oh, the newberies!

While I was MIA last month, I read voraciously. Along the way, I consumed several Newberies - so many, in fact, that I can't remember them all and have to read through my ALA list just to make sure that I don't leave any out. So please beware - this post will be long and not for the faint of heart!

• The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting (1923) - One of the first in the very prolific Dr. Dolittle series. Old-timey and full of racial stereotypes about "natives" (hey, it was 1923, after all - not nearly as disgraceful as Daniel Boone,) the story is whimsical and playful and a surprisingly quick read. One of Jared's favorite series as a little boy.
  
  
  



• Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis (1933) - I really enjoyed this book at the time and I wish I had written this review earlier so it would all still be fresh in my mind. A teenage boy and his mother move to the big city after the death of his father, where the boy becomes an apprentice to a master potter. While the book itself is old and the setting foriegn, the experiences are universal and still feel very contemporary, even 80 years later - making and losing friends, figuring out how to stand on your own feet, discovering what you really care about. A fun read with a heart-warming ending, this book really surprised me. I was expecting a reprise of the same Orientalism found in Shen of the Sea a mere seven years previous, but it couldn't have been more different.

• Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs (1934) - I read this book as a girl and I think I remember liking it, but not so much this time around. I suppose it is all because I read a real biography of Alcott last year (why can't I remember which one?!) so this old, child's version seemed to ring very untrue. Of course you wouldn't want to paint the real pain and instability of Alcott's life in stark colors to a young reader, but maybe we could be honest? Maybe I was just bugged because the author portrays Alcott's father - transcendentalist Bronson Alcott - as a lovable dreamer who put his family first. In reality, his passionate and nearly insane pursuit of his philosophy selfishly dominated his family's life, leaving them to live completely unsupported in poverty and instability. The Alcotts moved 30 times before Louisa was 20 years old! The real Marmee - Aba Alcott - was a brave, loyal and long-suffering woman. You can see why Jo's father is a rather vague and absent character in Little Woman. At any rate, skip this one and read the newest biography: Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women instead.
  
  


• Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (1957) - an uncomplicated little story about a father's return from WWII and his family's attempts to heal his wounded spirit by moving to a farm in upstate New York. Kind of charming and heart-warming in all the expected ways, except that I couldn't stand the main character, 9 year old Marley. I think she was supposed to come across as spontaneous and full of joy, but really she was just obnoxious. Hello, Marley! Maybe that's why your Dad is always so crabby! On a side note, I found out that Sorensen is LDS. I wonder if BYU English professor Peter Sorensen is any relation.

• Rifles for Waitie by Harold Keith (1958) - Now this book was a big surprise. Thick, with small print, and a spine that looked like it hadn't been cracked open in all the 50 years it had been collecting dust on the library shelves, it did not look like a winner. But I was quickly drawn in to the story of 16 year old Jeff Bussey, who leaves his Kansas farm and family to join the Union fight in Oklahoma Territory. Thrilling adventures, a heroic main character, and a different angle on the Civil War all make this book a fun and fascinating read. Author Harold Keith, a Civil War buff, meticulously researched for years before beginning to write - and it totally shows! So interesting learning about Cherokee Nation settlements in the 1860s and the extent of their involvement on both sides of the war. Some weird quirks show Keith is not a novelist by trade - a disturbing (or funny!) typo where a much-beloved but also dead character appears nonchalantly in a later scene and a random title (really, neither rifles nor General Stand Waitie are big players in the book.) But still fun - I love being happily surprised.

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1959) - Wow, now this one was so long ago I thought I had already reported it. A solid and still widely-read book even now, this one doesn't really need my endorsement. Teenage Kit leaves her home in the Barbados to move in with her Puritan aunt and uncle. Antics ensue! Free-spirited Kit is reluctant to embrace her new community's close-mindedness and suspicions quickly begin to fly. Great little book - and Eve loved it, too.

• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien (1972) - Just finished reading this outloud to both girls last night and it was a major hit. Just forget everything you remember from the movie - there is no "sparkly, " no magic amulet, no Nicodemus getting squished. Dismiss them as the usual trappings of a Don Bluth cartoon! (Bleh, Land Before Time, An American Tale - I am a definitely a Disney girl.) The book is fascinating, especially the chapters about the rats' transformation in the lab at NIMH. Not a whole lot of gripping conflict, but both girls were panting to read it every night, so that's a pretty encouraging recommendation.
  
  

• Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (1989) - a very short and very adorable book of poems written about insects. Some are lovely, some are hilarious, but all of them have two parts and are meant to be read by two people simultaneously (hence the title.) Jared read a few with me, so I could get the jist of it and it was tricky to get the rhythms right. But a pretty cool idea. Interestingly, the author is the son of Sid Fleischman who won the award a few years previous for The Whipping Boy.
  

• Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1991) - I loved this book. Reading it was a like a big cozy hug. The Publisher's Weekly blurb on amazon says "Winner of the Newbery Medal, this humorous yet poignant tall tale concerns a super-athletic teenager who bridges his town's racial gap." No offense, Publisher's Weekly, but you've got it all wrong. It is written like a tall-tale, a folk story, but Maniac isn't "super-athletic" - the point is that he is magic, that he can do anything! He can run fast and hit baseballs, but he also knocks on the door of the scariest man in town, he unties the biggest knot, he loves people who need to be loved. While there is a black side of town and a white side of town, this is not a book about racism, but a book about loving people who are different.
  

• Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (2005) - Just finished this yesterday and am still digesting. From the very first sentences I knew I would like the book and that it would make me sad: "My sister Lynn taught me my first word: kira kira...Kira kira means "glittering" in Japanese." You can see where this is going, right? The story is about a Japanese-American family who moves to Georgia in the 1960s (though that isn't the central focus of the book) and struggle to make ends meet while their oldest daughter grows increasingly ill. I loved the very authentic bossy protective big sister/adoring little sister relationship - reminded me very much of two little girls I live with (From the book: "Do you agree with me all the time just because I say so or because you really, truly agree with me?" I didn't see the difference between the two things, so I just said I didn't know.) Also, being a bossy protective big sister myself to an adorable Asian sister (Hey, Miranda! You know you are Asian, right? I'm not being racist) made the story close to my heart. Also, these very familiar sisters have a darling little brother named Sammy that they both adore. And, because in a weird way, I consider Korea to be a large portion of my cultural identity, the whole book felt very near. It is brilliantly written and the narrator's voice is startlingly authentic and touching. Filed in the YA books at my library, not the kids' section because of some mature themes.

Is anybody still there? If you are, you deserve a medal! Or a piece of the trick-or-treat candy sitting temptingly in front of me. (I keep reminding my kids it's for the trick-or-treaters while sneaking pieces for myself.) Have a happy and Newbery-y Halloween!

halloween sneak peek

The girls' school held its big Halloween carnival last Saturday, so we got to do a little Halloween dress-rehearsal. It was quite a night! The carnival is always crazy pants - a billion sweaty kids in costume tossing rings and bean bags - but this year seemed extra zoo-like. Eve vanished with some friends, Eleanor panicked at the crowd and tried to hide behind my legs for the first half hour, and Sam - my sweet brave little Sam - started off okay, but was reduced to trembling with fear because of a boy in a large blue duck costume. *sigh* After some cotton candy and snow cones eaten in the relative peace of the bleachers, everyone felt much better and launched themselves back into the chaos for another hour of fun. And I went home thanking my lucky stars that it's another whole year till we do it again!

While I am no huge Halloween fan, I love helping the kids with their costumes. And I loved their choices this year! (I may have been a little instrumental in Sam's selection...)

My Seuss-obsessed Eleanor as The Cat in the Hat. I found the little jumpsuit at Goodwill for only $2.99! It was meant to be. All it needed was a new bow. We already had the hat and, when we found Cat in the Hat socks at Target, the vision was complete.


Eve as Cleopatra. This pose was one she insisted on - her most queenly, I think.

Eve told me her book on anciet Egypt had a picture of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, and she wanted to look just like that. Yikes! I did my best on a third-grade level. She loved her huge mysterious eyes, but when Sam saw her he burst into tears. "Who is that, Sammy?" "sobbing I don't know!" "It's just Eve in her costume." "Evie is scary!" I think the snake headdress was just too much for Sam. Little did he know about the blue duck awaiting him....

Sam as Charlie Brown. This picture just doesn't quite do justice to the hilarity that is Sam as Charlie Brown. He was a hit at the carnival - well, except for the lady who thought he was Batman. She wasn't joking, either! "Oh, Charlie Brown was my second guess!" Batman only wishes he was this cool!

I love his squiggle. Nora's makeup was pretty fun, too, but I'm thinking I can do a better job for actual Halloween, so I'll wait until then to post her close-up.

Little known fact: Cleopatra needs glass when she goes to carnivals. She tried to go without, but a friend later led a squinty, blind, arms-outstretched Eve up to me. Cleopatra can't win the soda bottle ring toss without her prescription lenses!

Carnivals make The Cat in the Hat very sad and nervous, apparently. Until he consumes large amounts of sugar - then everything is wonderful! This frown didn't last long.

in which I stage a comeback

I'm back! After a month's hiatus, I finally felt the urge to hear the little tip-tip-tapping of my keyboard again and return to my neglected blog.

To explain my shameful absence, September was a lame month and I just needed to take some time off. In short, I had a miscarriage at the end of August. And while it wasn't particularly traumatic, it was long and drawn out. And it has just taken me a while to get back on my feet. And so, here I am, standing on both feet, ready to get back to normal.

I feel I missed out on reporting all the ups and downs of the first week or so of school. Mostly, there were only ups. The return to school was a happy transition, even though Sam and I did pine for the girls a bit that first week. Both Eve and Eleanor are loving their classes and their teachers. Nora had no nervousness or misgivings about starting kindergarten, but knew that she could do anything as long as her trusty big sister was beside her on the bus seat. I think Eve still walks Eleanor to class every morning and gives her a hug goodbye.

And, Eve, for the first year, seems completely comfortable in her skin at school - she gabs with friends at lunch and at recess, she participates in class, and she still manages to have her nose stuck in a book the rest of the time. I'm happy she's finding a way to balance her charming and quirky nerdiness with a social life - it's a relief to an anxious mom.

There is so much to figure out those first few weeks. It seems like all extracurriculars in this town fill up by the end of September, so you've got to move fast. We did a lot of backing and forthing between the dance studio (Nora) and the indoor pool (Eve) getting everyone tested and registered and paid for that first week. Plus, trying to figure out time to volunteer in two kids classes is a nightmare. I just wanted to hold a big meeting with all the teachers and all my friends so we could figure out times and babysitting all at once. After stressing and emailing and getting a brain cramp, me and my friends figured out a very elaborate three-way babysitting calendar that allows us all to volunteer in our combined five children's rooms. Also, I have a very small role in our school's PTA (Birthday Cupcake Lady is a pretty sweet gig) that I decided needed expanding this year when I signed up to be a room mom. Because I am a crazy woman, apparently. And the school's biggest event of the year is in October and requires meetings starting the second week of school. Also, I have to plan fun weekly activities and lessons for the youth at church and, for some reason, that doesn't stop because I am busy elsewhere. Lame!

So after the frenzied energy of those first weeks calmed down, I felt like I could finally breathe a long sigh of relief and sit down on the couch for a few minutes. And take a big long drink of Diet Dr. Pepper. I think that was yesterday.

Eve's first day

Nora's first day (the kindergartners start a few days later.) This is Nora's most beloved outfit: her Horton Hears a Who shirt and her "Who" skirt. She thinks the pink with orange polka-dots is very Who-ish. She is very into Seuss.

A bus shot! I have never been able to get one before. I am getting sentimental in my old age, I guess.