Started TUCK EVERLASTING

I am on p 348 in Fall of Giants.  Though I am not usually taken with war stories, I am fascinated by what happens to the civilians in war and how they are effected.  But, in this case, I also find myself fascinated by the military and governmental thinking behind it.  I had never actually known much about this war, except that it was started by the assassination of an Austrian prince by a Serbian.  I never could figure how this small localized conflict could have escalated into a World War.  But now I see that an overzealous monarch in Austria, wanting revenge instead of justice, made impossible demands on Serbia and the very alliances in Europe which were supposed to be a deterrent to war embroiled the entire continent in it.

I am also reading Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt.  I have read this before and HATED it.  A friend at swimming put into words exactly how I feel about it--"It is silly and depressing."  However, another friend's child is required to read it over the summer and I have agreed to help him comprehend it, and help develop his comprehension skills in general at the same time.  I am on p 22 and am surprised at how beautifully it is written.  It is also quite easy to devise questions for, as well as great material to teach a child how to devise questions for himself (and therefore self motivate). So, maybe it won't be quite so bad after all.  I won't tell him that I hate it until we are finished to allow him to have his own opinion.