Edit...

So, I abandoned The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

Yes, I realize that this probably makes me look like a flake for giving up the first book I was supposedly going to review… but let me explain.

I read about 100 pages of the book. By halfway through this, I found my mind wandering while I was reading. I felt like the author was trying her damndest to throw in as many elaborate vocabulary words as she could possibly fit. You know when you read something that’s been overdone with SAT-worthy vocabulary words… just for the sake of throwing them in there? They didn’t add to the story… if anything they made it nearly impossible for me to wade through the flowery mess to find out what the heck was happening in the story.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the use of interesting and colorful language. I teach writing to 8 and 9 year olds… I’m always at the front of my class with my arms up proclaiming – “GIMME WOW WORDS! No boring writing in here!”

But seriously Ms. Barbery, sometimes you gotta know when enough is enough.

I’m a big proponent of finding the right book for you. Another thing I tell my students – “Find a book that you like! There are millions of books out there. There is no reason for you to force your way through something that you don’t enjoy.”

So change of plans. I’ll be delving into a book a teacher friend of mine gave me, Sea Change by Aimee Friedman.