The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas -and- other summer entertainment

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas just made my list of favorite books.  AND, so far this summer (all six and a half days of it) it's my very favorite.  The striking division of parallels in the story is both fascinating and heartbreaking.  That it's told from an innocent nine year old boy's perspective allows the heaviness of the topic (The Holocaust) to be somehow more bearable.  I love that the boy is German.  So many thoughts about being born into circumstance filled my head... LOTS of food for thought.  It's not a fairy tale (like the Holocaust, there was no happy ending, except that happily, it finally ended).  I'm aware that a movie has been made from the book, but have no plans to see it.  The story was so compelling--I found it both fascinating and tragic that the two little boys found so much in common, yet couldn't quite make sense of their worlds-- plus I hate to ruin my version with someone else's interpretation on the big screen.  Besides; I can so quickly pass over an unpleasant incident in print... while uninvited images tend to burn swiftly into my memory...  a book in the hand is worth dozens on the big screen. 

I am pleased to report that my goal for summer (to find my self occasionally with my feet up, book in hand) is going swimmingly.  There are several books on my bedside table.  The only other book I've finished this season is Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this out loud with Morning Boy.  It was clever, entertaining and thought-provoking: my kudos to the eight year old for predicting the outcome less than half-way into the story.  I don't know if that means the book is disappointingly predictable or if he's just imaginatively brilliant.  I will admit that the only way I'll check out the next book in the series is if he begs me to read it to him.

Finally, it's been a very RAINY week.

We treated ourselves to an afternoon at the movies last week and saw Monsters University.

Fantastic.

Also: my kids had to keep shushing me.  Apparently moms who laugh out loud in the movie theater are embarrassing.  Two thumbs up for the sequel to one of our very favorite movies ever.

Hilarious AND sweet.  If you're the one who usually waits for movies to come out on DVD, this one's worth the admission price.  AND the price of snacks.

P.S.

Bragging rights for making my kids sit through the credits.  They were up and trying to leave, and I kept telling them it's always worth sitting through the credits to see what happens at the VERY end.  They thought I was crazy.  Just so you know, Monsters University did not disappoint.  You'll have to sit through the credits (ALL of them) to see what I mean.

(told you so)