*Sticky Post* 10,000 Visitors Book Giveaway!

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It seems like I just started this blog, though at the same time, it's quickly become a very familiar part of my life. My first blogger post was on January 3rd and since then, this blog has evolved into something that I never imagined it to be, but something that I'm very happy with. It's grown into a community of readers and friends and a celebration of things I love and enjoy and a place to ponder on life...a far cry from my old myspace blog.

What I never imagined was that 8 months later, my blog would have it's 10,000th visitor!! That's incredible. Thanks to the wonders of StatCounter, I found that the 10,000th hit came from a google search for "Tale of Despereaux Review". I thought that it was the perfect hit for this blog. Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux sums up what this blog is about. To begin with, it's a book :p It's fantasy related, it's a wonderful, heartwarming story filled with adventure and memorable characters, and it's visually stunning. It's one of those books that's a joy just to hold in your hands. So I'm giving away a copy!

I really wanted to give away a hard back copy, but couldn't find one :( But the soft cover version is even wonderful with it's antiqued pages, wonderful illustrations, and the Newbery medal on the cover. Just leave a comment on this post and let me know that you want in on the drawing. Even if you already own a copy, feel free to enter...maybe there's someone else in your life that would enjoy it. While it was written for children, anyone will enjoy this book, I promise. I certainly did. You can read my review of it by clicking here. The drawing will be held on August 26th!! Spread the word!

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Every now and then I come across a story that just brings a smile across my face, a story that is heart warming and classic. Kate DiCamillo's The Tale of Despereaux is one of these stories. The complete title is The Tale of Despereaux: Being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread. It's perfectly illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering.

DiCamillo opens her story with the following beautiful passage:

"The world is dark, and light is precious.
Come closer dear reader.
You must trust me.
I am telling you a story."

And she proceeds to do so. Despereaux Tilling is the only surving member of his mothers litter. His ears are too big, his body is too small, and he is very un-mouselike. Instead of munching on books, Despereaux would rather read them. He reads a fantasy tale of a night in shining armor who rescues a princess and falls in love and then meets his own princess...and he falls in love with her. But he socializes with her when he is not supposed to and is rejected by the other mice. Meanwhile, we meet a rat who loves the light when he should only love the dark of the dungeons, and we meet a young girl named Miggery Sow who has never been asked what she wants and has been rejected and abused by everyone she has known.

What DiCamillo has given to children and adults alike is a story of overcoming boundaries. This is a powerful book. It is a book of finding strength in times of hopelessness, of finding light when there is only darkness. She doesn't sugar coat the world for her young readers. She admits that there is evil in the world and she acknowledges that open faced. But she offers a beacon of hope to youth who can relate to those characters. She teaches us what empathy is in this book, and paints that picture of seeing a situation from a certain person's viewpoint well.

This was a beautiful book and highly entertaining. I was so happy to read a book that faced issues full force and handled them appropriately. As a counselor, I can see this book being used in a therapeutic way as well, and I'm sure it has been. I look forward to reading more of DiCamillo's work. There was an excerpt from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane at the end of this book, and I think that may be the next book I read of hers.

This is the first book I read for the Newbery challenge and I agree 100% with the decision to give this book the Newbery award.