At Night

Like the little girl in Jonathan Bean's book At Night, I am often awake at night. Too hot. Too cold. Too many thoughts about tomorrow. Too many things I did not get done. Too many night noises. No one is awake worrying about me like her mom is about her, but I worry about my sons. I read the book to third graders yesterday in a lesson about setting, and it was perfect for how setting is more than place and time and season. The children sensed the girl's restlessness, the peace of the rooftop, the calm of her cat, and her mom's concern...all things that added to the feeling tone of the book. Even the book's smaller size adds to its setting and makes it perfect for poring over again by oneself.

Another reason I cannot sleep this week is a book. The images that remain in my mind and heart from Elizabeth Wein's newest book Rose Under Fire, a companion to Code Name Verity kept surfacing in my dreams and mixing history with my reality.