The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma - ESSENTIAL

Ozma, Alice  The Reading Promise, 288 pgs.  Grand Central Publishing, 2011. $24.99  Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: G. 

As a fourth grader, Alice and her librarian father decide to have a reading streak for 100 nights in a row.  Every night Alice’s father reads to her for fifteen minutes from her favorite books.  After they accomplish their original goal of 100 nights, they decide to keep the streak up for as long as they can, which makes for some awkward moments as Alice gets older.  As you read about their reading streak you get to know about Alice and her father's lives and relationship. 

I loved this memoir.  It made me laugh out loud, and sometimes I had to read passages to my husband.  When I got towards the end I sobbed for ten straight minutes.  I loved getting to know Alice and her father and reflecting on what parent-children relationships are like as time goes on.  This book didn’t have a spectacular plot or anything, it had simple and heartwarming glimpses into a relationship, and I think I appreciated it more as an adult than I would have as a teenager, but it still has great value for teens.  This book encourages the value of reading and having someone to share what you have read with.  The only reason I wouldn't put it in an elementary school is that I don't think it would hold the interest of young readers.

MS, HS-ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.