Books!

My nine year old niece recommended Laura Amy Schlitz's Splendors and Glooms and I am so glad she did!!  First Miriam read it and loved it and then I read it and loved it.  It is a Dickensian novel for upper elementary/middle school (but delightful for all ages).  It has some dark magic in it but nothing too creepy.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and put it in my basket at amazon to make sure I add it to my collection.  You might be familiar with this author.  She wrote Good Masters! Sweet Ladies: Voices from a Medieval Village, which won the Newbery.  She also wrote The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer who Dug for Troy--one of my children's very favorite biographies.  In short, we're going to make sure all of Ms. Schlitz's books wind up on our bookshelf.  She's fabulous.

We listened to Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke on audio book awhile ago and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.  So much so that I bought a copy for Emeline (age 8) for Christmas.  Since then she's read it twice (that I know about--sometimes I sleep and miss things) and has declared it her "favorite book ever."  If you have a child in elementary school who likes humorous adventure stories, I recommend this one.

We had Freight Train by Donald Crews when Cowen was a baby/toddler, but it was destroyed as only truly beloved books can be destroyed.  I figured Oskar would like it as much as my other kids had and so I gave it to him for Christmas.  It hasn't replaced Babies by Gyo Fujikawa as his favorite book, but it is a very close second.  My children were overjoyed when Oskar unwrapped the book because they all remember it and love it.  The best Christmas book reaction, though, was when Oskar unwrapped Jamberry, another book that was destroyed out of sheer love, and Miriam grabbed it right out of Oskar's hands and squealed, "Jamberry!" in pure delight.  Awesome.  

My dad loaned me Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and I loved it.  I rarely read adult books, truth be told, as YA was always my happy place, but I'll be purchasing this book for my library.  I loved everything about it.  

I am always so, so, so, so excited when one of my children read one of my favorite books and love it as much as I do.  Miriam just finished Sabriel, my favorite Garth Nix book.  She then promptly read the sequel the next day.  She loved it, I love it, anyone who likes fantasy will love it.  Read it.  Gold Star Book.

Great Books On Tape

 We have had a really good run of books on tape lately.  Sometimes they are hit and miss--one child really likes it but the others don't, or I love the book but the reader is so bad I can't stand to listen.  These are all fantastic!  I know you've all read Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (of The Bronze Bow and Witch of Blackbird Pond fame).  It is a great book and the reader did a great job with it.

Heat by Mike Lupica was Cowen's favorite.  Everyone really enjoyed it, including my hubby, but Cowen loved it.  With a great, deep love.  As soon as it ended he asked to listen again.  I guess I'm behind the times with Mike Lupica.  I saw the book at the library and grabbed it because of the cover.  I thought it would be more about immigration issues, which interest me as I'm an immigrant.  It wasn't so much about immigration, but once I started reading I couldn't put it down. While it was on my shelves my sister came over and said that Lupica was all the rage.  She has a 12 year old boy, so maybe he helps her stay abreast of authors who write for boys.  Or maybe Lupica is crazy famous and I'm just getting sadly out of touch.  

The point--read this book, or listen to it.  The reader was fabulous.

I almost turned off Juliet Dove, Queen of Love by Bruce Coville after the first few minutes when I realized that it was an audio cast and not just one reader.  I usually hate casts.  However, while I'm still not in love with casts, this one did a great job and I enjoyed it.  I especially loved listening to all my little children say randomly, "Juliet Dove, QUEEN of love," in drippy voices.  Hilarious.  There are two magical mice in the book, Roxanne and Jerome.  You will love them.  Or, at least, you will love your children's imitations of Roxanne.  Hilarious I tell you.  Cowen didn't want to listen to this one but even he was won over and loved it by the end.

The reader did a great job with Ella Enchanted.  My children were riveted the whole time.  The first time we put it in we weren't driving very far so we only got to the second chapter or so.  I couldn't stand it and came home and read the whole thing.  It had been a few years.  Love this book.  All my children loved this one.

I will not lie--I did not like the cast for these books.  The person who did the dragon voice was terrible. Awful.  Bleh.  However, the story is so much fun and my kids enjoyed it so much that I forced myself to overlook the one really terrible reader and that it was a cast.  We immediately listened to the second in the series when the first ended, so again, worth listening to (if you like silly stories, that is).

Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine (who wrote Ella Enchanted) was a big surprise.  I expected to like it because of the author, but I was still surprised by how good it was.  The reader was AMAZING and since I hadn't read it before (I usually only pick books I've read so I won't be disappointed) I was as enthralled as my children.  There were several times we sat out in the car or "accidentally" missed the turn to our house so we could listen longer.  We also broke my cardinal rule of audio books stay in the van and we listened to the end in our house because we couldn't stand to wait for our next outing.  Stellar.  Just loved it.

Must Read Books!!!

 My niece (age 12) called me the other day to tell me that she had just finished the book By These Ten Bones by Clare B. Dunkle and she wanted another book exactly like it to read.  I'm the go-to aunt for books.  I told her to read The Hollow Kingdom by the same author because it is amazingly, fantastically good.

So she checked out the book from the library that day.  When she called to tell me that she was reading it, I started thinking about it--which led to me picking up the first one around 7:30 pm and staying up until 3:00 am when I finished the third in the trilogy.  Yeah, I really love these books.

The first book is The Hollow Kingdom and it is far and away Dunkle's best book (that I've read).  By These Ten Bones is also fantastic (about werewolves) but the incredible goblin world Dunkle creates in Hollow Kingdom is just so much fun.  Besides that, the goblin king is the love interest and he is awesome.  Makes you want to rush right out and marry a goblin.

 The second book in the trilogy is Close Kin and it is about elves and goblins.  The main elf girl is a rock star when most elves are kind of wimpy so you want to read the book just for her.  Her name is Sable.  You will love her.

The third book is called In the Coils of the Snake and it ties everything together by finding a leader for the elves and getting them squared away.  It isn't my favorite.  In fact, you can read the first book as a stand alone and you'd be fine.  I like them all but the first, like I said, is in a whole different caliber than then second two (although I love Sable enough that I reread the second book on a pretty regular basis as well).

So rush out and get them--from the library if you want, but you'll buy them once you read them.  I guarantee it.  I adore Dunkle.  Much like Megan Whalen Turner, I eagerly await and read anything she writes.  Usually long into the wee hours of the morning.  I'm just chock-full of self-discipline like that!

Summer Reading Program 2012

In case you missed this post over at Latter-day Homeschooling, I thought I would post it here!

I once posted about the summer reading program I do with my nieces and nephews every summer.  You can read about it here.  We've read Lloyd Alexander, we've read Austen, and this summer I thought it was time for more emphasis on nonfiction.

Nonfiction is a tricky little animal.  When I was really young I drank in nonfiction.  I loved to learn about anything.  Then I discovered fantasy and while I still liked nonfiction, I gravitated towards books with dragons and wizards and evil spells.  Sometimes it is hard for nonfiction to compete with a whole new world.

Another problem with nonfiction is that it is hard to find really high quality books.  There are 40 gazillion books out there about Egypt (I know, I've been putting together our 8 week unit on Ancient Egypt) but only a handful are worth reading.  I know, I know, fiction is the same way--but there are numerous ways to find high quality fiction but fewer avenues to finding the best of the best in nonfiction.  How many book blogs do you know about that spotlight nonfiction for children?  See what I'm saying?

The last, and I think greatest, problem with nonfiction is that it is not escapist and it taxes your brain sometimes.  I have always been an escapist reader.  After college, I drifted away from nonfiction because it wasn't required.  Fortunately, homeschooling has forced me to really dive into children's nonfiction and together my children and I have learned that the perfect nonfiction book is a gem and worth all the digging through the rabble.

Since historical fiction is one of my great loves, I thought I would build a summer reading program that integrated historical fiction with nonfiction.  As always, my nieces and nephews know they will have to discuss the books with me and their cousins in a intelligent manner.  This year we are even planning skype book sessions because some of the cousins moved to Switzerland and another cousin moved to Texas.

Without further ado, here is what I posted on the family website . . .

My Aunt’s Obsessed With History Summer Reading Program!!

Rules: Pick two time periods and read all the books listed for that time period.  That’s it.  If you are younger than 10, don’t read the books listed as "for the over 10 crowd.”

Prizes: What do you guys want?  Another ice-cream sundae/movie party?  Pizza?  Chicken dancing?

Time Period Options:

Ancient Times in the Middle East:

Masada by Neil Waldman

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas (over 10 crowd)

Alexander the Great by John Gunther

 American Turn of the Century:

The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman (if you read this you will know more about WWI than most Americans)

Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924 by Deborah Hopkinson

Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Big Burn by Jeanette Ingold

WWII:

On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury

Their Finest Hour by Sir Winston (the MAN) Churchill (over 10 crowd—at least 100 pages)

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (over 10 crowd)
Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" by Tunnell (under 10 crowd)

Happy summer reading!

Another Fantastic Book Find

Maybe some of you have already discovered this treasure--I hope so. Candace Fleming wrote a fictional version of her mother's experience sending material aid to a family in Holland following WWII.

Boxes For Katje starts with a young girl, Rosie, sending Katje a simple box through a children's humanitarian program. When Rosie receives the letter Katje send back, expressing her appreciation and disclosing a bit about how desperate her family is, Rosie and her mom decide to send a more generous box.

Katje writes back, prompting Rosie and her mom and many of their friends to send even more things to Holland, until finally, by the end of the story, Rosie's hometown basically adopts Katje's town and supports them through the brutal winter that followed the close of the war.

I cried. The pictures were fantastic. I loved watching the circle of concerned people grow as the two towns, an ocean apart, became more entwined. It is beautifully written and I loved it.

There is a program that allows you to send a box of supplies to someone in the world and track it. Maybe my friend Becky will chime in here with the name of the program. This book would be a great precursor to sending out one of those boxes for Christmas or a FHE on service or charity or love.

Even if all you do is check out the book and read it--do it! We happen to be talking about the Golden Rule at our house right now (because Mom needs more practice), so my kids made a lot of connections between the book and the golden rule.

Gold Star book for sure.

Good Books for the 7-10 year old Crowd

Several months ago, I started thinking about how important it is for children to learn how to discuss what they read. I learned how to "book talk" around the dinner table. My parents are both avid readers and my Dad would periodically hand us a book that he thought was particularly excellent (like Mrs. Mike), we would all read it, and then we'd discuss it around the table. (Mrs. Mike is particularly excellent.)

Miriam is the oldest, so she is reading a lot of books that the other children aren't. She doesn't like to discuss books with me. These discussions go like this:

Me: "How did you like _______ ?"

Miriam: "I loved it!"

Me: "What did you love about it?"

Miriam: "Well, I liked that . . . [realization dawns that explaining takes awhile] . . . just read it yourself."

To better facilitate "book talk," I created a book club for girls age 7-10 and invited Miriam to join. So far we've met three times. Today was the first time I hosted and was able to listen to the actual book discussion. It was wonderful! The girls had so many funny things to say! I couldn't believe how much Miriam contributed. Yeah!

I think all the books picked for our monthly meetings are excellent (yes, I picked them) so I thought I would share them with you. Any of them would make great summer reading. These books, although geared toward the younger crowd, are good enough to be read by readers of all ages.

I'm not writing a synopsis of the books so I linked the titles to amazon so you can easily find out more if a book interests you. No, I do not get a kick-back from amazon.

The Wish-Giver by Bill Brittain is a classic tale of wish-making gone awry.

Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse.

Girls Think of Everything by Catherine Thimmesh. This book has a series of short entries about different inventions created by women. Awesome.

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. Vivacious redhead--what's not to love? :)

Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille by Russell Freedman. Freedman is the man when it comes to nonfiction for this age group. Loved this book.

The Horse-Tamer by Walter Farley. If the author sounds familiar it is because he wrote all the Black Stallion books. I like those, but this is my favorite Farley.

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli. This is a great medieval historical fiction about the plague. No head-banging monks. Sorry.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. This is the book the kids read for this month and listening to them talk about it was hilarious. They loved the idea of running away, bathing in a fountain, and sleeping in dusty beds. For our activity we carved Ivory soap with butter knives. Michelangelo we aren't, but we had fun.

George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen. Long title, very accessible read.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. This is the first book of the Prydain Chronicles, which include The Black Cauldron--which all of you know because you read my blog. This is, of course, my favorite writer for middle readers. Alexander is the king of fantasy for youngsters. Love, love, love this book and this series.

Gentle Ben by Walt Morey. One of my favorite animal books--right up there with Popper's Penguins (although My Friend Flicka is still the best animal book ever. Ever. Read it, you'll see what I mean.) Apparently there are two books called Gentle Ben about a boy and a bear (I just learned this searching for a cover image). I haven't read the other one. When you search at your library, check the author.

And that is it. I realize I've posted a lot of book recommendations lately, but hey--everyone needs a good book to read!

PS A little heads up--there is going to be a giveaway for my units on another blog. I'll announce it here on the day of. Stay tuned!

Two More Good Books to Read

I always find myself admitting to terrible personal deficiencies on this blog. I'm going to do it again, right now. I haven't read all of Jane Austen's novels. Don't start throwing things at me! I love Austen. I fell in love with Austen the summer after grade 6 when my father handed me a copy of Pride and Prejudice and said, "You'll like this." My desire to please my father was such that I read it immediately. And loved it. Mr. Darcy was one of my first character crushes (then I met Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights soon after and fell in looovvveee).

Later, in grade 10, I read Sense and Sensibility. Loved it, although not quite as much as Pride and Prejudice.

When I was an undergrad, I read Persuasion. It hovers just under P&P in transcendence.

Until last week, I just never got around to reading the other three. Like I have a tendency to do, whenever I had a spare minute and felt like an Austen I pulled out my tried and true favorites--either P&P or Persuasion. I don't read as much as I'd like to anymore so when I can sit down and read, I almost never read something new. Sad, I realize. I just don't want to waste time on an inferior book.

But last week I read Northanger Abbey and I loved it. Not as good as my two favorites, but excellent, nonetheless. What I liked is that you could tell it was a young, inexperienced Austen writing. She was more obvious in her put-downs and she "told" instead of "showed" some of the time. However, it was still worlds better than ordinary authors and helped you appreciate the growth Austen experienced as a writer. The main character was charming, the love interest wry and witty, the General perfectly believable in his tiresome arrogance. Ah, it is always good to read Austen--she helps you appreciate people and all their little quirks and foolishness.

If you haven't read an Austen lately, do so. They are good for you.

And if you have a daughter about 11 years old on up (depending on reading level), hand her an Austen. She'll thank you.

PS Are there any good movie versions of Northanger Abbey?

Smith by Leon Garfield is one of those library finds that make you wonder why you haven't heard of a book before because it is so amazingly awesome. Now, my sister just told me that I killed The Penderwicks for her by overstating its goodness, leaving her feeling let-down upon its completion.

There is no way that can happen with this book no matter how I rave about it. The plot centers on a murder of a British gentleman farmer. A murder witnessed by a 12 year old pickpocket called Smith, who happened to steal minutes before what the murderers killed to get--a letter. The rest of the book is high adventure as Smith tries to avoid getting killed (someone saw him pick the pocket) while trying to learn how to read (so he can understand the letter's importance).

If you have a boy or girl age 8 on up (depending on reading level--it is aimed for the 12 on up crowd but could easily be read by someone younger) who likes adventure stories, this one is superb.

Happy reading!

Audio Books

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Provo with my kiddos to hang with my sister and her kiddos. It is a good 90 minute drive or more. When thinking about the drive, I realized that I would go bonkers if I had to listen to 50 Silly Songs for Kids one more time. Usually I don't mind, but lately, man it has been annoying. We'll blame it on hormones. (If they would only choose Newsies every once in awhile, or our Disney collection--or anything but "the smile was on the crocodile" etc.)

Then I had a brain-wave. The reason my children were listening to silly songs instead of the classical station is because my hubby gave me a new cd player for the van. We could now participate in one of my favorite activities--listening to an audio book.

So I went to the library and got one of my favorite books, hoping the reader would do a good job. He did!!! He really, really did. Graeme Malcolm, whoever you are, you ROCK at reading books.

Those of you who listen to audio books know that a reader can make or break the book.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (a GOLD STAR book for sure) was read brilliantly. The drive was over before my children realized they should be annoyed by the length of it. When we returned home, my children insisted we take the cds inside so they could finish the story immediately. They loved it.

So will you. If you don't have time to listen to it (I don't listen to books on tape much now that I don't commute), please read it. Great book for ages 4 on up (at least, my four year old loved it).

While we are on the subject of audio books, I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND my very favorite audio books.

The Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman.

These are available in written form, but if at all possible, do not read these books. Listen to them. The reader, a Barbara Rosenblat, is without a doubt the best reader I've ever heard--and I listened to A LOT of books on tape during my year commuting.

My very favorite of the series is the second one, The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax. Mrs. Pollifax, if you've never heard of her, is an elderly widow who is bored with life. She feels useless. Her two children are raised and gone and all Mrs. Pollifax does is grow flowers and meet with her garden club. So, one day, she decides to go to the headquarters of the CIA and offer her assistance.

Because of a few odd circumstances, she winds up with a job. One that is supposed to be easy and danger-free and is, of course, quite the opposite.

The second book covers her second assignment and it is hilarious and wonderful. A small disclaimer, one of the characters in the second book says, "What the hell," all the time. So if you are opposed to that, you might want to skip the second book. There is no language in any of the other books that I can remember. Normally I don't approve of swearing, but something about the Hungarian accent made it really, really funny to me. Sorry if your opinion of me has now diminished. ;)

If you assign these books to your children (I would say 10 and up would enjoy them although they are aimed at adults), use them for fun or in conjunction with geography. Each book has Mrs. Pollifax flying off to another exotic location for another "non-dangerous" mission that becomes very dangerous very quickly. Off the top of my head I remember a book set in South America, the Middle East, Hungary, China, Africa. Okay, that was vague, but it was off the top of my head.

And if you have a trip to go on in the near future, please, please, please get the first or second Pollifax book on tape. You will be highly entertained and will not regret it.

Good Books for Your Kids!!!

In our study of Africa, we found a gem. Gold Star Book. I loved it. LOVED IT! It only took me 15 minutes to read. The chapters are short, the pictures add to the charm, and the story is fabulous. Warriors, Warthogs, and Wisdom: Growing Up in Africa by Lyall Watson is an autobiographical book about Watson's grandma (a Harley motorcycle is involved), best friend (a Zulu chieftan), and a warthog. Awesome. It makes you wish you'd had his childhood--and I had a perfect childhood myself.

There is also a little bit about eating bugs.

Seriously, read this book.

In other good news, Miriam discovered The Hardy Boys. I never much cared for mysteries growing up so I didn't read Hardy Boys or Trixie Beldon or Nancy Drew. However, I am SO GLAD that Miriam is in love with this series because I know it is 100% clean and child friendly so I don't have to preview any of the books.

That is a such a wonderful feeling.

Besides, what is more adorable than hearing Miriam giggles from her end of the couch and see her shaking her head and whispering, "Silly Joe"? Yes, Miriam whispers out loud often when she reads. I like it because it is funny and I can hear how she is processing what she is reading. Mostly though, it is just funny.

My mother is a great believer in reading all genres. She would often hand me mysteries to read and I would turn up my nose. This annoyed her. Finally, she handed me Victoria Holt's The Night of the Seventh Moon. A mystery. She made me read it.

I loved it.

Still one of my very favorite books. Definitely my favorite mystery (along with The Westing Game).

I'm telling you this so you don't think I'm anti-mystery.

I'm just more pro-dragons. And magic. And trolls. And things like that.

My Two Year Old's Current Favorite Books

I know, I know. A two year old is a very unpredictable creature and just because my son loves these four books, it in no way means your two year old will also love them.

However, considering how many times I read these a day--I thought I might as well share. You never know--your two year old might love them also.

Eli's very favorite book is The Bunny Book by Richard Scarry. It is an older Golden Book and a little gem I picked up from DI. The pictures are charming and have a lot of visual interest and the ending is sweet. Love it.

Most of my kids fall in love with David when they hit three or four. Eli already thinks it is great fun to say, "No, David!" and "Uh-oh!" and "The cat doesn't like it!" I'm sure you've all read the David books, but if you haven't--they are awesome. David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon.

My SIL discovered The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen and immediately bought a copy for me and all my sibs. It is about a glum fish who thinks his mouth is made for pouting when really his mouth is made for smooching. Charming. Even more charming is watching my little son carry around the book while making kissing faces/noises. Cute, cute.

Eli's other favorite book is Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill. The pictures are so wonderful in this book. My children love to act out the different pages and love turning the book around to look at the tree and the funny faces. Really, this is a keeper. Get it in board book form as it really appeals to the small people crowd.

Lloyd Alexander

Lloyd Alexander is great hero of mine. I read his Prydain Chronicles (The Black Cauldron, etc.) when I was very young and because of it, I wanted to grow up and write fantasy novels. I still do. I don't think anyone should grow up without reading Alexander. It should be illegal. Or something.

This post is a reminder of why Alexander still rules supreme in the world of fantasy and why all children aged 7 on up, should be reading his stuff.

Vesper Holly is a very energetic and intelligent young woman who travels around the world with her guardian finding a whole lot of danger in the process. It is fun, clean, and has an Indiana Jones feel to it. I love them all, but my favorite is the Philadelphia Adventure. This series is great for girls, 10 and up. I don't think boys would hate it either.


The Westmark trilogy is geared toward older youth. I'd peg it at about twelve and up (Lloyd Alexander really does write for the younger crowd). The story follows a young man, Theo, who gets into trouble with the law and has to flee his home city. He hooks up with a shyster and a young girl, Mickle, who later turns out to be someone slightly more significant than anyone thought. Later, Theo has to lead an army. The story follows his evolution from gentle, peace-loving, compassionate hero to war leader. This is my favorite series of Alexander's. It has a lot of depth and character development.

The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man is about what you'd expect--hilarious. Lionel decides he wants to try being a human so he convinces a magician to change him. When Lionel heads to the city a great uproar ensues as he manages to enrage the two major political heads of the city within the first fifteen minutes of his arrival. There's also a girl. It is hard for a cat to figure out how to impress a girl. Tons of fun.

The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha is my favorite stand-alone book by Alexander. The story is about a young rascal, a street rat, who volunteers to help a magician win over the townspeople by sticking his head in a bucket. Of course, he doesn't believe anything will happen but it does. Yes, indeed it does. Lukas winds up in a different time, different country, and certainly different social status. What he learns during his "second" life surprises him.


The Arkadians is a frolic through Greek mythology. Basically, Alexander takes some major myths and writes about how they got started. Only he does it through a story of a two travelers and a donkey (so three travelers) who don't intend to make anything of significance happen as they travel along. It is very fun to be reading along and then recognize, suddenly, just what myth Alexander is working in next. Fun, fun.


Alexander's best known works are his Prydain Chronicles including: The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, and The High King. These books follow the adventures of Taran, Assistant Pig Keeper, after he loses his pig and stumbles on treachery and war.





The cast of characters are fantastic including Gurgi (who loves to eat), Fflewddur Fflam (who cannot tell the truth), Eilonwy (who refuses to be merely decorative), Prince Gwydion (who is supposed to save everyone), and Dallben (the wise man). I love them all.




It is unfortunate that Disney ever made the animated movie. Do not watch it. I repeat, DO NOT WATCH IT. It kills the book. However, if the people who made the new Narnia movies wanted to make the Prydain Chronicles into movies, I would wholeheartedly support the idea. Not that anyone cares what I think. I'm just saying.

Alexander wrote dozens of books and they are all wonderful. I've read just about everything he's ever written, and the man was brilliant. He had a great sense of audience and always made the stories fun and charming without including anything that was too mature. That's hard to do. How many books for third graders do you choose to read? Exactly my point. I pick up my Alexander books all the time. They're that good.

Fantastic Library Find--Score One for the Sloths

I was recently at the library (duh) looking for pioneer books (stay tuned for the complete pioneer unit coming in about two months) when I ran across this tremendously entertaining book: Score One for the Sloths.

The cover grabbed me. The illustrations are priceless. Especially the page where the sloths are building a tower with blocks, but it takes so much out of them that they have to nap in the middle of the project so the end tower has several blocks and several sleeping sloths all piled on top of each other. You really have to check out the book if only for that one illustration. Charming. Hilarious. My children loved this book.

The plot was okay. Better than many children's books. The sloth school is threatened with closure because the sloths aren't meeting basic scholastic achievement requirements. Sparky, a perky sloth, saves the day.

Fortunately, there is more napping than anything else in this book. I loved it. Check it out!

Score One for the Sloths by Helen Lester is available from the Davis County, UT library system.

Found: Library Treasure

I have a sister. A strange, red-headed, poem-lovin' sister who used to go around yelling, "O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" For that reason, I'm fairly fond of the Lewis Carroll poem, "Jabberwocky."

I was delighted the other day when I was at the library and quite by accident happened upon Jabberwocky illustrated by Joel Stewart. It is delightful!! It is just the poem, illustrated with a bizzare collection of creatures and a knight aka the beamish boy.

My children are in love with this book. Here is what my five year old son, who didn't know I was there watching him look through the book for the umpteenth time, had to say. And I quote: "I love this book."

And you might too! You'll have to put it on hold at the Davis County Library and force us to return it, because I don't think my son is letting go of it any time soon.

Enjoy!

MUST READ BOOK

Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry is one of the best books ever written. It has one of my two very favorite first lines: "When I was nine years old, I hid under a table and heard my sister kill a king."

Don't be misled, though, it isn't a terribly violent book. The main character, Meg, is the younger sister of a witch who decides to reach her ambitions by killing the king (you got the in the first line remember, not really a spoiler). The rest of the book chronicles the events that happen as a result of the king's death and how those repercussions affect Meg and her relationship with her favorite sister (the witch).

Really, the plot is fantastic, but the best part is the characters, especially Meg's fiance (they get engaged when she's nine or so--the setting is very long ago) and her other best friend. You become invested in all the characters--Meg's own parents, her fiance's parents, her sister, and later, the princess, because they are all fleshed out and believable.

If I could be any character in any book, I would be Meg. This really is a must read!

This book is available through the Davis County Library System.

MUST READ BOOK: John Smith

There are many wonderful books in the world. My mission, and I choose to accept it--oh yes, I wholeheartedly accept it--is to help people find those books. It makes my English teacher lovin' heart even happier when I steer young people to those books.

This book is not to be missed.

Although this book is 92 pages long, it can be read by all ages, or to all ages. I read it aloud to children aged 5, 4, and 2. The two year old wasn't that into it, but the older children were riveted. What I mostly took away from this biography is that John Smith has been gypped. He is entitled to star in action adventure movies about his life replete with gunpowder experiments, enslavement, war-time spying, and his being thrown overboard by a bunch of French sailors who realized he was British. Yes, I chuckled. I couldn't help myself. I'm sure Smith didn't find it so funny. By the time the man was 25 he'd had more wild adventures than even Kipling could dream up. And what do our poor misinformed children learn about him? That he fell in love with Pocahontas, a strangely forward-thinking tree-hugger. Hmm. Like I said, the man's been gypped.

Do yourself a huge favor and pick this book up from wherever you can find it and read it to your children or let them read it to themselves. It is awesome.

John Smith (Junior World Explorers): Charles P. Graves. Available in Utah from the Davis County Library system.