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This was a recent read for me and one that I know I will read again. I loved how Kline intermingled a story about a present-day foster child with the memories of an Orphan Train Child. The similarities in their struggles to fit in and feelings of loneliness and despair made the two female characters in the story so compatible. I couldn't help but get sucked right in as I cheered for both of them to beat the odds and come out more than just survivors. This was another tear jerker that I would strongly recommend to anyone!

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This was the first book that physically and emotionally bothered me to read. It was an assignment for one of my first college courses. While I had read biographies and historical pieces before, this book was different. I felt myself carried along with Jurgis and Ona (Lithuanian immigrants) as they found themselves living in Chicago in the early 1900's. The awful hardships and oppressive conditions in which they had to live and work brought me to tears. I was furious at the social injustices that people were subjected to while simply trying to grab hold of the American Dream and all its riches. Hearing of the dangerous work at the meatpacking plants, and the threats and physical abuse that was common bothered me so much. It was the first time that I began to think the stories that my dad and grandparents shared about their hardships growing up may not have just been to make me feel better about my childhood. The theme of inequalities and oppression in society continue to surface in other books I read today.

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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane by Kate DiCamillo

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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Toulane by Kate DiCamillo

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I purchased this book for one of our family road trip read-alouds without knowing anything about it other than I loved the other books Kate DiCamillo had written. It soon won my heart over and over again as I traveled along with Edward, a large china rabbit, on his journey far from the little girl who loved him so dearly. It's a story about realizing what it means to be loved and to love in return, despite economic status or appearances. It's about never losing hope and knowing that each new place along life's journey has a lesson to teach. I have read it to my students every year since I bought it for that journey of ours, and each time I read it I cry even though I already know what happens.

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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

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Another childhood favorite, this was the first book I remember where the main character was a girl. Not only was she a girl, but she could have been the poster child for "Girl Power". I was riveted by the rise and fall of the plot, and had to be told more than once to put the book down at school and at home. I always wondered how I would have fared if I had been dealt the same struggles, loss, and loneliness. It was an adventure book that drew me into a love of other cultures and far-away places. To this day, I love strong female characters and stories that give me a glimpse into other worlds.

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The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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This was the first series that I fully threw myself into. My second grade teacher shared book #1 as a read-aloud. What made this book (and all my memories of these books) so endearing was that I loved my teacher, Mrs. Otto. She took us out in the warm spring sunshine and let us sit or lay under the shade of a large maple that separated the playground from the kickball/baseball diamond. Her voice, the clouds, and the idea of finding a secret boxcar to call my own was enough to get me hooked. Throw in some mysteries and characters that could have been my own brothers and sisters and it was the perfect gateway into reading chapter books one after the other. That summer, I became a voracious reader!

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Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes, (1955 Caldecott Honor Book) by Marguerite de Angeli

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Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes, (1955 Caldecott Honor Book) by Marguerite de Angeli

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This is the first book that I fell in love with. This book holds some of my earliest memories as a toddler, sitting on both my mother and grandmother's laps. The watercolor paintings that accompanied each nursery rhyme were beautiful and whimsical. I loved how the words sounded as they came out of their mouths. They were often sung and would be repeated over and over again as we did various little tasks or ran errands together. At bedtime, bathtime, supper, and even first thing in the morning, a nursery rhyme was part of the routine. I had the original book until our basement flooded while we were on an extended vacation. Sadly it was so badly water damaged, that it had to be discarded. Prior to that, it was one of the many books I shared with my children when they were little.