awesome

Helen Cartwright, 83 y/o, has returned to her family home in a small village in England after 60 years in Australia to die. Not that she has a diagnosis beyond being old. She has been back for 3 years, but returned still actively grieving the abrupt loss of her husband and the tragic loss of her son. She is very lonely and isolated. She does the same thing most days and memories do not give her comfort. Then she unwittingly brings a 5” male mouse into her house. He decides to stay with her and she decides to care for him. (This is not a talking mouse or an anthropomorphic rodent). To care for him she starts meeting a few people she can connect with as she moves from removing the mouse by trapping to naming Sipsworth and hoping wildlife rescue group will take him to making Sipsworth a housemate. Eventually it is revealed that Helen has done significant things. Slow start. A comforting book. Perhaps this book raises awareness of long term grieving, loneliness, sadness and isolation in people in our lives (or in ourselves).

We enjoyed this trip to India with Jack and Annie. It was interesting to learn about endangered species like tigers and rhinoceroses.

It was a great book about children working together and it is part of a siris

3.75 stars rounded up. I find this book very hard to rate as much of the merit comes from its status as a classic. Mark Twain’s novel is full of adventure, boyhood mischief and depictions of the racist antebellum Southern US. I’m very familiar with the story and probably have the strongest memory of the Elijah Wood portrayal on film. There’s nostalgia that comes with taking that trip down the river with Huck and Jim and revisiting their stops along the way. Yet, during this reading, I was shocked at the preponderance of vernacular and ear-piercing slurs (specifically the n-word) that made it rather hard to listen to on audio. If this book were written today as historical fiction, I’d probably be rounding down the rating, but I can’t ignore where this text stands in history. Tom Parker’s narration felt rather fast-paced, but his voice felt authentic though his occasional vocal clicks stuck out a bit.

I actually read 8-10, and the hour cont is a rough guess.

This book is a sequel to Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley.

This heartfelt story that is a squeal to Circus Mirandus is about a boy named Micah coming to live in a magical circus. In the circus Micah can tie magical knots in which hold memories and strong connections. As the story goes on Micah’s power grows and soon he does not know if he can control it or not. Then all of a sudden his grandmother Victoria the bird women comes to the Circus after betraying them many years ago and it’s Micah who’s the center of the circus’s power to destroy Victoria.-written by Mackenzie

Really interesting read!!

It was a really good read.