The Book of Bright Ideas

This book is simply a delightful and engrossing read. The characters come to life through the wise eyes of a child that see us all as we are - human, imperfect and lovable... I loved the book so much I came back and bought all the books I could find by Sandra Kring. This book will warm your heart and wet your cheeks with tears of laughter and and innocence.

I 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. Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club.

I just finished this book, and it was a delight from beginning to end. Sandra Kring made me care about every single character in the story, even when they were doing things I didn't like. She draws her characters with such clearsighted tenderness that they are full-color believable and utterly irresistable. The scenes are so well-crafted that I felt as if I were in them, and happy to be there. Kring is a born writer. She tosses out profundities with casual ease and makes you laugh even when she's dealing with subjects that call for tears. I did not want this book to end, and when I finished it, I immediately began hoping she'll write a sequel. This is something special.

This is a story of friendship, learning about life for all ages, and well-kept secrets. I marvel at the way the author pulls complex elements together to conclude the story in a most satisfying manner. Very artfully crafted writing.

I wish I had a childhood friend like Winnalee Monroe come visit me in the small Wisconsin town that I grew up in during the 1960s. Maybe I would have turned out a little less meek, a little more adventurous. As she did in her heartfelt first novel "Carry Me Home", Sandra Kring combines humor and pathos to create a winning novel that lingers in your mind long after you've read it. The novel brought back summer memories for me...fireworks and picnics, playing with friends and taking long car trips. School was out and an entire summer of possibilites beckoned. Freeda Malone and her sister Winnalee come to the small town of Dauber during a hot Wisconsin summer and magically change the lives of some of its residents. Isn't that just the way with colorful people that you meet along the way? They have the power to spin you around just enough to make you different somehow. And that's just what happens to Aunt Verdella and Uncle Rudy; Jewel and Reece; and especially to Evelyn "Button" Peters. Sandra Kring has given us a summer treasure in "The Book of Bright Ideas". I want more from this talented writer.