Love and Peaches
Unfortunately, this is once again the last book of a series and the only book the library has. I enjoyed it, but wish I could have read the first two books. As far as what the book is about - set Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in Georgia and you've got it. Not a terribly original book, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Almond, David
Kit's Wilderness
This is an excellent book, though I would caution against giving it to young children as it deals a lot with death and ghosts.
Kit and his family have moved back to Stoneygate to care for Kit's elderly grandfather, who begins telling Kit stories from his years as a coal miner. However, as he tells Kit his stories he begins to forget them and by the end of the book Kit is telling the stories back to his grandfather to help him remember who he is. Anyone who has dealt with elderly and forgetful family members will be touched and moved by Kit's compassion and love toward his grandfather.
Kit also is making new friends of course, and one of them is named John Askew. Askew and Kit are both from the old mining families, and Askew teaches Kit how to see the ghosts of the old "pit children" - children who died in the mines and whose bodies were never recovered and buried. At the same time, Kit begins writing a story about a boy who lived during the Ice Age and realizes that the story is also about Askew's struggle to reconcile his relationships with his family. The stories all become entwined with one another in the most unusual, unexpected book I have ever read.
This is an excellent book, though I would caution against giving it to young children as it deals a lot with death and ghosts.
Kit and his family have moved back to Stoneygate to care for Kit's elderly grandfather, who begins telling Kit stories from his years as a coal miner. However, as he tells Kit his stories he begins to forget them and by the end of the book Kit is telling the stories back to his grandfather to help him remember who he is. Anyone who has dealt with elderly and forgetful family members will be touched and moved by Kit's compassion and love toward his grandfather.
Kit also is making new friends of course, and one of them is named John Askew. Askew and Kit are both from the old mining families, and Askew teaches Kit how to see the ghosts of the old "pit children" - children who died in the mines and whose bodies were never recovered and buried. At the same time, Kit begins writing a story about a boy who lived during the Ice Age and realizes that the story is also about Askew's struggle to reconcile his relationships with his family. The stories all become entwined with one another in the most unusual, unexpected book I have ever read.
Alexander, Lloyd
The Xanadu Adventure
This book gives me the first opportunity to rant about something that really bothers me in our library. It is the 6th book in this series, and is apparently the only one the library has. Now why would anyone buy only the sixth book of a series?! Unfortunately, this happens far too often - I have many times found a series that looked interesting, only to find that the first book is gone, or that the second book (usually of a trilogy) is missing, of that as in this case, there's only one book and it isn't the first. That just frustrates me to no end and I don't read them.
These books are about a girl named Vesper Holly who is apparently quite wealthy and enjoys adventures and saving the world in her spare time. She is extremely intelligent and resourceful. This book combines adventure, archaeology, and science in a fun storyline. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if I had known the background of the story and character, so I highly recommend trying to find the rest of the series if you are interested in reading it. It looks like it would be a good series for young readers as it is adventurous and fun without ever being scary or offensive.
This book gives me the first opportunity to rant about something that really bothers me in our library. It is the 6th book in this series, and is apparently the only one the library has. Now why would anyone buy only the sixth book of a series?! Unfortunately, this happens far too often - I have many times found a series that looked interesting, only to find that the first book is gone, or that the second book (usually of a trilogy) is missing, of that as in this case, there's only one book and it isn't the first. That just frustrates me to no end and I don't read them.
These books are about a girl named Vesper Holly who is apparently quite wealthy and enjoys adventures and saving the world in her spare time. She is extremely intelligent and resourceful. This book combines adventure, archaeology, and science in a fun storyline. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if I had known the background of the story and character, so I highly recommend trying to find the rest of the series if you are interested in reading it. It looks like it would be a good series for young readers as it is adventurous and fun without ever being scary or offensive.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Alcott, Louisa May
Rose in Bloom
This is a sequel to another of Alcott's books, but you can easily read it on its own. It's a cute story about a girl who has grown up with her cousins, being raised by her uncle, and about her coming of age and romance. If you have a daughter who's just starting to be interested in romance, this is a great story for her. It's completely clean - not even any kissing - and the heroine is very level-headed and is much more interested in the character of a man than in his looks. I highly recommend it.
An Old Fashioned Girl
This is another great one for young teenage girls. Polly is a very poor girl who goes to spend the winter with a wealthy friend, and is all about the adventures they have as a family. It's a lot of fun and again, a very cool-headed heroine who knows that what's inside is much more important than fancy clothes or lots of money. The story picks up again 6 years later when they are all grown up and experiencing the beginnings of romance, and is another very clean story and one that I would have no qualms at all about giving to my young nieces.
*Note* If you can find a publisher besides the one I read (1st World Library), please do so. If you cannot, give your daughter a piece of notebook paper and have her write down every punctuation, capitalization, and grammar mistake she finds in the book. This would be an excellent English assignment and will teach proofreading skills. 1st World Library is run by donations, and they apparently haven't gotten enough to hire a proofreader yet, as there were literally hundreds of mistakes in this edition. It's still a good book, but the mistakes were enough to make it frustrating to read as I kept getting jarred out of "story mode".
This is a sequel to another of Alcott's books, but you can easily read it on its own. It's a cute story about a girl who has grown up with her cousins, being raised by her uncle, and about her coming of age and romance. If you have a daughter who's just starting to be interested in romance, this is a great story for her. It's completely clean - not even any kissing - and the heroine is very level-headed and is much more interested in the character of a man than in his looks. I highly recommend it.
An Old Fashioned Girl
This is another great one for young teenage girls. Polly is a very poor girl who goes to spend the winter with a wealthy friend, and is all about the adventures they have as a family. It's a lot of fun and again, a very cool-headed heroine who knows that what's inside is much more important than fancy clothes or lots of money. The story picks up again 6 years later when they are all grown up and experiencing the beginnings of romance, and is another very clean story and one that I would have no qualms at all about giving to my young nieces.
*Note* If you can find a publisher besides the one I read (1st World Library), please do so. If you cannot, give your daughter a piece of notebook paper and have her write down every punctuation, capitalization, and grammar mistake she finds in the book. This would be an excellent English assignment and will teach proofreading skills. 1st World Library is run by donations, and they apparently haven't gotten enough to hire a proofreader yet, as there were literally hundreds of mistakes in this edition. It's still a good book, but the mistakes were enough to make it frustrating to read as I kept getting jarred out of "story mode".
Alcock, Vivien
A Kind of Thief
This was not a very good book, nor a very bad one. I think I could have put it down at any point and never wondered what happened to the characters, which was good since the author never explained it satisfactorily anyway. The story is about a family: the father is accused of embezzling and the children are split up between their relatives while he is in jail. Eventually they end up back together living above a restaurant that their step-mother's uncle owns. That's really all there is to say about it, I think. As I said, it's not bad but it's not very memorable either.
This was not a very good book, nor a very bad one. I think I could have put it down at any point and never wondered what happened to the characters, which was good since the author never explained it satisfactorily anyway. The story is about a family: the father is accused of embezzling and the children are split up between their relatives while he is in jail. Eventually they end up back together living above a restaurant that their step-mother's uncle owns. That's really all there is to say about it, I think. As I said, it's not bad but it's not very memorable either.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Aiken, Joan
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
I was disappointed with this book. The title was very intriguing, but the author unfortunately seems to have used all her imagination in naming the book and had none left for the writing of it. It was terribly predictable and felt like she'd drawn scenes from every sad orphan book written for children and molded them together. Also, I kept expecting the wolves to come into the story somewhere but aside from frightening the characters twice at the beginning of the story, they never showed up again. From the title, I thought they'd end up being in league with the evil governess but that was a far more imaginative plot than this author had time for. Children who are just beginning chapter books may enjoy this story, but anyone over the age of 12 will be bored by it.
I have just checked, and this book was first published in 1962, which may explain some of the dullness, but I think it is still no excuse for the author to have been named a Member of the Order of the British Empire unless the rest of her books are much better than this one, of which I admit to having doubts. Our library apparently does not have any more books by this author, which helps confirm my suspicions. On to the next author!
I was disappointed with this book. The title was very intriguing, but the author unfortunately seems to have used all her imagination in naming the book and had none left for the writing of it. It was terribly predictable and felt like she'd drawn scenes from every sad orphan book written for children and molded them together. Also, I kept expecting the wolves to come into the story somewhere but aside from frightening the characters twice at the beginning of the story, they never showed up again. From the title, I thought they'd end up being in league with the evil governess but that was a far more imaginative plot than this author had time for. Children who are just beginning chapter books may enjoy this story, but anyone over the age of 12 will be bored by it.
I have just checked, and this book was first published in 1962, which may explain some of the dullness, but I think it is still no excuse for the author to have been named a Member of the Order of the British Empire unless the rest of her books are much better than this one, of which I admit to having doubts. Our library apparently does not have any more books by this author, which helps confirm my suspicions. On to the next author!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Adams, Richard
Watership Down
I have heard about this book several times from various sources, and always that it was very good, but from the title I had always assumed it would be a nautical book. I couldn't have been more wrong. It is about rabbits. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has this to say about the book: "Everyone who can read English should read it." I might not go quite that far, but if you like adventure and are starving for some animal fun between Redwall releases, this is the book for you. Watership Down has been around awhile - it was published in 1972, and is as good now as it was then. It is not in any way dated, since rabbit technology hasn't changed much in the last thirty years, and is simply a riotously good story. I was very impressed with the depth of plot in this book - you'd think it would be hard to write a really engaging story about rabbits, but Richard Adams pulled it off admirably.
Watership Down might be a stretch for some young readers, as it is nearly 500 pages long, but it would be a great book to read aloud as a family. There are also several stories within the book that the rabbits tell one another that would be fun for even younger children. These stories are about the rabbit version of a Robin Hood-like character, a daring and adventurous rabbit who is always getting into scrapes and somehow manages to get out again, usually with a crazy and (if you'll permit the pun) hare-brained scheme that shouldn't work but does.
The main plot of the book follows a group of young rabbits who leave their home in search of a safe new place to live. They go through an incredible amount of difficulties (rivers, mad rabbits, crows and more) and finally find a new home only to realize once they are safe, that they are all bucks and really need to find some does. So off they go on a completely new venture, involving a farm where they encounter a farmer with a gun, cats, and a dog (rough night); and a rabbit warren run by a general who would make Castro proud. There is no end to the excitement in this extraordinary tale.
*Note* If you like this book, you should read The Cold Moons by Aaron Clement, for which Richard Adams wrote a praising critique. It is a similar story, following a set of badgers to a new home. I first read it several years ago and have reread it since, thoroughly enjoying it both times.
I have heard about this book several times from various sources, and always that it was very good, but from the title I had always assumed it would be a nautical book. I couldn't have been more wrong. It is about rabbits. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has this to say about the book: "Everyone who can read English should read it." I might not go quite that far, but if you like adventure and are starving for some animal fun between Redwall releases, this is the book for you. Watership Down has been around awhile - it was published in 1972, and is as good now as it was then. It is not in any way dated, since rabbit technology hasn't changed much in the last thirty years, and is simply a riotously good story. I was very impressed with the depth of plot in this book - you'd think it would be hard to write a really engaging story about rabbits, but Richard Adams pulled it off admirably.
Watership Down might be a stretch for some young readers, as it is nearly 500 pages long, but it would be a great book to read aloud as a family. There are also several stories within the book that the rabbits tell one another that would be fun for even younger children. These stories are about the rabbit version of a Robin Hood-like character, a daring and adventurous rabbit who is always getting into scrapes and somehow manages to get out again, usually with a crazy and (if you'll permit the pun) hare-brained scheme that shouldn't work but does.
The main plot of the book follows a group of young rabbits who leave their home in search of a safe new place to live. They go through an incredible amount of difficulties (rivers, mad rabbits, crows and more) and finally find a new home only to realize once they are safe, that they are all bucks and really need to find some does. So off they go on a completely new venture, involving a farm where they encounter a farmer with a gun, cats, and a dog (rough night); and a rabbit warren run by a general who would make Castro proud. There is no end to the excitement in this extraordinary tale.
*Note* If you like this book, you should read The Cold Moons by Aaron Clement, for which Richard Adams wrote a praising critique. It is a similar story, following a set of badgers to a new home. I first read it several years ago and have reread it since, thoroughly enjoying it both times.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Two Princesses of Bamarre
Like I said, I can't get enough of this author! This story is the tale of two sisters who love each other deeply and do everything together, though they couldn't be more different. Meryl is outgoing and vivacious, loving horseback riding and swordplay. Her greatest dream is to one day rid Bamarre of monsters go on quests. Addie is afraid of spiders and everything else. She is sweet and loving, a true artist in embroidery, and wants to live in safety and peace without ever leaving her castle's walls. One of their favorite games involves finding the cure for the Grey Death, a horrible disease that has tormented their country for years. There is a prophecy that the cure will be found, and in their game Addie becomes sick and Meryl manages to find the cure (after fighting numerous horrible monsters, of course) just in time to save her. In reality, when the Grey Death strikes, it is Meryl who becomes ill and Addie who must face her fears in order to save the person she loves most. Filled with fantastic beasts, adventure, and a very unexpected ending, this book is a fun read for young people.
Princess Academy
A princess academy is something established when the omens point to a certain town as being the birthplace of the prince's bride. All the eligible girls spend a year being taught diplomacy, conversation, manners, dance, and commerce before finally meeting the prince at a ball where he is to pick the one he will marry. In the kingdom of Danland, it's been merely a formality for decades, but when the village of Mount Eskel is chosen, it must become a reality. All these girls know about is mining linder, a stone like marble, which is found only in their mountain. It is a year of discovery, friendship, and change for their village, and especially for Miri, who never felt before like she really belonged but finds her place and more in this delightful story for young girls.
Ella Enchanted
Gail Carson Levine is one of my favorite authors, and this book is one of the reasons. It has been made into a movie, and while the movie is very good, the book is still - as always - much better. This one is about a girl, Ella, who was given the "gift" of obedience by the fairy Lucinda when she was born. Lucinda is a good-hearted fairy, but has no idea that her gifts never turn out well - for example, at one point in the book she gives a newly-wed couple the gift of never being away from each other. The result of Ella's gift is that if anyone gives her an order, she must obey them no matter what. This is a Cinderella story, but has such an interesting and unique twist to the well-known tale that you almost don't realize that it is a retelling of Cinderella until you're almost through the story. Ella is a delightful, intelligent character who finally finds release from her gift through determination, courage, and love.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Daddy-Long-Legs
A lady at church handed me this book a few weeks ago and said that it had been her mother's and she thought I would enjoy reading it. She was absolutely right. The copy she gave me had been printed in the 1950's, but it has been reissued since and can be found on Amazon.com and used book stores (which is where I bought my copy).
The easiest way to describe this book is to say that if Anne of Green Gables had been written by Grace Livingston Hill, this book would be the result. Jerusha Abbot, the main character, is an orphan who unexpectedly receives a gift from one of the trustees at the orphanage. He will pay for her to go to college if she will write him a letter once a month. She has no idea who he is and is to send her letters via his secretary. She ends up calling him Daddy-Long-Legs because all she has ever seen of him was his shadow, which was very long and spindly. The book mostly consists of the letters she wrote to him, which are extremely funny and charming. If you've read any of GLH's books, you may be able to guess the ending already, but it's fun getting there!
The easiest way to describe this book is to say that if Anne of Green Gables had been written by Grace Livingston Hill, this book would be the result. Jerusha Abbot, the main character, is an orphan who unexpectedly receives a gift from one of the trustees at the orphanage. He will pay for her to go to college if she will write him a letter once a month. She has no idea who he is and is to send her letters via his secretary. She ends up calling him Daddy-Long-Legs because all she has ever seen of him was his shadow, which was very long and spindly. The book mostly consists of the letters she wrote to him, which are extremely funny and charming. If you've read any of GLH's books, you may be able to guess the ending already, but it's fun getting there!
The Orphan Train Trilogy
I am a complete sucker for orphan train books, and this trilogy is well worth the time to read. For those who don't know about orphan trains, here's a brief summary. In the early 19th century, New York City was flooded with street children, some of whom were orphans, others who had been turned out of their homes by parents who could not afford to take care of them, and some who had run away. By 1852, there were an estimated 30,000 street children. Charles Loring Brace came up with the idea of sending them west to be adopted by families who would have the space and ability to care for them. So began the orphan trains, which ran from 1854 until 1929 and placed around 250,000 children in homes across the west. It was an opportunity for a child to find a home, love, security, and a future, and these books explore the stories of several fictional children. They are a joy to read - though be warned that you may need a tissue at hand.
Dragonspell
This book is a fantastic find for all parents of dragon-lovers. It's a parable-type story in the line of Tolkien or Lewis, and is the first book of the Dragon Keepers series, which consists of at least four books. I just checked Amazon, and you can get them for about $10 apiece.
The main character is a girl named Kale, who was a village slave (meaning she had to do what anyone in the village wanted) until she found a dragon egg, and the village leaders sent her to serve Paladin. Paladin is a great warrior (the Jesus figure in the series) and has a school to teach young people to fight evil with him. Kale discovers that finding dragon eggs is a gift that she has, and that she is uniquely chosen to help raise dragons. There are several different types of dragons in these books: minor dragons, major dragons, greater dragons, and meech dragons. The ones Kale has are minor dragons - about the size of a house cat, and each different colored dragon has a different ability. The first one she hatches is a green dragon, which has gifts of healing - and the unusual propensity to faint at the slightest provocation.
Throughout the series, Kale learns what it means to trust in Paladin and Wulder (his father) and about friendship. These books are a great read and are an excellent choice for parents who are looking for fantasy-type books for their family bookshelves.
The main character is a girl named Kale, who was a village slave (meaning she had to do what anyone in the village wanted) until she found a dragon egg, and the village leaders sent her to serve Paladin. Paladin is a great warrior (the Jesus figure in the series) and has a school to teach young people to fight evil with him. Kale discovers that finding dragon eggs is a gift that she has, and that she is uniquely chosen to help raise dragons. There are several different types of dragons in these books: minor dragons, major dragons, greater dragons, and meech dragons. The ones Kale has are minor dragons - about the size of a house cat, and each different colored dragon has a different ability. The first one she hatches is a green dragon, which has gifts of healing - and the unusual propensity to faint at the slightest provocation.
Throughout the series, Kale learns what it means to trust in Paladin and Wulder (his father) and about friendship. These books are a great read and are an excellent choice for parents who are looking for fantasy-type books for their family bookshelves.
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