Children's Review: A Fine, Fine School

{on Goodreads}

Mr. Keene is an excellent principle and loves seeing all of the students learning every day. One day he calls the school together for an assembly and announces a big decision: that school is going to be held on Saturdays, too! Pretty soon, Mr. Keene has the students coming to school every day of the year! The students and teachers begrudgingly show up each day, but it's not until Tillie shows Mr. Keene all of the learning that she's missing outside of school that he realizes there are other important things to learn in life.

When I'm home for the summers, I pick up a stack of library books each week to bring to my babysitting jobs. This was in my pile this past week and it is just perfect for the start of summer. The lesson here is that children learn so much outside of school, that not everything is about lessons in the classroom. To our main character Tillie, teaching her brother to skip and learning to climb a tree are just as important as knowing her numbers and letters, and she's right. We often get caught up in the idea that children miss out on learning during the summer, but it's important to remember that there are other kinds of learning that are just as exciting and essential in life. As someone who loves school, this is a good personal reminder that the holidays are a perfect time to explore other interests and chase different dreams.

Recommended for ages 4-8 years (Preschool-3rd grade)

Bottom Line Rating: 5/5

{P.S. Sharon Creech is the author of numerous books for children of all ages. I encourage you to check out her other works!}

Title: A Fine, Fine School

Author: Sharon Creech

Illustrator: Harry Bliss

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2003

Price: $12 (on Amazon)

ISBN: 0060007281

Source: Public Library

Format: Hardcover

Currently Coveting {June}

I have more than a few books already on my summer reading list, but really, it's so hard to resist peeking at Amazon online and popping into the bookstore (it's just down the street!) to see what other books I can admire and add to my wish list. Summer is a great time for new releases (it's akin to that time of the year when all of the Oscar-worthy movies come out) because people actually have a little extra time to devote to reading. If you're looking for some books to add to your want list for the summer months, I'm already coveting these books for June.

One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern

First off: cover love. (Can you tell pretty covers are a weakness for me?)
I stumbled upon this book in an ad on Goodreads. It looks like a great beach read to me. This book belongs to a sub-genre called "women's fiction," the name of which irked me at first, though I guess it makes sense. There's a common theme within women's fiction of self-discovery, and as I get older (and think constantly about the next five years), I find myself drawn to it.

Euphoria by Lily King

This story features a trio anthropologists studying a "bloodthirsty" tribe in New Guinea in the 1930's. It's inspired by the life of Margaret Mead and reminds me of this book which I read a few years ago and absolutely loved. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this novel at the library...though, wouldn't it be so pretty on my shelf? Kind of in love with the script and the colors.

Dark Aemilia by Sally O'Reilly

We all know that I love historical fiction books. I'd say a majority of the books that I read and then rave about are of this genre, and I'm especially drawn to ones that feature strong female characters. Aemilia is said to be the real name of Shakespeare's dark lady, his one true love and muse-- and also England's first published female poet. Definitely worth diving into for any fan of the bard. Not to be all about the book covers today, but this one is Poe-esque and has me intrigued.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This book is being hailed as a masterful work of WWII historical fiction, but the reason it's received so much press is not because it's a good piece of writing, but because it was written by an American. This sub-genre has been dominated by British authors since...forever...but Doerr has apparently upped the game with this work. War, love, loss-- all of the classic elements are here. I can't wait to pick this one up. (P.S. If you like this type of story, read this book, it was amazing! And made it onto my top ten of 2013 list.)