The Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum, Illustrated by Michael Hague

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Illustrated by Michael Hague, 219 pages

I could not believe I had never read the Wizard of Oz or any books by L. Frank Baum.  I definitely liked this book better than the movie.  I always thought the movie was very scary.  I thought the book was a little more gentler and not as scary.  The book included more details and I loved the fantasy aspect of the story.

As a side note, I had just visited the grave of Dorothy Gage, the author's niece and inspiration for the character Dorothy.  She was an infant when she died and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Bloomington, IL.  There is a beautiful wood carving of Dorothy and the yellow brook road beside the grave.  It was very inspirational!!

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls -- 249 pages

Billy is an old man now, fondly looking back on childhood memories of his two little red coon hounds. The three of them were inseparable and made up the best coon hunting team in the Ozarks.

Where the Red Fern Grows is a sweet and tender story that I enjoyed revisiting. I listened to the playaway at Windsor.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry - 180 pages

Jonas has been given the high honor of being the next Receiver.  He will receive all the memories of the past to help the elders make important decisions for his community.  But is it right for only one person to remember colors, emotions, and music?

This is one of those books that I think people should reread over and over again.  Each time you read it you get a little more out of the story.  Since the movie version came out this summer, I decided it was the perfect time to read it again.  This time I chose to listen to the audio.  I really enjoyed the audio version of the book.  It was interesting how the voice of Jonas changed as he received more and more memories of the past.