Several years ago I spent quite a bit of time studying the early 1900s through WWI. I read nonfiction and fiction about and from that era. So I was fascinated when I discovered Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini. How had I never heard even a hint about these women who were the first…
Category: Book Reviews
A Lot Like Christmas
With this recipe in mind, she has been writing Christmas stories for years and has pulled them together for this collection of short stories. All of them are deeply human while also being about everyday people. All of them deal with some aspect of humanity that needs the kind of transformation that only the Christ of Christmas can bring. And all of them end well even if it is unclear, while you are reading, how that can possibly happen. But, signature Connie Willis, all of them have a sci-fi twist of some kind as well. And that makes them more unpredictable and, frankly, more fun.
Lark
This book is fun, exciting, so interesting, and genuinely hard to put down. I loved it, and I have four library patrons in mind who will have to fight over who gets to borrow it first. That said, there are some challenging bits in here that I think a parent may wish to know about. So, as you read on, know that I loved the book and am so glad to have it. But also know that I think it is best suited to a reader about 12 and older. After my general thoughts, I will highlight the challenges as I see them.
Christmas Farm
This charming story is graced with lovely illustrations by Barry Root. The story shows the seasons, the waiting, and the magical process by which Christmas trees are grown and cared for. At the end of the book, there is a wonderful note from the author with a little history and science about Christmas trees.
Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride
On a cloudless evening in April, 1933, Amelia Earhart attended a dinner at the White House. She and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt were good friends. As the dinner progressed, one of the reporters present mentioned that the First Lady had just received her student pilot’s license. Eleanor in turn asked Amelia what it was like to fly at night. At this point in aviation history, very few pilots had flown in the dark.
I Am David (a.k.a. North to Freedom)
Once David successfully breaks free of the concentration camp, we realize that he has no memory of any life outside of the camp. He has no idea what cities look like, how normal people interact with each other, or what a beautiful mountainside looks like. Every experience is new and terrifying for him. His journey is a bit of a pilgrimage. And he is learning how to be human after only ever being a caged animal. In some haunting ways, he reminds me of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster – hiding in the woods, watching people in order to understand how to be really human.
Baseball Saved Us
Rallying together, the people of Camp cut up mattress covers for uniforms, found wood for bleachers, and friends from home sent bats, balls, and gloves. Everyone played baseball. The children as well as the grownups.
The Silver Sword
When the Nazis came to Poland, they did not close Joseph’s school. Instead, they removed the Polish textbooks and banished the Polish language from the school. They also hung portraits of Hitler in all of the classrooms. When, during a Scripture lesson, Joseph turned Hitler’s picture to the wall, someone reported him. A few nights later, the Nazi stormtroopers came for Joseph and took him to Zakyna. Margrit and the children were left to fend for themselves. After many trials and failed escape attempts, Joseph finally escaped out of the prison camp. It was then that the Nazis came for Margrit.
Books by Horseback: A Librarian’s Brave Journey to Deliver Books to Children
“Edith is a packhorse librarian. Every day she travels for miles to deliver books. William lives far back in the mountains. Edith will have to ride hard to reach his family’s cabin.” There is a storm coming, but that doesn’t stop Edith. Or her horse. And this is what keeps her going. As summarized in…
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
“We have only one pair of boots and must take turns. I work at night, and my husband works during the day. We spend the rest of the time in bed for warmth.”
Andrew Henry’s Meadow
The black and white illustration in this book is enchanting. The details on the dragonfly’s wings and the lovely pictures of nature demonstrate real artistic merit. Each page has a scene which is a story unto itself. The art is perfect.
The Stout-Hearted Seven: Orphaned on the Oregon Trail
Wow! What a story! I would have been impressed if The Stout-Hearted Seven had been fiction. To know that it is non-fiction is exhilarating and tragic all at the same time. Reading true stories like this makes things like Marvel movies seem ridiculous. True courage and fortitude are not found in superheroes with capes but in stout-hearted people with a will to follow God’s leading and their own conviction.
The Trumpeter of Krakow
Written in a style that reminds me of Lloyd Alexander and Tonke Dragt, this novel for young readers is a lovely example of historical fiction. As the quote from Louis Bechtel indicates, it blends true events and real people beautifully with legend and an interesting fictional story. Fifteenth-century Joseph Charnetski is the son of Pan’ Andrew Charnetski, a Polish noble from Kresy (modern-day Ukraine). The Charnetski family is fleeing their home because madman Peter Button-Face has burned their village to the ground under the orders of Ivan III of Russia (Ivan the Terrible). The family hopes to find refuge with their cousin, Andrew Tenczynski in Krakow.
From the Good Mountain: How Gutenberg Changed the World
James Rumford’s story opens with a riddle. Each element of the riddle is explained in imagination-sparking prose with glowing illustrations. The rags became paper stiffened with glue made from bones. The brown coat was leather, printing types were molded from the lead and tin, and the oak was used to build the printing press. The…
Show Notes: To Say Nothing of the Dog
Show notes from our November book club, To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Book Club Guests include: Kristi Stansfield, Sherry Early, and Tanya Arnold.