Comment Challenge 2010

General 0

Mother Reader has posted a Comment Challenge. From January 8 to January 28, the challenge is to comment on 5 kidlitosphere blogs per day, for a total of 100. Since I already missed the first day, I’ll take the day of grace to be January 8.

Of course, I was meaning to madly write reviews of all the books I read in 2009 and post my list of stand-outs. I want to list my stand-outs before the Newbery winners are announced next week, because I don’t want to be influenced!

But I’ve also been meaning to do more reading kidlit blogs and commenting, ever since I went to the Kidlitosphere Conference last October. Five doesn’t seem unreasonable.

Then, while I’m at it, there’s a Bloggiesta going on at Maw Books Blog, a weekend to work on your blog.

Well, I’m starting super late — just found out about it. But I was planning to get as many reviews as possible written this weekend, so why not?

So, I’m signing up for Bloggiesta at 10:15 pm on Saturday night. I’ll do half a weekend, anyway!

The first mini-challenge is to comment on 10 blogs new to you. So I’ll start with Maw Books!

Review of The Promise, by Robert J. Morgan

Christian, Musings, Nonfiction Review, Personal Growth 0

The Promise

How God Works All Things Together for Good

by Robert J. Morgan

B & H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, 2008. 211 pages.

This book is an extended meditation on Romans 8:28 — “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to his purpose.”

The author states that the theme of the book is In Christ, we have an ironclad, unfailing, all-encompassing, God-given guarantee that every single circumstance in life will sooner or later turn out well for those committed to Him.

As he says in the introduction:

“But consider this: What if you knew it would all turn out well, whatever you are facing? What if Romans 8:28 really were more than a cliche? What if it was a certainty, a Spirit-certified life preserver, an unsinkable objective truth, infinitely buoyant, able to keep your head above water even when your ship is going down?

“What if it really worked? What if it always worked? What if there were no problems beyond its reach?”

The bulk of the book is going over this verse, phrase by phrase, with life stories and thoughts about what each part of the promise means. I didn’t find it particularly surprising or especially profound. However, this is a very good verse to spend that much time exploring and thinking about!

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/promise.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata

Historical, Teen Fiction Review 0

Kira-Kira

by Cynthia Kadohata

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2004. 244 pages.
2005 Newbery Award Winner.

“My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word: kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh, but she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means ‘glittering’ in Japanese. Lynn told me that when I was a baby, she used to take me onto our empty road at night, where we would lie on our backs and look at the stars while she said over and over, ‘Katie, say “kira-kira, kira-kira.”‘ I loved that word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira to describe everything I liked: the beautiful blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterflies, colored Kleenex.

“My mother said we were misusing the word; you could not call a Kleenex kira-kira. She was dismayed over how un-Japanese we were and vowed to send us to Japan one day. I didn’t care where she sent me, so long as Lynn came along.”

Kira-Kira is a beautiful story about a struggling immigrant family in 1950s America. But even more, it is about two sisters, one of whom gets a long, slow disease. They grow up together, with the mix of conflict and love that sisters have, while their parents struggle to make a home for them in America.

This is a very sad story, but it also glitters with hope. Good reading for those who enjoy a book that makes them cry.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/kira_kira.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of A Birthday for Bear, by Bonny Becker

Animal Characters, Beginning Chapter Books, Picture Book Review, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

A Birthday for Bear

by Bonny Becker
illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Candlewick Press, 2009. 50 pages.
Starred Review
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #4 Picture Books

A Birthday for Bear, is a follow-up to one of my favorite picture books, A Visitor for Bear. In the first book, Bear doesn’t like visitors, but persistent Mouse wears him down and shows him how nice having a friend can be.

Now it is Bear’s birthday. Unfortunately, bear does not like birthdays. He would much rather spend a day cleaning his house than celebrate his birthday. Or so he thinks.

In this beginning chapter book with four simple chapters, Mouse brings one thing after another to celebrate Bear’s birthday, until he finally realizes he doesn’t mind birthdays so much after all.

Once again, the delightful illustrations show Bear’s and Mouse’s emotions. The progression gets kids wondering what Mouse will do next. Even though this is longer, I’d like to see if it’s as big a hit at Storytime as the first book, which appealed to all age levels.

Bear and Mouse have definitely gained a special place in my heart.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/birthday_for_bear.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of A Three Dog Life, by Abigail Thomas

Biography, Musings, Nonfiction Review, True Stories 0

A Three Dog Life

A Memoir

by Abigail Thomas

Harcourt, Orlando, 2006. 182 pages.

Abigail Thomas’ husband was hit by a car when out walking the dog. He sustained severe brain damage, and neither of their lives were ever the same again. He has no long-term memory, and lives in an eternal now. When she visits him, she never knows what he will say.

Since then, Abigail has built a life (with three dogs) quite different than the one she had before the accident. This book contains musings and meditations on that life, thoughts about what it means to love. She lost her husband as he was and gained someone who sees the world in a unique way. She had to struggle with guilt when she found herself enjoying the life she’d built.

Abigail Thomas takes us with her on her journey. The book is sad, but thoughtful and hopeful.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Nonfiction/three_dog_life.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman

Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Stand-outs, Starred Review 2

Odd and the Frost Giants

by Neil Gaiman

with illustrations by Brett Helquist

Harper, 2009. 117 pages.
Starred Review.
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #4 Children’s Fantasy and Science Fiction

Odd and the Frost Giants would be a delightful choice to read aloud to children who are just ready to listen to chapter books. The book is a short original fairy tale, upbeat and filled with drama and humor, telling how a boy who is outcast and lame rescues Odin, Thor, and Loki, and saves his village from endless winter.

Odd had a lucky name, meaning the tip of a blade, but he wasn’t a very lucky boy. His father died when he was ten, and soon after Odd had an accident that lamed him. Then his mother married a man who didn’t like Odd, and that year winter lingered and lingered.

When Odd finally gets upset, he steals a side of salmon and flees with a limp through the snow back to his father’s old cabin. There his adventures begin when a fox scratches on the door and beckons Odd to follow. The fox brings him to a huge bear trapped in a pine tree, with an eagle circling overhead.

Odd rescues the bear and takes the three to his cabin, thinking himself crazy. But that night he wakes when he hears the three arguing. I like the scene when he confronts them:

“We weren’t arguing,” said the bear. “Because we can’t talk.” Then it said, “Oops.”

The fox and the eagle glared at the bear, who put a paw over its eyes and looked ashamed of itself.

Odd sighed. “Which one of you wants to explain what’s going on?” he said.

“Nothing’s going on,” said the fox brightly. “Just a few talking animals. Nothing to worry about. Happens every day. We’ll be out of your hair first thing in the morning.”

The eagle fixed Odd with its one good eye. Then it turned to the fox. “Tell!”

The fox shifted uncomfortably. “Why me?”

“Oh,” said the bear, “I don’t know. Possibly because it’s all your fault?”

It turns out that the three are Thor, Odin, and Loki, cast out of their city of Asgard and turned into beasts by the brother of the Frost Giant who built an impregnable wall around the city. Only Odd, with his cleverness and irritating cheerfulness, is able to save the day.

A thoroughly fun and entertaining story that the whole family will enjoy.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/odd_and_the_frost_giants.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

Award Winners, Children's Nonfiction Review, History, Stand-outs, Starred Review 0

Claudette Colvin

Twice Toward Justice

by Philip Hoose

Melanie Kroupa Books (Farrar Straus Giroux), New York, 2009. 133 pages.
2009 National Book Award Winner
2010 Newbery Honor Book
2010 Sibert Honor Book
2010 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor Book
Starred Review
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #1 Children’s Nonfiction

I always thought that Rosa Parks was the first black woman to refuse to give up her seat on segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. However, nine months earlier, a high school junior named Claudette Colvin “had been arrested, dragged backwards off the bus by police, handcuffed, and jailed for refusing to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger.”

Philip Hoose did extensive research, and had many interviews with Claudette Colvin herself. Here she describes what it was like:

“One of them said to the driver in a very angry tone, ‘Who is it?’ The motorman pointed at me. I heard him say, ‘That’s nothing new . . . I’ve had trouble with that “thing” before.’ He called me a ‘thing.’ They came to me and stood over me and one said, ‘Aren’t you going to get up?’ I said, ‘No, sir.’ He shouted ‘Get up’ again. I started crying, but I felt even more defiant. I kept saying over and over, in my high-pitched voice, ‘It’s my constitutional right to sit here as much as that lady. I paid my fare, it’s my constitutional right!’ I knew I was talking back to a white policeman, but I had had enough.

“One cop grabbed one of my hands and his partner grabbed the other and they pulled me straight up out of my seat. My books went flying everywhere. I went limp as a baby — I was too smart to fight back. They started dragging me backwards off the bus. One of them kicked me. I might have scratched one of them because I had long nails, but I sure didn’t fight back. I kept screaming over and over, ‘It’s my constitutional right!’ I wasn’t shouting anything profance — I never swore, not then, not ever. I was shouting out my rights.

“It just killed me to leave the bus. I hated to give that white woman my seat when so many black people were standing. I was crying hard. The cops put me in the back of a police car and shut the door. They stood outside and talked to each other for a minute, and then one came back and told me to stick my hands out the open window. He handcuffed me and then pulled the door open and jumped in the backseat with me. I put my knees together and crossed my hands over my lap and started praying.”

After the incident, reactions were mixed:
“Opinion at Booker T. Washington was sharply divided between those who admired Claudette’s courage and those who thought she got what she deserved for making things harder for everyone. Some said it was about time someone stood up. Others told her that if she didn’t like the way things were in the South, she should go up North. Still others couldn’t make up their minds: no one they knew had ever done anything like this before.

“‘A few of the teachers like Miss Nesbitt embraced me,’ Claudette recalls. ‘They kept saying, “You were so brave.” But other teachers seemed uncomfortable. Some parents seemed uncomfortable, too. I think they knew they should have done what I did long before. They were embarrassed that it took a teenager to do it.'”

After Claudette was convicted of violating the segregation law, disturbing the peace, and ‘assaulting’ the policemen, things got even worse. She says,

“Now I was a criminal. Now I would have a police record whenever I went to get a job, or when I tried to go to college. Yes, I was free on probation, but I would have to watch my step everywhere I went for at least a year. Anyone who didn’t like me could get me in trouble. On top of that I hadn’t done anything wrong. Not everyone knew the bus rule that said they couldn’t make you get up and stand if there was no seat available for you to go to — but I did. When the driver told me to go back, there was no other seat. I hadn’t broken the law. And assaulting a police officer? I probably wouldn’t have lived for very long if I had assaulted those officers.

“When I got back to school, more and more students seemed to turn against me. Everywhere I went people pointed at me and whispered. Some kids would snicker when they saw me coming down the hall. ‘It’s my constitutional right! It’s my constitutional right!’ I had taken a stand for my people. I had stood up for our rights. I hadn’t expected to become a hero, but I sure didn’t expect this.

“I cried a lot, and people saw me cry. They kept saying I was ’emotional.’ Well, who wouldn’t be emotional after something like that? Tell me, who wouldn’t cry?”

Not long after, Claudette met an older man who seemed to be a friend, but took advantage of her vulnerability. She got pregnant out of wedlock. So she wasn’t seen as a suitable role model for the movement to stop segregation. Seven months later, another teenager, Mary Louise Smith was also arrested for refusing to give up her seat, but she, too, was not seen as someone who could serve as the public face of a mass bus protest.

Eventually, they did find a suitable person in Rosa Parks. The bus boycott started. The boycott did not end until the case Browder vs. Gale, where four black women sued the city of Montgomery and the state of Alabama, saying that bus segregation was unconstitutional. One of those plaintiffs in the suit was Claudette Colvin, and her testimony was key in getting a positive verdict. Not until the verdict was upheld in the Supreme Court did the segregation on the buses end.

This book was especially good to read after reading The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, since it also dealt with race relations in the South at that time. Philip Hoose researched the events so well, and presents clearly all the drama of the situation, along with the emotions of the people involved. How wonderful that people can finally hear the story of a teenage girl who stood up — no, sat down — for what’s right.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Nonfiction/claudette_colvin.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of Once a Princess, by Sherwood Smith

Fantasy, Stand-outs, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 2

Once a Princess

Sasharia en Garde! Book One

by Sherwood Smith

Samhain Publishing, 2009. 278 pages.
Starred Review
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #7 Fantasy Teen Fiction

I read this wonderful swashbuckling tale on the flight to Los Angeles for Christmas, and was very upset with myself that I hadn’t brought along Book Two. (Though that’s the first book I’ve read in the New Year.)

The book begins in a January Los Angeles heat wave, but doesn’t stay there long. Sasha was born in another world, and now people from that world are looking for her.

Long ago, her father, a prince of Khanerenth, had come to our world and romanced Sasha’s mother. He married her and brought her back to his world, but when King Canardan took over the throne, things got dangerous for their family. Sasha and her mother got sent back to our world for their own protection, and now Sasha is an adult, still not knowing if her father is alive or dead.

When a young man disguised as a lawyer tricks her and transports her back to Khanerenth, they run right into a group of King Canardan’s guards. Fortunately, a mysterious pirate helps them fight their way out, and Sasha herself has been trained all her life for fighting.

As they continue, everyone has their own agenda, and Sasha is the only one with the spell that can release her father — if he’s still alive. Meanwhile, her mother, Princess Ataniel in Khanerenth, comes after Sasha but gets entangled with the king.

The evil war commander knows she is there and wants to find her to kill her father. Who can Sasha trust? The mages who forced her through the Worldgate? The handsome pirate who won’t even reveal his real name? And what about the useless prince, more interested in clothes and women than running a kingdom?

This tale is full of action and adventure, intrigue and romance. The story really isn’t complete with the first book, though, and you will definitely want to read the satisfying conclusion, Twice a Prince, as soon as possible.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/once_a_princess.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of Aunt Dimity’s Christmas, by Nancy Atherton

Christmas, Fiction Review, Mystery 0

Aunt Dimity’s Christmas

by Nancy Atherton

Viking, 1999, 214 pages.

I read one more Christmas mystery for the holidays, and found it charming and uplifting.

Lori Willis is getting ready to celebrate a lavish Christmas now that she has inherited a cottage in England. Aunt Dimity, who left her the cottage, never actually left, and still communicates with Lori by writing in a journal, and helps her solve mysteries.

Their Christmas mystery hits when a tramp collapses in the snowy lane outside their house. He’s alive, but in a coma in the hospital. Who is he, and why was he going to their house? Perhaps he knew Aunt Dimity?

When Lori visits the stranger in the hospital, she’s haunted by his face. Then she hears more and more stories of good things he has done. But some other things were very eccentric? Is he perhaps a mental patient? Or an angel in disguise?

Between these investigations, her husband going to a funeral in Boston, and her father-in-law playing Joseph in the Christmas pageant, Lori’s Christmas turns out nothing like she planned, but truly memorable still.

A pleasant story with interesting characters that will put you in the mood for Christmas.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Fiction/aunt_dimitys_christmas.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Review of The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney

Animal Characters, Award Winners, Folk Tales, Picture Book Review, Stand-outs, Starred Review 2

The Lion and the Mouse

by Jerry Pinkney

Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers, New York, 2009. 36 pages.
Starred Review
2010 Caldecott Medal Winner
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2010: #6 Picture Books

This stunning picture book is my pick for the 2010 Caldecott Medal. The amazingly detailed paintings tell the story of the well-known fable without words, the only text being animal sounds as part of the pictures.

Without words, I was surprised at what a success this book was at Storytime. The big, beautiful pictures captured the children’s attention, and there was lots for them to talk about on each page. The expressions on the faces of the characters show emotion beautifully. There’s lots of variety in the format, from close-ups to wide angle shots. It would take many readings before you had noticed all the detail in the backgrounds.

I got to hear Jerry Pinkney talk about writing this book at the National Book Festival. He clearly loves animals, and that comes across in this magnificent book.

Buy from Amazon.com

Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/lion_and_the_mouse.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.