Book # 3 The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo. Aw, a fantasy abut a mouse. Very fun to read and a great reprieve from war stories. This story is about Princess Pea and the banning of soup and the little mouse with big ears. And of course, the bad rats and a girls with the last name of Sow. The adventure goes into the deep, dark, dreadful dungeon. Good triumphs over evil with the reinstatement of soup.

I love the way the author explains what vocabulary words mean and keeps the reader updated on what happened before and the consequences. I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie.

I think it would be fun to read a-loud to kids. It would be a great book to read during a snow day or blizzard. We did that when N was young. Every child should read this book or have it read to them. It's a classic.

Book #2 City of Thieves by David Benioff. I got this book for Christmas and I seem to be on a war kick, so... besides, I couldn' find Great Expectations in our own library.

This book is about life in Leningrad during the German siege. Two unlikely friends are on a quest for a dozen eggs. The story isn't pretty as the two weave their way through the horrors of war. I thought the development of the characters was excellent. And, I really enjoyed reading the book, if one can enjoy reading about death and destruction.