"A Single Shard"

This book is very different.  No funny kids, no quirky grandparents, no humor at all.  I still really enjoyed it.  It is set in 12th century Korea in a potter's village.  The daily life is so different than what we are used to.  Living to survive.  Surviving as an orphan under a bridge.  I loved the sheer determination of the little orphan.  The kindness of the man under the bridge.  The way Min, the potter, teaches Tree-Ear.  Min is gruff but Tree-Ear learns that he is appreciative of his hard work.  There is sacrifice and hard work for something you really want.  Sacrifice for someone you love.  There were many good messages in this short little story of an orphan named Tree-Ear.

"Missing May"

This book, by Cynthia Rylant, describes the life of a six year old orphan girl, Summer.  Her Aunt May and Uncle Ob take her to Deep Water to raise her in their simple trailer.  They don't have money but they love and cherish her.  When Summer is 12, Aunt May passes away.  Uncle Ob grieves and Summer tries to comfort him.  Ob thinks May is trying to visit him and searches for a spiritual communicator.  Cletus, a friend of Summers, finds an old ad in a newspaper for a Reverend that can communicate with the dead.  They make a road trip and find the Reverend has passed on. Ob is determined to find a sign from May that will show him what he needs to do next.  He has quit making his whirligigs and feels no purpose.   They realize that they can go on with their lives without disrespecting May's memory.  They decide to take all Ob's whirligigs into May's empty garden and make it beautiful again. 

I enjoyed this book.  I love funny quirky kids, and adults for that matter.