1962 - The Bronze Bow

Dates read: September 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 256 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●

Whoops! I read this two months ago and haven't written anything about it! I loved the book though. It is a fabulous story of forgiveness and change of heart. It is so interesting (and a bit different) to have such an outwardly Christian message in a category of books that I don't view as religious. I was touched by the story line and the main character's journey. To me, it had a spiritual message.

1941 - Call it Courage

Dates read: September 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 128 pp.
●●●○○

So, it looks like I managed to read two young-people-alone-on-an-island Newberys back to back. I would have to say that hands down, I preferred Island of the Blue Dolphin. I came to know Karana's thought processes, her plans for her survival and I experienced her struggles with her. I had a difficult time connecting with Mafatu and seemed to hear his experiences as a laundry list of I did this, then this, then this, and now I am brave.

I do respect the theme of the book--that we all have fears, and for good reason. Mafatu feared the sea as a result of an accident that took his mother's life and nearly his when he was only 3-years-old. Facing our fears is the best way to overcome. It is amazing that he was able to overcome those fear on his own--without the support of those who supposedly cared for him. I certainly hope that this book is one that can give readers the courage to face their fears and come off conquerors.

This is a quick listen--only 2 hours.

1961 - Island of the Blue Dolphins

Dates read: August/September 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 223 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●

This is a very beautiful story. Karana is a young girl living on an island with members of her tribe. Her community is devastated by the arrival of and ultimate attack from the Aleuts who kill many members of the tribe. Soon thereafter, a white man's ship arrives and the tribe evacuates the island to prevent future disruption. In a completely selfless act to save her brother who has been left behind, Karana jumps off the ship and swims to shore so that the young boy is not left alone. It isn't long until her brother, Ramo, dies and she is left alone on the island. The bulk of the book is an account of the many years that Karana lives and survives on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. This book is based on a true story from the mid-1800s.

Typically, I would be skeptical of a book without dialogue. (She is alone.) But he had a way of combining Karana's thoughts, descriptions of the surroundings, and accounts of her daily life that I never felt that the book was moving too slowly. I agree with other reviewers that her ingenuity and resourcefulness were inspiring and that the many ups and downs of the story (relationships with her animals, arrival and departure of other boats, etc.) contributed to the story's appeal.

2008 - Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village

Dates read: August 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 96 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●

Unfortunately, I read this book a few weeks ago so I don't have lots of specifics to write. I really did love this book though. It is a book of monologues set in Medieval times. Characters range from the peasant to the nobility. I felt that several--the women, especially--were really brought to life. I found myself envisioning how it would be read and felt on the stage. If I taught 6th grade social studies, this book would be a must! It is quite informative and emotional. LOVED IT!

2005 - Kira-Kira

Dates read: Jun/Jul 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 272 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

I really liked this book. Unfortunately, I finished it nearly a week ago and broke my first rule of book review blogging--that is to post within 24 hours after finishing the book so that it is fresh in my mind. It isn't fresh.

Anyway, here are a few thoughts:

• I didn't find this book quite as depressing as many of the reviewers did. Sad, yes, but I was interested in the way that the family stayed together and valued each other above all else.
• Lately, I have been drawn to books describing discrimination and prejudice. I have been born and raised in a relative state of ease and it is enlightening and disheartening to recognize the reality that some people live with. We all need to be aware of these things to stop the plague of intolerance and prejudice. The Japanese-American family in this book gave a perspective not commonly seen.

I will say that this is probably not a children's book--more of a Young Adult novel.

1987 - The Whipping Boy

Dates read: June 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 89 pp.
●●●○○

Here is how it was for me: First 60 pages took me several days to get through. The characters seemed flat although I thought the story idea was fabulous! (I thought about giving this a rating of 2 out of 5, but it takes a lot for me to do that because it is a Newbery and I want to assume there are a lot of strengths.) I sat down tonight determined to finish the last 29 pages and, lo and behold, they went really quickly. Prince Brat had changed and his "newness" was believable because of the dialogue and action he was involved in. Jemmy was still skeptical of his change but, little by little, he came to realize that perhaps the change was for real. In a nutshell, I struggled to get through the first 60 pages even though I really wanted to love it. I did love the last 30 pages!

1949 - King of the Wind

Dates read: June 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 176 pp.
●●●○○

Nice book. I remember way back when at BYU, my children's lit professor (Dr. Tunnell) giving us some names of authors and series that treated specific topics that may be of interest to young readers. He mentioned Marguerite Henry as the horse author and this is the first of her books that I've read.

I need to stop listening to these books and start reading them again. I think there is so much more engagement with a book when it is read. Obviously, if I am listening to it I am doing something else as well. But I suppose that is what I have time for right now!

Anyway, I enjoyed the book. It is an account, romanticized certainly, of the Godolphin Arabian Sham (early 18th century) who was born in Morocco and then moved to Paris and England. He is a direct ancestor of many of the finest racing horses throughout history. The book chronicles the unfortunate events of Sham's life accompanied by his mute horse boy, Agba. Sham's talents go unrecognized until his sons show proficiency in racing. This is a very nice historical fiction showing the unappreciated horse and his boy triumph over adversity and come out on top!

1970 - Sounder

Dates read: June 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 128 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●

Another boy and his dog story...but not really.

This is a very moving story. Unfortunately, it deals with issues in our culture and history that we'd like to forget. Namely, the unjust treatment of African-Americans. The boy in the book is unnamed. This reminded me that his experiences could've happened to so many African-American individuals over such a long period of time. The melancholic language of the book added to the tragedy of the story. Fortunately, the boy shows resilience and fortitude to overcome in face of the adversity. I really loved this book.

1937 - Roller Skates

Dates read: June 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 184 pp.
●●●○○

I will admit that I wasn't very interested in this book until the end. It is the account of 10-year-old Lucinda Wyman whose parents have left to Italy for the year and Lucinda becomes an "orphan" staying with Miss Peters and Miss Nettie. I felt, during a big part of the book that it was a collection of short stories about this spunky little girl. The stories were amusing and her antics were cute, but I hadn't sensed how the book would all come together.

The last third or so of the book was the answer. One of Lucinda's closest allies was her Uncle Earl (husband of mean Aunt Emily). He introduced her to Shakespeare. At the beginning they read comedies together, but at a certain point he felt she was ready for the tragedies. He explained to her that the tragedies had inevitable sadnesses with underlying beauty. Lucinda's life seemed to parallel the Shakespearean plays she was reading. First, happy go lucky and then hardships that she was able to learn and grow from. Like other reviewers that I read I was confused by one unexplained death in the book, but perhaps that was one of the lessons Lucinda learned--that many things in life are not explained.

Lucinda is a delightful character. The book was cute and touching. There are a few inappropriate cultural and racial stereotypes typical for the 1930s (perhaps a lesson in the history of civil rights and prejudice for young readers when discussed with an adult).

1952 - Ginger Pye

Dates read: May/Jun 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 320 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

Another boy and his dog story...

Again, I liked it. (That's 2 for 2 - I am surprised. But I did decide to return Winn-Dixie to the library when I realized that it wasn't a Newbery--Just a Newbery Honor--because, although I am sure it is great, we'll hold off on dog stories for a bit!)

In this story, set in Connecticut in the 1920s, Jerry Pye and his sister have picked out a dog one of the neighbors is selling that they just have to have. Through a small miracle they are able to earn the money to buy the dog. This "intelligent" dog, however, is stolen just a couple months later and Jerry and Rachel search for clues on the whereabouts of the dog. It comes as no surprise that the dog is miraculously returned by the end of the book.

The story was nice. Even more so, the language was great. Throughout the book (which is written in the third person), different experiences are told from the point of view of either Rachel or Jerry. As the story is told, it will "remind" them of stories from the past which are then shared. I thought it was a lot of fun...it reminds me of the ways children's (and adults') minds behave--lots of remembrances and tangents.

1948 - The Twenty-One Balloons

Dates read: May 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 192 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●

I loved this book. I laughed out loud in parts! Professor Sherman's experiences are so fantastical and whimsical that the reader (or listener) can certainly enter a new world and experience an island only imagined! This book is best experienced as a read aloud and I will definitely look forward to reading it aloud to my children.

Basic synopsis: Professor William Waterton Sherman, in an effort to escape his life as an arithmetic teacher in 1883 San Francisco, sets off on a balloon trip of an indefinite length of time. He crashes into the island of Krakatoa which has been secretly settled by 20 families who live off of the diamond mines found on the island. He is settling into his new life as a Krakatoan when the very active volcano erupts. The book starts when he is mysteriously found floating in the Atlantic Ocean and the book proceeds as he retells his experiences.

1996 - The Midwife's Apprentice

Dates read: May 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 122 pp.
●●●○○

I'm sad about this book. It is beautifully written, but...why, in a book written for children ages 9-12, do we need to have mild profanity, demonstrations of infidelity and a child compared to "dung"? Really, these instances were over after the first 40 pages, and I loved the book thereafter, but really, I don't think that we need to expose our young children to this. If I had read this as a book targeted towards adults (or even mid to older teenagers - Amazon.com rated the book for 12 and up) the references would not have bothered me, but knowing this was a CHILDREN'S book, I felt uncomfortable reading it! How sad.

The characters are deep and well developed and the setting was real and believable. I believe that it is good for children to recognize that in times past (and in many situations today) children have lived in dire circumstances and have experienced many hardships. This was described well in the book. I recognize that those "situations" would likely have included sexual misconduct, but I don't believe that it was necessary to expose it at this age.

One thought: Our heroine shows up at the beginning of the book in the dung heap. She has no family and no name. Never in the book does Cushman refer to her past. I found this very interesting. It contributed to the idea that Alyce (her chosen name) had made much of her life from veritably nothing!

If you read it, my favorite passage was page 97, second paragraph. I love the idea that sometimes there is a great distance between what we imagine and what is. That doesn't, however, mean that all has failed or that we have come up short. Perhaps, what really is is better than we could have imagined or planned for ourselves!

1929 - The Trumpeter of Krakow

Dates read: May 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 224 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

This is quite a good book and I think that I would have liked it even more had I read it. The narrator was very good and I liked his accent, but here is the problem: I haven't driven many long distances lately and it was a 7 hour book so it took me a long time to get through. I don't listen to books in my house because I don't find myself staying in the same room long enough. (Hence, the need for an iPod!) Anyway, I digress. The story was pretty broken up for me because I listened to it in little episodes. Nonetheless, the story was very intriguing and someday I will read it!

I always love a good historical fiction and I know very little about Poland. I was impressed (especially during the Epilogue) with the discussion of the endurance of the Poles. They have been terribly persecuted but maintained their patriotism. I felt kind of bad knowing that 10 years after this book was published another chapter in Polish persecution would begin.

A little side note: A benefit of listening to the tapes is that you don't have to pronounce the names! Here are some of the names spelled phonetically based on the audio book's pronunciation:

Charnetski - Harnetski
Kowalski - Korvalski
Elzbietka - Eusbieta
Kreutz - Croitz

1953 - The Secret of the Andes

Dates read: May 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 120 pp.
Rating: ●●○○○

So, I just couldn't get into this book. It is short but still took me a week to finish it. I almost feel guilty not liking a Newbery--they should fit into a higher standard. Oh well. I just didn't get reeled in. The basic theme is the idea of returning to your roots and appreciating what you have instead of always looking on the other side of the fence. The last half of the book was definitely more interesting than the first and the last 2 chapters, as the book resolves itself, are decent. The ending is pretty abrupt. It wasn't bad...just couldn't get into it.

1950 - The Door in the Wall

Dates read: April/May 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 121 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

I enjoyed this book. As I finished it I was having a hard time deciding what I thought of it so I started reading some reviews online. (Maybe that is cheating--Shouldn't I come to those conclusions on my own? Anyway, it gets my mind thinking and sorts out some ideas.) I figured it out! When I read the back of the book (or whatever I did to get the general gist of the book) I thought it would be an action packed Medieval war book. (I even thought it was a fantasy.) Obviously, I was wrong. It takes place during a war, but there isn't any high drama/action. The book is about people and maturity and some relationships. So--as I was reading the book something really didn't fit, but I thought I liked it so I was a bit conflicted (strong word). Now I know--it's because it was a good book, just not what I expected!

A couple themes:

• There is always a solution and always a way to contribute.
• Physical disability doesn't disable everything.
• The love and support of many (Brother Luke) bring out unknown skills and strengths.
• Many people (Robin's parents) love us for who we are, not what we are feeling we lack.
  

1986 - Sarah, Plain and Tall

Dates read: April 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 58 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●

What a beautifully written story! A couple thoughts:

• The phrasing is short and matter-of-fact. It is so appropriate for the simple prairie life that Anna and her family live. I loved the paragraph on page 14 that describes some of the anticipation prior to Sarah's arrival. Out of nowhere is the line, "Three lambs were born, one with a black face." Then, it continues about the upcoming arrival of Sarah.
• I suppose that the whole idea of the book is the coming together of the different backgrounds and cultures to complete a family. Anna's thoughts: "I wished everything was as perfect as the [sea] stone. I wished that Papa and Caleb and I were perfect for Sarah. I wished we had a sea of our own." How tender and heart felt from a girl who longs for a mother!

I am interested in reading the books that complete the trilogy.

1939 - Thimble Summer

Dates read: April 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 136 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

This little book was delightful. I think that I might enjoyed it even more if I was a ten-year-old reading it. It is refreshing to read a story about a little person that has good things happen to her. She experiences a "magical" summer after finding a "magical" good luck charm (a thimble). She is spunky and feisty, makes some questionable decisions, but appears to learn, be fairly responsible and love her family. She is quick to forgive. The chapters feel like short stories.

The main character is Garnet Linden. Although the book is written in the third person, I oftentimes would be surprised to read a "said Garnet", because I felt like I was so much inside of her. Many times throughout the book I thought I was reading a first person book. That is a sign of great characterization by the author!

Here is a light-hearted paragraph (p. 131) that embodies some of the feel of the book:

It was a good thing that Eric had taught her to do handsprings and flip-ups, Garnet decided. It was very handy to know how to do one or two when you felt happy. Better than jumping. Better than yelling.

There was a definite drawback. This book was written several decades ago. I was disappointed in the repeated (but not ill-willed) references to obesity.

1942 - The Matchlock Gun

Dates read: April 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 62 pp. (with illustrations)
Rating: ●●●○○ (for readability and story)
Rating: ●○○○○ (for inappropriate racist content)

Hmmm...so this is a hard one to review. These are some objective things about the book: It was short so it only took me 40ish minutes to read it. (How can you not appreciate a book that reads so quick?) It read more like a short story than it did a novel. It was written during one war time (WWII) about another war time (the French-Indian War in the mid-1750s).

Here is what makes it difficult. I really like historical fiction and I found the story really quite intriguing and well written, but it was written 70 years ago. I found that the references to slavery and indian relations were discussed in ways that are not appropriate. Is it possible that the war time in which it was written contributed to a feeling of racism? I am not interested in political correctness, and I could look past much of it because I am aware of the cultural differences that come about as the decades pass. Unfortunately, however, the last page was rather disturbing. The 10-year-old boy was congratulated for killing more men than the adults. He was defending his family and, as the story was told, he was justified. But really is that the way it should have been treated?!? Thank him for defending his family, but don't tally up his killings and call him the winner! It is difficult for me to trust history in the way it was taught to me (very euro-centric). Is my impression of how history happened true or very slanted?

PS I read a bunch of reviews on Amazon. Some ignored the racist references. Some condemned the book completely. Many (like myself) found some redeeming qualities in the book as well as the offensive.

1963 - A Wrinkle in Time

Dates read: March 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 224 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

As the American Idol judges might say (in the realm of singing, of course), I had a difficult time connecting emotionally to this book—until the end. Of course, I remember reading it once or twice as a kid in elementary school. I expected to get really into it, but it didn’t happen until I got to the last (5th) CD (where it was very good). I won’t say that I didn’t enjoy the book—because I did. I just expected to enjoy it more. Here are a couple pros and cons.

First, I listened to a recording done by Madeleine L’Engle herself. I am used to professional performers doing the recording so, although she did much better than the typical person, I found her voice a little bit distracting. Also, Meg is really whiny. I know that the book is supposed to show her strengths, transformation, etc. but her whiny-ness bugged. (I think it was compounded by the voice of the reader.)

I loved Aunt Beast. Even entering the story at the end, I found her very real and I connected to her. I loved the dialogue about light. Is true light found in what gives us ability to see? Or is true light found in what gives us the ability to know. I was touched by her comment that she knows things as they are as opposed to how they look. When Meg and Calvin were trying to find out if the beasts knew Whatsit and Co. all Meg could do was describe how they looked. Aunt Beast had to remind her that that was not going to get them anywhere seeing that the beasts had no eyes! Calvin tried to describe their essence. It got me thinking that perhaps we could do well to think of people by how they are and not just their physical and superficial qualities.

I will say though that in lots of distopia books the hero or heroine has to come to understand that his/her power comes from love. Now, I wholeheartedly agree that we gain power beyond our own through our love of others and relationships. It is indisputable and true! But I felt that it was a little too simplistic as I read/heard it in this book. Looking back to the book as a whole, I feel like it was believable, but at the time it was a bit cheesy.

Incidentally, throughout the book I thought about elementary and junior high school when the teachers would give us an assignment to find words on the pages that we don’t understand to create our own vocabulary list. I always struggled with those assignments because I found it hard to find words I wasn’t familiar with. (I don’t think I had such a great vocabulary, I just think the books had pretty basic vocabularies.) Anyway, this would be a good book for that. Twenty years after junior high and there are words in it that I didn’t recognize.

It might sound like I didn't like the book. I did though. I am just becoming more and more of a critical reader, I think. The story though is great and original and I loved the world and the concepts that L'Engle created!

1992 - Shiloh

Dates read: March 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 128 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

I'd have to say that this book surprised me. I am not a "boy and his dog" book-lover. I've never had a dog and although they are cute and I am glad that Abby is not afraid of them, I am not terribly sentimental towards them. Having said that, this was a good book. Marty comes across an injured beagle that he falls in love with. Unfortunately, the dog is not his (duh) and he knows who it belongs to--the mean poacher in town. So how do you do the right thing (give the dog back to its owner) when the wrong thing (the owner's been kicking it) has been happening (and will likely continue to happen). As the ethical questions arose, lingered and changed throughout the book, I found myself putting myself in the child's position and more often in the parents' position. (I'm a mom now. How am I going to help/teach my kids to deal with these issues? They're going to need to internalize the principles so that when situations arise they can apply them judiciously.) These were pretty tough questions and I don't know if I would have handled it all the same as Marty and his family handled it or not. (OK--so I wouldn't have because we'll never have a dog, but back to the book:) I really don't know. I found myself fighting some decisions throughout the book, but can the end justify the means at times? I am really pretty black and white when it comes to lying and such, but then I find myself conveniently altering or omitting facts when I need to. Don't we all? It was good.

I am grateful for happy endings--did they do what was right? Anyways, I came across this on Amazon and had to chuckle. Is this really what we want for our kids?

Book's weak point: The author sacrificed potential emotional depth for the smiles and hugs of a happy ending. I think a much more realistic ending would have been the father disregarding the feelings of his sensitive son and sending the dog back to the abusive owner, the mother not lifting a finger to protect her son's feelings, and the owner killing the dog as he promised all along. Basically, I think the author didn't have the guts to do it, and thus be able to transmit a real message to the audience about how the world is - essentially how cruel and uncaring parents really can be. The boy becoming aware of such things would have hurt (him and us), but would at least have been REAL and given us the base of potential from which to GROW and not just keep our heads in the sand, leading us further down the path of denial...and ultimately toward perpetuating the same patterns those parents did. Only emotional honesty (as opposed to the fantasy ending of this book) will break such cycles.

I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather that kids learn (at least occasionally) that families can be happy, parents can be loving and life's situations can turn out positively in our favor. Just a thought!

1993 - Missing May

Dates read: March 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 112 pp. (with illustrations)
●●●○○

Missing May is the story of young Summer who was taken in by relatives after the death of her parents and subsequent shuffling around by other (uncommitted) relatives. When Aunt May dies, Summer is convinced that her life that had finally become secure and happy was returning to her former life of emptiness and not belonging. Although she still has her Uncle Ob, his grief is so consuming that they cannot continue in their once happy relationship until they both come to grips with their loss.

This short book was a good study of grief, but to be honest, I am kind of sick of so many children's books dealing with such sadness and grief. Now I know that "that is just the world we live in". Kids have it rough these days. (You don't need to remind me of that--I am well aware.) When I was on my mission, I had a great companion that had really experienced some refiner's fires in her life. One day after hearing her experiences (with her amazing attitude), I commented that it really wasn't fair that I had lived a life of such relative ease. She reminded me that our investigators needed my story as well--they needed to see that the goal is to have kids raised in the church in happy and gospel-centered lives. Now, my life has not been perfect and I have had trials, but I think that I am just in the mood for a book that reminds kids that not all parents and siblings die tragic and untimely deaths, that home and family life can be filled with love and enjoyment. And I don't think that these books need to be completely glossy and ignore the bumps of life.

The book wasn't that bad though. I thought that Cletus, Summer's friend (term used loosely at the beginning) from school was fabulous. He was quirky and a real lifesaver for both Summer and Ob.

1931 - The Cat Who Went to Heaven

Dates read: March 2008
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 96 pp. (with illustrations)
Rating: ●●●○○

Being that this book was written in 1930, I didn't know what to expect. I didn't find that the story was terribly engaging, but it was short and a very easy read, so I also didn't find it difficult to finish. (I read it in two sittings.) The story is of a artist who has not sold a painting in a long time and struggles to find money even to eat. His housekeeper brings home a cat that she purchased with the limited food budget. As can be expected the artist is very upset with her purchase. Fortunately, however, the cat (an animal considered evil in the Buddhist faith) brings good luck and a very important commission. Looking back on the story, I see that the book really did have some interesting themes in it. There is the idea of repentance (or perhaps better said would be the idea of the 2nd Article of Faith). This cat, although of the "wicked" species showed a desire to pay respect to Buddha as the artist was painting a mural for a temple. The artist, moved by the cat's apparent devotion to the Buddha, paints the cat into the paniting--knowing that the commissioners may not accept a painting tarnished with the image of a cat. I did enjoy reading the artist's reflections on the life of Buddha. I am not at all familiar with Buddhist tradition and history. I suppose that the story is much deeper than I had given it credit.

1972 - Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

Dates read: February/March 2008
Read or listened to: Listened to
Pages: 240 pp.
Rating: ●●●●●


Mrs. Frisby is a mother who gains courage to do the impossible in order to save her sick child. She is willing to take dangerous journeys out of desperation to the owl, across the farmyard (passing the cat) and eventually to an unlikely friendship with a colony of rats. I continue to be amazed--now that I am a mother--at what I am willing to do for the benefit of my baby. Oftentimes it is mundane, but we just do it because they need us and rely on us. I couldn't help but love Mrs. Frisby for the mother that she was.

The Rats of NIMH were former lab rats that had learned to read, reason and live in a rather civilized manner. At one stage of their escape from NIMH, the leader, Nicodemus, comments that they'd never be able to return to their former life as rats living in the dump. They were new creatures because of the knowledge they had gained. I couldn't help but think of people as we are growing and maturing throughout our lives (especially within the gospel) that we really do become new people. As the Bible says, we are born again. And we could never return to the lives that we had left behind--all because we know that there is such a "better world" (Ether 12:4).

My last thought (and I wish I had good quotes for all of these, but listening to the CDs and then trying to go back and find certain quotes in the book--doesn't work too well): At one point in their "training", Nicodemus realizes that rats are typically hated because they steal from others. Rats scavenge (steal) food and the Rats of NIMH have set up a colony and even in their "enlightened state" they are stealing electricity, food, seeds and running water from the nearby farm house. Nicodemus and the others establish a plan to live self-sufficiently. I love the idea of people (or rats, I suppose) doing all in their power to support themselves and their families. It takes a lot of effort and perhaps there are easy ways to let someone else take care of you, but the self-respect and the skills that come from self sufficiency are irreplaceable.

I am sure that the idea of this book seems a bit silly, but I was amazed at what I took away from it!

Pre-March 2008 books - 14 of them

2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan

Dates read: January 2008

●●●●○

A few comments: Excellent story of belonging and discovering her place. Found the reference to dog’s anatomy unneeded?

2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Dates read: January/February 2008
●●●●○

A few comments: Enjoyable.

2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
Dates read: Fall 2007

●●●●●

A few comments: Loved it and mouse’s determination and compassion (but then I tend to enjoy rodent stories?!?)

2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Dates read: um…post 2003?

●●●●●

A few comments: Loved it! I am usually a fan of historical fiction and this was excellent!

2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Dates read: Early 2006

●●●●●

A few comments: Loved it as well!

1999: Holes by Louis Sachar

Dates read: Spring 2000

●●●●○

A few comments: I read this for an advanced children’s lit class. I enjoyed it, but I think there was too much hype surrounding it for me to love it.

1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Dates read: Late 2007

●●●●●

A few comments: Loved it—she does an excellent job writing from the perspectives of various students and teacher.

1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Dates read: Summer 2007

●●●●●

A few comments: Loved it! What an incredible story of overcoming grief and discovering oneself!

1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Dates read: um…? a few times

●●●●●

A few comments: How can we not love The Giver? I know there are some that don’t, but I find it terribly insightful and a fabulous reminder that although agency is such a blessing (although on occasion, I assume it feels like a burden).

1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Dates read: Early 1993

●●●○○

A few comments: A fun story, but at the time didn’t completely grab my attention—a runner with a unique ability to untie knots!

1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Dates read: Early 1993

●●●●●

A few comments: Loved it! I (almost) always love historical fiction set in WWII Europe.

1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Dates read: January 2008

●●●●○

A few comments: This one was surprisingly enjoyable. It took me a while to get into, but once I did I really enjoyed it—so many personalities learning to live and work together.

1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander
Dates read: December 2007/January 2008

●●●●○

A few comments: I read/listened to all 5 of the Prydain books (finally) during late 2007. I really enjoyed them (although for me they didn’t have the capturing ability of Harry Potter). I am very glad I did it though—always wanted to but never got around to it.

1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
Dates read: Early 2003 plus a couple other times

●●●●●

A few comments: This is a bit of a silly book, but I find it absolutely delightful! It is one that I can pick up to read for light-hearted fun!