Monday, September 14, 2009

A review by a teenage reader - The Various

A few months ago a reader called Lydia wrote to me to ask me to correct a mistake that I had made in a review I wrote for the book The Various. She was so charming and sharp that I invited her to write a review of the book for this blog. I was curious to see how she sees the book from her 14-year-old perspective.

The Various

By Steve Augarde

Ages 12+

Midge Walters is just an ordinary London girl who is extremely annoyed with her mother, a violinist in the Philharmonic Orchestra. Time and time again she has pleaded to go with her mother on a tour, and every time the answer is no, and it is no different now. This time Midge is going to stay with her quirky Uncle Brian who lives at Mill Farm. Midge instantly loves the farm and her uncle, whom she hasn’t seen for years.

She thinks that this stay will be the same as all the others has had: downright boring. Her cousins Katie and George aren’t going to arrive from their holiday for two weeks, so Midge is completely stuck with what to do, and decides to explore the surrounding fields belonging to her uncle. She is soon discovers how wrong she was; these are not going to be a boring few weeks. In fact they will probably be the most dramatic weeks in her life.

She finds an old, desolate pig barn hiding a big secret – a winged horse, about the size of a small deer, trapped underneath the spokes of a raking machine. As she nurses him back to health, she learns that his name is Pegs, and he lives in what she calls the Royal Forest, which is owned by Midge’s uncle. Pegs can speak, but not as humans do. It sounds to Midge as if Pegs is speaking on a strange sort of telephone, she can see the words like pictures and colours, but the sound is all inside her head. Call it telepathy, if you like.

Pegs takes Midge into the Royal Forest to meet the Various, a group of five tribes trying their best to survive in times where there is less and less food. Pegs had actually been sent out to seek food or safe land in the neighbouring forests, but all he found was a site full of trucks, diggers and felled trees. The closest word to describe the ‘little people’ would be ‘fairy’, but only one tribe, the Ickri, has wings, and even then they can only glide from tree to tree. They are about knee height but, though they are small, they possess spears and arrows. Some are less friendly than others, and some even try to kill Midge.

Midge is dragged into the tale of the struggling tribes, and she is horrified to find out that her uncle wants to sell the land to developers. Pegs urges Midge to tell queen Ba-betts of the Various about this news, which she does. She also finds out about an ancient connection between her and the Various. An ancestor of hers, a ‘Gorji’, as the Various call humans, once built a strong relationship with the tribes, but whenever she spoke of the little people, people thought she was mad.

Midge has the task and mission to protect the only home these strange, mystifying people have, all while keeping their presence a secret.

This first book in a trilogy about the Various, mixes fantasy and reality so closely that you sometimes wonder which is which. It is very difficult not to get sucked into the plot, and to actually feel as if you are becoming Midge herself.

This is a truly magical book, which really makes you think about where you stand today. In this present time people think they know everything about the world, but this book shows us that this is not so. Why, for all we know, there could be little people living right on our doorstep…

Reviewed by Lydia Mackean, aged 14

Thank you, Lydia. I hope to have more guest reviewers in the future.

Blog Book Tour: An Inteview with Joy Preble, author of Dreaming Anastasia

Today I will be interviewing Joy Preble, the author of Dreaming Anastasia.

Marya: Where did the idea for your remarkable book come from?

Joy: Dreaming Anastasia began with Anne. Or more precisely, Anne’s voice. I had this idea about a girl who was in history class and she was bored and her teacher wasn’t really doing a good job of teaching about the Russian Revolution. I didn’t even have a name for this girl yet, but she was smart and kind of snarky and possibly – in that original version – a bit of a trouble maker. Mostly what came to me was this girl who wanted something exciting to happen to her. So I suppose she got her wish

Marya: Why did you decide to bring Baba Yaga, the Russian fairytale witch, into the story?

Joy: Interestingly, the original version did not include Baba Yaga! But my agent and I kept discussing the idea that something was missing; here was this story that was based on the Russian Revolution and the Romanov assassination but the fantasy elements didn’t have an authentic Russian nature to them. So I essentially decided to do a re-write. And I just had a feeling that Russian folklore and fairy tales would bring me what I needed, so I read and read and within a very short time, I’d found the Baba Yaga stories. Baba Yaga seemed the perfect magic foil for Anne and Ethan and Anastasia – she is strong, unpredictable, impossible to actually do away with, and no one in the fairy tales encounters her without coming away changed. It seemed right both organically and metaphorically for what was happening for all the characters in the story, especially – not to give too much away – for certain characters who crave change but can’t have it

Marya: Have you always had an interest in the Romanov story?

Joy: Yes! I think I was in junior high when I picked up a copy of Robert K. Massie’s biography, Nicholas and Alexandra. I was hooked. There’s just something so gloriously and horrendously tragic about it all. This pretty, pretty family who had everything and then lost it all in the political upheaval of the times. And that crazy Rasputin who was so strong that they poisoned him and then shot him and finally had to drown him to get him to die! Plus of course, Anastasia herself – so young and feisty and funny. I can see why so many people just continued to hope that she hadn’t died in that basement that horrible day. I guess all of the passion of that story stuck with me and eventually it came out as Dreaming Anastasia.

Marya: In this story, the power of “blood’ – as in family connections – is strong. Is this something you believe is true outside of your story?

Joy: A very interesting question! Hmmmm…. I guess my answer is both yes and no. No in the literal sense. I don’t think anyone really inherits greatness or evil or that kind of thing. I do think we’re probably a combination of both nature and nurture and that while we have certain inherent traits, we do choose what we become to most extent. That being said, I find that for me, the power of family is strong. I do like knowing the people to whom I’m connected – the ones who share things with me at the most primal level. But I don’t think it takes blood for that. Some of the people I’m closest to aren’t blood relatives; they’re the “family” I chose – close friends; my tribe so to speak. But in terms of the story – I was very much working with the idea that what we do for the people we love is a very powerful force. And certainly for the European royal families, there was always a deep sense of the importance of blood. Beyond that, I guess I could start into the whole blood is important for the feminist aspects of Dreaming Anastasia, but I think that’s another topic entirely

Marya: When you began the story did you know it was going to end the way it did?

Joy: You know, you’re the first person to ask me that! And if I’m going to be honest, I will say that I very much struggled with the ending, especially the more I got to know and love my characters. For those who’ve read, you know that there are obviously two distinct possibilities for the ending. I did work out how the story would be both ways. But ultimately I feel I chose the ending that made the most sense for the characters. That being said, I will tease you by saying that if I get to write the sequels, you may find more surprises in store. That’s all I can say right now.

Marya: You are part of 2k9, a group of writers who are bringing out their first books in the year 2009. How has the group helped you with your book?

Joy: Oh my gosh, how didn’t they, would be the better question? I am constantly telling everyone how lucky I am to have these 20 other writers all going through this journey with me. Each and every one of them has become a friend and a writing colleague. We help each other with everything from morale to promotion and all the stuff in between. And when we do get together in person – it’s crazy wonderful. (Okay, Kathryn Fitzmaurice (The Year the Swallows Came Early) may disagree because she had to drive around Chicago with me behind the wheel getting lost and blowing through some toll booths (I didn’t see it; really. That’s all I’m saying. It was dark. It was raining. I’d eaten too much dessert) but beyond that these guys are just amazing!

Marya: Are you writing a new story at the moment? If you are, are you finding that your writing process is different this time around?

Joy: I’ve just finished two other novels that I hope you will all get to see at some point and I will say that while my general creative process is still the same, I have developed a much more accurately critical internal editor after having gone through editorial revisions with Dreaming Anastasia. The copy edit process in particular was an eye-opener to me. My editor had said, “Oh, it won’t be much. Your writing is very clean.” And then I took a look at what the team had to say… You find out your weaknesses – such as my desire to use too many stylistic fragments and my copy editor’s love of adding dashes. But I did love the discussions we had in the Word comment bubbles. It got quite lively late at night!

Thank you Joy for a wonderful interview. You can visit Joy on her website to find out more about her work and her book. Please visit the other bloggers who are partcipating on this tour.

Teens Read Too (8/17)

Through the Wardrobe (8/29)

Class of 2k9 (8/29)

Story Siren (8/31)

EVEREAD (9/1)

The Book Resort (9/1)

Marta’s Meanderings (9/2)

Babbling About Books (9/3)

A Passion for Books (9/3)

Day by Day Writer (9/4)

Neverending Shelf (9/5)

YA Books Central (9/6)

The Book Obsessions (9/7)

Dolce Bellezza (9/7)

Books & Literature for Teens (9/7)

Shelf Elf (9/8)

The Shady Glade (9/8)

Debbie’s World of Books (9/9)

Bookalicio.us (9/9)

Ultimate Book Hound (9/10)

Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf (9/10)

Sarah’s Random Musings (9/11)

Cindy’s Love of Books (9/12)

Presenting Lenore (9/12)

Always Riddikulus (9/12)

Jenn’s Bookshelf (9/13)

Carol’s Corner (9/13)

A High & Hidden Place (9/14)

Looking Glass Review (9/14)

Karin’s Book Nook (9/14)

Shooting Stars Magazine (9/15)

Library Lounge Lizard (9/15)

Book Journey (9/16)

The Book Pixie (9/16)

The Compulsive Reader (9/17)

Bildungsroman (9/17)

Booking Mama (9/18)

BriMeetsBooks.com (9/18)

The Written World (9/19)

Hope’s Bookshelf (9/19)

Book Nut (9/20)

Hope is the Word (9/20)

Zoe’s Book Reviews (9/21)

Homespun Light (9/21)

Teen Scene magazine (9/21)

Galleysmith (9/22)

Once Upon a Bookshelf (9/22)

Café of Dreams (9/23)

My Friend Amy (9/23)

The Brain Lair (9/24)

Ms. Bookish (9/24)

Lori Calabrese Writes (9/25)

Mrs. Magoo Reads (9/25)

Ramblings of a Teenage Bookworm (9/26)

Fantasy Book Critic (9/26)

Into the Wardrobe (9/27)
In the Pages (9/27)

Beth Fish Reads (9/28)

Reverie Book Reviews (9/28)

BookLoons.com (9/28)


Sunday, September 13, 2009

A review of Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble.

Tomorrow I will be posting an interview with Joy Preble, a new author whose first book, Dreaming Anastasia, was published this year. I found the book very engrossing and was fascinated by the way in which the author combined history, the life of a modern day teenager, and the ancient magic of a fairytale witch. Here is my review of the book:
Dreaming Anastasia
Joy Preble
Fiction
Ages 14 and up
Sourcebooks, 2009, 1402218176
For some time now, Anne has been dreaming that she is someone else, a girl who is witnessing the murder of a whole family. It is so real that the dream seems to spill into Anne’s waking life. It is very disturbing and unsettling. Who is the girl in the dream?
Then one day, when she is at the ballet with her friend Tess, Anne sees a very handsome boy who appears to be watching her. Soon after, Anne sees the same boy at a coffee shop and at her school. Could it be that he is following her around? Why are so many weird things happening to her?
Just when she thinks things could not get stranger, the boy, Ethan, offers to explain matters to Anne. What Anne hears is utterly improbable, and yet Anne finds that she does believe what she is hearing. For one thing, it explains why she has been having the strange dreams. Ethan tells her that he belongs to a brotherhood of men who have special powers. The members of the brotherhood use their powers to protect people, specifically the Russian royal family, the Romanovs. In 1918, the leader of the brotherhood, Victor, arranged for Anastasia, the Russian Tsar’s youngest daughter, to be whisked out of danger. Victor used Ethan to compel Baba Yaga, a witch, to rescue Anastasia just at the moment when the rest of her family members were being killed.
Apparently, Anne is the one person who can free Anastasia from her captivity in Baba Yaga’s hut. Because of the spell Victor used on her, Baba Yaga has to do her best to prevent this.
Together Anne and Ethan try to figure out what it is they have to do to free Anastasia. They soon find out that Baba Yaga is not their only enemy. Someone else is also determined to stop them, and he is not afraid to commit murder to achieve his goal.
In this incredibly compelling and sometimes disturbing book, Joy Preble skillfully weaves together Russian fairytales and historical facts. The narrative shifts between Anne’s story, Ethan’s story, Anastasia’s story, and the letters that Anastasia writes to her dead family members as she waits to be rescued. Readers who have an interest in Russian history will get a better understanding of why the Romanovs did what they did, and why their actions led to their downfall. As they read, they will discover that the ties of blood can be very strong, and at the same time, they can cause great trouble and heartache.
This is Joy Preble’s first book.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Blog Book Tour - Travels with Tarra and Just for Elephants

Recently one of the publicists at Tilbury House sent me two non fiction titles about a lady who raised a baby elephant, and who subsequently went on to found a sanctuary for captive elephants. Both books, Travels with Tarra and Just for elephants, greatly moved me because of my background. Some years ago I wrote my thesis about captive elephants in India, and I also did a personal study on elephants in various zoos. It always distressed me greatly when I saw elephants having to endure squalid conditions, loneliness, and boredom.

It was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview the author of these books, Carol Buckley. Here is a brief bio about Carol:

Carol Buckley has more than thirty-two years' experience in the care and management of elephants. For many
years she traveled the U.S., Canada, and abroad performing in a number of circuses with Tarra. Their story is told in her award-winning first book, Travels With Tarra. In 1995, with Scott Blais, Carol founded the nation's first natural-habitat refuge for sick, old, and needy elephants, the Elephant Sanctuary. As executive director, she helps care for the elephants, arranges for needy elephants to be moved to the Sanctuary, and develops and implements educational programs, both for the public and for school children, to benefit the elephants wherever they might be.

Now on to the interview:

Marya: In Travels with Tarra, you describe how you and Tarra used to travel around the country performing in shows of various kinds. What made you decide to change this way of life?
Carol: As Tarra grew and matured she required a different life style. When she was young she seemed to enjoy life on the road; new sights, surroundings, always new adventures. But as she grew she became larger and her size alone made much of our shared adventures prohibitive. As a four foot tall, thousand pound cute baby, we could run on a deserted beach or swim in a river without concern. By the time Tarra was ten she was more than 6 feet tall and weighed several thousand pounds and no longer was viewed as cute, definitely not the size creature the local police or forest ranger felt comfortable allowing to play in the forest, swim in a river or romp along the shoreline. Tarra needed more space and freedom and especially she needed to live with a family of elephants

Marya: Tarra mostly grew up around humans, and she had a hard time getting used to being around other elephants. How did you help her feel comfortable with creatures of her own kind?
Carol: Tarra got along with elephants just fine if they were not aggressive., unfortunately many captive elephants have poor social skills due to their lack of experience in a natural herd environment. Whenever Tarra was around non aggressive elephants she did great, when she was around aggressive elephants she
was extremely uncomfortable.

Marya: Why did you decide to set up an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee?
Carol: I wanted Tarra to live in a healthy environment. My experiences with the zoo and circus industries clearly demonstrated a lack of appropriate space, herd dynamics and progressive management philosophy. I did not want Tarra to spend her life in a deprived environment and I was determined to create a healthy place for her to live.

Marya: How do you find the elephants who come to the sanctuary
Carol: There are less than 600 elephants living in zoos and circuses. We know about their lives and their treatment. It is difficult but we have to wait until the owner is ready to send the elephant to us or the federal government is wiling to step in and confiscate to end the elephant's suffering.

Marya: And how do you raise the funds to care for them?
Carol: caring people worldwide hear about our work through media exposure, word of mouth and our web site and support us by making monetary donations or providing needs from our wish list

Marya: In Just for Elephants, you describe the way in which an elephant called Jenny welcomes the newest
sanctuary resident, Shirley. Jenny has since died. How did Shirley react to losing Jenny, who was like a mother to her?
Carol: Shirley was devastated when Jenny died just as any mother might be. Shirley mourned the loss of her dear friend and for weeks. She lost her appetite and was not responsive to her caregivers for days. Fortunately one of the other elephants, Bunny who was close with Shirley and Jenny, comforted Shirley in her time of need and their bond grew deeper. Bunny's love and compassion helped Shirley recover from her loss.

Marya: Most of the elephants at the sanctuary are Asian elephants, but you also have a few African elephants. How do the two species get along?
Carol: Our African and Asian elephants are provided separate habitats so that they are not required to get along. They are two separate species with different language and behavior, providing the most natural setting possible means these two species are not mixed.

Marya: Why did you decide to write about Tarra and the sanctuary?
Carol: To help raise awareness about the plight of all elephants forced to live their life in a captive environment

Marya: Do you think the books have helped to raise awareness of the plight of elephants in captivity?
Carol: I hope they have

Marya: Many of the elephants who come to the sanctuary have had a hard life. Shirley is one of these. Have their experiences made any of these elephants permanently angry, or are they able to move on, to forgive, and to be happy?
Carol: Elephants appear to me to be the most forgiving and compassionate of any species on our planet maybe equal with Gorilla, whales, and dolphins, and perhaps other species that we have yet to acknowledge. But elephants are superior in their ability to not hold a grudge, not seek revenge, to love those who mistreat them and to show compassion even when their lives are so deprived. It is not surprising to me that in ancient Asian cultures the elephants is viewed as a god, a reincarnate of Buddha himself.

Marya: One of the wonderful things about your sanctuary is that the elephants can live in herd, which is what they would do in the wild. Has one of them taken on the role of the matriarch – which is what happens in wild herds? Carol: In the wild elephants are born into a herd and the elder is the matriarch. At the Sanctuary Shirley as served as that wise and compassionate individual since her arrival, yes she is the oldest as well. In the separate habitat occupied by the divas Lottie serves in the capacity, her calm, sure and wise ways make her a perfect leader.

Marya: How many people help you to take care of the elephants at the sanctuary
Carol: We have 24 full time staff members and 12 of them are elephants caregivers.

Marya: How can we elephant fans help you in your work?
Carol: Our goal is to raise awareness about elephants and the lives they are forced to live in captive situations. Even the best of zoos deprive elephants from their most basic needs of room to roam, compatible others, and access to year round live vegetation. The best way anyone can help is to educate themselves regarding true elephant needs and then starting in their own community to make sure any elephant that lives in their community is provided for adequately.

You can also support Carol's captive elephants by 'adopting' one of her girls or by giving the sanctuary a donation. Please visit the Elephant Sanctuary website for more information.

Tilbury House is offering some wonderful blog book tour prizes. Here is the information:

Blog Prizes
- Copy of Just for Elephants signed by Sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley
- Copy of
Travels With Tarra signed by Carol and stamped by Tarra the Elephant
- Package of Tilbury House Animal Books—
The Goat Lady, Thanks to the Animals, and an advance copy of Bear-ly There
We'll draw 3 lucky winners from all of those who comment on tour posts from Sept. 1-9, and will announce the winners on Sept 10th
We are able to ship to the US/Canada

Twitter Prize
From now through Sept. 9, anyone who tweets about the tour using the hashtag #trunktour will be entered to win a copy of Travels With Tarra or Just for Elephants. US/Canada only, two winners will be announced on Sept. 10th.

Please visit the other blogs participating in this tour:

Tuesday, Sept. 1: Reading Rumpus
Wednesday, Sept. 2: Sacred Elephants
Thursday, Sept. 3: Read These Books and Use Them!
Friday, Sept. 4: Maw Books
Saturday, Sept. 5: Shelf Elf
Sunday, Sept. 6: Bees Knees
Monday, Sept. 7: Through The Looking Glass
Tuesday, Sept. 8: Bri Meets Books

Monday, August 31, 2009

The Bran Hambric Blog Tour

A few weeks ago I read a delightful book, Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse. This is the first title in what promises to be a thrilling new series by Kaleb Nation, a young author who I believe is going to make a big splash on the children's literature scene.

You can view my review of the book here on the TTLG website.

Thanks to Kaleb's publisher, Sourcebooks, I was able to interview this exciting new author.

Marya: Where did the idea for this book come from?

Kaleb: I was up late on the night of March 3, 2003, and had a sudden idea of Bran and Sewey on their rooftop, waiting for a burglar -- exactly how Chapter 1 opens. There were many other ideas attached to the image, and questions that I had to answer. By answering those questions, I slowly formed the story.

Marya: Bran Hambric lives in a city where many people are closed minded and unwilling to consider that mages and gnomes can be perfectly nice people. Are you trying to make point here?

Kaleb: When I set Dunce as a city that banned gnomes and magic, I was trying to create the image of a people who are not intrinsically bad, but are blinded by their prejudice. They would never even try to meet a gnome or a mage, because if they did, it would shatter their prejudice, which in turn would shatter their entire identity. When someone becomes so wrapped up in hatred for people they have never met, they usually end up looking as foolish as the Duncelanders!

Marya: You have some wonderful made up names in the story. How did you come up with these?

Kaleb: Some of the names come from myths and legends. Balder is the name of a Norse god. I invented Sewey when I was very young and heard someone say something about Chop Suey in a movie. A lot of the names were used in old stories I was writing years before The Farfield Curse, so it's hard to remember their sources!

Marya: What is your writing process? Did you plan the story in advance, or did it evolve as you wrote it?

Kaleb: I wrote the book in a somewhat odd way! For the first book, I did not plan out much, and just wrote an entire 500-or-so page novel in about seven months. I then rewrote the entire book multiple times, until I got tired of all the plot issues, and only then plotted out chapters on paper. However, for the sequel I'm writing now, everything is plotted out, so I don't get stuck as easily (or take six years to write it!).

Marya: Did you read fantasy books when you were growing up? If so, which ones did you like?

Kaleb: I did read some. I enjoyed the Chronicles Of Narnia and The Lord Of The Rings especially.

Marya: I know you have plans for more Bran Hambric books. Do you have plans for other books as well?

Kaleb: I certainly hope to write more than Bran Hambric. I have ideas for another series afterwards that are still brewing. I've also been working off and on with another story that is not a fantasy, and is very different from everything I've done before. It's one of those stories I think will take a decade to write the way I want, so I'm not looking to see it in stores anytime soon!

Marya: Do you know what is going to happen to Bran in the next book?

Bran: I know what's going to happen to Bran in all the books! I know who he meets, when he meets them, and who dies, and who lives. I know exactly how even the last book is going to end. For me, it is just the journey of getting there.

Here is a little information about Kaleb Nation:

As a child, Kaleb Nation had to be forced by his mother to write one page a week in creative writing. But by the time he finished his first story, no one could make him to stop. Age twelve, Kaleb promptly telephoned the senior editor of a major publisher to pitch the book…and got to talk with security instead.

But as with most writers, not even that could stifle his dream. On the third night of the third month in 2003, age 14, Kaleb had a sudden idea that began the story of Bran Hambric, a novel which would take most of his teenage years to write. In early 2007, Kaleb finished the first book in his series (Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse) and signed with Richard Curtis Associates, a leading New York literary agency. In 2008, Kaleb’s debut novel was sold to Sourcebooks, one of the largest independent publishers in the nation, for a Fall 2009 release.

Aside from writing, Kaleb hosted his first radio show in Texas at age 13, later launching his own program in 2006 called The Top 5. Originally produced exclusively for KalebNation.com, Kaleb’s show eventually grew to be broadcast on AM, FM, Internet, and satellite radio stations across the globe, making him one of the youngest nationally syndicated hosts on the air. Kaleb was also heard daily as the lead voice-over on WZDG-FM in North Carolina.

In mid-2008, Kaleb launched a second blog at TwilightGuy.com, giving chapter-by-chapter insight, from a guy and writer’s perspective, on reading the Twilight Saga, a series of popular novels. The website went on to receive over 3 million hits in its first 9 months online, and was featured in BusinessWeek and Entertainment Weekly magazines. Kaleb also began posting regular videos on his Youtube channel, with a combined total of over 3 million plays.

In his free time, Kaleb enjoys creating music and blogging at kalebnation.com. A homeschool graduate and a former black belt in taekwondo, he currently attends college in Texas and turned 20 in 2008.

Please do visit the other blogs that are participating in this tour. They are:

Sunday, August 30th

Jenn’s Bookshelf

Homespun Light

Monday, August 31st

StevenTill.com

Dolce Bellezza

Bobbi’s Book Nook

Tuesday, September 1st

The Looking Glass Review

Edward-Cullen.net

Beth Fish Reads

SMS Book Reviews

James Holder’s YouTube Channel

Wednesday, September 2nd

Bookalicio.us

Reading Rumpus

Katie’s Literature Lounge

Ultimate Bookhound

Thursday, September 3rd

Brimful Curiosities

Charlotte’s Library

Friday, September 4th

BriMeetsBooks.com

Bran Hambric by Kaleb Nation

Saturday, September 5th

Library Lounge Lizard

Sarah’s Random Musings

Saulchichas

GreenFyr.com

Sunday, September 6th

Cindy’s Love of Books

Monday, September 7th

Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf

Grasping for the Wind

Life After Twilight vlog channel

Tuesday, September 8th

Shooting Stars Magazine

Mrs. Magoo Reads

Lori Calabrese Writes

Wednesday, September 9th

The Brain Lair

Dulemba.com

The Children’s Book Review

TV Watch Online

Thursday, September 10th

The Friendly Book Nook

Book Journey

Stephanie’s Written Word

Home School Buzz

Spidurmunkey.com

Friday, September 11th

The Inside Scoop With Chandelle

Booking Mama

Saturday, September 12th

Zoe’s Book Reviews

Lit for Kids

Sunday, September 13th

Never Jam Today

A Bibliophile’s Reverie

Monday, September 14th

Café of Dreams

Marta’s Meanderings

Galleysmith.com

A Book Blogger’s Diary

The Reader’s Quill

Tuesday, September 15th

a book in hand

MistiSchindele.com

Not Just for Kids

Wednesday, September 16th

Write for a Reader

CumpulsiveReader.com

Thursday, September 17th

Howling Good Books

The Written World

Friday, September 18th

Always Riddikulus

YA Books Central

Saturday, September 19th

Ms. Bookish

Into the Wardrobe

Friday, August 28, 2009

The Kennedys and their legacy to the world of children's literature

This morning I was listening to the radio, and I heard about how people from all over the country are going to pay their respects to the late Senator Edward Kennedy. Many of people stood in lines for hours outside the Kennedy Library in Boston to say goodbye to a man who worked so hard to help the American people. Many of the visitors were astonished when family members came out to shake their hands and to thank them for being there. This gesture touched many hearts and it reminded me that the Kennedys were, and are, a very special family.

We know about John, Robert, and Edward and their service to the country in the political arena, but many of us don't know that the Kennedy's have also given the world of children's literature some wonderful books. Caroline Kennedy gave us A Family of Poems: My favorite poetry. Robert F. Kennedy Junior wrote Saint Francis of Assisi: A life of Joy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s American Heroes: Robert Smalls, the Boat Thief , and more recently Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s American Heroes: The Story of Joshua Chamberlain and the American Civil War. Maria Shriver has also written several books for children including What's wrong with Timmy? In 2006 Edward Kennedy wrote a children's book, My Senator and Me: A dog's eye view of Washington, D.C. I will be reviewing this latter title very soon.

I hope you get the opportunity to take a look at some of these books. Caroline Kennedy's collection of poems is especially wonderful. It is a book that readers of all ages will enjoy.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

A blast that shook the world.

On August 26th, 1883, a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra blew up. The explosion was heard up to 5,000 kilometers away and the dust from the eruption affected sunsets in far away New England. Not long ago I read and reviewed a fantastic book about this event. Here is the review.

The Day the World Exploded: The Earthshaking Catastrophe at Krakatoa

Simon Winchester

Adaptation by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

Non-Fiction

Ages 12 and up

HarperCollins, 2007, 978-0-06-123982-3

When the volcano on the island of Krakatoa blew itself apart on August 26th, 1883, it had a global effect. Not only was the world’s climate affected for months to come, and not only did thousands of people die, but for the first time in human history a catastrophic event was no longer a local happening. Thanks to the telegraph machine, within hours of the eruptions people in the Netherlands knew what had occurred. Scientists and others were able to make the connection between the events in the Sunda Strait and the strange sunsets that were being seen all over the world. People who owned barographs - instruments that measure atmospheric pressure – were able to figure out that a shock wave from the eruption and gone around the world no less than seven times. The explosion on the tiny little non-descript island had brought the people of the world together and the world quite suddenly seemed to become a much smaller place.

Scientists have now figured out that Krakatoa had a long history of violent eruptions. The explosion which took place in 1888 was not an isolated event and the people in the area had plenty of warnings that something big was going to happen. Indeed weeks before the big eruption tourists from the town of Batavia (Jakarta) went to take a look at the smoking mountain, and some foolhardy souls even climbed the main cone to look into the crater.

After the 1888 eruption was over, all was quiet in that area for a while. And then, in 1927, volcanic activity began anew. By 1930 a small island that was half a mile long and twenty feet high could be seen. This island was named Anak Krakatau (son of Krakatau) and by 2000 it had grown to the height of 1,500 feet above sea level. The island is still growing and it is active on a regular basis.

In this fascinating and superbly presented book renowned author, Simon Winchester, not only tells the story of one of the world’s most astonishing natural disasters, but he also explains why volcanoes form; he gives an account of the history of the Sunda Strait area; and he explains what the impact of the volcano’s eruption was on the world as a whole. The writing is interesting, punchy, and highly entertaining, and readers will come to appreciate how powerful volcanism can be. With numerous illustrations, diagrams, maps, and photographs, this book will delight anyone who has an interest in this subject.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

All the world - a review

Every so often I come across a book that I think has universal appeal. Readers of all ages will get something from it as they read the story and, in this case, look at the pictures. This morning I reviewed just such a book. It is called All the world. Here is my review.



All the world
Liz Garton Scanlon
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Picture Book
All ages
Simon and Schuster, 2009, 978-1-4169-8580-8
Many of us spend our lives running from place to place, and from activity to activity. We rarely take the time to appreciate the now, to enjoy what we are doing right this minute. In this beautifully written and illustrated picture book, Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee have created a memorable text and lovely illustrations to tell the story of one day in the life of a family. As the day unfolds, we are reminded of the wonderful things that fill out lives, the simple pleasures that make life so special.
The book begins with two children playing on a beach. The build a sandcastle, dig a moat, and take “a shell to keep.” Then the family heads to a farmer’s market where they buy produce and flowers. There are moments that are trying, for example when a storm arrives and rain pours down, and there are moments when everything is right with the world.
This book celebrates the connections between people, the wonders that fill our world, the high points that we share, and the low points that we also share. It is a title that readers of all ages will enjoy.

If you like books that give you pause, that evoke memories of your own, and that are a joy to read and to look at, then this is a book for you. Enjoy!
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