Well, I've just finished a book that I actually didn't like.  We read "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman as a read aloud.  I was so glad to finish it.  I didn't enjoy reading it.  There were too many awkward sentances and I didn't like how they talked to each other.  I should've stopped reading it, but I kept hoping it would get better. 

It did win a Newberry Medal and I can see why; the Prince does have a change of heart and the two boys becme friends, BUT I've read much better lituature.

Which leads me to my next book, "Little Britches" by Ralph Moody.  I am absolutely loving this book!!  I'm pre-reading it to see if it's appropriate for my kids.  I've borrowed it from our homeschool support group library and I've decided it's a book I'd like to own.  It's already made me cry and I look forward to reading the whole series.

What I do like about this book is it's taken from real life.  It's a man telling his life story from a boy's point of view.  I really like how the author eludes to things that happened or were said through his eight year old eyes.  As the reader you know what might have took place, but he doesn't have to explain it.  For example; the conversations that may have happened between his parents, you know what they talked about by the events that happened afterward, but as a boy, he(Ralph) didn't know what they had said.  It's just very well worded and very well written.

Another thing I like about this book is the time it took place in.  It seems that 100 years ago there was a common moral decency that has been lost.  There was right and wrong and everybody knew what it was.  Even parenting was done with good ol' common sense.  Nowadays, it's not so 'common'-even in Christian circles.  It makes me yearn for the old fashioned way of life.  I know there were scoundrels and outlaws back then, bad guys have been around forever, BUT there was an innocence that we(as a society) don't have today.

Well, I could go on about that topic, but that's not really part of my book review.  So anyway, I highly recommend this book.  It's a great read.  I'll let you know what I think of the series as I read them.