Ranae's comments (member since Feb 01, 2009)

Ranae's comments from the The Newbery Award Book Club group.

Funny the comments about the cover, because I can't remember what it looked like. I'll have to go back and look at the cover. Ha ha ha.

I'm excited to see what comments you have to make and WELCOME to the group!! (Reply to Sherry's post of about 7 days ago)

SPOILER -- SO BE WARNED I picked up this one, one night and within the first two pages I thought this one's going to be a tear jerker, so I put it down (not being in the mood for sadness at the time). Two days later I picked it up and could not put it down. I read it in two days and, okay, I loved it more than Graveyard. I loved the innocence of Bud. THis story could have been a "let's all remember how horriby the African Americans have been treated," not to say that is not important, but the author did not have to say it out loud. Christopher Curtis did a fantastic (lack of appropriate superlative)job of telling a STORY of time, place, love family and innocence. My favorite part was when Bud drives off with the "vampire" chasing him. Lefty Louis was a great character and I thought for sure Bud would end up with him at the end. I thought all the characters, except Deza, very believable, including the Amos'.

I'm excited because neither of these are familar to me. So it will be like discovering a new world again (see Graveyard comment).

I did enjoy this book very much. Glad it was on the list because otherwise I probably wouldn't have ever read it. In the beginnig I wasn't sure I was going to like it, I felt like I was beginning a tall tale, but I fell in love with Lester and Lil and all the other characters. I liked The Graveyard Book better than this one though.

Okay, I am so sorry that I haven't joined this discussion until now. I loved the book, enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm not sure I have an educated answer to whether it should have won the Newbery. I would say yes.
Hope this won't get too long, but here's my thoughts. I also completely missed the vampire clues, but I liked not knowing exactly what Silas was. The only way in which I thought this was like Harry Potter was in that a whole new world was created within the world that we know. I liked the uniqueness of it, a child raised by ghosts, the Jack references, the inclusion of the dance macabre, (want to learn more about the history of that)the different ghosts and what the things Bod learned from each of them.
ALSO loved the same parts mentioned previously, epitaphs, cop scene, witch, and Scarlett.

I liked the way the book ended. I can imagine Bod moving to the area where Scarlett is and meeting her purposely, unbeknownst to her, and a love story ensuing. I see Bod as fearless, compassionate and confidant as an adult.

I thought the Sleer was very scary. Even though Bod said he wasn't afraid of it, it was still unnerving the way it was described as being inside of his mind, "scratchy and dry" and pulled at his thoughts. I do agree that the ghouls were the creepiest, and he place where they took Bod just as creepy. Loved ms Lupescu also. Definitely glad I read this book!!

Wow! I am really loving this book. I am about three quarters through and wondering how it's all going to turn out.

I just finished Sing Down the Moon and loved it. I loved how Bright Morning understood her husband, and I felt it was a great representation of what makes a strong couple. Commitment, undertanding, patience, not perfection.

It was pointed out that joining and participating in this discussion group would be a much better use of my time than playing Luxor, and I had no argument, so after much prodding from my loved ones I will use my brain instead of letting it go to mush. I do LOVE to read, I just don't get too involved in online discussion groups. Some of my favorites BOOKS are:
The Yearling (thanks Mrs. Joyce, 4th grade)
Where the Red Fern Grows (thanks Mrs. Coleman, 5th grade)
The Seer and the Stone (thanks to the library for putting it on the wrong shelf)
Goose Girl (thanks to everyone who had checked out Princess Academy and this one was the only one left by the same author) I like this one best so far of her books
Walking Across Egypt (are you getting tired of the thanks line?)
The #1 Ladies Detective Agency series (I've read them all)
Burning Up
Anna Karenina
Tony Hillerman detective series,
okay, this is getting too long so I'll leave it at that.

I liked this book very much. After reading it I began pondering about Kate and the other plucky heroines I've read about and loved. It seems that they seem to not fit in in some way with those around them. They are either not pretty, clumsy, don't know what to say, etc. Do we like this type of heroine because we can relate to them. Would I like a female heroine just as much if she was gorgeously beautiful, full of grace and charm and intelligence? I don't think so. I think because we feel our own inadequacies so clearly, we wouldn't be able to relate, it wouldn't be believable.