Prince Caspian (the book not the movie) by CS Lewis

LOVED it, of course. I remember reading the beginning of this book a few times but I think this was the first time I actually got to the end. I can't wait to see the movie, I wonder how they do the tree people. (don't tell me, I am probably the only one that is waiting for the movie to come out in Redbox.)

I wonder if I would believe in Aslan no matter what, or be a doubter??? I think mice with swords are cool. Do my children hear enough about the Old Testament? Are they familiar with the stories of Jesus, how the world was made and who we can turn to for help in our daily lives? Will they be able to rise to the occasion and face challenges in life with faith and strength from God?

Whole Book (EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS ONE!)

And another thing...


And can anyone guess where this picture was taken? Here are some clues: I didn't take it, I wasn't there, those kids are strange (they take after their father), there is something peculiar about that fountain...and the house behind it...tiny steps will make anyone go crazy if you climb them enough times!

CS Lewis

We listened to The Horse and His Boy and I just finished The Magician's Nephew. Love them! We read them so we could go see the movie Prince Caspian but you can see we didn't read Prince Caspian yet...ummm, that as the whole point. I can't get a hold of this book on CD or tape from the library. Everyone must have had the same idea...so as we wait we will read the rest of the Narnia Series. I am not good at waiting...I wanted to see the movie!!!! Of course my son has read it a couple of times and is very disappointed to not see it last weekend right when it came out and waiting is not his forte.

Did anyone else see it? Don't tell me what happens but tell me if it is worth waiting for.

Bool of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

This is one of her new books! She also has another book coming out near the end of the summer! I can't wait! (she wrote Goose Girl and Princess Academy if you can't remember who she is.)

This book is another coming of age story of a young maid and a princess but with a twist. I was surprised that the story was not about the princess but about the servant girl instead. I really liked this book after I got through the first quarter, that part was dragging but I realized later it was on purpose. Then right before the middle it started getting very interesting and finally came together.

Hale wrote it in a very unique style, every chapter is a journal entry. She also took the story from a Grimm Brother's fairy tale and researched Medieval Mongolia. It had a kind of Genghis Khan feel to parts of it. Since I am not familiar with this area of the world in Asia or its folklore I found the story very intriguing and inspiring. There was adventure, romance, drama and mystery. A very unpredictable ending but of course a happier ever after kiss was on the last page, that was where the fairy tale comes back in.

The two girls get locked in a tower. They almost go completely mad. They don't stay there for the whole story but 1000 days is a long long time to be in a tower. I won't say anything more or I will give away some of the suspense in the story. They also really hate rats, which live in the tower with them eating all their food. The story has some violent parts and quite a few heroic parts. There is a very evil man and a young dreamy prince. I would read it again and think it was a really fun book!

Whole Book, Healing Book

Boy and Going Solo by Roald Dahl

Two books but since the second one picks up right when the 1st one ends I am putting them together in this blog.

Roald Dahl is one of my favorites! LOVE HIS WEIRD SILLY CHILDREN'S BOOKS!!! I don't think I will like any of this weird adult books. Yep I'll pass on those.

To refresh your memory some of his children's books are: BFG, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Those are just his most famous books but my favorite is The Witches. This book was inspired by his grandmother. He also has some really weird cookbooks out too.

This is the strangest little known fact about him. He wrote that horribly scary movie the Gremlins! Kim do you remember that one? Are you still having nightmares?

He was born in 1916, he spent a lot of time in boarding schools but despite that he got a great education in England. His children's book career didn't start until 1960 when he actually had children.

These two books are a sort of autobiography of the memories that stick out most in his childhood and his service during WWII. He was actually born in Wales and is Norwegian. His dad died when he was still young. He loved to ride his bike, eat candy bought from a local sweets shop and he loved playing sports.

When he finished school he got a job in Africa for Shell. He then joined the air defense to fight Hitler. He was very very lucky and had some narrow escapes every day he did that. He hates snakes (because there are quite a few in Africa that almost killed him). He loves giraffe, elephants and all jungle creatures.

Both books were very entertaining. He had a good childhood. He commented a lot on the Head masters at some of the boarding schools and the violence that was common in that time against rule breakers or just poor innocent boys being boys. He still can't get his mind around the spankings and beatings that were allowed at some of his schools. He also had his share for pranks and once was accused of cheating but of course they didn't believe him when he said he wasn't cheating just asking for some ink from the boy next to him.

He had some hard times too. It seems that he was always faced with death of loved ones and sickness. He was a very generous man and learned a lot of compassion and patience. He later helped others in the community and even the world through donations and personal friendships and visits with very sick children.
There is a cool website for his books http://www.roalddahl.com/

Healing Books

Sherlock Holmes selected stories by Arthur Conan Doyle

I never really read any of his stuff before. It was pretty good and very mysterious. Whole Book

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

What a fun book! A murder mystery written in a children's book! There were clues throughout the book just waiting to have someone put them together and figure it all out! Which a few people almost do and only one does completely in the end.
I really wished I had made a chart of the different characters in the book and the clues that went with each one. There were 16 suspects. I kept getting them all mixed up! Luckily I was reading the book on my own while listening to it with the kids in the car at the same time so I had a little review on a few parts.
One of the characters is a little girl named Turtle. She is my favorite. Instead of bottling up her problems and feelings inside she always kicks people in the shin. Hilarious! Now we have more then one person limping...
Overall the books was funny, entertaining, sly, and tricky. Each person bettered themselves and made some new friends by the end of the book.
Loved it!
Whole Book

Pretties and Specials by Scott Westerfield

Okay, I didn't give the first book a lot of slack but the second and third books were really fun! I could not put them down and had to read the third right after finishing the second. I didn't get a lot of anything else done for a few days until I had come to the end.
There was lots of adventure and creativity in these last two. They were surprising and not so shallow as the first book, Uglies.
If you haven't finished the series I recommend that you do. Pretties and Specials were worth the read.
Broken Books, Healing Books

Also there is a fourth book Extras that takes place in Japan or something. I think I will skip that one. I am done with this whole world of Utopias for a while.

A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 13 The End By Lemony Snicket

Finally I got around to finishing this book. I don't think I finished #12 because some of the stuff didn't sound familiar.
This was a fun and gloomy series. Lots of mystery, deception and of course horrible unfortunate events.
One good thing about the stories...they are very unpredictable.
I do learn lots of new words too. Like argybargy, braewoman,ceviche, and herpetologist.
Very clever, good ending and I would still have to say they are broken books. They don't even come close to the healing book category either, just broken on purpose for the young readers enjoyment..now there is something wrong with this, don't you think?

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Hmm, it was a weird book. Very Young Adult (teenager level). Everybody gets to be super model gorgeous, what is wrong with that? Uh, I can think of lots of things but the book spends the whole time trying to convince us that beauty is everything...or maybe not? Then the book leaves us all hanging in the end. Why? Well, there is a second book called Pretties. Oh, I guess I will have to read that one now so I can maybe find the answer to this question.

I think the book reminds me of The Giver and The White Mountains but with a horrible shallow spin on the whole Utopia thing. It doesn't make any sense that the main character and the group she is rebelling with never get caught even though the society has high tech spy agency and future advances in biology working against them. It is a bit "dumbed down" so your average cheerleader would be able to read this book. AND I can't believe the main girl just doesn't tell the truth! She lies and keeps getting deeper and deeper and then digs a pit so deep she ends the book doing something really stupid but of course made to look like the ultimate sacrifice or penitence for her lying. She is such a heroine.

Overall I found it entertaining and enthralling enough to read it straight through only stopping to right a talk and sleep and eat sometimes eat. Now to get my hands on the second and third books!

Healing Book

Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories

This was a very scary book!

I usually don't read Ghost Stories. I think they are too scary and I always get nightmares so I'm not sure why I picked up this book in the first place. I do love the author so I guess I just wanted to see what he could possibly write to scare me. WELL, this book wasn't written by him, just compiled by him and it had plenty of ghosts to keep me up at night.

In 1958 Roald Dahl wanted to make a tv series of ghost stories. He read 749 short stories called ghost stories. He was very disappointed in the first fifty or so stories because they were trivial and not the least spooky. Finally he found one that gave him the shivers! In the end he found about 24 really good ones and the rest were just gibberish. At first the female ghost story authors were ahead but in the end the males caught up. He thought this was interesting that females write really good children's books and really good scary stories but weren't very top ranking in sculpture, painting or music. This is all in his Introduction in the book, which I liked better then the ghost stories. He really rambles on about interesting things. Anyway, he never got to do the tv series because their pilot was a big flop in Hollywood because it offended American Catholics or something. Bummer.

So the book has 14 short stories that will scare the pants off you! Each one by a different author, each one original and unpredictable.

"The best ghost stories don't have ghosts in them. At least, you don't see the ghost. Instead, you only see the result of his actions. Occasionally you can feel it brushing past you, or you are aware of its presence by subtle means...I hope you will be disturbed by all the stories in this book they were written with precisely that end in mind." R. Dahl

SISTER CARRIE BY THEODORE DREISER

This book was written around 1900. I hated the book. Hate is a strong word...I think I mostly hated wasting my time reading it when I could have read something better. Why did I read it? BECAUSE it was selected for a book group by a new member. The new member happens to be about 16 yrs. old and this book was assigned to be read in her English class in High School. I was curious to see what kind of books were required in HS for this age. I WAS SHOCKED as I read this book that 16 yr. old girls were reading this type of book. What type...the smutty type. Yep, it is a broken book. It is seems innocent enough because the time it was written they didn't write about infidelity and get into the hot and steamy details of sex BUT despite NOT having it spelled out for us it is there. Of course I had to finish the book to find out what became of all the drama and to find out what the big deal was about the book in the first place.

The girl the story is based around comes to Chicago to find work. Doesn't and then ends up shacking up with a guy for a while then leaving him and shacking up with another guy. She goes from a poor girl with no future to getting a job in a theater, becoming a star and having plenty of money to live an easy life. One of the guys in the story end up opposite from where he started, poor and homeless and one ends up just doing the same old same old. It is kind of a rags to riches story and a riches to rags story all in one ONLY there was a lot of just plain luck involved and of course some unlucky moments too. The girl is so shallow and we never get to really see what she is feeling or thinking other then she wishes she could wear expensive cloth and shoes.

The one good part about the book is the fact that Dreiser reports the reality of living in a big city at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was hard work to earn just a little. People worked in factories. The rich were bored and had nothing else to do but sit around and spend more money. AND as sister Carrie finds out, money doesn't make you happy. She was sad most of her life, rich or poor. She was also very lonely despite fame and fortune in the end.

Interesting yet disturbing because of the common place manner the author portrays a young girl seduced and living a lifestyle with what seems to be no way out without ending up on the street starving to death or working in a horrible factory for barely nothing to maybe survive on. So she just pretends to be the "wife" of the guy she lives with and he gets a free bed warmer and someone to fix his food and clean his house. She gets a place to live without working out of the home and she has no ambitions or goals or even any friends. I feel so sorry for her state of being and her empty head. It was such a fluke accident that she went into acting because she hardly ever even left her flat! There was no color to the whole book it was just blah. I don't recommend it unless you have to read it for a stupid High School class and need an A by completing the book assigned.

Diaper service vs. investing in your own diapers

My diaper service for the last 10 years is Tiny Tots. I was going to quote a lot of studies and facts but if people really care they can do the research themselves and decide what is best for their family. Cloth diapers work for us and help the environment. AND please don't get me started on Proctor and Gambles Pampers! YIKES, very bad stuff!

There are lots of different types of cloth diapers. Some are better then others. As for me, I wish I had invested in the beginning in the cloth diaper wraps but who knew I would have 4 kids? !! I never had my own washer and dryer so it made sense to always do the diaper service instead of invest in my own cloth diapers. I just couldn't see washing them at the Laundromat every week. Living in the Bay Area I would say quite a few of my friends use cloth diapers. But more of them use single use diapers and are perfectly okay with that. Our kids turn about almost the same and if they are a little different it comes down to other parenting choices not the cloth vs. cloth vs. single use. If I had my own laundry facilities I think I would have invested. It would have saved in the long run. Instead I come out even financially...the diaper service is about how much I would have spent on the single use diapers.



I hope that Those that are thinking about the choices out there really take the time to do the research. Okay I can't help it here are just a few facts....I got most of them from Mothering.com and Tinytots.com and check out http://www.tendercargo.com/ for great prices and accessories for diapering.


"Less Water and Energy are Used to Launder Cotton Diapers than to Manufacture Paper Ones. Two days’ worth of diapers for one baby can be laundered in water equivalent to one flush of the toilet.

Don't get me started on the how Raw Sewage is a Public Health Hazard! If it goes in a landfill you are going to have problems! Raw sewage is dumped in landfill sites, breeding viruses and bacteria. As many as 100 viruses can survive in soiled diapers for up to two weeks."

"It Takes 20 Trees to Diaper One Baby in Disposables for 2 Years"

"99% Less Garbage is Generated When Cotton is Used
Single-use diapers will require over 500 years to decompose. Cloth diapers normally don’t enter our landfills since, after they are retired from the diaper service, they are used as rags until they disintegrate."

Diaper Service: Health Benefits
"You Will Know When Your Baby Needs a Diaper Change
Cloth diapers contain no chemicals and so it is easy to tell when a diaper needs to be changed. Super absorbent disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, which absorbs up to 100 times its weight in water, the same substance removed from tampons in 1985 because of the link to toxic shock syndrome. Chemical induced dryness does not make germs, bacteria and heat go away."

"Baby Boys Benefit From Wearing Cotton
Scrotal temperature is increased in disposable plastic lined nappies. Excess heat in the groin area of boy babies wearing disposable diapers may be a cause of the reduced sperm count among males in recent years... at least a 25% reduction worldwide... and could also affect the future testicular health of males in years to come. It is thought that disposable diapers heat up baby boys' testicles to such a degree that it stops them from developing normally. Diapers lined with plastic raise the temperature of the scrotum far above body temperature and can lead to a total breakdown of normal cooling mechanisms, according to a study from Kiel, Germany published in the Archives of Disease of Childhood.
The complete Kiel study can be found at archdischild.com."

"Less Rash When Cotton Is Used
In 1955, 100% of babies born in America wore cotton diapers and only 7% of them experienced diaper rash. However, in 1998, with 90% of American babies in disposable diapers, the occurrence of diaper rash increased to 78%.
Hour after hour and day after day for two years or more, your baby will be wearing a diaper. It's the most intimate and important clothing in a baby's life -- in constant contact with the baby's vulnerable skin over a super sensitive area of the body. "


-------------------This next part is from the Joy of Cloth Diapers article by Jane McConnel 1998 Mothering Magazine.
"Some will argue that in areas where water is scarce, disposables are the better environmental choice. However, carrying this argument to the extreme, we should be wearing disposable clothes, and using paper plates and plastic utensils. Washing cloth diapers at home uses 50 to 70 gallons of water every three days--about the same as a toilet-trained child or adult flushing the toilet five to six times a day. A diaper service puts its diapers through an average of 13 water changes, but because of the economies of scale, uses less water and energy per diaper than one laundry load at home.

Today, as a rule diaper services use biodegradable detergents not harmful phosphates. The waste water produced from washing diapers is benign, while the waste water from the manufacture of the pulp, paper, and plastics used in disposable diapers contains dioxins, solvents, sludge, and heavy metals.3 Chlorine bleach, whose manufacture is harmful to the atmosphere, is used in whitening diaper service diapers, but the environmental impact is far greater in the paper-bleaching process used in making disposable diapers.

Cotton, of course, is not without its evils. Conventionally grown, it is a major user of harmful pesticides. There are, however, several companies offering organically grown, unbleached cotton diapers as an alternative.

Ultimately, instead of getting bogged down in each side's scientific data, the most commonsense approach is to use commonsense. Weigh the impact of manufacturing and disposing of 8,000 paper-and-plastic diapers over the average diapering period of a child versus that of a few dozen cotton diapers, and decide for yourself which is better for the environment. "

-----------

I personally have been perfectly happy with the last 10 years of cloth diapering. Our diaper service was really the best choice for our family here in the Bay Area. I hope if you read this blog you will take a look at what you can do for the environment before your children are out of diapers. I think everyone can make a difference. IT really makes a difference in our garbage can overflowing or not each week! It makes a difference in to the Earth and it makes a difference to my family. Have fun researching more of the pros and cons of diapers!

The Golden Compass Series (His Dark Materials Trilogy) by Philip Pullman

Okay, I read them, all three in the series (found out later there is a 4th and some extra books too, probably won't read those,)...AND I thought they were very good. I couldn't put them down. They were very imaginative and deep. I can see how the religious communities around the world would not like them because they really slam the whole God verses Satan theory in the Catholic church. BUT but the books are FICTION and take you to many different worlds. The other places aren't like the world we know and love. The book points out these kinds of complexities because we aren't all human...in the authors made up fiction books. JUST like any other fiction book I have read. Fiction=not real life, an invented story. It isn't true, it is just a creative idea in someones head written down to share with others.

I do not recommend them for children even though they are about children or to catholics because he writes in an offensive way but I do recommend them to Fantasy/Fiction book lovers. They are a bit BROKEN. Especially since the whole good and bad is turned to a new definition in a new dimension of course. That is what is so appealing to me in a Fantasy/science fiction book, places and ideas you would never connect without someone else sharing them in a story type of way.

I do want to see the movie but I won't have the kids watch it. I'm glad I read them despite the whole controversy, bans and boycotts, which I mostly support because this adult book was being pushed on small kids. BAD. Plus the author is a nut and evil.(He didn't say very nice things about this intent in writing this book the way he did, directed at getting people to leave the church.) Too bad, he could have been more enlightening if he wasn't so full of hatred toward the Catholic church and closed to the truth of God's love. It still isn't a bad thing to write about Gods. All through history people have asked questions and speculated about what their parents and teachers have taught them. This isn't any different only more in your face.


Thanks for letting me borrow them Kim!
- His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman -- BROKEN

Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer

I was a little disappointed in these books...especially after a few very trusted relatives and friends said they weren't very scary or like other Vampire stories. THEY were scary and all Broken Books. I don't know if they were like other vampire stories because I try to avoid such things. What were you all thinking? I am a delicate person. These books gave me nightmares...but it didn't stop me from reading the second book or the third one...I am still a bit creeped out though. The author does have a compelling way of writing where I couldn't wait to see what would happen next...not exactly predictable because of the "catchy" Vampire theme, I think.

What really scares me more then Vampires and Werewolves is the fact that teenagers are so stupid. The mentality of these "scary romance" novels was so sappy and dripping with, she loves him, he loves her but then oh does he still love me if I threaten to leave or die or if I look at him wrong... gag! AND knowing that other teenagers are reading these and thinking they are real life, that is scary. If you don't believe me well then I am going to kill myself and then you will be sorry, boo whoo! Unbelievable, since when does threatening to kill yourself ever work? (I haven't tried it maybe they have something here).

*Spoiler alert*
Would you really want your teenager to be like the main girl in the story? Lying, sneaking out, having a boy sleep in her room every night, doing dangerous things behind your back like riding motorcycles without helmets and jumping off cliffs. Drinking cough syrup to help you sleep even though you don't have a cough. What kind of promotion for self medicating is that? The book portrays her as the sweet weird type special girl that just wants to be left alone, yet she can't seem to make friends and when she does all of them are so shallow she could care less about them. She falls in love with a Vampire and then almost dies a billion times. Then falls in love with a werewolf. Her life is such an addictive soap opera. Everything is turned around so that Good is bad and bad is good, the story twists it so you are cheering her on. In her world the Vampires are portrayed in a way so they seem like the underdogs stuck in our world just trying to be good despite the fact they have to kill animals to quench their thirst for blood. (poor mountain lions and bears) They have to lie, they are good at stealing cars (it was necessary for the greater good), they are sneaky and some read other peoples personal thoughts all the time (would you want him in your head?)

I know it is FICTION. The writer sucked me in too...like most broken books do. I was rooting for the Vampire the whole time, the werewolf never really had a chance...until the end of the 3rd book when the oh so innocent human has to decide between the two of them...one which she is trying to manipulate into killing her and having premarital sex, the other trying to get her to choose him because he hates the vampire...doing anything he can to win her kiss, even taking it by force...little to close to a rape victim to me...The vampire wants her to marry him, he doesn't even care if they elope.

Will I read the fourth book coming out in Aug.? well to be honest, yes. I really need to know if she becomes a Vampire too and how she deals with the whole bloody mess she has got herself into. Do I want my children to read these books and idolize the main girl or the other teenagers in this story. Not on your life!

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

This was an interesting view into the life of a Geisha in Japan during the Depression and WWII. The book insists that Geisha were not prostitutes but what else would you call it?

Here is the definition for prostitution: the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations especially for money.

Well, hello that is what a Geisha does. I guess there can be different levels of promiscuous sex for money but Geisha's still get a lot of money for doing it even if it isn't with many many men but limited to 1 or 2 their whole life.

What I liked from this book was how a young girl sold into slavery and treated badly for so many years...really with no real future. She wouldn't ever have a family of her own or live by herself or get an education. YET she could still find hope in life and going on. She used her talents and resources to do the best she could to get where she "needed" to be. She had a goal and never let go of that despite obstacles in her way all along the way. She won in the end.

What I didn't like was that a society in general would have such a twisted view of what is wrong and right. Mistresses, Geisha entertainment, tea houses, drinking were like a normal in this time and in the life of wealthy men. What about family? What about honoring a marriage covenant and whole eternal perspective? It is very different then my view. The Japanese view seems to be missing some key points in the Saviors plan of happiness. I feel so sad for this traditional group of people so determined to earn a living through the breaking of so many commandments.

Sadly this book, though very well written and quite entertaining is BROKEN but also falls in to the HEALING category.

It portrays the Geisha in the story as the heroin in the end. She was the good person all along. BUT in reality she was sadly misled by her circumstances and living in a very small world surrounded by evil. AND what she did to the guy that loved her but she didn't love back was bad bad bad, the book makes it seem like it was the only choice she had and she was justified. I don't know what I would have done if faced with the same predicament but I hope I would do the honorable thing as best I knew how and not result to sneaky manipulations for my own gains.

Now, should I see the Movie (2005) or skip it? What do you think? Oh and I loved the funny part about the EEL and the cave, is that in the movie?

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Classic...this is a re-read because to my surprise the kids didn't remember listening to it. I guess they were too young when we last listened to it. This time they had so many questions and listened so intensly. I like the part where she sees her little brother being left behind and she jumps off the boat to stay with him, sacraficing all to make sure he was okay. But the sad part is when he dies.
It was great re-read and now we are re-reading Number the Stars. Kind of weird to jump from Island girl to Europe when the Nazi's are taking over.

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Out of Nowhere by Ouida Sebestyen

This Book just doesn't quite do it for me...in fact I don't even feel like writing a review. It was tedious and predictable...yep that is it. Don't read it unless you are out of classics and have nothing else to do for 4 hours.
Healing Book

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Well, honestly the more books I read by this author the less impressed I am. I just don't get why it was a Newberry book???

This was an unusual book, like most of the books he writes. It just didn't quite get deep enough to really grab you and teach you something...I guess a good word for this book is "shallow".

Skip it...
Healing book

The Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark

This was a bit different and mysterious. Also a tiny bit dry. It also received a John Newberry Medal. I don't know much about the ancient Indian people of Peru so it was interesting to have a little bit of history. I don't know if it is true or not. They worship the sun. It makes sense in the story, the sun gives life, light and grows the food...
The story is about a little boy. He is a Llama shepherd. He doesn't know what he wants in his life and feels something is missing. He goes on a little quest. He finds his answer and comes home. It took a whole book for that to happen and there are a bunch of riddles about the boys life spun all around the story...it didn't really make all that much sense but it was a nice little story. I was confused about he time period but I found out later that is part of the whole plot...
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Rules by cynthia lord

Newberry Honor Book...it was cute. I cried in one part but it wasn't a sad book. The little girl makes friends with a boy in a wheelchair. They discover that they have a lot in common and can communicate. He has a word book that he points too and she is an artist. She sees that he needs better words and more color so she makes really cool words for his book with pictures too. Like: Awesome, Gross and Run...
She also has a very autistic brother. She is always trying to teach him what he should do and what he shouldn't do...like not put toys in the fish tank and not to take off his clothes in public...
Anyway it is a cute book and I like the way the author uses the play on the rules...the girl discovers rules for herself. In life her friendships aren't always what she dreams they will be...she really finds her true self in ways she can't imagine...
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