stick to her. Correction: her bad things did not stick to her. Our bad things stuck very much to her. If we were hurt, if we were unhappy or otherwise victimized by life, she seemed to know about it, and to care, as soon as we did. But bad things falling on her – unkind words, nasty stares, foot blisters – she seemed unaware of. I never saw her look in a mirror, never heard her complain, All of her feelings, all of her attentions flowed outward. She had no ego.”
Rating = 3.9
Lexile = 590
Grade Level = 3rd

The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Jess Aarons had to be the Fastest runner at Lark Creek Elementary School, the best, but when he was challenged by Leslie Burke, a girl, that was just the beginning of a new season in Jess's life. Leslie and her parents were new comers to the rural community where Jess Lived, and were thought to be a bit odd, for they didn't even own a TV, though their house was filled with books. Some-what to Jess's surprise, he and Leslie became friends, and the worlds of imagination and learning that she opened to him changed him for ever. It was Leslie's idea to create Terabithia, their secret Kingdom in the woods where they reigned supreme. There no enemy - not their teacher Monster Mouth Meyers, their schoolmates Gary Fulcher and Janice Avery, Jess's Four sisters, or even Jess's own fears and Leslie's imaginary foes - could defeat them. The Legacy that Leslie finally brought to Jess enabled him to cope with the unexpected tragedy that touched them all.

This book was suggested to me by friend (Robynn Jones - It was her favorite book) Part of me likes it becasue it reminds me of her. I put it up there with Walk Two Moons and Because of Winn-Dixie.

Rating = 4

Lexile = 810

Grade Level = 5th

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Some people really like this book - I thought it was interesting but very disturbing. I don’t want to have to read it again.
Rating = 1
Lexile = 760
Grade Level = 5th

A Wrinkle in Time by M L'Engle

I didn't like it when I was a kid. I read it again when I was doing my student teaching - It's just not my style of book.
Rating = 1

Because Of Winn-Dixie by Kate Camillo

At the start of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Honor novel, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni has just moved to Naomi, Florida. Her mom has left the family, and her preacher father has been hiding in his old "turtle shell." All India Opal wants is a friend. That's when she finds Winn-Dixie, a stray dog she rescues at the local grocery store. Having Winn-Dixie for a dog is great. India Opal starts to meet people in town, her father starts poking out of his shell, and India Opal even begins to understand why her mother may have left. All of this happens because of Winn-Dixie.

I don't like dogs all that much - but I do like Winn-Dixie. I learned from this book that it's best to see people with your hearts and not your eyes.

Rating = 4.6

Lexile = 610

Grade Level = 3rd

Walk Two Moons by Shannon Creech

Salamanca Tree Hiddle is thirteen and very proud of her Native American heritage. Her mother has left unexpectedly with a promise to return "before the tulips bloom". One morning in April, Sal and her grandparents embark on a car trip from Ohio to Idaho, retracing her mother's route, as she has not returned. Sal tells the story of her friend, Phoebe, also abandoned. The account of Phoebe is intertwined with Sal's journey. Sal has a sense of urgency in her voyage, to reach Idaho in time for her mother's birthday and to bring her back with them to live.

The book is a 4 until you get towards the end and then it’s a 5 and I just cried and cried. I’m not sure why (maybe because I was pregnant at the time and our family just had a tragedy)

Rating = 4 3/4

Lexile = 770

Grade Level = 4th

Frindle

Kids must like it. I had to read it for one of my teaching classes
Rating = 2.3
Lexile = 830
Grade Level = 5th

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

I read this book with my students and thought it was fun. Most people would probably think that never ageing would be great but this book gives you a different view on the possibility. I love the ending even though as I was reading it I was hoping for a different outcome.
Rating = 4

Lexile = 770

Grade Level = 4th

Gerald N. Lund

The Work & the Glory vol. 1: Pillar of Light
The Work & the Glory vol. 2: Like a Fire is Burning
The Work & the Glory vol. 3: Truth Will Prevail
The Work & the Glory vol. 4: Thy Gold to Refine
The Work & the Glory vol. 5: A Season of Joy
The Work & the Glory vol. 6: Praise to the Man
The Work & the Glory vol. 7: No Unhallowed Hand
The Work & the Glory vol. 8: So Great a Cause
The Work & the Glory vol. 9: All is Well
I
The Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 1: Fishers of Men
The Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 2: Come Unto Me
The Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 3: Behold the Man

Over the last 4 months I have read 12 books by Gerald N. Lund. I learned so much about life during Joseph Smiths era and Jesus’ era. I have a whole new perspective. It’s interesting how putting history is a story makes it easier to remember and understand.
I’m not sure for rating on these books. If you read one you must read them all. So the best way I can think of is to rate them in 3 different categories.
1. Gaining a new perspective an learning something ; Rating 5
2. Story Line; Rating 4
3. Flow of the book; Rating 3


I found myself getting frustrated because Lund gets too wordy and I just want to get on with the story. Both Work and Glory and Kingdom Crown are more centered on fictional families not Joseph Smith and Jesus. I loved the families in both the books. I almost gave up on the Work and the Glory around book 3 but I was really glad I didn’t. I found myself skimming through parts of the Work and the Glory because I just wanted to know what happens and Lund would go off on some random idea or mini story.

Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall

Red Stevens was a self-made man who gave his family everything — and ruined them in the process. Now, as his estate of oil companies and cattle ranches is divided among greedy and self-serving relatives, one member is singled out for something special: Red’s great-nephew, Jason.
In a darkened room, isolated from the rest of his family, Jason is confronted by the image of his deceased great uncle on a video monitor… and so begins a 12 month quest for purpose and meaning in an empty life, as Jason attempts to complete the tasks required to receive Red Stevens’ greatest bequest….The Ultimate Gift.
The principles taught are as follows:
· Gift of Work
· Gift of Money
· Gift of Friends
· Gift of Learning
· Gift of Problems
· Gift of Family
· Gift of Laughter
· Gift of Dreams
· Gift of Giving
· Gift of Gratitude
· Gift of a day
· Gift of Love
· The ultimate gift.
I loved this book as well as the movie which has a little different story line.
Rating = 5

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Hatchet is the story of a boy named Brian. On a trip to the Canadian oilfields to spend the summer with his dad, the pilot of the Cessna he is traveling in suffers a heart attack and dies. Brian must land the plane in the forest. Brian learns to exist in this wilderness. He faces many dangers including hunger, animal attacks, and even a tornado. This book gives the reader a better understanding of what it is like to survive in an untamed land.Funny thing when I was a kid I would have thought it would be cool to be in Brian’s situation but not now. I love how this kid finds away to survive.
Rating = 4.7
Lexile = 1020
Grade Level = 7th

House on a Hill by Annette Lyon

House On the Hill
It's the late 1870s, and Lizzy Sullivan is struggling to understand why God hasn't healed her little brother David. Then one night, tragedy strikes Lizzy's family when their rural home burns down. Financially unable to rebuild, the Sullivans must find another place to live—and Lizzy must leave her lifelong friend Joshua behind.
When a family in Logan invites the Sullivans to share their home, Lizzy's father begins work as a mason on the Logan temple. Against her mother's wishes, Lizzy begins a relationship and falls in love with Abe, a young man who is not a member of the Church. Little does Lizzy realize that she will be forced to choose between Abe and Joshua, two good men. What does she truly want in her life?

Rating 4.5

There is a sequel to this book which I loved more; called At the Journey’s End. I love the main characters (Abe is one of them). I believe that struggling and giving needed service is the best way to come close to someone. This story is a great example of that. I can’t really say what I really loved about the book because it will give the ending away. I was sad when this book ended becasue I miss the Characters.

Rating 5

The Sunflower – by Richard Paul Evans.

Just a week before their marriage, Christine's fiance calls off the wedding, leaving her heartbroken. With hopes of helping her through a difficult time, Christine's best friend Jessica enrolls them both on a humanitarian mission in Peru, to work at an orphange called El Girasol - The Sunflower. It is there that Christine meets Paul Cook, a successful American doctor who has fled the States after one fatal day took away his career, his faith, and the woman he loved. Unplanned events lead Paul and Christine into the jungle of the Amazon, where Christine must confront her deepest fears, and she and Paul both must learn to trust and love again. (I didn't write that - but it tells you what it's about.) Yes I loved the book. It's an easy read. Evens named this book after a Orphangage he help start in Peru. This website has more information. http://www.richardpaulevans.com/sunflower.html
Rating = 4.6

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

first published in 1909. It is one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is now considered a classic of children's literature. The Halmark Hall of Fame turned this book into a movie. I loved it. I watched it over and over again when I was a little girl. It wasn’t until I was 31 that I read the book. As I cracked the book open and read the first few lines I got the chills. All the excitement that I felt as a child rushed back to me. It is amazing that a book can make me feel that way. I love all the characters (Mary, Dicken, Collin and Ben Weatherstaff) . When I read this book I felt like I was reunited with some old friends. It is crazy but I felt I was part of their lives and I miss them – weird huh. This book will always be at the top of my list (even above Touching Spirit Bear)

Rating = 5

Lexile = 970

Grade Level = 6/7 th

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mickelson

This was the first book I read that I can say made me excited about reading. I read the book in four days (A record for me). I loved to read it to my special education students (Who hate reading but loved this book). I have read it in my classes for the last three years. It has an intense story line while teaching forgiveness among many other things. The main character Cole Mathews makes an unbelievable change in his life through the help of two Tilight Indians. I love the lessons these Indians teach Cole. I love their philosophy. It is great for anyone but especially boys who don’t like to read.

Rating = 5

Lexile = 670

Grade Level = 3/4 Grade