To Kill a Mockingbird

I have to admit, having to read a book over the summer wasn't something that I was looking forward to. At first, the book seemed like a boring read. However, as the story progressed I found myself unable to tear my eyes away.

The story starts with the narrator, Scout Finch, describing the town of Maycomb and the interesting characters that live there. The entire town has its own set of unspoken rules and customs that would seem strange to the people who grew up elsewhere. I found that these rules made the town seem more mysterious. For example, all of the children in town avoid the Radley house because the man that lives there, Arthur "Boo" Radley, had stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. The children don't exactly know what had happened, yet one of the kids that goes to their school goes completely around the town to get to school and avoid the house. The air of mystery around the house keeps Scout, her brother Jem, their friend Dill, and myself, wanting to know more about its, and Boo's, history.

Of all the children, I found Jem's character to be the most intriguing. He is four years older than Scout, but he still plays and looks out for her. Even though he teases her occasionally, Scout still sees that he truly is a hero. The way Jem tells Scout that they could only play together at home and not at school reminds me of the way a lot of older siblings treat their younger sibling.

Scout is a very headstrong, proud, and intelligent girl who even beats up a boy for getting her into trouble on her first day of school. Her relationship with her father Atticus is very touching, seeing as they read the newspaper together every night. Though Scout seems stubborn, she listens to her elders when they tell her to do something.

I am only on the 10th chapter of this book, but I can already tell that this is going to be one of my favorite reads. I love the characters and I even consider the town itself a character because of the personality in it. The rest of this book should prove to be interesting.