Housewifespice

Friday Quick Takes

2012-01-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

Some visual interest. Though this will never be a decorating blog, or an organizing blog, sometimes, I see real beauty in my home.

--- 2 ---

Last night for dinner, we had meatball sandwiches and hot dogs and sweet potato fries.And a salad. And the leftover cup of chili on the hot dogs. Go ahead and judge.

I read Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief. I got nervous around page 65/66, when one character asks another, "...do they really believe that?" referring to a creation story. Another character responds,

"...No, they don't believe that,...It's just religion. They like to go up to the temple on feast days and pretend that there is some god who wants worthless sacrificial bits of a cow, and people get to eat the rest. It's just an excuse to kill a cow."

But I shouldn't have been nervous. Those characters are in for a rude awakening.

The series is fascinating. Now you know why we had hot dogs for dinner last night.

--- 3 ---

Another pretty shot.

I got this wreath at Target. I've been looking for things that will stand out against the brown.

--- 4 ---

Most of you know that my husband, The Chef, is not actually a chef. He actually works with this guy.

And he works on this ongoing project.I've been watching it during "Laundry Folding Time," this week, but it's very difficult to keep folding, what with all the gorgeous footage and title screens and art. Lots of beautiful art. Makes me want to do my Rome semester all over again. Caravaggio. sigh.

Look at that bum.

I will be doing a Catholicism DVD Set Giveaway in February.

--- 5 ---

Yesterday, Baby J and I went to Babies and Books class at the library. For 30 minutes, we listen to stories, sing songs, clap our hands and play with shaker eggs. Baby J was there for all of five minutes, when she leaned over and yelled very loudly, "BEH!" in the neighboring baby's face. This caused screams followed by tears on the part of the other baby, and smiles and jazz hands on behalf of Baby J. I fear she may be a bully.

She's figuring out the whole crawling thing. She gets stuck under things and gets angry. Yesterday, she got her head stuck under the couch. I should have taken a picture of that.

--- 6 ---

Regarding Lucy. She did get a part in the play. A few smaller parts, that may or may not include solo song lines, and she gets to dance. She is a Napkin, in one song, which is wierd because Susan is also a Napkin in her school's production of Beauty and the Beast. I guess my girls are Napkin people. Napkins get to dance a lot too.

Also, regarding Lucy, we are hosting her entire class for a Half Birthday Ice Skating Party. I need prayers that we will have ice, and again, that there are no injuries.

I would never have dreamed of hosting a boy/girl party for Peter or Susan. Their classes were very different. Lucy is lucky that way. All the boys and girls are so nice and well-adjusted, with parents who care. I'm actually looking forward to this party.

--- 7 ---

Lastly, a special treat for you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

How to be Sunny with Zero Sunshine

2012-01-26T13:31:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, there was a February in Chicago with 18 minutes of sunshine. Eighteen minutes. In a month. There was also snow, sleet, freezing rain, or just regular rain at some point every single day. I called my beloved mother. I cried. And she ordered me some Uggs online.

My mom rocks.

But I've played that card. So, I've learned some other tricks to fight SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Wear bright colors. This was difficult last winter, when I was pregnant, and every maternity clothier from Target to A Pea in the Pod had winter lines featuring clothes in either black or dark grey. Gross. I did a little better at Old Navy where the scarf selection has never failed me, and at Boden, which began a maternity line just for me, it seemed.

I avoid wearing black. That being said, every one who lives in this city has a black coat, including me. But I'm looking for crimson, or cadet blue, or pink. Just haven't found it yet.

Turn on the lights! Turn on all the lights! It's freaking dark out there! Get the highest watt bulbs you can. Try to find bulbs that are below 5000K to avoid cold, bluish lights.

Light some candles. If I can't have the sun, I like to have scented mini suns glowing around the house. A scented candle changes the mood from gloomy to cozy. I love pumpkin, citrus or cinnamon scents. Find your favorite flavors and stock up. Target doesn't carry pumpkin scented candles much past November, as I have learned the hard way.

Use aromatherapy on your person. There's a reason my hand soap and my body wash are citrus scents. They remind me that summer will come again.

I don't often wear perfume, but when I do, it's usually Sugar Lemon from Fresh. Pioneer Woman introduced us, and it was love at first sniff.

Last year, desperate to use the $3.50 off a $10 purchase coupon for Ulta that did not include Bare Minerals or any of the other stuff I regularly purchase there, I found these OPI lotions in a six pack.
Lord knows, we go through a lot of hand lotion here. Hand lotion and lip balm.

But dressing in bright colors, turning on the lights and wearing scented lotion are a lot like taking a Tylenol when you have a broken bone. It's only going to help a little bit for a little while.

What really works against the winter doldrums is that bad word: exercise.

Walk in the mall.
Walk outside with these on.
Ice skate on a homemade rink in your backyard, or at the local flooded tennis courts.
Take a Zumba class.
Get Wii Fit.
Get a dog.
Get your butt moving.
Because nothing else is going to release the endorphins you need to stay sane.
Not even Chardonnay. Not even chocolate. Believe me, I've tried.

It is also important to have good friends.

Like the friend who will meet you at the mall at 9am in the freezing rain, and walk with you, and sit with you and chat when the baby has to nurse, and doesn't let you stop at Cinnabon for breakfast, but gently guides you toward the Subway.

Or the friend who will take turns holding said baby, when Baby has had it with the stroller. She is the friend who will listen to you cry on the phone about something stupid, like carpool, or whether or not your kid got to say a petition at the all-school Mass and then ask, "Wanna go for a walk?"

Friends like these are priceless. They are also necessary for those bitter, bitter cold days when you need to go out to lunch someplace fabulous, just to remind you that there are still fabulous places in the world.

And as a last resort, I fight the winter blues with an annual or bi-annual trip to someplace warm and sunny. Even a weekend with friends and their families in the Wisconsin Dells can do a lot to boost a girl's spirits. Plus, they have that wave pool with an indoor fake heated beach and umbrella drinks at the Great Wolf Lodge. Think you might be self-conscious in a bathing suit in February in the Dells? Think again. This is Wisconsin. Land of Cheese. They're not getting any sunshine either.

Can't afford a trip? No extra vacation days this year? Plan something else. Book Club, Dinner Club, Birthday Party, Half Birthday Party, Lia Sophia Party, Girls' Night Out, Trivial Pursuit Night. Planning things can help the longest season of the North pass more pleasantly.

Or you could always start a blog and act like you're an authority on things that other people take for granted. That works too.

This Hurts Me More Than It Hurts You

2012-01-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

I know you don't believe me, but truly, it would be so much easier for me to sort your dirty laundry for you.

But then you would never learn responsibility.

It would be so much easier for me to do the dinner dishes by myself, in complete blissful silence, and there would be the added benefit of actually having clean dishes and clean counters in the morning.

But then you would never learn diligence and perseverance.

It would be so much easier for me to let you go skating, even though you were disrespectful to me.

But then you would never learn respect. Or that I mean what I say.

It would be so much easier to let you off the hook when you told me that you didn't "really" have any homework, when you actually did "really" have homework.

But then you would never learn honesty.

It would be so much easier for me to say "Yes, you can go see any rated PG-13 thriller." without having to do online research, or let you manage your own i-Tunes account, without checking.

But then you would never know how much I care about your innocence.

It would be so much easier for me to let you wear that shirt, or that make-up, or that bathing suit.

But then you would never learn modesty. Or how much I care about your true beauty.

It would be so much easier if I could have a peaceful afternoon and let you play Poptropica for hours.

Believe me. It hurts me more than it hurts you.

Career Paths and Snowflake Bentley

2012-01-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

I worked as a Youth Services Assistant Librarian for a few years at our local public library. It was a job made for me, helping kids find books for research and pleasure, planning programs that would be informational and entertaining, online shopping for puzzles, paperbacks, and parent/teacher resource books with someone else's money.

I loved that job. I loved that job so much that I wrote on my annual review that I would pay to have that job. The work made me happy in a way that laundry and diapers do not. And the people. I was paid to spend time with an amazing group of people who are passionate about learning and literature and children and all the things I am passionate about.

Then came Baby J. I made a difficult decision to leave my dream job to stay home with her, and there has not been one day that I have regretted that decision. But I do hope that one day I'll have the opportunity to work at the library again. And I pray that my children can find career paths that will fulfill them and give them happiness.

Tina Fey expressed my wish in her prayer, "A Mother's Prayer for It's Daughter" in her book, Bossypants.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

Enter Snowflake Bentley.

Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueling Briggs Martin, is one of my favorite books. Perfect for January, this biography tells the true story of Willie Bentley, a young boy obsessed with capturing the beauty of snowflakes. He spent his life capturing the beauty of snowflakes with photography. He never got rich, never got famous. But I think he was happy.

7 Quick Takes Friday

2012-01-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

I got Baby J some super cute legwarmers at American Eagle on clearance. No, American Eagle does not sell baby legwarmers, but they do sell wristlets or fingerless gloves that fit these chunky gams. See that hole in the pic? Technically, that's a thumb hole. I'll sew that shut in my spare time.

--- 2 ---

I spent a good part of my week folding laundry and watching Gods and Generals. It's very good. Very long, but very good. Peter will be going on an Civil War History trip this summer, and I think we will be watching lots of Civil War films in preparation. Gettysburg and Glory are on my list. I think we all need some history supplements around here.

Lucy watched Gods and Generals for a few minutes and then asked, "Which World War is this?"

Edmund kept asking, "Which guys are the bad guys?" "Well, they are all Americans." I tried to explain various reasons for secession... states' rights...Northern aggression...all of the things I learned in my "Southern" revisionist history classes in grade school. He kept asking me, "Yes, but who are the bad guys?" I explained that General Stonewall Jackson and General Robert E. Lee were good and prayerful men who desired the abolition of slavery in the Confederacy. I attempted to explain "Brother against brother." "But, Mom, who are the bad guys?"

"Fine! It's the South! I guess you could say the Rebels are the bad guys."

At which point, Lucy asked, "We won this? Didn't we?"

sigh.

--- 3 ---

With only one Downton Abbey episode a week now, I am so happy that White Collar is back. Cultured, criminal hottie, Neal Caffrey is one of tv's best dressed characters. But FBI agent, Peter Burke (played by Tim deKay) is the better played role, in my humble opinion. This show is 99% clean and my older three really like it. It's so nice when I can find a program we can watch as a family. The Chef is just not interested in Nineteen Kids and Counting.

--- 4 ---

I'm reading The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. I read three fourths of A Conspiracy of Kings, before I realized that it is the fourth in the series. No, this wasn't a "blonde" moment. No where on the book does it say it's the fourth one. I was riveted but very confused. The Thief is the first and a Newbery Honor book. I'm excited to find a new adventure series. This one reminds me of The Ranger's Apprentice books by John Flanagan, which I love.

--- 5 ---

The Chef and I are reading The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, aloud to Edmund. I have never read this before. I don't know why, since I adore both Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. I have longed considered the following passage from Stuart Little to be the summation of all that is good in the sensory world.

"Henry Rackmeyer, you tell us what is important." "A shaft of sunlight at the end of a dark afternoon, a note in music, and the way the back of a baby's neck smells if its mother keeps it tidy," answered Henry. "Correct," said Stuart. "Those are the important things. You forgot one thing, though. Mary Bendix, what did Henry Rackmeyer forget?" "He forgot ice cream with chocolate sauce on it," said Mary quickly. "Exactly," said Stuart. "Ice cream is important."

--- 6 ---

The Chef and I both grew up with our parents reading aloud to us. The Chef's father read the children chapters of books such as The Hobbit, the Little House book, the Chronicles of Narnia, typically before bedtime, and usually stopping each night at a most exciting point. My mother read to us after dinner. She also read The Hobbit, and The Secret Garden (click here for a free audiobook), The Outlaws of Ravenhurst, and The Trumpeter of Krakow. Fortunately for me, she only stopped when the author ended a chapter.

I can still hear my mother's voice as she described the beautiful garden behind the wall.

--- 7 ---

Edmund's skating birthday party was an injury free success, Deo Gratias! And we'll be back on the ice tonight, snowstorm or not. Have a lovely weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Forethought: A Cautionary Tale

2012-01-17T15:09:00.000-08:00

Below is the post I wrote yesterday, when my house was clean and I had a 6 lb. brisket braising in the oven. Keep reading to find out what happened next.

The secret to peace, happiness, and familial content is forethought. It took me over a decade to figure this out. If you can anticipate and prepare for what lies ahead, you can make it easier, better, and more relaxing. Let me explain.

If I pack the lunches tonight, check to see if gym shoes are in the backpacks, uniforms are clean, there is some form of breakfast available (which might range from PW's egg-in-the-hole to leftover birthday cake and a glass of milk), and the car has some gas, tomorrow morning will go more smoothly. Of course, I can't anticipate the ice storm we may or may not get and the extra time it will take to chisel off the windshields. But I can have my pot of tea ready to be iced tonight.

If I plan a week's meals before I go to the grocery store, and not while I'm standing in front of the meat counter at Costco, we will eat well. I might get out of there without bankruptcy, and I may not need to run to the store every evening between 4 and 5 pm, which is always when everybody else is running to the store.

If I make the trek to the basement freezer tonight, to get the frozen chicken out for tomorrow, we might have dinner at a normal time. Which means that we might have time to do the dishes, as a family. And then we might have time to say evening prayer, as a family. If I remember to go to the freezer tonight.

Forethought. It sounds easy. The difficulty is you have to practice it all the time. You can never sit back and think, "There. That takes care of everything." Last I checked, people are at this very moment wearing clothes and getting them dirty, using the toiletries, and eating all of the groceries. That's ok, because I've planned for that.

Well, the recipe I was using for brisket is pretty good, but I had neglected to account for the fact that I was using a larger roast than called for. Also, I should have realized that the direction, "Put in a 350 degree oven for 2 1/2 to 4 hours, until fork tender." was a recipe for disaster.

We cook in a time warp. Banana bread can take up to 2 hours, but brownies can be done in 10 minutes. I put the brisket in the oven at 3pm.

At 6:45pm, The Chef began slicing the 4lb. salami I had gotten him for Christmas, and I consumed most of a delicious wedge of Fontina that I had been saving for a special occasion.

At 7:30pm, the children, still hungry after a massive cheese, salami, and cracker course, heated up plates of leftovers.

At 8pm, the brisket was indeed fork tender. It will be served tonight.

At 9:30 pm, it had cooled enough to be put back in the refrigerator from whence it came.

No one did any dinner dishes. No one packed any lunches. No one got the frozen chicken out the basement. There was no evening prayer.

This morning at 7:30am, which is departure time for Lucy and Edmund, Edmund was running around with one shoe.

We own four school sweatshirts. Three are missing. One is on Lucy. It is nine degrees today. Edmund is wearing a short sleeve uniform polo under his coat.

I have to go do the dinner dishes now.

Two books I don't recommend

2012-01-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. Good read about time travel. Too bad the kids have to disparage the good-looking teacher and spread rumors that he's gay. (He's not, as far as I can tell.) And too bad our heroine had a bad kissing experience with a guy who kept giving her "love bites" so she had to wear a scarf all the time, and kept "trying to shove his hands in her bra." Also, why do all of the characters have to comment on breast size? Where is the romance? True love, anyone? I'm ever confirmed in my belief that my fourteen year old NEEDS to read the Anne of Green Gables series.

Annexed by Sharon Dogar. I read so many positive reviews of this book. Remember the Diary of Anne Frank? Well, this author creates a novel of the same historical facts and setting but told from Peter's point of view. Peter was the 16 year old boy whose family hid with the Franks in the same annex. Peter was the boy that Anne becomes friends with and eventually falls in love with.

Unfortunately, as part of this fictional account, the author thought young people would really want to read a detailed account of Peter's nocturnal emission and the dream he had that caused it. Chapter 3. That's where I stopped reading. The real Peter van Pels deserves more respect.

WHERE IS THE ROMANCE? I feel like Charlie Brown.

Helpful Hints

2012-01-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

I keep my steel wool scrubbing pad in the freezer. That way it doesn't rust. And you know those plastic cups with corporate logos or Chuck E. Cheese or whatever, the ugly cups? That's what I keep my steel wool in, when it's in the freezer. Also, I cut the steel wool pads in half.

When using liquid laundry detergent, I don't like to get it on my hands. I have nowhere to put a sticky soapy dispensing cup since my laundry room is a dungeon. So, I throw the cup in the washer with the laundry. Problem solved. Of course, I have a back-up cup for when some helpful person changes the load and throws the cup in the dryer.

When towels or socks get that mildewed smell, or soiled potty training laundry has odors that do not go away, I use a cup of ammonia in the wash with the detergent. But NOT WITH BLEACH. Grade school science, people.

A glass scraper is my favorite cleaning tool. I just used it to scrape dried gooey gunk off of my refrigerator shelves. I cannot clean my stovetop without one. It's great for removing the carbon scoring. I learned this from those lovely British babes on How Clean Is Your House.

The Thermapen is one of my favorite cooking tools. The Chef and I use it for meat, fudge, grilling, bread making. I also use it to regulate Baby's bathwater. Lucy just used it to determine the temperature of ice cream for her science experiment. It's expensive but worth it. I've sent ours in for service too. They didn't come in all of those cool colors when we got ours.

You know those Star Wars cookies I made last week? If you break the ears off Yoda, he turns into Gollum. Weird. Go ahead. Hold your hands in front of the Yoda image I got from the web. See what I mean? I know this because I broke off the ears to give to the baby. Gollum is less fattening than Yoda.

7 Quick Takes Friday

2012-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

Edmund brought his birthday treats to school on Tuesday, because going back to school in general was a big enough project for Monday.

Set me loose in a Williams-Sonoma store with a gift card, and who knows what I'll bring home. I have gotten quite a bit of use out of these cookie cutters. I have never managed to ice them like it shows on the box, I use colored sugars sprinkled on top.

--- 2 ---

I read about these in a ShopSmart magazine (which I like because it's like the Reader's Digest version of Consumer Reports). Then a friend told me she that her 13 year old son made dinner with one. You had me at "13 year old son made dinner."

They are good! And unlike other convenience food, the McCormick's Recipe Inspirations have no preservatives or fillers. You get the pre-measured spices and the back of the card tells you what else you need. You don't need canned condensed cream of anything to make them!

Peter made the Tuscan Chicken Stew on Tuesday. Lucy made the Chicken Marsala on Wednesday. Edmund made the Apple and Sage Pork Chops last night. All were easy to make and delicious. Tonight we are having the Asian Sesame Salmon. The Chef will have to make some risotto as a hearty side, because he is my pickiest eater and he won't eat fish.

--- 3 ---

This was my most recent Mom read. (A Mom read is a grown up book written for grown ups that I choose to read on my own for fun, as opposed to books about organizing, parenting, sainthood and other things that I struggle with, that I read for help.) The same friend who recommend the McCormick Recipe Inspirations recommended this book.

The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet takes place in Seattle during WWII (my favorite time period) during the Japanese internment. The main character is the son of Chinese immigrants, whose best friends are a black saxophone player and a young girl of Japanese descent. Though-provoking enough to avoid fluffiness, but gentle enough not to shock or horrify (unlike so much adult fiction today), I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I even kept The Chef up way too late discussing it with him: what the internment must have been like, what we would do if we were facing something similar.

--- 4 ---

Our latest television obsession. After Baby J falls asleep, and the others are in their beds (for the most part), I like to work on my needlepoint and feel all proper while we watch Downton Abbey on Netflix. Oh, but alas. We have caught up to the current season and stayed up far too late on Wednesday eve to watch the Season 2 premiere. I blame Barefoot and Pregnant entirely.

--- 5 ---

Along with needlepoint, no I wasn't joking about that, we are beginning a Bridge Club. For playing bridge. You know, with cards? Like spades or hearts, but a billion times harder. I had a pre-Christmas brainstorm. Fearful that my husband's brain is deteriorating, seeing lots of forgetfulness, I purchased card table, chairs, bridge cards, tallies and the cheat sheet tablecloth.The Chef and I used to play all the time when we were first married. In fact, we created a Bridge for Three version that we played with his cousin, the Colonel. When he couldn't come over, we each bid two hands. We had no TV back then and we could remember stuff.

We played a few hands last weekend, and for some bizarre reason, I discovered that I crave gin and tonics when I'm counting my points. I don't even like gin and tonics. It has something to do with late summer nights in Michigan and short, sweaty glasses with a wedge of lime. I think I'm craving summer.

So we are back at the Bridge table. My grandmother is remarkably sharp for her age, and I think it has something to do with the seven bridge clubs she's in. And she plays Duplicate, which is to Bridge as Go Fish is to Spades.

--- 6 ---

In preparation for this weekend, I cleaned out the "Front Hall Closet." I bagged up all of the single mittens. (Why do I keep them?!) I finally put the lost dry cleaning away. The baseball hats have been weeded and put away for Spring. Yes, I know it's January, but it just started snowing today.

I have been putting off this kind of cleaning/organizing because I want to do the 40 Bags in 40 Days thing for Lent this year. I sort of long for Lent right now. Stale fudge has no hold over me. The Christmas decorations are starting to look dusty and need to be put away. My pants are too tight. You get the idea.

--- 7 ---

Tomorrow night, baby. Tonight's low of 4 degrees should put an end to the snarky remarks about the reflecting pool in my backyard. And just in the nick of time. I have been storming Heaven with prayers for a frozen rink. At least a dozen third grade boys are coming over tomorrow to celebrate Edmund's birthday and go skating. Now, if we could all petition the guardian angels to keep the boys' safe. Amen.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

A is for Altar and Other Books for Baby

2012-01-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Baby J and I have been taking the "Babies and Books" class at the library. She's learned to clap, and I've learned that boys are COMPLETELY different from girls at every age. I didn't realize that at six months the boys would be throwing the toys and the girls would be eating them. I didn't know that boys and girls have different growth charts. (Our family physician doesn't do growth charts.) At 10-15 months, the boys are still throwing the shaker eggs at music time, but the girls are passing them out and collecting them again into the basket. I see future flight attendants. I always knew boys and girls are different. I guess I thought the differences really didn't kick in into toddler hood.

I've also been re-acquainted with baby books. Our copy of Pat the Bunny decayed years ago and none of our lift-the-flap books have any flaps left. All of the DK Touch and Feel books that Edmund loved are either tattered or lost.

So, Santa brought Baby J some new books. In addition to That's Not My Donkey, Santa picked up two boxed sets of board books at Costco.

I had been familiar with the humor of Sandra Boynton, since I worked in a library in high school. But I had forgotten about her silly books for small children until Babies and Books class. Now, we can read classics such as Moo, Baa, La La La! and Blue Hat, Green Hat at home. In Blue Hat, Green Hat, an elephant, a bear, and a moose are demonstrating where various clothing items go, and a turkey keeps getting it wrong. I love that turkey.

The Complete Karen Katz Collection includes four lift-the-flap books and four picture books. Her illustrations are charming, essential in a board book that I will have to read one thousand plus times.

While clearing some shelf space for all of Baby J's new books, I came across this treasure that was a gift from Nana and Papa a few years ago.

A is for Altar, B is for Bible does a wonderful job of naming the objects of the Mass for children as well as other nouns from the Church and the life of Christ. "X is at the end of Crucifix. I lay down my life for my sheep." I wish there were more books like this. Beautiful, approachable and true. We could use more literature like this for young Catholic children.

Expectation Management

2012-01-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

And the winner is MJD Mom. I will be sending you the Happy Mama Hand to Toe Foaming Soap, the Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash, and the silk sock liners. Baby JJP is going to smell delicious! Now, for today's top story...

Expectation Management

In middle school, I ran for secretary in the Student Council elections. And I lost. And I was angry and bitter.

But then I grew up, and had kids, and suddenly my daughter was 7 years old and Irish dancing. Her teacher told me she was good enough to go to the National Championships in Nashville, Tennessee that summer. I was blown away. Having grown up with no athletic ability, or physical grace, it still amazes me that my children are good at this kind of stuff.

So began a whirlwind of travel, driving, spending, competing on an international scale, spending, driving, spending, making some lifelong friends, and learning some hard lessons about Expectation Management.

I learned that even though I can pay for all the lessons, pay for extra private lessons, pay for a stunning new costume and wig, drive to all the lessons, ensure at home practice time on a stage built in the basement, dress her, do her make-up, glue her socks on (yes, they glue their socks on), I couldn't dance for her. Not that I would be better. But, no matter how good I was at being the Irish Dance Mom, at the end of the day, what she won or lost was based on her and her alone. So, I learned to let go. I stopped feeling nauseous and losing sleep the night before competitions. I learned to look beyond today's competition.

And she learned how to win. How to be gracious when you do well and someone you know didn't. How to be encouraging. How to be humble.

And she learned how to lose. She learned how to see a disappointing score, and smile at the winner, and congratulate her. How not to blame the judge or the musician or the competitors or me. How to resolve to do it better next time.

She learned how to be friends with the National Champion because she's a nice kid and fun to hang out with, and how to never resent her for her crown. And how to be friends with all of the nice kids who never qualify for the big competitions, but they dance because they love it.

We used role play. Literally. I saw some very upset children at these things, and I didn't want that to be her. That doesn't mean we didn't get upset. We just didn't do it in ballrooms with hundreds of people. That's what the ride home is for. That's why God invented ice cream.

All of these lessons prepared her for middle school basketball. After having one team per grade for a few years, an influx of new students increased enrollment, thus necessitating the Dreaded A and B team. Of course, as her mother, I always thought she was good enough for the A team and those coaches are blind. But she didn't make the A team. And she was okay.

She ended up being the star of the B team. She played nearly every minute of every game. Sure, they lost them all, but she played, because she wanted to. She wanted to play basketball and she didn't care if all of her friends were on the A team, or if they never won a game. Well...that was disappointing. But what really bothered her was when her teammates wouldn't show up on time. Or at all. She was a Team Player. I was never more proud of her. Not even when she qualified for the World Championships of Irish Dance. Twice.

I've learned a lot too. I've learned that the B team is usually the best place to be. Superstars and Ball Hogs always make the A team. I've seen lots of talented players spend a game or a season on the bench with little to no playing time because they are the worst of the best. I think kids learn more on the B team when the pressure to win the Championship has been lifted. And sometimes they have more fun.

So, now I am applying all of these life lessons to play auditions.

Last year, my son got a decent part in the Fall Play. He loved it and he did really well. The director announced at the cast party that the Spring Musical would be the Hobbit. Immediately, Peter told the director that he wanted the lead. He wanted to play Bilbo. Did I mention that this was a musical? That my son had never sung publicly before? That he has never had voice lessons or even choir practice?

I tried to prepare him. I told him that it was highly unlikely that a Freshman would get the lead. I told him to prepare himself to receive a small part. Of course, as his mother, I thought he'd be great as the lead.

The day after auditions, he rubbed all of that in my face. He was cast as Bilbo. He accused me of not believing that he was good enough. That was never the case. I just wanted to prepare, to cushion the blow, to force him to entertain the thought that he might not get what he wanted. Because no one did that for me when I ran for Student Council. And it should not have been that big a deal.

So he sang and danced on stage. I was so proud! I sat in the second row, hugely pregnant, on the aisle, so as to have easy access to the nearest ladies' room, which is never near enough, at an all boys' school.

For his big solo, he came and stood in the aisle and looked at me and sang, "I Want To Go Home." I beamed. My sister-in-law says there wasn't a dry eye in the place.

I love that song. It's about when the journey has gone on long enough, Bilbo realizes he'd rather be where his greatest treasure is, home. I was so proud.

"Why did I come so far away? There's just one place I want to stay. I tried Adventure now I'll say I want to go home...Your life depends on what you're looking for and my quest ends inside my own front door. Some love to journey forth for gold. I guess I'm not that brave and bold...so I want to go home."

No, that's not him singing.

Then Susan, former Amazing Irish Dancer, had play auditions. She's a freshman. Her brother got the lead in his musical when he was a freshman. See where this could go? See the dark clouds of disappointment looming ahead?

Never fear! Well-adjusted, big-hearted Susan practiced her song, she auditioned for song and dance. She was cast as a Napkin in the upcoming performance of Beauty and the Beast and SHE WAS THRILLED! I am so proud of her.

And this week, Lucy is auditioning for a part in a musical produced by our local Catholic children's theater group. This group is the real deal, run by lots of professional theater and music people, really wonderful Catholic parents.

I'm so nervous. They won't cast everyone. She's never sung in public before. Of course, as her mother, I think she's amazing and should be given a fabulous role.

So we've discussed best and worst case scenarios. We've reviewed the facts, that there will be cuts, that she might not be cast, that there are some very talented kids auditioning. She's picked her song. I've helped download a karaoke version onto her ipod. I've encouraged her to practice, given her positive feedback. I've reminded her to smile, to sing loudly, to act out her song. I've filled out the forms and written the check and I'll get her there in plenty of time.

But at the end of the day, I can't sing it for her. I can only be there for her.
I will be so proud.

What's the deal with pre-cooked bacon? and other FAQs

2012-01-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

The pre-cooked bacon thing became a joke with some friends of ours. We discovered the big bag of pre-cooked Kirkland bacon tastes great and is cheaper than real bacon. My husband figured out the weight of raw bacon and the cost per ounce and the number of slices in a pound and did some math magic and worked out that the pre-cooked kind is a time and money saver. I think that the price has gone up, so it's not as great a deal as it used to be. It's not going to be an integral part of my blog.

When I was expecting No. 5, my husband nuked some pre-cooked bacon and made me 2 fluffly (but not wet) organic scrambled eggs practically every day. This is why I love him. He didn't always have time for breakfast but practically every day I would wake up to my plate of bacon and eggs. Except Friday. Which was a let down. Bacon and eggs could be why Baby J is so fabulous, and why I had to buy all new jeans.

After giving this post a preview read, The Chef has requested that I inform my readers that the Bacon and Egg breakfast took less than 2 minutes, start to finish. And he pre-heated my plate.

Some article floating around Facebook at the time confirmed my bacon and egg habit, touting that bacon and eggs make unborn babies smarter. No. 5 could end up being the smartest one of all. Also, in previous pregnancies, I had trouble with pre-term labor and other complications. But after taking a Bradley childbirth class and learning about the Brewer diet, I have since been super-conscious of my protein intake during pregnancy, and have not experienced pre-term labor since.

I also use the pre-cooked bacon in soups, stews, pasta, salad, sandwiches, and lots of recipes have cooked bacon in the ingredients list. But do not be mistaken and think that pre-cooked is the only kind of bacon we use. My husband (and I need to come up with a good moniker for him.) accused me of LYING ON MY BLOG after he read my last post. He misinterpreted the part where I said, "They have the BEST pre-cooked bacon and I never buy any other kind." He was outraged that I WOULD LIE ON MY BLOG because we have two other kinds of regular-make-you-smell-like-bacon-at-Mass bacon in the fridge right now.

That's quite enough about bacon.

Where did you get "Housewifespice?" It's a name my brother-in-law, the rock star came up with a long time ago, when email was invented. Ok, so maybe email had been around for awhile, but it was new to me and I was trying to think up a good anonymous email address that expressed something of myself. We were talking about the Spice Girls (Scary, Sporty, Posh, Baby and Ginger) and he said, "You're like Housewife Spice." I loved it and have loved it ever since.

Moms are Rock Stars. I think of all of my mom friends as rock stars, rockin' through each day, taking what comes and making something awesome out of it.

My mom, mother of twelve, once told me, "It is our apostolate to make the vocation of Mother look good to the secular world."

She also told me that if I don't wear eyeliner every day I look tired. I try to live out these two commandments. She's right. That's what blows people away in the grocery store, when my clean clothes match and don't have food on them, my hair is not in a pony tail under a baseball cap and I'm rocking the eyeliner. "Oh, is she your first?" "No, she's my fifth." jaw drop. "I have two in high school, two in grade school, and her." stun complete. Another victory for Catholic families. Who am I kidding? What really stuns them is this:

What are you going to call your husband? Husbandspice. P-Dawg. Big D. P-Daddy. Joe Camel. The Chef. Lucius after Lucius Malfoy, whose family my blond family was recently compared to. Any other ideas?

I'm not sure I see the Malfoy connection.

So, in the last week, I've learned how to embed a youtube video and how to ~~strikethrough~~ a word. Plans for the future include a better look than the "free with blogger" templates I have always used, and finding out how to allow people to comment who aren't on Blogger. If you tried to comment on my giveaway post and couldn't just email me. My contact info is in my profile. On the sidebar, just click on "View my complete profile."

I will be doing the drawing for the giveaway tomorrow at 2pm. I will write down all of your names on little pieces of paper, fold them into tiny wads, put them in a mixing bowl, and let my favorite child of the moment choose one. Right now, you have a 1 in 10 chance of winning!

How to Save Money and Be More Generous

2012-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I went to my local Junior Women's Club to hear a talk called Coupons 101. The speaker was blogger, author, mother and former librarian, Mashup Mom, Rachel Singer Gordon. That talk changed the way I shop. I was never a couponer, had never seen an episode of Extreme Couponing, but the information and more importantly the organizational advice I gained that evening have saved me a fair amount of money. And what may be the greatest takeaway from that talk is that I think I have become a more generous person.

I'm fairly certain coupon blogs, like Mashup Mom exist all over the country. I know there are blogs for specific stores including Wal Mart, Target, and Walgreens. I consider myself fortunate to find a dedicated coupon blogger who lives in my area. In fact, once I ran into her at my local grocery store and acted like a total star-struck ~~fool~~ fan. "Oh my gosh! You're Mashup Mom!" She played it pretty cool, forced her terrified child to say "Hi!" to me, and immediately left the building. Later, Lucy asked me if I asked her to autograph my grocery list.

Some of the things I've learned from couponing the past year:

1. Write my own list first. If I don't need something, and it's something we will never use, I don't need it. For instance, there's some deal out there on Kikkoman Panko crumbs. I never use 'em. I have a bag of panko from Trader Joe's that's never been open. I don't need free panko.

2. Stockpile, with moderation. When I first started doing this, I was horrified by the people who buy a year's supply of salad dressing at once, or the guy on tv who has a room with 1,000 tubes of toothpaste that he got for free. I still am disturbed by these people. But if granola bars are on sale and I have manufacturer's coupons and store coupons, and I'm going to be on vacation on a beach with 17 cousins for a week, I will buy all I can. Then, I get to be the cool aunt on the beach who's giving away granola bars. See the generosity thing popping out? If I can get a truckload of Capri-Sun for a steal, I can sign up for all the class parties, and bring snacks to soccer or baseball games without have to stop at the gas station on the way. (We do not eat granola bars or drink Capri-Sun on a daily basis. I'm not that cool. Ask my kids.)

3. My own personal method:
Check the sale ads.
Pick the store that matches my needs best.
Write my list on an envelope.
Check the web for store deals. This includes checking Mashup Mom, the store site, loading deals onto Preferred card or Fresh Values card.
Check coupontom.com to see what coupons are available. (I use both newspaper coupons and coupons I print myself.)
Put the coupons in the envelope.
Lastly, the part I screw up on the most: PUT THE ENVELOPE IN THE PURSE.

My old method was go to Costco. Go up and down all the aisles and buy everything that looks or tastes good. Spend scads of money and time at Costco. Don't get me wrong, I still shop at Costco. They have the BEST pre-cooked bacon and I never buy any other kind.

I use Costco for paper products. The Kirkland brand tp and paper towels are some of the top reviewed products in their class and they have the best price points, even with coupons and sales at Target or grocery stores. I did get a free roll of Marcal once. Never buying Marcal again. meat, some produce, bread, and organic eggs. And tires. And men's undershirts. I'll stop now.

I also shop with their coupons. Right now, they have the best deal on disposable contacts. In November, they had a coupon for Starbucks hot chocolate. I'm not a Starbucks fan, but I try to slave-free chocolate when I can. Plus when you have your own backyard rink, you go through a lot of hot chocolate.

4. The Organization of the Coupons
Mashup Mom offers 2 methods, but the one I use is file based. When the Sunday paper comes, I take out the coupon sections: Red Plum, Smartsource, what have you, and write the date with a Sharpie on the front page. This past Sunday was "1/1." Then all the coupons inserts from January go in a file marked, you guessed it, January. I use my children to help locate and clip coupons when I need a lot. Some weeks may have lots of awesome coupons, so I'll run up to the Dollar Store and buy extras. I also know a few paper subscribers who don't coupon, and they save their inserts for me.

I save the January file for about 6 months, then empty it. I have lost a few coupons this way, but for the most part, everything expires in a month or two.

5. Last note on generosity, when my kids needed food for the Thanksgiving food drive, rather than go buy the obligatory can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew, I went to my stockpile and loaded those bags. This year when Peter's high school had at least 4 different charity drives in December, I was able to send him with all of my accumulated trial size and travel size toiletries for the shelters, the victims in Haiti, and the Women's Center. Plus, I used up a lot of free toothpaste too. This year, I'll be more vigilant in looking for toiletry deals on products we may not use, because I know I can give them to others.

It's not to late to comment on my previous post to be entered in the giveaway. In addition to the travel size Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash, I am adding a travel size bottle of the Happy Mama Hand Wash. The Angel Baby smells like oranges and vanilla, the Happy Mama smells like lime and ginger. The Earth Mama Angel Baby company sent me the wrong products, but told me I could keep them, so I am passing them on to one lucky reader!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T17:25:00.000-08:00

Included in this post: a giveaway, an announcement, and more!!!

Quick update on my last post. Isabel asked about what Susan is reading, so I am copying my response here:

Thanks for the suggestion, Isabel. (She recommended The Grunt Padre for Peter to read.) Susan is starting The Outcasts from John Flanagan's new Brotherband series and is second in line for The Warlock by Michael Scott, which I am reading. This series (The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel) has gotten way out of control with new characters, realms, battles, doublecrossing, I don't even know who is good and who is bad anymore. It's decent kids' fantasy but I'm no longer a fan.

I began The Outcasts and stopped. I was daunted by the glossary of sailing terms that comes as an intro. Post Christmas, I tired of the Whirly Words app on my iPhone, tried The Outcasts again and really enjoyed it.

The plot is very similar to the first Rangers' Apprentice book, The Ruins of Gorlan. Hal, like Will, is a disadvantaged boy about to begin Brotherband training in Skandia, the setting of this book. Hal's Skandian father died a hero, and his Araluen mother is a former slave, so he doesn't quite fit in with the Skandian boys his age.

Brotherband training is when all the boys turning 16 in within a single year are divided into teams and taught necessary skills like weapons mastery and ship navigation. Sounds a lot like the apprenticeship program in Ranger's Apprentice.

I enjoyed it. I skipped the glossary of terms and never referred to it. I don't think I missed out on anything either. Young readers can always refer to it if needed.

That's about it on books. But here are some other things I recommend this winter:

A must have in Chicago this time of year. I was checking out at the Sephora inside Penney's, and it just so happened that "my lips hurt real bad."

I quickly grabbed this lip treatment and added it to my purchases. The $22.50 price tag gave me pause, but my lips "hurt REAL bad." I love it. I may be addicted to it. The flavor is delicious and the light tint of color makes me feel less pasty this time of year. (I did not know it would give me a "sexy, just-bitten" look as noted in the Fresh website description.)

Silk, sock liners from Lands' End. They aren't scratchy like wool, and they are thin enough that they don't make my shoes too tight when worn under regular shoes. And for those who live in warmer climes, my sil in Ft. Worth wears them as regular socks under her cowgirl boots.

And lastly, this foaming soap is keeping us from having cracked hands. I've used the Earth Mama Angel Baby products before and I love everything I've bought from them. The Angel Baby Bottom Balm has myrrh in it. Have you ever smelled myrrh? It smells spicy, kind of piney, reminds me of chrism. Do you think Mary used it as bottom balm for baby Jesus? It works really well. Also, I use the Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash and the Angel Baby Oil to make my own organic baby wipes.

Anyway, Fresh, Lands' End, and Earth Mama Angel Baby have never heard of me. But I am giving away a travel size bottle of the Angel Baby Shampoo and Body Wash and a pair of Lands' End Womens' Medium sock liners in Ecru. All you have to do is comment on this post, and for a second entry, you can "like" my post on Facebook and comment here again to let me know. The winner will be picked on Sunday, January 8th, the Feast of the Epiphany.

Lastly, this blog is undergoing a transformation. You may have noticed that you were re-directed to my new site at www.housewifespice.com where I will continue to blog about books, but lots of other things as well: movies, recipes, tv shows, daily life, science fair experiments (planned and unplanned), and so on. I'm still a Catholic mom who is crazy about books, but I'm crazy about other things too that I'd like to share with you.

What We're Reading Now

2011-12-20T06:24:00.001-08:00

After wracking my brain to come up with cute pseudonyms for my people, C. S. Lewis came through. Henceforth, I will be referring to Mr. 15 as Peter, Ms. 14 as Susan, Ms. 12 as Lucy (yes, I know Lucy was the youngest), Mr. 8 soon to be 9 as Edmund. Baby J will remain Baby J until she is old enough to assume Jill's role.

This past weekend, I went to Barnes & Noble with one of those coupons that might be 50% off, but is probably 15% off and you don't know until you check out. I went with one goal in mind. The time had come for me to purchase the complete Chronicles of Narnia on audio. I was prepared to spend up to $100 on this goal. The pathetic collection of audio books for children, the crowds, the table advertising "Series Teens Should Read" that included the Pretty Little Liars books(gag. drugs, drinking and driving, affairs with teachers. That's three illegal things. That's all I have to say.); I finally discovered that the only Narnia audio book in the store is The Magician's Nephew. I'm a purist and I believe that Clive, or Jack as he preferred to be called, meant The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to be read first. So we went to the library.

And Miss Amy's collection came through. We started listening yesterday on a half hour drive to the dentist. Yes, I know it's the fourth week of Advent. Yes, I have ten thousand better things to do than haul my people to Oak Park to get cleanings and fillings. Hangs head in shame. BUT the time has come to get braces for my teens and they have to have cleanings and fillings first.

Back to books, on the way home, after 90 minutes of dental doldrums, Edmund asked if we could listen to that story some more. :)

Peter is off school all week, and since I keep hiding his technology (I learned from the best, my mom.), he has begun From Slave to Priest: A Biography of the Reverend Augustine Tolson, First Black American Priest of the United States by Sr. Caroline Hemsath.
Like most boys and men, Peter enjoys non-fiction more than I do. My husband read this and enjoyed it as well.

Susan, as far as I know, is currently bookless. I am forcing her to read the Anne of Green Gables series. She reads one of those, then she reads a book of her choosing, then she reads the next Lucy Maud Montgomery, then another of her choosing, and so on. I am doing this, because she is in a deep sci-fi, dystopian rut. I want her to eat some romance with her steampunk. I'm mean that way. She's in the midst of finals right now, and doesn't have time to read anything.

Lucy is working her way through The Goose Girl books, which are officially known as The Books of Bayern. She is currently on Enna Burning. We are huge Shannon Hale fans. I recently read on her Facebook page that she is working on a sequel to The Princess Academy, and that her novel for grown-ups, Austenland, is being produced as a movie, right now.

Edmund, in addition to the audio book, is also on a "one for me, one for you" plan. His addiction is Franny K. Stein books. He is a unique reader in that he reads extremely s l o w l y. In order for him to pass his mandatory three Reading Counts quizzes each quarter, at his grade level, I have to find shorter books with lots of pictures, but with a high reading level. Franny K. Stein books, Lunch Walks Among Us, Attack of the 50 Ft. Cupid, and so on by Jim Benton fit the bill. They are ok. Ugly pictures, simple plots, HUGE vocabulary words. Franny is a mad-scientist girl in a normal world, sort of the opposite of the Munsters, and their normal niece. She tries to change to fit in, but learns to be herself to save the school from mutant lunches, etc.

Now, the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel also fit the bill. Beautiful. Classic. I love these books dearly. However, there is a certain stigma to reading "baby" books in third grade. Plus, he's taken those quizzes already. So on the "one for me" turns, he can choose from Ready, Freddy! by Abby Klein, Arthur Chapter Books by Marc Brown, or A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy.

And what am I reading? My to-do list! Ha!
I recently finished Black Radishes by Susan Lynn Meyer and loved, loved, loved it! I adore WWII books. It's taken me over thirty years to realize it. My dad loves Civil War books, but me, I am amazed by the period in world history when the forces of darkness were so powerful, and there seemed to be very little hope or light, but the light gathered and strengthened and won! I don't know if it's because I know people who were there, or because those decades were epic in every sense of the word. I've read dozens of novels set in these times, in many different places, and from all points of view, and I feel I've only scratched the surface of what it must have been like.
Black Radishes is about a Jewish family in France. It is the story of their flight from Paris into Vichy France or Free France just before the Occupation, and their adventure retrieving some loved ones from the Occupied zone. I didn't know much about the French occupation or the Maginot Line, but now I know a little bit more. This book is great for elementary school children on up. This book also made me want to re-read one of my all time favorite books, Came a Cavalier by Frances Parkinson Keyes . I highly recommend this one for teens and moms. You know, to read in your "spare" time.

Merry Christmas!

The Lady of Guadalupe and Stories to Learn By

2011-12-12T06:45:00.000-08:00

The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola is another title in my Christmas collection. Perfect for today's feast, the story is accurate and the pictures give a feel for the Aztec life that Juan Diego lived five centuries ago. Tomie dePaola has lots of Catholic picture books, including the Holy Twins: Benedict and Scholastica, Mary: the Mother of Jesus, Christopher: the Holy Giant, and Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland.

We have a few other picture books biographies of saints. I guess that's somewhat of an understatement, because we own the entire Fr. Lovasik collection.

I find the one page biographies "text heavy" and too wordy for children. I do love the romantic portraits though.

My kids would much rather sit and listen to a Tomie dePaola book (though long for one sitting, I admit) or listen to this gem that my mother gave my son a few years ago.One last book for today. I finally completed my two year online search for the original 1971 edition of Stories to Learn By John Koenig published by the Daughters of St. Paul. I grew up with the 1971 edition, reprinted in 1978 and my local Catholic bookstore carries the newer 1996 version. Why did they change the illustrations? And the names? No more Jack and Jinny, but now there are Kyle and Brittany. Let me show you.

The 1996 cover:And here is the 1971 cover:I apologize for the dark pictures I took with my phone. Photography is on my list of Skills to Acquire. Here are some examples of the beautiful illustrations of the original.

The top one, the Christmas pictures, is from one of my favorite stories in the book. "Christmas Looking" is about a boy, Johnny, his sister, his mother, and the day they spend "Christmas looking" in a fabulous department store. Johnny's mother explains to them before they leave that they cannot buy anything. They are poor. But the whole day, Johnny thanks God for his eyes to see, his legs to climb the stairs, etc. And while checking out the Nativity scenes at the store, Johnny realizes that the Holy Family was poor too.

The stories in the new edition are the same, with different pictures and character names. We read our 1996 copy until it fell apart, but I am so happy to have the original back again!

To be completely honest, some of the stories in the original have pretty bizarre artwork, so I can see why Daughters of St. Paul wanted to change it up.
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

Stories for the Season and a Shopping Suggestion

2011-12-07T09:54:00.001-08:00

In the dark and cobwebby recesses of my basement is a stack of red and green Christmas tubs, one of which is labeled "Books." These books come out during Advent and disappear in January. The titles are both secular and religious, and some have nothing to do with Christmas at all, they just feel Christmasy to me. This list will increase each year, and I'm including our 2011 additions (even though we haven't gotten them yet, shh!). I've starred my favorites.

The Classics:
Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies
*Christmas Stories by Charles Dickens, includes A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, and The Cricket on the Hearth
*The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, There are several editions of this by different illustrators. Ours happens to be illustrated by Bruce Whatley. He lends a cowboy flair to the story. "As dry leaves that before the hurricane fly," my favorite line.

The Obscure and Largely out of print:
Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico by Marie Hall Ets and Aurora Labastida
Tasha Tudor's Advent Calendar
Take Joy! by Tasha Tudor
Christmas Carols, a Little Golden Book arranged by Marjorie Wyckhoff, pictures by one of my favorite illustrators (right up there with Tasha Tudor) Corinne Malvern
Frosty the Snowman, a Little Golden Book retold by Annie North Bedford, pictures by Corinne Malvern

The Religious:
A Gift from St. Francis: the First Creche by Joanna Cole
The Gift by Jan Haley
Saint Nicholas: The Story of the real Santa Claus retold by Mary Joslin
The Real Santa Claus by Marianna Mayer
A Special Place for Santa by Jeanne Pieper
Celebrating Christmas by Rev. Jude Winkler
The Story of the Nativity by Elizabeth Winthrop

The Rest:
*The Gingerbread Man retold by Jim Aylesworth. Jim Aylesworth was a teacher in Oak Park, Illinois, where my husband went to grade school. Mr. Aylesworth had a loft for storytime in his classroom. It's always been my husband's sorrow that he was in the other class. Mr. Aylesworth tells great tales, wonderful for reading out loud and his illustrator, Barbara McClintock is fabulous too. You can't go wrong with anything by Jim Aylesworth.
Dick and Jane: A Christmas Story, illustrated by Larry Ruppert
*Miracle on 10th Street and other Christmas writings by Madeleine L'Engle
*The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden
*The Dean's Watch by Elizabeth Goudge. This book may be found in the adult fiction section of your library. Nothing inappropriate for kids', but written for grown-ups.

New this year:
That's Not My Donkey by Fiona Watt, a touchy feely board book for the baby in the house.
The Usborne Advent Nativity Book retold by Felicity Brooks. Makes a stand alone Nativity set out of cardboard puzzle pieces.
Advent Calendar to Color by Stella Baggott. St. Nicholas brought this one, and the eight year old loves it!

And one more thing, Dover is a great place to find coloring books, how to books, sticker books, temporary tattoo books, and my favorite, paper doll books. The prices are good and the quality is amazing. This year, my people will be getting the Pride and Prejudice Paper Dolls, What to Doodle? Fantastic Fantasy, Little Women Paper Dolls, Samurai Warriors Coloring Book, Figure Skating Coloring Book, Greek Gods and Goddesses Coloring Book, and Fashions of the First Ladies Coloring Book. By the way, Dover and Usborne Books have never heard of me, and this shout out does not win me any free books or anything. Though I wouldn't mind sponsors, then I could do giveaways!

Audio Books and Craft Books

2011-11-30T07:18:00.001-08:00

Regarding Audio Books-

What would a road trip be without them? How would I have convinced all of my children to stick with Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising in the most appropriate month of December? Now, we all point out when the rooks are gathering. How would they have learned about eye-crosserosis from Hank the Cowdog? How would we have learned how to pronounce "Hermione"?

When it comes to audio books, I have three words to say: Full Cast Audio.
These are the books read by a cast of talented actors. Each character has it's own voice. These are a cut above the rest. That's not to say that there aren't fabulous recordings of single reader audio books, too.

Some of my favorite audio books are:
The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop, read by the author and a full cast
The Battle for the Castle, the sequel, also by Elizabeth Winthrop, read by the author and a full cast
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, read by James Avery
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper, read by Alex Jennings
Half Magic by Edward Eager, read by a full cast
Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, read by the author (hilarious!)
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit, not sure who it's read by, but click on the link for a free audio book
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, also by E. Nesbit, also available for free
Little House in the Big Woods as well as the rest of the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
All Creatures Great and Small and everything else by James Herriot ever wrote, read by Christopher Timothy (who played Herriot in the television series)

Plus, here is a list from my dear friend, Miss Amy, who works at my local public library, purchases the audiobook collection, and enjoys audiobooks with her lovely family too.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Tale of Desperaux by Kate diCamillo
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell, read by a full cast
Half Magic (again)
Shiloh by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds
Season of Gifts (warning: may contain Santa spoilers) by Richard Peck
Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
Stuart Little by E.B. White
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

And now for a word about Craft Books.

We don't own many. The titles we own were purchased because we were borrowing the library's copies ALL THE TIME. We needed our own copies, plus they make excellent gifts.

Cartoon Cute Animals: How to Draw the Most Irresistable Creatures on the Planet by Christopher Hart
Pair this book with a sketchpad and some nice pencils or markers. My 12 year old daughter and 8 year old son are still using it one year later.

Draw the Marvel Comics Superheroes from Klutz
More advanced skill is required for this book than the Christopher Hart book above. Hmmm...I wonder if Christoper Hart has other How to Draw books....
In general, I love all of the Klutz books.

Tiny Treats by Julia A. Monroe
Cooking on a teensy scale. Adorable!

The Kid's Cookbook by Abigail J. Dodge
We've owned it for years. Honestly, they have the best birthday cake recipe on the planet.

Kids Knit!: Simple Steps to Nifty Projects by Sarah Bradberry
This book taught me how to knit, an obsession which continues to this day, which is why I couldn't help my girls with the projects in the next book.

Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful by Narumi Ogawa
My daughters have made the bunny on the cover, as well as some hats and scarves. The patterns are super adorable, though it helps if you have an experienced crochet master in the house, which we don't. Thank God for grandmas.

Loom Knitting Primer: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting on a Loom by Isela Phelps
Last year, for his 8th birthday, my son got one of these looms and some thick red yarn. He spent several winter days working on a baby blanket for his yet unborn baby sister. Knitting with a loom is like working with tools. Manly. Also, my daughter got a hat and scarf for Christmas that her friend had made her on a loom like these.

My motto for this year's Christmas shopping is less technology, more books, music, sports equipment. Every one of my children (except the baby) has a sketchbook and sketch pencils. They love them dearly. The ligers, the lettering, the anime, and the battle scenes they draw are done during the blissful silence of unplugged moments. Sketchbooks work in the car, and never need to be charged! If you're going to get sketchbooks for your kids, get them the bound book-like kind, not the notebook kind. Make them feel like real artists, which they are.

Have a blessed Advent!

In Honor of the Veterans

2011-11-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some my favorite novels for children about the conflicts in which my relatives have fought for freedom.

The Revolutionary War:
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

The Civil War:
The River Between Us by Richard Peck for High School and up
Charley Skedaddle by Patricia Beatty
Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith

World War I:
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Yes, this is the book that the stage production and the Steven Spielberg movie are based on. The movie is released on December 25, 2011. I loved this book and have been passing it around to my children and godchildren. Told in first person from the point of view of the horse, remember Black Beauty? Everything I read by this author ends up recommended on this site.
Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery

World War II:
Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo

Four other books about World War II

Vietnam:
Letters from Wolfie by Patti Sherlock

Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roarke Dowell

Afghanistan:
Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy
Trent Reedy is an English teacher from Iowa, who served in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army. His first-hand account of an Afghan girl with a cleft palate is both moving and at times difficult to read. I had the privilege of hearing Trent speak at the Anderson's Bookshop Annual Children's Literary Breakfast.

Extra Credit by Andrew Clement

Unfortunately, I have not read any books about Iraq, where my son's godfather, Lt. Col. Paul White, M.D. served with the U.S. Army.

To my great-grandfather, John O'Brien (WWI), my grandfather, Frank R. O'Brien Sr. (WWII), to Paul and to my cousin, Edward Russo, who served in Afghanistan, thank you.

Random Roundup: Pop-ups and Poems

2011-10-13T05:42:00.000-07:00

My eight year old son is home from school today: low grade fever, tummy ache. He feels too bad to go to school, but not too bad to eat like a horse and play in the backyard and talk incessantly. He had to show me all of his favorite pop-ups in this amazing book, Star Wars: A Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy. I've gifted this book many times, but only to children who are old enough to respect the pop-up genre. You know, "Flip. Look. But don't mess with it." This is probably the coolest book we own. Big O's favorite page is the one where Luke battles Darth, and their lightsabers LIGHT UP! I like the one where Leia takes her hood off. Poetry in motion.

Speaking of poetry, our resident seventh grader has to memorize a poem for her drama club. I did not have to go to the library for this, because once upon a time, I read a really good article about poetry for children and bought every book on the recommended reading list. Turns out, I would only recommend three of their choices. Lil' C loves her fancy, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. (But has she actually read any of it? I suspect not.) My favorite is Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening illustrated by Susan Jeffers. I keep it with our other Christmas books. It will appear during Advent, linger through the winter, and disappear around spring. Keeps it fresh and new every year.

But we found her poem in Poetry Speaks to Children, complete with audio recordings. Did you ever wonder what it's like to hear Langston Hughes recite one of his own poems? Or Roald Dahl? Or Robert Frost? Maybe it's just the English major in me, but I get worked up every time I hear the scratchy old recording of James Berry reciting his "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay." And it gets even better, because before he reads the poem, he talks about the letter he got from a girl who was teased about her skin color. It can be very moving. And good to listen to in the car. But please, don't try to listen to the whole book in one sitting. That will kill anybody's love of poetry.

Which poem did she choose? "About the Teeth of Sharks" by John Ciardi.

A Little Paranormal for October

2011-09-26T17:58:00.000-07:00

A couple PG ghost stories that are both well written and kid-friendly are Mary Downing Hahn's The Old Willis Place and Richard Peck's The Ghost Belonged to Me. My 2007 review of The Old Willis Place can be found here.

As for me and mine, we will be watching some scary (not horror) movies such as M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, and Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn. Well, at least the twelve and older crowd anyway.

What are you reading and watching to get your spook on?

More Books for Middle Schoolers and Up

2011-08-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank the Young Critic for her insightful comment which I am re-posting here:

Hi I am in 8th grade and find that most of the books my mother suggests are boring. So I have come up with a list of books that are not all about sex and despair and they are deemed appropriate for 7th and 8th graders. Enjoy!
1. Beastly- by Alex Finn: a classic romance novel about Beauty and the Beast retold in a modern teenage setting. There are mild curse words.
2. The Lost Hero- by Rick Riordan: Sorta of a sequel to The Lighting Thief but with different characters.
3. Rules-by Cynthia Lord: I enjoyed this book very much. It is about a young girl dealing with a brother who has a disability. You see the characters grow in this story.
4. Matched-by Ally Condle: This book was ok. Similar to the Hunger Games but without all the deaths. It had a good story but it was a little hard to follow.
5. Small Steps- by Louis Sachar: I loved this book. A sequel to Holes though you don't have to read it to understand this book. A story about a boy putting his life together and finding people in his life that truly matter.
6. A Drowned Maiden's Hair-by Laura Schlitz: This is my favorite book besides Harry Potter. It is age appropriate for younger children as well.
7. Wish-by Alexandra Bullen: This book is very fun to read. A girl gets three dresses (three wishes) and finds some surprises along the way. I wouldn't recommend it for 6th and 7th because it has the brief mentioning of gays, drinking, and some slight cursing.

I appreciate the Young Critic's comments regarding #7, and secondly, I'd like to add a few more titles as well.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Drannen: A beautiful story about what I see in my own life as the "real" people and the "plastic" people. I cried. My daughters, 12 and 13 cried. Can't recommend this book enough and the movie was pretty good too.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore: Captivating "alien in human form hiding on earth being hunted by bad aliens" story. Similar to The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Slight cursing here as well.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Probably deserves its own post.

I have trouble with the violence. My husband notes that I, personally, have trouble with violence in movies and books. But with the Hunger Games, the mercy killing in the end of the Hunger Games is truly disturbing. When Cato is being eaten alive by mutant dogs, is it ok for Catniss to kill him with her bow and arrow? When my teens read this, we had some great discussions on intent. Was it Catniss's intention to kill Cato or was she trying to render him unconscious to spare his suffering? (I think she was guilty of the first.) Why is one wrong and the other right? The Literate Mother provides a detailed analysis of the violence in this book, which seems more disturbing listed than it did as occurring actions within the story, but I digress. In the third book of the trilogy, we see the main characters use violence more and more, to the point where our hero, Catniss, shoots a curious and innocent bystander with reaction, not thinking. These books are definitely for mature readers, high school and up.

Aurelia by Anne Osterlund: Good story of a princess who wants to be an advocate for the people but someone is trying to kill her. In the sequel Exile, she has escaped with the one person she can trust, who happens to be a guy. They are on the run for several weeks together, and though they have feelings for each other, they manage to maintain control of themselves. Barely. Enough steam in the sequel to make me reserve this one for mature readers as well.

Matched by Ally Condie: My teens and I really enjoyed this one. Romance in a dystopian society. Scary without gore, romantic without lust. Cassia is a likable heroine who discovers that that her Society is the opposite of freedom.

Lastly, please, read the books your kids read. I think this becomes more important, the older your children are. At least read parts of the books they are reading, and ask your child what happened later. Discuss motives, actions, characters. Discussions are teaching moments. I impart a lot of teaching in my conversations with children, but I also learn so much about how my children are are maturing, what they like and dislike, how they see the world at this point in their lives, and their understanding of justice, love, romance, war, etc. Share with them what books you enjoyed at their age. Plus, you might just enjoy reading the same kinds of books as your kids.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Read "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo"

2011-07-21T05:44:00.000-07:00

True story:
I saw this book everywhere. The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. It was piled up at Costco, a movie had come out, and it looked like everyone was reading it. So I checked it out, and took it home. My 8th grade daughter saw me reading it one winter's day, and said, "Oh, that's what Kaitlyn is reading. Can I read it when you're done?" I gave her my standard, "We'll see."

I could not finish that book. The horrible, graphic, depictions of sexual violence on women make me feel sick to this day. Like the opening scenes in "Leaving Las Vegas," there are some images that I cannot get out of my head, that terrify me in the dark of sleepless nights. Why our culture embraces tales of depravity, I'll never understand. But letting 13 or 14 year old be exposed to such is criminal.

Adult books are not for kids. Even adults shouldn't be reading most of them.

Now for the boring stuff about finding age appropriate reading material for your children.

Our local library uses the Dewey Decimal System, as do most public libraries. Like it or not, the DDS leaves a lot of ambiguity with the generic "F" for Fiction. In Youth Services, the vague delineations are furthered with "JF" for Juvenile Fiction and "YF" for Young Adult Fiction. The hard-working people who decide whether a book is J or Y, most likely use reading level, and in special cases, content. Juvenile fiction is generally for elementary school children, up to about 6th grade. Young Adult is then for the middle school kids, 7th and 8th grades. Some libraries have a High School section, which includes adult books about teenagers, or content judged inappropriate for children.

There is a lot of crossover between J and Y books, and each library makes it's own calls. You may find the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series in either category, depending on which library you go to. In Juvenile books, you can find all the silly, gross, My Butt from Mars type books. But, (no pun intended) you can also find nearly every children's classic and loads of good stories that will interest readers of any age. In Young Adult, you can find most of the paranormal (Cirque du Freak, Twilight, etc.), romances (from Princess Diaries to Anne of Avonlea), and weightier themes such as crime, death of a loved one, homelessness, etc.

Young Adult books are some of the greatest books I've ever read. And also some of the worst. I believe that writing for this age group is often more demanding than writing for children or adults. I also realize that the popularity machine that catapults books into a frenzied craze begins with young adults. So, when reading YA, I am always cautious, and often amazed with what I find.

Here is a list of several YA books that I read, enjoyed, and consider appropriate for my teen son and daughter.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Schooled by Gordon Korman
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
Peak by Roland Smith
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Leviathan by Scot Westerfeld
Vampire Rising by Jason Henderson
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen
Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Correspondence With My Nearly 11 year old Godson

2011-07-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Jessica,

Congratulations on your new baby! :)

I’ve read all the books you recommended from your last blog post. They were all awesome! I think we have the same taste in books. Do you have any other books you would recommend for me?

Love,
David

Thanks David! I got the package of cute baby outfits and shoes along with your very nice rainbow card. Thank you!

I really like everything that Roland Smith wrote. He wrote Elephant Run, but he’s written lots of other books too: Zach’s Lie, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch, Peak, I.Q. Books One and Two and more. Those are just the ones I’ve read.

I also like Richard Peck. He’s hilarious. He wrote The Teacher's Funeral, Long Way to Chicago, Fair Weather, among others.

And Tim Greene. He’s a former NFL star turned book author. He wrote The Football Genius series, the Baseball Great series and more. Check out his website at www.timgreenbooks.com/kids. I heard him speak at a Childrens’ Literature conference. I also heard Katherine Lasky speak then too. She wrote the Guardians of Ga’hoole series. If you liked Redwall, you might like the Guardians of Ga’hoole.

Savvy by Ingrid Law is really good, and there is a sequel, Scumble.

Andrew Clements has lots of good books, they are shorter and faster to read than most of the ones I’ve recommended here. I recently read Extra Credit.

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry is one of the best books I’ve read this summer. You’ll love it.

Lastly, there is The Magic Thief series by Sarah Prineas. If you liked Harry Potter, you’ll like this series.

I’ve actually put together several booklists for the library where I work. I’ll see if I can send them to you.

Let me know when you’ve tried all these.
Love,
Jessica

If you liked Percy Jackson, you might enjoy...

2010-07-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott
This ongoing series is about the twins of legend, Sophie and Josh, and their adventures trying to save the world from Macchiavelli, Dr. John Dee, and Billy the Kid. To aid them in this quest are St. Joan of Arc, Nicholas Flamel, Sophie Perenelle, and other figures from history and myth. The first title is The Alchemyst, followed by The Magician, The Sorceress, and The Necromancer with more to come! Highly Recommended.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Yes, it's the same formula as The Lightning Thief series but with twins raised apart, a boy and a girl, whose father is a noted Egyptian archaeologist. When their father becomes trapped in an obelisk, the twins step in to find a way to free him. Of course, they encounter many ancient Egyptian gods, shabtis, and magicians, both helpful and nefarious. I, personally, liked The Red Pyramid better than The Lightning Thief. Highly Recommended.

Century Book #1: Ring of Fire by Perdomenico Baccalario
Four children, from all over the world, find themselves in the same hotel on the same night in Rome, Italy, when they discover they have the same birthday, February 29. As Random House says, "Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world." Highly Recommended.

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
I read this book last summer, and really enjoyed the plot twist. Two children are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen. This book was a little gruesome for the younger reader. It's more appropriate for 7th grade and up. Highly Recommended for age 12 and up.

The Seven Keys of Balabad by Paul Haven
Set in modern times, Balabad is a country very similar to Afghanistan +or Iraq. Oliver Finch is a New Yorker, whose journalist father and archaeologist mother are working in Balabad for a year. He has made a total of two friends: Mr. Haji, a carpet salesman in the marketplace and the Zee, a very, wealthy and lonely native boy his own age. When Mr. Haji disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oliver and Zee go on a rescue mission. This one is my favorite of this list! Highly Recommended.

The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Scott Pearson
A group of teens are hired to be "hologram" hosts for Walt Disney World. Something goes wrong, when they begin to find their consciousnesses transported into the Magic Kingdom at night. They band together to fight Maleficent and a crew of Disney villains who want to destroy Mickey and take over Walt Disney World. There are two other titles in this series: Disney at Dawn and Disney in Shadow. I enjoyed these, but I am a Disney fanatic. The writing, plots, characters are not the grade A caliber of the rest of this list, but they are fun. Recommended.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Chosen by Mr. Benedict, four extremely gifted children are sent on a secret mission undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. Other titles in this series are The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma. Excellent mental exercises abound in these books. Highly Recommended.

Enjoy!
And don't forget to check out Borders and Barnes & Noble summer reading programs! Get a free book at each.

October Favorites

2009-10-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here are my picks for October:

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi tell the adventures of the Grace children after they move into a creepy, old, Victorian mansion. They find their ancestor, Arthur Spiderwick's field guide to the unseen fairy world and discover who is behind the mischief in their new home.

Sadly, the Grace family has suffered through divorce and the father is absent. Jared's behavioral problems at school are linked to his anger about the divorce. The novels, however, are mostly concerned with mysterious hobgoblins, pookahs, griffins, and elves. These books are short and easy to read, suitable for 3rd or 4th grade.
Recommended with caution regarding the divorce issue.

The Sisters Grimm is another series about fairies, and also fairytale characters come to life. Read my previous review here.

Into the Woods by Lyn Gardner, is a novel about several fairytale characters: the Pied Piper, Little Red Riding Hood, Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty and others. One adventure leads into another as the heroine strives to rescue and reunite her family. Highly recommended.

Lastly, but most definitely a gem worth owning, is Olivia and the Little Way, by Nancy Carabio Belanger. Belanger makes the message of St. Therese of Lisieux relevant to children today through the plight of Olivia Thomas, recent transplant from Texas to Michigan. Eager to make new friends, Olivia falls in with the popular crowd, excluding some of the kinder people in her class. She learns the error of her ways, but rather than turn her back on the snobby girls, she strives to teach them about the Little Way as well! Olivia is a wonderful character, sinful, yet repentant.
This story is so appropriate for October, October 1st being the feast of St. Therese the Little Flower, and for November, the month to celebrate all saints, or even December, as a gift. But I digress... Truly, this is one of the best saint stories for children that I have ever read. My daughters loved this book, and I even caught my 13 year old son reading it. Highly Recommended!

Discovering Elizabeth Enright

2009-08-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

Finding author Elizabeth Enright's delightful novels for children has been one of the best things about this summer. Written in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Enright's books have been re-printed with her original illustrations. Her stories about Gone-Away Lake, the Melendy Family and Thimble Summer are all lovely tales about children, their mishaps, and their adventures.

Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away chronicle the discovery of a dried up lake community from the past by two young cousins. Portia and Julian befriend the eccentric, elderly couple who still live there, exploring the abandoned Victorian mansions and listening to the exploits of the people who once lived there. Enright received the Newbery Medal for Gone-Away Lake in 1958.

The Saturdays is a charming novel about the four Melendy children and their decision to pool their allowances, thus allowing each of them one Saturday apiece to do something truly thrilling. In The Four-Story Mistake, the Melendy children leave their beloved house in Manhattan for a large home in the country. Then There Were Five is the most dramatic of the four novels. The Melendy children rarely see their father, due to the onset of the war. They meet over-worked orphan, Mark Herron, on a scrap collecting drive, and try to keep Mark safe from his abusive guardian with criminal connections. In Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze, the two youngest Melendys are the only children home during the school year. Anticipating a bleak and boring autumn, Randy (Miranda) and Oliver receive a mysterious letter sending them on a scavenger hunt that lasts until spring.

My personal favorite Elizabeth Enright book is Thimble Summer. Newbery Medal Winner of 1938, Thimble Summer begins with the Linden family struggling through a drought on their Wisconsin farm. Young Garnet finds a silver thimble in a creek-bed and believes it may be a magic thimble when it rains later that night. The rest of Garnet's summer is touched by magic as she escapes being locked in the library all weekend, runs away and returns home unnoticed one busy day, and shows her pig at the county fair.

All of these books are perfect for reading aloud, or listening to in the car. My daughters and I have been enjoying them all summer and I plan to share them with some nieces for birthday gifts. Perfect for ages 9-12 and Highly Recommended.

World War II: Four Novels, Four Perspectives

2009-05-21T06:54:00.001-07:00

I read these books one after the other, by chance. I am always picking out the award winners, and all of these novels are Caudill Award Nominees, or Newbery Honor books. Two happen to be about girls, and two about boys. Each takes place in a different city. Only two of the four are about Jews. One even takes place in the Asian theater. Each of these novels is exceptionally written historical fiction. Together, I think these novels offer a prismatic view of the war that impacted the whole world.

First, Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf is set in Czechoslovakia. Eleven year old Milada's entire town is evacuated by Nazis in the middle of the night. The men are separated from the women, and Milada, along with several other blond, blue-eyed children are separated from everyone else. Milada and the other Aryan children are sent to a German repatriation school where they are forced to learn German, join Nazi youth groups, change their names, and become German citizens. These children are eventually adopted into German military families. Someone Named Eva is chiefly about Milada's struggle to remember her identity while wearing a mask to survive. Highly Recommended. (Violence and some physical child abuse do take place. Not for younger readers.)

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss is a fictionalized re-telling of the author's own childhood. Annie is eight years old when she and her teen-age sister begin their two years of hiding during the Nazi occupation of Holland. This book illustrates how many life and death decisions were made by parents and families during this time. Annie's father wants to move to America, but her mother refuses. They spend some time in a hidden house in the woods. Shortly before they are discovered, they seek sanctuary in the homes of their Christian friends and neighbors, separated from their parents and other sister. When the one villager starts revealing the whereabouts of hidden Jews to the Nazi authorities, Christian families are murdered. It's up to Annie's host to stop the mole. Highly Recommended. (Oh yes, there's violence here too.)

Elephant Run by Roland Smith is a completely different view of the war. Nick Freestone is the son of an American mother and a British father, who runs a teak plantation in Burma. Their marriage ended when Nick was five years old and his mother left Burma for London. Now fourteen years old, Nick returns to Burma, alone, to escape the Blitzkrieg. (Teak is harvested by elephant. The elephants and their mahouts or trainers are major characters throughout the book.) The day after he arrives at the plantation, the Japanese take over. His father and his father's surviving friends are sent to a work camp, while Nick is made a servant of the Japanese officers who now reside in his father's home. The only one who can help Nick now is Hilltop, a Buddhist monk, who is respected by both the Japanese and the Burmese. Highly Recommended. (Violence, Nick is beaten with a cane several times, murders, a lovely, little romance-innocent and harmless, discussion of Buddhist vows, fine for middle school and up.)

The Mozart Question by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Michael Forman is the story of an interview with world-famous violinist, Paolo Levi, and a cub reporter in Venice. The reporter/narrator is given the interview assignment at the last minute, and is instructed not to ask the "Mozart Question." She is never told what that question is however, and so she fumblingly reveals her instructions before asking, "What made you pick up a violin and play that first time?" Paolo tells her his story. Paolo's father was a great barber, but before Paolo was born, his father had been a great violinist. No one will tell Paolo why his father never plays music anymore. At the age of nine, he meets a street musician and with his father's old violin, he secretly begins violin lessons. When the street musician realizes that he knew Paolo's parents, all secrets are revealed. Paolo's parents met while playing in an orchestra in a concentration camp. They played at the entrance to soothe the new arrivals on their way to the "shower rooms." Enough spoilers, this book is highly recommended, and surprisingly non-violent, at least not explicitly. With beautiful watercolor illustrations, this little book is a gem for young readers.

Good books for your summer reading.

2009-04-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell is about a 12 year-old girl, who has been raised "army." Her father is a colonel and her brother has just enlisted. The unique twist in this book is that the super patriotic colonel does not want his son to go to Vietnam.
This thought provoking novel about the Vietnam era manages to avoid political agendas, giving poignant insight into the emotions of the time. Highly Recommended.

The Naked Mole Rat Letters by Mary Amato tells the story of Frankie (Francine) and her efforts to keep her father from having a romantic relationship. Never fear! The father is widowed, not divorced, the family is church-going, and Frankie's maze of lies and deceit catches up with her in the end. Amato tells a fabulous story of familial love and small town closeness. I have to recommend any book that incorporates both naked mole rats and hammer dulcimers. Highly Recommended.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban is the quirky tale of Zoe, would-be concert pianist. Her loving and somewhat agoraphobic father buys her a wheezy electric organ instead. This book has several endearing plot lines, but my personal favorite would be Zoe's discovery of how full your life can be, even without brand name clothing. Highly Recommended.

The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff is...now don't spoil this for your kids...Georgie is a dwarf. His parents are both professional musicians, and the length of his arms prevents him from playing any instruments. When Georgie finds out that he is to be a big (yet little) brother, Georgie struggles with the knowledge that he isn't exactly what his parents were looking for in a child, but learns that he is everything they ever wanted. Highly Recommended.

James Herriot, Troll Bridge by Jane Yolen

2009-01-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I did take a long and lovely break, re-reading James Herriot's wonderful stories of his life as a country vet in Yorkshire during the 1930s. My 12 and 11 year olds received All Creatures Great and Small and All Things Bright and Beautiful for Christmas, and love them just as much as I do.

Today, I spent all day on the couch reading A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale, Troll Bridge, which is apparently the second in a series, but I couldn't tell. Co-authored by award-winner, Jane Yolen and her rockstar son, Adam Stemple, Troll Bridge is fresh and fun, mixing pop culture and Nordic legends. The main characters are fifteen and sixteen years old, but the book is appropriate for any strong reader. I think both genders will enjoy this one. Highly Recommended.

Twilight, New Moon, Breaking Dawn

2008-08-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've read them. I have very mixed feelings about them. Are they appropriate for children? No. Stephenie Meyer writes about seventeen year olds, and thus these books might be intended for seventeen year olds but that doesn't mean that these books are appropriate for young adults. I mean just because Edward and Bella don't do anything but kiss and clutch, they still share the same bed night after night, all the while keeping her father in the dark. Some have told me, "It's completely innocent." How can that be true when Bella herself says she loses control everytime their lips touch?

Let me backtrack...Bella moves to Forks, Washington after living in Phoenix, Arizona most of her life. Her first day at a new school, she notices the beautiful but distant Cullens family. She sits next to Edward Cullens in science and senses that he hates her. She also notices his black irises, (in his eyes, not flowers) and his extremely cold skin. Edward misses the next few days of school. Much of the story is told in the mind of Bella, not much action or dialogue compared to the inner workings of Bella's psyche.

Speeding things up, Bella falls for Edward, who now has topaz irises. She is warned to stay away from him and his family, by Billy Black who is fifteen year old Jacob's grandfather. Jacob tells Bella about his tribe's legends and why the Cullens aren't allowed on LaPush Reservation land. He refers to the Cullens as the "cold ones" and his own tribe as the protectors. Bella clues in and does some internet research on vampires.

She asks Edward about his "family" and learns that the Cullens are "vegetarian" vampires. They have chosen not to feed on human prey, rather they hunt wild game: grizzlies, mountain lions, elk. Vampires are created, not born (by surviving a vampire bite). Carlisle, the patriarch of this group, or "coven" of vampires was created by an attacking vampire in the 1600s. He has never taken a human life, and rather uses his superior senses to heal, working as a physician in the local hospital. The other vampires, Esme, Edward, Jasper, Alice, Emmet, and Rosalie were either created by Carlisle, because they were on the brink of human death, or created by others, led to Forks and willingly joined the Cullen way of life.

Now there are still plenty of other vampires, who murder innocent humans for food, and sometimes they visit the Cullens. But the Cullens respectfully ask them not to "hunt" in their area, so usually they go out of state. Jacob, and other young male members of his tribe, the Quileute tribe, have spontaneously starting changing into werewolves. They phase back and forth between human and wolf form, and strive to hunt vampires. We find out in the 4th book that they aren't actually werewolves but shape-shifters.

So that's the back story. I have not read the third installment, but the first two books are steeped with what Publishers' Weekly calls "sexual tension." I hate to criticize anyone's writing skill, but when Bella asks Edward in New Moon, "Do you want me for my body or my blood?" I actually laughed out loud. As far as an overall theme of good vs. evil, the plot of the book appears to be keep Bella alive, safe from friends, good vampires and bad ones, so that she and Edward can test their willpower while they fool around with each other's lips and bodies. There is some discussion of souls, heaven and hell and whether or not Edward believes he has a soul, which make these books slightly better than paperback horror/romances. Granted, in Breaking Dawn, Bella and Edward do wait until their wedding night, and she does choose to keep her half vampire baby against everyone's advice. However, her reckless moral behavior prevents her from becoming a true heroine. (I did not read the third book, Eclipse, as I do not want to spend my money on these, and the waiting list at the library is very long.)
Not Recommended.

What Teenage Girls Read

2008-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

A very insightful blogpost from the Mirror of Justice site examines the problems with the literature marketed to young women and lists some good alternatives to the paperback novel mire.

Ranger's Apprentice

2008-08-23T10:50:00.001-07:00

Ranger's Apprentice is the first volume in John Flanagan's series about 15 year old orphan Will, and his training to become a member of the elite Ranger Corps. In this book, Will not only must learn how to become an expert tracker and knife thrower, he must also conquer his stubbornness and learn to respect his elders. Highly Recommended.

I have read the first four of eight books and recommend each of them. The third installment, The Icebound Land is a particularly gripping tale of Will's capture by the enemy Skandians, his enslavement, first to the Skandians, then to the drug, warmweed, his recovery from addiction and eventual rescue.

Alabama Moon

2008-08-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Watt Key's first novel, Alabama Moon, is the wonderful story of 10 year old Moon. Moon's father has taught him everything he knows to survive, from making food, shelter and medicine, to changing his trails, and staying downwind. He has also taught him to believe in his conspiracy theories that a war is coming and the government is after them. They have lived in complete obscurity, in an underground shelter in the backwoods of Alabama, as long as Moon can remember.

Things get dicey when the property they live on is sold to an lawyer with an interest in hunting. To make matters worse, Moon's father dies, leaving him, literally, alone in the world. Moon gets caught by the lawyer and turned over to the authorities. Now Moon must learn how to survive in a new world.

No spoilers here. This book is an amazing journey. Even my husband read it! Perfect for boys age 12 and up. (There are some references to alcoholism and instances of physical abuse, but no glorification of such, and all villains get their comeuppance.) Highly recommended.

Kids can earn a free book at Barnes and Noble.

2008-08-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

For the third consecutive year, Barnes and Noble has been giving away select titles to students in grades 1-6. Kids, simply fill out the form with the titles, authors, and favorite parts of eight books you have read this summer, bring it in to your nearest B&N, and pick up the coupon for your free book. This year's giveaway books include Ramona Quimby, age 8, by Beverly Cleary, Half Magic, by Edward Eager, and The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo. So grab those summer reading logs you used at your local library, and head to the bookstore. Hurry! The program ends on September 2nd.

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

2008-08-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

James Patterson's new hit novel calls itself, "Spider-Man meets Men in Black" on the jacket, and the novel lives up to this claim. Seemingly written for the big screen, this fast-paced adventure story is a perfectly fine piece of fiction for summer reading. I like Daniel, the 15 year old human-yet-alien-orphan with superpowers who is hunting down the evil aliens who inhabit Earth and try to destroy us.

Also on the jacket, you will find the following statement:

"In the spirit of the most enduring hit movies and books, James Patterson has written this story for readers from ten to a hundred and ten. Special care has been taken with the language and content of The Dangerous Days of Daniel X."

Hoorah! Of course, now my curiosity is piqued. What is the language and content of James Patterson's other books like?

And now, I solemnly resolve to read Stephenie Meyer's "No.1 bestselling teen vampire Twilight saga."

Gregor Overlander or Tunnels?

2008-07-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

Going underground is a popular frontier for adventure today. Two best selling juvenile novels paint very different landscapes of the world beneath us.

First, Tunnels, "soon to be a major motion picture" according to the back cover, by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams is two and a half novels in one. In Part One The Groundbreaking, Will and his father, Dr. Burrows, share a love of digging and collecting the archaeological remnants they uncover. Dr. Burrows is especially keen on finding old subway tunnels and sewer lines that have been closed off for decades. Will introduces schoolmate Chester to their excavations and soon, he too is avidly digging with Will after school. To make a very long story short, Dr. Burrows disappears. Will figures out that his father had a secret tunnel in the basement of their house which has mysteriously closed up from the inside out! Will and Chester re-dig the tunnel and enter an underground world. Thus begins Part Two The Colony.

Will and Chester are taken by the police to prison. There they are each tortured and interrogated by a race of sinister men known as the "Styx," who are described as "avaricious priests." After several days of this, Will is release to a Mr. Jerome, who claims to be Will's father, but Chester is still kept in dark and solitary confinement. It turns out that Will is a native of this underground world, and his birth mother escaped to the "Topsoil," taking her young son, Seth, with her, but leaving her infant, Caleb, behind. Somehow he was adopted into the Burrows family. Will realizes he really is Seth, and finds his place in the Macauly home with Grandma, Uncle Tam, and Caleb. Caleb takes him to a bizarre type of mandatory religious service, presided over by the Styx.

Apparently, the Styx require daily attendance at an Anglican type service, three times a day. The founder of the underground colony, Martineau, is worshipped as a saint, complete with portrait in the church, called the "Breaking of the Ground." The other item of note in the "church" is a large, iron crucifix. The colonists came below nearly 200 years ago, because of Martineau's belief that the topsoil world was corrupted beyond conversion. In the Colony, anyone who comes from Topsoil is enslaved or banished to the dark unknown abyss of the earth, and anyone who escapes to the Topsoil is hunted down and executed. The Styx keep the colonists below by preaching the following,

"The surface of the earth is beset by creatures in a constant state of war with one another. Millions perish on either side, and there is no limit to the brutality of their malice. Their nations fall and rise, only to fall and rise again. The vast forests have been laid low by them, and the pastures defiled with their poison...Their gluttony is matched only by their appetites for death, affliction, terror, and banishment of every living thing. And, despite their iniquities, they aspire to rise to the firmament..but, mark this, the excessive weight of their very sins will weigh them down."

The Styx enforce the belief that "when the judgment comes...they will be hurled into the abyss and forever lost to the Lord...and on that day...we...will once again return to...build the new Jerusalem."

This disturbed vision of faith and what it does to people is why I have decided that Tunnels is Not Recommended .

Will convinces Caleb to doubt his lifelong religious training and escape with him Topsoil. They succeed with the help of Uncle Tam, but discover that above ground, they will be forever hunted by the Styx. Will realizes that he can't leave Chester to a long, slow death, and that he would also like to find his father, so they return to the colony with a plan to free Chester and take off for the Deeps.

In Part 3 The Eternal City, there are some battle sequences and chases, but Will, Caleb, and Chester hop a train headed for the Deeps in search of Will's father. Depressing, but I can see how it would be fascinating for a twelve year old boy. I have allowed my son to read it, but am pointing out to him the skewed images of faith along the way.

On the other hand, in Gregor Overlander, the first of the Underlander Chronicles by Suzann Collins, Gregor and his toddler sister, Boots fall into a world of giant insects, bats, rats, and ordinary sized people. Like Will in Tunnels, Gregor's father is also missing. Gregor and Boots are not exactly imprisoned, they are kept in a luxurious castle suite, but they are guarded nonetheless. Gregor discerns that the water must come from above and attempts an escape with Boots, but is attacked by giant, vicious rats. The Underlanders rescue him and tell him that he must stay to fulfill the Prophecy of Gray. The Prophecy of Gray tells of an Overlander who will come to save the Underlanders from destruction and to find a long-lost prisoner of the rats.

Making unlikely allies, and discovering treachery in the ranks, Gregor succeeds in fulfilling the prophecy, while always putting Boots' safety and well-being first and foremost. And guess who the long-lost prisoner is? Gregor, Boots and his father return to the Overland and his dear mother. Before they go, Gregor's return to the Underland is predicted, thus setting up the cause for a sequel.
With heroism, family, and love as the central themes of this book, it is Highly Recommended. Even though most of the novel takes place underground, the admirable characters and hopeful plot make Gregor Overlander feel light and airy, unlike the suffocating and grim Tunnels.

The Sisters Grimm

2008-05-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

The Sisters Grimm is a popular juvenile mystery series by Michael Buckley. In Book One: Fairy Tale Detectives, tough Sabrina Grimm, age 11, and her 7 year old sweethearted sister, Daphne, have been shuffled from one bad foster care home to another for the past year and a half. Now they are to be left with an old woman from Ferryport Landing who claims to be their grandmother. Sabrina and Daphne are not orphans, their parents disappeared one day, with only a single clue, a painted red hand on the dashboard of their car.

Relda Grimm is a nice storybook sort of grandmother, with a few quirks. She claims that practically everyone in Ferryport is an Everafter, or a real character from a fairy tale, nursery rhyme, myth or legend, and that all of those stories are true. Daphne is easily convinced, and is eager to love Granny Relda. Sabrina is suspicious, and is obsessed with planning their escape from whom she considers to be a wacko. Unfortunately, she and Daphne make a run for it just as real giant appears and Granny Relda and her friend/sidekick, Mr. Canis, are captured.

Granny drops her purse from the giant's grasp, before he runs off with them. Sabrina finds a photo of Granny, with their parents, in the purse. Thus, the girls decide to rescue Granny and Mr. Canis. With the help of the Magic Mirror, Puck, Jack the Giant Killer and Mayor Charming, the girls learn a lot about their magical heritage, and discover that their parents are still alive.

The author makes mention of the original fairy tales, and their origins in the Reader's Guide, encouraging all to read Andrew Lang, L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and others, as well as pointing out that the versions of the stories that we are familiar with are not accurate.

Delightful and humorous, this book is Highly Recommended, and I look forward to reading the entire series.

Three Tales about Remarkable Girls

2008-04-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson, is the story of a sixteen year old orphan girl. Just when she is about to be forced to drop out of high school to work as a maid in an Iowa boarding house, Hattie receives a cryptic letter asking her if she will accept her now deceased uncle's homestead claim in Montana. Upon arrival in Vida, Montana, she discovers that she must now lay several miles of fence line, and cultivate 40 acres of crops before the land is hers. Hattie's struggles with forces of nature are interwoven with the anti-German sentiment her neighbors are facing as a result of the on-going first World War. Hattie is a wonderful, resourceful, and intrepid heroine. This novel is a Caudill Award nominee and a Newbery Honor Book. Highly Recommended.

Penny from Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm, takes place in New Jersey, shortly after the second World War. Penny lives with her widowed, Protestant mother and grandparents, and spends most of her free time with the Italian, Catholic side of her family. The story follows Penny throughout the summer of 1953, during which her mother starts dating the milkman, her arm is nearly severed in a wringer washer accident, and she learns of the Italian American internment camp where her father died. This humorous, summertime story is also a Caudill Award nominee and a Newbery Honor Book. Highly Recommended.

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, by Lesley M. M. Blume, takes place in modern day Manhattan. Cornelia is the daughter of two brilliant pianists, Lucy Englehart, and her father, whom she has never met. Her mother is frequently absent for long periods of time, touring the world with her music. Lonely Cornelia locks herself away in a world of books, baffling grown ups with her immense vocabulary. When the famous author, Virginia Somerset, moves into the apartment next door, Cornelia finds a friend who speaks her language. Virginia shares the adventures she had in the 1950s when she traveled the world with her three equally vivacious sisters. These tales carry Cornelia from Morocco, to Paris, where the sisters encountered Pablo Picasso, to England, where Her Majesty has them thrown out of the Crufts Dog Show, to India, where they encounter true poverty and charity. Cornelia learns from Virginia how to turn vocabulary words into magical tales to be shared with friends and family.
Please note that Cornelia's father is described as a playboy, and she overhears her mother referring to his most recent in a string of marriages. However, these attributes are appropriately portrayed as unfortunate events in Cornelia's and her mother's lives. Highly Recommended.

Good Family Read Alouds

2008-02-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

The following list contains some of my personal favorites for reading aloud as a family, or listening to on tape/cd in the car:

Richard Peck's Fair Weather, Long Way to Chicago, or A Year Down Yonder
Listening for Lions
Star of Kazan
Ralph Moody's Little Britches series
Shiloh
Where the Red Fern Grows
Castle in the Attic and Battle for the Castle
and the obvious:
anything by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Edward Eager, or E. Nesbitt, the Chronicles of Narnia, the Hobbit and for older listeners, the Lord of the Rings.

I have also recently read a fabulous, fantasy adventure by author, Maureen Doyle McQuerry. Like Susan Cooper, McQuerry uses myth as a backdrop for contemporary characters in Wolfproof. McQuerry shows how the moral decisions of young social misfit, Timothy James, and the ultra-popular Jessica affect not only their own futures, but the lives of those around them. Highly recommended for junior high and above.

Crooked River, by Shelly Pearsall, is a captivating narrative jumping between the voice of Rebecca, a young girl on the Ohio frontier, and the voice of Indian John, the Indian being held captive in Rebecca's attic pending his trial for the murder of a white fur trapper. Crooked River joins the ranks of other great literary trials such as To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Crucible, by persuading the reader to consider all points of view and forcing a close look at the prejudices of the time. Highly Recommended.

Four for Four

2008-01-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

Four titles from the Rebecca Caudill nominee list for 2008 have kept me cozily reading this month. I'm not surprised that most of the books on the list feature male protagonists. J.K. Rowling was no fool when she made her star a boy. Why is it that girls will read books about boys, but it takes a minor miracle to get a boy to read a book about a girl?

Regardless of the underlying psychology, MVP: The Magellan Voyage Project, by Douglas Evans, will be a hit with all kids. The plot is a race to be the first twelve year old to travel around the world in forty days or less. The prize is four million dollars. What they didn't tell Adam Story is that he would be competing against 23 other kids, backed by some of the most ruthless despots in the world. This fast-paced, easy read has a lot of geography and world history references, similar to the original "Carmen Sandiego" products. Recommended.

The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman, is a melancholy story set in modern day Brooklyn. Anthony is the narrator, but the main character is Calvin Schwa, the invisible kid. He has the "Schwa Effect," by which he goes completely unnoticed by everyone, including his father, and if he is noticed, he is immediately forgotten. When the two boys befriend a blind girl, the inevitable love triangle threatens their friendship. But the story that drives the book is the mysterious disappearance of Calvin's mother from a grocery store when he was five years old. Lexie and Anthony set about uncovering the truth and proving to Calvin that he can be noticed for who he is.
Spoiler: Calvin's mother ran off with the butcher from the grocery store and abandoned him in the frozen food section. Very troubling and sad. Calvin's mother is described as someone who either had a life crisis or was struggling with depression. In the end, Calvin discovers that she has been writing to him for years and reunites with her. On the upside, Anthony's family is Catholic and they're not portrayed as evil freaks, just a normal loving family with ups and downs.
Recommended.

Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan, is my favorite of this group, reminding me greatly of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels. Set in Africa, shortly after World War I, Rachel Sheridan grows up with her missionary parents among the Kikuyu people. When her parents are suddenly taken by the influenza epidemic of 1919, she suddenly finds herself alone. She travels to the nearest house, the home of the wealthy and cruel Pritchards, who have just lost their daughter, Valerie, coincidentally same age and red hair as Rachel. The Pritchards snatch up Rachel and force her to become Valerie, so that she may travel to England and win back the heart and inheritance of Mr. Pritchard's wealthy father. Rachel's future depends on when and where she decides to reveal the truth of her identity. Highly Recommended.

When Tobin McCauley's mother died of cancer, his father emotionally checked out, his older siblings became juvenile delinquents and his grandmother began a feud with his father, blaming him for her daughter's death and fighting over Tobin. Tobin survives by avoiding contact with everyone except Grandma. Chicken Boy, by Frances O'Roark Dowell, is about Tobin's life after he befriends one person. Henry is obsessed with chickens, raising them, singing to them, even working on a research project to determine if chickens have souls. Henry drags Tobin back into humanity, and as a result, Tobias brings his family together as well. Highly Recommended.

January Reads

2008-01-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed and recommend The Misadventures of Maude March, by Audrey Couloumbis. Told by younger sister, Sallie, Maude's adventures are the result of misfortune and mistake. Sallie and Maude are orphans, raised by Aunt Ruth, who loses her life to a stray bullet in the first chapter. Their home is taken by the bank and they are forced to live with the preacher and his family. The never-ending chores and the loss of all their family possessions to their caretakers, does not deter the girls from making the best of a bad situation. When the preacher arranges a marriage for Maude to an elderly man and the girls are threatened with separation, they run away. They take the two broken-down horses, leaving their new dairy cow in exchange. Soon, they discover that the media can't be trusted. They find a newspaper article with Maude's name and description, claiming that she has lost her mind with grief and stolen the horses. Sallie is never mentioned.

The girls are headed for Independence, Missouri, hoping to find their long-lost uncle. Along the way, they meet Aunt Ruth's shooter, and star of "dimer" novellas, Joe Harden. Joe teaches the girls how to survive in the wilderness but Maude can't forgive Joe's unlucky shot and they part ways. Maude realizes her mistake and the girls set out to find Joe. They see his horse in front of a bank, and remembering his admonition, "Take your gun everywhere," they enter the bank with rifles. Of course they are mistaken for robbers, and the adventures continue to an eventual happy ending for all.

One scene in which Maude, who has been disguised as a boy for most of the book, decides to recover her feminine identity, visits a house of ill repute, is handled in a delicate and sensitive matter. The heavily made-up ladies of the house donate clothes and fix Maude's hair for no charge. The author does a masterful job of presenting the action without any information about the real occupations of the characters. Highly Recommended.

Robin McKinley's Dragonhaven is a young adult novel, written in a stream-of-consciousness style, over the span of about ten years. Fourteen year old Jake lives at a national wildlife preserve called Smokehill, one hundred miles from anywhere. Somewhere on the 500 million acre property, real, endangered, fire- breathing dragons live, but are rarely seen. Jake gets to go on his first overnight into the wilderness, and comes across the unthinkable. First, there is the dead body of a dragon poacher, next to a dying dragon. Lastly, Jake notices five dead baby dragonlets, and one still living. Jake takes the surviving dragonlet and puts it down his shirt. Dragons are like marsupials, in that their young spend at least one year in their mother's pouch. This single action changes Jake, the fate of Smokehill, and the world's treatment of dragons forever.

There are a few troubling points in the book. Jake's widowed father has a relationship with another researcher and the two decide to wed when it is discovered that they are expecting a baby. As a young adult, Jake falls in love with his childhood playmate, Martha, and they decide to get married. Before the wedding, Jake gives Martha's sister, Eleanor some thankful acknowledgment for letting he and Martha use their shared bedroom for a few hours here and there. Finally, there is the tacit acceptance of a character's homosexual identity, and the theme that this character is a kinder, better person because he has a gay lover.

Young adult novels are all too often merely juvenile fiction with adult themes thrown in. Dragonhaven is a fascinating story, and if the author would stick to Jake and the dragons, I could recommend it. As it stands, there are too many issues to overlook. Not Recommended.

Best Bets for 2007

2007-12-10T20:36:00.001-08:00

But first, two new novels that I Highly Recommend are Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George and Worth by A. LaFaye.

Dragon Slippers is a fresh fantasy adventure about an orphaned young girl, Creel, whose aunt decides that if they can get a dragon to take her, some knight will come save her, and likely marry her to boot. Creel takes matters into her own hands when she promises to prevent the knight from attacking the dragon in exchange for something from his hoard. Little did we know that dragons collect different things, not usually gold. This one collects shoes for example. Creel takes a very lovely blue pair, and sets off for the largest city in the kingdom to find her fortune. The shoes she has chosen have a strange power, however, and dragons figure largely in her future. I particularly love George's descriptive passages. From elegant gowns, to gorgeous dragons, this novel will please fantasy lovers of either gender. Highly Recommended.

From the 2008 Caudill Nominee list, I have most recently enjoyed Worth, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Set in the 19th century, Nathaniel is unable to help his father around the farm after he shatters his leg in a freak accident. Having lost one farm already, his father is desperate for help, and files paperwork to get an orphan from the orphan train. Having lost one child already, Nate's mother is desperate to help him recuperate and refuses to accept the orphan, John Worth, into the family. Nate, disabled forever, is forced to focus on his education. John struggles with farm life and the loss of his family from a tenement fire. All of these conflicts are brilliantly set against the background of brewing tension between farmers and ranchers. Guerrilla fence-cutters are stirring up hatred throughout the country. Nate and John work together to prevent a stampede and possibly a war. Highly Recommended.

Now for this year's favorite reads:

Alfred Kropp and the Seal of Solomon by Rick Yancey
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Bandit's Moon by Sid Fleischman
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey
Honus & Me by Dan Gutman
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
Magyk by Angie Sage
On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper
The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Rules by Cynthia Lord
The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
What Happened to Merry Christmas? by Robert C. Baker
Worth by A. LaFaye
Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman

Not all of the above books are contemporary, and many of them have sequels that should be on the list as well, I just haven't read them all yet.
The length of this list truly delights me. I was doubtful that I would find much "decent" and worthwhile literature from contemporary authors, but my experience has been to the contrary. While there was much read that was not "blog-worthy" and some "Not Recommended" books, on the whole, I hold authors of juvenile fiction in high esteem. To captivate a child and not just merely to occupy, or to entertain on some cheap level, but to tell a story and teach a reality is a gift.
To all the authors, thank you.

Airborn and Shakespeare's Secret

2007-11-13T13:17:00.001-08:00

I've been tearing through some great books from the Caudill Award shelf at the public library, one science fiction, one mystery, one geared towards boys, and one for girls, but both terrific reads.

Kenneth Oppel's Airborn is destined to be a classic. I truly hope that someone makes a movie of this "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" meets "King Kong" epic. The setting is a fictional past, where cell phones, GPS, and airplanes do not exist, rather "hydrium" filled airships roam the skies through well traveled shipping lines, carrying cargo and passengers in the style of the Titanic. Our hero is fifteen year old Matt Cruse, born in the sky as his parents emigrated via airship, Matt has spent the last two years as cabin boy aboard the Aurora.

During his routine shift in the crow's nest, Matt spots a hot air balloon, drifting aimlessly over the Pacificus. The Aurora saves her, but the only passenger is seriously ill and does not survive. One year later, Matt meets the granddaughter of the balloonist, wealthy, young Kate deVries. Kate shares her grandfather's journal with Matt, and tells him of her desire to find the uncharted island where her father saw what she believes to be an entirely new species. When the Aurora is attacked by pirates, they find themselves shipwrecked on that very island.

Will they find the new species? Will they get off the island? What if the pirates come back? Oh, it is a thrilling adventure! And beautifully written as well. Oppel's descriptive passages are downright poetic at times. I am very excited to discover a sequel, Skybreaker, has already been published. Highly recommended.

Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach is the account of Hero Netherfield, sister of the lovely, popular Beatrice, and daughter of a Shakespearean scholar father, and a graphic designing mother. They have just moved to Washington D.C., where her father is employed as an archivist for the Maxwell Elizabethan Documents Collection. In between horrible experiences at a new middle school, Hero befriends next door neighbor, Mrs. Roth.

Mrs. Roth shares the secrets of the Murphy house, where Hero lives, and the tale of the massive diamond rumored to be hid within. In her quest to discover the diamond, Hero learns much about Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I and the debates of the true identity of the author known as Shakespeare.

I hesitate to "highly recommend" this book for two reasons. First of all, Anne Boleyn's historic charges of infidelity are discussed along with the possibility of Elizabeth I having an illegitimate child. While this material is definitely for the older student, it does not bother me as much as my second reason, namely the way in which the major characters disparage "church-going." When Hero does not wish to speak to a neighborhood boy who has come to call, the author writes,
"Tell him I'm not here. "
"He'll never believe that. It's not even ten o'clock. Where would you be?"
"Tell him I'm at church."
Beatrice laughed loudly. "Really?"
A minor moment in the whole of the novel, granted, but worth mentioning. I get defensive when I see that Christians are still sport for the pagan world. Despite this one scene, I enjoyed the book, liked the characters, and loved reading about Shakespeare.

The Old Willis Place

2007-11-07T07:14:00.000-08:00

Some readers believe that ghost stories have no place in children's literature, but The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn is one of the best examples of the genre for children that I have seen outside of Edgar Allen Poe.

The story is about Diana and Georgie, two kids who spy on the caretakers of the old Willis place, or Oak Hill Manor. They play by strange rules such as they are not allowed to speak to others, to enter the Manor, or to leave the property. It will not take long for the astute reader to ascertain that Diana and Georgie are the ghosts.

Diana, craving the friendship of the new caretaker's daughter, Lissa, shows herself and breaks the rules. But new rules enter into her mind, namely that their undiscovered bodies must be buried, and they must forgive the old woman who inadvertently caused their death. Diana and Georgie lived sixty years ago, the children of the housekeeper and gardener of the Manor. While alive, they teased Mrs. Willis mercilessly, playing pranks on her and stealing from her. Then one day, Mrs. Willis catches them after they have hid in a secret closet in the cellar. She says they will stay in there until they will apologize, and she locks them in. Unfortunately, she was so upset by this situation that she had a stroke and was hospitalized and unable to speak for several weeks. The children were never found. Eventually, their parents were dismissed from the Manor and moved away. Mrs. Willis lived to be 100, and no mourners came to her funeral. Her ghost has been in the parlor where she died until Lissa lets it out. Then the ghost of Mrs. Willis roams the property looking for Diana and Georgie. In the end, they all seek forgiveness and leave the property, Diana and Georgie reuniting with their deceased parents, once and for all.

Hahn has written a delightfully chilling story with a real redemptive message of forgiveness. I was very impressed with this book, as it reaches far beyond the creepy tales marketed to children. This book is a Caudill Award nominee for 2008 and is Recommended.

Christopher Paul Curtis

2007-11-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Christopher Paul Curtis is an award-winning author of juvenile fiction who focuses on race relations at different points in American history.

My first encounter with Curtis was when my son won the book, Bud, Not Buddy, on audio cassette from our local library. Bud is placed in an abusive foster care home during the the Great Depression after the death of his mother. He escapes with his suitcase of treasured personal objects, including the only clue to his father's identity, a flyer about a musician named Herman E. Calloway, and his jazz band. Bud decides to find his father, by walking to Grand Rapids, Michigan from Flint. During the journey, Bud makes friends, hides from enemies, and successfully avoids setting foot in the town that has outlawed the presence of black people. He does find Calloway, and discovers that Calloway is not his father, but his mother's father. Bud's mother ran away from Calloway when she met Bud's father. The identity of Bud's father is never discovered, nor is the reason he is no longer in Bud's life.

Curtis writes about the Depression for children, from a child's viewpoint, including such iconic scenes as a shanty town, hopping trains, and bread lines. This children's novel won the 2000 Newberry Medal, as well as the Coretta Scott King award. Highly Recommended.

It came as no surprise that one of Amazon's Top Books for Children this year is Curtis's latest work, Elijah of Buxton. Unlike Bud, Elijah lives with both of his parents before the Civil War in a settlement of free blacks in Buxton, Canada. What did come as a surprise was that Buxton was a real place, and the not the only one of it's kind. Curtis writes in the Author's Note, "What an interesting, beautiful, hope-filled place the Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission of Raleigh was and is."

Elijah Freeman is the son of escaped slaves, and lives a normal life, going to school, struggling with Latin, and chunking rocks. It is his amazing gift for rock chunking that takes him out of the settlement for the first time. The Preacher, a mysterious and slippery character, convinces Elijah that they can earn some money for the Settlement. Elijah sneaks out with the Preacher to the carnival in the next town. They do not earn any money for the Settlement, but they do manage to rescue a young boy enslaved to the carnival owner.

One of Elijah's tasks is to collect the mail, and to read the letters to the largely illiterate adult population. When the wealthy Mrs. Holton learns from a letter that her husband was killed by the slavers that captured him, she gives all of her wealth to Mr. Leroy who has been saving to buy his own family out of America. Mr. Leroy acts too quickly and engages the Preacher to oversee the sale. Mr. Leroy takes Elijah with him to hunt down the Preacher after he has absconded with the money. Shortly after arriving in America, Mr. Leroy dies of a heart attack. Soon after, Elijah finds the Preacher's body in a stable, where he also finds five black slaves, chained by their hands and feet, awaiting to be driven like cattle by the men who have captured them. This scene may be too graphic for young readers and I have included it here. The woman in chains explains to Elijah, "Now I seen everything. A boy holding a man's gun fixing to shoot someone! But if you's set on killing that man, you's too late, chile. Looky there. He breathed his last just 'fore sunset...Had quite the mouth on him, that one did. I knowed they waren't taking him nowhere. I knowed when they brung him in here and bust his teeth out and split his tongue in two. They ain't never gunn treat no one what they's looking to sell like that. What they done with him waren't nothing but play, nothing but sport." Curtis writes, "I could see now it was ropes that were keeping Preacher's arms spread out to the sides. He was strunged up twixt two beams. Another rope was wrapped 'round and 'round his neck and was pinching his throat narrow and tight."

Failing to free the slaves in the stable, Elijah is able to take the woman's baby with him back to Buxton and give her a life a freedom. The lessons in this book are very mature, therefore this book is highly recommended for older readers.

Conversations with God

2007-10-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

The bad news is...I've recently been emailed a few times about two immoral NY Times bestsellers that are being distributed by Scholastic, not to be confused with the meditation books by Fr. Francis Fernandez,"In Conversation with God," by Scepter Press [Opus Dei]. Click here for the full story.

The good news is that I can recommend Bandit's Moon by Sid Fleischman and Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo by Obert Skye.
Bandit's Moon is a historical novel about the legendary Joaquin Murieta from the days of the California Gold Rush. Highly Recommended.
Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo is the first episode in a fantasy series about a boy who discovers he is the only one who can save the world. With the help of a furry creature from another world, a strange girl who has the ability to freeze things, and a talking toothpick who was formerly a king, Leven must destroy the gateway to Foo, before the evil Sabine enters our world and destroys mankind's capacity to dream. Lots of talk about "fate" as similar to pre-destination, but not objectionable. Recommended.

Fantasy and more fantasy...

2007-10-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

Here is more info on the Philip Pullman series, His Dark Materials.
http://www.amywelborn.com/reviews/pullman.html

We saw The Seeker: The Dark is Rising over the weekend, and we were all disappointed. Why, oh why must they differ from the book so much and so needlessly? I am happy to support Walden Media and any media company that is trying to put out a better product than Hollywood normally generates. I just wish they would do it a little better.

I also began the Bartimaeus Trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud. In The Amulet of Samarkand, Chapter One, a boy summons a djinni. The djinni then plots to disturb the boy's mind by showing him pictures of naked women. That's as far as I got. Not Recommended.

Midnight for Charlie Bone, from The Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo is a fantasy book about a boy who discovers he has a special power, gets sent to a special school, and is trying to discover what happened to his father. Nimmo has some interesting twists on what could be a formulaic series. Recommended.

Thinking ahead...

2007-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

We finally finished listening to the unabridged recording of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. The 10 and 11 year olds loved it, the 8 year old liked it, and the 4 year old couldn't stand it. We took many Frog and Toad breaks along the way. It's a great story about Will Stanton, the seventh son of a seventh son, who discovers that he has been destined throughout history to be the Sign Seeker. His role is to find the seven signs and bind them together before the powers of the Dark take over. The setting of the story is Buckinghamshire, during the Christmas season. I am looking forward to the motion picture adaptation to be released this weekend. http://www.ump.com.eg/MovieDetails.aspx?Id=98 Highly Recommended.

I don't usually review picture books, but What Happened to Merry Christmas? by Robert C. Baker is a contemporary classic. Sam discovers that Christmas exists in "holiday" imagery like snowflakes, and even in secular language. This book has gorgeous illustrations, and has also been reviewed by Cardinal O'Malley of Boston and Bishop Doran of Rockford, Illinois. St. Nicholas brings each of my children a book on December 6th, and I'm sure that this will be among his gifts this year. http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?category=&part%5Fno=562426&find%5Fcategory=Books&find%5Fdescription=&find%5Fpart%5Fdesc=baker
Highly Recommended.

What I Read in September

2007-10-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

Sophie and Josh Newman are fifteen-year-old twins, who become caught up in an adventure to recover a stolen book of secrets, including a recipe for immortality. Intertwining characters from many legends, Scott weaves a wonderful tale of magic and danger. As the adventure is incomplete at the book's close, I can only hope that a sequel is in the making. Recommended.

The Star of Kazan by Eva Ibbotson

Possibly one of my favorite books of all time, The Star of Kazan is The Secret Garden in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Annika is abandoned as an infant on the altar of a church, in a small town in Austria, during the early 20th century. She is taken in by Ellie and Sigrid, two devoted servants from Vienna. Annika is raised with love, friendships, and a devotion to her homeland. Her life would be perfect if only her mother would come and claim her. Unfortunately, her mother does come for her, and her life changes dramatically. She moves to northern Germany, and loses everything she had in Vienna. Getting it all back is an amazing tale, that I'm not going to spoil. Highly recommended!!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

I try not to be prejudiced against novels marketed as Young Adult, but this book reinforces all my fears. Wicked Lovely does have an interesting plot, and some well developed characters, but the pervasive references to drugs, sex, and drinking, and the occasional slam against the Church ruined the story for me. Chosen by Amazon as one of the hottest titles of 2007, this book is most certainly not recommended.

Madeleine L'Engle

2007-09-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

In third grade, my teacher read A Wrinkle in Time aloud to our class. I look back on that moment with such clarity. That was my first conscious experience beyond picture books and Bobbsey Twins, and I loved it. I have read nearly all of L'Engle's books since then. I love the way she wraps her faith around every subject she deals with, from the environment to conformity to metaphysics and time travel. I wish I had written to her, just once, to tell her what worlds I have explored through her initial invitation. But I suppose she probably already knows.

http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jun2000/feature1.asp

L'Engle's book A House Like a Lotus is an adult book often found in juvenile fiction departments. This book is decent, but is largely about a teen girl discovering that her role model is a lesbian. Not recommended for youth.

What Not to Read

2007-08-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Oftentimes, I read books that I think are quite good, but inappropriate for children. Such is the case with Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks. The premise of this novel is that Cadel Piggott, the genius son of evil(but imprisoned) mastermind, Phineas Darkkon, is raised and trained by villains at the Axis Institute of Evil to be the next world leader. The story follows Cadel's development from age 8 through 14. He grows to question the world view he has been given when he makes a friend through the Internet. Eventually, he turns his vast mental power to destroying the criminals that have been using him all along.

What's wrong with the book? When Cadel starts Partner Post, an on-line dating service, with largely fictitious mates that are played by himself, he needs research on various topics to convince his clients. Jinks writes, "And he'd never had sex of course, though he was starting to think about it a good deal, simply because of Partner Post. There was a lot of sex talk on his secure sites--and he was reluctant to ask Thaddeus for help on this subject. Fortunately, the Piggotts kept a large stock of dirty magazines in their dressing room. And a few of the twelfth-grade boys talked about sex endlessly, obsessively." Later in the book, Cadel is disguised as a girl and is attacked in a bathroom by a male teacher, who backs off as soon as he realizes that Cadel is not a girl.

What's right with the book? Jinks' exploration of the rationale behind evil actions and Cadel's journey to morality is expertly done. I'd recommend this book to my friends, but not my kids.

Other books I cannot recommend are Eldest, Birdwing, the Golden Compass series and anything by Meg Cabot. I've written detailed posts about Eldest and Birdwing, check the archives. The Golden Compass series is written by an atheist as his response to the Chronicles of Narnia. Check out http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2007/08/even-mtv-unders.html, the weblog of Ignatius Press authors for more info on this, and the movie due out this fall. With regard to Meg Cabot and the books that spawned the Princess Diaries movies, my daughter checked out the second in the series from our local library, thinking it would be like the movie but better. Well, I had to read it first of course, and in the first chapter, Mia finds out that her mother is pregnant with her algebra teacher's baby, and she wants her mother to have an abortion. Needless to say, our public library has since moved this book to the adult fiction shelves.

I do try to focus on the bright spots of current literature, and will post about more good books soon.

Alfred Kropp and the Seal of Solomon

2007-08-03T07:01:00.000-07:00

Rick Yancey's lovable Alfred Kropp returns in another escapade against evil-doers. Ancient forces of darkness have been released from imprisonment by power-hungry and dim-witted Mike Arnold (who incidentally is a Cubs fan and a total doofus, connection?). Now, Alfred is needed to rein in thousands of demons. He is not alone however, as Op-Nine, former priest and demonologist is there to assist him.

Like J.K. Rowling, Yancey presumes his audience matures with his characters. Alfred Kropp and the Seal of Solomon is darker and more intense than the Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp. Fighting demons is bound to be violent. The amazing thing here is that Yancey incorporates a character with a strong faith, and makes him a bad-ass. Think Indiana Jones with a rosary. Op-Nine feels unworthy of the priesthood for reasons unknown to the reader, but his reliance on prayer as means to fight the devil is a sure indicator that he has not lost his faith.

The personal development of Alfred is almost as fascinating as the plot. Alfred continues to struggle with his own beliefs, still grieving for his mother and blaming God for it. Op-Nine however is teaching him to see beyond his own point of view. Yancey scores another hit with the middle school and up crowd, and I look forward to reading Alfred's next adventure.

Summer Reads

2007-08-02T14:36:00.001-07:00

It's 93 degrees here today, and I just finished Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman, at our local pool. Coincidentally, this book is set in the deep South, during the sweltering summer of 1964. Based on the author's own youth, Alice Ann Moxley and her family are moving to Mississippi from Chicago for her father's FBI career. Her father is assigned to investigate and protect civil rights leaders during the turbulent time of school integration. Alice finds that making friends in the South is more difficult than any of the other places she has lived. She slowly discovers the "Southern" code of addressing adults, ("Maam," "Sir,") of addressing other kids, (not "guys, " but "y'all,") football obsession and race relations.

Alice finds a friend two doors down, Jeb, and his older sister, Pammie. Together, Jeb and Pammie try to protect Alice from the powerful cheerleader clique and Alice's own innocence. Jeb explains to Alice, "I know you don't know no better, so I'll tell you. First off, you don't introduce yourself to nigras." Once school begins, however, Jeb has given her strict instructions not to talk to him at school.

Alice's school is one of the first five Jackson schools that is integrated. Valerie Taylor, daughter of the famous Rev. Claymore Taylor, is in Alice's class. Alice tries to befriend Valerie and is rejected by her as well. Valerie says, "Just 'cause I go to school with white kids don't mean I hafta talk to them. I never wanted to go to this sorry old school anyway." Alice discovers that she and Valerie are very much alike. They both worry about their fathers' safety, and they are both outcasts at school. After being somewhat accepted by the cheerleaders, Alice realizes that she will have to deny Valerie's equality to keep her new friends.

Without giving away the ending, Yankee Girl is a fascinating novel about a revolutionary period of our history. There are several mentions of violence, murders, and bombings, but no graphic descriptions, mostly reprinted headlines. Alice learns about Emmett Till and has dreams about him. Therefore, this Caudill Award nominee is recommended for older children, mature pre-teens and up. Rodman does an excellent job of making good examples of the heroes of the time, such as Alice's parents.

Recently, I read another great summertime book, Honus & Me, by Dan Gutman, also a Caudill Award Nominee. Honus & Me is the story of baseball misfit, Joe Stoshack (Stosh) and the Honus Wagner baseball card that he "finds" while cleaning out his elderly neighbor's attic. Now I had never heard of Honus Wagner, but when I asked my husband if he was a real character, (silly me) I found out that not only was he real, but one of baseball's greatest players. Stosh tries to get the antique card validated, and is nearly robbed. He finds out that another Honus Wagner card sold to Wayne Gretsky for half a million dollars in 1991 (true story). The reason the card is so rare is that Honus refused to have his image used to sell tobacco products, after several cards had already been circulated (also true). Stosh also discovers that he has the power to bring time travel to 1909 and to bring Honus into present time, merely by holding the card. He learns much about baseball, history, and being the underdog during his journeys.

This was a fun read, recommended for all proficient readers. The only slight problem I have with the book is that like so many novels for children, Stosh's parents are divorced. His mother and father disagree about whether or not Stosh owns the card, or if he should return it to his neighbor. It all comes out right in the end though.

Honus & Me is the first of three books starring Stosh and his amazing ability. Gutman's other titles are Babe & Me and Jackie & Me.

On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

2007-06-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Richard Peck is by far one of my favorite authors. He has written over thirty books, and received many awards, including a National Humanities Medal, a Newberry Medal, and the Scott O'Dell award. Many of his books take place in rural places during the 1930s and 40s, including his most recent On the Wings of Heroes.

On the Wings of Heroes is the story of Davy Bowman, his memories of the peaceful life his family had before World War II, the advent of the war, and the duration, as well as vignettes of how life changed in rural America during this period. Davy lives in downstate Illinois, with his father, mother, and older brother, Billy. Billy is nineteen and trains to be a fighter pilot, eventually leaving for England, and becoming MIA when his plane is downed in a drop over Stuttgart. Davy's father, a World War I vet and owner of the local filling station, fights his own battles with memories of his time in the service, big-shot government officials who think rationing rules don't apply to them, and the Mafia, who seek to sell him counterfeit gas coupons. Davy and his buddy, Scooter, unite their war efforts with rubber drives, scrap metal drives, paper drives, and the wonderful jalopy parade.

After Billy leaves for England, Grandma and Grandpa Riddle show up to stay. Grandma Riddle does everything she can to drive her daughter nuts, with the best of intentions the reader later learns. "So up we come, "Grandpa said, "to get Joyce out of the house and into a job somewheres. The wife says that waitin' on the mail is an old woman's job."

The book ends triumphantly with Davy celebrating both of his heroes, his brother, and his father. I recommend this book for all ages. We have enjoyed many of Peck's books as a family, including A Year Down Yonder, Long Way from Chicago, and Here Lies the Librarian. The only caution I have regarding this book is that there is a possible Santa "spoiler." Davy is too old to believe in Santa and Peck writes, "I woke up to the jangle of the sleigh bells on the old leather harness Dad had always rung to make me think Santa was just leaving."

I have also read The River Between Us, Peck's historical novel, about free black people escaping New Orleans during the Civil War. The characters are descended from and were basically raised to be mistresses for the white plantation owners of New Orleans. In the historical footnote at the end of the novel, Peck relates that these plantation owners that kept black women in luxurious town accommodations, were largely Catholic. The novel is a fascinating tale of two sisters, one light-skinned, the other dark, who in their flight to the North, pretend to be a white woman and her slave. I do not recommend this book for children. This book might be appropriate for mature young adults, high school age or older.

A Few Oldies but Goodies

2007-06-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

These authors are not contemporary, but classic.

I can find little biographical info on Gladys Malvern. Her books were first published in the 40s and are now out of print. Jonica's Island (the story of a young girl in Nieuw Amersterdaam in the 1600s) and The Foreigner (a fictionalized account of Ruth) are both excellent. Malvern wrote mostly historical fiction, romance, and biographies. These books are appropriate for all ages, but I love reading them now. (You never are too old for a good story, I guess that's why every five years or so I have to re-read the entire Anne of Green Gables series.) I picked up these titles when a Catholic school closed many years ago, and now I find that these books are worth a fortune on Amazon!

A. J. Cronin wrote the Catholic epic, The Keys of the Kingdom, which was made into an Academy award nominated motion picture with Gregory Peck. He also wrote The Citadel, Shannon's Way, and dozens of others. Many of his books take place in Scotland, and deal with the conflicts between Protestants and Catholics. Because of the heavier subject matter, these books are appropriate for teens and adults. It's not that they are inappropriate, I simply don't think kids will be interested in them. Cronin published from the 1930s through the 1970s.

A third author I recommend is James Herriott. His autobiographical books of veterinary life in Yorkshire from the 1930's to modern times are funny and romantic. Our family has listened to these stories on many road trips. Recommended for all ages.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2007-06-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

This 2002 Caudill Award Nominee is about Luke, a third child in a world where two children is the maximum. The setting is the not-too-distant future, after great famines have wiped out much of the food supply. A totalitarian government that has passed the Population Law rules the nation. Luke's mother has explained it to him this way, "They (the government) did things to women after they had their second baby, so they wouldn't have any more. And if there was a mistake, and a woman got pregnant anyway, she was supposed to get rid of it."

The novel begins with the government removal of the woods behind Luke's home for a subdivision. Because of the increased population near his home, Luke may never again go outside, or even downstairs, for fear someone may figure out that there are three boys in the house, and report them to the Population Police. The punishment for breaking this law is five million dollars or execution.

Luke's father is forced to give up hog raising. The government deems that more acreage is required for the production of meat than vegetation. Junk food has been banned. Calorie consumption is regulated. Domestic pets are extinct.

When the subdivision is complete, Luke watches the homes through the attic vents and learns about the families, their cars, routines etc. But one day, in the middle of the morning, when no one is supposed to be home, he sees a face at a window, another third. He meets Jen, the child of barons (the upper class), who has been in a car, uses a computer, and is working on a crusade to free the hidden third children of the nation. She was "paid for," genetically designed by her baron parents who wanted a girl. She teaches Luke that distribution not over-population is the cause of the world's hunger, and that the government lies about things. She plans a rally of one thousand hidden children that she has found through the internet. She asks Luke to come along, but he is afraid of capture and is not ready to take such a huge risk.

Jen is gone for several weeks, before Luke tries her home again. Jen's father finds Luke and tells him the horrible news that Jen and forty other hidden children were gunned down on the steps of the White House. Jen's father knows this, because he works for the Population Police. He convinces Luke that he is not for the Population Law, but works there to help hidden children, keeping them from being found or supplying them with fake id's when they are. He offers Luke a fake id, and a chance to escape from his hidden life. The Population Police will be searching the area soon looking for Jen's family or friends.

The book ends with Luke starting a new life, ready to take risks to help the hidden, but not reckless risks like Jen's.

There is a humorous mention of bras. Jen is describing the experience of shopping to Luke.
"And then she made me get a bunch of bras--oh, sorry," she said when Luke blushed a deep red. "I guess you don't talk much about bras at your house." "Matthew and Mark do, sometimes, when they're being...dirty," Luke said. "Well, bras aren't dirty," Jen said. "They're just torture device invented by men or mothers or something."

The lessons about propaganda, over-population, forced sterilization are scarily true for many parts of the world. Obviously, due to the mature material in the novel, it is not for all ages. Haddix has written a thought provoking novel that is appropriate for teens.

Hits and Misses

2007-05-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hits:

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine
Levine hits the mark again with this tale of new fairy, Prilla, and the fate of the island of Neverland. Prilla sets out to discover her talent in this charming story appropriate for all ages.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
This is one of the most original books I've ever read. Half told by gorgeous pencil drawings, the story is a hybrid of Phantom of the Opera and Oliver Twist, set in France during the advent of motion pictures. Sure to be a classic.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
This story revolves around the idea that characters can be transported out of (and into) books. Meggie and her father flee from villains while they seek to free her mother. There are some rather pointless statements that the characters do not believe in the devil, but no agenda to prove such.

Misses:

Birdwing by Rafe Martin
This was a great read until the hero is betrayed by his best friend and the girl he likes. Now, I can think of dozens of plot twists to convey betrayal, but the author chose to have the hero find the other two, "asleep beneath one blanket, their naked shoulders exposed, wrapped in each other's arms." There is also another reference to undressing girls. Too bad.

The Devil's Boy by Anthony Horowitz
I have a few issues with this book. The first is that one of the very first characters introduced to the reader is Dr. John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, Dr. John Dee was a real person who was an astrologer, alchemist, and occultist. Secondly, when one character engages a room for a night at an inn, the innkeeper offers him the use of one of the barmaids. Lastly, the main plot is of the mistaken identity of the illegitimate son of Elizabeth I. Illegitimacy can be handled discreetly for young readers, but not so in this case.

Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris

2007-05-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

In a hip, modern type of fairy tale setting, Christian finds true love with Princess Marigold. Of course, there are many obstacles to overcome before the happily ever after part, such as Marigold's gift or curse of being able to read the minds of those she touches, and her evil mother's plot to marry her off to royalty or kill her, which ever comes first, and her dear father's slipping into senility and losing control of his kingdom.

Christian first sees Marigold from the telescope he invented in his foster troll father's cave. He then sends her a p-mail, message by carrier pigeon, and so their relationship is born. Eventually, Christian decides he must leave his forest home, the cave, and the troll who has cared for him for most of his life, and get a job at the castle. But he is nearly too late, Marigold is to wed Prince Magnus in the very near future. Christian tries to stop the wedding and is thrown into prison. Marigold tries to stop the wedding and she is thrown into prison as well. Fortunately, Marigold and Christian have plenty of support from some unlikely characters.

There is only one problem with the book. The bishop, who is to preside at the wedding, is shown to be a little too interested in women and wine while the wedding is delayed. This is one brief sentence, probably meant to be funny, but I found it offensive. The rest of the story is delightful and witty. If this one scene were not in the book, I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Magyk by Angie Sage

2007-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Magyk is a fun tale of wizardry and enchantment. Unlike the Harry Potter series, this series takes place in an imaginary time and place. The plot revolves around the Heap family, Silas, Sarah and their six green-eyed boys. On the night of the birth of their seventh son, Septimus, the midwife arrives, pronounces the baby dead, and takes him away. Later that same evening, Silas finds an abandoned infant girl in the forest and takes her home to Sarah to raise as their own child, Jenna. Other mysterious events have taken place on this fateful night. The Queen has been murdered as well as her infant princess, and the evil Necromancer has taken control of the kingdom.

The rest of the story takes place ten years later. The henchmen of the Necromancer are figuring out the true identity of the violet-eyed Jenna Heap. In their escape to Aunt Zelda's hidden home in the marshes, Jenna, her brother Nicko (the sixth son), and former ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand bring along a young castle guard who identifies himself as Boy 412.

Angie Sage has kept clear distinctions between good and evil in the first book of the Septimus Heap series. Boy 412 quickly learns which is the wrong side, once he is removed from the service of the Supreme Custodian. Family is an important theme in this book, and like the Harry Potter series, large families are shown to be places of love, security, support and happiness. I recommend Magyk for strong readers 4th grade and up, with the following advisory message.

This book is a fantasy novel and deals with themes of magic, ghosts, and spells. Children's literature has used these devices for millennia. The world of fiction is a truly magical place but must be explored with caution. Parents know best when and if their child can grasp the nuances between fictional magic in books and occult magic in the real world. I recommend Alan Keyes' comments from his wise but short-lived program, "Alan Keyes is Making Sense," for more insight.

Escape from the Carnivale

2007-04-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

Escape from the Carnivale is the third book from the collaborative efforts of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. I read Peter and the Starcatchers a few years ago and found it inappropriate due to crude humor of a sexual nature. This book seems to be a spin-off the original, but is written for much younger readers, and without the blue content. Perhaps this is due to the fact that unlike Peter and the Starcatchers, this book is published by Disney.

Escape from Carnivale is the tale of Little Scallop, a young girl from the Mollusk tribe native to Neverland, and her two mermaid friends, Surf and Aqua. The three girls find themselves in deep trouble after disobeying strict orders not to leave the lagoon. They set out to find pearls beyond the big reef, and end up finding a ship, the Carnivale. Surf is captured by the sailors, and their captain, Crookshank, who owns a circus.

When Little Scallop goes to her father, Fighting Prawn, for help, she discovers that tribe has gone up the mountain for the day. With the help of the mermaids, dolphins, and Lost Boys, Surf is rescued. Little Scallop confesses her disobedience to her father, and is reprimanded. Her father also acknowledges her part in the rescue and the story ends with a father/daughter hug.

While not great literature, this book contains no objectionable material.

Rules

2007-04-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

Author Cynthia Lord's first novel is an intense account of twelve-year old Catherine and her relationship with her younger brother, David, who is autistic. The title, Rules, comes from the many things Catherine has to teach her brother, things that other children just pick up. Some of Catherine's rules for David are "It's fine to hug Mom, but not the clerk at the video store." or "Late doesn't mean not coming." or "Take your shoes off at the doctor, but at the dentist leave them on." Catherine has a lot of responsibilities as David's older and only sibling, and sometimes this is a source of regret or embarrassment for her.

When a new neighbor, Kristi, moves in next door, Catherine dreams of a picture perfect friendship, and carefully plans their first meeting. Things backfire, of course, and Catherine worries about David's effect on her first impression. But Catherine discovers another friend in Jason, the wheelchair bound teen who cannot speak. Catherine knows Jason from accompanying David and her mother to Occupational Therapy. Jason is there for Speech Therapy. He uses a communication board of cards with words and pictures on them to talk. Catherine begins to expand his vocabulary by making more word cards for him. She begins to see him as whole and wonderful person, instead of pitying him. She does not reveal his disabilities to Kristi though, and lets Kristi assume that Jason is her boyfriend. In the end, Catherine accepts Jason, her brother, and their disabilities, and learns that though Kristi may be perfect, she may not be the perfect friend.

Aside from some brief and harmless boyfriend talk (Kristi mentions that she had a boyfriend before she moved, and she plans to go to a youth dance with the boy across the street.), this novel is an exceptional example of developing virtue and discovering sacrifice as a path to happiness. Few books written about and for girls are as sincere and non-trivial as this one. Cynthia Lord has written an amazingly vivid account of life with an autistic child. On the jacket, she is quoted as saying, "I wrote Rules to explore some of my own questions about living with someone who sees the world so differently than I do, but also to show a full experience of family life with a child with autism: the happy moments, the heartbreaking one, the ones that make me laugh."

I found this book to be emotionally intense, and as a result I recommend this book for ages thirteen and up.

Stormbreaker

2007-04-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

Anthony Horowitz is one of the big names in youth literature today. His Alex Rider series is extremely popular and has been made into a motion picture. Stormbreaker introduces us to Alex, a 14 year old orphan (orphans are all the rage) whose guardian, Ian Rider, has just died in a car accident with some mysterious circumstances. Alex discovers that his uncle, Ian, was not an insurance salesman, but a spy with England's elite MI6. MI6 discovers Alex has some unusual talents for his age, and recruits him to go undercover on a mission.

Stormbreaker is a fast paced (makes me wonder if it was written for the screen) adventure in modern day England. The only background lore is some references to James Bond and 007. The violence in the book is not graphic or prolific. Alex only fights in self defense and the bad guys are the ones who kill senselessly. This book was nominated for a Caudill Award in 2004, and is appropriate for children. Horowitz's other books branch out into the horror genre. I will be reviewing these separately, in the near future.

Marshmallows

2007-03-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

"Well, at least they're reading." I find this statement to be incredibly short-sighted. At least they're reading WHAT??!! Pornography? Horror? Graphic diary of a serial killer? Let's apply this statement to eating. Would you let your child live off of marshmallows? Sure, the occasional marshmallow isn't going to do any harm, but what if that was all he or she ate? There are many marshmallow books on the market, and more are published every day.

Marshmallow books are frequently, but not always, poorly written. They have weak plots, and even weaker protagonists. The main message of a marshmallow book is usually so diluted, water looks thicker. A typical marshmallow theme is "being nice," "having fun," or "finding romance." Adult marshmallow books are easy to identify. They are sold in the grocery store, and often have air-brushed babes and oily chested hunks on the cover. Another type has the author's name in two inch high foil letters. Marshmallow books are not restricted by genre. Romance, mystery, western, and fantasy all have their marshmallows. I have even read Catholic marshmallows. Many times, marshmallow books are New York Times bestsellers.

When I read a book for review, first, I look for anything that might be objectionable or confusing for children. Then, I try to evaluate the merit of the book, whether or not is the worth the reader's investment. Reading a book requires an investment of time. Even if you never spend a dime on books, you are using hours of your lifespan when you read. Hopefully, this is time well spent in learning, or at the very least, in being entertained by something witty. Marshmallow books aim for entertainment of the lowest forms. Marshmallows can be addicting. I went through a big marshmallow phase in my teen years. It lasted for a month of poolside reading before I realized that every book in this particular series followed the exact same plot lines.

I was recently asked to review the Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott, and I realized that my review of content (acceptable) is not adequate. These books are cheap imitations of the much better Magic Treehouse series, by Mary Pope Osbourne.

How many marshmallows is too many? That's for parents to decide.

The Lightning Thief

2007-03-21T06:41:00.001-07:00

Greek mythology comes alive in the 21st century, when 12 year old, Perseus (Percy) Jackson discovers that he is half human, half god. Too make matters worse, there is a big, bad world of scary monsters that seek his destruction. This novel unites epic adventure with classical ancient history as Percy finds out why history is relevant to our age.

With ADHD and dyslexia, Percy's special needs and behavior issues have gotten him kicked out of one learning institution after another. After his expulsion from his most recent boarding school, Percy looks forward to summer with his loving mother. Percy and his mother take a trip to Montauk Beach, and end up in a battle with a Minotaur, running for their lives to the only safe haven for demi-gods or heroes, Camp Half Blood. Percy makes it to camp, where he learns about Olympus (still exists), the gods (still fighting), and the rest of this crazy immortal family that is his.

Eventually, Percy is given a quest, a prophecy, a sword, and the opportunity to save western civilization from complete annihilation. He is allowed two companions on his quest, Annabeth, daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Grover, a satyr, half boy-half goat. The trio have fabulous adventures along the way including an encounter with Charon on the observation deck of the St. Louis Arch, and an extended stay at the Lotus Casino in Las Vegas.

The author, Rick Riordan, deftly acknowledges a difference between "God" and "god" early in the book. He writes, "God--capital G, God. That's a different matter all together. We shan't deal with the metaphysical...Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter." For example, Hermes controls the winds, Poseidon, the sea, Zeus, the sky, etc. The behavior of the Olympian gods has not changed since Homer's times, and if your child is too young for those adventures, then he or she is probably not ready for these. Riordan handles the issue of illegitimacy well, by not dealing with the physical implications of gods mating with mortals. But the ideas of fathering (or mothering) multiple children, by multiple mortals, with no concept of loving marriage are present. Percy's mom is trapped in a loveless and implied violent marriage to a total slob. We find out that she has done this to protect Percy. She married the stinking (literally) jerk to hide Percy's scent from the monsters. The other children at Camp Half Blood are all in similar situations, some having parents who married mortals, suffer subsequent rejection from their step-parents. These issues are of concern, especially when traditional marriage and family life is under attack in our culture. Notably though, these behaviors are not glorified in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the sequel, The Sea of Monsters, but I have some reservations recommending it for everyone. I think that Riordan has done something wonderful by reinventing ancient myths for today's youth. The issues of marriage and parentage are present, but not the focal point of the story. These stories are about what it means to be a hero, to be brave, to be a friend, and why history is important to us all.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp

2007-03-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

A shy, overweight 16 year old boy becomes involved in a quest to retrieve King Arthur's sword from evildoers in the 21st century. Alfred is the perfect teenage underdog. Orphaned after 15 years with his mother, he is taken in by his security guard uncle Farrell (think Barney Fife in a trailer), who is offered one million dollars to steal a sword from the building where he works, Samson Towers. The mysterious Mr. Myers, of the million dollars, claims that the sword is his and was stolen from him. Farrell can't do this alone, so he blackmails Alfred into helping him with the threat of foster care. Alfred has bad feelings about this all along, but figures that Uncle Farrell is all the family he has left, so he goes along with him.

The story develops quickly, layer after mysterious layer. There is an order of brown-robed knights sworn to protect the sword, who show up as soon as Alfred lays his hands on it. But amazingly, Alfred succeeds and Mr. Myers comes to collect. Of course, it's too good to be true. Mr. Myers kills Uncle Farrell and takes the sword. Alfred ends up in foster care anyway, after a visit from Mr. Samson, who reveals that the sword is Excalibur. Not only that, but Mr. Samson and the knights are descended from the Knights of the Round Table, sworn to keep Excalibur from the hands of evil men. Now that they have failed, Mr. Myers will try to sell the sword to the highest bidder because, "an army with the Sword at its head would be invincible."

Increasingly disturbed, Alfred begins to research the origins of the sword, and starts skipping school. He discovers he is being followed, and contacts his tail, one of the knights named, Bennacio. Bennacio tells him that Mr. Samson was killed trying to recapture the sword, and Alfred begins to realize the monumental events he put into motion. He and Bennacio continue the quest together, saving each other's lives, and taking the lives of others. The story becomes quite violent, in Alfred's words, "There had been more blood flying around than in a horror movie." Bennacio, filled with fury from Mr. Samson's death, wreaks some vengeance on the AODs, agents of darkness, who are chasing them. Interestingly, Alfred is disturbed by needless violence. Later in the novel, when offered the chance, Alfred refuses violence unless his life or another's is at stake.

Wonderful Christian imagery and ideas are laced throughout the story. The sword is purported to have been the sword of St. Michael. When outnumbered by AODs or "thralls of the dragon," Bennacio begins praying the Hail Mary in Latin aloud. Alfred asks what to do at another point, and Bennacio says, "Pray!" The most important thing in Bennacio's life is the sacred vow he took to protect the sword, even if he must die to do so. Bennacio asks Alfred to take the same vow, but Alfred thinks he is unworthy, saying, "I'm just...average...The idea of me taking up your sword and being some kind of hero--well, that's kind of ridiculous." Bennacio responds, "But we fall only that we might rise, Alfred. All of us fall; all of us, as you say, screw up. Falling is not important. It is how we get up after the fall that's important...And as for being a hero--who can say what valor dwells in every heart, Alfred, waiting for the dragon to come out."

Unfortunately, there isn't more I can say without giving away the ending. The ending is better than you'd ever expect, coming full circle. I loved reading this book, and there were only a few things that made it less than perfect. One is the single instance of Uncle Farrell threatening to put Alfred "on so much antidepressant dope, I wouldn't remember to sit when I crapped. Uncle Farrell could be gross like that." And the other is some rather gruesome depictions of violence and killings. Overall, this book has a great background in mythology, a captivating plot, and a true hero, not the "superhero" type, but one who makes the right choices.

Eragon and Eldest

2007-03-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

Fantasy is on the rise with Lord of the Rings, Narnia and Harry Potter as the front runners, but more recently, Eragon made it's screen debut. Now I didn't see the movie, because I have to read the book first. Eragon is a New York Times bestseller written by a 15 year old homeschooled kid from Montana, Chris Paolini. Given the author's age, I think it is a remarkable novel.

Paolini creates a new world, with many familiar themes from Middle Earth, dwarves, elves, dragons, but with several fresh ideas as well. He even manufactures languages for his mythic peoples to speak and an "Ancient Language" which all beings once knew and lost, but some still speak it. The Ancient Language is Paolini's language for magic and truth. For one cannot lie while speaking in the Ancient Language, and all promises must be fulfilled.

Eragon is an adventure tale, with battles, swordplay, world powers clashing, and spell-casting. The hero is a sixteen year old boy who finds a dragon egg in the forest. When the egg hatches for him, he and his dragon, Saphira, are bound together as dragon and rider, sharing thoughts and physical feelings. Dragons are supposedly extinct though, except for the one that belongs to the evil emperor, Galbatorix, who upon discovering the existence of another rider, sends his minions to hunt down Eragon and Saphira. In this manner, Eragon's foster father, Garrow is killed and the farm where he and his cousin, Roran, grew up is razed. Revenge for Garrow's death becomes the driving force of the plot.

I found this novel, Eragon, to be acceptable for middle school readers, though I was annoyed with the vengeance theme.

In 2005, Paolini published the second book of the Inheritance trilogy, Eldest. The author is nineteen, and he begins to question all religion and the idea of worship constantly throughout the book. Like Luke, in the Empire Strikes Back, Eragon trains to be a dragon rider under the tutelage of Oromis, a former Rider of elven lineage. Much of his training involves introspection, seeking the answers to questions within himself, especially questions of right and wrong. There is no one Truth. Truth/Goodness/Right depends on the circumstances, cultures, and the points of view of the concerned parties.
Paolini makes it quite clear that he is skeptical of all religion. During Eragon's training, he asks Oromis, "But who, or what do you worship?"
Oromis: "Nothing."
Eragon: "You worship the concept of nothing?"
Oromis: "No, Eragon. We do not worship at all."
Their conversation continues with all of the classic arguments against God's existence. Oromis has never witnessed a miracle. He believes the world and all it's phenomena are the workings of nature. Oromis dismisses the concept of God because, " Death, sickness, poverty, tyranny, and countless other miseries stalk the land. If this is the handiwork of divine beings , then they are to be rebelled against and overthrown, not given obeisance, obedience, and reverence." Eragon brings up the dwarves and their polytheistic belief system. Oromis ridicules the dwarves reliance on faith over reason. When Eragon discovers that Oromis believes that the soul dies with the body, Oromis responds, "...it is a better world. A place where we are responsible for our own actions, where we can be kind to one another because we want to and because it is the right thing to do instead of being frightened into behaving by the threat of divine punishment." To his credit, Eragon remains skeptical, but indecisive through the end of the novel.

A decent adventure story has become infected with mainstream subjective morality, oh, and there is some implied fornication too. I do not recommend Eldest.

It will be interesting to see where Paolini's and Eragon's faith journeys go. The third book of the trilogy is in the works now. I am praying for this young author. He shows promise as a fantasy author, not as a philosophical one.

2007-03-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

This is not how I imagined my first post, but something needed to go on the board, so I've cut and pasted from an email to a relative.

I'm focusing on secular fiction, but reviewing through a Catholic lens. Anyway, the impetus behind this is Chris Paolini's Eldest. His first book, Eragon, was ok, not great literature, but ok adventure reading, but his second book, Eldest is filled with anti-religion, subjective morality propaganda, and a little smut thrown in too. My 10 year old son wanted to read it, but I threw it away. Now, I have checked it out of the library to finish the last few chapters myself, just to make certain that our "hero" doesn't redeem himself in the end. Though in my opinion, this action would not redeem the book.

For, 10 year old girls, I'd recommend Gail Carson Levine, she wrote Ella Enchanted and a lot more similar themed books, and of course all the classics, Betsy and Tacy, Anne of Green Gables, Caddie Woodlawn, etc. My daughter is nine, and she has been reading all of these, along with the Shiloh books, by Phyllis Naylor Reynolds. Shiloh books are about a boy, but both my kids like them. I also recommend Richard Peck's books, A Year Down Yonder, and A Long Way from Chicago. We listen to these on tape, and they are hilarious.

I've been reading a lot of Ellis Peters mysteries (I prefer the ones with Det. Felse and his son, Dominic), and Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey), and I just finished Patrick O'Brien's Master and Commander. It was all right, definitely for mature readers, not sure if I'm going to read the next dozen or so.

Take care, Catholic Mom