tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70227756136679333772024-03-17T23:02:51.933-04:00The Newbery ProjectThe ALA awarded its first John Newbery Medal for most distinguished contribution to American children's literature in 1922. Join us in reading all the Newbery Medal winners.Aliciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13216472825552207576noreply@blogger.comBlogger391125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-4384704914807084042012-04-17T20:26:00.002-04:002012-04-17T20:31:04.097-04:00Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374379939/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=hoisthwo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0374379939"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0pt; BORDER-LEFT: 0pt; BORDER-TOP: 0pt; BORDER-RIGHT: 0pt" class="alignleft" border="0" alt="" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0374379939&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=hoisthwo-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" width="108" height="160" /></a><strong> Jack Gantos</strong> is an author who has been on my radar for a while, at least since 2001 when his <em>Joey Pigza Loses Control</em> won a Newbery honor. I was never compelled to pick up that book because honestly, a book about a boy with A.D.H.D. always seemed a little too flavor-of-the-month to me. <strong><em>Dead End in Norvelt</em></strong>, his latest novel which garnered him a 2012 Newbery Medal, might convince me to give his other books a try. Although <em><strong>Dead End in Norvelt</strong></em> isn't the sort of book that causes warm, fuzzy feelings in the heart of its reader, it is most definitely one that pulls the reader along, demanding that she get to the end of the story. <em>Quirky</em>, <em>weird</em>, and even <em>absurd</em> are words that come to mind when I think about the whole tale. Rather than write my own synopsis, a difficult task for a book this odd, I'll borrow from <a href="http://www.jackgantos.com/books/" target="_blank">the author's website</a>:<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, <em>Dead End in Norvelt</em> is the story of an incredible two months for a boy named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation adventure are suddenly ruined when he is grounded by his feuding parents for what seems like forever. But escape comes where Jack least expects it, once he begins helping an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore—a chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, obituaries, Hells Angels, and countless bloody noses. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers crack up at the most shocking things in a depiction of growing up in an off-kilter world where the characters are as unpredictable and over-the-top as they come.</blockquote><br />I have such mixed feelings about this book. Parts of it actually caused me to laugh out loud. <strong>Gantos </strong>the author actually seems to <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">be</span> Jack the kid (which should go without saying, I guess, except when I read <a href="http://www.jackgantos.com/bio-photos/" target="_blank">his biography</a> I realize that it and this story don't exactly line up). He captures the thoughts and feelings and pure, unsuspecting innocence of a kid in a way that is both entertaining and refreshing. My favorite scene in the whole book is when Jack goes to Ms. Volkert's house (the "elderly neighbor," who happens to be the town coroner and obituary writer) to find her "cooking" her hands in a pot on the stove. Seeing the scene, which turns out to be the innocent home-remedy of an arthritic old woman, from Jack's perspective is hilarious. The villain in the story, an elderly man who attempts to woo Ms. Volkert at every turn, is creepy in an almost-funny sort of way--he rides his gigantic tricycle all over Norvelt and behaves reprehensibly to Jack, all the while trying to (apparently) win Ms. Volkert's heart. There are countless other episodes throughout the novel (many involving Jack's perpetually-bleeding nose) that are just so perfectly the picture of a bookish and eager adolescent boy.<br /><br />The story also reminds a bit of some of those 1990s television shows like <em>The Wonder Years </em>that were set in the 1960s<em></em>. Although <em><strong>Dead End in Norvelt </strong></em>is not retrospective, it feels that way: Jack's dad constantly talks about the Commies and sets Jack to building a bomb shelter in the back yard. His mother is sort of hippy-ish in that she's mostly concerned with caring for her elderly neighbors and wants to barter for whatever they need because the family is broke. (This is actually a nod to Norvelt's beginnings, which you can read about in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norvel" target="_blank">here on this bastion of reliable information, Wikipedia</a>.) The story is sort of complicated and very clever, with Ms. Volkert writing original and entertaining (and pointed) obituaries for the original inhabitant of Norvelt who are dropping like flies. Ms. Volkert's obituaries are often as much social commentary as they are condolence. There's also a mystery in this already heavily-laden story, but the mystery sort of sneaks up on the reader. I didn't realize there actually is much of a mystery until the climax of it, actually. <em><strong>Dead End in Norvelt</strong></em> is a bunch of things: coming-of-age story, mystery, social commentary, historical fiction. It's an entertaining read.<br /><br />Still, though, the thing that finally <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">killed</span> the book for me is the ending. I usually don't react that strongly to what I read, especially children's literature. This time, though, I was enjoying this story right along, thinking it was quirky but extremely well written, when <strong><em>bam!</em></strong> Out of the blue the story ends with a scene that moved his father from being a somewhat caustic personality to someone I genuinely don't like. To avoid spoilers, I won't go into any more details, but it really just don't like the place the ending leaves Jack. Maybe it's more like real life than any other imagined ending, but I still don't like it.<br /><br />Bottom line? I like the book but hate the ending.<br /><br />Is this one Newbery material? Yeah, I think so. It's not what I think of when I think of Newberys, for sure. (Well, okay, maybe a little like <a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2011/04/11/when-you-reach-me-by-rebecca-stead/" target="_blank"><em>When You Reach Me</em></a> in tone and subject matter, but not what I'd really consider <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">classic</span> material.) No doubt about it, though--<strong>Jack Gantos</strong> is a talented writer.<br /><br />This is the second of the children's ALA picks I've read so far. While my vote would've gone to <a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2012/04/11/inside-out-and-back-again-by-thanhha-lai/" target="_blank"><em>Inside Out and Back Again</em></a> for the gold, I think they are both outstanding stories. This one is more outstanding for its sheer artistic <em>weirdness</em>, but it's still outstanding. Now I need to get my hands on the third of this year's Newbery designees,<em> Breaking Stalin's Nose,</em> and my mission will be complete.<br /><br />This review was also posted on my blog, <a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/">Hope Is the Word</a>.Amy @ Hope Is the Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07949836482747469686noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-12314202773301864292011-08-21T12:48:00.002-04:002011-08-21T20:35:02.789-04:00Dicey's Song<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MsioOSJXhYRcBJGQnb99e41NQRXgYbkNJjsOy9dC0AM8ZrUr7chRPUXyVxc6zfPskCZ2nUDZkn7leUEipBT6KHyOdl90XLSdnsGH42DlZLCGCxiFupO_EF5GkynWwT1PTSobMoBnTSaR/s1600/dicey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MsioOSJXhYRcBJGQnb99e41NQRXgYbkNJjsOy9dC0AM8ZrUr7chRPUXyVxc6zfPskCZ2nUDZkn7leUEipBT6KHyOdl90XLSdnsGH42DlZLCGCxiFupO_EF5GkynWwT1PTSobMoBnTSaR/s320/dicey.jpg" width="212" /></a><i>Dicey's Song</i> is a beautiful coming of age story of a 13 year old girl from a poverty-stricken background, who (along with her three younger siblings) has just come to live with her irascible grandmother in a dilapidated farmhouse on the edge of a small town on the Chesapeake Bay.<br />
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There isn't much action in the story, and there is a lot of self-reflection - so some teenagers (especially some boys) may not be very interested in it. The cover doesn't help much in this respect. I kept picking the book up and then moving on to a different book, because it just looked.....gloomy. Like a stereotypical "Newbery winner", I guess (though there really isn't any such thing), and I thought it would be full of angst, depressing events, and beautiful language<br />
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It wasn't until I had just a handful of Newbery winners left to read that I reluctantly picked Dicey's book up again.<br />
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Well, there is angst, and there is undeniably some tragedy (and beautiful language, too) in <i>Dicey's Song,</i> but it was really stupid of me to put off reading it, because it is also wonderful, and I loved it. The characters seem so real - so complex and interesting - that I can't wait to read more about all of them, starting with <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12125.Homecoming"><i>Homecoming</i></a>, the book that precedes <i>Dicey's Song</i> in the "Tillerman cyle". The sibling relationships are fascinating, and Gram (aka Ab Tillerman) is one of my favorite characters in a kid's book since Richard Peck's Grandma Dowdel (in <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Year%20Down%20Yonder"><i>A Year Down Yonder</i></a>). Ab isn't just eccentric and fierce, though - she has secrets, and we learn about some of the choices she made that have influenced the whole family in <i>Dicey's Song.</i><br />
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Quite a few thought-provoking issues are explored in Dicey's story, which does put it squarely in "stereotypical Newbery"-winning territory. The meaning of family, sibling relationships, school and dealing with teachers, learning disabilities and differences (particularly in the ways different kids learn and different kinds of talent and intelligence), being an outsider, and finally, dealing with loss - all are important parts of <i>Dicey's Song</i>. Unlike some of the other Newbery winners, though (like <i>Summer of the Swans</i>, which covers some of the same terrain), <i>Dicey's Song</i> is rather timeless, and isn't really linked to any specific happenings in the late1970's- early 80's. You can figure out when the story's set by thinking about the technology (pre-Internet but post-Vietnam, and plane travel isn't extraordinarily rare), but it could almost as easily have taken place in the 1930's or the 50's. The emotional stresses of worrying about a brother who gets into fights, wanting some time away from the rest of the family, dealing with financial problems and prickly characters and aging - into adulthood and "the golden years" - are all pretty interesting as Voigt describes them, anyway - and still relevant in 2011.Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-60269090472162388892011-08-02T11:25:00.006-04:002011-08-02T14:03:37.981-04:00Up A Road Slowly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxcfGN6AOUeQQXT5iYxFTcjlNGeOPP7ZKsWH8ndbDTiqT9zrS961_rdaMiiwnbMGNVUG19dRKSVCTXqxyhFtvrBygi8Sg9ZpZIb7kZj3zzsFWds9meuvy7KW7f-j8WOZjw57st2ibIFHy/s1600/Up_a_Road_Slowly_cover.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxcfGN6AOUeQQXT5iYxFTcjlNGeOPP7ZKsWH8ndbDTiqT9zrS961_rdaMiiwnbMGNVUG19dRKSVCTXqxyhFtvrBygi8Sg9ZpZIb7kZj3zzsFWds9meuvy7KW7f-j8WOZjw57st2ibIFHy/s400/Up_a_Road_Slowly_cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636285327269625202" border="0" /></a><em>Up A Road Slowly </em>by Irene Hunt was one of my favorite Newbery books. And I know why! This coming of age story was of a girl who grew up right before I did. It was a world I was familiar with and made my memories of these times just flow back!<br /><br />The novel takes place in the 60s (I am guessing) perhaps and begins with Julie's mother dying when she was seven years old. Julie is the narrator and finds herself and older brother Christopher shipped off to spinster school teacher Aunt Cordelia's house. Their father just cannot take care of them. Initially horrified, Julie comes to love the life in the country where her Aunt lives. The story follow her growth and development from elementary school in a one room class to graduation from high school and heading to college. While I didn't go to a one room school house - I knew that they existed when I was growing up.<br /><br />The story is also filled with wonderfully outlandish characters such as her alcoholic Uncle Haskell, the bad boyfriend, the good boyfriend, and a wide variety of girls who can be very nice or filled with pride and envy. Julie navigates her life with these people, learning lessons along the way - happy and sad lessons. In the end, Julie learns that her Aunt usually knows what is best for her and knows that it is through her guidance she is an adult.<br /><br />Allison's Book Bag has a <a href="http://allisonsbookbag.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/up-a-road-slowly-by-irene-hunt/">great review</a> of the book as well - with some comparisons to A<span style="font-style: italic;">nne Of Green Gables</span>. In some ways, it also reminded me of <span style="font-style: italic;">Little Women.</span> Still I wonder if this book would still have appeal with young girls who might find it too simple.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Up a Road Slowly</em><br />AUTHOR: Irene Hunt<br />COPYRIGHT: 1966<br />PAGES: 197<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I loved this little book.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-70001151663904259742011-04-11T11:16:00.001-04:002011-04-11T11:18:50.024-04:00Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKYxtruYhLaVNVX6b2rnT65XzNird5dO38mWwCx3NZLL_CPsfZP8FYtDzS-ppR_Sr4ZcpsFk_XQbNHwwLcCP6wxdeLl-6hAwGCovN6jcabIXoGawjqdwNtteUgdlBzda4TDE-EtP2mRm6/s1600/moon.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKYxtruYhLaVNVX6b2rnT65XzNird5dO38mWwCx3NZLL_CPsfZP8FYtDzS-ppR_Sr4ZcpsFk_XQbNHwwLcCP6wxdeLl-6hAwGCovN6jcabIXoGawjqdwNtteUgdlBzda4TDE-EtP2mRm6/s400/moon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5594345615616669202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moon Over Manifest</span> by Clare Vanderpool<br /><br />Pages: 351<br />Ages: 10+<br />First Published: Oct. 12, 2010<br />Publisher: Delacorte Press<br />Genre: children, historical fiction<br />Rating: 5/5<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />First sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby.</span></blockquote><br /><br />Acquired: Borrowed a copy from my local library.<br /><br />Simple perfection. When I see that Newbery sticker on a book, this is what I expect. A book that truly is a wonderful story that will appeal to kids. A story that catches your attention from the first chapter. One with characters who are interesting, unique and you either love from the start or they eventually win you over at some part. I truly enjoyed every minute of this book and was sad when it came time to close the book on Abilene, Jinx, Miss Sadie and all the rest of the characters in Manifest, Kansas.<br /><br />Set in 1936, Abilene Tucker, who has grown up as a vagrant train rider with her father, is upset when he sends her to Manifest, a town he spent a spell in his youth to stay with a friend for the summer while he supposedly works a job, not appropriate for a young lady to be around, now that Abilene has turned twelve. Here Abilene makes two friends and finds a hidden cigar box with mementos and letters from 1918 under the floor boards. One is a map of Manifest, there is mention of a spy and the girls set about to find out who the spy was in their town back during WWI and if they are still here. They also come upon the legend of "The Rattler" who wanders the dark forest at night. Is the Rattler the spy, or someone/thing else?<br /><br />As the girls read the letters we are transported back to 1918 on the war front in France as the letters are from a local boy to a friend named 'Jinx'. We also are taken back to 1918 on the home-front through Miss Sadie, a diviner, as she tells Abilene stories when she comes over to work her garden to repay a large pot she broke snooping about one night.<br /><br />The story switches perspective between the present, 1936, through the first person narrative of Abilene and the past, 1918, through Miss Sadie's stories, a newspaper column and the letters. A rich engaging story that while not directly linked to any historical events does place one smack dab in the past and creates a good vision of living in a small town during the depression and during World War I, along with an impression of what it was like for a young soldier in the trench warfare of France. Topped off with a large cast of eccentric characters this is a gem of a story. This will be one of the rare modern Newbery's that I think will still be read decades down the road like perennial favourites "Caddie Woodlawn" and "Sounder".Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-22686954479053709182011-04-11T08:38:00.003-04:002011-04-11T08:47:35.178-04:00Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/read-aloud211.jpg"></a></p><br /><p>Choosing chapter books to read aloud to my girls is not something I've ever really given much thought or planning. Instead, I just pick up whatever I see that looks interesting or that I've recently read a review of, etc. Lately, though, I've been thinking about how I should probably be a little more intentional about what I read, at least occasionally. (How's that for noncommittal? ;-) ) What I mean is this: I don't think think our read-alouds have to always be educational or challenging, but because we are home educators and because I consider reading aloud a very important part of our school day (although the girls don't even realize that we're "doing school" while we're reading), I should get in as much good literature as I possibly can. If you scroll down a bit and look over in the sidebar, you'll see a list of our read-alouds for this year. You'll note that <em>Nim's Island</em> was our third chapter book of 2011, but you'll also note that there's no review of it linked. I meant to review it, but I ran out of time. However, I think I can sum it up in one sentence: a fun read, but nothing that challenged us in any way. It's one of those books that I think Lulu could've read on her own, even at the tender age of six. In thinking about our read-alouds, I'm moving toward consistently choosing books that are harder than my best reader could tackle on her own. I'm sure I won't always do this, but I prefer it this way. </p><br /><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689822847?ie=UTF8&tag=hoisthwo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0689822847"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" class="alignleft" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/51bqFsyTQuL__SL160_.jpg" width="106" height="160" /></a><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hoisthwo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0689822847" width="1" height="1" />Okay, now that all that preliminary business is out of the way, let's get on to the real matter at hand: <strong><em>Hitty: Her First Hundred Years </em></strong>by <strong>Rachel Field</strong>. Published in 1929 and awarded a Newbery Award the following year, <strong><em>Hitty</em></strong> is definitely a book that fulfills the requirement I explained above. It's <em>not</em> one of those books I could've continued reading after I'd come a hairsbreadth from reading myself to sleep, somehow managing to keep one eye open enough to read the text, brain on autopilot. (Please tell me you do that, too, at least sometimes!) No, <strong><em>Hitty </em></strong>requires diligence and concentration on the part of the reader. The plot is detailed and the sentence syntax is unlike that of our day. However, I never once grew tired of this story; on the contrary, I was eager each time I picked it up to find out what Hitty was going to experience next. My girls seemed to love it as much as I did. The story is rather simple, actually. It is simply the story of Hitty's hundred years of existence. Hitty is a wooden doll made of lucky mountain-ash wood, and at the story's beginning she belongs to a loving little girl named Phoebe Preble. When Phoebe's family goes aboard a whaling vessel, Hitty goes along, too. It's after this that almost all of the adventures begin. She is shipwrecked; she is taken as an idol on some uncivilized island somewhere in the middle of some ocean; she becomes the possession of a missionary child, a Quaker child, and a slave; she meets the poet John Greenleaf Whittier and sees Charles Dickens; in short, she has no end of adventures. Hitty's adventures are interesting, but what makes the story so absorbing is Hitty's voice. I just came to love her. This little wooden doll speaks with such intelligence and warmth. Although I wouldn't say that this is a funny story, there are moments when Hitty's wit shines through. I think that reading stories like this to my girls, young though they are, has immeasurable benefits. I've noted before <a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2009/06/25/read-aloud-thursday-23/" target="_blank">how reading the <em>Little House on the Prairie </em>books has expanded my girls' vocabularies</a>; I can't help but think that reading sentences that are more complex that we're accustomed to speaking will have a similar effect. I think it's funny that a couple of my blog readers and fellow bloggers commented about our reading <em><strong>Hitty</strong></em> when <a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2011/02/22/february-2011-nightstand/#comments" target="_blank">I mentioned it last week</a>, and they had opposite opinions. <a href="http://www.readingtoknow.com/" target="_blank">Carrie </a>said that she had to read it when she was twelve or thirteen and that she hated it. <a href="http://aspiritedmind.com/" target="_blank">Catherine</a>, on the other hand, said that she has already read it to her very young daughter twice, she loved it herself so much as a child. I wonder if this is one of those books that adults <em>think </em>children should love. (This is an opinion that is often bandied about when award-winning books are discussed.) I don't know. I do know that when I closed the book this little doll had come to mean so much to me that I had tears in my eyes. I also know that Lulu immediately grabbed the book and declared that she wanted to read it for herself. I <strong>know</strong> this is one story we'll be revisiting. <strong>Highly, highly recommended.</strong> (Please note that since this book was written in 1929, there are many elements in it that are non-PC today. See some of the reviews <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Hitty" target="_blank">here</a> for more about this.) <strong>Rachel Field</strong> also wrote a Caldecott Award winning book, <em>Prayer for a Child, </em>which is a <a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/category/education/five-in-a-row-education/" target="_blank">Five in a Row </a>book we own but that I don't think I ever read with my girls. She also wrote another juvenile chapter book that I have a copy of on our schoolroom shelf: <em>Calico Bush</em>. I think I need to pull both of these out and share them. </p><br /><p>This review was also published at my blog, <a href="http://hopeisthewordblog.com/">Hope Is the Word</a>. </p>Amy @ Hope Is the Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07949836482747469686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-48628005061719212492011-04-06T17:26:00.002-04:002011-04-06T17:31:16.263-04:00Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool<a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/moon-over-manifest.jpg"><em><strong><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-8313" title="PDF Creation in Quark 7" alt="" src="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/moon-over-manifest.jpg" width="239" height="351" /></strong></em></a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385738838/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hoisthwo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385738838"><em><strong>Moon Over Manifest</strong></em></a><em><strong><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=hoisthwo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0385738838" width="1" height="1" /> </strong></em>by<strong><em> </em>Clare Vanderpool </strong>is the 2011 Newbery Medalist and it does not disappoint. While I'm not sure it's a book that would hold the attention of most children in its target age range, it's a book I greatly enjoyed. Here's the CIP summary from inside the book: <br /><blockquote>Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past. </blockquote>That one sentence summary covers the plot, more or less, but it by necessity leaves out what makes this book engrossing: mysteries in spades, compelling characterization, and lots of heart. In Manifest, Abilene Tucker stays with a preacher/bartender (yeah, you read that right) named Shady, and under a floorboard in her room she finds a box. Inside it is a small collection of treasures: various trinkets, a map, and some letters. She thinks that this must surely be a link, somehow, to her father, Gideon, and what unfolds is an at times convoluted, but very compelling series of flashbacks (told by a would-be fortune-teller, Miss Sadie, who is much better at telling the past than the future) and "flashforwards" to the present. These episodes are punctuated by related editorials from the town newspaper, a device that I found somewhat annoying at times because it interrupted the flow of the story. Both the past story and the present story are set in Manifest, and they're connected, somehow. The past story is about a young man, Ned Gillen, who befriends a boy named Jinx who shows up in town, obviously running from something or somone. Ned and Jinx get into all kinds of mischief (some of it <em>righteous</em> mischief) <span style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline">and</span> manage to become heroes. Abilene hears Miss Sadie's stories as she works off a debt she owes the "diviner" (in a sort of Jem/Miss Dubose relationship like in<em> To Kill a Mockingbird</em>), and as she does, she gets closer and closer to her father and <em>his</em> story. I'll admit I had some reservations while reading this book about some of the characters. Take Miss Sadie, for example. She's a fortune teller? A diviner? I'm not sure that's something I want my upper elementary aged student (if I had one) reading about. Then there's Shady, the bartender/preacher. Sure, he's a remarkable fellow, both kind and principled, but I can't quite figure out how to even get a handle on a bar that doubles as a church. (Yes, I know it's being done nowadays, but I don't quite know what I think about it.) Too, there's a bit more about bootlegging in the story than I feel comfortable with. By the end of the novel, though, I was mostly satisifed by Vanderpool's resolution of these various issues, to the point that I would have virtually no hesitation in giving this novel to a sixth grader. I think it would take a strong reader who really enjoys historical fiction to persevere through its 350 pages, though. I really like this book, but I'm not sure I think it's better than<a href="http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2011/02/21/turtle-in-paradise-by-jennifer-l-holm/" target="_blank"> <em>Turtle in Paradise</em> </a>(linked to my review), which won a Newbery honor for 2010. I think <em>Moon Over Manifest </em>is a much more complicated story, with all kinds of plot twists and many, many seemingly disparate threads to be tied up in the end, but <em>Turtle in Paradise </em>is much more polished. Interestingly, both are set during the Great Depression. An expanded version of this review was previously published at my blog, <a href="http://hopeisthewordblog.com/">Hope Is the Word</a>.Amy @ Hope Is the Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07949836482747469686noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-55724305619293447472011-03-10T18:28:00.004-05:002011-03-10T20:00:08.663-05:00Waterless Mountain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k1ut6nUMgH2LEyZxcffloqTKiDCiVzXKxHGqZlj3iN2-T3cEEh1ogTzDC2itlKYaV63l8KyKnm0gUqS_ckwbYUMLlsl1k-4C1UTkUd32hMSYEZ5BNJCOKeTH1XIsxoNIEkbXug1mGfMS/s1600/Waterless-Mountain1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3k1ut6nUMgH2LEyZxcffloqTKiDCiVzXKxHGqZlj3iN2-T3cEEh1ogTzDC2itlKYaV63l8KyKnm0gUqS_ckwbYUMLlsl1k-4C1UTkUd32hMSYEZ5BNJCOKeTH1XIsxoNIEkbXug1mGfMS/s200/Waterless-Mountain1.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>I finally decided to read <i>Waterless Mountain</i>, by Laura Adams Armer, on a cold March morning. Somehow reading this timeless, rather mystical coming-of-age story about young boy in the desert Southwest - with bumblebees collecting pollen and eagles soaring and the sky like a giant turquoise bowl - seemed rather appealing when it was drizzling on piles of dirty snow outside, with that pathetic grey late-winter Michigan light coming in my window. <br />
<br />
There are some quite beautiful descriptions of the natural environment of northern Arizona in <i>Waterless Mountain</i>, and of the traditional Navajo way of life, complete with lambs, weaving, corn, pinon nuts, pack rats, snug hogans, ancient skeletons buried with pottery eroding out of the ground, and sacred tobacco. There's also quite a bit of the poetry of Navajo ceremonies and their unique cultural perspective.<br />
<br />
Songs like the following are scattered throughout Younger Brother's story:<br />
<blockquote>From the house made of dawn,<br />
On the trail of the dawn,<br />
He is coming to us;<br />
He is coming.<br />
<br />
Now the Bearer of the Day,<br />
Sends a beam from the blue.<br />
It is shining on us,<br />
It is shining.<br />
<br />
To the house made of night,<br />
On a trail made of night,<br />
He is going from us,<br />
He is going.<br />
<br />
Now the Bearer of the Day<br />
Sends the stars to the sky.<br />
They are watching above,<br />
They are watching (p. 84).</blockquote><br />
"House made of dawn" is such a beautiful phrase. Native American author N. Scott Momaday used it for the title of his 1969 Pulitzer prize-winning book, and it is part of a <a href="http://www.hanksville.org/voyage/poems/fulldawn.html">traditional Navajo ceremony</a> that has been widely reproduced because of the beauty of the its language. I think Laura Adams Armer did a pretty good job of portraying a Navajo boy in the 1920's or 30's (for an outsider, anyway), and the details of Navajo life and culture seem authentic, but it would be interesting to see what Navajo people today think about <i>Waterless Mountain</i>. Armer also mentions some important Navajo history, like the genocidal <a href="http://reta.nmsu.edu/modules/longwalk/default.htm">Long Walk</a>, and the destruction of the Navajo peach orchards in Canyon de Chelly (p. 195-6, <a href="http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/The-destruction-of-the-Navajo-peach-orchards">popularly blamed on Kit Carson</a>).<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, Younger Brother's narrative isn't exactly action-packed. It's mostly reflective, with calm acceptance of a few exciting events, drowsy moments thinking about legends, and then there's feelings of quiet happiness and content, followed by some zen-like attention to the moment. I found it refreshing, and liked reading about people whose religious philosophy includes the directive to "live in beauty", but I know that my son (who likes fiction like James Patterson's <i>Maximum Ride</i> series, for instance), would agree with the Amazon reader who said that it was "the most boring book I have ever read."<br />
<br />
A few parts <i>were</i> awkward, if not "painfully condescending", as <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2008/07/waterless-mountain-1932.html">Amanda quoted in her post</a> (from a 1993 <i>Horn Book</i> review), like when the Big Man (a white neighbor whom Wendy accurately sums up as the "all-knowing, kind, wise, Great White Trader" <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32419216">in her review</a>) took Younger Brother up in an airplane, and when Younger Brother's family went to a movie during their trip to California. Interestingly, the "water-developer" is seen as another positive character, responsible for bringing more water to the family's livestock, and not someone stealing a precious resource for far-away golf courses or cities, as many communities in the Southwest would perceive him today.<br />
<br />
A couple of random notes: Navaho is the old-fashioned spelling for this Native nation. Navajo is usually used today, and the people call themselves the Diné (or the Dineh).<br />
<br />
This was one of my favorite sentences in the book, which I couldn't help reading aloud to my kids. Think no more about it, my children!<br />
<blockquote>He knew that Mother was always right about everything so thought no more about it (p. 42).</blockquote>I was truly surprised by how much I enjoyed <i>Waterless Mountain</i>, since I expected to plod through another "a boy's life in another traditional culture" story like <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Dobry"><i>Dobry</i></a> or <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/...And%20Now%20Miguel"><i>...And Now Miguel</i></a>. Instead, Armer's book left me longing to return to the Four Corners (ne Arizona, nw New Mexico, sw Colorado and se Utah), where I'd like to eat some fry bread, smell the sagebrush after a summer rain, and listen to the silent songs that Younger Brother describes. As the Big Man notes on page 137, "It's great stuff, this tying up fiction with facts."Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-28661731501980696912011-01-24T14:21:00.002-05:002011-01-24T14:23:10.370-05:00Newbery CoversI've mentioned the covers of the Newbery winners more than a few times in my reviews here. Usually when the new covers are worse than the originals, or the covers are misleading (they made me think the book was going to be awful, and it was great, or vice versa).<br />
<br />
Here's a blogger who is <a href="http://100scopenotes.com/2010/11/15/covering-the-newbery-1-the-story-of-mankind/">designing new covers for all the winners</a>, starting with <i>The Story of Mankind</i> in 1922. He's up to 1928 now (<a href="http://100scopenotes.com/2011/01/24/covering-the-newbery-7-gay-neck/comment-page-1/#comment-67999"><i>Gay Neck</i></a>), and it's pretty interesting looking at the book with a modern YA-ish style.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8Fz-snxdaIu0-OcnAupAfL10ooDM_TYeqzmfMe5INzMEFTUhqgC4RrOGoJRHJlcCzpyK-9S0KHz-5DAe3mAl-6bBo3xmRyHUj_xU6gfq_lh851MKrp0I8Z5Lk9FhfE0E2PLRvzZ6ccH7/s1600/Cover-Gay-Neck1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8Fz-snxdaIu0-OcnAupAfL10ooDM_TYeqzmfMe5INzMEFTUhqgC4RrOGoJRHJlcCzpyK-9S0KHz-5DAe3mAl-6bBo3xmRyHUj_xU6gfq_lh851MKrp0I8Z5Lk9FhfE0E2PLRvzZ6ccH7/s320/Cover-Gay-Neck1.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I can't wait until he gets to some of the more recent and/or classic ones! There are a few that I think cannot be improved upon. What do you think?Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-67566053413979114792011-01-17T11:07:00.000-05:002011-01-17T11:07:37.001-05:00When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead<div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf1BU_3Xsx923M3qbSJbAtRUaCrihlP2v3yT1zqvhFLK-j3C-8Q5IeN6uDo4ikmPFAKaTqpf3xQVyoQER3KcHnh-IwZPcwWc3Wo-S79nZ0-AoV7I9jlWjuC-als5YjbYM0e0WG7MxIbs/s1600/book-whenyoureachme.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547073899422972674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrf1BU_3Xsx923M3qbSJbAtRUaCrihlP2v3yT1zqvhFLK-j3C-8Q5IeN6uDo4ikmPFAKaTqpf3xQVyoQER3KcHnh-IwZPcwWc3Wo-S79nZ0-AoV7I9jlWjuC-als5YjbYM0e0WG7MxIbs/s200/book-whenyoureachme.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="134" /></a>Title:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> When You Reach Me</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Author: </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Rebecca Stead</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Publisher:</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;"> Wendy Lamb Books</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Language: English</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">ISBN - 10: </span><span style="font-family: arial;">0385737424</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">ISBN - 13: </span><span style="font-family: arial;">978-0385737425</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Rating: 5/5</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">It was my love of puzzles that made me pick this one up, and the blurb itself was intriguing:</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: arial;">"By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner.<br />
<br />
But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:<br />
<i> <br />
I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.<br />
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.<br />
<br />
</i>The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that haven’t even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late."</blockquote><span style="font-family: arial;">I loved everything about this book! From the amazing cover design that I talked about </span><a href="http://buoyreading.blogspot.com/2010/11/pull-of-book-cover.html" style="font-family: arial;">here</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, which already piqued my interest on its own, to the title, and of course, to the story it held. It was fresh, snappy and fast paced, something an impatient reader like me loves. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I finished reading this three hours since I started. The author definitely knows how to capture the reader's attention. The story is not too predictable, and if you're like me who loves mysteries, you'll have an idea for an answer to the mystery, yet when the answer is revealed, it bowls you over that you were right, but not in the way you thought you would be. The book is filled with fun twists that everyone can understand, from tweens to the older readers. It just never gets boring. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">The story is not very heavy on drama, but the few ones are fraught with emotion, but never becoming too mushy. Even then, it never drags and the reader is treated to lots of welcome surprises. Most times, reading felt like riding in a speedy motorcycle, with all the thrill and exhilarating speed, but without the uncomfortable and bumpy path, without the threat of crashing looming constantly overhead. The description of each scene and the dialogue are economic, to the point, with no digression, hesitation, or affectation. The author definitely knows what she's writing about. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">The characters' personalities are well-established, no contradictions but not too dull or stereotypical, with the young characters' outlook innocent, yet clever. The relationships are realistic, there are no impregnable best-friends-forever vows, no I-totally-hate-you stuff, but the loyalty and respect for each person are present. The children act their age, as do the grown-ups. Very realistic, but never unimaginative. There are no minor characters - everyone is an essential part of the book, just as there are no minor details - everything is significant. As the story advances, the characters show growth and maturity in their roles, and every change is welcome, though some are a bit sad, they are nonetheless authentic and practical. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">In the story, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">A Wrinkle in Time</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> by Madelaine L’Engle was Miranda's favorite book. As for me, this book, Rebecca Stead's </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">When You Reach Me</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> is now my very own new personal favorite. I tell you, this book will never disappoint. No wonder, it's the winner of the 2010 John Newbery Medal. </span>Nina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05724080316627086644noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-29057266343608494592011-01-12T01:39:00.000-05:002011-01-12T01:39:28.542-05:00The Door in the Wall by Marguerite DeAngeli<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Door-Wall-Marguerite-Angeli/dp/0440402832?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Door in the Wall" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0440402832&tag=vitetver-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0440402832" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Title: <b>The Door in the Wall</b><br />
Author: Marguerite DeAngeli<br />
Pages: 128<br />
Published: Yearling 1990 (orig. 1949)<br />
My Rating: 3 stars<br />
<br />
Perhaps the pickings were slim in 1950, or perhaps the Newbery's were simply in a period of highly valuing the simple, moralistic type of book, but The Door in the Wall was slightly disappointing to me. I loved the choices from the late '40s, and again those from the late '50s, but some of these guys in between leave me frustrated. (Ginger Pye in 1952, and The Light at Tern Rock, 1952 Honor, felt similarly moralistic and boring to me, although all the honor choices in 1953 were fabulous: Charlotte's Web, Moccasin Trail, The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, Red Sails to Capri.)<br />
<br />
The Door in the Wall is not without value, my 11 year old son quite enjoyed the historical aspect of it, but when compared to other Newbery winners that deal with the Middle Ages (Adam of the Road, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!) this one falls short. The medieval dialect is surprisingly readable, (though some of the vocabulary is a bit difficult to understand,) and the way of life is vivid. Although it remains rather boring during the first half, the pace does pick up toward the end, and is overall quick to read.<br />
<br />
If the moralistic aspect doesn't bother you, then definitely give this one a shot. Otherwise, read Adam of the Road and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! instead.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-68092646777652166462011-01-05T21:15:00.001-05:002011-01-07T02:38:08.945-05:00Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata<div class="post-header"></div><div class="post-body entry-content"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtat-xO2h0wTjKlwcdYFlZvUScJbEHFJpKQ0EEUA9dyVS-saN8b3gaok3_n_Dr7djTf3JUiJmm6qn2hg6dMMpUsyMn2blcDczylikV1T3UCHABILfdFIMV8PRA6piKsJ0nFxQRvXteVR8/s1600/513M51V3QCL._bL160_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543346727129707282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtat-xO2h0wTjKlwcdYFlZvUScJbEHFJpKQ0EEUA9dyVS-saN8b3gaok3_n_Dr7djTf3JUiJmm6qn2hg6dMMpUsyMn2blcDczylikV1T3UCHABILfdFIMV8PRA6piKsJ0nFxQRvXteVR8/s200/513M51V3QCL._bL160_.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="133" /></a><br />
<div style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Title:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Kira-Kira</span><br />
Author: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cynthia Kadohata</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Atheneum</span><br />
Language: English <br />
ISBN - 10: 0689856393<br />
ISBN - 13: 978-0689856396<br />
Rating: 4/5</div></div><br />
<span style="color: #009900; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">According to the Blurb</span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: arial;">"Glittering</b><span style="font-family: arial;">. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is </span><i style="font-family: arial;">kira-kira</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is </span><i style="font-family: arial;">kira-kira</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering—</span><i style="font-family: arial;">kira-kira</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> —in the future."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #993399; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Thoughts</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Katie and her family's life is anything but </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">kira-kira </span><span style="font-family: arial;">— the life of Japanese Americans in the 1950s was anything but glittering due to the "Anti-Japanese sentiment" across America. Katie could see reality</span><span style="font-family: arial;">: no one wants to make friends with her at school, not even with her sister Lynn, despite her natural charm and brilliance at schoolwork and her father had to work back-breaking hours to provide for his family. On the other hand, Lynn, despite also seeing reality, chose to be the optimist and was the one who taught Katie to see things differently, that all things are </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">kira-kira. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">The author has drawn perfectly believable characters, from the humble, hardworking father, to the sweet, adoring little brother. Their voices are clear and their words are accurate. Katie describes her world with the simplicity and practicality you would expect from her age, and a natural awe for her older sister. Added to the mix are interesting characters, Uncle Katsuhisa and his family, Amber, and Silly, who provide the necessary humor and perspective that turns the plot from an otherwise depressing narrative to a hopeful, coming of age story of a young girl and her family.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Winner of the 2005 Newbery Medal, this novel, though sad, will not disappoint. It is a story of hope at its core, convincing the readers to find the </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">kira-kira</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> in little things, reminding everyone to keep dreaming big, and appreciating the world for all its flaws.</span></div>Nina B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05724080316627086644noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-81549140566183194922010-12-01T10:57:00.003-05:002010-12-01T11:13:44.044-05:00Ginger Pye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9NOF9eTNNpfmkx8sZmLH7HoNOjDKI3FC99Cl-9K3gOr_DurO-3sXfQxhJGJymJSr18wz4_BZw-_66fud9HPncwbQiAWOGZIvaXvY26DJ0nF86YKPBgD07T7OHtaM028362Rb_YHN9pEa/s1600/gingerpye.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9NOF9eTNNpfmkx8sZmLH7HoNOjDKI3FC99Cl-9K3gOr_DurO-3sXfQxhJGJymJSr18wz4_BZw-_66fud9HPncwbQiAWOGZIvaXvY26DJ0nF86YKPBgD07T7OHtaM028362Rb_YHN9pEa/s320/gingerpye.jpeg" width="207" /></a></div>I was looking for something light after reading <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2010/11/foreboding-roll-of-thunder.html"><i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</i></a> last week, so I turned to <i>Ginger Pye</i> for my next Newbery winner. I thought the 1950's era story of a puppy and his family would be a charming read, kind of like <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Roller%20Skates"><i>Roller Skates</i></a>, but set in a small town. Since I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, and still maintain a rather love-hate relationship with the community, I like reading about how small towns are portrayed in kids' books, whether they're historic or contemporary, ridiculously idealistic or humorous or filled with gritty realism.<br />
<br />
Well, I was wrong on a couple counts. First all, although <i>Ginger Pye</i> was published in 1951, it's set in a much earlier era. I sat and tried to figure out exactly when the story took place by thinking about the trains, the "jalopies", and the general technology used in the story (milking cows by hand, gas lights, pier-glass mirrors, a "horsehair parlor"), but not a whole lot of date-specific things are actually mentioned in Estes' fictional town of Cranbury (which I later read was based on West Haven, CT), which is located somewhere between Boston and New York.<br />
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I turned to the Internet next, where people stated with great certainty (and in all but one case, mistakenly) that the story was set in 1919, 1924, the 1950's, and even the 1960's and 70's. The latter dates were a particular stretch, given the book's publication date and the fact that it is NOT science fiction. Anyway, one post mentioned the date on a newspaper in one of Estes' illustrations (on pg. 161), and I checked, and it is indeed 1919. This is a bit earlier than I would have guessed, but since the story is such a timeless one - based entirely on the activities of a couple kids, their family, their dog, and a couple of neighbors - the date doesn't actually matter much.<br />
<br />
The second thing I was mistaken about was that the story was going to be charming. I didn't find Ginger's story (or more accurately, Jerry and Rachel's story) charming so much as mostly insipid and meandering.There were a few nice parts - I particularly liked Rachel's "reasonable unreasonableness" - but mostly, I was bored. I did like Ginger's point of view, and the ending was rather satisfying - but these were little sparks of interest in a sea of wholesome family bland. Maybe reading it right after <i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</i> was a mistake, because I couldn't help comparing the sibling interactions, the historical setting, and lots more in the two books, with <i>Ginger Pye</i> coming up distinctly lacking.<br />
<br />
I didn't care about the Unsavory Character (a man in a yellow hat, not to be confused with the one in <i>Curious George</i>), I hated Estes' illustrations (shown here on the original cover), and the most fun I had was comparing the historical differences of kid behavior and parenting then and now. Talk about your free-range kids (and dogs - leashes were not just optional but totally disparaged).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt0XsBkp9MTbwj3SUczB9eC8WGp0o_YHczJ5RIFQ7plN3iCu6b-GR8VII3gcJivWBPIzyJQHmcy5hi2NyAcwG3qjLI8Vz6N6vCHSTkXs8yjzuxSNo1vV3R2zosmBAp-OgS6Ked-CB3-7j/s1600/slobodkin_ginger_pye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGt0XsBkp9MTbwj3SUczB9eC8WGp0o_YHczJ5RIFQ7plN3iCu6b-GR8VII3gcJivWBPIzyJQHmcy5hi2NyAcwG3qjLI8Vz6N6vCHSTkXs8yjzuxSNo1vV3R2zosmBAp-OgS6Ked-CB3-7j/s320/slobodkin_ginger_pye.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><br />
Jerry and Rachel (ages 10 and 9, respectively) go swimming at the reservoir by themselves, sometimes taking their 3 year old Uncle Bennie with them. One of their favorite places to play is on a "skeleton house" - the framework of a house under construction. If this were gritty realism instead of an idyllic small town story, someone would have drowned, or fallen into the basement hole from the top floor scaffolding, or gotten tetanus, or something like that. Even German measles (rubella) wasn't a big deal in the book. There just wasn't enough drama for me, even when things did happen. And the fact that Jerry and Rachel's mother met their father when she was 17 and he was 35 didn't seem quite so romantic to me as it was told in the book, though the fact that he was a famous "bird man" (aka an ornithologist) was a little interesting - but not enough to make me truly care.<br />
<br />
I haven't read anything else by Eleanor Estes, so I'd be interested in hearing how this compares to her other books, which people talk about with some affection. I can see how some people might enjoy the rambling narratives by Jerry, Rachel, and Ginger....but I really didn't get much out of it.Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-81025727821893988612010-11-26T21:09:00.002-05:002010-11-26T21:13:15.666-05:00A Foreboding Roll of Thunder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTjqy9uqZ-EdrjBfWeA-qWf182GQc4jhbPzKn92oIlttnwYWfJfGFDtknGtyQ8UfY6PCbHJ9yoC1QtmtO3mrVXcFTQUxkPle-u1G4eku4EDBdmUp_GnlQy1VXF56yaQkuedaEV-UtG4Hj/s1600/rollthunder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTjqy9uqZ-EdrjBfWeA-qWf182GQc4jhbPzKn92oIlttnwYWfJfGFDtknGtyQ8UfY6PCbHJ9yoC1QtmtO3mrVXcFTQUxkPle-u1G4eku4EDBdmUp_GnlQy1VXF56yaQkuedaEV-UtG4Hj/s200/rollthunder.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtH1-OGdSdAL3AYjGNITHDRZT4txBOMqpa5i1pcc-DefTHgXp8q7k5vUdyDNRqC6w4E5aG-CnPljvHtXjw_-T9_DG1yBBDWojGloRyDZSeoOj-L3w3OS8w0bVGMrIJl7NGj_A8GDviE9-H/s1600/rollthunder.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I started reading <i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</i> almost a year ago. I'd heard it was a powerful book, and an important one, but it wasn't one of the Newbery winners that I really wanted to read. It was one that I felt like I <i>should</i> read.<br />
<br />
After reading the first five chapters, I was filled with foreboding, waiting for a major character to be horribly killed or wounded. It didn't help that I had read <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Sounder"><i>Sounder</i></a> not too long before I started <i>Roll of Thunder</i>.<br />
<br />
I had the same feeling when I started reading <i>The Kite Runner</i> a few years ago, which I also put off reading for a couple years despite the fact that it seemed like half the people I know had already read it and recommended it. What can I say? One reason I read is for relaxation and escape, and I don't generally like Oprah-esque literary fiction. I did end up being very happy that I read <i>The Kite Runner</i>, mind you.<br />
<br />
Then I got a part-time writing job, and happily abandoned<i> Roll of Thunder </i>(and indeed, all the remaining winners I hadn't yet read), and filled my drastically reduced reading time with books that didn't engender feelings of impending doom.<br />
<br />
I finished my job last month, and finally returned to <i>Roll of Thunder</i> again. I was still worried about the characters - and reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7029188-they-called-themselves-the-k-k-k"><i>They Called Themselves the KKK</i></a> by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (one of the books in the running for this year's Newbery prize) just before resuming <i>Roll of Thunder</i> didn't exactly make me feel any better about Cassie, Stacey, Christopher-John, Little Man, and their extended family's prospects in Mississippi in the 1930's. It was pretty depressing. So I did something that I know drives some people crazy - I skipped ahead and read the last couple of pages. I wanted to be prepared for the worst that Mildred D. Taylor could throw at me.<br />
<br />
Well, I could tell from the last few pages that Taylor's worst wasn't unbearable, and so I was able to finish the book with less foreboding, not wincing quite so much at the (sometimes heavy) foreshadowing, or every time Cassie lost her temper. I have to say that Taylor did an excellent job of describing the Logan siblings, and she used history - as in Mr. Morrison's Reconstruction-era story that he told on Christmas, which could have come straight out of <i>They Called Themselves the KKK</i> - very skillfully. The history doesn't ever overpower the Logans' story, but it serves as powerful backdrop, enriching the plot and putting the the characters' actions into a carefully constructed and entirely believable context.<br />
<br />
It's a timeless book, too - <i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry</i> was written in 1976, but you really couldn't tell, unlike some of the other Newbery winners that feel a bit dated now (like <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Summer%20of%20the%20Swans"><i>Summer of the Swans</i></a>, for instance, or <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/It%27s%20Like%20This%20Cat"><i>It's Like This, Cat</i></a>). I wonder if this accounts for some of the appeal that historical fiction seems to hold the Newbery Committee. At any rate, <i>Roll of Thunder</i> reads like a classic. And yes, parts of it were disturbing, but it was not a horribly depressing book. I actually want to read some of Mildred Taylor's other books about the Logan family now!Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-49604219150476986342010-10-28T15:59:00.000-04:002010-10-28T15:59:24.324-04:00Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Ladies-Voices-Medieval-Village/dp/0763643327?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0763643327&tag=vitetver-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0763643327" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />Title: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Ladies-Voices-Medieval-Village/dp/0763643327?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0763643327" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Author: Laura Amy Schlitz</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pages: 81</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Published: 2007 Candlewick Press</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Read For: School, Aloud to my kiddos</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Despite the glowing reviews I'd read of this book, and the shiny gold medal affixed to the front cover, I remained skeptical about how much enjoyment could be found in a book which looked rather dry and unapproachable. The fact that it was written by a school librarian for her students to perform only added to my skepticism: how could a group of 19 monologues and 2 dialogues possibly end up as an entertaining whole?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Whether it is because I read the plays aloud, or because I read it with the intention of teaching/learning about the Middle Ages, I ended up enjoying this collection much more than I thought I would. In fact, my final thought was: <i>What a perfect way to get an overview of Medieval times.</i> It is impressive in its uniqueness and wholeness, in its ability to retain humor while teaching, in how easy it is to follow even with the large amount of characters and information. In these small sketches (and the bits of background information) we learn about religion and class restrictions, government and war, relationships and business. We get to know people, their behavior, feelings, opinions and activities.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I'm not a huge fan of poetry, but I did enjoy what was included in this book. It would be great fun to see them performed. I now understand why, even though the book seemed to be a bit of an oddball choice for the Newbery, it is so valuable. Not a typical story, to be sure, but exactly what was lacking in Junior Fiction/Nonfiction.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://fingersandprose.blogspot.com/2010/10/good-masters-sweet-ladies-by-laura-amy.html">(cross-posted at Fingers & Prose)</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-44948157737052575892010-10-12T14:19:00.001-04:002010-10-12T14:57:23.709-04:00The Midwife's Apprentice<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDgPnVWGjvapq1yzT9-zYyuyaYOujxhJmseE5VcB9rOwbOdfDU8inkbDVstb6GPc6c8pGMCmdSGMd72WWENf67pBvVE7VUwvtPU-561TPGqCTUVWU4ak_T6kBA7Qv_lwYgz0F3waMapE/s1600/n223389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDgPnVWGjvapq1yzT9-zYyuyaYOujxhJmseE5VcB9rOwbOdfDU8inkbDVstb6GPc6c8pGMCmdSGMd72WWENf67pBvVE7VUwvtPU-561TPGqCTUVWU4ak_T6kBA7Qv_lwYgz0F3waMapE/s320/n223389.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div align="left">Beetle found in a dung heap has but one way to go. </div><div align="left">Upward, Onward, only her true heart will show.</div><div align="left">Lessons abound for her soul and mind,</div><div align="left">and she learns them well, leaving the dung heap behind.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">The Midwife's Apprenctice has depth with insight to the medieval era and driving home the fact that if one persists through hard times in life, it is possible to overcome hardships. Karen Cushman's book is not "cushy". It is written with <em>matter-of-fact</em> life's difficulties and hard times. From Brat and Beetle and clear through to birthing, Karen Cushman brings the story to a conclusion of a young woman gaining confidence and a growing sense of inner worth topped off with a compassionate heart for others.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Life's not always kind, but Alyce learns she likes the life around her and assisting with life being brought into the world.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">I loved the book, yet maybe not so much for really young readers. One for the shelf till they can understand the ways of birthing!</div>A-Maye-Zing Art by Linda Gail Mayehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08986105642068812685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-34426126124800100612010-10-11T14:11:00.000-04:002010-10-11T14:11:21.107-04:00Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strawberry-Girl-Anniversary-Trophy-Newbery/dp/0064405850?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Strawberry Girl 60th Anniversary Edition (Trophy Newbery)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0064405850&tag=vitetver-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0064405850" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />Title: <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strawberry-Girl-Anniversary-Trophy-Newbery/dp/0064405850?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Strawberry Girl</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0064405850" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Author: Lois Lenski</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pages: 192</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Published: 2005 Harper Trophy (orig. 1945)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Read For: School--Aloud to my kiddos</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My Rating: 4 stars</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Strawberry-Girl-Anniversary-Trophy-Newbery/dp/0064405850?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Strawberry Girl</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0064405850" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> won the Newbery Award in 1946, beating <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Justin-Morgan-Horse-Marguerite-Henry/dp/1416927859?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Justin Morgan had a Horse</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1416927859" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> by Marguerite Henry. While I really enjoyed learning about the beginnings of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_horse">Morgan horses</a>, I can understand why Lois Lenski's book won the gold. Even with it's somewhat unrealistic happy ending, Strawberry Girl does a great job depicting life in Florida at the turn of the last century--a time when Florida was still the backwoods frontier land characteristic to the west 30-40 years prior. The forward begins:</div><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Few people realize how new Florida is, or that, aside from the early Indian and Spanish settlements, Florida has grown up in the course of a single man's lifetime.</div></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Admittedly, one of the reasons that I enjoyed this book was that I love well written dialect. I love to read it aloud. It makes me happy. If dialogue written in dialect is not your thing, you may have a difficult time with this book, because it is simply filled with it (or should I say "plumb filled"?) I knew I was in for a treat from the first page:</div><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"She's got our markin' brand on her, Pa. A big S inside a circle," said Essie.</div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The man, Sam Slater, looked up. "Shore 'nough, so she has."</div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"She's headin' right for them orange trees, Pa," said Essie.</div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Them new leaves taste mighty good, I reckon," replied her father. "She's hungry, pore thing!"</div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">A clatter of dishes sounded from within the house and a baby began to cry.</div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"You'd be pore, too, did you never git nothin' to eat," said the unseen Mrs. Slater.</div></blockquote><blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There was no answer.</div></blockquote><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Most of the book is consumed with a feud between neighbors: the Slaters and the Boyers. The Boyers are new to the area, and Slaters aren't too happy about that. Despite the sweet illustrations throughout, and the fact that it was written over 60 years ago, the book is not the innocent story you might expect. There is drinking and gambling, fighting and arguing; there are hateful words and actions. None of this behavior is condoned, and it is mostly isolated to interactions with the Slater family. Although those interactions make up the majority of the book, you aren't left with a feeling of hopelessness. Rather the opposite--it's never too late to make a change for the better. Thumbs up from my kiddos. We found it to be engaging and fun.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(cross posted at <a href="http://fingersandprose.blogspot.com/2010/10/strawberry-girl-by-lois-lenski.html">Fingers & Prose</a>)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-78698427926717278242010-09-29T17:14:00.000-04:002010-09-29T17:14:37.621-04:00Ginger Pye<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Young-Classic-Eleanor-Estes/dp/0152025057?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ginger Pye (Young Classic)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0152025057&tag=vitetver-20" style="cursor: move;" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0152025057" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />Title: <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Young-Classic-Eleanor-Estes/dp/0152025057?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ginger Pye</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0152025057" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Author: Eleanor Estes</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Pages: 320</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Published: 2000 Sandpiper (orig.1951)</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Read For: School--Aloud to my kiddos</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">My Rating: 3 stars</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Young-Classic-Eleanor-Estes/dp/0152025057?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ginger Pye</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0152025057" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> won the Newbery Award in 1952. It looked like such a happy puppy dog story that I was looking forward to reading it aloud to my kiddos. Unfortunately, we were all disappointed to find that this book, while using Ginger as an anchor, is more about the rambling thoughts and activities of two well-adjusted siblings. Jerry and Rachel get along wonderfully, and are proud of the fact that their mother is the youngest mother in town, and their father is a famous "bird man". Much of the book is taken up by the search for Ginger after she is stolen, and is filled with happy little detours exploring the town and explaining their thoughts.</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The book is not without its charms. It was nice to read a book filled with happy people, however unrealistic that may be. There are many things in the book that recall a different era in small town American life, although many of those things are more confusing than they are endearing. Better choices on that regard are, in my opinion, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Poppers-Penguins-Richard-Atwater/dp/0316058432?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mr. Popper's Penguins</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0316058432" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (Newbery Honor 1939), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Maple-Hill-Virginia-Sorensen/dp/0152047182?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Miracles on Maple Hill</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0152047182" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (Newbery 1957), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Away-Lake-Books/dp/0152022724?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Gone Away Lake</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0152022724" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (Newbery Honor 1957) and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thimble-Summer-Elizabeth-Enright/dp/031238002X?ie=UTF8&tag=vitetver-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Thimble Summer</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=vitetver-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=031238002X" style="border-bottom-style: none !important; border-color: initial !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-width: initial !important; cursor: move; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (Newbery 1939).</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If you approach Ginger Pye as an introduction to the Pye family and the bygone times and town they lived in rather than a cute puppy story, I'm guessing you'll have a better chance at liking it. Don't be in a hurry to get through, because it really takes its time. My kids thought it boring, although I wouldn't be surprised if--at some point--they remember it fondly.</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">(cross-posted at <a href="http://fingersandprose.blogspot.com/2010/09/ginger-pye-by-eleanor-estes.html">Fingers & Prose</a>)</div></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-47391004807065553812010-09-21T11:49:00.000-04:002010-09-21T11:49:08.135-04:00It's Been So Long Since Anyone's Posted!Where is everyone? People write and say they're excited about contributing, but then they don't post. :(<br />
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I've been reading and writing a lot for a job, and haven't had much time for reading for pleasure. The job wraps up in October, though, so I will definitely finish <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Roll%20of%20Thunder%20Hear%20My%20Cry"><i>Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cr</i>y</a> and <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/Dicey%27s%20Song"><i>Dicey's Song</i></a> and the eight or so other Newbery winners I still haven't read yet at some point after that.<br />
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Meanwhile, here's an issue that has come up frequently here (and specifically mentions <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Voyages%20of%20Doctor%20Doolittle"><i>Dr. Dolittle</i></a>):<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/monica-edinger/what-to-do-about-classica_b_731196.html">What to Do About Classic Children's Books That Are Racist</a><br />
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And if you're interested in getting a jump on the Newbery winner for 2010 (my vote is already cast for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Kings-Megan-Whalen-Turner/dp/0061870935"><i>A Conspiracy of Kings</i></a>, whether it's the best choice or not. I love that series so much I can't be an impartial judge), the<a href="http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/heavymedal"> Heavy Medal blog</a> is up and running again. <br />
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Boy, it is really annoying that when you Google "Heavy Medal Newbery" they automatically switch your search term to "heavy metal Newbery".Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-35979079703152502892010-05-06T09:41:00.002-04:002010-05-07T16:46:48.237-04:00Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink<div class="post-header"> </div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PnOduRXDEuaN39Bvwq03-M3qMo5e7WdtbcbvTErcCsPtLMRfnRPHiVCf-pgWsK3JZrk0B9OZWam5qaOjN7Nity1spB0UHRxfiFTNpMTOVrubl2kXTEfYmt9i77Ubr_Ndwev8L1ow5FA/s1600/caddie.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PnOduRXDEuaN39Bvwq03-M3qMo5e7WdtbcbvTErcCsPtLMRfnRPHiVCf-pgWsK3JZrk0B9OZWam5qaOjN7Nity1spB0UHRxfiFTNpMTOVrubl2kXTEfYmt9i77Ubr_Ndwev8L1ow5FA/s320/caddie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467055968519821778" border="0" /></a><br />I did love this book during my tween years, and now rereading it as an adult, all I can think of is how very much like the Little House books it is. But this story takes place at least 15 years before Laura Ingalls Wilder's birth. And interestingly enough, I counted at least two stories in this book that I also remember having read in the Little House series. I think perhaps they simply became Wisconsin urban legend. I did my google maps homework and found that Laura was born less than 40 miles from where this book takes place, which explains the common themes- <span style="font-style: italic;">Caddie Woodlawn</span> is based on the true story of the author's grandmother.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Caddie</span> takes place during the Civil War. Caddie's father, who runs the local mill, is affluent enough that he was able to pay to have a man sent in his place. The family also has hired men living full-time on the property. Caddie is the middle child of five. There used to be six, however, when the family moved west from Boston the youngest girl, Mary, was ill and died. Because Caddie was weak and sickly also, Mr. Woodlawn convinced his wife to allow her to run wild with the boys to regain her health, convinced that she would take up more feminine behavior when she became ready.<br /><br />In addition to their own small family, the Woodlawns are on very good terms with the Indians that live locally, especially Indian John (who has the advantage of command of the English language, although it's unfortunately depicted as the stereotypical pidgin English common in books from this period). The book follows a year in Caddie's life- picking nuts, riding horses, going to school, and worrying about rumors of Indian massacre, eagerly awaiting the mail after a long winter, and eating entirely too much turkey. Over the course of events, Caddie does mature and become ready to at least consider that a lady's skills have some merit.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqa0iJnNAzJQT66XM4TwVE0EJ0acaht50MD3qKJ4YZCXaZC21utaFThCCkYwYFbxTVpvWwxv16dIDE9k_AlYPy5UgIUizwe2uv9Rmolwd2Zk1QqdSeRt8Uut0LY9YmVr1EvZzauQWSo0U/s1600/caddie2.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqa0iJnNAzJQT66XM4TwVE0EJ0acaht50MD3qKJ4YZCXaZC21utaFThCCkYwYFbxTVpvWwxv16dIDE9k_AlYPy5UgIUizwe2uv9Rmolwd2Zk1QqdSeRt8Uut0LY9YmVr1EvZzauQWSo0U/s320/caddie2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467068597754943634" border="0" /></a><br />Also impressive for the time the book was written in is the way the Woodlawn family is scornful of a man in the community who had taken an Indian wife in the days when the town was not yet settled. Not because he took an Indian wife, but because he is clearly ashamed of her and their three children, and because he sends his wife away to rejoin her people when rumors of massacre have made her uncomfortable to keep. Stereotypes notwithstanding, it's a perspective that you don't often see represented. As their mother tells the Woodlawn children, "Sam Hankinson hasn't a very strong character. Now if your father had married an Indian. . . you may be sure that <span style="font-style: italic;">he</span> would never have sent her off because he was ashamed of her."<br /><br />I did love my paperback copy of this book with Trina Schart Hyman illustrations; they have so much more character than the airbrushed bland ones that are in the 1958 edition I borrowed from my library this week (see right). Who makes a better-looking tomboy, I ask you?<br /><br />Cross-posted from http://oldnewberries.blogspot.com/ in which Melanie and Sue have made it a personal mission to read all Newbery Award and Honor books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-88044547646307741352010-04-21T11:02:00.003-04:002010-04-21T11:37:14.990-04:00Island of the Blue Dolphins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMZMAsvkNWmkNhrZFhE6jEYMgaeVXSfVJRdCHFPVEUZXmIzMlTMOOS-_0Ctk1HxsTVNm5QDJSb8RM90LDbftdVnrn_Yd8NIhhEooQYFrAdhtepe89iadqSzH0EY9KbDmmewjGmvB4R8vp/s1600/Blue_Dolphins.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 268px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462608082664637522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUMZMAsvkNWmkNhrZFhE6jEYMgaeVXSfVJRdCHFPVEUZXmIzMlTMOOS-_0Ctk1HxsTVNm5QDJSb8RM90LDbftdVnrn_Yd8NIhhEooQYFrAdhtepe89iadqSzH0EY9KbDmmewjGmvB4R8vp/s400/Blue_Dolphins.jpg" /></a>I remember when my children read <em>Island of the Blue Dolphins </em>by Scott O'Dell. It was many years ago but I still remember that my daughter cried while my oldest son tried not to cry. So I remember it as a sad book because a dog dies.<br /><br />It is much more than that. This book was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1961. I was only eight years old and I wonder why (or if) I did not read the book. This was published in a time of women's liberation in the United States. I don't know that I would say that liberation is what this book is about, but certainly Karana moved outside female cultural roles as she survived alone on an island off the coast of California.<br /><br />The book is based on the life of a real woman who lived alone on the island of San Nicolas from 1835 to 1853. She was named Juana Maria by a priest who was with her when she died only seven weeks after she was rescued by George Nidever. She is buried at the Santa Barbara Mission in California. To learn more, click <a href="http://www.sbnature.org/research/anthro/chumash/faq.htm">HERE</a>.<br /><br /><br />In <em>Island of the Blue Dolphins, </em>our heroine<em> </em>Karana stays behind on her island after the Aleuts killed many of the men of her tribe and the others had left on a large ship. She stayed because she could not find her brother on the ship. After her brother's traumatic death, Karana lives alone on the island. O'Dell uses imagery to help the reader visualize how Karana takes care of herself and the island. A strong girl, Karana does what she must do to survive. In the end, she has experienced joy and sorrow on the island. I liked the story and feel the students would as well.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Island of the Blue Dolphins</em><br />AUTHOR: Scott O'Dell<br />COPYRIGHT: 2006<br />PAGES: 184<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I would recommend this to Middle School children who are naturalists (no matter what your definition) or for girls who need to learn that they can do anything they wish to do.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-83562732959134696712010-04-04T12:05:00.002-04:002010-04-04T12:09:39.141-04:00Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman<div class="post-header"> </div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525392440/ref=nosim/hosco-20"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFQa37tOak_blpQgxA-5hyphenhyphenSEtoO3gUkn-I_MrJOV2oiK2ucjx4YokQlXek4cZmAflu9m1qHyoNr00EL_qkUS2-qBFLQb3RUOs658QNpVFc4hOmAS8MH8cd3brG0zB3JmWmSLZcXXQeNZv/s400/shensea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455109042586468786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shen of the Sea: Chinese Stories for Children</span> by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. illustrated by Else Hasselriis<br /><br /><br />Pages: 221 pages<br />Ages: 8+<br />Finished: Mar. 31, 2010<br />First Published: 1925<br />Publisher: E.P. Dutton<br />Genre: short stories, folktales<br />Rating: 4.5/5<br /><br />First sentence:<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"A shamelessly rainy day, my honorable Brother Chi."</span></blockquote><br />Acquired: Bought and own a copy.<br /><br />Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my 9yo son. We always have a book of folktales, fairy tales, myths, etc. on the go, reading one story every school day.<br /><br />Comments: I have read this book once before to myself some time ago, as an adult, and came away with the impression that it was OK (maybe 3 stars) but now I think I've found out the problem with that first reading. This book is meant to be read aloud! The stories are told in a storyteller voice that just rolls off the tongue when reading out loud and brings them gloriously to life. The stories are hilarious and I can't say that my ds or I didn't like even a single one the tales. I'm not convinced these are traditional Chinese stories (I've read a lot of folktales in my life and never heard any of these before) but would guess that Chrisman wrote them himself based on the style of Chinese tales. The tales often rely on repetition, some are origin stories and they cover a wide spectrum of characters from peasants to princesses and Kings. A number of the stories are about someone who is not too bright or is incredibly lazy or stubborn. While the great majority of tales are folktales a few pass over into fairytale territory with the appearance of a few dragons and other Chinese mythical creatures. Every single time this book came out my son's face lit up, he thoroughly enjoyed it! I also had a ton of fun reading it. This book has a habit of getting mixed reviews and to those who give it low ratings, I ask you to read aloud a couple of stories to a child or group of children. Then see if you don't change your mind! I've found in my 21 years as a mother that some children's books just beg to be read aloud and don't do the trick when read silently. The only thing I'm not too keen on are the silhouette illustrations. Yes, they add to the ethnicity of the book but detailed drawings would have been more fun to look at.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-81652151830943025072010-03-13T10:20:00.007-05:002010-07-13T11:46:46.385-04:002010 When You Reach Me<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwixd-EK0TdWnAcY2ERg-R1PPwaUOQ5tyzGfcCuq4szrH0A020i6NUkEM5NAsdLjQIeMJaN7QuejxVwPpDLCwY-X2Q8hZ6dYVrZ85sZVHjhZefFR7tjivIsqgYu79hIC2IeFHARpv3HWj/s1600-h/when+you+reach+me.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 212px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448139286177298210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwixd-EK0TdWnAcY2ERg-R1PPwaUOQ5tyzGfcCuq4szrH0A020i6NUkEM5NAsdLjQIeMJaN7QuejxVwPpDLCwY-X2Q8hZ6dYVrZ85sZVHjhZefFR7tjivIsqgYu79hIC2IeFHARpv3HWj/s400/when+you+reach+me.jpg" /></a> <em>When You Reach Me </em>by Rebecca Stead is a fascinating novel with a number of story lines. While I enjoyed the book (and stayed up until 12:30 in the morning to finish it, which speaks volumes), I wonder if the seconday story lines will be understood by young readers who might not have previous knowledge to support full interest. Certainly it appealed to the Newbery panel!<br /><br />The novel takes place in 1979 and is narrated by twelve year old Miranda, who lives with her mother. Miranda experiences the pains of growing up while a mystery surrounds her. Miranda's mother is excited about being on the $20,000 Pyramid, a television game show which was popular in the 1970s. Along with her mother's boyfriend, the family helps the mother practice for the show. This story line might be an unknown for young people today.<br /><br />Another story line, which is at the heart of the mystery, focuses on Madeline L'Engel's book <em>A Wrinkle in Time</em> and the idea of time travel. Marcus, who becomes a friend to Miranda, has theories on time and space. If one were unfamiliar with L'Engel's book, perhaps this story line might also have some gaps. Of course the simple answer to this problem is to read L'Engel's classic book and start over.<br /><br />I liked this book. I didn't love it. The writing and tone were good and I wanted to get to the bottom of the mysterious notes. Overall, <em>When You Reach Me </em>should hold broad appeal for the age range Grade 5-8, which is where we have placed the book in our collection at the library.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>When You Reach Me</em><br /><div>AUTHOR: Rebecca Stead</div><div>COPYRIGHT: 2009</div><div>PAGES: 197</div><div>TYPE: fiction</div><div>RECOMMEND: A slightly off-kilter book for middle school students - should spark good discussion</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-11929977247818962402010-03-01T10:41:00.002-05:002010-03-02T12:23:59.653-05:00Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis<img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e39/Paradiseporch/budnotbuddy.jpg" alt="Bud,Not Buddy,Christopher Paul Curtis,Herman E. Calloway" align="left" border="0" vspace="7.5" hspace="10" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553494104?ie=UTF8&tag=paradiseporch-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0553494104" target="_blank">Bud, Not Buddy</a><img style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=paradiseporch-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0553494104" alt="" border="0" width="1" height="1" /><br />by Christopher Paul Curtis<br /><br />This book won the 2000 Newbery Medal for "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" and the award is well-deserved.<br /><br />Set in Flint and Grand Rapids Michigan in 1936, the story covers three tumultuous days in the life of Bud Caldwell, orphan, age 10. Bud's single mom died when he was six and he has lived in the orphanage and various foster homes since. Bud's already wise to the system. So wise that he can feel sorry for the six-year-old who's being sent to a foster home in the most recent "deployment" from the orphange.<br /><blockquote>...Six is a real tough age to be at. Most folks think you start to be a real adult when you're fifteen or sixteen years old, but that's not true, it really starts when you're around six.<br /><br />It's at six that grown folks don't think you're a cute little kid anymore, they talk to you and expect you to understand everything they mean. And you'd best understand too, if you aren't looking for some real trouble, 'cause it's around six that grown folks stop giving you little swats and taps and jump clean up to giving you slugs that'll knock you right down and have you seeing stars in the middle of the day. The first foster home I was in taught me that real quick.</blockquote><br />(If that doesn't break your heart, what will?) To cope with his world in which children must be "too wise, too soon", and can't trust any adult, Bud has composed "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself". Sprinkled randomly throughout the book (#3, #63, #29, #16 etc), they're a melange of timeless childhood advice, hilarious reasoning, and poignant realizations.<br /><blockquote>Bud's busting out of the padlocked shed his newest foster parents have locked him in, and he's off to find his unknown father. When she died, his mother left a half-dozen small stones inscribed with letters and numbers, and five different flyers for the jazz band Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators. Bud is convinced that Herman E. Calloway is his father.</blockquote><br />This is a young adult book that will be enjoyed by adults and adolescents alike. Bright and polite Bud narrates his own story and, although he relates the precarious position of an orphan during the Great Depression, he never sounds like he feels sorry for himself. Life is full of unpleasant situations but with his self-authored book of "Rules and Things...", he can find a way to deal with anything. You'll be uplifted by his story.<br /><br />I rate <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553494104?ie=UTF8&tag=paradiseporch-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0553494104" target="_blank">Bud, Not Buddy</a><img style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=paradiseporch-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0553494104" alt="" border="0" width="1" height="1" /> 4.5 out of 5 stars.Debbie Rodgershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15630059470408161434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-8815715116456259412010-02-26T07:42:00.005-05:002010-02-28T18:11:37.087-05:002010 - When you Reach Me<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijKHL2LNxxPtwCzM1NRwZaQNKQliR6_OLQViBzbk9u6kl9Al1E9CMdljs4jq35N1bAHanu2wg2bTg9FP5hlrVjclHhcfCiRpKZ0WL8a3HU4JuOMbmPX0eaOUYSr5wMTtgQCLoyh9SUiSM/s200/when+you+reach+me.jpg" alt="" align="right" border="0" /><br /><div class="entry-content"> <p>I just finished reading <a href="http://drbacchus.com/books/0385737424">When You Reach Me</a>, by Rebecca Stead. It won the Newbery award this year, so I figured it would be worth reading.</p><p>I found the book rather disappointing. In the last few pages, all of the bizarre and confusing things that happened through the book are all explained, and everything falls in place but the fact is that until that moment, the book is hard work to get through. I think it's unlikely that my kids, anyway, would persist through to that Ahah! moment, and so would dismiss the book with their usual designation of "boring."</p><p>Added to that, the book relies heavily on the reader being familiar with "A Wrinkle in Time", a book which (yes, I know, it's heresy) I can't stand. So, if you're familiar with Wrinkle, and if you liked it, perhaps this will resonate with you. But it really didn't work much for me.</p><p><a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-when-you-reach-me.html">Here's a review that completely disagrees with me</a>.</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12724095775305576339noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7022775613667933377.post-20684969185238675012010-02-11T10:14:00.004-05:002010-02-11T10:18:51.764-05:00Some Great Reviews and Links on Newbery Winnersare going up now in <a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379.html?nid=3713">Elizabeth Bird's blogging</a> on the "Top 100 Children's Novels". She's updating every day or two, and has done 24 books so far (starting at #100 and counting down), and some of my favorite Newbery winners have already been listed. The covers and video clips she finds are amazing.Sandy D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08650640470141210550noreply@blogger.com1