The Lottery

Today was Mia's first field trip at school. I chaperoned as we went to an apple orchard. 4K is terrific. There were about 10 parents to watch over 20 kids; you don't see that kind of parent participation in later school years. This picture is of Mia and one of her "favoritest" friends Jackie. Mia, Jackie, and Autumn are like the Three Musketeers at school; where you find one, you find the other two. She's exhausted now, but it was a great day. On the way home, I had to leave the van idling at the library so she could listen to all of Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape. It's amazing how much she loves music, and so many different varieties of it! Here's her top ten list of favorite songs.
1. Our House by Madness
2. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
3. Hey There Delilah by Plain What T's
4. I Like to Move it (Move it) from the Madagascar soundtrack
5. Alligators All Around by Carole King
6. Shoulder to Shoulder by Carly Simon
7. My Baby Hippo
8. Jingle Bells
9. Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire
10. Sh-Boom by The Chords

The Lottery by Patricia Wood is the story of Perry Crandall who wins $12 million in the lottery and learns more about life than most people ever get the chance to. Perry is not retarded, because retarded means having an IQ of 75 or lower. Perry's is 76, so like his grandma tells him, he's just a bit slow. He works at a fishing supply store in Washington and counts his co-workers and boss as family. Perry's life starts to spin after the death of his grandmother. His brothers and mother who abandoned him at birth kick him out of his home and leave him with nothing. He moves above the fishing store and tries to keep to the routines that his grandmother had built into his life, and that includes buying a weekly lottery ticket. When Perry wins the $12 million jackpot, his long lost relatives suddenly want to reclaim him as family, but he relies upon old friends and new friend Cherry, a convenience store clerk who awakens feelings Perry didn't know he could have. With the money comes fame and demands on him, but it also brings about new responsibilities at the store as the boss realizes Perry has far more potential than realized. But tragedy strikes again, and Perry realizes that there are too many things that money can't buy, and ultimately he doesn't need money to bring him happiness. I loved this book. It would be perfect for book clubs or as a gift. Perry's perceptions of life are so simple and so true that they occasionally made me catch my breath or brought a tear to my eyes. When looking at Cherry's multiple tattoos, she tells him that the one on her ankle hurt the most, because it was closest to the bone. Perry thinks that's a good description for how much he misses his grandmother; it hurts because it's so close to the bone. This book will grow close to your heart.

HT to Angela Hunt for this quick quiz on the first lines from famous novels. See how well you do, I got 10. http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/education_1/?page=quiz61&Quizid=61