Children’s Literature

Written in Bone

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

I know I said I wanted the Claudette Colvin book to win the Cybil but I’ve changed my mind after reading Written in Bone.

I didn’t mean to even read Written in Bone last night. I carried it over to my bedside table thinking I’d read it after I finished Demon Chick. But, as I set it down, I flipped it open, saw the photos, and decided to read just a bit of the intro… and then I couldn’t put it down.

Great photos. Interesting stories about finding graves of early settlers in Maryland and Virginia – trying to piece together who the people were, how they lived and how they died. Really fascinating stuff. I should have been an archaeologist!

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Written in Bone Read More »

Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Women /

Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice was a good book. Finally a book about bus segregation that digs deeper than MLK and Rosa Parks. Oh I know there are other books out there but they are rare – and they are rarely written for school age kids. Breath of fresh air, that’s what this book is. I’d like to see it win the Cybil. Colvin and the others who are often overshadowed by Parks and King deserve more attention.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice Read More »

The Message in the Hollow Oak

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Fiction, Nancy Drew Challenge /

Funny. Liz saw me reading The Message in the Hollow Oak and said, Hey! That was a good one! And, I didn’t remember it. She’s read very few Nancy Drews and I’ve read them all, most of them multiple times. This one – she liked. This one – I found boring. I’m pretty sure I found it boring as a kid, too, since I don’t even remember reading it.

Ho Hum.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

The Message in the Hollow Oak Read More »

I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Non-Fiction, Young Adult /

I vaguely remember the 6 Word Memoir meme that went around the internets, awhile back. It came, it was interesting, it disappeared. After reading I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets, I’m kind of sorry that it did disappear. I found the 6 word memoirs written by teens to be moving, interesting, and funny – all at the same time, sometimes.  I found myself remembering how that felt, thankful that I never felt THAT way, laughing because I saw myself or my kids in another six words.

I’m not sure this is Cybil win worthy BUT, it might be. And if it somehow won, I wouldn’t be sad. This is a book I’d like to own. To just have it sitting around the house, to pick up, read, and think about for the rest of the day. It’s that kind of book.

(By the way, the 6 words written by the teen stars were pretty boring compared to the regular kids’ writing.)

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets Read More »

The Password to Larkspur Lane

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Nancy Drew Challenge /

Look, more evidence that I did snack while reading Nancy Drew (my mother seems to believe that I did not – err she would be wrong, lol.)  Some sort of foodie goo with fuzzy pink hair attached. My bedroom was pink and green (because my grandmother swore that pink and green went together and I believed every word she ever said, which is another story.) I vaguely recall some fuzzy pink pillow was on my bed and I’m pretty sure this pink fuzz is pillow related.

Anyway – The Password to Larkspur Lane – finished it, laughed when Bess said “I don’t want to meet any kidnappers” and George said “Don’t be such a snob!” Umm so you’re a snob if you don’t want to meet kidnappers? Hah. Who knew? Call me a snob because kidnappers are not high on my list of people to mee either.

Posted via web from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

The Password to Larkspur Lane Read More »

Odd and the Frost Giants

1 Comment / 2010, Audiobooks, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Cybil Challenge, Favorites, Fiction /

First, Neil Gaiman books should be listened to on audio, right before bed. If we listened to Odd and the Frost Giants when I was tired, his voice threatened to put me to sleep. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a boring voice – it’s a good bedtime story voice. Next, you should know that this is a super short book – a plus in my opinion. Two cds (on audio) – nice. No chance of this one being overdue at the library.

Now, about the story – nicely written, nicely told. I liked Odd. I liked Loki and Thor and Odin and Freya AND the Frost Giant, whose name we do not know because he didn’t tell us. Everyone should read (or listen) to this one.  

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Odd and the Frost Giants Read More »

Nancy’s Mysterious Letter

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Nancy Drew Challenge /

Some observations from Nancy’s Mysterious Letter:

-In my experience, growing up in the 60s and 70s, there were very few dilapidated bridges. (No mom, the Grace bridge wasn’t dilapidated.) So how come there are so many in Nancy’s world?

-People say the world is smaller now, because of the internets. Those folks didn’t read Nancy Drew books in the 60s, did they?

-Mail delivery seems to have gotten significantly slower. A letter from London was stolen. A replacement letter showed up less two days later. Regular mail, not Fedex or even UPS. How is that possible? I can’t get mail delivered from across town that quickly.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

Nancy’s Mysterious Letter Read More »

The Clue in the Diary

2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Classics, Dewey's Readathon, Favorites, Nancy Drew Challenge /

The last book I finished for the Dewey Readathon was The Clue in the Diary. The most interesting thing(s) about this one were related to Ned. He was “introduced” in this book. He and Nancy met when Foxy Felix’s house blew up and from that moment on Ned became a wee bit stalkerish – he just kept turning up. Someone should have warned her about that boy, no matter how cute or smart he might be. An oddity though is that in a book I read, earlier in the series, Helen teased Nancy about Ned… (maybe in the Mystery at Lilac Inn?), but how would that be possible if Nancy hadn’t met him yet? Oops.

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

The Clue in the Diary Read More »

The Stonkeeper: Amulet (Book 1)

1 Comment / 2010, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Comics & Graphic Novels, Dewey's Readathon, Favorites, Young Adult /

Well now I know the backstory to the graphic novel I read last month. Still enjoying the Stonekeeper series and am glad I went back and got Amulet. But, now I need book three to see what happens next. Is the Elf King’s son good or bad? Does the mother recover?

(187 pages)

Posted via email from Life. Flow. Fluctuate.

The Stonkeeper: Amulet (Book 1) Read More »