It seems the groundhog has predicted an early spring!
Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway’s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on their blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.
Today’s Prompt: In celebration of Groundhog’s Day, what book would you read over and over?
I can’t choose just one, and my choices are all over the board. A children’s classic, my favorite YA, and an adult fiction that moved me like nothing else ever has. What do these books have in common? I’ve read all three more than once, and I absolutely adore them…
From Goodreads: An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads “Some Pig,” convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.
Who doesn’t love Charlotte’s Web? I’ve read this book to every class I’ve ever taught, and I’ve found that kids can’t get enough, no matter what grade they’re in. The goose and her silly speech patterns is my favorite. 🙂
From Goodreads: Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.
I’ve talked about The Sky is Everywhere more than once on this blog, and for good reason. The writing is gorgeous, and likeable protagonist Lennie is both the unluckiest and luckiest girl in the world.
From Goodreads: A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding, that puts the violence, fear, hope and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives, the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness, are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love, a stunning accomplishment.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is my very favorite adult novel. It’s heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. I’ve read it twice, and even though I knew every twist that was coming, I loved it even more the second time.
What about you? What book do you love so much you could read it over and over again? And don’t forget to stop by YA Highway to check out all of the other recommendations!
Katy Upperman ~ Author 
