The Mysterious Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

I love this book. Being that it is the story of a china rabbit who learns how to love, one might think that a) it's for litle kids and b) that it's really sappy. It is neither! In the hands of the amazing Kate DiCamillo it is a lovely book that people of all ages should read and savor. Edward comes full circle and as he is passed from person to person (from his first mistress to a fisherman's wife to a hobo to a dying girl to a shelf in a doll store) he is tattered and torn and broken, but he emerges with a heart that not only can love, but that is eager to be loved in return. The doll in the store says it best when she tells him he must be awash with hope--he must wonder who will come along to love him next. DiCamillo's vocabulary is impressive and her writing style somehow imitates classic children's books without ever being stilted or overdone. Read this one with your whole family! (OMS owns it on CD, so take it on a road trip and make everyone listen!)