Misty of Chincoteague

Once again I'm again doing a blog that I don't normally do. This week I'm doing a blog on a book that I didn't enjoy that much. So you might ask yourself why blog about it? The answer is simple. Just because I didn't like this book doesn't mean some of your little ones won't. Especially if they love horses.
Misty of Chincoteague is a book by Marguerite Henry. It was published in 1948 and won a Newbery honor. The story is about two children Paul and Maureen who live with their grandparents in Virginia. Their family raises horses to sell.  More than anything Paul and Maureen want a horse of their own. So they decide to raise money doing extra work, in order to save for the annual horse roundup.
This roundup is done by the local fire company to raise money for their equipment. The horses are feral horses that are the decedents of a group of horses that were being brought to Peru about 300 years ago. The ship they were traveling in was shipwrecked but the horses lived on in freedom on the barrier island between Virginia and Maryland.
Now once a year a round up is held to cull some of the horses and the ones that are culled are sold at auction, and given good homes.
Now comes the reasons why I didn't like the story. First of all, all of the writing is done in local accents, so as you read your way through the book, you find it hard to understand some of the things they are trying to say, particularly the grandfather. I imagine children who read this book might have trouble figuring out what is going on through the dialogue.
The book, which was written in 1948 illustrates a world dominated by men. Although Maureen and Paul work equally hard to save money for the horse, it is Paul who works to train her, ride her and makes all the decisions about her. I realize that in that era that was how life was, but still, I don't have to like it!
But when all is said and done, it is a story about horses, and it captures a tradition that is still going on today, this month in fact.  The story wasn't to my taste, but it might be yours or your children's. If you have a son or a daughter whose a horse lover suggest the book to them. If nothing else they can at least learn about the Chinoteague Pony Swim, that just happened last Wednesday, an amazing way to raise money for a good cause, while preserving a national treasure.

The Upstairs Room

I had no idea what to blog about yesterday. I thought about it all day but couldn't come up with a thing. Finally at six I took a quick trip to the used bookstore where I found "The Upstairs Room" by Johanna Reiss.  At midnight I was still reading.
Johanna Reiss is a Jewish Dutch born American writer, who decided to tell the her daughters about her time in Holland during World War Two.
Her father was a cattle dealer and her childhood up until age 8 was peaceful and typical for a little girl of the time. But then her father, who used to laugh and play with his little daughter, has becomes worried. Annie <Johanna's nickname> becomes aware that bad things are  happening in the world, and that those bad things could happen to her family.
Her father decides to leave for American, with his brother and their family. But Annie's mother has kidney disease and wont leave. Forced to wait, Annie sees the citizens of Holland have their rights taken from them a little at a time. Her family cannot shop except during certain times of the day, they can't use public pools or theatres, they can't leave the house without a yellow star and sadly for the Annie whose mother is in the hospital, they are not allowed to visit loved ones in the hospital.
When the last notice is made, Annie, on her own, goes to the town mayor. The mayor knows her father, and his daughter was once Annie's friend.  She asks the mayor to give her a permit to visit her mother in the hospital, and he writes one out. After that,  Annie's sister cooks her mother's meals, and Annie brings her mother her food, then takes the dirty dishes home each night. Meanwhile, Annie's father makes plans for his family.
Annie's father has gone into hiding. Then it is Annie and Sini's turn. They eventually wind up in a farmhouse in Holland, where for over two years they are more or less confined to small upstairs room.
This is a great book for a ten to twelve year old. Although it is told from a girl's point of view, I don't really think it is a "girl's book" anymore than the "Diary of Anne Frank" is.  This is a book for kids who enjoy history, or adventure. There are some moments of danger that Annie lived through, that one can't even think about. Like when, towards the end of the war, German soldiers used the farmhouse the two sisters are hiding in, as headquarters. Or how the farmer, a big boisterous man took Annie and her sister out into a wheat field so that they could get some sunshine into their bones. Annie got sun poisoning that day because visitors came to the house and the farmer couldn't go back to get them until it was very late. Despite the danger, the family found a doctor to make sure Annie was taken care of, and wouldn't suffer any ill effects.
On the day the Canadian army free the village, the farmer and his wife proudly brought the two sisters out to watch the Canadians march through the town, astounding the neighbors who never knew that the girls were there.
"The Upstairs Room" was a great book. Johanna Reiss wrote it with the intent of giving her own two little girls an idea of what it was like for her during those dangerous times, but wound up with a Newbery honor winner.
If your children want to about what life was like for the Jewish people during World War Two, this is a good book to begin. Give it a read yourself.  I think you'll enjoy it.

Artemis Fowl

For an excellent read for older boys and girls you might want to pick up the first book in a series about Artemis Fowl. The series is a sci fi fantasy story but quite different from ones your kids might see on Clone Wars. For starters it's a bit darker.
Artemis Fowl is an anti hero. Artemis prefers evil, but occasionally to his disgust finds that it is more profitable to do good.
In the first book we are introduced to two worlds. The world of humans and the world of fairies. Artemis, a human is the son of a crime lord. He should be in school, but he has written an excuse to get himself out of it because his father is missing. His mother has had a nervous breakdown, leaving Artemis to cope on his own with his family's problems. Artemis is a genius who is always exploring the Unknown. Soon his experiments convince him of the existence of fairies. Artemis hatches a plan to steal their holy book, "The Book of the People" in order to hold it for ransom.
Captain Holly Short, an elf, is given the assignment of getting the book back. With the help of a criminal dwarf named Mulch Diggums, she enters the Fowl house but is unable to outsmart Artemis. Between his security systems and his security guard Butler, Holly is forced to a stalemate. But when Butler is almost killed Holly steps in to cure him, earning both Artemis' gratitude and more importantly, the sacred book.
My daughter Sarah introduced me to this book a long time ago, when she was in high school. As I said it is a book for older children, probably around 10 an up but there is no reason at all why adults can't enjoy this story too. Particularly if they happen to be science fiction or fantasy fans. The story splinters at some points, only to intersect at others. This might make reading difficult because you have so many characters and situations to go through. But as you go along in the story you will find things begin to meld and make sense. The main characters are so thoroughly well written that it is easy to follow the who's whos once you get into the book.
 Artemis is a character we love to hate. Reading about him is fun, because like all really good bad guys we secretly want to be like him. Most kids have daydreamed about being either a hero or  the evil genius. Artemis makes evil genius look cool. In some of the other books, he tones down the evil a little bit, but there is still enough there that we can still enjoy seeing him get his comeuppance from the resourceful Holly.
Holly is an excellent role model for young girls. Brash, confident, the first female elf police officer, she is always determined to put her best foot forward and show the world that she won't knuckle under.  Helped by her superior,  Commander Julius Root and Foaly, the police force's technical adviser, Holly is able to do things that young female elves aren't supposed to do. Even better Holly makes it look easy.
This month the 8th Artemis Fowl book makes its debut. Each of the stories has been an exciting read. If your children enjoy science fiction, if they love fantasy or if they have plans to take over the world, the the Artemis Fowl series is one they should enjoy. Pick a copy up for yourself and see why.

Comic books

I know all of you who read this blog are saying to yourselves, "Comic books?? Really???"
Well why the heck not? 
I know reading purists will want to eviscerate me, but I think reading comic books is a great way to get a non reader into reading or for a regular reader to relax and enjoy a quick read.
Reading comics isn't confined to kids. I have a great friend, a retired Air Force officer,intelligent, articulate and well read, who spends quite a bit of money each months on his comics.
There is a comic book store near my home,  Wades Comic Madness. Every time I go into it the adults outnumber the kids 4 to 1.
Like regular books, comics are made from little children all the way up to adults. There is Mickey Mouse with Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. There is Phineas and Ferb, Mega man, Sponge Bob. Just about any cartoon character has a comic book written for it.
I loved reading comic books when I was a kid. My mom would occasionally take heat for letting us read them, but she never cared so long as we were reading.
When I was a sick, my dad never failed to bring me Pine Brothers soft cough drops in honey flavor, and a bunch of comics. Mostly Archies, mixed in with Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich.
Back then the thin comic books were ten cents apiece an the fat ones were a quarter. For the royal price of a dollar I could have a whole afternoon of enjoyment.
Comic books as we know them have been a part of our lives since 1933. In 1938 we met Superman and suddenly the comic industry took off. Nowadays there are conventions where big name movie stars and old time science fiction characters meet up with the comic book artists who bring them to life. People love attending these conventions, some are lucky enough to get autographs!
Comic books are one of those things that every kid should enjoy. They are fun to read, and in the end, how do we coax our kids to read if we don't teach them it's fun?  Take the kids out to a comic book shop today. I promise  you'll have fun too.