Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm thankful for books and that I know how to read. What a limited world one must have without the ability to read.

To know what my 13 year old 8th grader is going to read for class, I just read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. I don't recommend it for anyone under 17 or 18.

 I think Mr. Alexie could have left out the sexual stuff and have a good story, but with it, no.

An alternative to the Alexie book is Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell, which I am reading now. About a 14 year old Navaho girl.  

Also just read Lord of the Flies by William Goldberg. I read it as a freshman in high school, then again in my early forties, and, now, for the third time. It's disturbing, but Goldberg does a good job of showing us what people are like if left to their own devices.