Throwing Shadows

Rating:
Summary: Everyone throws a shadow...
Review: Konigsburg has written 5 short stories that each are designed to teach a lesson about life in a subtle manner. The stories are somewhat entertaining and beautifully written. While there is something that can be learned from life, none of these stories have large impacting moments; rather they are all lessons we learn from daily experiences with people. That was what I liked about it.

What I didn't like is that it was very slow moving and the stories were a bit lengthy with too much background information about characters we will not know for very long anyhow. Because of this I would not use the book as a read-aloud in a classroom environment, but some children may enjoy reading.

Why 4 stars?:
This is a beautifully written book that shows some lessons that we all learn in life through varied experiences. It doesn't suit well to read-alouds and the stories can get a bit long and bogged down with unimportant details. However, this may be just the right book for some child and if it keeps him reading then it is invaluable.

Rating:
Summary: More great reading by Kongisburg
Review: This is a collection of short stories by my favorite children's author. Although I have "out grown" her books, I will never feel that way. She is an amazing author, and although I am not Jewish, I feel like I have learned about the Jewish culture through the characters in her books. A must-have for Konigsburg fans.