Notes from Spinning Planet: Ireland by Melody Carlson

Warning: this is a young adult book. I will probably be reading quite a few of these in the next month, as I have to book talk to approx. 15-20 middle school classes in May and I have to have something to read to them.

This book stars a girl who has grown up on a farm in rural Oregon. Her aunt is sent on assignment to Ireland and decides to take Maddie along as a companion. At the last minute, her aunt also brings along Ryan, her godson who's mother just died. Maddie has to come to grips with a lot of differences in culture in Ireland. In my opinion, she is extremely overexcited about her no drinking theories. In her opinion, Christians should not drink at all. I guess she didn't grow up German Lutheran, where you can drink with family as soon as you are confirmed, especially if you are a boy.

Once she is able to unwind a bit about the alcohol thing, she learns a lot about Ireland and its culture. I learned a lot in this book about the IRA, the RIRA, and all the reasons behind the fighting and violence that has been occurring in Ireland for generations. All in all, a very good book. We have the next two in the series too, so I'm sure I will read them soon.