Reread (the first time was required in elementary school)

Near-perfect book. I wish only that it was longer. This was the first book that affected me... Well, I wasn't sure how to end that sentence, but that's what I mean. It's the first book I remember thinking about deeply, even after I'd finished it. I was so enamored with the way Lowry had managed to describe color from the perspective of someone seeing it for the first time. The description of the

release of the twin baby boy

was deeply emotional and surprising. Finishing this book felt like a milestone in my life, separating it into periods of before and after. I remember thinking to myself "this is what a book can be???" Yes. And this is everything a book should be.