Counting by 7s

Hard to believe another year of Smackdown is done! This was certainly an interesting round, given the strong opinions about what made it through and what didn't. Although the final three weren't particularly mind-blowing, and I wasn't staying up til the wee hours trying to find out what happens next (which always seems worth it until your alarm goes off the next morning), I appreciated what each of the books had to offer.

Bomb would be great for lit circles as a non-fiction choice for those who don't get excited about picking up a novel. Ivan would definitely be well-suited for a younger audience, but there are a lot of kids who really love animals and would find this book loveable too. I wouldn't use it as a class read-aloud, but it has its place. There are some wonderfully crafted sentences in there as well, as others have mentioned. I didn't find it boring, and I don't regret giving it my zombie vote!! So there.

Counting by 7s was the last book I read out of the three, and it's the one I'm giving my vote to. It sort of reminded me of Okay for Now, which I also loved. Neither were very action-driven, and both wrapped up very neatly in the end for the main character, but sometimes it's nice to read a good story about someone who goes through hardships and still gets the happy ending, however contrived. Sort of like Leonard Peacock, except without the gun and pieces of hair left in a box in the fridge for mom to find. Or maybe not.