Our Wild and Crazy Weekend

It was Friday night, and we were ready to party. No, we were ready to PAR-TAY! So what did we do? Go clubbing? Dancing? Making out in our car? Nope. We were in the middle of a really good book, so we snuggled up together and read. Only, I wasn't up for as much action as the rest of the family was. They made it until 11:15, whereas, I passed out a little after 9. Lame, I know. I just can't party like I used to. At least they got a really good shot of up my nose.
What were we reading that had everyone but tired Mommy so engrossed? My friends, I think it's time to introduce you to Nancy Farmer. We've been reading the Sea of Trolls, a story about a boy from England during the time of the Vikings. Very, very good stuff. She does meticulous research, and it's especially fascinating to me because my ancestors came from both the good guys and the bad guys. Nancy has won three Newberry honors. I doubt that's ever been done before. #1,2 and I read the House of the Scorpion, and let me tell you, it was intense. It explores the morality of human cloning. I wouldn't let anyone under ten be around for that one though. Like I said, it's gripping. A Girl Named Disaster was fantastic! It follows an African girl's journey from a remote village to civilization in search of her dad. She tries to reconcile her traditional beliefs to modern life. The story was a bit earthy though; there was this witch woman in her dreams named 'Long Teats' whose breasts were so long that she wrapped them around herself like a blanket. My boys thought that was hilarious. I don't think any but the oldest even really got what that meant. The girl starts her period while she's on her journey, so that was a great conversation starter. It's important to me that my boys don't grow up totally female ignorant. So what I'm saying is, they aren't really good bedtime stories for the very young, per se. They're more like books that suck you in so completely that your laundry pile grows unnoticed.