Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Book bloggers create their own lists based on the chosen topics and post links to our lists. It’s a way of all sharing our thoughts and our love of books. And who doesn’t love lists??
So this week’s challenge was to list those books which I wish had sequels – those books that made me wish the story could just go on for at least a little longer.
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – I know the story ended and that it ended well, but it just doesn’t matter. It was so wonderful, so amazing, so all-absorbing – I just want more.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling – I’m aware that there were seven books, but it may have been one of my saddest literary moments when I finished the last in the series. I wanted that magical world to continue on so I could continue to be a part of it.
- Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – Wonderful quirky love story. I wanted to know what happened to Eleanor and Park in the future, I wanted to travel the path with them forward to a happy ending.
- Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – I desperately want to read more about these fun, intelligent, and quirky characters!
- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys – A great historical novel and I fell in love with Josie – I want to see where her life goes from here.
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – A beautiful book, and most likely a sequel would ruin it, but I always wanted to see what the future would bring for Guy and those in his world.
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green – Time for another road trip with Colin and Hassan!
- Ungifted by Gordon Korman – This one is for my kids – they loved the hilarity of the characters in this book and were left wanting more!
- Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – I want to know where he goes from here and what his life brings him – does he ever go back to the graveyard?
- Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman – I want them to meet up again, to go on more adventures together now that he is grown – or is it just impossible for adults to have the same childlike belief and sense of wonder?
Benny’s dad is a hoarder – a seriously out-of-control hoarder. Benny’s mom can’t take it anymore and leaves the small Missouri town for New Orleans – now Benny needs to deal with the situation all on his own. When a local teacher enters the town in a contest for “America’s Most Charming Small Town” (maybe exaggerating a little – ok a lot – on the application) the town needs to deal with the junk pile that has become Benny’s home. There is a great supporting cast of characters – a hippie starting a radio station, a teacher encouraging community service projects, a piano teacher, a classroom crush – that cause you to feel like you know and love the quirky people in this small town. While reading this book we had a lot of laughs, moments where our hearts were breaking for Benny, times when we were holding our breaths waiting to see what happened next, and times when we were cheering him on.
When Georges dad loses his job his family is uprooted and needs to move to a Brooklyn apartment in an unfamiliar neighborhood. His mom is working extra shifts at the hospital to make ends meet and Georges is feeling depressed and friendless when he sees a sign for a Spy Club. Encouraged by his dad, he signs up and meets Safer – a twelve-year old spy – who recruits Georges on his mission to figure out what nefarious deeds their upstairs neighbor, Mr. X, is up to. Eventually, Georges becomes concerned about the morality of what Safer is asking him to do and frustrated with Safer’s moody demands. As he begins to question Safer and his stories they begin to unravel as does their friendship. The relationships in the story were great – Georges and his mom leaving messages for each other with Scrabble tiles, how he tries not to put extra stress on his dad, the way that Safer’s family takes him in, and ultimately, his friendship with Safer as he comes to an understanding of the truth.
This story was hilarious, from start to finish. Donovan is a decidedly ungifted troublemaker who may have finally taken things too far when an administrative screw-up lands him in the Academy for Scholastic Distinction. If he can hide out there for awhile, maybe his other problems will blow over… plus, his parents are sooo proud! As his new teachers and fellow students struggle to figure out where Donovan’s gifts may lie (how DID he get here??), he brings something new to the class – himself – his knowledge of “normal” life, video games, and YouTube. The relationships between these students, their parents, and their teachers are consistently humorous yet insightful. There was not an evening of reading this together when we didn’t end up laughing. Mr. Korman – my kids are hoping for a sequel!
Watching the Words 