#64

London: From Roman Capital to Olympic City

Author: Richard Platt

Summary: A history of the city London from when it was first created to how it is today

Personal thoughts about the book: I was actually expecting the book to be about the city as it looks today, the people of that city, and tourist attraction. But it wasn't. A good read about history in England nonetheless.

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 8

-Jessi

#63

Everything Dolphin

Author: Marty Crisp

Summary: Questions kids and adults have about dolphins and the answers to them

A few things I learned:
1. Their breathing is different than ours - They have to think about breathing while with us, it just comes naturally. 
2. They use echolocation to hear and detect changes in their environment
3. Dolphins have only one set of teeth, no baby teeth. Their teeth are peg shaped without molars, so whatever they catch to eat, they swallow whole. 
4. While dolphins do mate quickly, sadly, they don't show interest in one particular dolphin of the opposite sex. Rarely ever do males stay to help raise calves. 
5. Very intelligent animals with a brain the size of a person's. Bottlenose dolphins are used commonly in shows because they're more flexible and playful. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

#62

Beluga Whales

Author: Ann O. Squire

Summary: Facts about the white whale also called a beluga

Things I learned:
1. They're found mainly in the Arctic ocean
2. Very small compared to most whales - They grow to be only about 15 feet long
3. When they're born, they're a brownish-grey color and start changing to white as they grow up
4. Known to be called "canaries of the sea" due to their ability to make various sounds to talk with each other and the noises are very loud. 
5. Although they have no dorsal fin, they do have a ridge on their back that helps them break through ice to come up for air. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

#61

Killer Whales

Author: Kate Riggs

Summary: Facts about these beautiful creatures that are also called orcas

Some things I learned: 
1. The other name for killer whale is orca
2. They're considered dolphins because they have a snout very similar to them
3. An orca's diet consists of fish, seals, walruses, birds, and sometimes other whales. 
4. A group of killer whales is called a pod and can consist of 15 or more members. They can be found in all oceans. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

#60

What to Do When You're Sad and Lonely

Author: James Crist

Summary: Shows various types of causes to feeling of sadness and loneliness, including mental illnesses.

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#59

Chicken Soup For the Soul Christmas Treasury For Kids

Authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen, and Irene Dunlap

Summary: A compilation of Christmas stories by both kids and adults

Personal thoughts: Thinking back on Christmases Past, I always looked forward to the lit-up tree, decorations, and the presents underneath them. But years later AND after reading this book, I realized that Christmas is about giving and being grateful for what I have. There are indeed a lot of people in this world that are less fortunate than my family and me. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi 

#58

Raggedy Ann & Andy

Author: Johnny Gruelle

Summary: Various stories about the beloved dolls Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy that deal with meeting for the first time, friendship, getting in and out of sticky situations, being willing to share, and the importance of loving one another. 

Personal thoughts: I love Raggedy Ann and Andy. I do still have a Raggedy Ann doll and I did have some figurines of her and Andy when I was small. Unfortunately, I don't know whatever happened to them. But at least I still have my Raggedy Ann doll. :)
Anyways, I thought all these stories were so cute. While we all know that the characters are indeed dolls, they're still involved in important themes to real life such as making friends, treating everyone the way they'd want to be treated, and loving one another. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: Definitely a 10

-Jessi

#57

What Was the Age of the Dinosaurs?

Author: Megan Stine

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#56

Eyewitness: Dinosaur

Authors: David Norman, Ph.D and Angela Miller, Ph.D

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9 

-Jessi

#55

Dinosaurs

Author: Dr. Angela Milner

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#54

Dinosaur Discovery - Everything You Need To Be a Paleontologist

Author: Chris McGowan

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#53

Dinosaur Discoveries

Author: Gail Gibbons

Summary: Various facts about dinosaurs, where their fossils were found, what they ate, and what time period they lived in.

Personal thoughts about the book: I was obsessed with dinosaurs when I was a little girl. I was able to remember all the names, what they ate, and so on. So reading this book, along with a few others I recently checked out, brought back a lot of childhood memories. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#52

Paddington Bear Goes to the Hospital

Author: Michael Bond

Summary: Paddington gets his in the head with a boomerang and when he falls, he lands the wrong way and dislocates his shoulder, leading him to have a small surgery and stay a day in the hospital. 

Personal thoughts: While I never had to stay a whole day or longer in a hospital, I did have to spend hours in an emergency room bed for epileptic seizures. That was just as scary! So in a way, I was able to relate to how Paddington felt having to stay in a hospital. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#51

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Author: Shel Silverstein

Summary: Another collection of his witty poetry and drawings

Personal thoughts about the book: I also read this book as a kid and in high school. Like A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends also is enjoyable for people of all ages

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#50

A Light in the Attic

Author: Shel Silverstein

Summary: A collection of funny poems and drawings done by the author. 

Personal thoughts about the book: I remember reading this book and also Where the Sidewalk Ends when I was a kid and even in high school. This book is perfect humor for all age groups!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

Reading Bucket List

I thought it would be interesting to make a bucket list of all the books I want to try reading. So here goes....

• Prom (L.H. Anderson)
• One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (K. Kesey)
• The Phantom of the Opera (G. Leroux)
• Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild
• Of Mice and Men (J. Steinbeck)
• This Side of Paradise (F.S. Fitzgerald)
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends (R. Lowe)
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (M. Angelou)
• Gone Girl 
• The Horse Whisperer (N. Evans)
• Lucky Man (M.J. Fox)
• Little Women (L.M. Alcott)
• Joy Luck Club (A. Tan)
• Night (E. Wiesel)
• Taming the Star Runner (S.E. Hinton)
• Hearts in Atlantis (S. King)
• Still Me (C. Reeve)
• Children With the Vampire (J. Kalogridis)
• Lord of the Vampire (J. Kalogridis)
• Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster (S. Jacobs)
• The Life of Lee (L. Evans)
• The Complete Memoirs (P. Cushing)
• Tuesdays With Morrie (M. Albom)
• Pet Sematary (S. King)
• The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (S. Poitier)
• The Secret Garden (F.H. Burnett)
• This Boy's Life (T. Wolff)
• A Time to Kill (J. Grisham)
• The Firm (J. Grisham)

I will edit this whenever I complete reading something on this list. 

#49

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Author: Dr. Seuss

Summary: A cranky creature called the Grinch hated Christmas and all the merriness that goes along with it. So he comes up with an idea to dress up as Santa and steal all the presents and trees from the residents of Who-Ville to keep Christmas from coming. Eventually he figures out that Christmas always comes and it's more than just the obvious things he sees.

Personal thoughts: I read this book when I was a kid and watched the TV show where Boris Karloff narrated the story and did the voice of the Grinch. Loved it!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 of course! 

-Jessi

#48

Alexander Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move

Author: Judith Viorst

Summary: Alexander is angry when he finds out that his father got a work promotion and his family has to move a thousand miles away. So he describes what he loves about the current place he lives and why he doesn't want to move. 

Personal thoughts: It's always scary having to move to another town when a person is so used to where they currently are living. They have to start all over, make new friends, discover new places, and so on. But it shows in the book that moving isn't ALWAYS so scary. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#47

Koalas

Author: Sandra Lee

Summary: Facts about an Australian marsupial called a koala

Personal thoughts: I love Koalas! They are so adorable and it was interesting to learn some facts about them that I had never known before. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#46

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Judith Viorst

Summary: A little boy named Alexander describes how everything goes wrong for him throughout the whole day.

Personal thoughts: Anybody who's anybody has a bad day occasionally. I think the way Alexander describes it is poignant and full of the natural wit of a child. 

Rating on a scale from 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#45

Chicken Soup For the Teen Soul

Authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Stephanie H. Meyer, and John Meyer

Summary: A book of short stories submitted by various people about experiences during their teen years.

Personal Thoughts: Each story was very poignant about loss of loved ones, being made fun of, falling in love, trying to fit in, and accomplishing goals. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#44

Farmer Boy

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary: The story of a boy living on a farm in New York named Almanzo Wilder

Personal thoughts: It was quite clear that life during Almanzo's time was very difficult. There was little time for play and the parents didn't interact with Almanzo and his siblings a whole lot. Being the youngest, Almanzo was taken advantage of by his siblings. His sisters were a bit bossy and his brother had a tendency to bully him. The story has some good moments he spends with his family such as the County Fair and going to a 4th of July celebration. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9 

-Jessi

#43

Little House on the Prairie

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary: Experiences of Laura and her family when they move from the house in the Big Woods to the prairie 

Personal thoughts about the book: It was amazing how resilient the Ingalls family was having to build their own house, hunt and grow their own food, struggle with serious illness, and face Indians that were sometimes very unfriendly. People nowadays should always be grateful for the things they have that people back then did not. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#42

Chicken Soup for the Teenager Soul on Love and Friendship

Authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger

Summary: A compilation of stories from people about experiences during their teen years that discuss love, break-ups, friendship, and tough times. 

Any favorite stories: There was one called What's on the Inside by Eleanor Lukin where she talks about a guy she has a crush on who decides to kiss her without her consent and blurts out to everyone that he'll never play Truth or Dare again. In other words, his friends dared him to kiss Eleanor. It shows that just because a guy is handsome doesn't mean that his personality is equally lovely. Teenage boys can be quite cruel. 

Personal thoughts about the book in general: It was amazing reading about all these young people who have gone through tough times that they feel nobody else would understand. Although I'm past the teenager stage, I still like reading stories about them. Maybe I never fully grew up, who knows? But does it really matter? The book is great and that's what counts. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: I'm going to say 8 because when I checked this book out from the library, I discovered that A LOT of the pages were missing, so I couldn't read each and every one story. 

-Jessi :) 

#41

Carrie

Author: Stephen King

Summary: A misfit girl with telekinetic powers wreaks havoc at her high school prom after getting a bucket of pig blood dumped on her in front of the whole student body. 

Personal thoughts: I very much sympathized with Carrie. Like her, I was also scared when I got my first period and I was also bullied by students in high school. Do I blame her for wreaking havoc at her prom? No I do not. There's no way a person would be able to get over having pig blood dumped on them during their high school days....or any day, for that matter. Those students had it coming for all the times they made fun of her, threw objects at her, and even dumping blood on her as a joke! 
Revenge truly is a dish best served cold!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 of course! 

-Jessi :) 

#40

Little House in the Big Woods

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary: The adventures of a 5-year-old pioneer girl who lives in a log cabin in the big woods with her parents and sisters.

Personal thoughts about the book: I read this book a few years ago during the Thanksgiving holiday and very much enjoyed it. The feeling hasn't changed. After reading it, I learned that it's really important to be grateful for what you have in life! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 definitely!

-Jessi :) 

#39

Through the Decades: The 1920's

Author: Erica Hanson

Summary: Description of events that occurred during the decade also known as the "Roaring Twenties"

Personal thoughts about the book: I remember when I was in high school and we studied the 1920's, I used to daydream about how I wished I could be like Clara Bow, a 1920's silent film star and sex symbol. Based on how everything was so prosperous and carefree before the Stock Market crash in 1929, I wished I could've been a flapper girl. But although I can't go back in time physically, I can use makeup to change myself into someone inspired by Clara Bow. 
Since practically everything was so prosperous when it came to first discoveries, literature, and other entertainment, it was no wonder that another nickname for the 1920's is called the "Roaring Twenties!" 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 definitely

-Jessi :)

#38

Cyberbullying

Author: Lauri S. Friedman

Summary: Various viewpoints both agreeing and disagreeing on whether or not cyberbullying should be treated as a crime and possible ways to prevent it. 

Personal thoughts about the book: All the viewpoints about cyberbullying were insightful. Some I agreed with. Some were just downright rude. And others I agreed, but then again disagreed on. I do personally think that cyberbullying should be treated as a crime. It's one of the main causes of severe depression and committing suicide. The suicide of a girl named Megan Meier was discussed numerous times in the book. After receiving quite a few very cruel messages from a woman pretending to be a boy named Josh, Megan decided that suicide was the only way out. There was some controversy as to whether or not what that woman did to a 13-year-old girl was a true crime considering that Megan killed herself over it. While suicide itself isn't a crime, posing as somebody else online can be. It was also discussed whether parents should monitor their children's behavior online to prevent possible cyberbullying or to trust their child and give them a right to have some privacy.
I personally think that cyberbullying should be treated as a crime, especially if the victim receives threatening messages such as the bully wanting to beat up or kill them. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: I would say an 8 because some of the viewpoints, can be quite long-winded! 

-Jessi :)

#37

James Dean: "Dream As If You'll Live Forever"

Author: Karen Clemens Warrick

Summary: The true story of rebellious and ill-fated movie star James Dean

Personal thoughts about the book: I remember seeing Rebel Without a Cause for the first time when I was in college and very much liked it. Years later I saw the movie again and was curious about what the ill-fated movie star's life really was like. So after reading this book, I got the impression that his rebellious and sulky attitude towards directors and cast members came from 2 incidents: 1) James terribly missed his mother, who died of cervical cancer when he was little. 2) He never felt truly loved or cared for by his father. 
If his life wasn't cut short due to a severe car crash, I wonder what more he could've done in his life besides only 3 successful films. Quite sad. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi :)

#36

Paddington Treasury

Author: Michael Bond

Summary: Various stories from the Paddington Bear series of books

Personal thoughts about the book: I've been a Paddington Bear fan since I was a little girl, as you already know. So naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really miss Michael Bond a lot! 

-Jessi :)

#35

After the Dinosaurs: The Story of Prehistoric Mammals and Man

Author: James C. Shooter

Summary is pretty self-explanatory based on the book title

Personal thoughts about the book: It was rather insightful to read about how ancient animals came to be after the extinction of the dinosaurs and the evolution of them all into what most mammals are like today. And of course, it showed various evolution of man. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

Note: Illustrations were done by Peter Barrett

-Jessi :)

#34

The Big Golden Book of Dinosaurs

Author: Mary Elting

Summary is self-explanatory

Personal thoughts about the book: As a little girl, I was fascinated by dinosaurs and was even able to remember the names of them, what they ate, and so on. To this day, I still love dinosaurs and my favorite is Triceratops. :) 

Rating on a scale from 1 to 10: Definitely a 10!

Note: Illustrations in the book were done by Christopher Santoro

-Jessi :)

#33

So You Want to Work in Set Design, Costuming, or Make-Up?

Authors: Torene Svitil and Amy Dunkleberger

Summary: An insight into the world of working as a set designer, costumer, and a makeup artist

Personal thoughts: I love films and I love makeup, so I was curious about what those particular jobs were like behind the camera. Was it fun and easy? Well, I learned that the answer to it is both yes and no. Yes, in the sense that the person is performing their talent and making it come to life, so to speak. But the answer is also no because of the fact that each of the departments take talent, a lot of hard work, and can be terribly time consuming, especially with doing makeup! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi :)

#32

Cherries and Cherry Pits

Author: Vera B. Williams

Summary: A girl tells her friend stories through her drawings of people revolving around one subject: Eating cherries! 

Personal thoughts about the book: I read Cherries and Cherry Pits for the first time when I was in 3rd grade. I really liked the story of how one little girl drew the different subjects and put together a story where although the characters are different, they just have eating cherries in common. While I think cherries are yummy, I certainly wouldn't recommend planting a bunch of cherry pits in a yard...unless of course your family is OK with that idea. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: Definitely 10!

-Jessi

#31

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Summary: A diary kept by a German-Jewish girl named Anne Frank while she was in hiding from the Gestapo during World War II

Personal feelings about the book: I remember having to read this book in middle and high school. It was one of the most tragic true stories that I'd ever read! Nobody deserves to be arrested and killed in concentration camps just for being a certain race or religion. Despite not being able to go outdoors without risking being arrested and/or killed, Anne showed a very courageous spirit amid inconveniences such as hunger, too little privacy, and boredom. Sadly, her life was cut short all due to anti-semitism occurring during that time period. :'( 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 

-jessi

#30

Doctor DeSoto

Author: William Steig

Summary: A dentist and his assistant wife (both mice) overcome prejudices to give dental treatment to a fox. 

Personal thoughts about the book: I had this book when I was a little girl and came across it in the waiting room of my doctor's office. I was left with the same feeling I had when I read it as a child...a story with a lot of heart. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#29

Paddington Abroad

Author: Michael Bond

Summary: The Brown family and Paddington go on vacation to France. 

Personal thoughts about the book: All the numerous times that bear got himself into and out of trouble while in France were quite funny. And the reason for that is he never has bad intentions...he's after all, just a bear. 

On a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#28

Love From Paddington

Author: Michael Bond

Summary: A compilation of letters Paddington writes to his aunt Lucy about his various adventures in London. 

Personal thoughts: I always thought that there was nothing more heart-warming than getting a letter from someone or even sending a person one. Sadly in the age of e-mails and texting, personal letters and having conversations face-to-face have been kicked to the curb, so to speak. 
Having to read about all of Paddington's experiences were just so cute and funny and I had no doubt Aunt Lucy loved them all too. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: Definitely a 10!

-Jessi

#27

Paddington Helps Out

Author: Michael Bond

Summary: From a picnic on the river, to DIY activities, to disaster in a kitchen and a laundromat, Paddington always tries to help out. Yet he tends to get himself in (and out) of trouble every single time! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

A special note

Hi everyone!

Sadly on June 27th, 2017 Michael Bond, author of the Paddington Bear books passed away not long after having a short respiratory illness. He was 91 years old. :( 


I remember watching the cartoon series of Paddington Bear as a child and first discovered the book A Bear Called Paddington in a library. After reading it, I was in love. And the feeling never changed after reading it again as an adult. 

In honor of Michael Bond, I will be reading as many Paddington books as I can find, so if you happen to see more posts than one of Paddington Bear books, that's the reason why. 

Bless Michael Bond and I will always look after precious Paddington Bear! 

-Jessi

#26

Just Being Audrey

Author: Margaret Cardillo

Summary: A short biography about actress and Goodwill Ambassador Audrey Hepburn

Personal thoughts about the book: What I learned from this book is that Audrey was not at all like a lot of actors. She was a very kind and generous woman who never forgot who she was nor did she ever forget where she came from. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#25

The Art of Sign Language

Author: Christopher Brown

Summary: A reference book on how to use various vocabulary words in sign language

Personal thoughts: I took sign language classes in college and received my sign language certificate in 2002. It was so much fun not just to learn another language, but to have the chance to interact with deaf people! So this book was a lot of fun to read and even helped me brush up on vocabulary a bit. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#24

Fabulous Fashions of the 1930's

Author: Felicia Lowenstein Niven

Summary: Fashion trends and activities popular during the 1930's era

Personal thoughts: While it was sad that people were so poor, they'd likely have to wait in lines for free food, they didn't let that chance of that happening stop them from wanting to look presentable when it came to fashion. In fact, fashion actually grew and changed more during this time despite hardships.

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi 

#23

Fabulous Fashions of the 1940's

Author: Felicia Lowenstein Niven

Summary: Fashion trends and pop culture fads during the 1940's

Personal thoughts about the book: I loved how inventive people were with clothing when certain materials needed for a lot of things were scarce because of World War II. I'm very obsessed with fashions, history, and films from between the 1920's and 1950's! :)

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 definitely!

-Jessi 

#22

Through the Decades: The 1940's

Author: Michael V. Uschan

Summary: A history of events that occurred during the 1940's era.

Personal thoughts about the book: The book showed that life during the 1940's was often very difficult and tragic. Because of World War II, people had to struggle just to stay alive and make ends meet. While reading this book, I also thought back on stories my nan had told me while she was a child during that time period. She grew up dirt poor and was exposed to prejudice quite a few times. One of her brothers cut his palm on a broken dish and was refused a tetanus shot because of the fact that he was Hispanic! Eventually, the cut (all sewn up) became infected and a few days later he died of tetanus. Quite sad that poverty, rationing supplies, and prejudice happened one time too many during the 1940's. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: Definitely 10

-Jessi

#21

Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker

Summary: A man named Jonathan Harker visits the castle of Count Dracula to discuss real estate business only to discover that the Count is indeed a vampire that terrorizes him and others he's close to. Eventually Jonathan and some men he meets, including a professor named Van Helsing realize that the Count must be destroyed.

Personal thoughts: I remember as a kid my mom wouldn't let me watch anything that had to do with vampires, which was fine by me because back then, I wasn't a vampire fan. But years later, I watched Bela Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula and liked it. In my last year of high school, I discovered a book called Covenant With the Vampire, which I have read earlier this year, and enjoyed it. But I never got around to reading Bram Stoker's novel until in late May of this year. I'm very glad I read it. There was the "tell me more" feeling throughout the whole book! 

Character I liked best: It's a tie between Jonathan Harker and Van Helsing because both were brave enough to attempt to make sure the vampire was no longer able to terrorize anybody else. They didn't just back down from Dracula's power. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#20

Fabulous Fashions of the 1920's

Author: Felicia Lowenstein Niven

Summary: Different fads and fashions that were popular during the 1920's era.

Personal thoughts: I totally love reading about the 1920's era!!! The fashion, makeup, and even history back then was so fascinating. In fact, I wish a lot of the fads back then were still around now...especially the cloche hats! :)

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#19

Prom: The Big Night Out

Author: Jill S. Zimmerman Rutledge

Summary: The evolution of how high school proms began, the fashions, and even various types of high school proms that have been used to this very day. It also shows stories from adults about their proms and advice on how to be safe and have a good time. 

Personal thoughts about the book: Very interesting and insightful book! I gotta tell you all that I didn't go to my prom, sadly. I mean, I had the dress and shoes picked out to wear, but no date. Being a high school student in the late 1990's (yes, I know...old lady), I was always put under the impression that having a date was what made prom what it is. So since I had no date, I didn't go. Back then, I thought that missing prom meant that my life would be full of regrets or that there was something truly wrong with me. Years later, I realized that I'm not going to have a life full of regrets and that there's nothing truly wrong with me. All was not lost. I ended up wearing the dress and shoes to graduation, first of all. Second of all, I eventually made friends who mean a lot more to me than one night of expense ever could. But even so, I very much enjoyed reading this book about how not all proms are what people should expect them to be. They have changed so drastically over the years! There's even various types of proms that aren't what a lot of people like to think is the high school norm! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 totally!

-jessi

#18

Mommie Dearest

Author: Christina Crawford

Summary: The adopted and abused daughter of movie star Joan Crawford tells the true story of the tumultuous relationship between her and her mother. 

Personal thoughts: Very riveting and hard to put down! Christina Crawford described in full candid detail just how her mother Joan could go from a sweet and loving parent to a very bitter and very sadistic woman towards her and her brother Christopher in nothing flat. It's the kind of story that will show any reader who has experienced cruel and unusual punishment by a parent that there is indeed a silver lining at the end of a black cloud, so to speak. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#17

Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland

Author: Gerald Clarke

Summary: The life story of ill-fated movie star Judy Garland

Personal thoughts about the book: Wow! This woman had a very tumultuous and tragic life! The studio she worked for as a teenager (MGM) was very mean to her by calling her names based on her weight and even sexually harassing her. She became terribly insecure and didn't have the best relationship with her mother. Like Judy, I too was also very unlucky when it came to love. I'm in my 30's and still have never found a guy that would feel the same way about me that I did for him. But Judy got married for the first time at a very young age and it didn't work out along with her future marriages. She was cheated on all the husbands she had, was late for rehearsals or refusing to show up at all, and had a tendency to become quite irrational (and sometimes violent) when nobody would show adoration towards her. Sadly, she also had an addiction to drugs that she never overcame. Talk about one complete fiasco and tragedy of a life she had! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi 

#16

Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror

Author: Michael Mallory

Summary: Facts about each of the classic monster films created by Universal Studios, including some behind the scenes stories and short chapters on the main actors such as Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney (both father and son), Boris Karloff, and numerous other people whose impact made the movies so important to this day. 

Personal thoughts: Being a fan of classic monster films, I found this book so insightful! It was amazing how the actors not only portrayed each character, but how they felt about their characters. I also liked reading the short biographical chapters on each of the individuals involved and enjoyed seeing photos from the films and even some behind the scenes photos. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 totally!!!

-jessi

#15

The Bell Jar

Author: Sylvia Plath

Summary: A woman who's pretty and smart but constantly unhappy ends up getting admitted into a mental institution and treated for severe depression. 

Personal thoughts about the book: Esther was never, ever happy. She had such a negative attitude on life in general that nobody could understand why considering she was very attractive, intelligent, and successful at writing. Esther is purely candid and somewhat witty as she tells her story about being in the bell jar. The book tends to jump from one subject to another, which was my least favorite thing. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 8

-jessi

#14

Norman Rockwell: The Life of an Artist

Authors: Jennifer Rozines Roy and Gregory Roy

Summary: The life story of American artist Norman Rockwell

Personal thoughts about the book: I've always loved Norman Rockwell's artwork. He can paint something ordinary such as children playing, or a family doing everyday things and make it look so realistic and so interesting. One of my favorite paintings of his is this one...

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9 

-Jessi :)

#13

Babe the Gallant Pig

Author: Dick King-Smith

Summary: A piglet cared for by a collie befriends a herd of sheep and wants to become a shepherd pig. 

Personal thoughts about the book: An adorable, well-written book! Like Wilbur in Charlotte's Web, Babe longs to be known as somebody other than just a common pig. He shows that by just using common courtesy, he can get what he wants the sheep to do.  

Character I liked best: Babe

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9 

-jessi

#12

Epilepsy

Author: Kristina Routh

Summary: Description of a medical condition called epilepsy and what it can be like to live with.

Personal thoughts about the book: Living with epilepsy since I was 10 years old, reading this book totally hit home for me. I've been on numerous medications that didn't work and am currently taking 2 that work somewhat. I was bullied in high school for having seizures by a guy I had a crush on. Other people thought that I just planned to frighten the daylights out of them! Not only was that hurtful, but it was also a real pain in the ass having to be suspended for the remainder of the school day each time I had a seizure and having to get re-admitted back into school the very next day! Even now as an adult, despite the fact that I have made friends online who understand my condition (either they or their family members have it), I still tend to feel like an outcast in real life. I can't drive to places I want to go and almost always have panic attacks over possibly dying of having a seizure. I go to bed paranoid and I wake up paranoid. 
To sum it all up in three words: Epilepsy sucks!!!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

Note: Feel free to check out my blog about epilepsy at http://purplepower1.blogspot.com 

#11

Australia

Author: Ann Heinrichs

Summary: A description of what life is like in Australia from its history, to its unique wildlife, to how the people live and of course, the slang words and trends used. 

Personal thoughts: I have an online friend who lives in Australia named Rebekah and I thought a lot about her when I read this book. Sometimes she teases me about only being interested in the wildlife of the country such as koalas and kangaroos. She's only half correct about that, actually. :) But seriously, there really is so much more to the country than just the animals. I've learned about different cultures living there such as the Aboriginal tribes, Australia day in January, sports, beaches, and even the fact that their seasons are different than ours. For example, when it's winter in America, it's summer over there. Very well-written book that I would recommend for all ages.

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#10

Lord of Misrule: The autobiography of Christopher Lee

Author: Christopher Lee

Summary: The life story of actor, veteran, and singer Sir Christopher Lee

Personal thoughts about the book: Very candid and full of wit! Although the book is quite long and Christopher did use lots of words that I had never once heard or even knew how to pronounce, I still very much enjoyed reading about his amazing life. Sadly, Christopher died in June of 2015. He was 93 years old. I actually still find it hard to believe that he's gone.  

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 definitely! :) 

-jessi

#9

I Have a Sister - My Sister is Deaf

Author: Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson 

Summary: A girl describes things that her deaf sister experiences in everyday life. 

Personal thoughts: Having a certificate in sign language and hoping someday to be a teacher for deaf children, I very much loved how the author described what it's like having a deaf family member and what she and her mother needed to accommodate for her sister. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#8

Finding a Common Language: Children Living With Deafness

Author: Thomas Bergman

Summary: The book revolves around the schedule of a deaf 6-year-old Swedish girl attending a nursery school. 

Personal thoughts about the book: The little girl Lina was a perfect example that anybody who's deaf can do anything they want, except hear. She created something out of wood all by herself, made her own cookies, learned from her brother to ride a bike, and even thought about going into the theatre when she grew up! Wow! 
Don't ever underestimate a child who's deaf! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-jessi

#7

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Author: Lewis Carroll

Summary: After falling through a hole while chasing a white rabbit, a young girl meets the strangest characters and sees the strangest things in a place called Wonderland. 

Personal thoughts about the book: The moral of the story is that there's really no such thing as "normal." In this book, every character was unique in its own way...including Alice. When you really think about it, the same goes for everyone in real life. If we were all the same, life would be quite boring. 

Character I liked best: To be honest, there were no favorites. I liked all of them! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#6

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Author: Roald Dahl

Summary: 5 children win a golden ticket from a chocolate bar to visit the enchanting chocolate factory of eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka. 4 of the kids are terribly spoiled and rude while one is poverty-stricken and malnourished, but with very good manners. 

Personal thoughts about the book: The moral of the story is that if you have good manners and don't act selfish, good things are bound to come your way sooner or later. Take the little boy Charlie for instance. He and his family were poverty-stricken and terribly malnourished, but he was always willing to share and didn't misbehave in the factory like the other children did. While the other children left the factory with nothing special, Charlie got something special, which if I told you what exactly, would spoil everything. 

Character I liked best: Charlie. Although he loved chocolate very much, he only got to taste it once a year, and he tried so hard not to let it bother him whenever he saw other kids eating it rudely in front of him. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#5

Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley

Summary: A scientist creates a man from dead body parts and gives him life...which ends up having disastrous results! 

Personal thoughts about the book: While reading Frankenstein, I thought a lot about the movie in which Boris Karloff (one of my favorite actors) played the part of the Monster. I very much felt sorry for the Monster because for one thing, he didn't ask to be created the way he was. Secondly, he didn't deserve to be scorned and beaten by the villagers based on how he looked. He wanted a true friend, but never got it, not even from his creator. This was such a shocking and very sad book. 

Character I liked best: The Monster, obviously!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9 

-jessi

#4

Matilda

Author: Roald Dahl

Summary: A precocious child with mind powers deals with idiot parents and a sadistic headmistress of a school in Britain all the while befriending her kind teacher. 

Personal thoughts about the book: I felt so sorry for Matilda having to deal with neglectful and verbally abusive parents. And when she starts school, having to meet a sadistic headmistress doesn't make things any better. But one thing's for sure, Matilda did prove that you don't really have to get angry to get even with people who wrong you. 

Character I liked best: Matilda, of course. :) 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#3

Pioneer Girl: The Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Author: William Anderson

Summary: A short biography about the life of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was notorious for writing the Little House series of books. 

Personal thoughts about the book: I learned based on reading this and a few of Laura's Little House books that not only was pioneer life very difficult and quite tragic, but also to be grateful for what I have in life. Back then, people had practically nothing and built their own houses and sewed their own clothes. Laura was an amazing, accomplished woman in her time and so was her daughter Rose Wilder Lane.  

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

Note: I do have plans to read 2 of Laura's Little House books as part of my challenge this year. 

-jessi 

#2

Charlotte's Web

Author: E.B. White

Summary: A barnyard spider named Charlotte befriends and saves the life of a pig named Wilbur.

Personal thoughts about the book: I remember in grade school, one of the teachers read this book to me and my classmates. I absolutely enjoyed it then and I enjoyed it as an adult. I was sad when I got to the part where Charlotte died and most of her children deserted Wilbur. But the happiness that came out of it was that three of her children stayed behind and instantly bonded with Wilbur, just as their mother had done so with him. 

Character I liked best: I liked both Charlotte and Wilbur the best. They both proved what true friendship really meant and weren't ashamed to just be themselves. No matter how big, small, or seeming insignificant, they mattered to somebody in the world! 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

#1

Covenant With the Vampire

Author: Jeanne Kalogridis

Summary: Diaries of 3 family members related to Dracula. They are of a young man, his very pregnant wife, and physically disabled sister.

Personal thoughts about the book: Fear, tragedy, madness, an incestuous love affair, and violence involved dealing with vampires are all described in their entirety. So I'm definitely not kidding when I say this book is not for the faint of heart!

Character I liked best: I liked Arkady and his wife Mary. They describe their fears and sadness with such strong feeling that made me feel a lot of sympathy for them. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 definitely! :)

-jessi