The Boy on the Porch

I saw The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech on the NPR list of best books of 2013.  Sharon Creech is a great children's author whose books I've read before, so I got this book at the library.  This book tells the story of John and Marta--a childless couple who one day finds a 6- or 7-year-old boy on their porch.  The boy doesn't speak, but he has a note that tells John and Marta, "Take care of Jacob; we'll be back for him."  As John and Marta take Jacob under their wing, he blossoms with a gift for music and art, and they come to love him--and begin to worry about when or if someone will come back to get him.

This was a really sweet read, and I love how the book concluded.  I just loved the great life that John and Marta built for little Jacob and how they opened their hearts so willingly.  This book was short and simple, but it was a beautiful story.

Rating: * * (2/3 =  Liked it)

Counting by 7s

I saw Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan on NPR's list of best kids' books for 2013, and it looked interesting to me.  This book is about Willow Chance, a 12-year-old genius who is fascinated by plants and gardening, diseases, and the number 7.  When a terrible tragedy completely changes her world, Willow must come to terms with her new reality and find real friends for the first time.

This was a great book.  I was very into it and had to stay up a little late and then spend my morning reading to finish it.  Willow was a fascinating, entertaining, and endearing character, and I loved all the other side characters' uniqueness as well.  The plot was engaging, and I liked how the point of view focused on Willow but also let the reader into the minds of the other characters throughout the book as well.  The book made me laugh aloud but also feel deeply for Willow in her sorrow.  I really enjoyed this book.  I was just reading some reviews of the book on Amazon, and I liked one thing one reviewer said: "I could point to many instances in the plot that were contrived, when events relied just a bit too much on coincidence to be believable, and when things work out just a bit too easy. To do so would be to deny the slight touch of magic that seems to permeate these pages."  So true!  The way things fell into place in this book just made it all-the-more beautiful.

Rating: * * * (3/3 = Loved it)