Book #70: "Almost Home"

This weekend I made a new friend, which is something I don't do easily. I used to think of myself as shy. As an adult, I've come to realize that word isn't accurate but is certainly more succinct than the actual issue, which is twofold: 1) I am a solitary person by nature and 2) I am somewhat socially awkward. So things like parties and dances are not my favorite unless I know enough people (a somewhat fluid concept, but probably defined as "between two and ten, depending on the size of the crowd.")

This was compounded, growing up, by the unshakable conviction that everyone merely tolerated my presence. Junior high was the worst-by high school, I had developed some coping mechanisms and a supportive group of friends; in my twenties, I gradually discovered that there was nothing wrong with preferring solitude, that the majority of people actually found me delightful, but (and most importantly), it didn't matter what other people thought of me. (That was a major breakthrough in my life. Major breakthroughs get bold fonts.)

So while I certainly have friends, I don't really feel the need to look for others. Sometimes, as John Lennon taught us, the universe has other plans for us. And occasionally those plans manifest themselves as a friend of a friend of a friend needing a place to stay for the weekend. And given my proclivities, my preferred method of entertaining visitors is to show them the books.

I am always hoping for shock and awe when I do this, and boy, did she deliver! Not only was she suitably impressed, but she wanted to talk about how I acquired them, and my method for organizing them, and which ones were my favorites. I found that when discussing my favorites, I tend to talk about authors more than specific titles. And in any list of my favorite authors, Joan Bauer would have to be near the top.

Bauer basically has two audiences for her books: the majority are teen, but in the last several years she has written a few for what bookstores would call young readers, approximately eight to eleven years old. And interestingly, those books tend to have much more intense subject matter than the teen novels. This is probably my favorite of the young reader group, though occasionally heartrending.

Author: Joan Bauer

Potentially objectionable content: Some elements could be difficult for precociously skilled but not emotionally mature readers.