emilyusuallyreading's reviews
746 reviews

I read this poem for my Children's Literature class. I'd heard parts of this story before as a child, but I never realized what happened at the end... that the Pied Piper's magic extends to more than rats. Fascinating story.

While I love the clever wit of these stories, as well as the mischief between Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, the broken English of these stories is so very difficult to read. I would love my children to one day read about the antics of these animals and see stories of the south, but I wouldn't necessarily prefer them to read the grammar and English of these tales.

This is another book I was assigned for my Children's Literature class. I read it once in high school, but the story is still fresh in my mind. I love the adventures and characters Twain creates. I was glad to have the opportunity to read this book again. It is truly timeless

After reading Riding Freedom without much enjoyment, I was a little reluctant to read Becoming Naomi Leon. On one end, I didn't like Ryan's previous story, and I also totally judge books by their covers... and the cover of this book didn't catch my eye. However, I was hugely surprised. There is so much depth in this novel, particularly since it is written for middle grade students. Ryan introduces symbolism and metaphor to young adults perfectly. I was captivated by Naomi's story: her history, the journey to find her own identity, and how family means to her. This coming-of-age novel is beautiful and timeless.

This book was devastating and powerful. It shines a light on the evils of slavery in a way very few narratives ever could. Patsey's story broke my heart and Solomon's strength was incredibly inspiring. I was thankful for the descriptions of Ford, who was a kind and godly man who followed the ways of his parents into slave-owning and truly did not understand why it was wrong. I was horrified by the tales of Epps in particular. Slavery is an evil that still exists in the world today, and 12 Years a Slave is an excellent depiction of why we should be daily fighting against it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. In all honesty, I assumed the "Z" stood for zombies, but the premise of "the last man on earth" is one I enjoy just as much. My favorite part of O'Brien's novel is the fact that it is not a typical YA book, by far. No romance, no love triangles, no teenage angst. The protagonist is strong, intelligent, and courageous. She is not one to complain. The antagonist is realistically unlikable. The post-apocalyptic setting is fascinating. And the fact that this book was compiled after O'Brien's death by his wife is also compelling. A fascinating, quick read.

For my Children's Literature class at university, I read this Uncle Remus narrative as well as the Joel Chandler Harris version. I liked this one more by leaps and bounds. For one, the grammar reflects the Southern speech without being near impossible to read without a headache. The stories are just as charming. And the author is of African American descent and knows these stories well. If I chose between one of these Uncle Remus books to read to my children, I would certainly choose this one. The illustrations are also quite lovely.

This is one of the top 3 books that have changed my life (other than the Bible). The books are The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, Ragamuffin Gospel, by Brennan Manning, and Radical by David Platt. I read this book last summer and then picked it up again for Deaf Bible Study, and I was stunned by how much it convicted me the second time around. Each chapter delivers heavy blows while lifting up my chin with the joy of the gospel of the Lord. Platt knows how to impact people with the truth of God's Word. A great reminder of keeping Christianity from pursuing the American Dream and turning it back into following Christ radically.

What I Liked
I absolutely loved the poetic writing style of this book. The first chapter had me mesmerized. Bell is certainly a wordsmith. One of my favorite lines within the few pages were, "...she listens to the ocean wind whistling loud through the hollow flute of her tall home."

What I Didn't Like
There was some racy (and near-rape) content that left me feeling a bit uncomfortable, so I probably wouldn't recommend this to my friends or young readers. The descriptions of the zombies are exciting and realistic, but towards the end of the book, the science fiction got a little weird for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing, but not all of the content.

I read this book for my children's literature class. I tried so very hard to enjoy this narrative, but I just couldn't quite get into the story. For a children's novel, it took me quite a while to finish the entire thing. The characters are unique and the storyline is an interesting twist on the Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning. However, Malicia is the character I should have loved the most (since I love to write) and I struggled to connect with her at all. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this novel more when I was twelve.