I Heard God Talking To Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings by Elizabeth Spires

I Heard God Talking To Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings by Elizabeth Spires is a collection of poetry by Elizabeth Spires written in response to William Edmondson's famous carvings. William Edmondson was the son of freed slaves. He grew up in the south, and from an early age had spiritual experiences where he heard God's voice. These experiences convinced him to begin carving beautiful, yet simple, headstones and statues. He would sell them out of his yard for very little. Now, his famous pieces can be found in museums and private collections all across the United States. Elizabeth Spires wrote poems about many of his famous works, giving a voice to Edmondson's creations.

This was a really interesting book. The poems were lovely, but I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of Edmondson's pieces and Edmondson himself. The end of the book contains more information about him, his life, and his carvings.

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan is about juvenile delinquent, Jake Semple and his experience living with the Applewhite family. Jake has had it rough - his parents are in jail on drug charges, he's been kicked out of nearly every public school in Rhode Island, he'd been accused of burning down the most recent school from which he was expelled, and even his grandfather doesn't want him. That's how he ends up in foster care at the Applewhite's acreage, Wit's End. Every member of the Applewhite family is an artist of some kind, except the middle child, E.D. Her calling in life is organization. She's the only one of the many Applewhites that doesn't accept Jake immediately. She's the only one who cares about his all black clothes, his swearing, his fire-engine red spiky hair, and his bad attitude. Once Jake realizes that those thinks don't get a rise out of anyone anymore, he just sort of loses them. The Applewhite kids are all home-schooled and get to learn by doing what interests them. Jake ends up helping E.D. with her butterfly project, much to the chagrin of them both. Eventually, Jake ends up finding a passion in the arts that he never would have expected, and a love for a family (including a pushy puppy) that he never could have imagined.

First, I have to begin by stating that I have passed up reading this book MANY times purely based on the cover. I should have remembered not to judge a book by its cover, because Surviving the Applewhites was AWESOME! I would love to be a part of the crazy Applewhite family! What a great story.