itibaren Aujac, France itibaren Aujac, France

Typical Sparks book. Good.

I started reading this almost a year ago and put it down halfway through because I was too depressed by the child prostitution in it, but I braved it again recently. One of the things I like most about this is that even while terrible things are happening, there is a determination to represent lightness and whimsy in the midst of squalor. The character's father, Jules, is a sympathetic, idiosyncratic character despite being a recklessly negligent junkie, and there is a sweetness in their connection that rang true to me. I wanted to scoop up both the characters and put them at a tea table and serve them scones and let them live happily ever after in a blooming garden.

Corneila Funke has another novel that students will love to read. While I don't think it quite stands up to Dragon Rider, it will still drawthem in the fantasy world with twisted fairy tales and fairy tale artifacts. Well worth the read.