The Eyes and the Impossible

I got The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers from the library after seeing it won the Newbery Medal this year. The book description reads, "Johannes, a free dog, lives in an urban park by the sea. His job is to be the Eyes—to see everything that happens within the park and report back to the park’s elders, three ancient Bison. His friends—a seagull, a raccoon, a squirrel, and a pelican—work with him as the Assistant Eyes, observing the humans and other animals who share the park and making sure the Equilibrium is in balance. But changes are afoot. More humans, including Trouble Travelers, arrive in the park. A new building, containing mysterious and hypnotic rectangles, goes up. And then there are the goats—an actual boatload of goats—who appear, along with a shocking revelation that changes Johannes’s view of the world."

I loved this book so much! The book engaged me pretty much right away and just had the best characters (all animals). I loved the story and found myself laughing out loud several times and tearing up at the end. It was just a beautiful story with characters you're rooting for the entire time, and it's a story that makes you want to keep reading. Highly recommend this one. I'm passing it onto my husband and daughter next.

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

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ollie and I are continuing on our Roald Dahl kick, so I read him Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The book description says, "Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!"

This was such a great read. I know the story well, but Ollie didn't know pretty much anything except for Willy Wonka from the new Wonka movie (a prequel story). So it was so fun to read together. The story was engaging and entertaining, and Ollie and I both enjoyed it all the way through. I am excited for us to watch the classic movie from my childhood now. I liked how this book introduced 6-year-old Ollie to some hard things in life (like a family not having enough money to buy food and being hungry) but also had a nice happily ever after.

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

My Antonia

I read My Antonia by Willa Cather for my book club with friends from church. The book description says, "Set during the great migration west to settle the plains of the North American continent, the narrative follows Antonia Shimerda, a pioneer who comes to Nebraska as a child and grows with the country, inspiring a childhood friend, Jim Burden, to write her life story."

I felt super out of the loop not really knowing about Willa Cather and her books before this (since lots of others in the book club had already read or were familiar with her books), so this was one of those books that I came away from being glad I read even if only to "educate" myself and be more literary. :) I wasn't overly engaged in the book but did enjoy the story and really loved the character of Antonia. There were some sad parts of the story, but I thought the end was satisfying. I probably won't pick up another one of her books on my own, but I wouldn't mind reading another someday if another book club picked it.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)