Books that make you SO happy to be...

a teacher, even at home. 

There are a few books each year, that have proven to breathe fresh life into our journey as we speed toward the finish line of homeschooling (at least in its current format).  Those books have served as a sort of trail marker, they have guided our journeys and marked the paths we have chosen to take.

There is a book that has popped up on many recommended reading lists, that I finally made the time to check it out from the library.  Technically it shouldn't even be one that we were interested in given the ages and stages we currently find ourselves in...but that is the beautiful thing about a well written book.  You can read it at any age and enjoy it.  If well written, it will even broaden your perspective, ignite or deepen your interest and understanding of events that have shaped our country, our world, and find its way into daily conversation and thought processes, no matter how old or young you are.

Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt is one of those books.  

WOW 😍.

I cannot tell you how much I personally loved this book.  I found myself having to stop to give context to many items (chalkboard eraser cleanings or the pull down maps that used to adorn the front of every classroom) as I read it aloud, which made me realize just HOW much has changed in a relatively short amount of time.

I also realized afresh just how awful the Vietnam War was, how many lives were irrevocably changed (not always for the better either), and how excruciating those changes were to live through.  

I laughed and I cried through this book.  

It is SO, so, SO good!  Highly recommend!!

I also completed the trilogy of Court of Midnight and Deception by K.M. Shea.  I was going to write a review because it was good.  But in comparison to the last two books I read, I don't know what else to say except each book was fun and fluffy (I realize most people think it is a waste of time to read fun and/or fluffy books, but I think there is a spot for the fun and fluffy in life). 💖  I also use books like this to motivate me to do something I keep putting off.  For example, I can earn another book if I complete all of my tidy goals this week or if I stick to my eating plan.  It works for me 😋