February, 2011

"The Talking Eggs" by R. D. San Souci          

Blanche is sweet, kind and thoughtful while her sister Rose is unpleasant, mean and spiteful. Rose is favored by their mother, who expects Blanche to work hard, do all of the chores, and wait on the rest of the family. One day Blanche meets an old woman, who takes her back to her house. Rose follows her instructions and leaves the house with a basketful of plain eggs. On the way home she throws the eggs over her shoulders and treasures break free of the eggs. Jealous, Blanche finds the woman the next day. However, she refuses to listen to the woman and ends up being chased by wild and ferocious animals. This is a fast paced, easy to read book. It is likely to delight children while teaching them a strong moral lesson.

"Working Cotton" by S. A. Williams          

Shelan and her family arrive at the cotton field before dawn and work until nightfall picking the fluffy white crop. Williams uses poetic almost song-like language to add a unique voice to her characters. The illustrations throughout are poignant, contrasting the beautiful landscape with the hot sweaty faces of the workers.

"Black Eagles: African Americans in Aviation" by J. Haskins          

Black Eagles is a compilation of African American achievements in aviation and the space race. It discuses numerous aviators and outlines in detail their accomplishments. The book covers individuals from Eugene Bullard, who served in the French flying corps in WWI to Ronald McNair, who perished in the Challenger space shuttle disaster. Although I found the book interesting, it is a bit dry and factual. I don’t know if a child would absorb all of the information and enjoy the book.

"The Girl Who Married the Moon" by J. Bruchac & G. Ross          

This book provides four folktales each from four different regions of the United States: northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest. The stories center around themes that celebrate womanhood, coming of age and the passage from girlhood to womanhood. These stories were delightful and entertaining. I believe any child, especially a girl, would enjoy these folktales and stories of strong and courageous women.

"Crossing Bok Chitto" by T. Tingle         

The Bok Chitto river separates Choctow territory from United States territory. Slaves who cross the river are considered free. Marta Tom, a young Choctaw crosses the river to pick blackberries. While there, she meets and becomes friends with slaves on the plantation. Her friend’s mother is to be sold to another plantation, so Marta Tom helps the family cross the river to freedom. Following the story is a note on modern Choctaw culture. Overall, this is a beautiful story, well illustrated and told.

"Sing Down the Moon" by S. O’Dell          

Bright Morning and her friend Running Bird, members of a Navajo tribe, are out tending sheep when they are taken by Spanish slave traders. With the help of another Indian slave, the girls are able to escape and journey back home. American militia, the “Long Knives” force the Navajo out of their home and to a forced march. Overall, I thought the book was engaging, fast-paced and an interesting story about a shameful time in American history.

"The Winter People" by J. Bruchac         

Saxso, a fourteen-year old Abenaki Indian is the man of his family, in charge of protecting his mother and two sisters. His family lives in the small Indian village of St. Francis. His village is raided by English Rangers led by the notorious Major Robert Rogers. The village is burned to the ground and Saxso’s mother and sisters are taken captive. With the help of the Worrier, Saxso sets off on his own to rescue his family from the rangers. A tale of courage and determination, the story emphases bravery and loyalty to family. Well-written, it is a story that should be read and enjoyed my most children.

“Lily’s Crossing” by Patricia Giff         

Set during World War II, Lily, her father and grandmother leave New York City for their summer home in the Rockaways. A few days after arriving, Lily’s Dad tells her that he has enlisted in the army and is leaving the next morning. Lily faces the prospect of a lonely summer, until Albert, a Hungarian refugee, moves in next door. The two children rescue a kitten from the sea and Lily teaches Albert how to swim.          

Ultimately the book is about friendship through good and bad times. A bit-slow paced, I had trouble getting into the story. I thought the children appeared extremely young for their age and the times. Overall, I was a bit disappointed and would only rate this book a three out of five.

"The Virgin King" by Joseph Fullam         

The book is based on the premise that King Henry VIII did not die, but went into secret exile. Henry is on an island with his son William and he shares his exploits and stories as King.          

I found this book extremely hard to get into. I typically love Tudor novels and historical fiction in general. The dialogue tended towards rambling and did not add a lot to the story. The characters were a bit flat and one-dimensional. Ultimately, this was just an odd book.

“Spin the Plate Short Story” by Donna Anastasi          

Jo has emerged from a traumatic child and has remade herself into a powerful, angry woman. She is a tattoo artist however, spends the nights roaming the streets rescuing animals and hurting animal abusers. Oddly, she meets and becomes close to Francis, an odd eclectic character.          

Although the book wasn’t for me, it was well-written and I’m sure will have its followers. I thought the Christian references and conversations were a bit over the top. I also felt that Jo’s trust of Francis was at odds with the descriptions of her childhood. Overall, I rate this book a two out of five.

“Journey to Topaz” by Donald Carrick          

Yuki is a Japanese-American girl who lives with her parents and brother in Berkeley, California. When Pearl Harbor is bombed, authorities come to take her father away for questioning. Yuki, her mother and brother are evacuated to a camp in California for Japanese. Forced to live in a horse stall, the family struggles to survive admits the horrible conditions. After a few months they are transferred to the Utah desert, where they continue to persevere despite their loss of freedom. Although fictional, the story is based upon the author's experiences during WWII. The Japanese interment in the United States is often overlooked, yet it is a period of history we must remember.

“Shades of Twilight” by Martin C. Sharlow          

Let me begin by saying that I have not caught onto the hype of vampire books. While there have been some that I have enjoyed, I have not liked the vast majority of them. Sadly, I have to put this book in with the ones I have not enjoyed.          

I found this book to be extremely slow paced. Melissa came across as a whiny pre-teen rather than the young adult she was supposed to be. Overall I cannot recommend this book to others.

“Knots on a Counting Rope” by B. Martin and J. Archambault          

Boy-Strength-of-Blue-Horses and his grandfather sit around the fire telling the stories of Boy’s birth, his first horse and a horse race. Boy was born during a great storm and his parents feared the weak and sickly blind child would die. The next morning two blue horses galloped by and stopped to look at him, giving him his name. As Boy grows, he teaches his horse to run the trails until he enters a horse race.

     Neither the authors nor the illustrator are Native American. Consequently, there are multiple inaccuracies throughout the book. First, the dialogue is unrealistic. The language used is poetic, yet primitive, which depicts the stereotypical view of Native Americans. Also, a child would not be allowed to constantly interrupt his elder. Rather than being named after his first smile, a sick child would be named immediately. Additionally, a Native American would not say that “this boy child will not die.” Such a statement would be considered both an insult and a challenge to the spirits.

     The illustrations do not accurately reflect the Navajo culture. The costumes worn by the Native Americans are a mixture of Navajo and Hopi celebration garb. The hairstyles are certainly not Navajo. The Navajo wear their hair clubbed and wrapped. However, throughout the book the women are depicted wearing braids while the men have their front hair braided and the rest hanging lose down their backs. Stereotypically, the grandfather and Boy wear eagle feathers sticking straight up from their hats.