Out of the Best Books

Over Sea, Under Stone

2011-04-14T16:55:00.000-07:00

This book by Susan Cooper is the first to the series "The Dark is Rising." Unlike the rest of the world, I am not one who usually likes to read series. I guess I'm just enough ADD that I like to mix it up and read something totally different than the book I just finished. However, the other books in this series are supposed to be really great so I guess I will read them, I just need a break in between. Anyway, about the book, it has been compared to "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," but honestly the only similarities are the British children who are staying in an old house with a strange uncle, who are bored on a rainy day so they decide to explore the house and find a mystery hidden behind an old wardrobe. Okay, so I know that sounds exactly like "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," but that is where the similarities stop. Although this story is really just your basic kids-save-the-world-by-singlehandedly-fighting-all-the-bad-guys, I enjoyed it's quaintness and the fact that it was well written if not all believable. I have high hope for the next book in the series which is "The Dark is Rising" and is a Newberry Honor winner.

The View from Saturday

2011-03-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

My feelings about this book are conflicting. This is a children's award winner and I am learning very quickly that award winner does not always translate into great. This book started out slow but picked up with the chapter about sea turtles although even that seemed cliche and a little too save-the-world-by-being-green to make this a timeless book. The characters in the story are 6th graders and as the general rule is that children read books where the characters are a couple years older than they are, I thought it should be appropriate for my 3rd and 5th graders. I personally, did not think that the overused references to puberty would be appreciated by my children and I took issue with several other references as well, such as referring to a dog as "obviously male" and using a noose as their academic team logo. In the end, the story was cute and a little endearing to read as an adult, but I really find it hard to believe that children would enjoy this book. To prove my point, I started reading it to my kids and they all rebelled against the book in the first chapter. I think it I could get them to sit for it, they might actually enjoy it in the end, but they are so turned off by the beginning that I don't know if that will ever happen.

The Golden Fleece

2011-02-10T18:37:00.000-08:00

and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padriac Colum

This book would be more recognized if it were titled Jason and the Argonauts since that is what it's about. Of course, the task that Jason and the Argonauts set out to accomplish was getting the Golden Fleece, but I think because of the movie, more people would recognize it by that name. This is a great introduction to Greek Mythology for children (and me). I have heard before that most stories have their origin in either Greek Mythology, the Bible or Shakespeare and through reading this book, I can see that this is a true statement. While reading, I kept coming across elements that can be found in other well-known stories, like The Lord of the Rings, Lot and his family leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, and Snow White, to name a few. This book is not necessarily a page turner, but still a worthwhile read if one is not ready to read Homer (which I have read, but can't remember).

The Mysterious Benedict Socitey

2010-10-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when someone refers to classic literature, they mean something that has been around for a while and has withstood the test of time. Families have enjoyed classics for years and it is expected that no matter how much time passes, these stories will continue to be enjoyed. Every once in a while you come across a book that although new, you just know will become a classic. The Mysterious Benedict Society should be one of those books. I say should because I fear that in this world of all too often dumbed-down movies, games and books (SpongeBob Squarepants and Captian Underpants come to mind), that this book will go undiscovered. It is so witty and full of intellectualism and just a really good children's adventure story. My kids had a blast trying to solve all the riddles and problems along with the kids in the book. This is a trilogy and Jared and his friends have already read the other two and say that they are just as great. The Mysterious Benedict Society is timeless!

The Last Song

2010-10-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

by Nicholas Sparks
For the record, I have never read a Nicholas Sparks novel and do not necessarily plan on reading another one. However, after reading The Hunger Games I needed something that would have a real love story to it and the same friend who let me borrow The Hunger Games left The Last Song sitting on my night stand as though anticipating my need before I ever knew it, so as I closed Mockingjay (the 3rd book), I picked up The Last Song in hopes of something mushy. Nicholas Sparks did not disappoint. Although not what I would consider, great literature, it was a good read and I even learned a little about sea turtles. There were a few parts that were questionable in content, namely the chapters that are from Marcus' point of view, but as his personality was so horrific, I quickly forgot about those chapters. In the end, The Last Song is the story of a mad-at-the-world-teen who is sent to live with her Dad for the summer and ends up falling in love with the local rich jock (totally not her type). The underlying story is of family love and hardship and ultimately, a real tear-jerker (not that it takes much for me).

The Hunger Games Trilogy

2010-10-07T19:03:00.000-07:00

Talk about a page turner! I could not put these books down, which was not a good thing seeming as how I started them at the beginning of another school year. So, I spent most of September and the first week of October halfheartedly doing school with the kids just counting down the clock until 3pm when I would jump on the couch and read some more until I would finally pry myself off to make a dinner and pretend like I hadn't been reading all afternoon, only to jump right back into it as soon as the kids were in bed. Chris even decided that if he was going to have anything to do with me he'd better start reading the books so that we could talk. It reminded me of when I worked at Alexander's Copy Center in college while Chris and I were engaged and I was so into my job, that Chris had to get a job there just so he could see me.

A few things I learned about myself while reading The Hunger Games (not all good):
- I have an addictive personality, meaning that whatever the latest thing is that I'm into, it becomes all consuming in my life. I noticed this first with The Hunger Games and later with photo editing as well as buying, cataloging and yes, even reviewing books.
- I like books that are dark and violent, to a degree. The Hunger Games had the right amount of dark with little glimmers of light. As opposed to Wuthering Heights which I hated because there was not a single ray of cloudy or dim light in the whole book.
- I actually do like a love story and a happy ending after all. As much as I loved The Hunger Games, neither the love story nor the "happy" ending were enough for me.
- When a book is really, really interesting, I can read fast. I am generally a slow reader, but not with these books. It only took me so long because I just don't have a lot of time for reading.

Enough about me, would I recommend this book? Definitely, but I realize that having said that, not everyone will like it. It will be too gory, or too anti-war/government, or too unrealistic for some. And...I would definitely not recommend it for children. I'd say 16-17 is probably a good age to read this.

The Magicians Nephew

2010-09-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I have read them all before, but had the opportunity for our Book Group to re-read The Magicians Nephew as I was reading it to the kids. I know some people don't like this book that much, but this is one of my favorite books in the series. It's not my favorite because the storyline is so riveting, but first of all because the writing is like pure poetry in it's perfection and because of the analogy to The Creation and all the elements therein. I have never read this book when I haven't read the Creation account in Genesis alongside it. I just can't get over how beautifully C. S. Lewis synchronizes literature with faith and spirituality. This is truly a classic for all ages and one that I personally could read over and over again.

Walk Two Moons

2010-08-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

by Sharon Creech
While preparing to take our 3-week long road trip across the United States, I stumbled upon this book that talked about a girl who tells her story as she is traveling across the United States. I was excited to find that in the story she travels from the Chicago area to Idaho, exactly the way we were planning to go. I really enjoyed reading about her travels as we were making the same trip. I tried to stay a step ahead in my reading and I actually found that as we arrived in places like The Badlands (see picture of me and Clarissa above), that I already knew some of the touristy information from the book or was able to tell the kids a story from the book about the place we were visiting. Although this book was a tear-jerker, I really enjoyed it. Oh, who am I kidding, I love books that make me cry. I love the idea of this girl sharing her stories and experiences with her grandparents. This is a children's book, but again, I wouldn't read it to my younger children, I would wait until around Jr. High before letting them read it as it does have some dramatic events that take place.

The Maltese Falcon

2010-08-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

by Dashiell Hammett
I picked up this book for free at a children's museum that had a literature promotion going on. This is a 1930s detective novel that is so typical of the 30s crime scene that I'm pretty sure every detective movie and book must be based off of this one. Although detective novels are not my typical genre and as a result I may not be qualified to judge this, I think it was a very good book. All the details were described so well, that I felt like I was watching a movie instead of reading a book. There is, as a side note, a movie that was made in 1931, but I haven't seen it yet.

Jacob Have I Loved

2010-07-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

This book was written by Katherine Paterson, the same author as other children's books like, The Bridge to Terabithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins. I remember my friend reading this book when we were kids and I had no interest in such books at the time. I was too busy reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, or Elvis by Priscilla Presley. As I write this review, it is several months after reading the book and I honestly can't remember much about it. It doesn't happen very often that I forget the main points of a book I've read. I usually read most of the book about three times before I'm done with it. Having said that, I remember it being about a girl who was more interested in crabbing and the sea than in the arts and beauty like her twin sister. I do think it was a good book, but apparently, not life-changing. This book is suggested for children ages 9-12. Although I don't think that it would be inappropriate for younger children, I think that it is more suited toward the Jr. High, High School level readers.

Keturah and Lord Death

2010-06-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

by Martine Leavitt
So, I really went out of my box in reading this book. This is not classic, it's not classroom literature, and it's not historical. It is mystical, romantic, "spell-binding," and a really good story. This was one of my summer reads, when I typically stray from anything educational and just focus on fun. I would have never found this book on my own; it was recommended by a friend. The book is Young Adult, rated for 7th grade and up. There isn't anything inappropriate in it for younger kids, but the heroine is 16 and is looking for her one true love. For a contemporary read that is a little dark, but really interesting, I would definitely recommend this book.

Lois Lowry Pack

2010-05-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

I love cheap books, so I never pass up a Scholastic deal. I especially love their packs where they lump several books together either of similar topics or by the same author. One of my Scholastic purchases was the Lois Lowry pack. The two books I received written by Lois Lowry were The Giver and Number the Stars.

The Giver is one of those books that you like while you're reading it and then finish and you're not sure you liked it. It is about a Utopian, futuristic society. It was written well and really makes you think about the government and control, freedom and responsibility, but there are definitely some mature elements and themes to deal with emotionally. While I was reading it, I found myself talking to Chris about it and even had disturbing dreams about it. As Jared would hear me talking about it, he kept asking about it and if it was something he should read. I had to respond that I didn't think he should read it yet. It is not a children's book. It is a Young Adult book and should be reserved for when they are mature enough to understand the complexities of the ideas presented.

It is hard to believe that Number the Stars was written by the same author. It is so different. This book is about a family during World War II who help a Jewish girl escape. It was really good and although there were some tense moments, I would definitely read this to my children, as well as recommend it for adults.

Esperanza Rising

2010-05-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

by Pam Munoz Ryan
This book was great. Of course it reminded so much of my childhood, not that my family were migrant workers from Mexico, but that we lived in the San Joaquin Valley where this story takes place. Especially my memories from when we lived in Greenfield, California which actually was a little town on the outskirts of Bakersfield that was surrounded by cotton fields. I remember going to the truck stop on the corner and seeing the workers as they gathered for the days work and loaded into the back of pickup trucks. Every trip to visit my grandparents meant us driving past Arvin and the fields where we could actually see the shantys and the workers bent in the fields and up through the Grapevine. I grew up in a world surrounded by prejudice against the Mexicans and am grateful that many of my friends in school were Mexican and that through knowing them I learned that they were no different than me. I am also grateful that I chose to take three years of Spanish in High School and that through these experiences my love grew for Mexico and the Mexican people.

I know there are several books out there about Migrant Workers, but this one is not just informative, but also really well written. My kids enjoyed the book and I appreciate the chance it gave me to talk to them about my childhood and some of the memories that I still retain. It's funny, but one of the things the kids enjoyed the most is that the chapters were titled with a different food.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2010-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Yet another contemporary read that many of my friends recommended was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This too was remarkable. I was a little wary when I opened the front page to find the entire text was written in the form of letters, but my wariness soon wore off as I began to be entranced in the lives of the characters who were writing the letters. I had no idea what to expect from this book. The last time my friends recommended a book that I had no idea what it was about I ended up reading Twilight. Not wanting to make that mistake again, but still believing that there might be something worthy in the book, I took my chances. Who would've thought that it would actually be a book not about literary societies, not about cooking, and not about romance, but a book about war and love. Notice that I do not consider love and romance to be the same thing. Well, I love reading about war and I tolerate a good love story, especially one filled with realistic characters and this book was just that.

All Quiet on the Western Front

2010-04-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

To anyone who reads my blog, it is not news that I do enjoy a good war story. It's not that I enjoy suffering, but more that I want to learn about the causes of such suffering so as to be able to do my best to ensure that such pain and sorrow are not repeated. I know I am not influencial by the world's standards, but I also believe strongly that I am raising at least part of the rising generation that will be our future. I also believe that they should be taught the ugly part of our history so that they will not forget what it would be like to live in the filthy trenches of World War I or to be a slave in a Nazi concentration camp and have all dignity stripped from a person with their clothing. I do not like most video games or computer games that glorify war and make it seem appealing to the younger generation. My recommendation to any youth who enjoys fighting would be to read a book like All Quiet on the Western Front. It is a fictional story, but many WWI veterans have attested to it's accuracy in it's portrayal of trench warfare. It also goes further into the minds of the boys who were thrown into this war than you would expect and in doing so provides a clear picture of the tragedy that befell them. Although this book is generally considered a children's or young adult novel, I would not recommend it for most children until they are around 16 years old, or at least mature enough to handle the graphic details that are included. I would recommend it to all adults and say it is as good to read this book as it is to read Elie Wiesel's book entitled Night.

Peace Like a River

2010-03-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Peace Like a River, written by Leif Enger was a GREAT read! After reading the first paragraph I turned to Chris and in a giddy voice said, "I can already tell I'm going to love this book." It did not dissapoint. I won't say too much about the book because I think everyone should read it and I wouldn't want to spoil the fun for anyone. It is however, in my opinion, the perfect blend of spirituality, action, suspense, love, family values, and just has awesome characters. I don't read many contemporary books, but I'm so glad my friend recommended this one, it was just what I needed.

The Cay

2010-03-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

by Theodore Taylor
In 1942, 11-year-old Phillip Enright lives with his parents on the Dutch island of Curaçao, but when the war moves too close for comfort, his mother decides to travel with him back to the safety of Virginia. When their boat is torpedoed, however, Phillip is blinded and finds himself adrift on a life raft with an old black man and a cat. They eventually land on a deserted island. Phillip is suspicious of "the large Negro," but soon grows to trust--and ultimately love--the patient and generous Timothy. I read this book to the kids and although this book says it's intended for grades 5-8, all my kids enjoyed it. It is however, a tear-jerker and I would not have made it through reading aloud if it weren't for my son finishing it for us. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading it's pre/sequel - Timothy of the Cay.

The Story of My Life and Little Lord Fauntleroy

2010-02-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

As I continue to teach our daughters about heroic american women, I feel that Helen Keller is one woman whose life we must study and learn about. In preparation for teaching the girls about Helen Keller, I read her biography, The Story of My Life. It was Brilliant. She truly was one of a kind. I love her spirit, it reminds me of Clarissa. Clarissa does not do anything that she does not want to do. My challenge in life is to help her understand why she would want to do the things I am asking of her. I feel like I learned so much about both teaching and parenting by reading Hellen Keller's story of how Anne Sullivan helped her to see the world. I would recommend that all parents and teachers should read about the life of both of these women and their journey together. Although I knew the basic story of how Helen, being both blind and deaf, overcame her trials, I did not realize that she also became an advocate for all underprivledged persons, especially those with handicaps. I was pleased to learn about her efforts in Japan working with children in that country. Krystal actually ended up using the life of Helen Keller as a project for our history group study on the Civil Rights.

Another pleasing thing that came from reading this book is that Helen mentioned several times in the book how much she enjoyed the story of Little Lord Fauntleroy. That got me curious and as I love the Secret Garden is wasn't hard to believe I might enjoy another of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels. And indeed I did. It was a truly delightful story full of hope and very fairytale like. I will definately recommend this classic to my children to read.

Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

2010-02-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Our most recent read-aloud was Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge. It was a long read, but a welcome distraction to the dreary weather outside. We all enjoyed the two intertwined story lines, but would have preferred a little less Dutch history. We especially liked the characters of Hans Brinker, Peter Van Mounen, and Jacob Poot. This book is full of heroic values as Hans is faced with many difficult decisions of moral magnitude.

Guns, Germs and Steel

2010-01-30T12:27:00.000-08:00

This book written by Jared Diamond was a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Chris' sister read it as required reading for one of her classes in med school and she thought it was very informative. She knows that I like history and suggested this book to me, then gave it to me for Christmas. The idea of the book is to answer the question: "Why did history unfold differently on different continents?" The author, a professor of geography who has spent many years on the island of New Guinea, takes 471 pages to show his expertise in native New Guineans. He also takes a very darwinistic view of how the human species developed and contradicts himself numerous times throughout the work. As I began to read the book and realized that I did not like the author's voice, I pushed myself to read more. I do not like to think of myself as someone who is narrow-minded and I am usually willing to listen and most times genuinely interested to other points of view. However, I could not ignore the fact that although the author states that he will examine this question through every aspect of human life, ie. biology, herbology, economics, politics, etc. He never once brings up the subject of religion and its effects on the history of the world. Now, whether or not a person believes in a religion is beside the point. Throughout the history of the world, most peoples and continents have acted on principles based solely on their religious beliefs. In fact, most of the wars and conquests the world have known, which have surely played a major role in the success of certain continents over the others, where based on some sort of religious principles. Therefore, I quickly found a work of literature that blatantly ignores the effect of religion on the people of history to be very narrow-minded and unfounded. In short, I had a hard time believing any of the assumptions the authors stated in this book and consequently stopped reading it. Not to mention that if all one has to do to win a Pulitzer these days is to summarize any high school history text book and then add in their own glorified personal travel log to the islands of New Guinea, I have completey lost any interest in reading works from future recipients of the Pulitzer Prize.

P.S. - If anyone wants to borrow the book, I will gladly remove it from my shelves to make room for other more worthy works of literature, like Captian Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid perhaps.

Horatio Hornblower

2010-01-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

A while back, a friend of mine mentioned the Horatio Hornblower series as a series of books that Jared might like when he's a little older, with not much more about them than that she though she'd heard that one of the Star Trek captain's character was modeled after Horatio Hornblower. A couple months later while perusing at a used book sale, I found a couple of the books from the series and bought them. A few months after that while looking for a movie at the library, I stumbled upon a couple Horatio Hornblower movies. Chris and I watched one of the movies and then another, not even knowing what order they went in and inadvertently, watching them in the wrong order. The movies were good, really good. So, we checked out the first book from the library. I read it first, then Chris. We both loved the book and as with most series, couldn't wait to read the next one. I have read the first two books (Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and Lieutenant Hornblower) and Chris has read the first three (including Hornblower and the Hotspur).
The Horatio Hornblower series is set during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Horatio begins his service in the British Navy as a 17 year old who although very good at arithmetic, knows next to nothing about sailing or war. He very quickly learns the ropes of life at sea, overcoming the hardships that inevitably fall on a Midshipman. Horatio proves to be very talented with a sextant and navigation, which doesn't always win him brownie points with the other crew members. He also has a fire that burns within whenever they are engaged in battle. This fire enables him to think fast and make good decisions, which in the end prove to his benefit and ultimately his promotion. Chris and I both love the combination of tongue in cheek humor, dry intellectualism, and swashbuckling adventure. I would recommend these books to anyone, but would readily admit that not everyone would find them as entertaining as do we.
The most amazing aspect of this series is that the movies are actually better than the books. I believe this may be the first time that I have ever seen a movie based on a book that has surpassed the excellence of the book. So, if the prospect of reading 10 books full of dry intellectualism does not excite you, then look for the movies. There are 8 made-for-television movies. As far as I understand, the movies only cover the content of the first three books - which might be one reason why they are so good - the producers didn't try to cram 10 books into 4 hours, but rather picked the best part of the series and elaborated on that. The only negative thing I've discovered about this series is that it is difficult to find in it's entirety, but hey! I like a challenge.

Madame Bovary and The Thirteenth Tale

2009-12-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

I often read more than one thing at a time, meaning on my nightstand I will have a novel, a self-help book, and a magazine that I rotate through according to my mood that night. I will also be reading a novel to the kids, my scriptures, and something online at any given point. However, I don't think I've ever done what I did with Madame Bovary and The Thirteenth Tale. I began reading Madame Bovary and when I was about half-way through it, I put it down and started reading The Thirteenth Tale until I was done with it, then finished with Madame Bovary. I can think of a couple reasons for my doing this.
#1 - Madame Bovary is considered a classic by many and like many classics, it was written long ago and is somewhat difficult to get through. It was originally written in French and depending on the translation, can be a little confusing. So, switching to a modern novel written in today's language gave my brain a bit of a break for a while.
#2 - I made the switch when we went on vacation. I usually read novels that fulfill one of three purposes: they are children's books that I preview for my kids, they are historical fiction that I read to learn more about a period of history we are studying, or I consider the book to be challenging and read it so that I may strengthen my reading skills and continue to learn and grow. I don't generally read just for pleasure. But, some of my friends had read The Thirteenth Tale and recommended it and because I considered it a fluff book, I figured vacation was a good time to read it.
#3 - I considered the character of Madame Bovary to have an extremely negative and strong personality and I really needed a break from having her in my head. Every once in a while I will stop reading a book that I don't like, but I don't think I've ever come right back to finish it.
In many ways the two books were similar. Both stories have leading female characters who appear to be strong and untouchable. Madame Bovary is the wife of a country doctor in post-revolution France. She is not only in control of everything in her household, but also has control over every man she interacts with, or so it appears. The Thirteenth Tale's Miss Winter is the epitome of a rich spinster who is author to the most popular modern novels of her time. She too is mistress of her world, which includes anyone who has ever read her books. Both women are manipulative, abbrasive, and demanding. In the beginning of each book, the reader feels there is no situation these women could not handle.
However, as each page is turned, it starts to become evident that even these two giants have an achilles heel. For Madame Bovary, the desire for luxury beyond her means is her downfall. She possesses no values, no morals and in her quest for more, more things, more love, she dashes through two affairs and racks up endless promissary notes until she eventually takes her own life to escape the nightmare she has created. Miss Winter's demise is brought on more subtly as her weakness is itself more benign. The inability to face the truth about her life has created a demon inside her that is slowly killing the author until she decides to tell the world her story. Ironically, the moment she begins to unfold the history of her past, a new and more real illness begins to take her life, timed so perfectly that as she finishes her story, the illness finishes her.
In the end, Madame Bovary was a great lesson in why society fails when it's members have no morals and debt is considered a solution to life's problems. What is interesting to me is that this book was written so long ago, but our modern society still exhibits the same folly as years past.
The Thirteenth Tale turned out to be more than a fluff book as it has many words that I had not heard of before and I really enjoyed the mystery that it contained. Finally, I appreciate that even fictitous female characters who are worthy of having a whole book written about them do have weaknesses and it makes me think that maybe my own weaknesses are not that bad after all.

Dragonwings

2009-11-30T13:46:00.000-08:00

by Laurence Yep
We read this for our homeschool Book Group. I was not happy with this book and skipped several parts of it just to get through it. Part of the problem is that I was reading it to children who were really too young for the content. This is about a boy from China who lives in California and the struggles on the Chinese-Americans there. There is fighting, drug references, and thematic events that I did not feel were appropriate for my girls, but the book is a Young Adult novel meant for grades 4-7.

The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed

2009-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my many plans for school this year with the kids includes teaching them about some real-life heroes and heroines from history. Particularly with Clarissa, I'd like to point out how many female heroines begin to emerge in a world that had hitherto been a man's world. We have already explored such characters as Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman and Clara Barton. Some others we plan to discuss are: Florence Nightingale, Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, Anne Frank, and Rosa Parks. In thinking about women heroines, I have also enjoyed reading fiction novels with female main characters. I just finished a wonderful book called The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed about a teenaged girl who accompanies her father on a whaling expedition in the 1850's. Due to the recent death of her mother, Patience and her little brother find themselves torn away from Nantucket Island and all they hold dear as they follow their father out to see. Patience has many qualities, but patience is not one of them. She is a spirited, intelligent, strong-willed girl in a man's world. This tells of her struggle to find love and family amongst hardened sailors while practicing her mathematical skills of navigation. As I read more books about adventures at sea, I find them fascinating. I am really looking forward to our upcoming family vacation to Nantucket and Boston, but hope that we will meet with less adventure than Patience did in this book as grappling with pirates and being tossed about in a Cape Horn storm is not my idea of fun.

Thimble Summer

2009-10-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

After reading so many war books, I needed something light and fun. Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright was my book of choice. All I really knew about the book is that it was about a girl in Wisconsin in the early 1900's and all the things that happen to her one summer. This book was delightful. I like to describe it as a happy Charlotte's Web. I know everyone loves Charlotte's Web, but I personally find it depressing. Thimble Summer is not about a pig or a spider, but it does have a pig in it who wins a ribbon at the county fair. It also includes other classic farm-life stories such as swimming in the water hole, going to town and getting an ice cream cone, "running away" for the day, helping with the haying, and my favorite - getting locked inside the library after closing time. I loved that while I was reading this book, I could remember back to our summers in Wisconsin and imagine the sounds and smells that were described in the book. I loved the feelings of family unity that included not just immediate family, but neighbors and friends as well. Mostly, I loved that this book had a happy ending and that nobody died. How refreshing to know that somewhere in the world is a children's book where a girl or boy could be a hero in their own tale without having to lose their parents or anyone else they loved. What a gem!

More Civil War

2009-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

As the kids and I began our school year with a unit study of the Civil War, I continued my quest to read as many books about the Civil War as I could before we finished the unit. After Across Five Aprils and Gods and Generals I began reading The Red Badge of Courage. Most books would be a dissapointment after the last two I had read, but determined to give this one it's fair chance, I kept reading through what seemed to me to be endless sniveling and the insane ravings of a young soldiers mind. I had just resigned myself to finding absolutely no detailed description of battles or any other events that happen in a war, when the main character stumbled upon a dead soldier who had been dead for days. The author, Stephen Crane, who had yet to describe any tangible scene, painted a picture of this dead soldier that was so gruesome and vivid in detail that I actually had nightmares the night I read about it and it took me a couple days before I dared to pick the book up again. Most people who know me, know that I don't get grossed out easily: when we dissected owl pellets in fifth grade, I was the one who had to pull the rodent parts out of the regurgitated pellets for all the boys in the class who refused to touch them; in High School Biology class, I was delighted to find that my frog had some cancerous cells bulging out of it's guts and gladly volunteered to be the one to remove them as my lab partner (male) could not stomach the thought; finally, in college when I was struggling with my grades in every other class, I got an A+ in Human Anatomy because I found myself in the cadaver lab at any available time slot; however, this one scene described in a book grossed me out! So much so that I lost any tiny bit of interest that I had in the book and about three quarters of the way through it decided that it just wasn't worth my time. Apparently not all "classics" are classy.

On the flip side, as I had droned on and on trying to get through The Red Badge of Courage, I was really looking forward to starting The House of Dies Drear. Maybe it was because I used to be a mystery novel junkie as a kid and it's been that long since I've read a mystery novel, but I was very intrigued by the idea of this book. The House of Dies Drear is not set in the time of the Civil War, but is about a family who purchases a home that was part of the Underground Railroad and is rumored to be haunted by the slaves who were captured and killed nearby. After the first five or so chapters, I was scared out of my pants, and couldn't stop reading. I was loving it. I remember the next day when I saw my friend, I was so excited to tell her about how great the book was. I will say that the second half of the book wasn't as good as the first half, it actually got a little weird, but it was still a really good book for teenagers who enjoy history and mystery. I appreciated the little bits of information about the Underground Railroad that were woven into the story, as the kids and I had really enjoyed that part of our Civil War unit.

In summary, I would not really recommend The Red Badge of Courage to anyone, especially not the faint at heart, and I would recommend The House of Dies Drear to teenagers or older children who can handle a little bit of scary drama. But, for learning about the Civil War, there is nothing like Gods and Generals and I look forward to reading it's sequel, Fallen Angels, someday when I have a little more time.

The Secret Garden

2009-10-11T10:53:00.001-07:00

Now that we are back in school, it's Book Group time again. This year, rather than just do historical books, we decided to try a little bit different approach by going with a geographical theme. We had to stretch our imaginations a little to find classic children's books that were age appropriate but still covered different world wide geographical areas. For example, our first book this year was Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic, The Secret Garden. We decided that this book would count for both England and India as the main character, Mary Lennox, was born in India and often has memories about her life in India. Most of the book is set in England at the home of her uncle, Mr. Archibald Craven. I had read this book to Jared and Clarissa two years ago and they loved it. As with any good classic, they loved it again the second time and I hope they will read it again and again as there are so many layers of understanding to be discovered in it's pages. The day of book club, we met at a local park on a chilly, misty day in September; with weather not unlike that of the English moor, as one of the Moms pointed out. The Mom who was leading the group had several activities and discussions points prepared. The kids each colored their own secret garden spaces and then described how it made them feel and why they liked it. They also had the chance to spread wildflower seed all over the nearby butterfly garden in hopes of coming back in the Spring to see their flowers growing. The favorite activity by far was making their own miniature garden out of potting soil, moss, plastic animals, and any other items from nature they could find at the park. Jared, Amber, and Clarissa show off their gardens above (Krystal was there and made one, but wasn't in the mood for a photo).

Gods and Generals

2009-08-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Staying within the realm of the Civil War, but jumping to a non-fiction book, I just finished Gods and Generals - the saga of the war in the Virginia area during the first couple years of the war (when the South was still winning). It was excellent. It did take a little while to get into it as the beginning starts off with some background history of four different Generals. Each chapter is about a different man and at that point in the story their lives are not at all connected, so it is essentially like reading four different books at the same time (which I do frequently, but for some reason, this threw me off). Anyway, once I got to the part where their lives start to interact with each other, the story also became much more interesting. This in-depth look at the events behind the battles brought to ask many questions.
Growing up in California, far away from "The North" or "The South," I had only thought about this part of history as some abstract concept of a nation fighting over slavery. Furthermore, knowing that the North won and that slavery was abolished made it easy for me to assume that the cause of the North was obviously the right and just cause and that those fighting for the South were all misguided or ignorant. As I read about the lives of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, and Robert E. Lee and their complete devotion to God and all things true and just, I had to reconsider my previous notions. I began to ask myself, what were these two righteous men fighting for, if not for slavery? As I further read about the inner struggles they faced about the idea of secession, I began to realize that their conviction was founded in the concept of state's rights. It's a fact that it is unconstitional for the federal government to make laws that can and should be made by the states. This realization led to a discussion between Chris and I about what was more important, the country following the constitution, or following just and virtuous principles. We finally concluded that although the states should have individually abolished slavery, Lincoln knew they never would and he knew that slavery, not being a virtuous principle would most certainly tear this nation apart. So, at the risk of deviating from the nation's standard, he chose the higher law of virtue and took the chance at war to eradicate slavery from this land and eventually it worked.
Going back to the book, just when I told Chris that it wasn't about specific battle details, the content of the book changed as the battles of Fredicksburg and Chancellorsville were described in minute detail. However, even being a woman who is proned to enjoy things soft and kind, not bloody and mean, I was enthralled by every single detail and hung on every word until the very death of General Jackson, at which point I bawled like a baby in true female fashion. Now I look forward to reading the book's sequel, Fallen Angels, in which the victory will turn from the South to the North and I hope I will continue to re-evaluate the notions that I had previously formed about this part of our nation's history.
As a side note, Chris and I also watch the movie God and Generals and although I enjoyed the movie, as is usual, it was not nearly as good as the book and Chris actually fell asleep several times during the viewing.

Across Five Aprils

2009-08-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

This Newbery Honor book written by Irene Hunt is a historical fiction novel written during the time of the Civil War. It is excellent. I would recommend this book for ages 9 and older (having said that, I'm not sure I would have a 9 or 10 year old read it on their own, it might be a good read-together book just so that things could be discussed). Although any book about war is going to have some dark details, I think this book does a great job of dealing with the heavy issues surrounding the war and yet does not go into the gory details of battles. This is written from the point of view of a boy who is 9 years old at the beginning of the war and follows the hardships and growth that he experiences as he comes of age during this difficult time. It is set in Southern Illinois which setting promotes views from both the South and the North to be explored. I enjoyed how real the characters in the book were to me as I read it. I could feel the pain and the confusion of Jethro as he struggled with the issues at home while his brothers were off fighting. The historical details also seemed to be rather accurate and the author writes in the back of the book that most of the family events are true stories that were related to her by her grandfather. One of the things that really stands out for me is the sense of how far away from the rest of the world people were during the 1860's. With today's technology, we really do take for granted how difficult it was for families back then when it was months before they might hear news of their family members who were off in the war. Ultimately, I appreciate the authors reverance for an event that has affected Americans so deeply and took the lives of so many who fought for what they believed was right, in a time when it was difficult to tell which side was right or which was wrong.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy

2009-08-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

My friend recommended this book, otherwise I never would have found it as it's not on any of the reading lists I look to for book recommendations. This is a children's novel that my three oldest really enjoyed. As the title suggests, it is about four sisters and their adventures while on summer vacation with their father. I was a little nervous that Jared would not like a book that has four sisters in it since he often has his hands full with three, but he loved it. The setting is a quaint cottage that is owned by the heartless Mrs. Tifton and shares the same land as her mansion, Arundel. Thank goodness for Jared, the "Very Interesting Boy" is introduced in the first chapter and plays an integral part in the story. While talking about this book to a friend, she asked me what genre it was and my answer was, "It's like Family Fun and Values". While I'm positive that's not an official literary genre, maybe it should be, because I've found that books that fit into this category are often the ones my children enjoy the most. Although there are some hints at fairy-taleish comparisons like: the prince, the wicked step-parent, the witch, and the impoverished townsfolk who eventually find themselves in the castle - this is a modern day story filled with things kids can relate to. My kids especially enjoyed the adventure with the bull, not that they have ever had a close encounter with a bull themselves, they just liked the suspense. A bonus for me is that I only got choked up once toward the end. It's so difficult to do a read-aloud when you're crying all the time. I recommend this as a fun summer read, or maybe a good winter read to chase away the blues. Oh, and as for the "Two Rabbits" mentioned in the title, I barely even noticed they were there, but it makes for a fun title.

more indians and dolls

2009-07-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of Island of the Blue dolphins and Sing down the moon, I decided to try another native american novel. this time I chose the newberry honor book, anpao by jamake highwater. I don't remember how many pages I read, I know it was past 50, but I still have no idea what this book was trying to do. I got from what I read that it's about two brothers who want to marry a girl who claims she is married to the moon. the two brothers set out to find the moon and ask if they can marry the girl. in the process, one of the brothers ends up making the moon angry and things get bad. there was something about a swan who gives anpao a ride across a lake to find the cave where the moon lives. now, I love literature. I love analogies and symbolism, but somehow I couldn't see beyond what was actually happening in this story to get the underlying meaning. I'm pretty sure that there is more meaning to this book than I was able to glean from it. Maybe in a literature class with discussion help from others, it might mean more, but in my busy life of children and gardening and housework, I needed to read something not quite so complicated. Or maybe this book really is confusing and the critics who read it just gave it an honor because they too felt that there must be more to it than what they themselves were understanding. either way, I did not finish reading this book and I don't plan on it.

on a good note, after such a good experience with reading Patty Reed's Doll, I decided to read another story where the heroine is a doll, namely "Hitty, Her First hundred years" by Rachel Field, author of calico bush. hitty is a doll who writes her own memoirs and tells of the adventures that she has over one hundred years. I loved this book from beginning to end. her adventures begin when she is crafted out of mountain ash wood from a peddler in colonial new england. she enjoys her life and little mishaps there, but after a time she finds herself on a whaling boat, and then on an island being worshipped by natives, and then in the basket of a snake charmer in India, and then and then. you just wouldn't believe the people and places that one small wooden doll could visit in one hundred years. This is a story that will delight both young and old alike. Another thing I like about the story is that it eludes to several events in history, without divulging too much information, which could then prompt the reader to do some personal research into those historical moments that have defined our lives. Last, but not least, not only have I found a friend in Hitty herself, but I now have another new favorite children's author to add to the list of scott o'dell and clyde robert bulla.

Little Britches

2009-06-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

I finished this book a couple months ago and loved it so much that I suggested that Chris should read it to Jared after the girls go to bed. This started a new tradition in our house that will not quickly fade. Growing up in a house full a girls, Jared often feels left out and misunderstood. He has always loved golfing because that was something he could do with Dad, but golfing isn't always convenient. Reading a good book, that's convenient. And this book is more than good.

Little Britches was written by Ralph Moody and it is an autobiography. Unlike many autobiographies, it is riveting. From the first line to the last I was interested in this story about a young boy and his adventures and trials while living on a ranch in Colorado. It's not so much the context the story is set in, but the lessons that are learned that make this timeless. Early in the book, Ralph learns about building character in a way that is unforgettable. After lying to his mother and doing a very dangerous thing, his father is left to discipline him. This is a little of what he says, "A man's character is like a house. If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin. If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn't do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin."

This true story teaches lessons such as earning trust, earning respect, and giving a good day's work. A review on the book's cover reads, "Ralph Moody's books should be read aloud in every family circle in America," and I would have to agree. I will consider this a classic on our bookshelf and read and re-read it. I think our future generations would be full of strong leaders, parents and teachers if they could be raised with the same character and morals of Ralph Moody.

The Liberation of Gabriel King

2009-05-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

I finished this book a while ago and just loved it. It was a real quick read that really struck home with me. It's about a boy and girl growing up in the 70's in a small southern town. They are best friends, against all odds considering that he's white and she's black. Together they devise a way to help him overcome all his fears, the worst one of which is attending the fifth grade. They spend their summer conquering bullies, spiders, and the KKK. It is a wonderful story of friendship, morals, and strength. What I most enjoyed about it though was that I felt like I'd been transported back to that time in my life when I was enjoying similar adventures with my brother Jonathan, albeit at a younger age.
Before I went to Kindergarten, my family moved from Simi Valley, California (which is a city much like you imagine when you think of southern California; you know...the palm trees, big houses, important jobs, etc.) to a very small community in central California called Greenfield. Greenfield is on the outskirts of the San Joaquin Valley. It is, or at least was back then, a farming community. My grandparents lived nearby and owned a tire yard (I think my Dad was working for my grandfather and that's why we moved there). To the mind of an adventurous five year old, a tire yard is almost as magical as a fairytale castle. On this huge piece of cemented property that my grandparents owned were hundreds of rows of every size of tires imaginable. The rows were stacked so high that to my eye, they reached the clouds. Jonathan and I spent countless hours running in and out of the stacks, playing hide-and-go-seek and looking for 'treasures'. I remember one particularly exciting time when we found a barrel of some sort of acid that would disintegrate anything we put in it. Now that was fun. To this day, I cannot think of what sort of liquid would actually be lying around in an open barrel that would have such a chemical property, but would not melt the container it was in.
Some of the other adventures we enjoyed were running through the cotton fields that were close to our house and particularly looking for crop dusters. Crop dusters are the low flying aircraft that spray chemical pesticides on crops, but we called them 'our friends' because whenever we would be running through the cotton fields and they would come, we would eagerly wave to them and they would always wave back. We also called tumbleweeds 'our friends', I guess because they were always blowing in to say "Hi". I remember many times that we took Mom's kitchen spoons down to the irrigation ditches to catch tadpoles. We discovered that if we bent the spoons where the handle meets the spoon part, it was easier to hold. I don't remember if Mom ever found out what we were using the spoons for, but I remember her being upset that all of her spoons were bent.
It's not like we had a KKK clan in our small community like they did in the story of Gabriel King, but I do remember some prejudices. One night as Jonathan and I were coming home from some adventure, we saw the wild lights from ambulances parked across the street from our house. We were small and crept into the dark corners of the neighbors yard for a better view of what was going on. To my recollection what we witnessed was the aftermath of a bloody fight, most likely alcohol induced. I remember seeing blood and thinking there was a gun involved, but I can't be sure. The part that I remember most was knowing (or being told) that they were Mexicans and for some reason that seemed to explain everything. I am grateful to have matured and outgrown such feelings and beliefs, but it just goes to show that even though southern California may not be "the south," prejudices still abound there as well as in many other parts of the world.
Ultimately, I think that "The Liberation of Gabriel King" would ring familiar to most of us were we to examine the recesses of our minds for those sometimes fun, sometimes scary, and sometimes wrong moments in our childhoods.

The Cabin Faced West

2009-04-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Our history book club book for the month of March was The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz. It is the story of a girl named Ann Hamilton whose family has moved into the frontier and she isn't very happy about it. Through some unexpected events, Ann begins to see the value of the land that her family and even General George Washington are so interested in. This was an easy and enjoyable read. Jared made a diorama for his book report. He chose to portray the scene where George Washington comes down the road and surprises Ann by asking what her mother is cooking for dinner. Jared used sticks and painted cotton balls to make trees. He used playdough to create the grass and road as well as the gardens around the cabin. The cabin was built with pretzel sticks and frosting. We later tried to do the cabin building with the whole book group. It was fun and yummy all at once.

A memorable part of the story is when a storm comes and Ann chooses to rescue the peas from the garden. She shows surprising courage as she continually fills her apron with peas, brings them to the cabin, then heads back into the storm to save the remaining pods. We re-enacted this scene with a relay race. Each of the kids had on aprons and had to pass an apronfull of dried peas to the next kid. In the end, there weren't many peas left, but there were a lot of laughs.

Scott O'Dell

2009-03-13T06:28:00.000-07:00

After reading "The Matchlock Gun" a Newberry Medalist, and being slightly disappointed...I have decided to try to read more Newberry Medalist and Honor books to see which ones are really worth studying or having my kids read when they get there. I just finished "The Island of the Blue Dolphins" and "Sing Down the Moon." They are both written by Scott O'Dell (the same author that wrote Sarah Bishop).
I had tried to read "The Island of the Blue Dolphins" a few years ago and never got past the first couple pages. I'm not sure why because it was a very interesting book. It is about an Indian girl who lives with her tribe on an island off the coast of California (which I found very intriguing, since I looked for these islands every time we drove to my grandparents house in Santa Barbara). Her tribe leaves on a ship with white men, but she is left behind and has to learn how to live by herself on the island for 18 years until she is recued. That part of the story is true, the rest of the story - how she manages to survive - is the author's creativity. I love stories about girl's or women who are strong and even a little wild. Maybe somewhere underneath my outer shell of living the typical 'good' life, there is a part of me that imagines myself living alone in a forest with nothing but animals to keep me company (actually, I used to write stories about that as a kid). I guess I should just picture my house as a forest and my children as animals (not too hard to do) and I'm good. I definately liked this book and thought it worthy of the Newberry Medal.
I read "Sing Down the Moon" in three nights of reading before bed. This one is also about an Indian girl. This time it's the Navaho tribe in Arizona. The mood in this story is definately darker as it deals with the hardships the Navaho tribe faced as they were forced to march into captivity by the white man. I was continually surprised at how matter of fact the wording was. Not once did I find myself overcome with emotion as these horrible events were described. It was as though I myself became like the Old Men in the book, beyond caring or feeling. I found myself just reading the pages with not much hope of a better future for the characters in the story. But, lest you think that this book is depressing and therefore not worth reading, it actually does have a happy ending and in doing so the book mirrors the lives of the Navahos as they struggled through this oppressiveness to eventually be released from the white man to return to their homes. So yes, I think it is well deserving of it's Newberry honor and look forward to reading some more works of Scott O'Dell.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

2009-03-09T07:13:00.000-07:00

I realized that I finished this book a couple weeks ago, but haven't written my review yet. This was another one of those books that took me a while to get into. After I'd been reading it for a couple nights, Chris asked which page I was on, and I was only on page 16. In my defense, I do all my reading right before bed and sometimes my eyes close pretty fast. But, I did eventually get into the book and even stayed up late a few nights, unable to put it down. This book is set during the French Revolution when the citizens of France were capturing all the "aristos" and sending them to Madame Guillotine. Other than the styles, dress and culture of the time, that is the only history included in the novel. The rest of the story is a romance/adventure novel. I read something that said The Scarlet Pimpernel was the first masked superhero story, preceding zorro, the lone ranger, even batman and superman. So, overall it was adventurous and kept me reading. However, I do have a couple of criticisms. The first is that the author uses a few words in extreme excess. These words being: peremtory, and imperturbable. Maybe this is another manifestation of French culture during the Revolution, but personally I found it annoying that all of the Scarlet Pimpernel's actions were either peremtory or imperturbable. My next criticism is that each time there was a secret identity to be uncovered, (and this too happens often) I had guessed the true identity chapters in advance. This left me just reading to get to the point that the secret identity would be revealed and not so much concentrating on what was happening in the meantime. I would however recommend this book to others, if for nothing else, than to say that you've read one of the classics. Having said that, the next time that I want to read a book set during the French Revolution, I think I'll choose Les Miserables and just watch the movie of The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I am looking forward to seeing now that I've finished the book.

Patty Reed's Doll

2009-03-02T05:46:00.000-08:00

We just finished reading Patty Reed's Doll for our history book club. It is a story about the Donner party and their trek to California. The kids enjoyed it and were happy that I only cried twice while reading it to them. The book brought up many topics for discussion like: the continental divide, whether or not to trust strangers, the inner strenth of individuals, is salt water good for drinking, which objects are really important, etc. For book club we did a lot of fun activities including following the path they took on a relief map, making our own relief maps with modeling clay, packing doll house items into a mini covered wagon, and making our own wooden dolls. Clarissa's, Krystal's, and Jared's wooden dolls.

Krystal with her doll.

Quest for a Maid

2009-02-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

My friend recommended this book because she loves it. I too enjoyed the book. It's a historical fiction which is my favorite genre. It's setting is Scotland during medieval times. Once I got past the difficulty of understanding the words that represented the local dialect, I was enthralled. This story has all the elements of adventure such as murder, witchcraft, near drownings, daring rescues, a shipwreck, sword fights, and even a love triangle. It also includes lovable and interesting characters as well as the timeless emotions and character traits that make these people seem real. I think one thing that makes this story interesting is that the villian is actually a person who is much loved by the heroine. Myself, I was glad to see this wayward character brought to justice in the end, but others might not see things so black and white. That of course is one reason why I would recommend it to others, to see the difference in opinions that makes life exciting. It is also why I will probably read it again someday and see if I do or do not have the same opinion. One thing that will help for the next time I read it is that I now know that the book comes with a glossary of words in the back, which could help with the understanding a little. For instance, who knew that kirk was the work for church? If nothing else, I've broadened my horizon as far as knowledge of other languages goes. Some day it could come in handy. In the meantime, it was a fun read.

Calico Bush

2009-02-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading a great book called "Calico Bush" by Rachel Field. It is a colonization/pioneer story set on the coast of Maine. It was written for children, but I think it would make an excellent read for all ages. It's one of those books that had me interested from the first sentence and the action never seemed to lag. It includes adventures at sea, run-ins with Native Americans, a love story, heartache and happiness. The main character is a 13 year old girl whose courage during the rough times surpasses that of even grown men. There is folklore, poetry, ballads, and dancing. There are beautiful descriptions of the Maine coast, it's islands and all the things that grow on them. There are pioneer classics, like a Raising, a corn shelling, and a maypole dance. It has beautiful and detailed descriptions of different fabrics and how they played a role in the people's lives at the time. In short, it has everything for any age reader. I think I'll have to add this one to my list of books to buy.

1776

2009-02-03T14:34:00.000-08:00

I finally finished reading 1776 by David McCullough. And the verdict is in.....I loved it! An interesting thing about me is that although I like to dress up in girly clothes, have long hair, wear make-up, etc. I am really a tomboy deep down, at least when it comes to things like outdoor activites, snakes and bugs, and war books or movies. I wouldn't say it's the blood, guts and gore that I enjoy about war, but more like the courage, endurance, and glory. 1776 had it all. In my literally journey of the American Revolution I have read in the past couple months: Sarah Bishop, The Hessian, My Brother Sam is Dead, and 1776. They were all good books, although when I read the first three I only had a small idea of the details surrounding the Revolution. In hindsight, I may have enjoyed the fiction stories more if I had read them after 1776.
I think what I enjoyed most about 1776 was the clear view it presented of George Washington and the trials that he faced during those first moments of the war. In the memories that I have retained from my previous education, I always had the impression that the Revolution went as follows: The British started the war, they were bigger and had more money, but the Continental Army beat them. I never even realized how long the war actually lasted and that things were actually really bad for the Patriots much of the time. I felt my heart bleeding with George Washington as he looked at the troops and how little they had for clothing and shelter. It seems appropriate that I would be reading this book in the winter, so that I could more fully understand how awful the winters must have been in a climate inclined to even lower temperatures than what we experience here in Virginia.
Another detail that I never really caught before were the seemingly small miscalculations that Washington made in the battle of Brooklyn and again at Fort Washington, that had very grave results. In no way, did this knowledge lessen my opinion of this most stalwart Commander-in-Chief, but rather made his predicament seem that much more real in my mind. As heart bled with the troops during the retreat through New Jersey, so did it rejoice with them at the battle of Trenton, when the great surprise attack on the Hessians made them surrender, thus turning the tide of the war.
I appreciate what the author has done for George Washington, the Continental Army and the great nation to which I belong by recording these events in an interesting, yet detailed account of the event that eventually led to the freedom that I know enjoy in my daily life. I look forward to reading his Pulitzer prize winner, "John Adams."

Just So Stories

2009-01-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

by Rudyard Kipling
These classic short stories were delightful. We read these for our children's book group and the kids just loved them. They were interesting enough for the older kids to get a kick out of, but the animals in the stories kept the younger kids listening with eagerness. Definitely a good read-a-loud. Through these stories we were able to introduce onomatopoeias to the kids and they wrote their own stories using this literary concept. They are also a good way to talk about introduction, climax, and resolution. The kids especially enjoyed "The Elephants Child" and "The Beginning of the Armadillos."

The Matchlock Gun

2009-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

The kids and I have been participating in a homeschool History Book Club. Each month we read the assigned book, then get together with several other families to participate in book reviews, discussions, and activities. We started off the year with "Felicity" from the American Girl series. It was okay. The kids enjoyed it, Clarissa really liked that it was about a girl and her horse. Also, it was set in Williamsburg during the Revolution, so we were able to reflect on our trip to Williamsburg as we read it.
Next we read, "Carry on, Mr. Bowditch," a book about Nathaniel Bowditch, a colonial mariner who literally wrote the book on martime laws. It was two thumbs up, five stars, absolutely excellent in story, history, literary art, discussion topics and anything else you might want in a book. I should write a whole review on it.
We also read, "Sarah Bishop," set during the revolutionary war, it's about a girl whose family is all killed so she runs away and lives her life as a hermit in a cave. It started out slow, but got good once she left humanity and moved to the cave with only a bat as a companion. It was most interesting because it was told from the Loyalist point of view, her family were Tories.
Next, we read "A Lion to Guard Us" by Clyde Robert Bulla. I like this author a lot for historical fiction for kids; this was the first book we read by him, but then we read two others. We went back in history a little with this book. It's about a family of children who leave England to try to find their father in Jamestown. I had a hard time reading the end of the book out loud when the children find their father, I was all choked up. I liked how well the children understood what the author was doing with the analogy of the lion doorknocker.
Our next book was "The Sign of the Beaver" by Elizabeth George Speare. It is all bravado. A young boy who has to learn how to live off the land and protect his cabin while his father is away. He learns most from an Indian boy and in the end they eventually become friends. The bear-killing scene was a highlight, and the Indian word "pizwat" which means 'good for nothing' has been adopted for use by the kids. I personally thought it had a respectful view of how the white man and Indian tried to live together in those difficult times of colonization and expansion. Not to mention that the end of the book had me all choked up again, when the family returns home to the boy to find him all grown up, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
After taking December off (in which time we read "Ben and Me" - a very witty and funny biography of Benjmin Franklin written from the perspective of his pet mouse.), we read "The Matchlock Gun." I would have thought that after studying New Amsterdam and the influence of the Dutch in colonial America, I would have enjoyed this book more; the family being Dutch. However, the truth of it is that when reading a book out loud to my children, I prefer names that I can pronounce and I found the Dutch names very difficult on the tongue. My next complaint was that the chapters were short and shallow, without any action. The book quickly comes to an end with only one action scene - that in which the Indians (who are disgracefully decribed as dark figures, crouching and searching like dogs) ruthlessly chase the children's mother, throw an ax in her shoulder, and are then blown away by young Edward and the Matchlock Gun. Although this story may attempt to accurately describe how one people felt during the French and Indian wars, it is very one-sided. Trying to look for the positive, we took the opportunity to search You-tube and view a matchlock gun being primed and discharged, very interesting. Also, for Jared's report on this book, he wrote the story from the Indian's perspective, which when compared with the original story, gives more depth to a sensitive issue. I hope that this book will at least open the door for some intersesting discussion amongst the children. For myself, I can't really see why it was awarded the Newberry Medal, other than that there must have been a shortage of good literature in 1942, when it was awarded.

A Room with a View

2009-01-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

I remember being told once, never to give up reading a book until you've at least read 50 pages. I do try to follow that guideline and usually once I've read that far, I don't feel like I can abandon the characters in the book, so I just finish. In December I began reading "A Room with a View" by E.M. Forster. I read 90 something pages and stopped there. The beginning of the book was fine; the main character is a young woman who is on 'holiday' in Italy. I've always thought Italy would be a nice place to visit and have even taken a college course in Italian in my past life. I was excited when some of that knowledge helped with deciphering a few Italian words used in the book. However, my excitement wore off shortly after the main character leaves Italy and returns to England. I have always found the England described in books to be very drab and this book is no different. Being that I was reading this in December, a time when I look for ways to escape the gray of winter, I had no desire to enter it in a book.
As if that wasn't reason enough to stop reading, I have another. I have never enjoyed movies or books that are against my own moral beliefs. As I read more into this book, I realised that the whole reason the author had placed the character in Italy was for her to meet a man who was 'ill-bred' and portrayed as the "bad boy" (although he was in my opinion a gentleman and a nice guy), that way when she gets back to England and becomes engaged to a man of good breeding, the author has set the stage for what I'm going to call "the Titanic plot." I realize that this book was written well before the movie Titanic, but for me, it works. You see, many women loved the movie Titanic; I for one, did not. The reason I did not like it is that I feel like the movie glorified having an affair, with the condition that your husband or fiancee is not as exciting as the man you are having the affair with. So, what does this have to do with a "A Room with a View," I saw in it the same setup: Girl meets "bad boy" in Italy, girl is engaged to well-bred Brit in England, "bad-boy" from Italy moves into girl's neighborhood in England, well, I knew the rest of the story and just didn't want to go there.
I do believe that this book might have some merit as a social comedy, with the intent to evaluate the rigidity that was so prevalent in 20th century British society. I just couldn't bring myself to look beyond the moral thread to the social thread, eventhough that's why I began reading the book. So, my resolve for now. Avoid British novels in the winter and don't read books that can be the equivalent of chick-flicks.