Happy 40th Birthday Tuck Everlasting!

This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most beloved books of all time, and a book that actually changed my life. When I was approached weeks ago about participating in this tour, I kind of freaked a bit and went off on a bit of a tangent about why this book is so personal to me. You see, this is no ordinary book for me. This book is ... everything. 

Over the next 40 days you will see dozens of bloggers participating in this tour and answering that crucial question: What if you could live forever? Instead of answering that question, I'm going to share with you why I love this book.

TUCK EVERLASTING has always had an extremely special place in my heart - it was the first book I ever re-read (and re-read multiple times), it's the first book that ever made me cry, and it's the first book I can remember sharing with other people, at the ripe old age of seven. This book is what I attribute my love of reading to. It all leads back to this book and the day my next door neighbor, an elementary school teacher, gifted it to me. 

This book is so much more than just a book to me. I don't even have the words to describe the memories and moments this book witness with me. I remember reading this book sitting on the sofa in the parlor of the funeral home where my grandmother was being laid to rest when I was 10. I remember it sitting on my lap as I moved from Maryland to Virginia at age 8, terrified of what would happen in a new school with new kids (I also learned I got carsick reading on this trip as a result). I remember countless times checking it out of the school library because I wanted to read it during lunch and left my dog-eared copy sitting at home on my desk.

Even now, as an adult, the magic and beauty of this book haven't been lost on me. That same original copy is now safely tucked into a special place amongst my books - it's over 25 years old now but I'll never part with it.

So maybe that's my answer. If I could live forever, read all the books until the end of the world, all roads would still lead back to the afternoon a friend, teacher, and mentor passed this book into my small hands.

I cannot wait for a new generation to fall in love with this book. Happy 40th, Tuck Everlasting - you haven't aged a bit.

Make sure you pre-order your copy: http://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250059291