Thank you, E. L. Konigsburg

I heard from a friend that E. L. Konigsburg, 83, died recently (April 20 of this year to be exact) and the reason it impacted me so much is because Annabeth and I have enjoyed two of her books this year: The View from Saturday and we will literally finish From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler this week, which were reading during the time of her death. Obviously, I didn’t know Konigsburg, but she  provided Annabeth and I such engaging storytelling this year, and as we learned a few months ago, she graduated valedictorian of Farrell High School, located about 30 minutes from my home town of New Castle. I look forward to reading with Annabeth every night, but especially when it’s one of Konigsburg’s books.

Upcoming readings

wimpykidI’m usually on the lookout for books for my daughter to read independently. We’ve read a number together this school year and she’s read a number on her own, but lately I see her enjoying chapter books with a little more substance. Currently, she’s reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and I hope she doesn’t mind me writing this, but I have heard her laugh out loud reading it, which makes me smile big.

So, to make the selection process simpler and more of a slam dunk, I started looking through the Newberry Award winners list. A few stuck out I’m hoping she’ll enjoy, which are also available at our local library: