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By: Stacy Dillon,
on 8/4/2016
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If there is one request I get from students the most it is, "Stacy! I want a scary book!" This is always tricky business, because invariably this question is not coming from an 8th grader. It's coming from a 4th-6th grader. And honestly, there aren't that many titles. This is one of the reasons I am so thankful for DeStefano. I first got to know her through
The Curious Tale of the In-Between, which is so absolutely creepy and scary in a subtle way. I am incredibly happy to have gotten my hands on The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart, which is perhaps even scarier.
Lionel and Marybeth live with Mrs. Mannerd in a home for orphans. They are among the youngest in the home and couldn't seem more different from one another. Lionel is somewhat of an animal boy. He would rather eat with the animals and be outdoors with the animals than do anything as seemingly silly as eat at a table with untensils! Marybeth, on the other hand, has perfect manners, is a quiet child, and does things like brush her teeth and comb her hair without even being asked. While everyone else in the house thinks that Lionel is weird, Marybeth does not.
Marybeth often follows or accompanies Lionel out on his journeys into the woods to see the animals. Lionel often talks about the animals he is friends with, and just recently he has been talking about a fox with a blue coat that he saw but is unable to track. One rainy night, Marybeth sees a streak of blue running outside of her window. When she goes to wake Lionel, she is admonished and chased away by one of the older boys he shares a room with a decides that she will go track the animal on her own. She heads out into the dark and rainy night toward the river. As she plummets into the river she is surrounded by a blue light before she surfaces.
When Marybeth shows up back at Mrs. Mannerd's house at the end of the following day, everyone is relieved to see her alive. Lionel is one of the first to realize that the Marybeth that returned to the house is not the Marybeth who left. She is not wearing her glasses anymore, has not plaited her hair. When one of the older boys steals her breakfast because she is too slow, she does something that is decidedly not Marybeth. She lunges across the table and bites his neck!
What was that blue light in the water that surrounded Marybeth? And how did it get inside of her?
What follows is an absolutely chilling tale of ghostly possession, friendship, madness and family. Moody and atmospheric, readers will be able to picture the settings and feel the tension and desperation Lionel feels as he tries to save his friend.
Breathtaking!
(Publishing 9/13/16)
By:
Bianca Schulze,
on 2/18/2016
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The extraordinary memoir of Michaela DePrince, a young dancer who escaped war-torn Sierra Leone for the rarefied heights of American ballet.
By: Stacy Dillon,
on 4/20/2015
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Every now and again a book comes along that renders me smitten. In this case, the book was unexpected. It showed up on my front porch, which is something that doesn't happen so often these days. I was intrigued by both the cover and the title and since it was a weekend, I settled in.
There is not much that makes Lottie Fiske happy. She is stuck living in the boarding house with Mrs. Hester Yates after her intended guardian passes away in his porridge. Mrs. Yates is not much like her husband who was always doing things that were kind. She finds Lottie a bother who doesn't help with the chores, and is more likely found cavorting in the garden with her imagination.
Two things do make Lottie happy, and they are the apple tree in her yard, and her best friend Eliot. She has been putting her wishes in that tree for ages now and each year on her birthday she receives the trinkets she asks for. So when Eliot's health takes a turn for the worse, Lottie knows she needs to use her birthday wish for something more important than hair bows.
An apple tree gateway, a magical legacy, political intrigue and plenty of double crossing do not deter Lottie from trying to get what she needs in order to help Eliot. The problem is, Eliot's not the only one who needs what Lottie has come for.
Ormshee has written one heck of a charming story that had me right from the beginning. Setting, character, story and world building all come together in a way where readers do not see the strings. The writing itself is a pleasure to read, and I am planning on reading this aloud this summer to my own daughters. The book comes blissfully map free, but I find myself wanting to draw not only Lottie's journey, but the characters she meets along the way. From her apple tree, to Iris Gate and especially the Wisps...I have them in my mind's eye, but want to put pencil to paper and give them more shape and look upon them. While this book doesn't scream sequel (and you all know how much I adore the stand alone), I find myself wanting more of these characters. For fans of the faery, friendship, poetry and a well spun yarn.
Janusz Korczak was a well-known, well-respected children's pediatrician in Poland in the early part of the 1900s. Among his many accomplishments, he had founded an orphanage to care for some of Warsaw's young Jewish orphans. He loved children and would often regale his charges with stories he made up, including the now classic tale of
King Matt the First, as well as looking after their health and cheering them up with their needed it. And the children loved him back, affectionately calling him Mister Doctor.
On November 29, 1940, all the orphans living in the big orphanage at 92 Krochmalha Street in Warsaw, Poland were ordered to leave by the Nazis. Accompanied by Mister Doctor and his assistant Madam Stefa, all of the children walked to the ghetto that would be their new home for a while carrying their meager belongings, softly singing, and the flag of King Matt the First.
Their new home is small, located within a two block radius, surrounded by barbed wire and armed watchman, their living quarters are cramped and dirty. When their wagon full of potatoes were confiscated by the Nazis, Mister Doctor put on his WWI uniform and went to Gestapo headquarters, where he was laughed at, ridiculed, beaten and temporarily arrested.
Life in the ghetto grew more and more crowded as more Jews were brought in, food became scarcer and scarcer, with men, women and children dying in the streets everyday from starvation and disease. Finally, in August 1942, the children were ordered to the train station and from there to a concentration camp and death. But Mister Doctor was offered his freedom, after all, he was a famous doctor. Instead, he refused and choose to accompany his children on this final journey.
The story
Mister Doctor is told by a young boy named Simon to a younger, newly arrived orphan named Mietek. Simon describes in detail how the orphanage was run, how the children were educated and how Mister Doctor took such special care of all of them. At the same time, Simon is talking about past, he also gives detailed information to the reader about what is going on in their present situation. Cohen-Janca has really captured the sense of longing and nostalgia in Simon's voice when he talks about life in the orphanage before the Nazis invaded Poland, and the fear and apprehension he feels about what is to come.
The story told here is a fictional reimagining of what happened to Dr. Janusz Korczak and the children in his care, but based on the true story of what happened to them during the Holocaust. Pay particular attention to the last three paragraphs of this book and ask yourself who wrote them and why?
Like Michael Morpurgo's
Half A Man, this book also looks like a chapter book with only 68 pages a simple narrative style and many illustrations, but it is also deceptively complicated and really for a middle grade reader.
The realistic black and white illustrations set against a marbled peach background are a precise reflection of the words that Cohen-Janca has written, and give the reader a real-to-life sense of the children, the doctor and their lives from 1940 to 1942. Little touches, like the figure of Puss in Boots leaping over the barbed-wire fence of the ghetto as Simon talks about how that cat and his courageous deeds always gave the orphans courage. But there is a subtext that says the Nazis can take away housing, food, dignity, but not the stories that means so much and help the get kids through very difficult times.
This is a powerfully poignant story that shouldn't be missed. Additionally, at the end of
Mister Doctor is information about the real Janusz Korczak, whose real name was Henryk Goldszmit, followed by a briefbut useful list of Further Reading and Resources, Children's Books by Janusz Korczak, Resources for Parents and Teachers and Related Links.
Mister Doctor was translated by Paula Ayer
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an E-ARC received from
NetGalley
By:
Becky Laney,
on 2/21/2015
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Wanderville. Wendy McClure. 2014. Penguin. 224 pages. [Source: Library]
Wanderville is the first in a new historical series for young readers. The book opens in the year 1904. Readers quickly meet a group of 'orphans' destined to head west to Kansas on the 'orphan train.' Jack is not an orphan. But his parents have decided to place him out. This decision, in part, is based on overwhelming grief. Jack's older brother died in a factory fire. Jack escaped death, but, he had to jump out an upper story window to do so. Readers also meet siblings Frances and Harold. These three children meet on the train. The children on the train have different reactions: some are excited and hopeful about the future, some are all nerves and worries. There have been rumors--horrifying rumors. So Jack, Frances, and Harold come to an agreement at some point during their ride, they will NOT stay on the train, they will not be placed out as orphans, they will not face the risks. So. They jump off the train, and, the three of them find a runaway orphan named Alexander. He is a DREAMER. In his mind, the nearby woods are a dream come true. Wanderville. A place where all children longing for freedom and independence find sanctuary....
But this 'free' life comes with risks of it own. Yes, the children are free from authority, but, they essentially survive by a combination of stealing and living off the land. Alexander is a persuasive talker, but, he's also a thief on the run from the law. (The sheriff of the town knows that something is going on.)
Wanderville is a quick read, and it's enjoyable enough. I can't say it was love. But it was entertaining enough for an afternoon's read.
© 2015 Becky Laney of
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By: Shelf-employed,
on 2/20/2015
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If this is how the year is starting out, it's going to be a banner year for middle-grade books. First, Gordon Korman's Masterminds (more on that fantastic new thriller another day) and now Echo: A Novel.
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2015. Echo: A Novel. New York: Scholastic.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of Echo from Scholastic and was intrigued that it was wrapped in musical notation paper and had a smartly-boxed Hohner Blues Band harmonica tied to it.
I was happy to see an apparently music-related book, and what somewhat surprised to find that Echo begins with a fairytale, "The Thirteenth Harmonica of Otto Messenger," a fairytale replete with abandoned princesses, a magical forest, a mean-spirited witch, and a prophecy,
"Your fate is not yet sealed. Even in the darkest night, a star will shine, a bell will chime, a path will be revealed."
Though brief, I became enthralled with the tale and was surprised and taken aback when I reached Part One and found myself not in the fairytale forest, but in
Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 1933, home to the
world's oldest harmonica manufacturer. I couldn't wait to find out what became of the abandoned princesses, but soon found myself wrapped up in the story of young Friedrich Schmidt, a German Jew during Hitler's ascendance to power. This kind-hearted, young boy of a musical family was surely destined to be gathered up in the anti-Semitic wave sweeping through Germany. I became engrossed in Friedrich's story, anxiously hoping that things would work out for him and his family, and was again surprised when I reached Part Two and found myself in
Philadelphia, 1935, home of the then-famous
Albert Hoxie and the Philadelphia Harmonica Band, and of the Bishop's Home for Friendless and Destitute Children, where I found myself in the company of piano-playing orphans, Mike and Frankie Flannery. Their story was no less heart-wrenching than Friedrich's, and I found myself desperately rooting for the young boys when I suddenly arrived
in a migrant worker's community in Southern California, 1942, where young Ivy Maria Lopez was about to play her harmonica on the Colgate Family Hour radio show, but her excitement was short-lived. I fell in with this hard-working, American family and hoped, along with Ivy, for her brother's safe return from the war.
Of course, there's more, but this is where I will leave off.
Pam Muñoz Ryan has written a positively masterful story that will take the reader from the realm of magic through the historical travails of the infirm, the oppressed, and the poor in the midst of the 20th century. Through it all, music gathers the stories together in a symphony of hope and possibility. In music, and in
Echo, there is a magic that will fill your soul.
It may only be February, but I predict that praise for
Echo will continue throughout the year.
On a library shelf near you - February 24, 2015.
By:
Bianca Schulze,
on 12/10/2014
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Madame Tussaud's Apprentice is a fascinating historical drama. The rich background of revolutionary France provides readers with a fascinating look at that terrifying time.
By:
Bianca Schulze,
on 11/24/2014
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The Orphan of Torundi delivers all the key ingredients for a successful young adult novel. Romance, fast adventure, and a believable landscape blend together for a consuming read with a strong protagonist.
By: Stacy Dillon,
on 8/22/2014
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Molly and Kip are trying to find the Windsors, their new home of employment, but the locals are not making it easy for them. Every time Molly asks, they speak of the sour woods and tell Molly that she should stay away. But it's not like Molly has a choice - she and her brother are far from home and without parents. When they encounter Hester Kettle on the road, they seem to have found a piece of luck. She is willing to tell the children how to get to the Windsors for a promise of future stories. Molly agrees and they are soon on their way.
Molly's introduction to the family is a far cry from welcoming. Hired by the Windsor's solicitor, Constance has no idea Molly is coming and is less than pleased to find her telling stories to her young daughter Penny in the dusty foyer of the house. Constance and her son Alistair want Molly and Kip to leave immediately, but Molly is able to use her gift of the gab to convince them that they would much rather live in a well tended house, and that she and Kip can provide it for them.
She will soon live to regret this move, as the family and the house seem to be harboring dark secrets. While she is able to throw herself into the ample work of cleaning up the household during the day, it is at night when Molly is most afraid. Every night since she's been sleeping in the house, she has been having terrible nightmares. And it turns out the darkness isn't just in her mind. She wakes to find her door open, leaves in her hair and mud on the floor.
As it turns out, the Night Gardener Miss Polly has mentioned is real. He wanders the house and the grounds at night and has his hand in the nightmares of the household.
And he is not the only dark element at the Windsors' place. The tree, growing much too close to the house, is more than it seems as well, and will soon ensnare Molly as it has the Windsors.
This is a deliciously scary story that will have readers up into the night to finish. Jonathan Auxier is one of those writers who seems like he's been around forever. Not because there are a plethora of his books lining the shelves, but because he is a craftsman. His books have a timeless quality to them and are made of the stuff with staying power. The Windsor's legacy is slowly revealed piece by piece which helps bring the suspense level to that of a slow burn. He explores the themes of human weakness and greed, family and loyalty with aplomb. The setting is expertly laid out and even now as I close my eyes I can see the grounds, the stables and the green door.
Fans of dark fantasy, Victorians, and well crafted stories will be left shivering with delight.
By: Shelf-employed,
on 3/5/2014
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A short review today. I rushed to finish, as I knew the kids in my book club would surely want to get their hands on it last week. I was right.
Auxier, Jonathan. 2014. The Night Gardener. New York: Amulet.
Set in England aground the 1840s, The Night Gardener features an Irish gal with the gift of blarney, her10-year-old brother with a lame leg and stout heart, a mysterious storyteller, and a strange family inhabiting a creepy mansion on an island in the middle of the sourwoods.
Separated from their parents and forced to flee Ireland due to famine, Molly & Kip have no choice but to accept employment with the Windsor Family, the only inhabitants of the only home in the sourwoods,
At the far end of the lawn stood Windsor mansion. The house had obviously been left vacant for some years, and in that time it seemed to have become one with the landscape. Weeds swallowed the base. Ivy choked the walls and windows. The roof was sagging and covered in black moss.
But strangest of all was the tree.
The tree was enormous and looked very, very old. Most trees cast an air of quiet dignity over their surrounding. This one did not. Most trees invite you to climb up into their canopy. This one did not. Most trees make you want to carve your initials into the trunk. This one did not. To stand in the shadow of this tree would send a chill through your whole body.
Even Molly's indomitable spirit and knack for storytelling cannot shield Kip and the young Windsor children from the horrors that lurk within the shadow of the giant tree.
Historical fiction and horror intertwine in this absolutely gripping story. With similarities to Claire LeGrand's
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls,
The Night Gardener is the stuff of nightmares.
Coming to a bookshelf near you in May, 2014!
Notes:
My Advance Reader Copy was thrust upon me by none other than the wonderfully funny, Tom Angleberger (of Origami Yoda fame), who insisted that I read it. Thanks, Tom!
Also by Jonathan Auxier, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, which I reviewed in 2011.
The book's cover was drawn by Patrick Arrasmith and designed by the talented Chad Beckerman, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing a while back.
Rose
by Holly Webb
Synopsis: Rose is a practical girl. When the other orphans daydream about finding their parents, Rose dreams of getting a position in domestic service, of being independent, working hard, and earning a living. So when the housekeeper for a leading magician comes to the orphanage looking for a young housemaid, Rose is thrilled to be selected.
Rose doesn't hold with magic, so when she begins to suspect that she may have some magic abilities, she is determined to get rid of them if possible. She just wants to be an ordinary person, and to fit in with the other servants, especially her new friend, the houseboy, Bill. But when someone starts stealing children off the streets, and Rose's best friend from the orphanage disappears, Rose teams up with the magician's apprentice, Freddie, his spoiled daughter, Isabella, and the magician's cat Gustavus to get to the bottom of it.
Review:
Rose is a fun middle-grade fantasy with a delightful, no nonsense heroine. Practicality and imagination are usually portrayed as being mutually exclusive, so it's terrific to see a protagonist who has both in abundance. Young readers will identify with Rose's struggles to both find herself and fit in, two things which sometimes seem to be in conflict. I fell in love with Rose from the first page.
The story is set in an alternate Victorian England where magic is real, although rare and expensive. There's a variety of interesting characters, and most are pretty well developed. The one exception is the villain, who's a pretty clichéd evil villain, and is really more of a story device than an actual character. It doesn't really matter, though, since the battle with the villain doesn't come in until later in the book. Rose is the real centerpiece of this story, and most of the book revolves around her learning to adjust to life outside the orphanage, developing relationships with the other members of the household, and coming to terms with her magic.
This is an engaging book with a lot of kid appeal, and I would recommend it to young readers who enjoy a fun story with great characters and a little bit of magic, as well as those who enjoy historical and pseudo-historical settings.
Get it from:FTC required disclosure: Review copy given by the publisher at BEA to enable me to write this review. The bookstore links above are affiliate links, and I earn a very small percentage of any sales made through the links. Neither of these things influenced my review.
By:
Becky Laney,
on 2/5/2013
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Miss Billy. Eleanor H. Porter. 1911. Dodo Press. 208 pages.
Miss Billy (1911) is a pleasant romance by Eleanor H. Porter, an author perhaps better known for her children's novel Pollyanna (1913). Billy becomes an orphan around the age of eighteen. She has no living relatives, but she still needs a family, wants a family. She decides to write one of her father's college friends, a friend she was named after. Her name *is* Billy. Her namesake, William Henshaw, is living with his two younger brothers, Cyril and Bertram. (Also making up the household is Pete, the butler, and Dong Ling the cook.) Her letter reveals her eagerness, her expectation, her hope to come and live with the Henshaw family in Boston. Her letter doesn't reveal her gender. I don't think Billy even thought that her name might be ambiguous enough to cause confusion. They send her the message to come, and then comes the big surprise. What will a houseful of men do with an eighteen year old girl? Well, they'll call their sister to beg her to be chaperon for a night or two perhaps. But then they'll see what spinster relative they can bring into their home along with this newcomer and her cat. Aunt Hannah will suit nicely. The first part of the novel focuses on how Miss Billy changes things up for these three men. How she brings life and excitement to them all, making the house feel more like a home. The second part of the novel, however, focuses on the all-too-absent Billy. For after a big misunderstanding, Billy decides to live elsewhere using college and then European travels as an excuse to stay away from the Henshaw brothers. The third part of the novel is set when Billy is twenty-one or twenty-two, she's return to Boston and bought her own home and is establishing herself quite well. It is the third part of the novel that focuses on Billy's love life...
It is a pleasant, enjoyable novel. Miss Billy is vivacious and lovely. And the three brothers are interesting as well. At least two of the three brothers are unsociable and a bit awkward until helped by Miss Billy. Cyril being thought to be interested only in music; Bertram being thought to be interested only in art; William being thought to be interested only in collecting various objects for his huge collection. There are a few good minor characters as well, including the very domestic music teacher. The only minor character I didn't like is the sister, Kate, who is almost always the source of confusion and misunderstanding... Read Miss Billy
- If you like orphan stories (like Anne of the Island, Daddy Long-Legs, etc.)
- If you like light romances (or clean romances)
- If you've read Pollyanna and want to read more from Eleanor H. Porter
© 2013 Becky Laney of
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By: shelf-employed,
on 3/28/2012
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My review of
The Midnight Zoo (as it appeared in the March 2012 edition of
SLJ)
The Midnight Zoo (unabr.). 4 CDs. 4.33 hrs. Prod. by Bolinda Audio. Dist. by Brilliance Audio. 2011. ISBN 978-1-7428-5126-6. $49.97.
Gr 7–10-- Like a 20th-century version of Avi's Crispin, who fled across 14th-century England, 12-year-old Andrej is without parents and adrift in Europe during World War II with his younger brother, Tomas, and infant sister in tow. Without destination or an understanding of the war that has divided them from their nomadic Roma clan, the siblings travel by night and sleep by day, sensing danger at every juncture. Andrej scavenges for their food and necessities for the baby. One moon-drenched evening, the trio arrives at a zoo in the ruins of a bombed village. They encounter a menagerie of talking animals, trapped in zoo cages with neither keeper nor keys. Throughout a surreal evening, the boys and animals share life stories. Through the animals, Andrej and Tomas begin to understand the nature of man and war. This understanding, however, offers more questions than answers. Richard Aspel's, rich and sonorous voice creates memorable characterizations for the many humans and animals in Sonya Harnett's novel (Candlewick, 2011), including German-speaking soldiers; his Aussie pronunciation requires a keen ear. Listeners who persevere will be rewarded with a stellar performance. With some aspects of fable, minimal dialogue, and heavy use of allegory, this artfully crafted look at the character of man and the concept of freedom may have limited popular appeal.
Copyright
© 2012 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte. 1847. 300 pages.
There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.I know not everyone sees value in rereading books. But. I just can't help it. If I love a book once, I'm going to want to revisit it. Again and again and again. After all, if I never wanted to read it again...ever...could I even really say I loved it? Or loved, loved, loved it?
Jane Eyre was a pleasure to reread. It really was. From the first page to the last, it kept me satisfied. There was so much to savor, so much to slowly absorb. I didn't rush this one. I didn't want to rush this one. I wanted to enjoy every moment of this one. Because books as wonderful as Jane Eyre just aren't that easy to find.
Though Jane Eyre has been adapted to films many times, I don't think it's a novel that adapts particularly well. The novel is told in first person. We see EVERYTHING through Jane's eyes. It is a very personal connection the reader has to make with Jane if the novel is to be appreciated and loved. If you don't come to love Jane, if you don't come to understand Jane, if you don't come to see the world through Jane's eyes, if you don't see Mr. Rochester as Jane does, if you don't LOVE him as Jane does, then you're not getting the full experience.
I was disappointed with the 2011 adaptation. Especially with Mr. Rochester. Why? Well, if you didn't already LOVE Mr. Rochester, then you would have no real reason--other than appearance, perhaps?--to love him. By taking the words out of his mouth, by eliminating almost all of his dialogue with Jane, by eliminating the oh-so-crucial gypsy scene, viewers see only a slightly teasing Mr. Rochester with a very deep, very dark secret. We see him only at his very, very worst, for the most part. And the scene after Jane knows the truth, well, it just seems so far removed from anything in the book. It was seeking out that scene in the book, it was wanting to know how the *real* Mr. Rochester treated Jane after the big shocking reveal, that led me to reread the book.
The BBC production (from early 1980s) starring Timothy Dalton and Zelah Clarke is a much, much, much better adaptation. In my opinion. I loved, loved, loved how Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester developed. I loved their scenes together. I loved the dialogue. I loved how we really got to know both characters through the episodes. (It is over five hours long!) Everything that I loved about the book (almost everything) was present in this adaptation. It just felt right!!!
Do you have a favorite adaptation of Jane Eyre?
My
original review.
© 2011 Becky Laney of
Becky's Book Reviews
By:
jrpoulter,
on 11/23/2011
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By: shelf-employed,
on 8/11/2011
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Auxier, Jonathan. 2011. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. New York: Amulet.
(Advance Reader Copy provided by the publisher and signed in New Orleans by the young, very friendly, and tall Jonathan Auxier. Some lucky young reader will be the recipient of this great new book!)A sightless, orphan boy under the control of a heartless man, the Dickensian Peter Nimble uses his remarkable senses to survive, becoming as unseen as he is sightless - a master of thievery, lock picking, diversion, filching, clipping and pilfering. It is a mean and demeaning life until the day he steals an elaborately guarded, locked and fortified box containing three sets of eyes - eyes which catapult him into a strange and fantastic journey to the spaces that have heretofore been left blank upon the maps of the world. His destiny is a quest for the Vanished Kingdom. To accomplish his mission, he has only his new companion, the part feline/part equine/part human Sir Tode (a most miserably enchanted knight), an unfinished riddle, his burgle-sack, and of course, the Fantastic Eyes.
The language of
Peter Nimble is the straightforward language of action and adventure, which is not to say that this book is simple or unsophisticated. In fact, the plot has many twists with depth equal to the cruel mines of the Vanished Kingdom. There is some obvious foreshadowing, but this may be a planned device, offering the reader a sense of accomplishment while following this exciting adventure as it changes perspective when new characters enter and expand the story.
As Peter Nimble is blind, the reader depends upon the narrator and good Sir Tode to set the visual scene. Peter's view of the world is colored, so to speak, by his other senses. He tells the time of day by the "feel" of the sun or moon. He can "smell the dew percolating up from the ground." He can judge the size of a chamber or hall by the echo of voices or machinery. But he cannot do it all alone, and enlists the help of the loyal Sir Tode, a fish, thieves, a raven, and "the Princess," in a fierce battle to aid the author of the riddle,
Kings aplenty, princes few,
The ravens scattered and seas withdrew.
Only a stranger may bring relief,
But darkness will reign, unless he's --
For ages 10 and up, readers of
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes can expect some violence and even death (no quest is without danger!), but Peter and his allies are up to the challenge, and when they falter, they are reminded,
There are times when Justice demands from us more than we would give.
A satisfying and captivating debut novel that certainly leaves open the possibility of future adventures. (
Read more about that in this BookPage interview with author, Jonathan Auxier.) A treat for fans of action, adventure, magic and fantasy!
(I love the cover art!)
True story: I have never encountered the word sternutation before reading Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. After looking it up, I shared my discovery with my family that evening only to have my son tell me that he, too, had learned the word sternutation that day - from a Snapple cap! A strange coincidence to be sure!O
Bird in a Box by Andrea Pinkney
Publication date: 12 April 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN 10/13: 0316074039 | 9780316074032
Category: Middle Grade Historical Fiction
Keywords: Historical Fiction, African American stories, Orphans, Great Depression
Format: eBook, Hardcover, audiobook
Kimberly's review:
The year is 1937 and the Great Depression has hit everyone hard, especially African-Americans. Three orphans, all alone for different reasons, live at Mercy Home. These three orphans, all with different stories, backgrounds, families, and histories have one thing in common. They are going to root and hope and pray for Joe Louis, the first African-American boxer to become heavyweight champion of the world.
I'm not going to lie. If not for the
Diversity in YA challenge, I probably wouldn't have known about this book. I had to seek it out, ordering it from the library. I'm glad I did.
The story is filled with hope, even in dark and desperate times, these three children give each other something more to hope for. The writing is solid, and I felt Otis's story was particularly strong and heartbreaking. While Willie's story is strong, it's Hibernia's voice which caught me. Her attitude, her strength is clear on the pages, especially when dealing with her Reverend father, whose secret longing for her lost mother is finally revealed after too many years.
Well-written with three distinct voices and a strong story! Go on! Root for Joe Louis and Hibernia, Ottis and Willie too!
Find out more about the author at the
http://birdinaboxbook.com.
Join the
Diversity in YA challenge here and check out
Kimberly's progress here.
Orphan works are works that are in-copyright but do not have a contactable copyright holder. They’re tricky and annoying as far as reuse goes because while technically they’re not re-usable without permission, how do you get permission? People have discussed this problem at length, but The University of Michigan’s Copyright office — the people who are working on the copyright review management system — are trying to do something about it. They launched a project to try to track down and identify the rights holders of orphan works created between 1923-1963 in the HathiTrust Digital Library. In doing so, they hope to get a general idea of the scope of the problem and at the same time develop best practices for identifying orphan works. They might also help HT make more of their content available as its copyright status is determined.
Recommended for ages 8-12With the relaunch of its
Dear America series last year, Scholastic is not cutting corners, recruiting some of our most beloved writers for young people to add to this acclaimed historical fiction series for young people. This particular title, written by two-time Newbery winner
Lois Lowry, chronicles the life of eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce in Portland, Maine of 1918, orphaned along with her brother by the deadly Spanish flu epidemic. Initially sent to live with relatives who can't afford to keep them, they are then sent to be raised in a Shaker community in
Sabbathday Lake.
The adjustment to the world of the Shakers is difficult indeed. Because Lydia knows nothing of the Shakers, we learn along with her through about their customs and lifestyle. She is struck by her first view of their settlement: "It seemed to be a whole village, but quite small, and it was amazingly tidy. It made me think of a toy village, built for dolls." She was shocked to have her few meager possessions taken from her, told by one of the Shaker sisters that all that they had belonged to them all. She was equally surprised to be separated from her brother after learning that men and women's lives in the community are quite distinct; even though they consider themselves brethren and sisters, they don't converse, and have no physical contact. Because they don't marry, they take in orphans, who are free when grown up to go "into the world" or take vows to stay in the community. Even their language seems strange and old-fashioned to Lydia.
Although both she and her brother are struggling with their grief over the loss of their parents and baby sister, but her brother seems unusually withdrawn, and when he runs away, she can't help but worry about him.
But as the year passes, Lydia comes to admire and even love the kindly Shaker sisters, who teach her their beautiful handicrafts, songs, ways of worship, and finally, bring her a feeling of peace. Although the book encompasses only a year in Lydia's life, Lowry provides an afterword in which she tells us what became of Lydia and her brother Daniel. Did they stay with the Shakers or leave the religious life behind?
As is typical with this series, a historical note at the end of the novel provides invaluable context for young readers about both the outbreak of the Spanish flu epidemic and the history of the Shakers, including information on present-day Sabbathday Lake. We also learn that Lowry was inspired to write this title after buying an old farmhouse in southwest Maine, not far from the Sabbathday Lake community, where three Shakers remain in residence.
Unlike some other titles in the
Dear America series, this novel is not action-packed; instead, it contains many details about the Shaker lifestyle and not a lot of action and conflict. The conflict in the story is more internal, dwelling on whether Lydia and Daniel can adapt their hearts to the Shaker ways. I found that its quiet style seems to fit with the Shaker theme, and the book should appeal to those children who like more contemplative stories as well as those who might be interested in learning more about different religions in our country.
Young people who would like to read additional books about the Shakers might consider:
1 Comments on Book Review: Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce (Dear America Series) by Lois Lowry (Scholastic, 2011), last added: 1/12/2011
Recommended for ages 12 and up.Don't you love discovering a wonderful new author? I was so mesmerized by debut novelist
Barbara Stuber's Crossing the Tracks that I just couldn't put it down, even when it was time for lunch, doing the laundry, or walking the dog. I fell in love with the main character, 15-year old Iris Baldwin; when the novel opens, it's 1926, and Iris' father, a shoe-store owner and widower who's soon to remarry, hires Iris out for the summer to be a companion to a country doctor's invalid mother in rural Missouri, far away from her only friend, Leroy. Iris, who narrates the novel, lost her mother when she was five, and isn't at all close to her father. He's going to Kansas City to open a new shoe store, and clearly doesn't want her along.
When Iris arrives at the Nesbitts, nothing is as she expects. Mrs. Nesbitt has fiery eyes, gold silk slippers, and a bamboo cane named Henry. Dr. Avery Nesbitt is as kind as can be, even saving an injured dog from the train tracks. Although Iris is wary of the Nesbitts' violent and abusive tenant farmer, Cecil Deets and his nasty 13-year old daughter, Dot, she begins to settle in to life at the Nesbitts, even helping Dr. Nesbitt out when he goes to deliver a neighbor's twins. The Nesbitts try to make her feel welcome and let her friend Leroy come to visit. During the course of the novel, their friendship develops in new and more romantic directions.
But suddenly tragedy strikes, and Iris' life is turned inside out. She is forced to confront the real meaning of family; is it the people related to you by blood, or the people who cherish and nurture you?
This tender, funny, and heartbreaking novel touches on many themes that will resonate with a teen audience: the meaning of home and family, love and loyalty, dealing with grief and loss, and facing domestic violence. Iris must deal with all these in the course of one summer. There is a suggestion of an incestuous relationship in the novel, although there are no graphic details, and because of that aspect I would recommend this book for middle school and above. There are several romantic scenes between Iris and Leroy, and these are also handled in a tasteful manner.
One part of this novel I particularly appreciated was how much the reader grows to care about not only our main character, Iris, but the minor characters as well, who are exceptionally well-drawn. We meet many of the people who populate the small town where the Nesbitts live, and come to know them well. These range from the adorable dog, Marie, to Mrs. Nesbitt and even the abusive Cecil Deets and his daughter.
Warning: have plenty of tissues on hand. This is a "3-hanky" read!
See the author's website for a
book club guide a
book trailer, and an excerpt from the book.
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