Needed to Read This One!

As  a Youth Services Librarian, I find that summer months are the busiest times at the library.   Kids are off for the summer, and parents are looking to entertain their children as cheaply as possible.  Who can blame them?  Especially in this economy.   (Yes,  another "hurray" for  public libraries  and  the role they play in the community.)   Having said that, I have been busy catching up on  reading  books that I have been on my Need to Read List.  Since I am busier in the Summer, I try to steal as much time as I can to read.  Trust me, it is a challenge.  Next to my desk, I've got a notebook that I have dedicated to Need to Read.  Hardly do I ever say,want to read because for me want and need go hand in hand.  Besides, Need to Read sounds so poetic, doesn't it?  So beginning today, I am going to add a new part of my blog where I will name it "Need to Read".   

For a quick, yet  wonderful story of family, identity and love I needed to read So B. It by Sarah Weeks.  Very few authors can take the ingredients of an unusual situation, a strong female character, a journey of discovery  and turn it into a story that whips up the emotions and imagination.  Ms. Weeks does this with class and style.  Admittedly at first, the premise of a child growing up in a home with a mentally challenged mother and a neighbor who is agoraphobic (fear of going outside)  seemed a bit depressing.  Really, how interesting  could this thirteen year-old's life be? It seemed to be reminiscent of Higher Power of Lucky, which was the worst book that I have ever had the displeasure of reading.  Not another story about a girl who lives in depressing neighborhood, where there is no hope for things ever changing.   Thankfully,  Ms. Weeks tells the story of Heidi's journey in a way that lifts the spirit.  It is a classic underdog story that everyone loves.   Heidi not only wins our attention, she wins in life too. Without giving the ending away, it is safe to say that Heidi not only finds her identity, she is also able to discern what is and is not important to know.  The book is definitely one to pick up at the library or at your local bookstore.  If either places don't have it, ask to  have it interloaned or ordered.  It's that  good! 

If anyone has a suggestion of titles or books that may be deserving of being placed on the Need To Read List, please send suggestions to lvnlibrarian@yahoo.com.