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Edward is a one-of-a-kind toy: a china rabbit with real fur and a custom tailored wardrobe. 10-year-old Abilene loves Edward completely. Edward, however, is unable to feel anything for her…..until he is cast into the sea and begins a series of amazing adventures.

Edward’s journey brings him to a fisherman’s wife, a hobo and his dog, and into the hands of a dying girl. With each loss and recovery, the china rabbit acquires bits of true human emotions.

From the oversized format to the stuning illustrations to DiCamillo’s beautiful language, this is the kind of book they just don’t make anymore. The Miraculous Journey begs to be read aloud and discussed. Readers looking for a follow up to The Tale of Despereaux may be initially put off by the plot, but should find echoes of Despereaux’s heroic style.

–High School–

17-year-old Becky Martin’s best friend Abby spends her Saturday afternoons doing community service for the local Zen Center. Becky and Abby hand out cards with Zen Koans or riddles like “Are You Aware?” or “If Life Gives It To You, Use It.” The later is what Becky and Abby are all about; they are both working hard at building careers in stand-up comedy where everything that ever happened to them becomes material for a comedy routine. Becky’s working on a routine about the peculiarities of being born on February 29th and only having a birthday every four years on Leap Year.

Becky is envious of Abby’s apparent poise and confidence. Then Becky meets Kip, another teen comedian who is interested in Becky both professional and romantically. But when Kip’s attention becomes obsessive then abusive, will Becky be “Aware” of what’s going on in time to avoid disaster?

This is the second series of off-beat sibling stories by this author. Even if you haven’t read her series, The Exiles, I guarantee you will find The Casson Family–Cadmium, Saffron, Indigo, and Rose–entertainingly wacky. Their parents are both artists (hence the unusual names inspired by paint colors) and if you’re like me and wished that J. K. Rowling had written more chapters about life at the Weasley’s, you’ll appreciate this unusual family.

As this book starts out, Indigo has just gotten over a case of mono that has kept him out of school for almost half the year. He’s not looking forward to it, though, because a gang of kids had singled Indigo out for special treatment at the beginning of the year. When he gets to school, however, there is a new boy from America, who draws the attention of the red-headed gang leader. Eventually Indigo and Tom form a friendship, and even Indigo’s precocious sister gets involved with Tom.