Most people have read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at some point in their school careers. I, however, had not had the pleasure until this week. I challenged myself this summer to read a classic that I should have read before. And, while I didn’t get to it this summer, I narrowly pulled it out in the first week of school. It’s a quiet story about Francie, coming of age at the turn of the century in Williamsburg. And, for the first 250 pages, I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about. Sure, the language was beautiful, but there wasn’t much happening and, frankly, I was slogging through. The story and pace picked up at about the halfway point, though, and I found myself enjoying the book. I won’t say that this was a true favorite, but it was a good read and I’m glad I took it on and now have it in my wheelhouse of classics.