Scott O'Dell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."