So it begins

            This blog is something that I have always been interested in doing, but quite honestly was born out of a school assignment requirement. I have until May 13 to read about 55 books (if I want to do very well in the course). Some of the books I review and analyze will be required readings for the course but the remainder will be my choice. All of these books that I cover will be geared at the age group known as ‘tweens,’ which are younglings who fall between the ages of 9-14. No longer children but not quite proper teens. It is my goal to broach into new titles that I have not read yet. But, there are also a number of books that I really want to re-read. I look forward to reading them for a purpose outside of the entertainment factor. I want to review, analyze, and identify what made them pieces of literature that make me want to read them again.

            This is the list of titles required by the professor, in some places we get to choose the book we want to read and in others we all read the same things:

1. Harriet the Spy (or a Wrinkle in Time)
2. Hatchet
3. Are You There God, It’s me Margaret
4. Bridge to Terebithia (or Maniac McGee or Higher Power of Lucky)
5. The Misfits (or Holes)
6. Bud, Not Buddy
7. (and/or Esperanza Rising, Absolutely True Diary, Millicent Min Girl Genius)
8. The Giver
9. Hunger Games
10. Invention of Hugo Cabret (or Smile) 
11. (True Confessions of Charlotte, Tale of Deperaux, Mixed-up Files, Westing Game)

            So, over the past few days I have been wracking my brain to create a preliminary list of titles of books I want to read; incorporating those I want to re-read and others from my “one day I will read this” list as well. I have 20 so far, half I have read before and already own. Here is the list:

1. The Graveyard by Gaiman
2. Kingdom Keepers by Pearson
3. The Shifter by Hardy
4. The Search for Wondla by DiTerlizzi
5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Speare
6. The Egypt Game by Snyder
7. The Book of Three by Alexander
8. Magyk by Sage
9. The Princetta by Bondoux
10. Liar & Spy by Stead
11. Who Could That Be at This Hour? By Snicket
12. Bluefish by Schmatz
13. Out of my Mind by Draper
14. Splendors and Glooms by Schiltz
15. Star-Crossed by Collison
16. Fire Spell by Schiltz
17. Hope was Here by Bauer
18. Wait till Helen Comes by Hahn
19. Crandall’s Castle by Wright
20. The Case of the Case of the Mistaken Identity by Barnett

            I think this is enough to say in my first post. I will shoot to do a post a week, hopefully reviewing about 4 books a week! (Gosh that sounds like a lot).