Chomp by Carl Hiaasen

Hoot, Scat, Flush and now Chomp—Newbery award author Carl Hiaasen has done it again! SO many interesting characters and an intriguing plot plus a little bit scary and a touch of funny. My kind of book.
Florida is the setting (come on—it's a Hiaasen book) for this reality TV show: Expedition Survival! episode. The star of the show conveys this image of being a true rugged outdoors man with courage and cleverness but in reality he is nothing but fake and foolish. Stunt men fill in the real daring deeds and the scrip isn't always followed.
On location in the Everglades, Derek Badger (the star) hopes to have great footage of his rumble with an alligator. Fortunately, he is rescued by the alligator's professional handler. One of many mishaps and glitches while filming the show. Besides Derek Badger, characters include Tuna, the runaway; Wahoo, the son of the alligator wrangler; Raven Stark, the production assistant and various reptiles. Read this entertaining novel to find out who all gets chomped.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Don't let this six hundred thirty-nine page book scare you! More than half of the pages are black and white illustrations. Did you ever read The Invention of Hugo Cabret? This book is by the same author written in the same way with half the story being told in pictures. You will travel to Gunflint Lake Minnesota and New York City with Ben and Rose while reading this book.
While I was in the middle of reading Wonderstruck, we had a storm and our power went out for several hours and it was unnaturally and amazingly quiet. I didn't realize how many noises we had humming in our house. For awhile I could understand the quiet that Ben and Rose experience. 
Another aspect of this book that I could relate to was the mementos that Ben collected and saved in a special box. We each have our own "museum" of artifacts that tell a story of our lives. What do you collect to signify events or people important to you?
This story has so much to enjoy and discover. I invite you to check it out and let me know what part of the book inspired you.