A wonderful, grown up book, that goes to places that most books don't
353465
This is a wonderful, grown up book, that says things that most books don't, and most authors can't -  about the challenges of being married, the stresses of reconciling with the opposite sex, the shame of failure, and the difficulty of standing out.

Set immediately after World War II in Australia, the book opens on Robert Booker, soldier, returning from the war to his wife Catherine. They were a good couple before the war but now, both scarred by their different experiences of the war, chasms open up. The book movingly charts their only partially successful journey to find their way back to one another.

I love the evenhandedness with which this book approaches war. It goes deeply into a male soldier's experience of the war, and his post traumatic shock afterwards, but it also goes into the difficulty of women's lives in war, being left behind to carry on life at home. Most specifically, Catherine who, one night, in a fit of despair at fearing Robert's death, goes out, gets very drunk, and starts an affair with a Jewish US Marine called Lewis.

Sex and death lurk beneath much of this book. A soldier's fear of death at any time, all the unaccountable sex that happens at war time, and the many unwanted and acknowledged consequences of that sex, especially once the war is over. The double standards of men's licence to sleep around as against the social punishment of women who do the same drive the story forward.

There's a lesbian, happily coupled with a woman during the war, who can't survive economically without a man, now that the war is over and all the jobs are going to the men. In an emotionally bruising scene, she is forced to marry a man through economic necessity.

Bloom has a gift for staying with an intensity of feeling that most writers shy away from. There's gold in her capacity to look unflinchingly at those feelings: the shame of being damaged by war, the transcendent joy in sexual expression, the hate and love that partners in a couple feel for each other when they have the capacity to hurt the other and when each carries the vulnerable sense of self of the other.

The book is artfully written and confidently structured. The manifold stress of events, and central characters' hard won strength in the face of them, eventually resolve in an adult compromise for Robert and Catherine that is successful but deeply compromised.
290174
What a book! What a crazy, goofy, wonderful book this is!  It is a little difficult to read, but, once you get the hang of it, the author has really captured how a scared and angry little girl named Elsa thinks and feels if a child that age had the insight and vocabulary to do so. Of course, Elsa is "different." She is brilliant in ways children seldom are, and she acts out in ways that are clearly understood by the adults in her world. This writer is brilliant in evoking an emotion in a person as the reader responds to the little girl's responses to situations and then figures out what is actually going on through his clever weaving of clues. Elsa's grandmother dies and charges Elsa with delivering a series of letters that explain things about Elsa's neighbors and about life itself through her apologies, and as Elsa begins to understand the world around her, so do you. That is because it is a book that draws you into the heart and soul of the characters, and leaves you scratching your head as to how you actually got there. I love this book, and really admire this writer's talent.
I read a lot. Some books are a nice story, some a nice adventure, and some will change your life. And here is a spoiler alert: this is a book that will change your life. Fredrik Backman is brilliant, and he dares to change lives through his writing. He makes it okay to be different, by finding the "different" in us all.
1819648
You do not need to be a fan of old cars to love this book. It is British, so look out for some unfamiliar words, but more impofantly, enjoy this example of what wonderful stories for children were written by Brits. Peter, his friends, and particularly his father, known only as "the painter" have important adventures in and with "The Wanderlust," as Peter names the car he finds, and The Wanderlust is a crucial part of his growing up.
2250488
After moving to Florida, I had to sample this classic. I was looking for local color in my newly adopted state. WOW - it grabs you with colorful descriptions of subsistance living in the Florida scrub. The boy's feelings towards his parents and neighbors are powerful explorations of growing up.

It has wonderful descriptions of the boy and his love for a fawn that grows into a troublesome yearling that threatens his family's livelihood. A real coming-of-age story.

Should have equal appeal to teens and adults, really a great story. Read it with your kid and discuss the numerous topics it raises (hunting, loyalty, duty, nurturing, assessing people, nature, and so much more).
4271311
My daughter's preschool had a copy of this book, and I was really captivated by it. The sense of the dad's quest to return home to his family was (I thought) very moving. The illustrations are very period ('40s, I suppose), which I think makes them visually interesting for kids and kind of nostalgia-inducing for the grownup reading it.

A striking book which I still think of some years after first encountering it. It has some of the night magic of "The Moon Jumpers," one of my great favorites from my own childhood (Janice May Udry and Maurice Sendak).
304972
This book is exactly why I sometimes like "Young Adult" or youth books far more than adult books. You get something - some bit of wisdom or insight - out of this kind of book. Thought provoking, emotional, and strangely "real," despite the fact it features a tree that turns into a moving, speaking being. I'm not sure most younger people will get hit very hard by this. But I imagine for a lot of adults, with life experience behind them, it's a punch in the gut.
480851
Carole P. Roman has written and produced quite a number of childrens books over the past few years.  These books are not only entertaining but all have one thing in common; they teach, and they do a wonderful job of it, I might add.

The book being reviewed here deals with what it would be like to be a child living during the Middle Ages, and is one of her most ambitious efforts so far and in my opinion, one of her best works. At over 90 plus pages, this one is for children a bit older than her normal targeted readership.  She covers all classes of people during that day and time; the nobility, peasants, landowners, shopkeepers and those between.  The author does not stray away from pointing out that life for everyone was not all that ideal and that living condition, even for the very rich, left much to be desired.  She does in a gentle and mater of fact way which while telling how it was, does not leave the young reader horrified and depressed.

The author does a wonderful job in describing food, clothing, housing, recreation, work (sometimes rather brutal), family life for all classes, schooling, and law and touches on religion.

Now I am not a professional historian by any means; no, I am a life long reader of history and have for years specialized in this era.  For the life of me I could not find any misinformation in the pages of this book.  I was very pleased with the portrayal of clothing and housing.  The illustrator (artist in this case), Mateya Arkova does an excellent job with her lightly done pastels and overall washed look.  This was quite fitting for the subject matter of this book.

The text is clear and precise and many, many new words are used. Actually, these are not new words, merely archaic and words that modern children will not know as they are seldom used but words they will need to know as they continue their education.

The author, per usual, has given us a great glossary of term and has included a brief gallery of famous people of that time.

I very much recommend this one and the others in this and previous series by this author.
4027023
This book really captures the feel of traveling through India and is very different than other travel and picture books.  It brings me back to my many trips there because it shows the stuff you see on the streets as you travel from one place to another.  The ads and labels from packages were particularly nostalgic for me, they are everywhere when you are in India but of course you wouldn't see them in a more conventional travel book (it's been twelve years since I visited last).

This book has great descriptive text, is very respectful yet easy to relate to for my kids, and really gives a more "on the streets" flavor of the Indian travel experience.  I think my four year old really enjoyed this book, and my six year old was definitely into it, so I think it's appropriate for much younger than third graders (although that might be the correct reading level for reading on their own).  I give it five stars because it communicates an experience that I haven't seen in other books on India.
4325061
As an adult reader, I don't read a ton of YA these days, but I love picking up one now and then that speaks to me the way so many of my favorite books did when I was of a certain wide-eyed age. This one rang true -- in the character searching for who she really is as she comes into her own, overcoming relatable anxieties and changing for the better along the way. Would gladly gift a copy to the young readers in my life -- particularly those who love music.
1451751
We've had this book for a few years, but I hadn't ever read it with my daughter until last night.  It is a wonderful book.  It starts out with a mother and her new baby and she rocks him and sings him a little song about how he will be her baby as long as she lives.
Through the succeeding pages, the baby grows into a toddler, a young boy, a teenager and a man.  In every stage of his life, his mother sneaks into his room sometimes, crawls across the floor, picks him up, rocks him, and sings the song.  This is the part that some people find creepy (my wife included).  I think the problem is that some people just don't care to suspend disbelief and expect every book to be very literal.  Yes, a little old lady breaking and entering to rock her grown son is a little odd to us as adults, but if you approach the book as a young child, it might seem perfectly normal.  In any case, it serves as an effective symbol to show that the mother's love endures throughout their lives.
Of course, since the son is growing up, so is the mother, and you can imagine where this is leading.  When the mother gets too old to sing the song anymore, I broke down in tears right there reading to my almost four year old daughter.  We had a pretty good conversation as a result.
So, now you are forewarned.  I think whether you like this book or not is going to be very dependent on what sort of person you are and what sort of person your kids are.
1895961
I have to start by saying that I loved this book. It was adorable, fun, and heartwarming. It was also neat to experience the first trip to New York with Nate. He grew a lot on his trip, and I loved seeing that growth. He was naive yet quick, funny yet real. Overall, just flat out wonderful.

Now, I work in a public library. We started with this book down in the children's department. Amazon says ages 9+. I cannot think of any 9 year old that I could possibly give this book to. Honestly, I can't think of any child I would give this book to at all. Nate is definitely showing signs that he wants to be with boys, but he is only 13 and hasn't made that decision yet. There is nothing wrong with that to me. To some parents, they might not feel the same way, or they might just not be ready to discuss that with their children. I wouldn't want to be the person that handed this book to a parent that wasn't ready for their child to read about it. Also, they use a word that starts with "f" and is a derogatory term for homosexual person. (Amazon won't let me say the word in my review, yet it appears many times in a book for children ages 9+???) Again, something many parents don't want their children introduced to. So there is a chance I could find a parent to discuss this with, and they could give it to their child fully prepared for discussion afterward. Unfortunately, I fear that most kids will see the cover and pick it up because it's cute, and these kids very well could have parents that don't want that discussion.

We decided to move this up to the teen section. It is a pretty juvenile story, but I'm hoping some 13 or 14 year old kids who love theater will pick this up and fall in love with it. Also, it might find an audience in people questioning their sexual preferences. By the age of 13, most kids are more aware of the world around them, and they are hopefully mature enough to talk about any questions they might come across while reading. If not, their friends probably know, and they are more likely to talk to them. Hopefully the cute cover still appeals to teens.

Again, I love this book. The story is adorable. The writing is spot-on for the story. There are a lot of concepts hit upon: family values, being the sibling of a "star", discovering who you are, exploring your dreams with eyes wide open. It is a cute, quick read that even adults will enjoy, especially adults who might love Glee like I do.
270027
A really fine book with an amazing absence of cliche, which is rare in childrens books. Each of the characters in Queen Abigail is a unique person, including the adults, and the situations are novel but true to life. I came away feeling as if Id just made some new friends, people who had always been there but whom I never noticed before.

If you're an Orthodox Christian, the setting will feel very comfortable to you. If you're not, youll still feel comfortable here; theres a lot thats new, but its presented in a way that makes it understandable and human. Either way, it makes me wish I was a 10-year-old girl discovering Abigail and friends. Can't wait for the next one, to find out what problems the Every Tuesday Girl's Club solves next!
341256
I suspect that if you missed reading "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" as a child you have, in a sense, missed the boat.  People who read this book as kids have a near psychotic attachment to it.  They'll buy you multiple copies and gleefully describe to you the delight they felt at the idea of running away and living in a museum of art.  The book's influence has stretched to the point where scenes from it have appeared in such popular films as "The Royal Tenenbaums".  Pity me, then, since the first time I read this book when I was roughly 20 years of age.  I read it, digested it, and came to the somewhat sour conclusion that it was a fine book but hardly worth the attention it's received.  Fast forward some six odd years.  I've just reread the book (again, as an adult).  I've a little more experience reading and reviewing children's literature, especially Newbery winners like this l'il number.  I read it.  I digested it.  And I came to the slightly less sour conclusion that while this book was enjoyable and loved widely by children everywhere, it's definitely not Konigsburg's best by a long shot.  "The View From Saturday" is her best.  "From the Mixed-Up Files" is just a nice gimmicky book that is vastly appealing to children but not written particularly well or badly.  It's fine, but that's all it is.  Fine.

Claudia is deeply disappointed with her life.  Every day she goes about as the same old Claudia in the same old routine.  Convincing herself that the only recourse left to her is to run away from home, Claudia enlists the aid of her younger brother Jamie.  With Jamie in charge of all monetary concerns and Claudia heading the planning, the two set off on an adventure.  And where do all good suburban kids run away to when they live a short distance from New York City?  Why to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of course!  While there the two live on their own, spending their money wisely.  It's not long before they find that their stay has coincided with the arrival of a mysterious statue that may or may not have been sculpted by Michelangelo.  Together, Claudia and Jamie set off to discover the secret of the statue.  A secret that may well live in the files of the mysterious Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Reading the book again, I have to admit I was a little more impressed with it than I expected to be.  Konigsburg certainly does cover her bases when it comes to plausible hiding out.  The kids think of everything possible when it comes to living on their own, including where to take baths and how to save their pennies.  You begin to really believe that a story of this nature could occur.  Unfortunately (and Konigsburg is, admittedly, guilty of this crime in more than one of her books) they don't really act their ages very well.  Jamie in particular seems blessed with a vocabulary well beyond his years.  This results in him saying phrases like, "Claudia, dear, I'm no angel.  Statue or otherwise".  I've yet to hear a nine year old of my own acquaintance casually use the word "otherwise" in conversation.

The book's definitely a bit of a historical piece of work too.  The kids are constantly eating at automats (a place that most children will need some kind of explanation of).  The prices that they pay for things are almost ludicrously low and there are references to items of clothing like petticoats.  Otherwise, the book could have been written today.  Even as I write this I find that I'm growing a little fonder of it.  There have been far more recent children's books that have tried to latch onto the feelings inspired by "From the Mixed-Up Files".  I'm thinking, of course, of Blue Balliett's less successful (writing-wise), "Chasing Vermeer".  But nothing really compares with the original.  Though I'd be the first to say that "From the Mixed-Up Files" is not really the best book ever written, it's still a fun one for kids that's filled with excellent information on Michelangelo.  Consider it recommended with some reservations.
1731981
I love this book! I have looked through many other read-aloud books but they just didn't satisfy me, leaving me with only a handful of semi-interesting books for my young children. Jamie's book however is FULL!! of interesting, intelligent, and beautiful reads for children. And since she has the book organized by place and by age I can easily find great global books for my kids as they grow and mature.
I definitely recommend this book if you are looking not only to expand your child's sense of the world but your own as well. He book is a doorway into a world of literature that stretches far beyond her pages.
95541
I am an adult and I have no young children but this book charmed my socks off.  It doesn't talk down to children, but rather uplifts them into a whimsical world of animals and their dreams of adventure.  The vintage toys featured were a hook for me since I saw things I grew up with and it's a wonderful conversation starter for adults to kids as we explain what "Radio Flyers" and what not are.  The message is a powerful one of pet responsibility, but far from being preachy or condescending, the book merely invites the reader into these colorful animal fantasies (with plenty of hidden jokes for grown ups to enjoy) and entertains like a good hostess.  What we do with the message is up to us.

The art is by an acclaimed artist (Robin Wiesneth), the verse stays on a level that is fun for children without descending into bland rhyme with no reason and the entire production is polished, fresh and sincere.  I can't say enough good things about this book and author except keep your eyes on her because she is headed to the stars just like some of her characters.

I love this book and am now looking for children I know to give it to.
3995631
This book is not just for children... it is even great for grown ups who appreciate good art... and there is fantastic art on every page. The story is cute, too.
456709
It is fresh, it is original, and the concepts work.
You will not find old beaten tracks, and plots as old as time.
The writer's voice is clear, easy to follow, and the flow of the work considered from start to finish.
Personally I loved it, and would recommend it to most.

BUT

This is not a work of high brow literary fiction.
In style, and layout, it has more in common with Young Adult works.
Most of the themes, and the style, would probably be more palpable for late teen readers.

I already recommended this book to some of my friend's children, who loved it, and most of the parents ended up reading it too, who also loved it. So do not see the lack of heavy literary language as something to detract you from a great yarn.
If it does, please burn all your Jim Grant(Lee Child) books as well.

Now, if only I could win the lottery, I will buy the rights to produce it into a great TV series.