This book is on my to-read list. A brief summary and praise is listed below:

"Originally published in 1964 and hailed by critics including Cynthia Ozick and Elie Wiesel, Other People’s Houses is Lore Segal’s internationally acclaimed semi-autobiographical first novel.

Nine months after Hitler takes Austria, a ten-year-old girl leaves Vienna aboard a children’s transport that is to take her and several hundred children to safety in England. For the next seven years she lives in “other people’s houses,” the homes of the wealthy Orthodox Jewish Levines, the working-class Hoopers, and two elderly sisters in their formal Victorian household. An insightful and witty depiction of the ways of life of those who gave her refuge, Other People’s Houses is a wonderfully memorable novel of the immigrant experience.

Lore Segal was born in Vienna and educated at the University of London. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times Book Review, and New Republic. She lives in New York City." -TheNewPress.com

Mister Rogers was such a tender and caring individual, and we all know that from watching his TV series growing up. However, what most of us probably don't know is how he interacted with other people in his life when he wasn't in front of the camera. This documentary does a brilliant job of showcasing the behind-the-scenes lifestyle of Mister Rogers, which I found to be both touching and inspiring. To tell you the truth, learning more about the gentle and kind ways of Mister Rogers really makes me want to be a better person, too. This is definitely a feel-good film for all ages.

This is a great book. Really. We need more books written about the struggles of children who grow up as a part of their schools' minorities, and how they are forced to balance their two cultures (the culture their ethnic background has decided for them and the American culture that they are being raised in) simultaneously as they are coming of age. I also really love the courage, strength, and determination Yang instills into young readers with the mythological stories told throughout novel. The layers of stories throughout the book can also be taken abstractly as metaphors for how Asian-Americans are forced to layer on multiple identities in today's world.

Chasing Redbird is an amazing, imaginative, and beautifully told adventure that will have you unable to put it down. I first read this years ago in middle school, but now, even as an adult, its unique and mysterious charm draws me in. Recommended to readers of all ages!

The plot of this book only ruins the beauty of Block's writing style a little bit. I found the whole falling in love with the movie star thing to be a little far-stretched, but overall I didn't let it ruin the amazing imagery found in this novel; you'll really feel like you're in another world when the book takes you to the setting of rural England. Ruby's character as the narrator is also very honest, raw, and contemplative, which adds a body of grace to the story that is both touching and priceless.