PENDRAGON by Stephen R. Lawhead GREEN LIGHT AGES; 9TH GRADE - ADULT It's summer time which means I am catching up on a lot of the books that I gravitate towards (and not just what's popular or new). For me, that definitely includes Stephen R. Lawhead's The Pendragon Cycle series. Last summer I read the first 3 books in the series, and all truth be told, there was a twinge of disappointment when I had to set the series aside to focus on other books. I'm back at it having just completed Book 4. As soon as I cracked the book open, I was sucked back in and immediately remembered exactly why I love this series so much: the chivalry, the dedication, the sweat and blood for a righteous cause. In case you haven't guessed by this intro paragraph, this book is fast tracking itself right onto my SARAH'S FAVORITES BOOKLIST alongside its three predecessors. Pendragon continues with the story of King Arthur, but it focuses primarily on events in his life that earned him the valued name of Pendragon meaning "Chief Dragon." It portrays the greatest battles, decisions, valor, and honor that transformed him from "king" to rightly holding the highest level of respect in his people's eyes. What takes this series a step further than the average Arthurian story is that Lawhead includes the spreading of the Christian faith into the region and the influence it had. It's absolutely fantastic and the story telling is captivating. This series is perfect for high school through adult. HEADS UP - There is one place in the book where you know that Arthur and Gwenhwyvar (Guinevere) have been interrupted in their love making. They exit the tent adjusting their clothes, and that is all that is said about it.

THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi I have to laugh as I sit down to write this. I don't have my book yet. It's on it's way and will hopefully be delivered later today. Over the weekend I was in Columbus and thought about swinging by the Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy, but I love supporting my local bookstore and knew that I was going there with a friend yesterday. So, I waited. Yesterday, my friend and I went in, and don't you know, they were all sold out. This book is really flying off the shelves! ( Tuck that in the back of your mind and ask yourself why that is at the end of the book.) Scramble time. I ordered a copy from Amazon, and then proceeded to read the sample on their website. Score! All is well! I finished my reading for today, and I just had to know a bit more about Allen Levi. A book as emotionally engaging as this one is typically has an author that has some real life skin-in-the-game experience, and this one does. I found out that Levi visited a coffee shop that has 92 portraits on the wall, and as he studied them, he began to think about what would happen if someone bought them and connected with the subjects of the portraits. Also, in an interview, he shared that Theo is based off of his younger brother, Gary, who passed away. He's got emotional skin in this game. Something very interesting about Theo of Golden is that Allen Levi self published it through Amazon in 2023. It has steadily grown in popularity and has been picked up by a major publishing house. So for all of you who self publish, share your work with others. You never know where it will take you. One of the first things I noticed about Theo is how his character is developed through the chapters. We're not given a lump sum description of him and then the story moves on. We're introduced to him slowly, and that really gives us the opportunity to treat him like a friend. Typically, when we meet people we learn a little bit about them, but it takes some time to really get to know them, and as we do, we decide if we like them or not. With each chapter that passes we are given another layer to the character of Theo, and it is an absolute delight to encounter each new layer. Think about all we learn about him. He sleeps well which suggests a person at peace with themself. He notices things. He prepares. His interests dictate his movements. He speaks 5 languages. He has imagination. His is fascinated by detail: lines and intricacy. He doesn't think about himself. He takes midday rests. He's 86-years-old. He's a widower and a father. He describes himself as a "toothless lion." Our story opens by telling us that it covers one year: from spring to spring. Immediately, when I hear that I think about new birth. It will be interesting to see if that holds true here. Theo's lived many places; Portugal, France, New York to name a few. He has a "riparian instinct." (Anyone look that up? I did. It means he has a desire to live near moving water.) We have this beautiful metaphor of Theo and a moving river along with a series of names of people that have been impacted by the movement of Theo. Theo leaves snowy New York and heads to Golden. Golden is based on Columbia, Georgia. He didn't just choose this place willy-nilly. He researched out the cobblestones, the ironworks, the cotton warehouses and the antebellum oaks. (Anyone look up antebellum? It means pre-war. The oaks are older than the Civil War.) He enters The Chalice coffee shop. Notice how people greet each other. We all yearn to live in such a place. Theo notices the 92 portraits on the wall, metaphorical windows. After all, the artist, Asher Glissen, tells each of their stories by the lines and details on their faces. Theo genuflects in front of each one.( Genuflects means to momentarily bend the knee to the ground and then stand back up almost in a state of reverence.) He is bothered that no one has purchased the portraits and decides to do something about that. He asks Shep about the portraits. Notice that when Shep responds he's interested in getting to know Theo before telling him about the artwork. Oh, if we would all take an extra moment and get to know people that we interact with instead of buzzing off to the next thing! I do have say that I am interested as to why Theo doesn't offer up much information about himself and why Shep doesn't really explain the reason for the name of the coffee shop. I have a feeling we may be stepping into some deep waters when we get that answered.. Theo chooses one of the portraits and purchases it with a plan in mind. Interestingly, it has a familiarity to it in the eyes of the young woman. A mystery for sure. He pens a letter to the young woman, Minnette Prentiss, telling her he wants to gift it to her and adds that he would be happy to visit with her if she would like. He chooses a beautiful, but public spot, in the daytime We have to ask ourselves how we would feel if we received such a letter.. There's no doubt that my response to a letter like that would be, "no way!" Allen Levi respects our modern inclination to distrust by giving us the interchange that happens between Minnette and her husband, Derrick. We also get peace knowing that Derrick does his due diligence by contacting the artist, Asher Glissen, who just happens to be Minnette's uncle. Did you notice that when the phone rings with Derrick's call, we're told that Asher answers the phone even though it wasn't the call he was waiting for? Little hooks that dig into us urging us on to try and uncover the meaning behind the words. As always, there's lots more we could talk about, but I'll leave room for your thoughts. I'll end with this. I was told by more than one person that this book starts slow but to" hang in there." I was hooked immediately. The complexity of Theo that makes me wonder about him, the beautiful descriptions that allow the story to play out on my mind's screen, and the questions that I am already waiting to be answered have absolutely locked me in. I can't wait to continue on! Regarding that - once I have my book, I'll post the reading schedule. Until then, have a great week, and I'll be back with you before you know it!

THE TERRIBLE TWO by Jory John and Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Kevin Cornell GREEN LIGHT with CAUTION AGES: 4TH - 7TH GRADE When your middle school age nephew offers you a book recommendation, you listen up and check it out. At least I did, and I have to say this was a very timely recommendation for me! Miles Murphy has just moved to Yawnee Valley (Don't you love the name of this place? Score for the authors!), and he's not happy about it. Yawnee is known for its cow population, and Miles couldn't care less about cows. That's not the least of his problems. He's got to make his place in a new school, and he decides the best way to accomplish this is by using his best skill ever: pranking people. He pulls out his notebook cataloging his best pranks ever and begins working his way through his guaranteed results list. The problem is that every time Miles sets a prank up, someone else in the school alters it and steals the thunder. Miles has never dealt with competition before. Does he throw in the towel and call it quits? Absolutely not! It's time to up the pranks and find out who he's really dealing with. I love that my nephew recommended this book to me on the tail of finishing Mac Barnett's nonfiction book on children's literature, Make Believe. I've read several of Barnett's picture books, but I think this may be my first chapter book by him, and it's interesting to see his thoughts and beliefs on children's literature in action. Don't expect The Terrible Two to bring deep meaning and philosophy to your child's life. This book is relatable to kids by focusing on tough experiences with peers and difficult school authorities. (In this case, the principal is out to get Miles from Day one.) Barnett definitely doesn't subscribe to the idea that books should be used for teaching moments all the time. Sometimes books should just be enjoyed for what they are. This is Book One in the Terrible Two series, and readers should start with this one. HEADS UP - Miles Murphy uses just about every possible way to prank people which does include lying. He has a quote he uses in a couple of places in the book, "I think sometimes it's OK to do something wrong if it helps you do something right." The interesting thing in this book is that Miles finds himself being blamed for a major prank against the principal that he didn't do and is punished for it. This results in creating the biggest prank ever.

DRAGON POST by Emma Yarlett Dragon Post is a tons of fun picture book that you'll find added to my SARAH'S FAVORITES BOOKLIST! Seriously, who can resist a book about a boy who discovers a dragon in his house? Can you even imagine? This ignites a whole series of questions that need answered because of it. What do you feed this guy? How about the fire risk? What does one do about his size? That's exactly where Alex finds himself! The good news is, he knows just who to write to to get his questions answered, and that's what makes this book doubly fun! There are five envelopes with the letters in them that kids get to pull out and read. Get ready for some laughs, some wonder, and yes, a tinge of sadness as it is impossible to keep a dragon in the house. (Don't worry, though. Everything turns out okay!) And maybe, don't be surprised if you're child starts looking for dragons in YOUR house. After all, you never know where and when you might find a friend like that!

WHERE'S WALDO? THE MIGHTY MAGICAL MIX-UP by Martin Handford I think it's pretty obvious that one of the things I enjoy in life is connecting people with books. Every once in a while, I like to set out a book somewhere and see if people will pick it up versus pulling out their phones. When I saw that there was a brand new Where's Waldo book, I thought this would be a fun one to take on our extended family vacation trip. This is the trip we do with my parents, my siblings, their spouses, and kids. The good, old-fashioned kind of 20 people living in a lakehouse together for a week. Early in the week, I got the book out and sat down to look thorugh the first pages of it. I was happily hunting and little by little the kids came over and joined me. I found everything except the key. I could not find that crazy thing anywhere, and I knew it was just hanging out somewhere in plain site! I told the kids I'd give 50 cents to the person who found it first. (I'm a big spender!) It was game on! Those kids hunted and within just a few minutes, my nephew found it. He showed it to me (yes, it was completely in plain site!), and I happily paid up. After that, I left the book in the living room for the kids to enjoy. Several times, I would walk in to find different groups of them pouring over the pages. It was such a beautiful site! I think Where's Waldo? belongs in the lineup of some of the greatest books ever. Why? They are patience builders, and that's a big thing in today's world. When I do a Where's Waldo book with my kids, we find every item! Some things we find quickly, others take a long time. Sometimes we move on to the next item on the list without having found the current one we were looking for, but you can bet as we are scouring for that next thing our eyes continue to look for the previous missing item. Sometimes we put the book down and come back to it with "fresh eyes" later. Often times when we do, the item we were looking for pops out pretty quickly, and we laugh at how we missed it. Is it necessary to find every item in the book? No! You might have kids that would burn out at that idea. The fact that they are still hunting is a win by itself. One more reason Where's Waldo? belongs in the lineup of greatest books ever is it's the perfect book to keep in the car with you for long waits. Pull it out at the doctor's office, restaurants, while siblings wait for a brother or sister to finish practices or lessons. Set your phone aside and join in the fun of the hunt! It's truly fantastic!! HEADS UP - This particular edition of Where's Waldo has to do with his friend Wizard Whitebeard who lost his wand and caused everything to "mix-up." If you don't want as much of a magic influence, there are books where you find the wizard, but they don't deal with any magic.

WENDY'S EVER AFTER by Julie Wright GREEN LIGHT AGES: 9TH GRADE and UP Hurray, hurray for squeaky clean YAs! For those of us that love the adventures and magic of Neverland and wonder about what happens to Wendy when she becomes of age and considers marriage, Julie Wright's book, Wendy's Ever After, answers that question. Wendy wants nothing to do with the suitors that pursue her constantly. The balls, the gorgeous flower arrangements that arrive (she wishes she could send a stalk of poison hemlock in return), the glitz and the glitter mean nothing to her, but her mother insists that it's time to secure her future.. How can any of this compare to where her heart really lies - in Neverland where adventures abound and with the spunky boy at the heart of it all, but he has forgotten her. He promised to visit, but she hasn't seen him in years. Then one night, at a masquerade ball, a handsome, masked stranger appears that immediately captures her attention. When he whispers words about Neverland in her ear Wendy knows that at least one more great adventure awaits her, and the possibility of love might just be a reality. Not everything is as straightforward as it seems in Wendy's Ever After. There are some great twists and turns that will leave readers guessing as to the final outcome of the story. Highly recommend! HEADS UP - There is light magic in the story. A character thanks a flower in passing for its healing quality.

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW by Michelle Shocklee GREEN LIGHT AGES: 9TH GRADE - ADULT All We Thought We Knew is the squeaky clean, 2025 Christy Award Winner for Historical Fiction that does what feels like is the impossible. It brings together the unlikely worlds of the Vietnam War and World War II's Pearl Harbor. Both theaters inflicted loss that affected families in astronomical ways with significant lasting impact. The silver lining of this moving story is that God never leaves nor forsakes us and healing occurs when we choose to forgive. This heart warming story will leave you wondering how it's all going to connect until the very last minute

30 POEMS TO MEMORIZE (BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!) Edited by David Kern AGES; 9TH GRADE - ADULT I have a love/not so much love relationship for poetry. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? There are times that I enjoy reading it: crisp fall days while staring at "two roads'" that "diverge in a wood," or watching my "woods fill up with snow," etc, but the truth is, poetry can very quickly become frustrating to read and understand. Not always, but often, poetry is born out of a moment that moves the writer's soul, and words gush out that embrace or lament those moments. It can quickly become a turnoff if you really have no idea what the author is talking about. Enter 30 Poems to Memorize. This book is a collection of beautiful works of poetry from a variety of poets. Some poems you may recognize. Some poet's names you'll recognize. What makes this collection so valuable is the essay that follows each poem that helps us, the amateur poetry enthusiast or the mom who desperately wants to add poetry to her homeschool lineup but has no idea where to begin, unlock the meaning behind the words. Whether you choose to memorize the poems or just savor them, this book is a tool that will help you leave the table with some true understanding in what you've just read. Some of the poets included are: Wendell Berry, T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, William Shakespeare, Homer, Langston Hughes, John Keats, Wallace Stevens, and many more.

LOST by Tom Adams. Illustrated by Daniela Martin Del Campo. GREEN LIGHT AGES: 5TH - 8TH GRADE Kids love the idea of buried treasure, Egyptian tombs still hidden under desert sands, and stolen priceless artwork waiting to be found. It's the grueling pursuit, the moment of discovery, and forever having your name tied to something great that causes minds and eyes to light up with the possibilities. DK offers kids an overflowing buffet to ponder and wonder about in Lost . Everything from places to people to art to treasure and more is covered in this great book. This is the type of book you could get at the library or bookstore and hand to your kids, or you could set it out somewhere in plain sight, stand back, and see if they naturally pick it up. It's black cover with bright yellow and green coloring draws immediate attention. Don't be surprised if you start hearing all kinds of really cool stories. I know that I was hooked and had a hard time putting this book down! HEADS UP - Periodic evolutionary dating occurs.

THE HAPPY HOLLISTERS ON A RIVER TRIP by Jerry West GREEN LIGHT AGES; K - 6TH Grade as a Read Aloud 3rd - 6th Grade read by myself I recently returned from a family vacation on Lake Anna in Virginia. How fun it was to read The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip in the hot weather while overlooking the water! This book is perfect for elementary age kids who love a good mystery. Similar to The Bobbsey Twins or a step before Nancy Drew/The Hardy Boys, this series is packed with pictures, good wholesome family values, and a mystery to boot. The Happy Hollisters on a River Cruise is a perfect summer read either as a read aloud or on your child's own to enjoy. Full of fishing competitions, disappearances, and a family trip down the river, summer adventures don't get much better!

A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens Here we are again! It's the last day for our current Book Club read, A Tale of Two Cities. I hope you enjoyed the book and were able to connect with it whether it was your first time through or your tenth time through! On that note, let's jump in and bring this baby home! Last week we left off with the rug pulled out from under our feet. Darnay had just been unexpectedly tried for the second time and found guilty, and it happened by the most unlikeliest of witnesses, Dr. Manette. It wasn't his verbal testimony that put the final nail in Darnay's coffin. It was his written testimony. An account he wrote in his prison cell of the events that led up to his wrongful imprisonment - one that caused his disappearance from the world of the living for 18 years. Can you imagine how crushing this is to Manette? How he has sought and campaigned for Darnay's freedom only to be the one that secures his demise? How Madame Defarge must be enjoying this! I have to throw something in here at this point. Think for a moment about the comparison Dickens offers us between the peasants and their thirst for vengeance that steps far outside the lines of righting the wrong committed to them. They kill those responsible. Then the hate spreads like a cancer, and they attempt to annihilate an entire class of people whether they were guilty of the crime or not. Now, lay beside that the actions of Dr. Manette who was wrongly mistreated as well but chose to forgive the blood relative of those who wronged him. Not only that, he did all he could to rescue him, live in peace with him, and move forward with life. Which has the greater peace in the outcome? Who reaches the point where there is no longer innocent blood on their hands? As I write this with regards to the peasants, I am struck with the mental picture of Christ as he stands next to Pontius Pilate right before his crucifixion, and the crowd cries out, " May His blood be on us and on our children." (Matthew 27:25) We're not finished yet. CHAPTER 11 - DUSK FRANCE The first item I need to call attention to is the chapter titles. The last chapter was "The Substance of the Shadow," now "Dusk,' and then "Darkness." We are descending into night, The sun is setting on Darnay's life. The chapter begins with the parting words between a husband and wife. Have you ever thought about what you would say to your husband if you knew he was about to die? I'm going to throw in a couple of things here. Do with them what you want. I try and make it a practice to say goodbye to my husband and give him a kiss every time he leaves the house. Don't think for a minute that those kisses are always super heartfelt. My husband and I are both firstborns, and sometimes there is a standoff that has just occurred before he leaves. What it does allow is for the last thing that we speak and do before he leaves for work is not words spoken in anger. In January, I got a call from my husband saying that he had been travelling on the interstate (4 lanes separated by a walled median) when a wheel and tire flew off a van, went over the median, and struck the roof and windshield of his Dodge Ram truck. Thankfully, the roof absorbed the majority of the impact. The windshield was shattered. (My husband ended up with small shards of glass in his mouth). Thankfully, despite the shock, my husband was able to get his truck safely over to the side of the interstate and didn't hit anyone in the process. When the police officer arrived on scene, he told my husband that he was lucky to be alive. (We don't believe in luck. We believe in the protection of God!) If that wheel had been just the tiniest bit lower, he would have died. I get the emotion of saying goodbye to your spouse in this chapter. All the things you want to say. Lucie passes out, and who comes to her rescue? Sydney Carton. Note that Dickens tells us that he doesn't have a flush of pity but of pride. He carries her to her carriage and asks little Lucie if he may kiss her mother on the cheek. As he does he whispers the words, "A life you love." Do you begin to see where this going? "Greater love has no man than this: to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13) The one who seemed to have no purpose and no ambition in life is the one that now steps with a settled step. He knows the path that is opening the up before him. CHAPTER 12 - DARKNESS FRANCE Carton's plan is put into action. He stops in the Defarge's wineshop. Why in the world would he do that? He MUST BE SEEN! It must be known that there is a man about that looks almost identical to Darnay for this to work. As he sits he overhears conversation between Monsieur and Madame Defarge, Vengeance, and Jacques Three. Monsieur Defarge is troubled with what is going to happen to Darnay because of how it is affecting Manette. Madame Defarge is questioning Manette's loyalty to the Republic, and we see Madame Defarge for who she really is when she tells us that Lucie's life is hanging by a mere flick of her finger. But the greatest reveal of this chapter, the part that we were holding our breath for, is who was the sister that the brother hid away before he went after the Evremonde brothers for what they did to his other sister? Of course it is Madame Defarge. Now, we understand why her hatred goes so much deeper than that of a "mother bear" that we talked about earlier. Her husband is not on board with all of this killing and reminds her of Darnay's mother that tried to intervene. Dickens knows how to speak to his readers about everything they are feeling. I don't know about you, but there have been several moments where I have thought about the benefit of taking out Madame Defarge. As Carton leaves, he asks for directions to the National Palace, and Madame Defarge takes him to the door, puts her arm on his, and points the way. We all know how thoughts run through our heads, and Carton is no different. He imagines himself lifting up her arm and stabbing her under it. We may mistakenly think that that would stop the bloodshed, but when you cut off the head of a resistance leader, often there are many more waiting to take over and the action fuels the fire. Carton returns to Lorry's home, and they anxiously await Manette's return from his last ditch attempt at saving Darnay. As he enters, it is evident that all is lost. He immediately begins looking for his bench and tools. Now Carton's path is set. There is no looking back. Never breathing a word to Lorry about his true intentions, he gives him the paperwork that allows Carton to leave the city for "safekeeping" and gives him the paperwork that falls out of Dr. Manette's jacket that gives permission for Manette, Lucie, and Little Lucie to leave as well. He tells Lorry that Lucie and Little Lucie are in grave danger and to secure passage for them to leave France tomorrow by 2pm. He is to only wait for Carton's place to be filled and then he must leave without exception. He says his goodbyes to Lorry and Manette in a way that only he understands that they are forever. He walks outside, looks up at Lucie's window and whispers a Farewell. We know what's coming. CHAPTER 13 - FIFTY-TWO FRANCE Why the name 52? Because 52 are condemned to die the next day. Darnay writes his goodbye letters To Lucie. - He confirms his innocence of any knowledge of what his father and uncle had done. He confirms his love and blessing over her and tells her they will meet in Heaven. To Manette - He also confirms that he had no knowledge of what his father and uncle had done. He leaves Lucie and Little Lucie in his care. To Lorry - He tells his him the state of his worldly goods and leaves them all in his care. He never thinks of Carton, and he falls asleep. He sleeps a little, but the wakes up with everything on his mind. (I think all of us can relate to this.) He thinks about the guillotine. How high it is, will the hands that touch him be red with other's blood, etc. He paces as he plays all this out in his mind. The hours count down. Then he hears footsteps. Note how often the theme of footsteps shows up in this book. This time the footsteps are bearers of hope (though Darnay doesn't know that yet!) They belong to John Barsad (the spy, Miss Pross's brother) and Sydney Carton. I'm not going to go through all the exchange, but Carton has Darnay switch clothes with him and write out a letter that tells us exactly what is happening here. He writes of the words that he told Lucie long ago. It is only to keep Darnay busy for the next step. Remember the powders that Carton picked up from the chemist shop? He passes the powder under Darnay's nose, and he passes out. Carton puts on Darnay's clothes. Calls Barsad back and with the help of some friends, they carry Darnay out. This does not startle the guards as it is common for people to faint from the emotion or have come in drunk and passed out. They have no trouble getting Darnay out the door and Carton takes his place. Then the gaoler comes for him. Dickens is so gracious to us in the fact that he allows a companion to emerge so Carton doesn't go through this by himself. A young woman joins him and they begin the journey together. Dickens give us one more huge blessing, because she somehow realizes that he is not Darnay. As he goes through his final moments someone knows of the sacrifice that he is making. Meanwhile, a carriage leaves quietly bearing Manette, Lucie, Little Lucie, Lorry, and Darnay asleep in the corner (but everyone thinks it is Carton). They pass through the check point and are not pursued. CHAPTER 14 - THE KNITTING DONE FRANCE We knew that Madame Defarge would never be satisfied with just the death of Darnay. His entire family must pay the price, so she secures the method to make sure that happens and sets out to accomplish it. We have to love Miss Pross by the end of this chapter. How creepy for Miss Pross to be in the house by herself finishing the packing when she looks up and sees Madame Defarge in the room with her. Seriously, this is the stuff that horror movies are made from! The faithful Miss Pross has made it her business to put herself between Madame Defarge and Lucie (even though Lucie is already gone, she's trying to buy them as much time to get away as possible.) The age old stand of love versus hate shines forth in their exchange. Madame Defarge lunges and Pross grabs her and wraps her arms around her waist. She can't get to her ax. Madame Defarge reaches into her bosom for her gun, but Pross hits it causing it to go off and Madame Defarge falls down dead. Miss Pross settles herself, puts on her bonnet which hides the scratches on her face and her messed up hair, locks the door, crosses the bridge over the river, and drops the key into the river. She meets up with Jerry Cruncher where she realizes that she is deaf from the gunshot. She will never hear again. They leave France. CHAPTER !5 - THE FOOTSTEPS DIE OUT FOREVER FRANCE/ENGLAND Note our footsteps, again, in the title of the chapter. I don't know about you, but I am ready for the footsteps to come to an end and life to move to a more peaceful state. We're almost there but not quite yet. The carts rattle through the streets carrying the 52 prisoners to the guillotine. Darnay (Carton) is the star of the show, the one that all have come to see. He pays them no heed only focusing on the girl next to him. Vengeance is in a panic looking for Madame Defarge who would never miss this pinnacle event. And as Vengeance scrambles and screams the carts unload and the blade begins to crash down. Sydney focuses only on the girl in front of him. He turns her back to the guillotine, so she doesn't see the continuous flow of death. He reassures her, and they kiss each other goodbye. The girl steps forward and is gone - number 22. Carton steps forward reciting to himself, "I am the Resurrection and the Life..." He places himself in the spot, the crowd pushes forward, and then it all fades away. Number 23. Thank goodness Dickens doesn't leave us hanging there. We must know if the rest of the people that we have come to love, did they make it? First of all, Defarge, Vengeance, and many other of the leadership of the revolution end up dying by the end. It takes a long time, but beauty does come from the ashes of everything that happened in France. But to those we love, Lucie lives and has a child that is named Sydney. Dr. Manette revives and lives out his life well watching over his family. Lorry lives out his days blessing the family before he passes away. Darnay is not mentioned in the initial paragraph. However, he is mentioned in the next paragraph. Lucie weeps on the anniversary and when she and Darnay die, Carton knows that he holds a very special place in each of their souls. As the boy grows who bears his name, the actions of the original Sydney Carton are blotted out and replaced with all the amazing things that the young man does under the name of Sydney Carton. It is the last quote that solidifies everything as much as the opening quote did. "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done, it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." When I closed the book with my high school group, I looked at them and asked them who their favorite character was in the book? Now, I ask you. For me, Sydney Carton was the lynchpin in this amazing novel. The power of change, of finding purpose and love, of self-sacrifice. He overwhelms me and leaves me in awe. We would all be so blessed to have a friend so committed, and it leaves us asking how quickly we would be to do the same. I hope you all enjoyed this book. I find it unbelievably moving. Hopefully, as we close the cover and reflect over the pages, we are challenged in our own thoughts and motives, because as we know it doesn't take much for thoughts and motives to turn into actions whether good or bad.

REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt YELLOW LIGHT WITH CAUTION AGE: ADULT Remarkably Bright Creatures is a story that follows three different people's journey. Well, let me rephrase that. It is a story that follows two people and an octopus. Tova is a lonely widow whose son disappeared years ago. Cameron is a 30-year-old guy who despite being super intelligent can't hold down a job and has very little purpose in life. His mom disappeared years ago, and now he thinks he's discovered who his real father is. He's off on a journey to meet him. Marcellus is the brightest character in the book, and he's an octopus close to the end of his life. When Tova and Cameron end up meeting each other through work at a local aquarium, Marcellus makes it his life mission to bring these two hurting individuals together. Now before you think you already have it figured out how that's going to happen by reading this review, let me just say there are a few unexpected twists that make this an overall heartwarming story. Some people, myself included, will struggle with the intelligence of the octopus, and how he tells his story to us the readers. (He doesn't talk to Tova or Cameron.) While I do know that the octopus is an intelligent creature, it was hard for me to feel that some happenings in the story were believable. Others will love the brilliance of using such an unlikely character to bring people together. HEADS UP - There is a fair amount of language including G**d*** and one f-bomb. There are 3 sexual relationships mentioned (one is a married couple). There are no intimate details given.