What I'm reading right now...

I am currently reading On the Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells. It's a young adult novel about a young man named Oscar who lives during the Great Depression. He and his father build a train layout and amass quite the collection of Lionel trains. When the Depression hits, Oscar and his dad lose the house and the trains to the bank and banker respectively. Oscar's dad heads to California to find work, and Oscar is left with the less-than-entertaining Aunt Carmen. Oscar makes a new acquaintance and through a series of events, he ends up traveling through time in the very same trains that he and his dad put together.

I'm not finished with the book yet because I let my dad borrow it. After a few minutes of reading, he was hooked and just had to take the book home to finish it. So far, it's a great novel. Very engaging and entertaining. The main character, Oscar, is a likeable kid with whom some students may identify. The plot is engaging, and I'm not really sure at all how it's going to turn out, but based upon what I've read so far, I know it's going to be great!

There are also beautiful black and white illustrations done by Bagram Ibatoulline throughout the novel. These beautiful little gems will help students get a great visual sense of the characters and events of the story, as well.

I definitely recommend this book!