Book Review of Treasure at Lure Lake by Shari Schwarz; an adventure novel for boys 8-12

Treasure at Lure Lake
Written by  Shari L. Schwarz
Paperback  192 pages
Genre  Adventurous realistic fiction
Recommended for  Boys ages 8-12

Sometimes it can be hard to get boys to read real books. I don't know if the plethora of graphic novels targeted at boys represents the cause or effect, but they are a source of annoyance to me.
Like me, author Shari L. Schwarz is the mother of four boys. She said, "They don't just all love reading so I wanted to write an exciting adventure that they could relate to."


K, Boy age 13

I thought it was great.
Jack was my favorite character, because he was kind of the one that kept his cool, and he had the most perspective chapters. He'd rather stay where he can get cell phone reception.
I thought it was interesting that they encountered a black bear. That was the first sign of wildlife in the book.
*SPOILER ALERT*
I thought the part where Bryce came back . . . after being knocked-out after a fall from off a canyon wall was pretty cool. Apparently [someone was waiting there].

T, Boy age 11
Bryce is my favorite character, because he was more into camping.
I didn't know about the quartz and pocket-knife trick. I'll have to remember that when I'm camping. I'm going to try not to be a spoiler, so I'm just going to do thoughts on characters for now.
Like I said, Bryce is my favorite character, but Jack is interesting as well, and I agree with K: Jack would like to stay where he can get reception.
I'm not going to say what the treasure is, but the map was a little interesting, and why were those pictures hidden?
I like science-fiction and fantasy, this was realistic fiction, so it wasn't the kind I like, but it was still pretty interesting.

 What I (Mom) Thought of Treasure at Lure Lake
Now, in my opinion, what an adult thinks of a middle grade novel intended for leisure reading is superfluous (unless we're discussing appropriateness, as I'm all in favor of parental censorship).
What the target audience themselves think is what really matters, and not only am I not a 10 year old boy, but I never have been and never will be.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I did read the book, and I do have some thoughts on it.
Survival Skills: this is Schwarz's strongest point. She promises an adventure novel, and she delivers it with wild animals, fishing, rustic animal traps, fire, rock climbing without harnesses (don't worry, they get what's coming to them), a helicopter, and more. There's a little blood, vomiting and diarrhea, but here she is (graciously) sparse with words and doesn't get too graphic--just enough for you to get the idea. Electronics include a walkie-talkie, a video camera, and the older brother's cell phone which runs out of batteries.

Characters: My favorite character was Bryce, the younger brother. He's a bit of an outdoors nerd (is that a thing?). The older brother, Jack, was a bit tougher to like, with some teen angst going on, but maybe boys will relate to him. I did feel that the brothers did a good job acting their age, within their personalities. Unfortunately, I felt like the Grandpa wasn't a consistent personality. The mysterious hikers were a nice addition. Mom and Dad were referred to throughout the book, but don't show up until close to the end, but that works fine.
Point of View: the book is written from an alternating first-person point of view. Sometimes it's first-person Bryce, and sometimes it's first-person Jack. At first, I found this confusing, and would have to look back at the beginning of the chapter to identify which brother was narrating. For this reason, I would not recommend this book to boys who struggle with reading comprehension.
Also, I thought this book was a little overbearing with the emotions of the brothers, especially the older brother's. Narrating in third person might have toned that back.
Spoiler Alert: This book does include a near-death experience. The description of it, especially right at first, was really well done. This experience was not necessarily religious or anti-religious. The character gets far enough along to see his Grandmother, who tells him he needs to go back, and gives him a message for his family.
Toward the end, I wish things regarding the physical treasure were spelled-out or explained just a little bit more than they are.
Overall: I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to boys ages 8-12.

About the Author

Shari Schwarz lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado near the Rocky Mountains with her husband and their four boys. TREASURE AT LURE LAKE (April 12, 2016) is her debut middle grade novel which reflects her love for a good survival adventure story. When she’s not reading or writing, Shari can be found freelance editing, weight-lifting, gardening or watching her boys play football, basketball, speed stacking, or wrestling. She frequently daydreams of exploring Oregon Coast beaches or plotting out her next children’s book.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary advance copy of this book.
Also, my blog is now "monetized," so if you follow a link to Amazon and choose to purchase, I get a little percent back (this doesn't affect your purchase price, however).

Book Review of CINNABAR: The One O'Clock Fox, by Marguerite Henry

Cinnabar: The One O'Clock Fox
Written by   Marguerite Henry
Illustrated by   Wesley Dennis
Paperback   144 pages (including illustrations)
Ages   8-12
Lexile   800L
Genre  Historical fiction with animal personification
Recommended for   Boys and girls; Children who like animal stories; homeschools and classrooms studying American History (Revolutionary War); Anyone longing to know what this fox says

I have a vague recollection of reading Misty of Chincoteague in the fourth grade. I recently discovered that the same author (Marguerite Henry) wrote a host of other animal-centric novels, including Cinnabar: The One O'Clock Fox.

I placed a hold for it at the library and received what I suspect is an original library edition. Within the back cover is an old-fashioned envelope, on which is stamped the words "OVERDUE CHARGES, 2 CENTS A DAY." Delightful. It's the little things in life.

How Historical Is This Fiction?
"It was April in Virginia. The brooks and runs on George Washington's estate were overflowing in their hurry to join the big Potomac," begins chapter one. This book is a historical fiction, based loosely on an old legend about a fox who so loved a good chase that he would show up promptly at one to lead the hunt on a chase through the lands of Mount Vernon.
The historical aspects are mostly a geographic awareness of George Washington's estate (and some of the buildings adjacent to it, including a mill and a church), and an understanding of what a fox hunt was like. There is no reference to the Revolutionary War. George Washington himself only gets about one line, as Cinnabar is a skilled fox who keeps far ahead of the hunters, most of the time.

Even though it is light on what most would consider essential historical details, I still would recommend this book for young readers learning about early American history.  Adults underestimate the importance to a young child of seeing a familiar name again, and most people with a good understanding of American history have a pretty fuzzy idea of what Mount Vernon is like. In fact, there is a map on the page spread following the table of contents that shows Mount Vernon, creeks, the Potomac, the mill, etc (the above is my own creation).
More than historical details, I believe Cinnabar captures the feeling of the time very well. He is a hard working, proud provider for his family, which includes Rascal and Pascal (the boys), Mischief and Merry (the girls), and his dear wife Vicky. So many male "heroes" of modern times are self-serving bachelors, and I think Cinnabar is a fine contrast.
The author says, "Cinnabar represented the spirit of the times, the spirit of a people who fought for freedom and lived for freedom's sake. He eluded all who would catch or trap him, and he finished out his days as a free wild thing."

For literary snobs like me, this book was positively delightful. I think it would excel as a read-aloud with occasional rhymes and lots of fox calls. Due to my extensive knowledge of fox hunts courtesy of  having seen Mary Poppins, I was able to "hear" the various hunting calls. Young readers who may be less familiar with classic films, classic books, and the proper spelling of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious may appreciate hearing read out loud. Sadly, I haven't been able to find an audiobook, so I can't recommend that as a back-up.

Disclaimer: After beginning to review books and establish links to an online bookseller (Amazon), thinking it might be convenient for the reader to have such a link, I discovered another book reviewer who claimed to be compensated by Amazon for book links in her (?) blog. I thought you had to have obnoxious pop-ups to be monetized.
I did my homework, and am now "monetized" with Amazon. I hope this is a win-win for my readers and myself. I post books because I love them, but I wouldn't mind a little extra cash for Christmas savings, or to tuck away for later.
The only "bad" thing about this deal is that Amazon will use unobtrusive cookies on my site, which perhaps not everyone will appreciate. For more, see my sidebar.

Easter Book Review of In the Garden by Caralyn Buehner, Illustrated by Brandon Dorman

In past years, our family has retold the Easter story with gospel art pictures, with varying degrees of success.
The past few months, I have been wanting my children to know the gospel; not just know it, but to feel it. Yet every time I have sat down to teach my children, my pre-teen enters his defensive "don't preach at me" mode, someone else has the sillies, and anyone else is playing "can't touch me" with his neighbor.
Approaching Easter, I found In the Garden. One of the first things I noticed about it was that it was illustrated by Brandon Dorman, the same man who illustrated the beloved covers of the boys' Fablehaven and Candy Shop War books. Would an connection to some favorite novels spark some interest?
I decided it was worth a try, and ordered a copy through Deseret Book (we live hours away from the nearest church-themed bookstore). It took about a week to arrive at our address in the Eastern United States via the cheapest shipping method available. Since I ordered several weeks before Easter, that was fine. And, it was in perfect condition (unlike the board book I ordered at the same time, but that's another review).
I introduced this Easter book in advance, hoping they would get excited. I told them about the illustrator, and the fact that I actually bought a book for retelling the Easter story. They seemed mildly interested.
A week before Easter, I read this book to my children, ages 8-12. They listened fairly quietly (which is a huge success in itself). When I got to the author's wording of what Jesus took on himself during his prayer in Gethsemane, there was an audible, "Whoa," from one of my oldest boys. Reading this book to my children was the most spiritual experience we have had as a family since . . . I don't know when. Maybe ever?
I read this for a second time on Easter Sunday, and while the effect wasn't quite as pronounced (there was some whispering and extraneous movements) my often defensive child enjoyed showing off his knowledge of what happened, by adding to what the book has on the crucifixion.
I plan to keep this book special and look forward to it as an Easter tradition to continue over the next few years.

In the Garden is different from many other tellings of the Easter story, because the emphasis is on what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was written for an LDS audience.
Broken into page-spreads (two facing pages), the story flows as follows:

• 1 page-spread on the Last Supper
• 1 page-spread approaching the garden
• 5 page-spreads on what happened in Gethsemane, including his prayers, the sleeping disciples, and the angel who "came to strengthen him"
• 2 page-spreads on the mock-trials
• 1 page-spread on the crucifixion (a mild scene with silhouettes of crosses)
• 1 page-spread on placing him in the tomb
• 1 page-spread on the resurrection
• 1 page-spread of Jesus visiting with children
• the end-page quotes John 3:16

I would recommend this book to LDS families with children ages 4-10 (or somewhat older, depending on the individuals).

Three Generation Review of Maryellen Larkin Books

Maryellen Larkin was brought out in 2015 by American Girl. Her stories are set in Daytona Beach, Florida, around 1954. This blog post is a review of the two Maryellen Classic books, both written by Valerie Tripp:

The One and Only: A Maryellen Classic 1
Maryellen tries to stand out, begins a new year of school, and has a Christmas adventure.
Taking Off: A Maryellen Classic 2
Maryellen plans a special tenth birthday party, her dad has big plans for summer vacation, and what about her sister's wedding?
Written by   Valerie Tripp
Paperback   224 and 200 pages, respectively
Genre   Historical Fiction (America, 1954)
Recommended for   Girls ages 8-12*
Lexile  American Girl does not list a lexile score for any of these books, but it is worth noting that each of these "classics" are three times as thick as their historical books used to be, and don't have any illustrations inside.
*(Since the character turns 10 in the book, 11 and 12 year old girls who aren't already fans of American Girl, might not enjoy her story as much).

For a list of other Maryellen books, please scroll to the bottom.

This is a very special review to me. My husband's mother turned 10 in 1954, which means she experienced the same point in American history at the same age as this fictional character (although she experienced it in the Seattle area, not Florida). At my request, she graciously agreed to read and review these books with us.

Review by M. (Girl, Age 10)


I like the Maryellen books. My favorite character is Maryellen. She's kind of like me. Her name starts with an M, she likes pink, and she likes to hang out with big [older] people.
The books have a lot problems [for Maryellen to solve]. For example, she decides to paint her door red, and then things get out of hand.
I also like her younger brother Mikey. He's adorable. Mikey likes "tick-tocks." "Tick-tock" is what he calls a watch.
Maryellen also likes tv. They watch a lot of tv in the 1950s. Maryellen likes Davy Crockett. Her favorite movie star is Debbie Reynolds.
I would recommend these books to old people because they might have lived during that time. I would also recommend it to 9, 10, and 11 year old girls, because that's close to Maryellen's age. I say girls, because who wants to read a story about the opposite gender?



Review by Stephanie (Mother)

I was really excited when I saw that Valerie Tripp was writing the classic books for this new character. American Girl uses a number of different authors for their books, and Valerie Tripp has been my favorite.
My daughter's maternal grandmother (my mom) gave her the 3 book boxed set with mini doll (purchased at Costco) for her birthday.
My daughter kept looking up from her book to report the funny things that happened in the book, like when her little brother tried to play firefighter with the hose when the brownies were burning.

What I loved about the Maryellen Books:

I loved Maryellen's big family. She has two older sisters, a younger sister, and two younger brothers. A lot of authors don't give their main characters large families, because it can be difficult to develop these extra characters, without having them upstage the main story. Still, it's hard for a historical fiction novel to feel very authentic when presented with a family of only one or two children, unless a medical reason (like death) is given). I'm very impressed with Valerie Tripp here. The siblings feel authentic (with a possible exception of Bethany who can't seem to decide how old she should be).

Also, the side-effects of having a large family in that time period feel very authentic, including:

• A hand-me down bike
• A hand-me down dress
• A hand-me down teacher
• Sharing a room with multiple siblings
• Little brothers who tag along when you're playing with your friends
• Older sisters who don't always enjoy having you tag along

I was impressed with how many big and little bits of historical tidbits made it into the story, like the polio epidemic of 1954, references to the Depression, World War II, and the Korean War. Everyday details of the fifties were there too: a sister staying home to wash her hair and iron a blouse? Only in the fifties. My mother-in-law gives a more detailed discussion of the history, so I won't say anymore.

So, what are the possible weak points?

There is a lot of fifties-style slang and jingles. Some people might find it fun and cute, others might find it annoying. I was unsure the first few times, but ended up deciding I thought it was fun and cute. Your mileage may vary.

Most of the family members feel are great. Younger sister Beverly is a bit annoying, pretending to be a queen all the time. I think it would be more plausible if she was the baby of the family, but she isn't. There are two kids younger than her.

Another reviewer thought that Maryellen was a self-centered. Well, yes, a bit. As a middle child in a large family, she does spend some of her time wanting to stand out, but not all of it. She helps take care of her younger siblings, she befriends a new girl at school at the temporary expense of her old friends, and turns her birthday party into a fundraiser for the new polio vaccine. So, she might not be the most selfless of all the American Girls, but I don't think it's fair to call her self-centered.

A school picture of Toni from the 1950s

Review by Toni 
(Grandmother, who turned 10 in 1954)

The entire first book screams fifties. The large families were very common then.  Family togetherness and standing up for one another -- even if you didn't get along -- was very important.

Sharing a Teacher
My sister, Billie, adored her fourth grade teacher Mrs. Guthery. I was assigned to the same teacher the following year. The first time I entered the classroom, Mrs. Guthery said, "If you're half as good as your sister . . . " I didn't want to be just like my sister to be accepted. I didn't enjoy that year of school at all.

50s Style
Words like switcharoo, scalawag, peddle pushers, skiddaddle, and crinoline were common.
We always wore crinoline skirts under our full cotton skirts and poodle skirts. My poodle skirt was deep grey with a bright pink poodle and I loved it!
Girls did wear their hair in ponytails with silk scarves. Bobby socks were important, too.
Drive-in restaurants with waitresses on roller skates? Yes! I think they must not have had insurance for their employees back then. They would carry large trays of food out to the cars and set them on a stand that attached to the window frame. It was a real treat to go to that type of restaurant.

TV
I don't remember weekly tv shows with water skiing or synchronized swimming. Maybe in Florida, but not in Washington state. Other shows like Rin Tin Tin, Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers we had.
I remember when we got our first tv set. It had an itty bitty screen in a great big box, but it was a big deal to see what was going on. Before that we had a radio that was four feet tall. There were tubes in the back of the tv and if your tv went out, you took the tubes to the grocery store where there were tube testers.
Of course, the picture was strictly black and white, but people wanted color, so plastic sheets were manufactured that you put over your screen. The sheets were blue at the top, yellow in the middle and green at the bottom. A close-up head shot would have blue hair, yellow nose, and blue chin and neck! Rabbit ears were set on top of the tv which were adjusted to try to get a clear picture. It was crazy, but it was also a big deal.

Christmas
We wanted to have a picture postcard Christmas. I remember my mother taking boxes and books, and covering them with thick, fluffy, glittery cotton to make a "snowy village" on our mantel. She added mirror "ponds," trees, villagers and buildings; it was very special.
If you wanted a flocked Christmas tree you flocked it yourself. We took hours decorating the tree. Wire trees were common in pink, blue, and silver, but we always had a green fresh cut tree that we bought at the hardware store in Seattle. Vern's family had a silver aluminum tree.
Jewelry boxes with a wind up music box and a ballerina or ice skater dancing around was the ideal present. I remember getting one and it was really cool. It was a beautiful blue with blue satin lining.

Travel?
A train trip for a 9 year old on her own? I can't see that happening. It definitely wouldn't have happened in my family. When we still lived down in the Fremont area, they didn't have school buses. If you didn't live close to the junior high, you had to take a city bus to school. My sister and I had to transfer buses too; that was a big thing: to pay bus fare every day and transfer halfway.

We couldn't go to Seattle shopping until we were in high school and then our Mother went too. We could go outside and play "kick the can" with the local kids, but the bus to school and the neighborhood was our world.

Polio
The second book had references to polio and the new vaccine for it. My little brother had polio as a baby and it put him about a year behind when learning to walk and in his studies too. I don't remember people having birthday parties about polio, but they definitely had fundraisers.
The book also talked about the Cold War and bomb shelters. We could never afford one, but every Wednesday at noon a siren went off and you were supposed to get under a table at home or under your desk at school. It got hard when some kids wouldn't fit under their desk.

Grandpa Vern Adds:
One of the things I remember as a little kid living in a project in Seattle was when a Dairy Queen opened up. They had a special: one penny a mound. I remember my brother and I had about eight mounds because we had a dime.

They had Saturday matinees at the theater for a dime. You got two shows, plus a serial and a cartoon. You saw things like Flash Gordon, Roy Rogers, Zorro, those folks.

The skate rink was also a dime, as was the swimming pool. 
We used to ride bikes all over because buses weren't dependable and you didn't know when they were coming.

A Linked List of All American Girl Books Featuring Maryellen Larkin

• The One and Only: A Maryellen Classic 1, by Valerie Tripp
• Taking Off: A Maryellen Classic 2, by Valerie Tripp
• The Sky's the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen, by Valerie Tripp
• The Finder's Keepers Rule: A Maryellen Mystery, by Jacqueline Greene

$ Purchasing Tips:
Both of the classic books are almost guaranteed to be in your local public library, and it would be worth checking for the others.
If you plan to purchase these, each of these books is about $10, purchased separately. Sometimes they are bundled with a third Maryellen book, and sold as Maryellen Larkin 3 Book Set (The Sky's the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen). When I last checked Amazon, the three pack was the same price as buying the two classic books separately (about $20).
My daughter was given the set from Costco, which included the three book set, and the mini-doll, (which American Girl prices on their website for around $25). The set is somewhat expensive (around $40), but is an alright value if you had planned to purchase all three books and the mini doll.

Family Review of Story Thieves, by James Riley

Story Thieves
A New York Times Bestseller
Written by   James Riley
Age Range   8-12
Lexile   750L
Paperback   416 pages
Genre   Fantasy
Recommended for   librarians, bibliophiles, and boys and girls ages 8-12.

As I read Story Thieves, I kept thinking, "The books that deserve to be on the New York Times Bestseller list just don't end up there. It keeps getting filled up with junior novelizations of major movies." Much to my delight, I discovered it had just made it onto the list (number 8 in Children's Middle Grade Paperback for two consecutive weeks in February).
I smiled as I read Story Thieves. The literary allusions and playful phrasing left me smiling again and again. Was the book a clever metaphor for life? I didn't care. When was the last time a book made me smile like that?

 In a recent issue of Boys' Life, my kids pointed out a book advertisement for Story Thieves, by James Riley. My oldest boy (12) loves fantasy, and really wanted to read it. My next boy (11) was more interested in a new sci-fi book. My daughter (10) was skeptical. Since the book had appeared in a boys' magazine, wasn't it a book for boys?
I downloaded the e-book, and read the first chapter aloud. The three oldest dove right into their copies (perks of having several kindles in a family: one purchase, six copies) and finished within two days, asking promptly for the sequel. I had to keep interrupting their excited discussions with, "No spoilers! I haven't finished it yet!"
My 8 year old son usually reads nonfiction. He reads well, but often prefers projects to personal reading. He liked this book better than most, enough to be willing to read an assigned chapter a day, for a few days.

Childrens' Reviews

Boy, age 12
I loved it. It was like a book within a book.
My favorite character is Kiel Gnomenfoot. He wears a black shirt, black pants, and a black cloak, and has two magic knife-wands.

Boy, age 11
Story Thieves was interesting. My favorite character was Kiel Gnomenfoot, because he's really cool. He can use magic.
I was a little surprised who Nobody was. The book was a little weird, though. How can Nobody take a form? How can something fictional be real?

Girl, age 10
I liked it. My favorite characters were Bethany and Kiel. I also like Nobody. He saved Owen. Sometimes I wonder if, really, we're all in a book.

Boy, age 8
It's very interesting. Owen's friend jumping inside of books at a certain page to find where they are going to be if they jump into that book. I wonder how Bethany's father escaped a book. Because her mother married that book character, their child, Bethany, is half-fictional and can jump into any book. Do they jump into books you've read before? Read the book to find out.

Little Blue Truck Board Book Review

For Christmas, Baby Q got a little board book library as his "big" Christmas present. I wrapped each individual book in tissue paper so he could enjoy opening them even more. He loved it.

One of his books was new to me: Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle, and illustrated by Jill McElmurry. Animal sounds and a truck in the same board book? It definitely sounded promising. I researched and ordered online, as I usually do with books. When it arrived, I had my doubts: compared to his usual board books, this had a lot of words on each page (about four lines). There was no way he would listen to the full text as a twelve month old.
I was wrong. Mostly.
A lot of the words are sound effects (like oink and beep) and the lines themselves rhyme. It quickly became a favorite board book (tied possibly with Wibbly Pig is Happy and Merry Mother Goose, both old books not in print in the format we read them in).
He will occasionally try to turn pages early, but mostly just lets me read it to him. Two months after he received it, it is still on our daily reading shelf. Anymore we read it, on average, once or twice a day (compared to 2 to 5 times a day the first few weeks after we got it). To me, that is one of the biggest indicators of a successful board book.

 On the back cover, it mentions a free downloadable party kit. Since his birthday wouldn't be for close to a year, I ignored it for a while, but curiosity got the better of me.
First of all, congratulations to the creators of the book for having a cute, simple, easy to navigate website. I was impressed.

 As for downloadables, there are two free "kits" you can download: the Activity Kit and the Party Kit. Both are adorable.
The Activity Kit has a simple maze, a page to match an illustrated animal to the (typed word) sound it makes, some cut-out play figures, and a counting page, a garland that spells "BEEP!," paper Christmas ornaments, and a couple drawing prompts.
The Party Kit includes "Pin the Hat on Blue," party hats, cupcake toppers, colorful bunting flags, and coloring pages of animals and Little Blue Truck to share with party guests. My daughter saw everything and excitedly insisted that Baby Q's second birthday party would be Little Blue Truck themed.
She might be right.
 Today I was looking for a "new" activity to do with my 14 1/2 month old. I printed one page of the cupcake toppers on sticker paper, and printed the coloring page of Little Blue Truck. I showed Baby Q a blue colored pencil and demonstrated coloring the page. He made a small mark in addition to what I had done, and wanted to show me.
So cute.

Next I cut out and peeled the stickers. Now that was interesting to him. He hasn't handled many stickers yet in his young life. I showed him how we stick it to the paper. Then we clapped and said, "Yay!" He like the clapping part of the sticker game and did that a lot, too.

I almost forgot. A couple Sundays ago, we brought this board book to church. Two separate moms, at different times, saw it and started exclaiming over how much their family likes it.
It's a winner.
Below is the official Little Blue Truck trailer, as found on their website.

Audiobook Review: Harry Potter Series

Let's start on the defensive:

Why write a review for a series that is already entrenched in popular culture?

First: because for some children, they are still experiencing the characters and series for the first time.

Second: because many adults assume a casual exposure to the Harry Potter universe, involving either seeing the movies or merchandise, is as good as having read the books themselves. They are so wrong.

Third: because for the first time in forever ever, the audio is available on Amazon's Audible (which our family has a subscription to).

In the last couple months, since my husband purchased the entire audiobook collection, there has been a bit of a family mania with all things Harry Potter. Each night as the kids go to bed, they want to listen to a chapter from the audiobook. That sounds benign enough, but the chapters are sometimes an hour long, which doesn't always work on school nights.

Jim Dale was selected by J.K. Rowling herself to be the voice (or should I say voices?) of her books for the American audience. I thought I had never heard of the actor and comedian Jim Dale. Turns out I'd seen him before without knowing it. He plays the quack doctor in Disney's movie Pete's Dragon that can't pronounce Passamaquady. 

Jim Dale is amazing. If you've watched the movies, it might take an hour or two to let go of the voices of Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, but after that it's amazing. Professor McGonagall's Scottish brogue is spot-on, and Dobby's little earnestly apologetic voice is recognizable every time.

A thought about language: one of the things that annoyed me about the movies was the crude exclamations that seemed so frequent. While there are a few in the books, there are so many other rich words and so much other imagery going on that they are no longer the focal point of the audio. It's hard to remember Malfoy's curse when you're trying to picture Crabbe and Goyle guffawing sycophantically. Yes, her vocabulary is that rich. Unlike the authors of some other popular series, J.K. Rowling's success does not come from cheap English. She is heiress to the riches of the English language.

Now, one concern about having the audiobooks is that maybe children will be less likely to read the real thing and won't grow into as strong of readers. That has not been our family's experience. My daughter would sit in bed, reading along until we turned off the audiobook. She checked a copy out from the school library so that on the bus she could find out what came next. We just finished the audio of the Goblet of Fire (that alone took almost a month--it's more than twenty hours long!), but she finished reading book seven about a week ago, and has begun drawing portraits of the characters.
After finishing each audiobook, we've let the children watch the movie that goes with it. Listening them compare the movie with the books has been hilarious.
I think T has been the biggest stickler for accuracy:
"I can't believe they left out the quidditch match!"
"The light that connects the wands is supposed to be golden, not green or red. How could they get that detail wrong?"

99 cent American Girl eBooks

When we discussed getting the children kindles for Christmas, we were both concerned about the cost of putting books on them, on top of the cost of actually purchasing an electronic device (hint: watch the sales. I think we paid $79 each for the kids' kindle bundles. Don't pay the list price).
Anyway, I tried researching free and inexpensive books that we could get. In the search, I was surprised by how many American Girl books (12) were available for just ninety-nine cents.
In case you didn't know, you can put each book you buy on up to six devices (they must all be registered to the same account), so if I had four girls (instead of 3 boys and 1 girl) . . . well, I don't.
Also, if you're not sure about purchasing a kid's kindle, but do want cheap books, did you know you just read them online?
Incidentally, I have not yet bought all the books on this page. A few were on her kindle Christmas morning (as well as free classics like A Little Princess and books that are shared on her brothers' kindles). I thought it might be useful to have an inexpensive book I could surprise her with for a road trip, plane trip, holiday, etc.

Nonfiction and Short Stories
Most of American Girl's nonfiction books have a lot of full-color pages. If you read the following online, you will get that, but if you download them to a traditional black-and-white kindle, it will all show up in gray-scale. Just so you know.

• A Smart Girl's Guide: Staying Home Alone
• A Smart Girl's Guide: Drama, Rumors, and Secrets
• Friends: Making and Keeping Them
• Mini Mysteries: 34 Tricky Tales to Untangle (This is a compilation of what used to be three separate volumes)

BeForever (Historical Character) Mysteries
When I read my first American Girl book, Meet Kirsten, I was in second grade. It was a short chapter book with several full color illustrations. Fast forward a generation to the first time I bought books for my eight year old daughter. I was surprised at how long the mysteries were, and that there were no illustrations besides what you get on the cover. Now my daughter is ten, and these books are relatively easy for her.
The number in parentheses is the approximate year in American history that the novel is set in.

• The Silent Stranger: A Kaya Mystery   (1764 Native American)
• The Smuggler's Secrets: A Caroline Mystery   (War of 1812)
• Secrets in the Hills: A Josefina Mystery   (1824)
• Shadows on Society Hill: An Addy Mystery   (Civil War, 1864)
• Danger in Paris: A Samantha Mystery   (Victorian America, 1904)
• A Growing Suspicion: A Rebecca Mystery   (1914)
• The Jazzman's Trumpet: A Kit Mystery   (Great Depression, 1934)
• The Puzzle of the Paper Daughter: A Julie Mystery   (1974)

I have tried my best to check the links for each of the above. Please let me know if any of the links do not work properly, and especially let me know if I missed any 99 cent American Girl books!

A Book a Day . . .

keeps, ah, illiteracy away?

The school psychologist referred to his tested reading level as "near genius." I'm not fully sure what that means, but I do know he reads the scriptures out loud much more smoothly than a few adults I've heard at church.
Super K.'s latest habit is reading a book a day. Seriously. Since he brings home the 3rd grade level chapter books, it only takes him about an hour or so after school. Yes, he can read much, much more advanced books, but he likes to choose something he can finish in one sitting. Otherwise, he'll just pick up a different book or start in a different place or skip a few chapters when he gets back to it.
We might want to work on developing taste, though. Monday he brought home Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombies, and didn't start his homework sheets until he was done.

Library List Tuesdays

Another Tuesday, another library visit (if I didn't have to keep returning the previous books, I might stop checking out new ones!) Here we have:

a Spanish picture dictionary (a failed attempt. I can't pronounce with confidence yet)

Ancient History: The Emperor's Silent Army. Actually, we kept this book about the full-size teracotta warrior statues from the previous week.

Read alouds: Choo Choo Clickety Clack. For Little Nephi, of course.

Once Upon a Golden Apple. A dad jumbles fairy tales together into one family story.

Astronaut Handbook. A simple introduction to preparing for different jobs on a space shuttle. Could be used to teach about synergy.

Character/Behavior Training: Good Manners at School. I know, a funny thing to get when school is almost out.

Emily's Magic Words. We read this during a family home evening about manners. I prefer the illustration style in Emily's Everyday Manners, which is also from the Emily Post Institute. Still, this was good because it focused on one little aspect of manners, so we didn't feel overwhelmed trying to improve everything at once.

Library List

I hereby decree that every Tuesday (or as regularly as I can reasonaly make it) every Tuesday hereafter will be Library List day. Books are one of the core elements of a classical education. As long as you frequently visit a well-stocked library, it's a very affordable way to educate, too.

Library List

Art: Katie and the Mona Lisa

This book would be a playful art history read for anyone studying the Renaissance; which we're not. I returned it unread.

Math: Millions to Measure

I was delighted to find another math picture book by the creators of How Much Is a Million? Despite its title, Millions to Measure has nothing to do with millions, but it is all about measuring. It begins with the history of the English system, including a little measuring chart which should be memorized (Grammar stage alert!) for kitchen use. Then it explains how the metric system began. It has a fold-out inset, which worried me, but it unfolded to have a ruler which was exactly one meter long. Understanding the principles of the metric system is easier for children who know basic fractions (like 1/10th). Highly recommended.

Biology: Eyewitness Skeletons

I was hoping this was a pure science movie. Dash has been fascinated with the human body this year. Unfortunately for us, it included culture associations, like taro cards, that were more confusing for him than informative. Only watched once.

Movie Night: Pete's Dragon

Mia's Choice: Scholastic DVDs Chrysanthemum, and Disney Princess Christmas

History of Ancient China: The Emperor's Silent Army and Growing Up in Ancient China

The Emperor's Silent Army was our longest book. It covers the fascinating history/discovery of the thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers discovered in the last century by the tomb of the First Emperor.

Literature: Each Peach Pear Plum (a board book Little Nephi loved), Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Storytelling Princess, and A Chair for My Mother.

Books My Mother Gave Me

The first book I remember my mother giving me was Meet Kirsten, for Christmas when I was 7. Receiving books for Christmas and Birthdays was an ingrained tradition in our family--they didn't even have to be new, as long as the story was worthwhile! In subsequent years, I devoured each new American Girls historical book, the Boxcar Children, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables (the whole series), The Chronicles of Narnia, Dealing with Dragons and Beauty, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Entering my teen years, I started borrowing from my mom's collection. Pride and Prejudice was lovingly struggled through on a road trip when I was 12 or 13. I still don't know if Mom planted it in the luggage for myself or her own leisurely reread.

Mom didn't just give books, she gave examples: reading in the kitchen, the car, between chores, waiting for appointments, feeding the baby, and just because. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at finding her the food editor of the world-famous literary blog, The Uncrushable Jersey Dress. Even less surprising is that I have continued the book giving tradition with my own family. Now I give books for Christmas and birthdays--and they don't always have to be new, especially if the story is worthwhile!

Book Review: A Chair for My Mother

I wanted to review a book for Mother's Day. My first thought was the Caldecott Honor book A Chair for My Mother, by Vera B. Williams. This was one of my favorite books I was introduced to as a Kindergarten Learning Coach for Washington Virtual Academies last year.

Summary: The story begins with Mom's job: a waitress at a diner. Some days, after school, Rosa does chores there, too. Half of the money she makes is put in a big glass jar at home. Her mom puts all her tips into this big jar. If grandma has an extra coin, it goes in there, too. When the jar is full, they intend to buy a "wonderful, beautiful, fat, soft armchair." They are doing this because all their old chairs burned up last year when their house was on fire. A year later they still don't have a sofa or soft chair to sit in after a hard day's work, but finally that huge jar is full. They take the coins to the bank, then buy the chair they were dreaming of.

My Take: I love provident living lesson in this story: choose a priority, work, save, be patient: then you can buy it. I also love the ridiculous chair they choose, "one covered in velvet with roses all over it." This book isn't preachy. Rather it's a comfortable tale of a family making a home of beauty and comfort with their thrift and industry.