Walk Two Moons

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Months after her mother leaves, promising to return in time for the tulips to bloom, thirteen-year-old Salamanca and her father leave their home in Kentucky and head to Euclid, Ohio. There Sal befriends Phoebe Winterbottom, her fellow classmate and the neighbor of Sal’s father’s friend Mrs. Cadaver.
The school year passes and Sal goes with her grandparents on a cross country trip to where her mother is in Idaho, hoping to arrive before her mother’s birthday and bring her home. On this trip Sal shares the story of Phoebe and the disappearance of her own mother, while coming to terms with the events of the previous year and a half.

Likes
Creech expertly weaves the three stories together: Sal’s life in Kentucky before her mother’s departure, her life in Ohio and Phoebe’s tale, and the trip from Ohio to Idaho.

The relationships between the characters are exquisitely written. I could imagine these people as being real.

The scenery is magnificently drawn. I felt that I could close my eyes and see Sal and her grandparents sitting in the river or Sal’s mother picking blackberries on their farm.

This is a beautiful novel that sticks with you, enticing a myriad of emotions throughout.

I finished listening to this book on my morning commute. It was extremely hard to keep the tears from flowing freely, even though I had guessed what was going to happen.  This is a mark of an excellent novel.

Dislikes
I listened to the book on CD. My only real dislike was of the narrator. There was a particular quality that she gave to most character’s voices that rather grated my nerves.

Other
Won the 1995 Newbery Medal
Number 68 on the Top 100 Children’s Novels

Psalm 147

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (audiobook)

Ten-year-old Annemarie remembers life before the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Everyone was more carefree. Soldiers were not stationed at every street corner. There was real coffee, tea and cigarettes for her parents, and enough butter and sugar for pink frosted cupcakes for Annemarie and her sisters.

That was several years ago.

Now Annemarie’s older sister is dead in a car accident. Her younger sister only remembers a Denmark full of German soldiers. And her family are about to risk everything to help save their dear friends and neighbors, the Rosens.

Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, is Jewish. Word has got out that the German soldiers are about to relocate all of the Jewish citizens of Denmark. Annemarie’s parents, her uncle and her almost brother-in-law help the Rosens – and other Jewish families – escape across the ocean to nearby Sweden.


Likes
This is a wonderful example of historical fiction that is accessible for a younger audience. Lowry includes an afterword in which she shares the truths within this work of fiction.

Other
This book could be tied in with the Swedish children’s novel A Farway Island by Annika Thor.

Winner of the Newbery Medal in 1990.

The title of the book comes from Psalm 147.

Had you asked me even a few days ago, I would have told you that I had never read Number the Stars. As it is a Newbery winner, I decided to check out the audiobook and listen to it. It’s a short audiobook – only three discs.

Shortly into the first disc I was fairly certain that I had read this story. By the time I finished the audiobook, I knew that I had read the book.

Listening treasures

While I didn’t finish reading any books on vacation, I did finish two audiobooks while driving to and from Michigan. Both are considered children’s novels.

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

Set in London during the mid-1600s, this is the story of Coriander, the only child of a well to do merchant. Her mother is considered to be the local expert on folk medicines. The family is a happy one.

Trouble begins with the arrival of a mysterious package that contains a pair of silver shoes. Young Coriander greatly desires the shoes, even though her mother is very set against them. Thus begins a story of mystery and magic; of tragedy and treachery.

As Coriander grows, her loving family is torn apart. She learns about her mother’s mysterious past, and, in doing so, who she really is.

Likes

• The story is engaging. In a mixture of reality and fantasy, Gardner deftly describes Coriander’s world.
• The characters are well developed. They grow throughout the story, learning from mistakes and
• I haven’t read a lot of Neil Gaiman’s work, but this story reminded me a lot of those I have read (Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Stardust, MirrorMask). Since I enjoyed most of those stories, I was happy with this.

Dislikes

• It isn’t as much of a dislike of the book as a confusion as to where it belongs in a library collection. Like many others, my library has it as a children’s novel. The more I listened to the book I understood why other libraries place it in teen fiction. The amount of abuse railed upon Coriander and her stepsister – and the description of it – is enough to make he hesitate giving the book to anyone younger than 13 or 14.

The second audiobook I finished is another of those stories that I thought I may have read as a child, only to realize I don’t recall it at all. Yet again, I wonder how no one put this book into my hand!

From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

The oldest of four children and the only girl, Claudia decides to run away from home. She’s tired of not being appreciated by her family. She isn’t one to just pick up and go, however. First she needs a plan. Part of her plan is recruiting one of her younger brothers – Jamie – as he is known to be very thrifty with his money.

The two leave home and travel to New York City where they make themselves a home at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They are not the only new residents of the museum. A statue of an angel – possibly a work of Michelangelo’s – was recently acquired and put on display. The children decide to solve the mystery of the statue’s creator, leading them to the home of one Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – the narrator of the story.

Likes

• The relationship between Claudia and Jamie. The siblings are close, but still disagree like siblings often do.
• Mrs. Frankeweiler’s tone and humor. She reminds be a bit of the character of Sofia on Golden Girls. I want to be like her when I grow up.
• The library! The children go to the library to do research on Angel. Yay!
• The little surprise at the end. I can’t tell you what it is, but I loved it!

Dislikes

• The narrator. I cringed nearly every time she spoke Jamie’s lines. She made him sound like the annoying kid in the Polar Express movie – just even more annoying. *shudder*

Other

• 1968 Newbery Winner
• Number 5 on the Top 100 Children's Novels list.
  

Some Pig!

Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White; pictures by Garth Williams

When kindhearted Fern saves the runt of the litter from death, no one in her family thought that it would amount to much. Soon the piglet, affectionately named Wilbur, is moved to a nearby farm (owned by Fern’s uncle), where he soon finds an unlikely friend in a grey spider named Charlotte. Through Charlotte’s talent and ingenuity, Wilbur hopes to remain off the family dinner table.

Like:

Such a sweet story of friendship, this is undoubtedly one of the best children’s books written. I knew the tale, but from watching the animated film as a child, not from reading the book. If I did read the story, I don’t recall doing so. I love the illustrations, the characters, the setting…everything about the book is wonderful.

Dislike:

I honestly can’t think of a thing.

Other:

1953 Newbery Honor book

revisiting a childhood favorite

My friend LF has been listening to the Anne of Green Gables books by L. M. Montgomery. Somehow she missed reading the books as a child. While recently discussing the series, LF remarked that she is very upset that no one gave her the books to read when she was younger.

While this is a classic children’s book series, many of my generation may know of the stories due to the television series that was aired during my childhood. I adored that show.

Unlike LF, I was very lucky in that my Aunt M did give me a complete paperback set of the series as a birthday or Christmas gift. It was a couple of years later that I picked up the first book and started reading, but that was not the last time I picked it up. Since then I have read the whole series at least twice more. It has been several years, though, so I am considering getting the audiobooks. I’ve heard they are excellent.

Just to toot my own horn a bit…

I recently did the count to see how many books I’ve read this year. So far I’m over 60…not including audiobooks or picture books. Anyone want to take bets to what the final number will be at the end of the year?

That whole Newbery challenge I gave myself is going quite well. In the past 4 months I’ve upped my Newbery winner/honor reading to 53 books (from 45). Hmmm…perhaps I need to get cracking on that a bit more. I’ve also read several of the books from that Top 100 Children’s Novels list. There was quite a bit of overlap between that list and the Newbery winners/honors. Not that I realized it at the time…

Now…to get those reviews written and posted.

Little House series, continued

I’m still listening to the original Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and recently finished On the banks of Plum Creek.

Laura and her family move from their first home in Minnesota – a sod house built into the ground – into a fine house made of sawed limber. They talk of all the things they can afford now that the wheat crop is growing. Then, before it can be harvest, the wheat crop – and nearly every plant within miles – is consumed by a plague of grasshoppers. Pa must find other ways to make money to pay on the new house and buy the food needed for winter.

While this chapter in the Ingalls family’s history is full of drama, it is also full of love and hope. The family does what is needed to survive, all along they continue to cherish what they do have.

This book was number 85 on the Top 100 Children's Novels list. It also won a Newbery Honor in 1938.

Reading update!

I thought I’ve finished more than three books since last week. Perhaps it only feels that way because of the whole being sick thing (I have bronchititis). Or perhaps it is because I’ve started a few different books over the last week.

Anyhow…I owe three reviews right now.

Let’s start with the audiobook.

Little house on the prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

As with the first audiobook of this series, this installment is narrated by Cherry Jones.

Pa feels that the Big Woods are getting too crowded and populated, so he, Ma, Mary, and Baby Carrie all travel to the prairies – and Indian Country – to settle. They take a covered wagon all the way from Wisconsin to Kansas, where Pa builds a little log house for the family. While there they encounter malaria, prairie grass fire, and Indians. When Pa finds out that the government has sent soldiers to move some settlers out of the Indian country, he decides to pack up the family and move elsewhere.

The events take place just over a year’s worth of time.

I enjoyed Jone’s narration of the story. She does an excellent job of portraying the characters.

While I don’t agree with how the Native Americans are portrayed in the book, the sentiments described are historically accurate. Unfortunately, many settlers did feel animosity towards the native population.

I’ve already started listening to On the Banks of Plum Creek. That will also fulfill a Newbery challenge, as it was an honor book in the 30s. Yay!

Now…on to the print books I finished recently.

First there was Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters by Gail Gales. Sunny’s older sister is dead. Or is she? When she receives a letter from Jazz stating that she didn’t die in the NYC apartment fire and is coming home to prove it, Sunny is stunned. Since Jazz’s death a few months before, their already unstable mother has become nearly non-functioning, and their alcoholic father has moved out and fallen deeper into the bottle, leaving fourteen year old Sunny to pick up all the pieces.

Then Jazz arrives. Or does she? This person looks a lot like Jazz, and acts a lot like Jazz, but Sunny isn’t convinced.

In a whirlwind of events, the story unravels, leaving the reader wondering just what happened.

Wow. I wasn’t overly impressed with the tale at first, but the ending really got me thinking. I might have to go back and read the book again, just to look for holes in the story – and hopefully figure it out. Overall it is a great mystery for teens. Another plus is that it is a short novel, so reading it again will take little time.

The last book left to review – for now – is The Locked Garden by Gloria Whelan.

Verna and her younger sister Carlie, along with their father (a doctor) and their Aunt Maude, move to a home on the grounds of a mental asylum. Their father spends his days working at the asylum. Aunt Maude – their mother’s sister – watches over the girls, always criticizing them, and demanding their love in odd ways. When Eleanor, a patient at the asylum, comes to help with the home, the two young girls fall for her. They choose to spend time with Eleanor over Aunt Maude. This upsets their aunt, and has consequences that neither girl can really understand.

The setting is very picturesque.

I didn’t dislike the story. Really. I didn’t. But there are so many little things that left a bad taste in my mouth or just fell flat. For instance, Aunt Maude. There is obviously something not right with her. She can be a petty and cruel woman, and the way she lashes out at others is disturbing. You would think that working in the field of psychology/psychiatry, that her brother-in-law would notice this and be sure to get her the help she needs. At least he wouldn’t let her treat his daughters as she does!

My other major issue was the ending. It was more of a “not ending”. I was very disappointed.

In happier news, I love the books I am currently reading! I can’t wait to get back to them. Darn real life getting in the way.

Marking off the list

I went to lunch between my doctor’s appointment this morning and going to work this afternoon, and grabbed Love that dog by Sharon Creech from my car to read whilst eating.

This book is written in free verse poetry. It is the beginning of the year, and it appears that Miss Stretchberry, teacher of Room 105, has assigned journal writing to the students. She also shares poetry with them. Jack starts the journal with the complaint that only girls write poetry.

The reader only sees Jack’s words; however, from them a story develops – conversations with his teacher, what happened to his beloved dog, and the best school day ever. Jack realizes that boys also write poetry, and he finds that he has a knack for it as well.

This was number 75 on the Top 100 Children’s Novels list from Fuse8. After briefly discussing this book with one of my coworkers, I placed it on hold. I think that was a month ago. It sat in my car for several weeks, being renewed at least once, until I finally picked it up to read.

I love Jack’s voice. Adore it. His personality comes through the text. I was touched by his worry that some of his classmates would be sad after reading one of his poems, and laughed at his instructions to his teacher as to how to type and display his work. His fear that Mr. Walter Dean Myers would not like that he borrowed some words for his own poem, and his rambling letter to Mr. Walter Dean Myers, full of apologetic hesitation resonate feelings of many people when talking about or to their favorite artist. Lastly, Jack’s feelings for his dog are those that any animal lover and pet owner will completely understand.

Another book from the Top 100 list that I finished this weekend was an audiobook production of Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This was number 24 on the list.

The first book in the Little House series, it is here that we are introduced to Laura and the rest of the Ingalls family – Pa, Ma, Mary and little Carrie. Laura is quite young – only four at the beginning of the book – and many of the experiences of life in the Big Woods fill her with awe. Though told in third person, the reader experiences life through Laura’s eyes, and such wonders as a sugar snow, Christmas with family (and her first real doll), and seeing a town for the first time. While Laura knows there are dangers abound in the woods, she feels safe at home with her family.

I’m not sure how I missed reading this series as a child, though I think I’ve read excerpts of some of the books. Perhaps it was because the television show was so popular at the time. *shrug* It’s not worth mulling over, as I can read the books now.

I enjoyed the first book in the series. The narrator, Cherry Jones, does a great job with each character’s voice. Between the text and the narration, I could truly feel Laura’s excitement and wonder about Christmas and her new doll, her annoyance of being quiet on Sundays, and her fear when she and Ma accidentally encounter a bear.

I’ve already put the next few books on hold (in audio format) and should be able to start listening to them tomorrow!

Top 100 Children's Novels, updated

The Top 100 Children's Novels list is complete! I've read at least half of them. A few are on my "To Be Read" list.

Here's the complete list. The one's I've read are bolded.

Charlotte's Web
A Wrinkle in Time
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Holes
The Giver
The Secret Garden
Anne of Green Gables
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Westing Game
The Hobbit
Bridge to Terabithia
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Because of Winn-Dixie
Harriet the Spy
Maniac Magee
Matilda
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Tuck Everlasting
The Lightning Thief
The Tale of Despereaux
Little House in the Big Woods
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Little Women
Hatchet
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
A Little Princess
The Dark Is Rising
Winnie-the-Pooh
Half Magic
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
James and the Giant Peach
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
When You Reach Me
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Little House on the Prairie
Ramona the Pest
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
The Golden Compass
Where the Red Fern Grows
Bud, Not Buddy
The Penderwicks
Frindle
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Saturdays
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Wind in the Willows
The BFG
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Number the Stars
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Inkheart
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Stargirl
The Secret of the Old Clock
Gone-Away Lake
A Long Way from Chicago
Ballet Shoes
Henry Huggins
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Walk Two Moons
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Betsy-Tacy
The Bad Beginning
My Father's Dragon
My Side of the Mountain
The Borrowers
Love That Dog
Out of the Dust
The City of Ember
Johnny Tremain
All-of-a-Kind Family
The Graveyard Book
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
The Book of Three
The Thief
The Little White Horse
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The View from Saturday
The High King
Ramona and Her Father
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Sideways Stories from the Wayside School
Ella Enchanted
Caddie Woodlawn
Swallows and Amazons
Pippi Longstocking
The Witches
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Children of Green Knowe
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Egypt Game

Click here for my original post about this list.

Top 100 Children's Novels

As we are often found doing, several coworkers and I were discussing books. What a surprise! Who would have thought that youth librarians would discuss *gasp* reading? lol

The most recent discussion was started by Sarah K. She asked me how many of the Top 100 Children’s novels I’ve read (from the list that has been posted in length on the Fuse #8 blog). Of course this meant I had to copy the list into an Excel document and then pour over it, highlighting the ones I’m fairly certain I’ve read. So far the number is around 50. There might be one or two more, but I’m not sure. There are only a few days left before all 100 novels are announced. How many have you read?

Here's a list of the books. The one's I've read are bolded.


Holes
The Giver
The Secret Garden
Anne of Green Gables
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Westing Game
The Hobbit
Bridge to Terabithia
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Because of Winn-Dixie
Harriet the Spy
Maniac Magee
Matilda
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Tuck Everlasting
The Lightning Thief
The Tale of Despereaux
Little House in the Big Woods
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Little Women
Hatchet
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
A Little Princess
The Dark Is Rising
Winnie-the-Pooh
Half Magic
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
James and the Giant Peach
The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
When You Reach Me
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Little House on the Prairie
Ramona the Pest
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
The Golden Compass
Where the Red Fern Grows
Bud, Not Buddy
The Penderwicks
Frindle
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Saturdays
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Wind in the Willows
The BFG
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Number the Stars
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Inkheart
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Stargirl
The Secret of the Old Clock
Gone-Away Lake
A Long Way from Chicago
Ballet Shoes
Henry Huggins
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Walk Two Moons
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Betsy-Tacy
The Bad Beginning
My Father's Dragon
My Side of the Mountain
The Borrowers
Love That Dog
Out of the Dust
The City of Ember
Johnny Tremain
All-of-a-Kind Family
The Graveyard Book
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
The Book of Three
The Thief
The Little White Horse
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The View from Saturday
The High King
Ramona and Her Father
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Sideways Stories from the Wayside School
Ella Enchanted
Caddie Woodlawn
Swallows and Amazons
Pippi Longstocking
The Witches
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Children of Green Knowe
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Egypt Game