Kristina The Girl King

This past week I read KRISTINA: THE GIRL KING by Carolyn Meyer. It is a title in the popular THE ROYAL DIARIES series published by Scholastic. As I mentioned yesterday, I absolutely love Carolyn Meyer. She is by far one of my favorite historical fiction writers for young people. One of the things I love about her is how each of her characters--whether a famous royal or an average, ordinary person--is presented as a real young person dealing with problems and situations that anyone of any generation can relate to. For example, MARY, BLOODY MARY and BEWARE, PRINCESS ELIZABETH both portray dysfunctional families. Yes, they were princesses, but they had love-hate relationships with their father. They definitely were dealing not only with sibling rivalry but also with some abandonment issues. How much worse can it get than your father disinheriting you and threatening to kill you??? And peer pressure, talk about the pressure of politics with every adult making power plays and trying to manipulate you to fit into their schemes. Anyway, back to Kristina. Kristina's family life left a lot to be desired. Her mother is presented as quite crazy. She was mean. She was manipulative. She was ungrateful. She was just an absolute terror to live with. When her father dies, Kristina's father that is, her mother refuses to bury the body not for days, not for weeks, not even for months, but for several years. Imagine being seven or eight and having to sleep in a room with a coffin. Yes, Kristina when she was with her mother experienced night mares on a daily basis. And the day time wasn't much better. Her mother was constantly yelling at her and belittling her. Talk about dysfunction. Fortunately for Kristina, her father has a group of men whose purpose is to rule the country and whose task is to prepare her to rule the country. When she's eighteen, this young girl will become KING, not queen, but King. Her father's will was clear that she was to have sole control that no future husband could take away from her. Kristina is a strong-minded, likeable character. It is a great book that I definitely recommend.

Carolyn Meyer

As faithful readers know, I have loved Carolyn Meyer ever since I 'discovered' her work early last Fall. Since then I've sought out as many books as I can by her so I can read them--or devour them. This past week I have read two books, both in The Royal Diaries series. The first, which I'll be reviewing today, is ANASTASIA: THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS.

As you can imagine, ANASTASIA is not a particularly happy book. Knowing that this young princess--or duchess or whatever the title of a tsar's daughter would be--is doomed to a tragic early death as soon as the Revolution begins makes for an interesting read. Not that reading a book called DOOMED QUEEN ANNE was any happier. At least, in this instance, readers can identify and sympathize with this young royal girl. Anastasia was one of four sisters born to the tsar and his German wife. For the most part, her childhood is typical. There's some sibling rivalry. There's the natural wanting to be allowed to play and do whatever one wants without having to follow strict rules and guidelines. Anastasia is presented as a 'natural' girl who doesn't like having to get dressed up and act like a lady. But what one wants to do doesn't always go hand in hand with the duties of being royal. The reader is presented with court life in Russia from 1914 to 1918. Since it is in diary format, thankfully the reader is spared the ordeal of witnessing the execution of the royal family. The reader sees them in captivity, but not going through the slaughter.

The book is well-written, well-researched, and enjoyable. You like Anastasia from the start and her death while not a surprise does still sadden you--at least if you're like me. :) I can only present my reactions to the book. There are photographs of the family, photographs of the castles and landscapes. There are historical notes and epilogues. I was impressed with the book overall. This was not my first Royal Diaries book, but it was my first that had enough research to back it up appropriately in my opinion. The other I read was on a Native American 'princess' going back six to seven hundred years.

One of the Best

Freedman, Russell. 2006. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Russell Freedman is an award-winning, well-respected author of nonfiction books for children and young adults. You can always count on him to tell both an informational (and accurate) and interesting story. FREEDOM WALKERS is the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott an important and significant event within the Civil Rights Movement. The introduction and first two chapters provide readers with necessary background information in regards to how African-Americans were treated in the South. In particular the first two chapters present the stories of Jo Ann Robinson and Claudette Colvin who also made a stand in regards to segregation on buses in Montgomery, Alabama. However, for whatever reason, it wasn’t until Rosa Parks that African-American leaders in the city decided to make this personal struggle into a plea for racial unity to passively stand and fight for justice. Chapters three through seven tell the story of Rosa Parks and other key individuals involved in starting the Montgomery Bus Boycott and seeing it through to the end. What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott? For those that don’t know it is when African-Americans decided that it would be better to walk to work--no matter how great the distance--than to face discrimination and prejudice by riding the buses. Why should they pay the bus system to be treated unjustly? In addition to walking, a complex system of carpooling was organized. Both African American and white citizens participated in this carpool system. The boycott was successful. Due to their rallying at churches across the city, all of the buses were empty--empty of African-American passengers who formerly made up the bulk of their passengers. In response, city officials urged whites to ride the buses to keep the business alive, but found it harder to gain support. Many whites viewed traveling by buses below them since they had their own cars. Although facing financial hardship or even ruin, the city remained firm on its policy. They would not even begin to consider comprimising with African-American leaders. They even responded with violence. But Martin Luther King, Jr. urged African-Americans to above all remain nonviolent and act in Christianly love. This drama was also played out in several courtrooms across the country. Leaders knew that this local incident would eventually become a national issue in the Supreme Court. Knowing that the South would never side in favor of justice for African Americans, they hoped for justice on the national level. Chapter eight concludes with the follow up story of the Civil Rights movement in the sixties and seventies. Well-researched, Russell Freedman uses photographs and primary sources to document an important time in American history. Includes chapter notes (foot notes), selected bibliography, and index.

Kidsreads.com Best Books of 2006

Kidsreads.com's Best Books of 2006

Stand-Alone Chapter Books/Middle Grade Novels

• The Adventures of Vin Fiz by Clive Cussler
  
• Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story) by Barbara Ensor
  
• Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
  
• Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce
  
• Gossamer by Lois Lowry
  
• Heat by Mike Lupica
  
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
  
• Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements
  
• Vanishing Act: Mystery at the U.S. Open
  

Debut Series

• The Dragon's Eye: The Dragonology Chronicles, Volume 1 by Dugald A. Steer
  
• The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean (Harrien Bean Series) by Alexander McCall Smith
  
• Araminta Spookie: The Sword of the Grotto by Angie Sage
  
• Escape from the Carnival: A Never Land Adventure by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
  
• Ulysses Moore #1 : The Door to Time by Beth Dunfey
  
• Ulysses Moore #2 : The Long-Lost Map by Beth Dunfey
  

Series Updates

• The End by Lemony Snicket
  
• The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket
  
• Ark Angel: An Alex Rider Adventure by Anthony Horowitz
  
• The Lost Colony: Artemis Fowl #5 by Eoin Colfer
  
• Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion by Captain Will Lubber, edited by Dugald A. Steer
  
• Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean
  
• Small Steps by Louis Sachar
  
• The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett
  
• Evil Star: Book Two of the Gatekeepers by Anthony Horowitz
  
• Sir Thursday: The Keys to the Kingdom, Book Four by Garth Nix
  
• Lord of the Shadows: Cirque du Freak Book #11 by Darren Shan
  
• Sons of Destiny: Cirque du Freak Book #12 by Darren Shan
  
• Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
  
• Flyte: Septimus Heap, Book Two by Angie Sage
  
• Spirit Walker: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #2 by Michelle Paver
  
• Mercy Watson Goes for A Ride by Kate DiCamillo
  
• Mercy Watson Fights Crime by Kate DiCamillo
  
• Amelia Bedelia Under Construction by Herman Parish
  
• Geronimo Stilton Series Geronimo Stilton
  
• Water Street by Patricia Reilly Giff
  

Pop Up Books

• Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart
  
• Mommy? by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks, and Matthew Reinhart
  
• Sabuda and Reinhart Present-- Castle: Medieval Days and Knights by Kyle Olman, illustrated by Tracy Sabin
  

Picture Books

• The Berenstain Bears Go On Vacation by Stan and Jan Berenstain
  
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
  
• Eloise in Hollywood by Kay Thompson
  
• Is There Really A Human Race by Jamie Lee Curtis
  
• Lucille Lost: A True Adventure by Margaret George and Christopher J. Murphy, illustrated by Bob Dacey and Debra Bandelin
  
• A Million Dots by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Mike Reed
  
• Olivia Forms A Band by Ian Falconer
  
• Probuditi by Chris Van Allsburg
  
• Where's Waldo? The Great Picture Hunt by Martin Handford
  

Washington Post's Top 10 Novels for Children 2006

Washington Post's Top Ten Novels for Children

• The Book of Everything, by Guus Kuijer, translated from the Dutch by John Nieuwenhuizen
  
• Here Lies the Librarian, by Richard Peck
  
• Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller
  
• Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War: An Epic Tale From Ancient Iraq, by Kathy Henderson
  
• Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean
  
• Samurai Shortstop, by Alan Gratz
  
• The Unresolved, by T.K. Welsh
  
• Victory, by Susan Cooper
  
• The White Elephant, by Sid Fleischman
  
• Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett