One advantage of working overnights is the fact that I get some reading done.  I decided that I would try and read through some of the Mark Twain Award Nominees as well as the Newberry Award Books.  It is a lot harder to locate these books at the library than you would think.  Either they are super popular and are always checked out, or the library no longer carries them.  I want to go with the first option.  The second option makes me sad. 

The first book that I read was When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead.  This book had a Science Fiction kind of feel, dealing with time travel.  Def. geared for older elementary/middle school students.  What struck me though was how great the book was at dealing with feelings of middle school students.  Those feelings that you get when friends all of a sudden change.  What you go through when you know you should stand up for someone, but you don't always do it.  I really enjoyed reading this book because I felt that the author did a great job of revealing the struggles of each individual.  It was also fun to think about time travel as well.  Interesting read.  A couple of quotes I liked....

"The world is kind of blurry, and we like it that way.  But sometimes our veils are pushed away for a few minutes, like there's a wind blowing it from our faces.  And when the veil lifts, we can see the world as it really is, just for those few seconds before it settles down again.  We see all the beauty, and cruelty, and sadness, and love.  But mostly we are happy not to.  Some people learn to lift the veil themselves.  Then they don't have to depend on the wind anymore."  page 71


"Belle surprised me.  'Well it's simple to love someone.' she said.  'But it's hard to know when you need to say it out loud.'"  page 149

The second book that I read was The Potato Chip Puzzle.  Written by Eric Berlin

I can totally understand how this would appeal to those math/puzzler types.  It was great!  It was interesting, but goofy all at the same time.  Sort of a mystery, and the characters were very appealing to me as a teacher.  What I took from this book?  That I need to watch how I come across to others.  My tone of voice, my stress, and just who I am as a person can be taken in many different directions depending on my mood.  If only potato chip companies really did offer schools money for a day of puzzles...wouldn't that be something!!!!