Jesse is hoping to be the fastest runner in the 5th grade this year. So he's out practicing every morning when little sister May Belle comes telling him of a new family moving in. She hopes there is a little girl to play with. When Jesse meets the girl that moves in, she's in his grade so no playmate for May Belle. Leslie, the new girl, is different from the rest of the students. Her family wants to simply their lives. Jesse decides to include her in the races and she changes everything for him.

I enjoyed this story. I saw the movie first and remembered the ending somewhat but not the details. I did not remember I would need practically a box of tissues for the ending. I loved Jesse. His was not an easy life. Leslie, his neighbor, brightened his world as they went off to Terabithia and created their own world. Jesse also sees his father in a different light because of Leslie.

What a wonderful book! Full of imagination but bound in reality. I'm glad I read it even if I am an adult.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

 Mildred D. Taylor

16 heirs have to find the murderer of Samuel Westing. Can they do it or will they lose the inheritance or worse die themselves?

I loved this. It is well written and engaging. The mystery is good. I never saw the solution coming. I needed the explanation at the end, This is a book that needs more than one read to get all the intricacies of the mystery.