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.