LuAnne Rice

What Matters Most

 

I always know that when I pick up a book written by Luanne Rice, I will be drawn into a wonderfully woven story. Last week I picked up a copy of What Matters Most, and I have once again found myself snuggled up with another fantastic book. The main character, Sister Bernadette Ignatius,  has returned to Ireland with her caretaker/friend Tom Kelly to search for the son they gave up many years ago.  Bernadette and Tom have a past filled with young love and desire, that came to a hault when Bernadette felt a calling to a vocation as Mother Superior at Star of the Sea Academy on the sea-tossed Connecticut shore. Her decision to give up their son and life as she knew it, also affected Tom. He wound up giving up his fortune and taking the job as caretaker at Star of the Sea, so that he could remain close to his beloved Bernie, knowing he could no longer have  herbut whom he never stopped loving. Bernie's calling may have changed the path of both of their lives, however, their journey together is far from over.

In Dublin, Ireland a young man named Seamus Sullivan is also dealing with finding his life's path and dreaming of being reunited with his own first love, the only “family” he’s ever known. They’d been inseparable growing up together at St. Augustine’s Children’s Home, until Kathleen Murphy’s parents claimed her and took her home to America. Years later, in a Newport mansion, Kathleen, now a grown woman, works as a maid and waits with a strong faith, for the miracle that will bring back the only boy she’s ever loved.

Miracles are in store for those who are brave enough to hope for what matters most...

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-matters-most-luanne-rice/1100259870

http://www.amazon.com/What-Matters-Most-Luanne-Rice/dp/0553589709

Reading about the real "Downton Abbey"

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

The Countess of Carnarvon

Mud City by Deborah Ellis

Did Shauzia make it to Paris?

I have recently finished reading Parvana's Journey, the second book in The Breadwinner trilogy, to my fifth grade class. On Monday, I will begin to share the third book, Mud City.  I have shared this trilogy for the past six years and found that each time I do, my class becomes totally captivated with the story. What I really like about this series is the way the author, Deborah Ellis, provides both current and historical events with the a realistic story of family and friendship. Unfortunately, families and friendships have been ripped apart by the Taliban and their rule. At the conclusion of the first book, The Breadwinner, the reader was left wondering what would happen to Parvana, her father, and if Shauzia made it to France. Parvana and Shauzia made a pact to meet at the Eiffel Tower one day, which kept my students on edge wondering about the whereabouts of Shauzia. The second book, Parvana's Journey, followed Parvana on her journey to reunite her family. Throughout the second book, Parvana wrote journal entries to Shauzia and kept referring to the purple fields of France, hoping Shauzia reached her destination. The entries helped keep Shauzia a part of the story.

Mud City  continues the story of Shauzia. As the book opens, it becomes apparent that Shauzia has not made it to France. My students can't wait for me to begin reading this book to them, and they been making predictions ever since we finished reading Parvana's Journey.

I would really love to know if anyone else has shared this trilogy with their class. I will add a link to Barnes and Noble where you may order Mud City, as well as the other books from the Breadwinner trilogy.


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mud-city-deborah-ellis/1102212817