Book Review: The Light from my Menorah, Celebrating Holidays Around the World by Robin Heald and Andrea Blinck

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The Light from my Menorah, Celebrating Holidays Around the World  by Robin Heald and Andrea Blinck is a children's book about a boy being taken around the world via the light from his menorah. In his travels, he visits different holiday festivals. Thank you, NetGalley, for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book. I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. I think it's important for children to learn about other holidays around the world in a fun way. However, I expected a little more description during the actual story to correspond with the illustrations instead of it being included in the author's note. I feel like the adults will have to explain the point of the book to children. With that being said, the writing was absolutely beautiful, and the illustrations are fantastic. Four out of five stars is what I gave The Light from my Menorah, Celebrating Holidays Around the World by Robin Heald and Andrea Blinck for taking the initiative to
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Listography: 6 Books That Are Required Reading In Middle School

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The six books listed below were required reading for me in middle school. I'm sure the list has changed quite a bit since then, but as a late bloomer to reading, all but one of these books made me love reading that much more. I plan on rereading all of these books so I can review them with a fresh perspective and see if they are still just as great as I remember.

  1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: Originally published in 1961, this novel takes place in the Ozark Mountains where Billy Colman adopts two dogs with the intent of training them to hunt. 

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  2. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - First published in 1950, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was the first book published in the Narnia series and is the most popular. Four siblings are relocated to a country home during a wartime evacuation. While keeping themselves occupied, Lucy, the youngest of the siblings, finds a whole new world called Narnia by going through a wardrobe in one of the spare rooms. The four children go on an adventure of a lifetime. 

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  3. The Odyssey by Homer - Published in the late 8th century, the sequel to The Illiad takes place after the Trojan War and follows Odysseus' ten year voyage home. 

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  4. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Originally published in 1939, it was originally published under a different name before being renamed. It has also alternatively been published under Ten Little Indians. And Then There Were None takes place on an isolated island off the coast of England where eight people have been invited for different reasons. The guests are met by the butler and cook who inform them the hosts have yet to arrive but have left instructions. After dinner, a recording is played accusing each of the guests of murder. And then, one by one, each of the guests die. 

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  5. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - Published in 1947 after being found in an attic, The Diary of a Young Girl is the diary of thirteen year old Anne Frank where she writes what her parents, older sister, and herself do on a daily basis while hiding from the Nazis. 

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  6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (The Adventures of Tom and Huck #2) by Mark Twain - Published in 1884, this novel is the telling of the adventures that Huckleberry Finn and a runaway slave have as they travel down the Mississippi River.

Where these books on your middle school required reading list? If so, did you love or hate them? If they weren't on your required reading list, what books were?

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