Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo published by Scholastic, 2000.

I love this book. It flows so well. I'm impressed with how much DiCamillo is able to convey about the characters and their relationships with her easy to read prose. It is clear that every word was chosen with great care. It won the Newberry Honor Award in 2001. If you haven't read this, you should. It is destined to be a classic.
Here's an interview with DiCamillo from 2007. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman's Newberry winning novel, The Graveyard Book, opens with a man named Jack murdering an English family. But the youngest child, a toddler, escapes to a nearby graveyard. There he is taken in by the inhabitants of the graveyard who raise him as their own. This story is superb. The mystery is tight and the graveyard ambiance is maintained throughout the book.

I do wonder if Mr. Gaiman was inspired by the saying, “You don't know Jack.” He's right, we don't. (and aren't we glad?)

I listened to the audio version of this book, which is read by the author. If you pick this up, you are in for a treat. Not only do you get Gaiman's aristocratic British accent, you also get exactly the inflection he intended in writing the book. Directly from his lips to your ears – it doesn't get any better than that.

And with any luck, I'm all high-tech today and here is a book trailer for The Graveyard Book.

Plus, here is an interview with author Neil Gaiman on The Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Neil Gaiman
colbertnation.com
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