Coraline

From the book jacket: In Coraline's Family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close. The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.
Only it's different....
At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and her self.

This was a good scary store for a YA. I think in every young child at some point, they wish that they had another family, or house, or life. Even in this story, though the grass looked greener on the other side, it was worse. It also helped to remember how the shadows seemed to come alive in the dark and that sometimes the worst things were those that you couldn't see, but that lived in the dark. It was an entertaining book and a quick read. 4/5

The Maidenstone Lighthouse

This book was a very quick read and was a nice way to start out the month of October. From the book cover: Nestled in a coastal inlet a few miles north of Newport, Rhode Island, Freedman's Cove is known for its superb seafood, its postcard-pretty waterfront, and its exquisite Victorian homes - a legacy of the town's past as a summer resort for wealthy families. Manhattan antiques appraiser Susan Marks inherited one of these ornate mansions from her great aunt. After suffering a devastating loss, she retreats to Freedman's Cove to nurse her grief.

This book was an interesting mix of mystery, love story and ghost story. I enjoyed it because it was not too complicated and was in the need of a story line that was not too heavy. It does have a general storyline that as I was reading seemed so familiar that I thought I had maybe read this book at some point in the past - but I think it is just that it is a common story. Altogether though, it was fun to read a ghost story to start out the month! 3 1/2 of 5.

Water For Elephants

Loved this book! It was a very quick read, or maybe it was just that I couldn't put it down! Told in flashbacks by a 90 (or was it 93) year old man living in an assisted living home. Involves many circus "characters" and an elephant named Rosie. From the first page, the first remembrance - I was hooked. Highly recommend!5/5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is the 5th book in the Harry Potter series, and for me it has been the best (but longest to get through) so far. Harry starts his fifth year at Hogwarts after being attacked by dementors near his home, and finding out about a new Order of which his Godfather, Sirius, is a member. I started out reading this book, and changed to listening to it when I needed something for a long car trip. I even sucked my husband into the story. Somewhere about 2/3 of the way into the book, I caught the last half of the movie on cable - Wow - talk about not following the book at all! I believe that the book is MUCH better than the movie. The book was able to tie together the first 5 years at Hogwarts and sort of give us a direction in which to expect the last 2 books to take. The movie left me feeling very vague as to anything that had been happening. I definitely recommend this book and cannot wait to start the next one! 5/5

A Thousand Splendid Suns

The history of Afghanistan is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And, yet, Laila sees that people find a way to survive, to go on. Ultimately, this is more than a story of survival in the face of what seem to be insurmountable odds. It is a story of the unconquerable spirit of a people and individuals seen through the eyes of two indomitable women. A Thousand Splendid Suns is a must read for those who wish to understand the modern history (1964 - 2003) of Afghanistan, which is told eloquently through the eyes of Laila and Mariam. (From About.com ContemporaryLit)

I have not yet read A Kite Runner, so I did not know what to expect going into this book. It has made me watch the news with a whole new perspective. I know that this was not a true story, but it is very easy to believe that this could and does happen. The characters of Laila and Mariam, while very strong apart, were even stronger together. The way the author wove them into each other was amazing. I went through many emotions reading this book, but two stood out for me - Sorrow and Hope. 5/5

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

I read this book originally for the Daring Book for Girls challenge, but have since added it to the Book Awards Challenge. It won the Newberry Award in 1968. I remember reading this book as a young girl and it quickly became one of my favorites. I even tried to get my own daughter to read it a few years ago, but no luck. She is not the reader that I was...(too much technology these days, I think).

This story is about a sister and brother who run away due to the "injustice of everything.." They stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York City. During their adventure they discover that many things are still important no matter where you are living (like enjoying clean underwear! - and having enough to eat). Claudia, the sister, does not want to return home until she has changed in some way. So they set off on an adventure to discover the true sculptor of a statue called The Angel.

I think this is a very good read for elementary age kids. Although quickly becoming outdated because of all high security available today - nice to imagine that if children did this, that they would be "safe". 4/5

A Well-Rounded Challenge

Rules for a well-rounded challenge:
*Any combination of challenges works.
*You must be signed up with the other challenges.
*You may listen to eAudio, cassette tapes or compact discs.
*You may read all six books from the same challenge.
*To be well-rounded however means stretching yourself to include as many challenges (and books) as you can fit into this six month time frame.
*You don't have to blog or write a review (but you can if you want to).
*Even if a challenge begins after July you may use it for this challenge.
*Even if a challenge ends after 12/31/08 you may use it for this challenge.
*Sign-ups begin 6/1/08 and run through 7/15/08.
*This challenge will run through 12/31/08.

Have finished this challenge~!
1. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Daring Book for Girls Challenge)
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Unread Authors Challenge
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling (Books to Movie Challenge)
4. Water for Elephants - Book Awards
5. Coraline RIP III
6. The Maidenstone Lighthouse - Ghostly Challenge