Book time!

It’s been a terrible day! No time to do anything I really wanted to do, but that’s how it goes sometimes. At least I could squeeze in t a few moments to write to you.

Instead of heading right back to my closet and wardrobe lets chat books. I LOVE to read! You saw some of my magazines and my favorite book earlier—that was just the tip of the iceberg!

I’m not always fond of the books or stories we read in school, but I understand that others may love them so I try to read with an open mind and learn as much about the story or writing process as possible. Yes, English, Reading, and Language Arts are my favorite classes in school followed closely by Social Studies and History.

We are supposed to read 45 minutes a day outside of school. That’s easy for me! I read all levels of books. Sometimes I read more advanced books like the Harry Potter series and sometimes I read easy books like The Magic Kitten series or picture books like Stellaluna.

Searching for and getting books is great. I like to put them on my Christmas and birthday wish lists. Hanging out at the library and bookstores is so much fun.  Barnes & noble is my favorite, but independent bookstores like Harleysville Books (http://www.harleysvillebooks.com/) sponsor great programs. They have an American Girl Club event coming up January 18.

I’m sure your allowance might get used up quickly buying new books all the time so here are four tips to stretch your book buying money:

1.            Visit the library! Your school library and the local library are great sources for reading material. Browsing through the stacks is great when you have time to absorb the library atmosphere. But if you don’t have much time and know what you are looking for search the online catalog for the title or author.

2.            Find a used book store. These have great prices, but can be hit or miss as their stock relies on people giving up their books. Most have great exchange programs too. So you can turn in your books for credit toward others. You can find older versions of the American Girl books at these.

3.            Flea markets and yard sales. Most of these have cheaper pricing than even the used book stores. However, condition is sometimes an issue.

4.            Borrow from a friend. This can get tricky. When you borrow from a friend you should give it back in the same condition in which it was given to you. Above all you MUST return it. Losing or marking a friend’s book can strain a friendship. So if you usually dog-ear your pages to mark your spot and she doesn’t…find a nice piece of scrap paper to use as a bookmark instead. A sticky note or a tear out card from a magazine works in a pinch.

One of my favorite series (aside from Harry Potter) is Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene.( I also love the Hardy Boys by Frank W. Dixon.) The best are the old yellow (or blue) hard bound books. It’s so interesting to see how Nancy and her friends solved mysteries without the aide of modern technology.

Today let’s look at The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew #3)

Nancy is away from home. While helping her new friends they encounter strange happenings at an abandoned bungalow in the woods. Nancy soon finds herself in bind and must use her wits to get back to safety,

This was very good. No George, Bess, or Ned in this one, but Don was quite attentive to Nancy. Nancy's quick thinking came to her rescue. It showed what had to be done to stay connected before cell phones. :) I loved how polite and trusting everyone was!