tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18568635406991289722017-12-19T04:47:46.746-08:00Project: Newbery AwardReviews of kids' books which have won the prestigious Newbery Award for children's literature. Melhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627065628317652042noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-91075511987029587142017-07-08T11:07:00.001-07:002017-07-08T11:07:01.043-07:002000 Honor - Getting Near to Baby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P047ArZmKwM/WWEWqJErbOI/AAAAAAAACDk/oY1JW59O_GAYM5a1CsdX_HUsgP0IY4AiACHMYCw/s2048/Photo%2B20170708102956531" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P047ArZmKwM/WWEWqJErbOI/AAAAAAAACDk/oY1JW59O_GAYM5a1CsdX_HUsgP0IY4AiACHMYCw/s500/Photo%2B20170708102956531" id="blogsy-1499535022046.8298" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> What a mysterious title! And what sad (thoughtful? dreamy?) expressions on the two girls, rendered in a soft, yet stark black and white cover illustration! And what are they doing, sitting on a roof? I picked up <u>Getting Near to Baby</u>, by Audrey Couloumbis off the book rack at the thrift store and bought it. I let myself find out only that the family's baby had died, and then I began reading it. </p><p>Willa Jo is already on the roof as the story begins. Little Sister has already followed her up there as the morning breaks, and folks begin to discover them perched up there. Willa Jo tells this in her own voice, letting the story unfold gradually. She has a lot on her mind. She and Little Sister have been sent to stay with their Aunt Patty and Uncle Hob for a while after Baby died. Their mother was affected to the point she had difficulty caring for them, and Aunt Patty swooped in to take the two sisters in. </p><p>But Aunt Patty and Willa Jo are at odds from the beginning. They are both brash with strong personalities. Aunt Patty is not only trying to navigate having two children suddenly living with her, but she has never had children and doesn't always know to relate. Willa Jo is frustrated with suddenly having so much control over her own life taken away, such things as having to buy and wear new clothes she hates and having her aunt try to manage her new friendships. And underneath it all is the deep sad minefield of Baby's death.</p><p>How did Baby die? How can the family come together again? Can they help each other through this? And why did Willa Jo decide to go on the roof and hang out? </p><p>Finally, near the end of the book, we have Willa Jo's complete narrative of the event that led to Baby's death. And the reader understands why they are on the roof. Through the filter of Willa Jo's words, I did not care much for Aunt Patty. But that is the way it is when you have one side and that persons feelings influence all the description. When Willa Jo grew in her understanding, Aunt Patty became a more sympathetic figure. And it didn't hurt when Aunt Patty finally joined the girls on the roof!</p><p>In this book, I especially enjoyed the pages spent on Willa Jo's growing friendship with the neighbor girl and her eccentric family. I appreciated how firmly she was able to claim her own friendship in spite of Aunt Patty's strong disapproval. </p><p>Don't let the inherent sadness in the topic put you off this book. It is worth reading!</p><p>I paid about 2 bucks for this at Goodwill.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-80771413232020483332017-04-22T18:36:00.001-07:002017-04-22T18:36:09.700-07:001962 - The Bronze Bow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ehe7UBFznEo/WPv7V08nj-I/AAAAAAAACAQ/m2tHUFu1asUGJc7cVCGTojf9A_tm-16twCHM/s2048/Photo%2B20170422175431535" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ehe7UBFznEo/WPv7V08nj-I/AAAAAAAACAQ/m2tHUFu1asUGJc7cVCGTojf9A_tm-16twCHM/s500/Photo%2B20170422175431535" id="blogsy-1492908891776.126" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Sometimes I wonder how it is that the same authors win the Newbery Award multiple times. Are they champions in the world of children's literature? Are there actually just few writers of children's literature? Is there a familiarity with these names in the higher reaches? I don't know enough to make a guess. But if you are familiar with the interesting and excellent Newbery Winner, The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1959), then you are familiar with Elizabeth George Speare, who also wrote this award winner, <u>The Bronze Bow.</u></p><p><u><br></u></p><p>The first time I started to read this book, I was put off at first by realizing that it was a story about young people interacting with Jesus and his ministry. I put it away for awhile while I examined my feelings about a book of this nature being part of the Newbery Award platform. I had to consider how I would feel if it were about the origins of Islam, promoting that way. Or, like <u>The Cat Who Went to Heaven</u>, a clear pitch on Buddhism. I didn't want to dismiss it, just because it might belong to the category of propaganda or tracts. It did win the award, after all. So I picked it up again and dove in.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Daniel is a young man, 18 years old, who has chosen to live a life in hiding, in the mountains with Rosh and his band of zealots. He has a sorry past of pain and loss at the hands of the occupying Romans, and he has turned his life over to revenge and hate, and future glory when they overthrow the hated overlords and Israel reclaims its land and autonomy. He looks to Rosh as a father figure and is proud and grateful when give the chance to participate in raids against traders on the road. We are allowed to see that Rosh is an uncouth and selfish leader, who cares nothing for the men in his band except what they can do for him. But Daniel is blind to that. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>After Daniel makes some friends from the town, while they were out exploring the hills, he begins to spend some time down there. He visits the hut of his grandmother and sister, Leah, who is suffering from mental disorder from the earlier trauma to their family. He stays, he goes, he comes back; he can't stand to be there, but he feels guilty for not being there for them. He develops his friendship more deeply to the pair he met in the hills, and then enters into intrigue and spying and plans for revenge and helping to bring about the revolution, trusting in Rosh to carry through on his part. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Daniel hates the Romans, deeply. Stupidly deeply. Spitting at them, insulting them, seemingly not able to control his actions. Hate and anger, anger and hate. Selfishness. Mean to his sister. He's nice at times, but is so selfish he cannot care for her or her needs beyond a pretty low bar. Jesus is kind of a sidebar to the story, really. You just get a brief inclination of what he was all about. But it feels that the story is leading to a redemption of Daniel and his awful nature, even if that nature is mixed in with sincere concern for Jewish freedom. He struggles a little with some of the ideas Jesus has communicated, such as loving your enemies and his coming kingdom, but manages to shrug most of it off. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Even though Jesus is a real person in this book, he has been cast in a mystical glow, as he speaks and heals the sick. You will have guessed already that Daniel is indeed redeemed and changed from his former self, but unsatisfyinly so. I did not like the character. He did not have my sympathy, especially for the way he treated his family, and for his rage and surliness. I could have invested more of myself in the story if I had been allowed to see more of his change of heart, his reactions to self-revelation, his regret over past actions. But the author waited until the last couple pages to handle that, and I only know Daniel's character as the young man I spent 250 pages getting to know and dislike.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Bought this book at the thrift store.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-3891197973989925142017-04-07T12:20:00.001-07:002017-04-07T12:20:18.235-07:002017 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LwP69pnYK5A/WOfhITIK0xI/AAAAAAAAB_8/8RHmSjC88d4/s2048/Photo%25252020170407115721049.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LwP69pnYK5A/WOfhITIK0xI/AAAAAAAAB_8/8RHmSjC88d4/s500/Photo%25252020170407115721049.jpg" id="blogsy-1491591461857.9402" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> The kindly witch of the forest did not mean to feed the baby moonlight. She had only intended to satisfy the infant with drops of honey-sweet starlight to keep her happy on the journey to the free cities, where the formerly doomed child could be raised with love and happiness and sunshine. But she wasn't paying attention. She let her mind wander. Maybe you will feel that she did it "accidentally on purpose." But in any rate, the deed was done--the child was now enmagicked, and Xan must raise Luna as her own, teaching her the ways of magic and loving her as her own "granddaughter."</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Where did these abandoned babies come from, one each year? Xan didn't know, but she did know that if she did not rescue them, they would be devoured by wild animals. The truth is, they were the annual sacrifice from the gloomy village, to sate the evil witch of the forest, according to their myth. But the truth was even more horrible than the depressing loss of the youngest child of the town each year. An evil existed that was beyond their knowledge, and almost beyond Xan's, perhaps the only one who could help their world from being destroyed.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><u>The Girl Who Drank the Moon</u> by Kelly Barnhill is lyrical, mysterious, tucked with magic and mysterious creatures, but grounded in the reality of a good story well-told. The threads that run through the pages eventually come together. And while you know what you want to happen, you cannot trust that it will. This is that sort of book. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I really enjoyed every one of its 386 pages. But unless you want to find yourself staying up late because you don't want to put it down, don't get too close to the end of it at bedtime!</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I bought this hardbound version (brand new 2017 award) from Amazon.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-74667175952995658672017-03-26T17:36:00.001-07:002017-03-26T17:36:21.598-07:002015 Honor - El Deafo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrnAAteQ3Oo/WNgahARvQkI/AAAAAAAAB-w/qWY5M8OAOe8FUC-BGDUvtNMDIx2z6u3VACLcB/s1600/IMG_4910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SrnAAteQ3Oo/WNgahARvQkI/AAAAAAAAB-w/qWY5M8OAOe8FUC-BGDUvtNMDIx2z6u3VACLcB/s400/IMG_4910.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><br /><br />I loved this book!<br /><br />I wanted to get some more contemporary Newbery books in my collection, rather than flip through the old classics always present at the thrift store. I did some research online and came up with a few books to order, this being one of them.<br /><br /><u>El Deafo</u>, by Cece Bell, is an autobiographical graphic novel of her life from age 4 until about 18. The illustrations are very very fun. Everyone is a sort of animal, my best guess is rabbit. That makes it less about who is pretty, who is not, what ethnicity are they and what does that mean, etc. It's all about, what are they like? What is their personality and way of interacting with their friends? And it's all about the people. No swirling background scenes to distract from the interactions and from the inner life of Cece, the main character and star.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tf-9x2hSOp0/WNgahQszLPI/AAAAAAAAB_E/jwegDwI7DVEQnQL1F3jcH4mPpg06pN_cACEw/s1600/IMG_4912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tf-9x2hSOp0/WNgahQszLPI/AAAAAAAAB_E/jwegDwI7DVEQnQL1F3jcH4mPpg06pN_cACEw/s320/IMG_4912.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br /><br />At 4 years old, little Cece was stricken by a severe case of meningitis, which left her without most of her hearing. A hearing aid helped. And that was good. Except that you can imagine what it was like starting school with a bulky device strapped to your body and wires in your ears. What do these kids think about you? Are they staring at you? Are they making fun of you? Cece shares her thoughts, fantasies (which can be very funny, and will also strike a chord if you can remember your childhood fantasies) accomplishments and regrets as she goes along with her life.<br /><br />And then, when she realizes her superpower, well, that is very empowering. Could the teachers have guessed that having a microphone around their necks so as to communicate clearly with their hearing-impaired student would enable said student to hear what they were doing throughout the school grounds?<br /><br />I found her relationships with her different "best friends" to be somewhat hilarious. You can think back on different school friends you have had, and name some that match up to these girls! And I totally get the eye-hearts when Cece is thinking about her crush.<br /><br />I remember being like Cece, who found it difficult to say out loud what what she really thought about things. Watching her grow in the ability to assert herself was rewarding.<br /><br />Honestly, if you have a kid who is about 4th grade, or a little below, or a little above, get them this book! Or if you are like me, and just have that appreciation for middle-school level literature, get it anyway. And then share it with the kids you know.<br /><br />Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-59347176785548076132017-03-22T15:57:00.001-07:002017-03-26T12:41:55.914-07:001976 Honor - The Hundred Penny Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DnKinaO4X3I/WNL4DzZmDWI/AAAAAAAAB9w/a9FrnsUNMKA/s2048/Photo%25252020170322151736735.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="669" id="blogsy-1490221083784.202" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DnKinaO4X3I/WNL4DzZmDWI/AAAAAAAAB9w/a9FrnsUNMKA/s500/Photo%25252020170322151736735.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>I had never heard of <u>The Hundred Penny Box</u> by Sharon Bell Mathis before. And there it was before me on the Goodwill shelf, a slim 47 page volume that looked more like a children's picture book at first glance. The illustrations are ethereal, with a dream-like quality, and also strong with emotion. Was this a simple little book with a nice message, or could something powerful be packed inside? <br />We don't find out right away exactly what the hundred penny box is, but shortly we do see the family situation. Michael's dad's great Aunt Dew has come to live with them. She is very old, a hundred years old, in fact. Michael loves to visit with her and hear her stories, the stories that inhabit every year of her long and interesting life. And that is what the hundred penny box represents, a penny for each year, all packed into an old rugged wooden box. <br /><br />Michael's mother is having a difficult time, however. There is little meaningful communication between the two women, and some misunderstanding. His mother has had to discard many of Aunt Dew's possessions when she moved in with them. And now she has her eye on the hundred penny box! To her, it is old and ugly and should be replaced with something newer and more attractive. Michael realizes what his mother does not, that the box is not just a decoration or a holder for the pennies, but that it is part of his family heritage and is the essence of Aunt Dew's self-identity. <br /><br />The balance of power is never equal in a family. And this imbalance is well-felt by the reader. The lead characters, Michael and Aunt Dew, are the least powerful, as the very young and very old are. Simple things like autonomy of self, where to go, what to say, holding on to a beloved item that is slated for disposal, those can be a battle hard to win. <br /><br />I paid a dollar for this book at Goodwill.<br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Posted with Blogsy" height="20" src="https://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-90289104273674580512017-02-15T12:36:00.000-08:002017-02-15T12:37:38.802-08:001995 Honor - The Ear, the Eye and the Arm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t--u7FOvvzo/WKSvkxXQF5I/AAAAAAAAB8I/bDS9JArpYDY79CoXQCzd27x-28K9mzPWgCLcB/s1600/arm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t--u7FOvvzo/WKSvkxXQF5I/AAAAAAAAB8I/bDS9JArpYDY79CoXQCzd27x-28K9mzPWgCLcB/s320/arm.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The what? What a strange name for a book, I thought.<br /><br />After I read a couple of other books from Nancy Farmer (and reviewed them on this blog) , <u>The Ear, the Eye and the Arm</u> was also recommended to me. This one was also deemed good enough for a Newbery medal, and so it was good enough for me.<br /><br />When I know I'm going to read a book, I try not to know too much about what happens in it. I avoid the details in blurbs and reviews that give away the surprises. But I also like to be just a little prepared, so I can have more appreciation of the tale from the beginning. So I read the author's forward, which bears quoting:<br /><br /><i>I used to work for a company in Zimbabwe called College Press. My job was to create stories for African school children, so I went to the secondhand stores to find out what they liked. There were no free libraries in Zimbabwe then, and new books were far too expensive for my students. I discovered that they loved science fiction. Several would chip in to buy a new novel for ten cents. They would read it and read it and read it until it fell apart. I went straight home and wrote </i>The Ear, the Eye and the Arm.<br /><br />So yes, it is science fiction. But it is grounded and accessible to a concrete mind, concerned with all the things that children of this age are concerned about.<br /><br />It is 200 years in the future, and although Africa is recognizable, things have changed technologically and to a lesser degree,&nbsp; politically. Tendai, Rita, and Kuda, the children of Zimbabwe's wealthy and powerful chief of security are itching to fulfill their scout badges. But even though all have been earned in the safe enclosure of the family compound, the explorer badge required some exploring. 13 year old Tendai wants to be allowed out into the city, for the first time in his life, to quickly and safely navigate a distance, and then return home later that day. With just a little trickery, they are out, and on an adventure.<br /><br />When their father finds out, he is devastated, and for the first time realizes how unprepared he has made them to be out in the real world. He has made them weak, by keeping them isolated and totally safe, all while being somewhat disappointed in them because they were not as strong as he wanted them to be. He knows that his enemies will be after them, for ransom and, as it turns out, even more nefarious purposes.<br /><br />But the children are actually pretty resourceful, and even when they end up in the clutches of people who don't wish them well, they are getting savvy, and learning the strengths of each other, and Tendai begins growing in the spirits of Africa.<br /><br />After it is obvious their father will be unable to find them, their mother hires three detectives from an agency. They are Ear, a man with freakishly large ears who can hear whispers from another room, Eye, a huge-eyeballed man who can see details all others miss, and Arm, a strange spider-like man who picks up others' emotions.&nbsp; They pick up the trail, always just late enough to miss the children, but as they work, they are a part of the larger story that comes to a crashing conclusion with all the characters and spirits warring against each other at the top of a mile-high building.<br /><br />I haven't read many African- based tales, but I do remember the feel and rhythm of <u>Anansi the Spider</u> books that I used to read to my children when they were small. This has a similar feel. Farmer's writing is fun and refreshing, and the concrete details that pop up make the story come alive.<br /><br />I think the most popular youth books are coming-of-age stories, like this one, and the best ones handle complicated subjects in an interesting, skillful and realistic way. I liked how Tendai comes to appreciate the stubbornness and uncooperative personality of his sister, Rita, because that is how she survived their ordeal--she was strong. I appreciated the deep bond between the children. I liked the subtle way Farmer shows that Tendai's parents understand that he has now become a man.<br /><br />I bought this book from Amazon.&nbsp; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-18831867385582685572017-01-27T15:10:00.002-08:002017-01-27T15:10:45.543-08:001931 - The Cat Who Went to Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8RMG4udP2g/WIvLiYufEII/AAAAAAAAB7o/yy7iwWakx6wioZIardIrWS58x7_Z96RRgCLcB/s1600/IMG_4844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8RMG4udP2g/WIvLiYufEII/AAAAAAAAB7o/yy7iwWakx6wioZIardIrWS58x7_Z96RRgCLcB/s320/IMG_4844.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />Have you ever heard of this one? I had not! Not until the other day, as I was browsing among the kid's books at Goodwill and saw it. There it was, the gold Newbery seal in the corner. <u>The Cat Who Went to Heaven</u>, by Elizabeth Coatsworth, is a slim little novel, only 54 pages in this edition. At the start of each chapter there is a small woodcut-looking picture of the cat, and between chapters there is a small poem, the old housekeeper's reflections and observations on the events unfolding.<br /><br />This is an oriental story, specifically Japanese. It is supposedly based on a Buddhist folk tale, from what I can glean on the internet.<br /><br />The painter is poor, so poor that he and his old housekeeper are practically starving. He hasn't sold any paintings in so long, there is hardly any money left. The wise housekeeper understands that they are lonely, and buys a cat with some of their last coins. At first the artist is furious. After all, cats are evil!<br />"'A cat? A cat?' he cried. 'Have you gone mad? Here we are starving and you must bring home a goblin, a goblin to share the little we have, and perhaps to suck our blood at night! Yes! it will be fine to wake up in the dark and feel teeth at our throats and look into eyes as big as lanterns! but perhaps you are right! Perhaps we are so miserable it would be a good thing to have us die at once, and be carried over the ridgepoles in the jaws of a devil!'"<br /><br />But the cat's meek, polite and well-mannered ways gradually win over the man. Especially when he notices the cat "praying to The Enlightened One," he becomes quite fond of her.<br /><br />One day the priest brings news that a painting of the Death of Buddha is needed for the temple, and the omens have chosen this artist to provide it. The commission comes with an initial purse of money, to ease his mind while he works.<br /><br />The artist spends 3 days meditating on Buddha's life, so that he can best represent his death. He paints in all the animals that have a significance in Buddha's life and his past lives. As the painting nears completion, he becomes more and more saddened as his fondness for the cat grows. For everyone knows that a cat has no place in heaven or with Buddha, since the cat was too proud and rebellious to receive his blessing. What should he do? Turn in his commissioned work like he knows they would all want it to be? Or to follow his conscience and paint in this cat, who obviously honors Buddha and wishes to be included?<br /><br />You'll have to see what happens. I wish I could say what happens. But it should be discovered on one's own reading. Not your typical western children's story finale.<br /><br />I did enjoy reading it, though it did read equally balanced between a folk tale and religious tract. It was interesting to imagine it told in a western Christian version.<br /><br />I got this from Goodwill for $1.99.Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-80042830709952641282016-12-28T11:09:00.003-08:002016-12-28T11:09:33.327-08:002003 Honor - The House of the Scorpion<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMmUmhGqkdU/WGQJQGn9MNI/AAAAAAAAB6w/TJldiVjyNXcSgcT_0q_TWL2ikWyHrOjcACLcB/s1600/IMG_0665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gMmUmhGqkdU/WGQJQGn9MNI/AAAAAAAAB6w/TJldiVjyNXcSgcT_0q_TWL2ikWyHrOjcACLcB/s320/IMG_0665.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>This one, I couldn't put it down. I think I pretty much read it straight through. It was the day after Christmas guests left, and it was just me, the fireplace, the couch, and leftover Christmas candy. And <u>The House of the Scorpion</u>, by Nancy Farmer.<br /><br />I like books that don't spew everything you need to know on the first couple pages; that is part of the deliciousness, letting the interesting and pertinent bits come as they will. And even though you will be a little ahead of Matteo in figuring things out, that's ok, because he is just a little kid.<br /><br />This dystopian-shaded book is set in the future, not too far away, just far away enough so that some things have changed. The important one being the border area between The United States and Mexico. Finally the countries got fed up enough with trying to manage border security that they made a deal with the drug lords, and a new country, appropriately named "Opium" stretched in a narrow band all along the border. Opium handled border security far better than either of the countries above and below, and in the process ending up with enough workers to toil in their eponymous fields. The concession was that they would only peddle their wares to the eastern hemisphere.<br /><br />But that is just the setting. What of the boy Matteo? Why is he so important, yet treated so strangely? What is his connection to El Patron, the 140 year old de facto ruler of Opium? &nbsp;You'll see a glimpse in the short family tree printed at the prologue, but you won't understand all the meaning of that until you get a little further into the book.<br /><br />At first I was dismayed by listing of the family tree and the summary of who the characters were, at the start of the book. &nbsp;I don't like to have to figure out who everyone is before I am even motivated to do so, or to have all their relationships be so confusing that I need to keep flipping to where it's all mapped out. But never fear. A brief scan of the tree and then a few referrals are all that is needed. Once, I couldn't remember if someone was a cousin or other relative, but a quick check at the summary showed me she was only an acquaintance.<br /><br />This is a book that I don't want to summarize, because you should enjoy the same pleasure I did in finding things out as they come along. But just a hint--if you like clones and "zombies", this will satisfy. One trait this book shares with some others I'm sure you have read is the jolt of the New Section, in this case called La Vida Nueva (The New Life). When you enter that, you will have the sense that it is another book, yet there is no time gap or style change between the two sections. You understand that he must leave in order to go back. He must endure other experiences before he can become a man. He must see things, understand other things, and The New Life brings that to Matteo.<br /><br />I felt like the book could have spent a little more time handling the wrap-up of the new life, which circled back around, of course. It felt a little dizzying, the speed by which events happened. but perhaps since this is a young adult novel, it felt long enough to the author or editor by then. There is a sequel, which has good reviews, and I am interested enough in what happens to these characters and their situation that I plan on buying it.<br /><br />I bought this book new on Amazon.Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-42860750660070520952016-12-22T18:43:00.001-08:002016-12-22T18:43:00.284-08:002011 - Moon Over Manifest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e7mMq-OjIOQ/WFyEYLV9KSI/AAAAAAAAB5c/jUEP1dhQ4O8/s2048/Photo%25252020161222175634228.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e7mMq-OjIOQ/WFyEYLV9KSI/AAAAAAAAB5c/jUEP1dhQ4O8/s500/Photo%25252020161222175634228.jpg" id="blogsy-1482458211955.4185" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> Not only was <u>Moon Over Manifest,</u> by Clare Vanderpool, a Newbery Award winner, it was also a New York Times bestseller, according to the cover. A book full of mysteries, both big and little, it is a lush 342 pages, long enough to relax into the tale and let it unwind itself.</p><p>The adolescent girl Abilene is at the heart of the story. At least she is the heart of the story of her present day, which is actually back in the 30's, in the depression era. A sort of parallel story is going on alternately, which is happening around 1918, during WW1. </p><p>Abilene has been sent by her father to the town of Manifest, his hometown. They both rode the rails, until she became ill. She recovered, but it spooked him and caused him to send her there into the care of an old acquaintance. She knows nothing about the town, nothing about his presence there, nothing about the people, except embellished stories he has told her. She understands that she is to find out certain things, but no one in town is apparently willing to fill her in. She gains a couple of gal pals and they start sleuthing around, looking for the answer to some of the questions brought up by a bundle of old letters she has found in a secret hiding place.</p><p>Her best source turns out to be the local mystic/diviner. Abilene ends up spending time with her, and the old woman tells her, as if in a trance, segments of what happened back during the time of her father's childhood. Finally it all comes together, and Abilene is made more whole, along with those around her.</p><p>It could have been a little more confusing to keep track of what time period was going on at different times, but a couple things helped. The typeset was different, and the present day is told first person, while the older time is told by a narrator. But still, thinking back on the story, parts of my mind get a little confused about when was when. I liked the story and appreciate a lot of the elements, such as how people can give a first impression, but then when you get to know them, how different the story is. </p><p>Vanderpool is a really good writer, but... I liked reading it, but I didn't LOVE reading it. Why? I'm not sure. Personal preference with the style, possibly. I found it harder than I would have thought to latch on to Abby as someone I liked/identified with/had strong feelings about. The girls' conversations and figures of speech, and Abby's internal conversation just didn't grab me that much.</p><p>There is plenty here to enjoy and try to guess along with the clues gradually revealed, and the end wraps itself up pretty well. It was interesting to me that I am also in the middle of an audiobook with the subject being the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was also part of the "older time" part of the book. </p><p>I bought this copy from Amazon.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-84075015579344329582016-12-16T21:28:00.001-08:002016-12-16T21:28:30.365-08:002016 Honor - The War That Saved My Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O2T07_H1teI/WFTAn930LZI/AAAAAAAAB5I/WEtqneIpNvg/s1440/Photo%25252020161216203510056.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O2T07_H1teI/WFTAn930LZI/AAAAAAAAB5I/WEtqneIpNvg/s500/Photo%25252020161216203510056.jpg" id="blogsy-1481949346551.9978" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="667"></a></div><p> A dramatic title, and boy does it fit! This is bestselling author Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's first Newbery Honor book, but I bet it will not be her last. I was hooked from the first page, and I could hardly put it down until I had read the whole thing. <u>The War That Saved My Life</u> is WWII historical fiction for middle school readers, but adults will also find this to be a great story with enough depth to satisfy a more mature reader.</p><p>The story is set in England, at the cusp of Germany's air attack on that country. But Ada is hardly aware of what is going on outside her small room and little window, which is her only view and knowledge of the world. That and what she finds out from her little brother Jamie, who is allowed to go outside for school and to play and explore. But not Ada. She has a clubfoot, and her mother is ashamed for anyone to see her and so keeps her confined. But it becomes obvious that the mother is also sadistic and cruel, and there is no way for Ada to escape from her abusive life. Not until Jamie comes home with the news that London's children are being evacuated to the country. Without their mother's knowledge, the siblings manage to slip onto the train with the other evacuees and start a new life.</p><p>It is not that easy to move into a new life, especially with the burdens and trauma Ada has already suffered, and the home they move into is not especially welcoming at first. Susan, their new "foster mother" has more than enough of her own distractions and sadness to have a lot to give to the children. But they gradually work their ways into each other's hearts. Ada's clubfoot has always defined her, and indeed, it continues to loom as a large presence in her life, but her spirit heals and grows in the setting of kindness, respect, accomplishments, and... Ponies! The horses are moved into the story so naturally that it never feels like a horsey-girl genre book, but it will please any horse-loving girl reader. </p><p>I like both character-driven books and plot-driven books. This one handles both, each without the expense of the other. And 316 pages give the author a nice amount of time to round both Ada and Susan's characters in satisfying ways. I found the final scene with Ada and her mother a bit abrupt, and I had to ask myself if it were as believable as the rest of the story. If it were my story, I would be saying, OK, I'm near the end of this story, and I need a way to resolve it right now, so I'll write it this way. But the very end is rewarding and heart-warming.</p><p>If you read <u>Goodnight, Mr. Tom</u> by Michelle Migorian, you will see a lot of similarities, however, Mr. Tom was told more from the old man's point of view, and The War is from the girl's view and thoughts, and I believe at a reading level more accessible to younger readers. Be aware though, that there are several disturbing images, some descriptions of the war, and the cruelty of her mother. So very young readers, while at the reading skill level, may not be at the maturity level to read it. </p><p>I bought this book from Amazon.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-90319741011528603202016-12-11T21:58:00.001-08:002016-12-11T21:58:51.471-08:001977 - Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mPuqmzbrIP4/WE4t8Fr-96I/AAAAAAAAB40/0gCPOrAAEYU/s2048/Photo%25252020161211205559556.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mPuqmzbrIP4/WE4t8Fr-96I/AAAAAAAAB40/0gCPOrAAEYU/s500/Photo%25252020161211205559556.jpg" id="blogsy-1481518580328.4119" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> <u>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cr</u>y, by Mildred D. Taylor, took me a long time to read. Only 276 pages in a smaller sized paperback, but I did not zip through it like I could have done. It sat on my bookshelf for a year before I decided I had better get going on it. It was the cover. I knew it would not be pleasant. I knew it would be sad and hopeless and I would feel the horrid injustice of the racist evil present in our county a generation ago, and be reminded that all is still not well in America. But I faced up to what was right, and that was to read, and to gain knowledge and wisdom from reading good literature. And to trust that the Newbery brand on the cover spoke for its integrity and worth.</p><p>So I read a couple chapters, and put it down. Some days later, I read another couple chapters. And then after a few weeks, another chapter. Finally I decided to get with the program and get the thing read. </p><p>The Logan children ranged from ages 12 to 6, with Stacey the eldest, then Cassie, telling this story in her own first-person words, Christopher-John, and Little Man. Their Mama and Papa, Grandma "Big Ma," and Mr. Morrison, the hired hand made up the rest of the household. They lived on their own land in 1930's Mississippi cotton fields. Living and working on their own land sets the Logans apart from most of their neighbors, who are sharecroppers. The importance of keeping their land is the fabric of which the background of the story is made of.</p><p>The indignities and slights and injustices that made up parts of their daily lives are laid into the tale, without mining them for melodrama or manipulation of emotion, but not glossing over the stark realities of growing up black in the deep south. Cassie is a lively bold girl who does not quite understand her position in the community as being "less than" her white neighbors. And her parents are reluctant to make her grow up too soon by educating her in those things. Which makes for some tense situations, such as when Cassie doesn't understand why the white shopkeeper keeps waiting on white customers ahead of her, when she had been waiting before they entered the shop. Indignant, she tries to bring the merchant's attention to his rudeness, but instead gets chased out of the shop by angry men, asking the crowd, "Whose little nigger is this?" For a bright girl, Cassie seems really slow to pick up on some of the harsher realities of life.</p><p>While the children have their conflicts and relationship issues in their world, the grown-ups have their problems too, one of them being the local bigwig who wants to own the Logan land. The kids' and the adults' crises come together near the end of the book, with a crime, a near- lynching, and a fire. The end is not entirely satisfying, but is realistic, which is as it should be.</p><p>Having the story told through the eyes of Cassie is effective in making the topic accessible to young readers and helps keep the uglier realities at an appropriate distance, while still being an honest eye-witness to the facts. But to do this, the author has to keep Cassie on her toes, eavesdropping on every important conversation, sneaking out of her room past the sleeping "Big Ma" multiple times, talking her way into going along when something interesting was up. It made me begin to wonder what the story would have been like if told in a different perspective. And she is sassy and talk-back, enough to make you think, "You are hiding! For Pete's sake, shut up!"</p><p>Yes, I would recommend this book for kids to read; it's an important story to be heard and thought about. And the warmth of this family, and the safe place that home is, regardless of the uncertain world outside, that is also an important feeling to know.</p><p>This copy was given to me as a previously read book. </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-53465133469505512312016-04-02T16:39:00.001-07:002016-04-02T16:39:05.122-07:001986 - Sarah, Plain and Tall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yzcVYN27xgQ/VwBXQk7xNOI/AAAAAAAABqM/28fz50xYgpo/s2048/Photo%25252020160402163512385.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yzcVYN27xgQ/VwBXQk7xNOI/AAAAAAAABqM/28fz50xYgpo/s500/Photo%25252020160402163512385.jpg" id="blogsy-1459640136112.5166" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p> This little book is absolutely charming. I had not heard of it before, and when I saw the title, I did remember the movie they had made of it, though I had not seen it. There are only 58 pages, but the author does a lot with those pages.</p><p>The plot is simple, but deep and meaningful to the characters. Papa, Caleb, and Anna, the narrator, have been left without wife and mother when she died the day after giving birth to Caleb. There is a lingering sadness; Papa doesn't sing anymore, Caleb wants to hear the story of his birth over and over again, hoping that it will bring up a memory, any memory of his mother. They live in pioneer times out on the Midwestern plains. And now Papa breaks the news that he has placed an advertisement for a wife, and it has been answered by Sarah, "Plain and tall," as she describes herself.</p><p>Sarah comes out for a month, during which time she will see if they suit each other. The story gently proceeds, with them getting to know each other, Caleb worried that she will not like them, Anna and Caleb looking for clues and hints that she is planning on staying, and Sarah's lonesomeness for her place by the sea, where she came from. Sarah does stay, saying that "There is always something to miss, no matter where you are," and that she would miss them more than the sea, if she left.</p><p>I enjoyed that the children were not bratty and resentful about a new person coming in to take a role in the family - they wanted their Papa to have a wife and themselves to have a new mother. The conflict was whether Sarah could love them and the land that was so different from her home enough to stay. We only see Sarah's mind through Anna's eyes and words, as Sarah speaks of the sea and is quiet and thoughtful. </p><p>I liked the book, and I think it would be a pleasure to read aloud to a child. I picked this copy up for under a dollar at the thrift store.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-5746537528033093992016-04-01T21:58:00.001-07:002016-04-01T21:58:50.854-07:001945 Honor - The Hundred Dresses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BA9qDIwoH0A/Vv9FQ7TumaI/AAAAAAAABp8/G6K0tZvn9_I/s2048/Photo%25252020160401210530940.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BA9qDIwoH0A/Vv9FQ7TumaI/AAAAAAAABp8/G6K0tZvn9_I/s500/Photo%25252020160401210530940.jpg" id="blogsy-1459570499524.9417" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes, is just a slim book, eighty pages with illustrations and generous white space. It's quick and easy to read. But it is also hard to read, because it is about the careless bullying that privileged and secure children can dish out to kids who are poor, different, or outsiders.</p><p>Peggy is the well-off and popular girl. She is one of the de facto leaders of the girls in their classroom. Her best friend Maddie would say she was not a cruel person. She "protected small children from bullies and cried for hours if she saw an animal mistreated." But Peggy was the one who had started the game of making fun of Wanda Petronski.</p><p>Wanda was very poor, from the slum area of town, and had a strange last name and accent. Mostly the other children ignored her; even the teacher seemed to have not taken any interest in her progress. Until one fine day when Wanda made the mistake of joining the circle of girls as they admired a classmate's elegant new dress. For a moment, she seemed to feel like she fit in and was emboldened to say the words that would be the fuel for all the unkind teasing to come: "I got a hundred dresses home."</p><p>It instantly became a habit for Peggy to wait for Wanda at the start of each school day and "have her fun," asking Wanda to describe them and why she never wore any of her hundred dresses to school. The other girls would join in, but Maddie mostly listened, uncomfortable, but never sticking up for Wanda. Maddie was in a precarious position with her status. She understood that Peggy, in spite of being her best friend, could turn on her and make her suffer the same fate, since she did not have the security and standing of her friend. </p><p>The most poignant passages of the book deal with Maddie's inner dialog, as she struggles with wanting to stop Peggy's "game," and the fear of being ostracized herself, and with her pain as she realizes how hurt Wanda and her family were by their treatment. </p><p>There is a small light at the end of the book to ease her guilt, but no shining moment to make it all better. I looked up Eleanor Estes and discovered that she wrote the book to help her overcome some of her own guilt from being involved as a child in an episode like this. I think we all can look back at at least one example where we wish we had been more kind, or been stronger in protecting the weak from a bully. Perhaps this well-written and interesting story can be the book that helps children understand some forms that bullying takes and that sometimes, one can be just as complicit when standing by silently.</p><p>I bought this library discard at a thrift store for under a buck.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-4865983392866116182015-07-24T11:59:00.001-07:002015-07-24T11:59:25.048-07:002014 Honor - One Came Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kbCWdSG8Zq8/VbKAVRQRL4I/AAAAAAAABmI/T-JpNj3C9cA/s2048/Photo%25252020150724111326137.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kbCWdSG8Zq8/VbKAVRQRL4I/AAAAAAAABmI/T-JpNj3C9cA/s500/Photo%25252020150724111326137.jpg" id="blogsy-1437764027549.45" class="alignnone" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></div><p> During my latest trip to the county library, armed with a list of current Newbery winners, I checked out a short stack of books to go read and review. I don't go out of my way to find the honor books, but <u>One Came Home</u> by Amy Timberlake, was available and right before me, and with a jacket leader like "A sister lost, a body found, the truth buried," I was hooked. </p><p>The book was immediately interesting and intriguing with Georgie's opening words being, "...it was the day of my sister's first funeral, and I knew it wasn't her last, which is why I left." Georgie is a 13 year-old girl who lives with her small family in south-central Wisconsin, and the year is 1871. Her beautiful older sister disappears, and parts of a mangled body are found a couple weeks later which is identified as being the sister. But Georgie does not believe it is her, and since no one else is willing to consider she might still be alive, Georgie decides to slip away on her own to find out what she can. </p><p>This is not a fanciful, unbelievable quest. It is realistic and gritty. Georgie is no helpless little girl. She has a dead aim with her Springfield single shot rifle, but dismisses her skill with the comment, "I practiced. Anyone can if they practice enough." She describes the remains of the body they buried as, "Not the weight of two cats, and no face," Which is one reason why, even though it was clothed in her sister's dress, she holds out hope. </p><p>The fascinating setting to the tale is the arrival of a huge nesting flock of passenger pigeons. This is a boon for the town, that they have settled so near. Pigeoners come from everywhere to harvest them, relying on supplies and goods from the town. While I have heard the historical stories of the massive flocks of passenger pigeons, I have never been able to visualize what that meant on a local level. The author does a great job of using that backdrop without letting the descriptions compete with the story. </p><p>I really liked this book, and would highly recommend it. It had a bit of the flavor of the book <u>True Grit,</u> by Charles Portis. I like that it kept close the mysteries of what really happened, and indeed, made you wonder if you would even find that out by the end of the book.</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-41184159634722087222015-07-13T17:28:00.001-07:002015-07-13T17:28:40.341-07:002015 - Flora & Ulysses, The Illuminated Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-txPddZnBsGA/VaRMG_D8VGI/AAAAAAAABk4/V30WQNOXu-U/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-txPddZnBsGA/VaRMG_D8VGI/AAAAAAAABk4/V30WQNOXu-U/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" /></a></div><br />Enough for now with the dusty Newbery Winners of our parents (and grandparents!). I have actually just read a brand-new, this very year 2015 Newbery Award Winning Book, <u>Flora &amp; Ulysses</u>, by previous medal-winning author Kate DiCamillo (<u>Tale of Despereaux</u>). <br /><br />A comic-book air of fun and surrealism suffuses this book, making it immediately engaging, yet it never takes over or minimizes the story. Some of the action that is presented through images and comic-strip match with the fantastical air of what is happening in the tale.<br /><br />Ten year-old Flora, though a "natural-born cynic," is none-the-less quite influenced by the comic books introduced to her by her father. They feature Alfred T. Slipper, the unassuming janitor who becomes "Incandesto," the superhero who fights evil and other malfeasance. She has also learned a lot from bonus parts of the comic books, such as "Terrible Things Can Happen to You!" Which comes in really handy when she needs to give CPR to a squirrel who has been vacuumed up by a Ulysses 2000X Vacuum Cleaner in the neighbor's yard. Though the squirrel has lost a lot of fur going through the brushes, he has gained a rational, thinking brain. Luckily he can also type, so the astonished rescuers can understand what is going though his mind.<br /><br />But like most good literature, the story isn't all in the plot action, &nbsp;but just provides a fun and exciting background to reveal more about the characters.<br /><br />While I find Flora fun and worthy, the character I like the best is the boy William, who is staying with his aunt (the one who accidentally vacuumed up the squirrel). William wears dark glasses and announces that he is temporarily blind induced by trauma. You sense there is something interesting going on with his story from clues dropped here and there. He's a bit insufferable, in a fun way, and I liked him.<br /><br />Flora's biggest challenge is deciding to be loyal to Ulysses, the squirrel, in spite of the acute conflicts that arise, specifically her mother wanting to kill that "rabid, diseased thing."<br /><br />I enjoyed reading the book, and I expect that most junior readers would find it fun and interesting too, &nbsp;and also appreciate the conflicts that arise around Flora.<br /><br />I checked this book out of the library. It was a donated gift to the Shasta County Library.Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-89392903799314886762015-07-09T09:53:00.001-07:002015-07-09T09:53:58.755-07:001981 - Jacob Have I Loved<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HfkcfMVhqik/VZ6mSWiLQKI/AAAAAAAABkc/-R0p_ntQ4e0/s2048/Photo%25252020150709094958154.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HfkcfMVhqik/VZ6mSWiLQKI/AAAAAAAABkc/-R0p_ntQ4e0/s500/Photo%25252020150709094958154.jpg" id="blogsy-1436460623129.2651" class="alignnone" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p> And it has finally come to this, reviewing <u>Jacob Have I Loved</u>, by Katherine Paterson. This is not a book I read as a kid. I first came across it courtesy of my children, who had to read it for school. It's hard to say if I would have liked it as a child. I don't think my kids particulary enjoyed it, but not because it wasn't well-written, and not because it wasn't interesting. It was the "M" word, "meaningful."</p><p>I'm sure this was one of the books that provoked my discussion with them on reading fiction, that the fluffy, fun, escapist books might be entertaining to settle down into, but are soon forgotten. The meaningful books will stick in your mind and, sometimes uncomfortably, cause you to think deeper thoughts. Like her other Newbery Award-winning book, <u>Bridge to Terebithia</u>, this book is also meaningful and thought-provoking, dealing with deep sibling rivalry, adolescent angst, not fitting in, and gender roadblock issues. </p><p>Louise and Caroline were twins, born on Rass Island, a small Chesapeake Bay community, populated by fishermen who harvested oysters and crabs. The stage is set for their relationship when healthy baby Louise is born, followed by weak, sickly Caroline, who immediately receives all the attention, so that she can live. When Louise asks for retellings of the story, hoping to hear a scrap of extra attention paid to her newborn self, she never gets it, reinforcing her idea that Caroline is the favored child, and that she is less. Her feelings even gain a slogan, after her demented grandmother meanly and pointedly quotes from the Bible to Louise, "Jacob have I Loved, Esau have I hated." </p><p>This story is told in the first person voice of Louise. Her feelings are complicated, and expressed honestly to herself. She is the tomboy, but is unable to go out on the boat with her father as a son would have because she is a girl, though she does manage to become quite skilled by going out on her own little skiff. Jealousy and having incompatible personalities taint her relationship with Caroline. She has an inappropriate, but rather natural crush considering her stage of puberty, which her senile grandmother torments her over. Louise has never really thought about what she would want to do in life besides her dramtic fantasy of being the eccentric single woman going out crabbing like the men. </p><p>So yes, this is a "coming of age" story. And like several others I have read, the last couple chapters dramatically speed up the passing time. So while you are used to strolling through the days, a season or two, then a year, all of a sudden, ZING! She graduates, goes to college, graduates, takes a job in a remote area, marries, has a kid... and then wraps up the story. Personally, I prefer a book to carry on its pace to the end and then wrap it up in an epilogue. But that's me. </p><p>I like to feel sympathetic toward the protagonist, and at times that was hard to do here. But it is a difficult thing, feeling misunderstood and unappreciated, yet unable to easily communicate with those around you. I expect that is the case with more tweens and teens than not, and it's helpful to understand the universality of that.</p><p>I got this book at the thrift store for about a buck.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-223007136828175912015-07-04T18:08:00.000-07:002015-07-04T18:08:29.922-07:001929 Honor - Millions of Cats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ORwl8O_6ZHQ/VZh6gfe_lcI/AAAAAAAABkA/K_frOzpNYo4/s1600/IMG_3714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ORwl8O_6ZHQ/VZh6gfe_lcI/AAAAAAAABkA/K_frOzpNYo4/s320/IMG_3714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />"What?" You are saying. "<u>Millions of Cats</u>? By Wanda Gag? But," you sputter, "Isn't that a kid's PICTURE Book? Don't they have their own awards, like the Caldecot Medal, for Pete's sake!" Well, I guess that in 1929, it slid into the ranks of books under consideration for the Newbery Award, and it did indeed win an honor medal.<br /><br />When my kids were young, I ran across it often in kid's book references. I always wondered why it totally passed under my radar, or maybe wasn't even around much when I was little. I did get a copy of it for my kids and was very charmed by the lovely pen and ink illustrations and the story, all 29 pages of it.<br /><br />I'm not going to worry about spoilers because the nature of the book is to be read and re-read to kids, ad nauseum. If you like cats and kitties, this story will appeal to you, since it contains, "Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats!"<br /><br />The old man and old woman were lonely. "If only we had a cat!" are the fateful words of the old woman, so the old man sets out to find them one. Eventually he comes to a hill covered with cats, hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats. He selects what he thinks is the prettiest one, but of course there is always one just as pretty, so he continues picking cats, until he has chosen them all. So off they go back home. The environmental disaster that accompanies them on the way home is a foreshadowing of what awaits the herd. They are thirsty, and drink an entire pond dry. They are hungry, and devour every blade of grass on the grassy hills. When the old man arrives, the more practical old woman declares, "They will eat us out of house and home!" The old man decides to let the cats themselves choose who will stay. Since the old man's criteria had been, "the prettiest one," they begin arguing over which one is the prettiest. It turns into such a catfight that, frightened, the old couple dash inside and shut the door. When they finally peep out, all the cats are gone! They have eaten each other up! Except for one. A scrawny little thing who did not think itself pretty at all, and so did not engage in the quarrel. Of course, with a little milk and loving, the homely little cat turned into the prettiest one, after all.<br /><br />There are really so many elements you can pick out and ponder in this simple tale. A pet can make you less lonely. The humble will be elevated. The prideful have their ruin. Prettiest matters the most. Men just don't think things out to their logical conclusion. And then the big one. Where the heck did all these cats come from? 1929 was way before spay and neuter, and I have seen what happens when cats have kittens, their kittens have kittens, etc. if nothing disastrous happens to the population. I expect it was an unpleasant reality at times to have to "take care of the problem." It is pretty tidy that in this book, the problem takes care of itself, but that's the way fairy tales work. I'm left with some&nbsp; unease over the noisy violence that was surely happening out there. I think some kids will just accept that, and some will imagine the process. (How can a million cats "eat each other up?")<br /><br />The book was entirely inked, drawings and text alike. It is really a beautiful thing, and the cats are so drawn that you are tempted to actually count them.<br /><br />I bought this hardbound book at the thrift store, and have purchased multiple other copies the same way to give out to young nieces and nephews.<br /><br />Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-58089931517430512532015-06-11T10:11:00.002-07:002015-06-11T10:11:58.443-07:002001 Honor - The Wanderer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u10LoRkn2AM/VXnBS2EA4YI/AAAAAAAABjM/3A0Pvy0BkGo/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u10LoRkn2AM/VXnBS2EA4YI/AAAAAAAABjM/3A0Pvy0BkGo/s320/IMG_3617.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />Since I mostly focus on the gold award seal rather than the silver "honor" designation, I almost passed this book up at the Goodwill Thrift store where it was shelved. But then I saw it was written by previous Newbery Award Winner Sharon Creech (<i>Walk Two Moons</i>). I knew that it had to be delightful and tantalizing, the secrets of the story gradually unfolding at just the right moments.<br /><br />I was not disappointed.<br /><br />I finally got around to reading it, and only put it down because it got too late to read, and then I finished it this morning.<br /><br />The Wanderer is the name of a Uncle Dock's sailboat. He and his two brothers have fixed it up and are going to sail to England, taking along two of their boys. Sophie persuades her mother, Uncle Dock's sister, to let her go along with them. The three children are all about the same age, thirteen. Sophie and Cody each keep a ship's log, which is the way the book is written.<br /><br />For such a sizable cast of main characters; Uncle Dock, Uncle Mo, Uncle Stew, Brian, Cody, and Sophie, they quickly become memorable for their personalities and quirks. That makes it an easy process to dive into the story without having to leaf back to see "Now which one was that uncle?" Enough attention is given to them so they do not seem too shallow, but not so much to keep from focusing on Sophie, whose story unfolds against the background of the others.<br /><br />At first it seems like a pretty straightforward adventure book. Will the boat ever get the final kinks worked out? Will the shakedown trip go all right? Will they get lost in the fog? How bad will that storm get? But tidbit by tidbit, the reader finds the heart of the story lies in Sophie's past and how she is dealing with her past trauma.<br /><br />The author lets the two main characters in the story, Sophie and Cody, tell the tale in their own words. Done skillfully, like in this book, the first person view can be a superior storytelling method. Many books that switch off between the "I's" seem jarring and clunky to me, almost like the author can't manage to convey what is happening with the other characters without resorting to the switcheroo. But <i>The Wanderer</i> makes it seem like a bonus rather than a crutch to see events from Cody's thoughts and feelings along with Sophie's, the main protagonist.<br /><br />I got this book at the thrift store for less than a buck. I always enjoy inscriptions in used books. This one says, "Keep reading Baylee! Love, Mrs. Imes, May '04" I know that children grow up and get rid of their childhood books, but I like to think that teachers like Mrs. Imes (whoever and wherever she is) would be pleased to know that their gifts keep on giving!<br /><br /><br />Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-37918728664911734562015-01-11T21:41:00.001-08:002015-01-11T21:41:30.535-08:001967 - Up A Road Slowly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xt42-icsXpw/VLNd6fOqgCI/AAAAAAAABew/jqpdnmECgCE/s2048/Photo%25252020150111213741376.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xt42-icsXpw/VLNd6fOqgCI/AAAAAAAABew/jqpdnmECgCE/s500/Photo%25252020150111213741376.jpg" id="blogsy-1421041147183.37" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p> I had read, previousy, another book by Irene Hunt, <em>Across Five Aprils</em>, a story set during the American Civil War. I found it interesting and thoughtful, so I expected the same from <em>Up a Road Slowly</em>. I wasn't disappointed.</p><p>Told in the first person, this is the story of young Julie, who has gone to live with her maiden Aunt Cordelia after her mother has died. It is too formidable a task for her grieving father to care for the traumatized Julie and her brother in the wake of his wife's death, so they are shipped off to live with his wife's relatives in the country-side for the time being. Sharing the household is Cordelia's brother, ne'er do well Uncle Haskell. </p><p>Over the years that follow, Julie experiences everyday pleasures, friendships, disappointments, and always learns more about life and herself. She suffers through jealousy as her beloved older sister marries, and then has a child. Growth happens when she begins to understand about Number One Spot, Number Two Spot, etc, and that she is, rightfully, no longer at that level in that relationship. </p><p>A disturbing fact of childhood relationships rears its ugly head when Aggie is introduced. Aggie is the not-too-bright, annoying, dirty, unloved, poor, ostracised girl who is unable to be tolerated by her classmates. In spite of Julie being encouraged to be kind to Aggie, she does not do well in that, to the point of cancelling her birthday party rather than having to invite Aggie to it. I suspect that reading this section will bring uncomfortable feelings to mind of the reader's own past of not being kind to the outcast classmate.</p><p>This book is an enjoyable read, layered with stories and subplots that make up Julie's life as she grows up. </p><p>The only thing I found a sort of bumpiness to was the way that it wrapped up. The majority of the book details her younger years. There is a sort of acceleration in the telling as she ages. To me, it almost felt like an extended epilog, the last several chapters. I'm glad to find out "what happens to her" as she graduates high school, etc., but I find myself losing the emotional investment in her story as she ages out.</p><p>I bought this book at the thrift store for a buck and a half.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-30870124626784908262014-12-19T21:31:00.001-08:002014-12-19T21:31:08.078-08:001958 Honor - Gone-Away Lake <div class="separator" style="text-align: left; clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ohcaaIG9g7A/VJUIPI7vXMI/AAAAAAAABcw/7m5CboVDhMA/s2048/Photo%25252020141219212456586.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ohcaaIG9g7A/VJUIPI7vXMI/AAAAAAAABcw/7m5CboVDhMA/s500/Photo%25252020141219212456586.jpg" id="blogsy-1419053138956.1904" class="" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> </p><p> Hrumph! I would not have thought this book would have been a Newbery contender. I found it tedious, shallow, and totally without a decent plot. </p><p>In a creative writing class I once took, I learned that there are several forms used within a piece. Exposition (The girl skipped <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">along </span>cheerfully over the iced-covered pond), Description (Her titian ringlets contrasted nicely against her red sunburnt shoulders, and the springy coils bounced in time with her merry cavorting.) Dialogue ("Oh my!" she said to her pet cricket, "It seems I can feel the ice shift under my little feet!") Action (Crack! Smack! Wham! sounded as the ice broke!) It felt to me as if I constantly shuffled through the pages of Gone-Away Lake wading through description after eccentric description, wondering if I might be finally stumbling upon a bit of interesting plot to tie it all together, but alas, it was not to be.</p><p>Gone-Away Lake, by Elizabeth Enright, is basically a summer vacation story of 10 year old Portia, her little brother, Foster, and their older cousin Julian. Portia and Julian are out exploring through the woods and swamp and stumble upon a little abandoned neighborhood of summer houses that has been forgotten by everyone else. It was deserted after the lake receded into marsh long ago. But there are two elderly residents who continue to make a home there, relying on gardens, gathering, and aquiring things from the other rotting houses. It sounds a little creepy, but it's not. It's undendingly cheerful, eccentric, and full of buccolic charms as the two children sneak away every day to visit them. </p><p>There is one brief moment of scare when little Foster tries to follow them and gets stuck in the bog. But he is promptly rescued by the elderly gentleman resident, which leads to a general reveal about their presence. Thankfully, all the grownups instantly fall in love with the old man and woman when they bring the little boy back to his parents, and things generally improve for all concerned from this point on.</p><p>I can think of two non-Newbery books off-hand that were written along similar themes at about the same year (1957) that were more exciting, interesting, memorable, and re-readable than this one. (No Children No Pets, and The Ghost Boat.) Its weak plot could be forgiven if it were character driven, but alas, not much meaningful developement there either.</p><p>There was one chapter that really stood out to me, though I expect it was intended to just be one of the many stories of the past that was told to Portia and Julian, and that was The Summer Cats. Long ago, one of the more intimidating and obnoxious residents was discovered to have a custom of acquiring "summer cats." She would stop by a farmhouse on the way there, select a couple of kittens, enjoy them all summer, and then just before she went to her city home, she would take them by the vet to have them chloroformed. </p><p>How horrifying!</p><p>Although this book may appeal to some readers, I don't believe I would have <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> especially </span>enjoyed it when I was young, and today I was just anxious to finish it- no small task at 256 pages.</p><p>I bought this copy at Goodwill for probably a buck fifty.</p><p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-79141421223995107872014-02-27T21:49:00.001-08:002014-02-27T21:49:00.688-08:001934 - Invincible Louisa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lTkRfPtQlsQ/UxAZDto09aI/AAAAAAAABVA/A9dFHgVWVvU/s2048/Photo%252520Feb%25252027%25252C%2525202014%25252C%2525209%25253A04%252520PM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lTkRfPtQlsQ/UxAZDto09aI/AAAAAAAABVA/A9dFHgVWVvU/s500/Photo%252520Feb%25252027%25252C%2525202014%25252C%2525209%25253A04%252520PM.jpg" id="blogsy-1393563927994.603" class="alignnone" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div><p> This book by Cornelia Meigs is a biography of Louisa. And what other Louisa would that be but Louisa May Alcott? Most well-known by her books Little Women and Little Men, the follow-up novel, Louisa had an interesting life, full of poverty on one hand, full of love and family on the other. She came of age during the American Civil War, which had a great impact on her, and rubbed shoulders with some of the literary greats of the day, such as Nathanial Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Henry Thoreau. </p><p>If you have read Little Women, much of Louisa's story will seem familar to you. Not identical, but very familiar. She was one of four daughters in a poor household raised by a steadfast mother and a father with lofty ideals and high ideas. He was so concerned with giving charity, that his own poor family often did without. One part especially rankled me. He was considering going the Shaker way with a friend, leaving behind his carnal relationship with his wife and family. His long-suffering wife protested, so he capitulated, but then fell into a depression. In despair, his wife, Abba Alcott, tucked her pride aside and contacted the friend to say that her husband, Bronson, was free to go after all. But thankfully, the friend was leaving for Europe and the Shaker plan was over. </p><p>Louisa feels the burden of helping to provide for her family and not being dependent on them for her sustenance. She tries her hand at writing, with some small success, but it is only when her collection of "Hospital Sketches" is published that she becomes well-known and on her way as a writer. </p><p>When the Civil War broke out, Louisa felt a great desire to help with the cause and volunteered as a nurse at a military hospital in Washington. She gained a great deal of life experience, but her health suffered greatly, and after that, she was never quite as strong as she had been. She was always sending home stories of the men and boys she tended to, which were eventually collected into the book, Hospital Sketches. </p><p><u>Invincible Louisa</u> covered about all of Louisa's life, both before she became famous, and after Little Women was published, which changed the fortunes of the whole Alcott clan. But I found myself reading more quickly, less carefully, after she had achieved her success than how her life led up to that point. </p><p>You can tell that the writing is a little old fashioned, compared to today's writing styles, but is still very readable. Some parts seemed quaint, making effort to not be sensational. </p><p><em>Louisa Alcott had lovers during her varied life, that much we know. </em>(though I'm not sure the author means that in the modern, carnal sense) ...<em>She has been less frank about the others, so that who they were and just what she thought of them are secrets of her own which prying eyes have no right to investigate, not even in the name of her cherished fame. </em></p><p>Huh? None of our business? Well!</p><p>I enjoyed Little Women; it is a great book, though I am not a rabid fan. I think that real devotees would highly enjoy this biography. Another interesting facet to the book is the seeing the ideals and philosophies of the Alcotts, specific to the historical times they lived in. </p><p>The cover sort of bugged me, just because I feel that the illustration, while attractive, doesn't quite portray a young woman of the 1860's. Her dress looks "almost right," but her hair makes me think more of the 1980's. And the book says that she used a lap writing desk. That would have been an interesting, rather than traditional prop in the cover <span style="line-height: 1.3em;">illustration.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">I got this book for fifty cents at the thrift store.</span></p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-47539805499566920442014-01-20T13:39:00.001-08:002014-01-20T13:47:53.193-08:002010 - When You Reach Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tuy0miniBJg/Ut2UCnqBOsI/AAAAAAAABT0/F7Hb-o4OarQ/s1600/photo-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tuy0miniBJg/Ut2UCnqBOsI/AAAAAAAABT0/F7Hb-o4OarQ/s1600/photo-3.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div><br />I ran across this book the other day when I was skimming the titles in the children's book section at my local Goodwill. Hmm, kind of an ambiguous title. The spine said Yearling Newbery. Hadn't heard of it or the author, Rebecca Stead before. I pulled it out, thinking that&nbsp;it was an honor book. But no, there was that golden seal. Why not? So I put it in my cart.<br /><br />I thought I was going to get a real-life coming of age story. Twelve-year old girl, her single mom, living in an apartment in the city, the mom's dreams of getting ahead a little bit by winning a tv game show. It seemed to start out that way, but with the strange plot device of the girl, Miranda, writing the book as a letter or story to an as-yet unknown character.<br /><br />A little bit of a mystery is like a little bit of a fishhook, catching your mind and attention, just a little bit at first. But then the hook begins to set, and the line plays out, and you get a delicious anticipation of how and when it will all be made clear. The clues are there, and you think you might know what's up, but are always aware that the author hasn't given enough away that she can't end it with something you didn't anticipate. In this manner, it reminds me of The Westing Game, another Newbery book. It might remind you of another book too, but I'm not going to give anything away. You will have to read this yourself!<br /><br />I paid $1.49 for this at Goodwill.Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-5157685179836048392014-01-05T16:43:00.001-08:002014-01-05T16:56:02.051-08:002000 - Bud, Not Buddy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zb07Bw_QvEw/Usn-eeBoP2I/AAAAAAAABSc/vdkwrjftNaw/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zb07Bw_QvEw/Usn-eeBoP2I/AAAAAAAABSc/vdkwrjftNaw/s1600/photo.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>This book, by Christopher Paul Curtis, languished on my bookshelf for awhile before I got around to reading it. It looked like a meaningful book, grounded in reality rather than a nice escapist fantasy piece, which is where my mood often seemed to be. Finally I picked it up and began. The first sentences hooked me.<br /><br />"Here we go again. We were all standing in line waiting for breakfast when one of the caseworkers came in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news, either they'd found a foster home for somebody or somebody was about to get paddled."<br /><br />An orphan story! Orphan stories have lots of good possibilities, and it looked like the action was going to start right away. Two important facts emerge by the middle of the second page. The Great Depression is going on. An orphan is in a precarious position during this economically devastating era. And Bud has a confident sense of self, as he politely corrects the caseworker, "It's Bud, not Buddy, ma'am."<br /><br />Predictibly, the foster parents that Bud is sent to are abusive, along with their rotten little son who likes to torture all the "street urchins" his parents take in. <span style="line-height: 1.3em;">It doesn't take Bud long to realize he is better off on the lam than with these people, and so he escapes. He knows he cannot go back to the orphanage; they can hardly afford to feed the ones there. But Bud is resourceful and manages to take some kind of care for himself and spend wonderful moments in the public library. </span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">But all along, he has the idea of a plan. In his precious suitcase resides a flyer. His mother had regarded it as precious and special before she died, and so does Bud. The flyer advertises a show featuring a jazz musician and his band. The boy has become convinced that the musician is his dad and begins to plan how to go to where the band is and present himself as the man's son.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.3em;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.3em;">I like Bud. I like his moxie. He</span>&nbsp;is intelligent and practical, and is willing to risk to get what he wants.<br /><br />A young reader can get a very good feeling for that era in our country's history by reading this book, and enjoying a good story with a nice ending at the same time.<br /><br />I picked this up for a buck fifty at Goodwill.<br /><div id="blogsy_footer" style="clear: both; font-size: small; text-align: right;"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Posted with Blogsy" src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" height="20" style="margin-right: 5px; vertical-align: middle;" width="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-76545448234887109602013-07-17T10:17:00.001-07:002013-07-17T10:17:36.411-07:001950 - The Door in the Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1dFEkvSKmEk/UebRkGSWgSI/AAAAAAAABPs/obxtWY8RSA4/s2048/Photo%252520Jul%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A24%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1dFEkvSKmEk/UebRkGSWgSI/AAAAAAAABPs/obxtWY8RSA4/s500/Photo%252520Jul%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%2525209%25253A24%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1374081456034.5735" class="aligncenter" alt="" width="500" height="669"></a></div> <p> The <em>Door in the Wall</em>, by Marguerite de Angeli is a slim, inviting book of only 121 pages, but it uses those few pages to open a world of knights and monks and medieval life through the character of the boy, Robin. </p> <p> Robin was the son of a nobleman, born to a life of the higher class, and he was on the verge of taking the first step into his own manhood, at the age of ten being sent away to live in the household of another knight. There he would serve his liege lord and learn all the ways of knighthood. His father was off to fight the Scots, and his mother was leaving to assist the Queen, who was in ill health. Unfortunately, the day after they left and before he left for the knight's household, a malady struck the boy, which left him sick, his legs paralyzed and his back bent. Arrangements were further complicated by the plague, which made communications spotty.<br></p> <p>Into this situation, a traveling monk, Brother Luke, arrives and takes the boy with him back to St. Mark's, where he can be cared for until other arrangements can be made. Robin is a little sulky, a little uncooperative, and a bit of self-importance rests upon him, but he is also bright and energetic, and he rises to the challenges of learning how to navigate the world with a bent back and useless legs. The monks are patient and understanding, treat him respectfully but help him understand some of his situations from a higher point of view </p> <p>What Robin worries most about is, what now is his place in the world? How can he become a knight with useless legs? Will his father be ashamed of him when he returns and sees what has become of his boy? </p> <p>Because this tale takes place during the time of castles and fortressed quarters, protective walls rise across the way one might want to go. Robin is assured by Brother Luke that one only needs to follow the wall long enough, and a door would appear. Robin finds this to be true literally, when he effects a daring mission to help rescue the besieged holding where he is staying, and he also realizes it is true in regards to his own physical condition. As he came upon and walked along the wall of his limitations, he looked for and found the doors that opened into new meaning and purpose for his own life.</p> <p>This is a heartwarming story with plenty of excitement and adventure. At first, I felt a little annoyed at how thoughtlessly Robin acted in his self-importance, but I realized that first off, he's just a boy of ten, and that's often the way kids are. And that was certainly the class attitude of the times, so I appreciated the realism. Robin did grow in his maturity and humility, but kept the self-confidence of his status.</p> <p>The cover art was obviously updated for this edition, and I don't care for it. In fact, that was one reason I'd put off reading it. Somehow, the boy looks like a modern youth, and the monk and the minstrel are depicted comically, giving you the impression of a completely different sort of story. The interior artwork, by the author, fits the story better.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UGfkAXVYbTk/UebRrFyQL6I/AAAAAAAABP0/GK0G06zl4Rs/s2048/Photo%252520Jul%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A13%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UGfkAXVYbTk/UebRrFyQL6I/AAAAAAAABP0/GK0G06zl4Rs/s500/Photo%252520Jul%25252017%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A13%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1374081456056.9182" class="alignnone" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I bought this book at the thrift store for a buck fifty.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1856863540699128972.post-61117430185789913462013-07-14T10:44:00.001-07:002013-07-14T10:44:29.122-07:001945 - Rabbit Hill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KK5gxuEkqKg/UeLjeekY-xI/AAAAAAAABPU/zaAgxUI7Yu8/s2048/Photo%252520Jul%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A16%252520AM.jpg" target="_blank" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-KK5gxuEkqKg/UeLjeekY-xI/AAAAAAAABPU/zaAgxUI7Yu8/s500/Photo%252520Jul%25252014%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252010%25253A16%252520AM.jpg" id="blogsy-1373823869734.765" class="aligncenter" width="500" height="669" alt=""></a></div> <p> In a way, it was an positive experience to read a Newbery Book that made Gay Neck and Onion John seem like gripping thrillers, but in another way, reading Rabbit Hill made me feel as if I had wasted 45 minutes of my life. Yes, 45 minutes. Or maybe it was 30. I skimmed. Which was really easy to do and not lose much of what was going on. </p> <p>Let me give you a synopsis. (Possible spoiler alert, if that can be possible)</p> <p>All the animals of the meadow, who get along in good harmony, carnivores included, find out that "Folks" re moving to the old deserted farmhouse. Will they be good Folks who plant, or bad Folks who do not? Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak, etc. (Yak is a substitute word for all the inane, boring, high-falutin', dialect, anthropomorphic, tedious, chatty discussion all the critters have amongst themselves while they wonder.)</p> <p>Yay! The Folks are good Folks! They plant, and don't harm the animals! In fact, they nurse Mother's darling bunny, Little Georgie, back to health after they run over him! (While this part of the story may seem like it has excitement potential, trust me, the tedious animal conversations and reactions ensure it never gets much momentum.)</p> <p>And the coup de gras of the tale, the Folks erect a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in a clearing, ensuring the message of the book is not lost in the story.</p> <p>In my opinion, this would have worked tolerably well for a much shorter children's picture book. I expect that for some, this might be a much beloved book from their childhood past, but for me, I can't see it.</p> <p>I got this book from the thrift store for probably less than a buck.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Carolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06022843273272878598noreply@blogger.com0
http://projectnewberyaward.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
projectnewberyaward.blogspot.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2018-05
140451
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:WVKYWH7H7NYWR2GR2NQ7GHBKYR2IJHGO
<urn:uuid:324a954b-7550-41a8-a055-a52fda556f9d>
2018-01-24T11:21:38Z
172.217.15.97
application/atom+xml
sha1:WLQ7G32SW37TACNH2ILSG5RBIMFZXFR5
<urn:uuid:a781949c-d9dd-4224-beed-c895311b831d>
http://projectnewberyaward.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
response
<urn:uuid:5411c3d2-0da7-48d7-82ed-810620de1ca7>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-5-153-88.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-05
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for January 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf