Becky's Book Reviews: January 2024

Tuesday, January 30, 2024

January Reflections

In January, I read thirty-six books.

Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

1. Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust. Neal Shusterman. Illustrated by Andres Vera Martinez. 2023. [October] 256 pages. [Source: Library]

2. Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship. Barbara Krasner. 2023. [December] 359 pages. [Source: Library]

3. Coretta: The Autobiography of Coretta Scott King. Coretta Scott King. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. 2024. [January] 40 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction picture book, biography, autobiography, children's nonfiction]

4. Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1932. 238 pages. [Source: Bought]

5. A Bear Called Paddington. Michael Bond. 1958. 159 pages. [Source: Bought] [Children's classic; animal fantasy]

6. Something Rotten. (Horatio Wilkes Mystery #1) Alan Gratz. 2007. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [YA Mystery; YA Suspense; dysfunctional families; adaptation of William Shakespeare]

7. Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings. Angela Burke Kunkel. Illustrated by Claire Keane. 2023. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book for older readers; biography; art appreciation]

8. Light and Air. Mindy Nichols Wendell. 2024. [January] 218 pages. [Source: Library] [J Historical; MG Historical; 1930s; tuberculosis; coming of age]

9. The Blood Years. Elana K. Arnold. 2023. 400 pages. [Source: Library]

10. There Was a Party for Langston. Jason Reynolds. Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey. 2023. 56 pages. [Source: Library]

11. Big. Vashti Harrison. 2023. 60 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

12. An Autobiography. Agatha Christie. 1977/1996. Berkley. 635 pages. [Source: Bought]

13. Elf Dog and Owl Head. M.T. Anderson. Illustrated by Junyi Wu. 2023. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction; MG Fantasy; J Fantasy; J Fiction; Newbery Honor]

Books reviewed at Young Readers

1. Happy Cats. Catherine Amari and Anouk Han. Illustrated by Emi Lenox. 2021. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

2. Pizza and Taco: Wrestling Mania (Pizza and Taco #7) 2024. [January] 72 pages. [Source: Library] [graphic novel; early reader/chapter book]

3. Homegrown. Deann Wiley. 2024. [January] 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

4. Ploof. Ben Clanton and Andy Chou Musser. 2023. [September] 51 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book, not quite board book]

5. 100 Chapatis. Derek Mascarenhas. Illustrated by Shantala Robinson. 2023. [October 17] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

6. The Knight Snacker. Valeria Wicker. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

7. Flat Cat. Tara Lazar. Illustrated by Pete Oswald. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book]

8. Hornbeam All In. Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Arthur Howard. 2023. [December] 48 pages. [Source: Library] [early chapter books; animal fantasy]

9. Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey. Eddie Muller and Jessica Schmidt. Illustrated by Forrest Burdett. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book; mystery]

10. Mine! A Story of Not Sharing. Klara Persson. Translated by Nichola Smalley. Illustrated by Charlotte Ramel. 2023. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book]

11. I Am Stuck. Julia Mills. 2023. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book]

Books reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

1. A Winter by The Sea (On Devonshire Shore #2) Julie Klassen. 2023. [December] 448 pages. [Source: Library]

2. Mortimer's Christmas Manger. Karma Wilson. Illustrated by Jane Chapman. 2005. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book, holiday, animal fantasy]

3. Busy Nativity. Campbell Books. Illustrated by Emily Bolam. 2023. [September] 10 pages. [Source: Library] [Board book, children's book, Christmas, holiday]

4. Calling On the Matchmaker. Jody Hedlund. 2023. [December] 352 pages. [Source: Library] [historical romance, historical fiction]

5. A Tailor-Made Bride. Karen Witemeyer. 2010. 348 pages. [Source: Library] [Historical fiction; historical romance, christian fiction, reread]

6. Short-Straw Bride. Karen Witemeyer. 2012. Bethany House. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

7. The Letter Tree. Rachel Fordham. 2023. [October] 352 pages. [Source: Library]

8. How To Get a Mommy To Sleep. Amy Parker. Illustrated by Natalia Moore. 2020. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [Children's book, picture book]

9. The Devil Shall Not Prevail. A.W. Tozer (with James L. Snyder) 2023. 160 pages. [Source: Library]

10. God Is Here. Lisa Tawn Bergren. Illustrated by Greg Stobbs. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book; children's book]

11. After the Shadows (Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing #1) Amanda Cabot. 2023. 352 pages. [Source: Library] [historical fiction, Texas fiction, historical romance, mystery and suspense]

Bibles reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

1. NEW TESTAMENT ONLY The Amplified New Testament. Lockman Foundation. God. 1958. 989 pages. [Source: Bought]

Monthly and Yearly Totals

Books Read in 2024	36
Pages Read in 2024	6875
January
Books read in January	36
Pages read in January	6875

13. Elf Dog & Owl Head

Elf Dog and Owl Head. M.T. Anderson. Illustrated by Junyi Wu. 2023. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Fiction; MG Fantasy; J Fantasy; J Fiction]

First sentence: It was Monday, so they were hunting wyrms in the petrified forest. That's what the Queen Under the Mountain always scheduled for Monday. The pack of elf-hounds bounded past stone trees, barking and howling. They poured through the wood like a tide. Behind them rode dukes and duchesses, lords and ladies, servants and sorcerers. Huntsmen blew huge, curling horns.

Premise/plot: Would I have read Elf Dog and Owl Head if it had not been named a Newbery Honor last week? Probably not. So what is it about? What should YOU expect? Elf Dog and Owl Head is set during the late spring/early summer of 2020. Clay, our main character, is struggling. His parents are worried about COVID, finances, and supplies. Clay and his two sisters are struggling with a) getting along with each other b) missing their social lives (no school, no seeing friends in person), c) monotony of their lives. Clay comes across a stray dog (an elf hound) whom he brings home. He subsequently has adventures (and misadventures) with his new dog in the nearby woods. The magical dog can travel between worlds and so long as Clay is following behind her, he can too. He sees much, hears much, gets into some trouble. One of the worlds he visits has OWL PEOPLE. People with human bodies and OWL HEADS. Almost all the worlds have super-strict rules about NOT interacting with humans and harming those that do stumble into their world. So Clay's adventures are not without consequences--or potential consequences. But he does make a few friends. His sister even joins him once or twice in these adventures. But traveling worlds isn't exactly safe...will Clay live to explore another day?

My thoughts: This book would be a good fit for young readers who enjoy visiting OTHER worlds. Some fantasy novels are set exclusively in one fantasy world. This one features the "real world" (of 2020) and a handful of other worlds. These worlds are, I believe, "layered" upon one another. All exist in the same woods, but travel between worlds is rare--except for Midsummer. The fantasy world(s) to me were odd. This is something completely subjective. Other readers may greatly enjoy these other worlds.

Because this one is "about Covid" in a way, it is interesting that this will be a lasting legacy. I'll try to explain what I mean. Newbery winners and honor books tend to stay in print longer and be kept in libraries longer. They have a longer shelf-life. Not indefinite. Books can fall out of favor even if they win awards or are named honor books. But this one will be read by children decades from now who did not live through 2020. This may be their "exposure" to this time in history. This one is not the first book about this time--nor will it be the last. But I do *think* (and correct me if I'm wrong) it is the first book about Covid to get attention from the Newberys.

Friday, January 26, 2024

12. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

An Autobiography. Agatha Christie. 1977/1996. Berkley. 635 pages. [Source: Bought]

ETA: I reread this one in January 2024. It had been years since I first read this one. I have so many dog-eared pages from both readings. If I was to quote everything I marked to "remember" to come back to, it would be so long. Definitely glad I reread this one.

Agatha Christie's autobiography has been on my tbr pile for years now. I have looked forward to reading it for so long! I must admit the length had me a little intimidated. But once I started reading this one, I found myself completely absorbed in it. It is truly a fascinating read cover to cover. I think this one could prove appealing to a variety of readers.

Do you love history? I found Agatha Christie's Autobiography to be fascinating. This book is rich in details. Readers learn in great detail about her family and her growing up years. What Christie is describing is a way of life, and the way she saw the world around her. Her thoughts on her parents, grandparents, siblings, the family servants--the cook and the maids and nannies. You get a real sense of what it was to be a child (and teen) growing up in England in the 1890s and 1900s. She was "out" (ready to date) a year or two (or even three) before World War I began.

Are you interested in World War I? in World War II? Christie details what life was like during the war years. She was a nurse for a great part of World War I. She also assisted in dispensing drugs. She fell in love and got married during this time. During World War II she again did her part in the war effort. I believe volunteering in a hospital. She was in and around London during the War. She recalls how she rarely (if ever) took shelter during the raids because she was afraid of being buried alive under all the rubble. She had a grown daughter by that point. A daughter who fell in love, got married, and had a child during this time.

England was at war. It had come. I can hardly express the difference between our feelings then and now. Now we might be horrified, perhaps surprised, but not really astonished that war should come, because we are all conscious that war does come; that it has come in the past and that, at any moment, it might come again. But in 1914 there had been no war for--how long? Fifty years--more? True, there had been the "Great Boer War," and skirmishes on the Northwest frontier, but those had not been wars involving one's own country--they had been large army exercises, as it were; the maintenance of power in far places. This was different--we were at war with Germany. (257)

Are you interested in archaeology? in world-traveling? She spends a good deal of time recalling her travels around the world. She accompanied her first husband on an extended trip--covering several continents. (She left her (quite young) daughter with her mother and sister.) After her divorce--he fell in love with another woman and blamed her for it--she traveled on her own. On one of her trips to the Middle East, she met the man who would become her second husband. He was an archaeologist. While she did not stay with him the duration of all of his digs, she accompanied him on some, and visited on others. Readers learn that Christie LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to travel.

Are you a rehab addict? Christie loved looking at houses, buying houses in need of repair, fixing them up, renting them out, and selling them. She owned many properties at various points in her life. I believe the book said she owned eight during World War II. The book talks about her remodeling and redesigning houses.

Are you interested in writing, in her writing life? You'll find plenty to delight you within her autobiography. She talks about different sides of her writing life. Her novels. Her mystery novels. Her plays. Her short stories. Her poems. She talks about her mistakes and successes. Readers learn about which books she liked best and which book she really, really hated!

It was while I was working in the dispensary that I first conceived the idea of writing a detective story. (289)

People never stop writing to me nowadays to suggest that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot should meet--but why should they? I am sure the would not enjoy it at all. Hercule Poirot, the complete egoist, would not like being taught his business by an elderly spinster lady. He was a professional sleuth, he would not be at home all in Miss Marple's world. No, they are both stars, and they are stars in their own right. (502)

Do you love to read? Christie shares her thoughts on her favorite writers and books!

I want to emphasize the fact that you do not have to love mysteries in order to find this autobiography of a mystery writer fascinating! I marked so many passages that I wanted to share with you. Too many to actually share. It would overwhelm any post. So just trust me, read this one!

I will choose a quote which happens to bring to mind a certain song from Frozen.

One of the first things that happens when you are attracted to a man and he is to you is that extraordinary illusion that you think exactly alike about everything, that you each say the things the other has been thinking. (228)

Thursday, January 25, 2024

11. Big

Big. Vashti Harrison. 2023. 60 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

First sentence: Once there was a girl with a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams.

Premise/plot: Big is a picture book about self-love and body-positivity. It is a book that embraces all the wonderful things that BIG can be. It examines the confusing, blurry, contradictory messages humans believe [and at times convey]. Is big good? Is big bad? Why is it great to be big when you're a baby/toddler but not as a second grader? (To get into specifics of this particular picture book.) The star of this one is a second grader who loves dancing ballet, but, who increasingly feels belittled and invisible as others--kids and adults--make a big deal out of her "bigness." She is hurt by words and actions.The book chronicles her journey to feeling beautiful AND being big.

My thoughts: I mostly loved this one. The illustrations are amazing--beyond amazing. I am not at all surprised this one won the Caldecott MEDAL [which is for illustrations.] It also earned a Coretta Scott King HONOR in illustrations and for author. Both text and illustrations are wonderful.

This book makes a statement. A statement without shame. Big. Is. Beautiful. End. Of. Story.

I said mostly, I meant mostly. I am ALL for body-positivity. I would not want any person to feel ashamed or embarrassed because of their size. I would not want any one to be made to feel "less than" or "not good enough" or "unworthy."At the same time, I am not prepared to throw health and nutrition away [completely] for some warm and cozy feelings. There are a million and one reasons why a person--of any age--might be "big." There is not a one-size-fits-all cure. For example, IF a person is eating because they are eating their feelings. If they are eating because of anger, rebellion, fear, loneliness, anxiety, boredom, whatever possible emotion, wouldn't it be better to get better coping skills--and other supports in place--than to just continue eating. Isn't it better to catch it early than to live with it for decades? NOT because a person is unworthy if big, but because there are better ways to deal with life's hardships and difficulties than turning to food. Again, there are a million and one reasons why a person might be big. You can't look at a "big" person and say this is why and judge them for it. I am not advocating for judgment or criticism. But the book specifically says that anyone who offers help or support is just as harmful and dangerous as those who are bullies. Big is beautiful. Bigger is beautiful. Biggest is beautiful. To infinity and beyond, keep celebrating being big. Again, I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE diet culture. I am not advocating "cookie cutter" ideals for what is beautiful. I think cultural beauty standards can be super problematic.

10. There Was a Party for Langston

There Was a Party for Langston. Jason Reynolds. Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey. 2023. 56 pages. [Source: Library] [picture book]

First sentence: There was a party for Langston at the library. A jam in Harlem to celebrate the word-making man--Langston, the king of letters whose ABC's became drums, bumping jumping thumping like a heart the size of the whole wide world.

Premise/plot: This party for Langston Hughes was held in February 1991. The author, Jason Reynolds, was inspired to write about this party after seeing a photograph of two authors dancing--Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka. The book celebrates Langston Hughes AND his continuing legacy. There are word-makers and word-breakers. Word-breakers being those who would ban books and limit freedom.

My thoughts: This picture book earned a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.

I loved the text of this one--very rhythmic. Definitely fitting, I think, to celebrating a poet.

I loved the illustrations--very vibrant, joyful, jumping off the page.

9. The Blood Years

The Blood Years. Elana K. Arnold. 2023. 400 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When we were very young, Astra and I made a pact. I was six; Astra, not quite ten. It was a sultry, miserable summer day. Father was missing--again--and Mama was in bed--still. Whenever Father disappeared, Mama disappeared, too. Not physically, but in every way that mattered.

Trigger warnings: I don't always give these. This one is HAUNTING. And not for the reasons you might think. I think sensitive readers should be warned. This one does describe--directly and indirectly--sexual abuse/assault. It also indirectly features ANIMAL ABUSE. Also plenty of death--murder and suicide.

Premise/plot: The Blood Years is historical fiction--young adult--set in Romania (what would be) during the Second World War. It provides a glimpse--vignette???--into Jewish life in Romania. How one didn't have to experience the full extent of Nazi hideousness to experience trauma and devastation. Though to be fair, Rieke (the protagonist) would probably have had a tough adolescence regardless of the Nazis and Soviets. I say this because her family is super-super dysfunctional. Also because I'm not sure you can blame the Nazis for her having tuberculosis.

Rieke and Astra live with their mother, Anna, (she is ever-absent mentally and emotionally) and grandfather (Opa). Anna has loved foolishly and recklessly. She is unable to live without her horrible, hideous, no-good, very bad husband. Astra, well, she seems to be mentally unstable as well. Very hot-cold. Very volatile and temperamental. One never knows what mood/temper she'll be in. If she'll be a fierce opponent and your number one enemy or your best friend. Opa is Opa is Opa. He's solid as a rock--except that he's older and not always in the best of health. Still he seems to have the most sense in the family.

The book chronicles the family's increasing misfortunes as their city experiences turmoil of falling under the control of Nazis, Soviets, Nazis, Soviets, etc. I may have the order wrong. The family suffered under all.

My thoughts: The book is based loosely on the author's grandmother. It is historical fiction. She was influenced by her grandmother's story, of course, but she was also influenced more compositely by many other stories. She wanted to be true to the time period and represent many experiences/voices.

This one is a TOUGH, haunting read. Astra and Rieke both experience trauma and abuse. Rieke is four years younger and is put into a GROOMING situation where abuse/assault happens. She is forced to make a HUGE decision.

What keeps me from recommending this one--personally recommending it--is the animal abuse. The family takes in a stray cat. They care for the cat as much as they can. The cat fends for itself, for the most part, but they have a loving relationship with this cat. When Rieke gets sick, the family feeds her a meaty soup, she then asks where the cat went. If it hadn't been so late in the book, I would have refused to finish it. Obviously, tough decisions would have been being made every single day during this time. I do think unless you are in the same place, it is not fair to be dogmatically critical and judgmental. Yet, at the same time, the book doesn't have to be that direct. It could have left a small unanswered question. It does in other places. For example, when Rieke goes to the hospital and the doctors deflate her lung, and, then she leaves the hospital in the middle of the night--despite her being on bed rest--because they've been tipped off that the Nazis will raid the hospital and kill all the patients--we never get closure on what happens to her lung. Does it ever get re-inflated? What about her tuberculosis? What happens next? She was so close to dying from the disease and the book ends, but, yet apparently lives long enough to have children and grandchildren.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

8. Light and Air

Light and Air. Mindy Nichols Wendell. 2024. [January] 218 pages. [Source: Library] [J Historical; MG Historical; 1930s; tuberculosis; coming of age]

First sentence: The doors of the small white schoolhouse burst open. Children spilled out into the golden afternoon like bees whose hive had been disturbed.

Premise/plot: Hallelujah Grace Newton (aka "Glory") struggles after tuberculosis tears their family apart. Her mom has a life-threatening active case of tuberculosis (they were clueless until she started coughing up blood). Her and her dad both test positive for the disease, but both have clear lungs and are deemed "safe" to go about their lives. But how can you go on with your life when everyone knows you have TB? when you miss your mother so much you actually ache? when your always-distant father seems a million miles away instead of a hundred? Halle risks everything to go and see her mother...even her own life....

My thoughts: This historical coming of age novel is set in 1935/1936 in New York. Most of the book is set at a sanitarium--a special hospital where tuberculosis patients received special care and attention.

This was a quick read. I enjoyed it. Liked meeting the cast of characters. There was plenty of heart to be found. Halle definitely ached: she missed her mother whose life was in danger and her father who was seemingly choosing to be absent literally and emotionally. This one is a little heavy. (I'm not sure how I would have handled this one as a kid. If I would have been too anxious about the characters--with good reason--or if I would have had to "put it in the freezer."

Saturday, January 20, 2024

7. Make Way

Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schön, and Some Very Famous Ducklings. Angela Burke Kunkel. Illustrated by Claire Keane. 2023. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [Picture book for older readers; biography; art appreciation]

First sentence of 'prologue': In the beginning, a duck is an egg. A drawing is a blank page. A sculpture is a lump of clay.

First sentence of book: In the beginning, a boy named Bob lives in a place called Hamilton. He wanders the Ohio town with his dog, playing a harmonica, notes trailing behind them. Bob's mind whirs like a motor and his hands move constantly.

Premise/plot: Make Way is a nonfiction picture book for slightly older readers. I do think it is one that adults will be drawn to. It is the a) a mini-biography of Robert McCloskey, children's author and illustrator b) a mini-biography of Nancy Schön, an artist who was inspired by Make Way for Ducklings, c) the story of the impact of ONE children's book, the book being Make Way for Ducklings.

MY thoughts: I can't think about Make Way for Ducklings without thinking about my Mom. This is one that she regularly read to us (my sister and I). After reading this one, I immediately had to go put Robert McCloskey's book on hold. (In fact, I put on hold ALL of his books that my library had in their collection). I think that's a good reaction or response. I hope the author would approve! This picture book is like a love letter.

Friday, January 19, 2024

6. Something Rotten

Something Rotten. (Horatio Wilkes Mystery #1) Alan Gratz. 2007. 208 pages. [Source: Library] [YA Mystery; YA Suspense; dysfunctional families; adaptation of William Shakespeare]

First sentence: Denmark, Tennessee, stank. Bad. Like dead fish fricasseed in sewer water.

Premise/plot: The Prince family of Denmark, Tennessee, is rich and corrupt. Mostly. Horatio Wilkes, the narrator, is a school friend visiting Hamilton Prince for the summer. Their first stop? The family paper plant--Elsinore Paper Plant--the source of the stink in Denmark. This one is an adaptation of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Those familiar with the original will notice similarities [and differences] right away.

[I don't know how familiar teens are with Hamlet these days. I would imagine it's still assigned reading in some places.] But those who are familiar will recognize how Gratz updates the memorable ghost scene which opens the play. A videotape reveals a startling image:

The man on the screen had snow white hair and a face like a walnut. He looked like he was a hundred years old, but it was Mr. Prince, sure enough. There was a sad, hollow look in his eyes that I knew but couldn't place.

The tape goes on...

Hamilton, if the boys show you this tape, it means something bad has happened. Something very bad. It means I've been murdered. . . It was poison . . .

Hamilton immediately suspects his uncle Claude. His new step-father. Horatio isn't as quick to jump to conclusions. He treats this situation like a true mystery. He decides to observe, listen, and wait patiently for the pieces to fall into place. Hamilton? Well, Hamilton just wants to yell, mope, drink, and be a miserable drain to everyone's mood.

All the familiar characters are there. I think the more familiar you are with the play--either through reading it or seeing it--the more you can appreciate it. However, I doubt that that is essential.

My thoughts: There were many things I enjoyed about this one, though I didn't love, love, love it. Still, I can see myself recommending this one to others. I know a few people who love Shakespeare, and this will definitely be something I mention to them.

This is a reread for me. I've pieced some of the original review (especially in the summary) while adding a few new sentences. I didn't know it when I read the first book back in November 2007, but I would go on to love, love, love, love the second book in the series which is an adaptation of Macbeth. I've always intended to reread both books. [I did not own a copy of the first book so I had to interlibrary loan it.]

I do wish the series had been enough of a success that more had been written. I don't know that the series failed OR if Alan Gratz just realized that he preferred writing amazing, awesome historical fiction instead of young adult mysteries. I DO love his historical books--especially those with a world war two setting.

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

5. A Bear Called Paddington

A Bear Called Paddington. Michael Bond. 1958. 159 pages. [Source: Bought] [Children's classic; animal fantasy]

First sentence: Mr and Mrs Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform.

Premise/plot: Paddington Bear has travelled all the way from darkest Peru (with the blessing of his Aunt Lucy) as a stowaway. This adorable, homeless bear is adopted by the Brown family. Judy and Jonathan are the Brown children; Mrs Bird is the housekeeper. Adventures and misadventures are had: all the time, everywhere he goes. I would say he’s less mischievous than Curious George.

My thoughts: This one was first published in 1958. It easily could have been a part of my mom’s childhood—and its sequels. Mom recently rediscovered this first book at the library. She said I HAD to read it because it’s awesome. She regretted never reading it aloud to us when we were kids. It is a great book. Perhaps not quite as quotable as Pooh, but still quotable. I will definitely be recommending this one.

“It wasn’t so much that he didn’t like baths; he really didn’t mind being covered with jam and cream. It seemed a pity to wash it all off quite so soon.” (27)

“After a few seconds he decided quite definitely that he preferred riding on an escalator. They were nice and smooth. But lifts! To start with, it was full of people carrying parcels and all so busy they had not time to notice a small bear—one woman even rested her shopping bag on his head and seemed quite surprised when Paddington pushed it off. Then suddenly half of him seemed to fall away while the other half stayed where it was. Just as he had got used to that feeling the second half of him caught up again and even overtook the first half before the doors opened. It did that four times on the way down and Paddington was glad when the man in charge said it was the ground floor and Mrs Brown led him out.” (67-8)

Monday, January 15, 2024

4. Little House in the Big Woods

Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls Wilder. 1932. 238 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.

Premise/plot: Little House in the Big Woods is the first in an autobiographical FICTION series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura Ingalls Wilder is sharing her vivid memories of childhood starting with her Wisconsin years. She writes of Pa, Ma, Mary, and baby Carrie. She writes of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She writes of chores, chores, and more chores. She writes of story and song. So many chapters of this one feature an extra-bonus story. Laura recalling Pa recalling a story from his own past, a story from his father's past, a story from his grandfather's past. This one really does capture many of the five senses--the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, etc. of her childhood. It is a personal story, though probably not unique. She is writing of "sixty years ago," a way of life then past, a way of life falling out of [collective] memory perhaps, a way of life that can only be memorialized (is that the right word???) in family stories. Every family has stories. Not all families pass along the stories throughout the generations. The book is an act of love.

My thoughts: The series is not without controversy. I know that. You know that. We've lived long enough that Laura Ingalls Wilder--for better or worse--has fallen out of fashion, out of style. At best she's seen as quaint. At worst, well, a racist. I do think Little House in the Big Woods may be the least problematic in the series. The possible offenders being Ma baking a type of bread called "Rye n' Injun bread" and Pa singing a line in a song with the word darky. (The bread is made from rye flour and corn meal.)

I appreciated many things about this one. I love all the snapshots of day-to-day simple life. I love the snapshots of special memories--like the Christmas chapter, or the one where they go to visit family and make candy. I love the focus on family, on storytelling, on tradition. I wouldn't say the book is overly faith-forward or religious, yet, I think in some ways faith provides the skeleton--the structure--beneath.

I do read it differently the older I get. Here is the last paragraph that hit me right in the heart:

She thought to herself, "This is now."
She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.

Very true to life, in my opinion.

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

3. Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King

Coretta: The Autobiography of Coretta Scott King. Coretta Scott King. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes. 2024. [January] 40 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction picture book, biography, autobiography, children's nonfiction]

First sentence: I was born on April 27, 1927, in Heiberger, Alabama, at a time and in a place where everything I would eventually become was impossible even to imagine.

Premise/plot: This is a nonfiction picture book for children [and older readers.] It is adapted from a memoir or autobiography written by Coretta Scott King, civil rights activist and wife of Martin Luther King Jr.

My thoughts: Without a doubt librarians and teachers will pick this one up and push it, push it, push it. Is that a bad thing? Probably not. Just honestly saying that this is probably more a book adults will encourage children to choose instead of being one of those books that children will choose to pick up and read on their own. No judgment intended.

As an adult, I appreciated it. I definitely found the illustrations to be wonderful. I liked the text as well.

Tuesday, January 02, 2024

2. Facing the Enemy

Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship. Barbara Krasner. 2023. [December] 359 pages. [Source: Library]

Genre(s): Historical fiction, MG fiction, World War II, Verse Novel, Dual Narrators

First sentence: It's late spring, almost summer, 1937.

Premise/plot: Facing the Enemy is set in America [in New Jersey] in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It has dual narrators: Benjy Puterman and Thomas Anspach. These two friends will spend years not being friends because of ideology. Thomas's parents want him [essentially] to attend a Nazi Youth Camp right in New Jersey. For years--YEARS--Benjy witnesses his former best-best-best friend from childhood transform into someone unrecognizable. The town the two live in has a large Jewish population, but right in their metaphorical "backyard" they are facing Nazis of their own. There is an author's note about the time period; there really was a Nazi Youth Camp in New Jersey that was eventually shut down early in the 1940s.

My thoughts: I wanted to like this one more than I actually liked it. I did learn something from reading this one. I knew that there were Nazi sympathizers in the United States, and those who were just against the war. I didn't know there were actual-actual Nazi Youth Camps training up young men to hate, indoctrinating them, etc.

This one presents a challenge having dual narrators. Readers spend half their time--at least--living in the headspace of Thomas Anspach. There's this squirmy space. Is it okay ever to empathize with his struggles? I think the answer is yes. But it takes work--a lot of work--to see beyond crisp clear lines of black and white, good and evil. Thomas is more complex than that. His home life is more complex than that. And it isn't that a bad home life equals free forgiveness for life no matter what. Thomas from page one isn't the same Thomas by the end of the book. That arc exists for a reason.

Monday, January 01, 2024

1. Courage to Dream

Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust. Neal Shusterman. Illustrated by Andres Vera Martinez. 2023. [October] 256 pages. [Source: Library]

Genre(s): Graphic novel, short stories, historical fiction, speculative fiction, alternate realities, MG fiction,

First sentence of "He Opens a Window": Gretchen, No!

Premise/plot: There are five thematically-linked stories told in graphic novel format. The approach isn't strictly historical, each story has a speculative twist [science fiction, fantasy]. It definitely has a Twilight Zone feel. I don't mean it in a glib way. While some might view Twilight Zone as just being entertainment and spooky fun, there are some thought-provoking episodes. The stories in Courage to Dream ARE thought-provoking. They engage you on a what-if or what-might-have-been level.

The five stories are "He Opens a Window," "Legend Speaks of a Superhero...," "Spirits of Resistance," "Exodus," and "The Untold."

My thoughts: As I mentioned above, this one very much embraces the twisty-turns of speculative fiction.

Will this one be for every reader? Probably not. It isn't historically "true" or "accurate" enough to read to really learn the realities [of the horrors] of the Holocaust. It is very much a serious, sobering sci-fi twist to our reality.

I found all five stories memorable and haunting. I don't know that I could pick a true favorite of the bunch. "Exodus" might stand out a little more than the others. My least favorite story is probably "Spirits of Resistance" (but I could see it being someone's favorite.)

I do think it can be enjoyed by readers middle grade on up. I found it enjoyable as an adult.