It was sixth grade English class, and the assignment was to read and do a report on a fiction book with some historical content. Though I'd always loved to read, history was something I'd not taken a shining to. So I hem-hawed around, becoming enthusiastic for no one title. My teacher, somehow, didn't get angry with me; instead she gave me guidance, working with me to find the perfect book.
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Wikipedia summarizes it better than I could:
The story is told first person by a twelve-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. The action focuses on the escaped German Prisoner of War she befriends and protects, as well as her relationship with her abusive father, uncaring mother, and their maid.
I can't tell you how much I loved this book. Bette Greene's characters were amazingly real to me, as I got caught up in the story as if I'd lived it myself. In fact, now I've got myself wondering if that was a defining time for me; one that told me this is what I want to do - write like this.
I think I should like to read it all over again.
What's a favorite book of yours and why? I ask you to post about it, and let me know you've done so. Call it an unofficial meme of sorts...
ETA: Pfft! Can't seem to adjust the format... so sorry the paragraphs are smooshed together...
