Bright AND BeautifulI realize it's an overused phrase, "I couldn't put it down," however, if any book deserves to be described in this manner, it's this charming and beautifully-written story called The Book of Bright Ideas. I picked it up because of the cover art, a little blond girl with a tutu and a tiara, and I liked the idea of reading about friendship. And that's exactly what this story is about. It's about a friendship not only between the nine-year-old narrator, "Button," and a little girl named Winnalee, but also between the women in their lives, the exotic and wild Freeda, the conservative and self-loathing Jewel, and the lovable and joyful Aunt Verdella. I found the voice of the narrator captivating and consistent, so pure in spirit--dripping with innocence--that I was completely engrossed in her story of the summer Freeda and Winnalee showed up in their small Wisconsin town.The characters and the relationships are complicated and intriguing. Winnalee, a gypsy of a girl obsessed with fairies, dress-up clothes, and the urn holding the ashes of her "Ma," carries around a display book of blank pages with the title "Great Expectations," in which she records bright ideas as they come to her. She numbers them and has a goal to reach 100 bright ideas, believing this magical number will allow her to know all the secrets of life. When she moves into Button's dead grandmother's house, Winnalee becomes Button's best friend and allows Button to add ideas to the book as they come to her. The ideas are never random, but always based on a personal experience and refreshingly down to earth and amusing. For example, "Bright Idea #90: After you play beauty shop, your husband might say you look like a beauty queen, or he might just ask you where the Phillips screwdriver is. Either way, it doesn't matter, as long as your new hair makes you think nice things about yourself." I found myself devouring each chapter and particularly looking forward to the next bright idea.I loved this book.
This book was absoluetly amazing! My only regret is that I haven't read this before now. This is such a wonderfully written story about two 9 year old girls (Button & Winnalee) who become best friends. There were so many emotions I felt while reading this: anger, happiness, sadness....just about every emotion one can feel. I felt sorry for Button because her parents treated her almost as if she were invisible. There were times when her mother (Jewel) was so mean, I wanted to knock the crap out of her. I did end up understanding why Jewel was the way she was, but in the beginning, I hated her! Winnalee couldn't have come into Button's life at a better time. Button's Aunt and Uncle were two of my favorite characters (next to the girls!).I never had a close, best friend like Button or Winnalee and my wish would be that EVERY little girl have a friendship like theirs, as well as their own "Book of Bright Ideas". My favorite Bright Idea from the book is #84: When you go through a new town that don't look like much, stop anyway, because you might just find a best friend waiting there".I encourage anyone who hasn't read this book to go get a copy. It's a quick read and one that can be finished in the course of a weekend!
What do You think about The Book Of Bright Ideas (2006)?
I started and stopped reading this book a couple of times before I finally picked it up once and for all and read it. I thought this was a pretty decent read and one I would file as "beach read", you know, not heavy drama but something that will certainly engage and entertain. I think this book would make a fantastic movie--at least on Lifetime...I gave this book to my cousin who suggested it to her book club. I think her book club reads serious books and they will all think I'm a superdumbblonde. Di--what did the club think?
—Amy Brooks
I really liked this book. It's profound but in a gentle way with fun and interesting and real relationships. It maintains an optimistic tone even though it deals with some sad topics. The story was a page-turner, but the people are what I remember; in my mind, they're a mess of broken crayons on top of a stark and tidy pencil drawing at the beginning of the book. By the end, the crayons are patched together in a Crayola box, and the drawing has bent edges and tinges of color in all the right places.
—Krista
I love this book. Winnalee and Button are charming, believable, and so funny and interesting. The author creates dialogue that sounds so real that a reader can become completely immersed. The adult characters in the story are honorable people who have problems but their struggles are met with support and understanding. Before long, they feel like friends--and that is the mark of an excellent book, for me.I do not like reading books that are part of a series (most of the time---Harry Potter is a major exception), but I cannot wait to get the second book about these characters and read it on vacation next month.
—Lynn Meinders
