Island of Stars, by Carrie Brownell

Well, it finally happened! I wrote my (first) book. Island of Stars was released this past August and it is in keeping with all of the books I've ever indicated that I loved reading: Nesbit, Lewis, Ransom, Stewart, etc. 

It is historical fiction / fantasy and rather on the lengthy side, coming in at 400-ish pages. (It contains very short chapters to help out younger readers though!) I intentionally wrote a longer story because I, myself, love a good piece of Middle Grade Fiction and I wrote what I would want to read. It's longer than Anne of Green Gables, but shorter than my beloved Mysterious Benedict Society. Somewhere right in the middle.

You can find the book on Amazon or you can purchase it directly from the publisher, Bookmonkey Press. It is available on eBook (through Amazon) and also on audiobook (via Amazon, Libri, Spotify, and at Barnes & Noble!)

You can catch a few reviews of it on Goodreads and I would be delighted if you were willing to help spread the word.

 

A Place to Hang the Moon, by Kate Albus

 

A Place to Hang the Moon is Kate Albus's debut album and worth every bit of your reading time. It won't last long enough for you -- that's how good it is. I had this book recommended to me by a trusted #Bookstagram friend (@bookworm_baggins) and she did not steer me wrong. I trust I'll not steer you wrong either.

This book is set in England during the early stages of World War II as children were just being sent to billets outside of London. Siblings William, Edmund and Anna find themselves in an usual situation in that their grandmother has just passed away and there are no other relatives for them to be sent to live with. It's not exactly the most stable situation in England, so what will their solicitor choose to do with them? Dare they use the systems in place to evacuate children in order to find them a forever family? Certainly it's a bit of a different approach, but will it work? That's what we find out in A Place to Hang the Moon.

Kate Albus's writing style is clever and calm. Although this is obviously a high tense situation that the children find themselves in, it has a Narnia flavor about it. The kids are capable of seeing the adventure and understanding what is at stake for them. Yes, they meet with challenges but you are confident of their ability to overcome. The characters are believable and appealing enough to wish you could know them in real life. There isn't anything I disliked about this story.

I was delighted at the conclusion of the read to discover in the Acknowledgements that Albus herself is a fan of Narnia (hence Edmund) further cementing the friendship I feel towards her. You all know of my long fascination with both Narnia and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Put this piece of Middle Grade fiction high up on my list of Top Books Carrie Recommends. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like it. If someone said that they weren't a fan, assume the fault is theirs and not the book's. Albus has done beautifully and I will look forward to reading anything else she writes in the future.  

Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles

 

Look at me go! Two posts in one week. What on earth? I may not write as often as I used to, but I would like to make note of particular books that stood out to me that I've read and think others would be curious to know more about.

I know I've said this before (and I will totally say it again because it was A Very Impacting Thing) but I was once told that I liked books that were rather on the childish side and weren't as worthy of my reading time as I might believe. I disagreed then and I disagree even more heartily now. I'm really glad that when my kids were little I read as many Middle Grade fiction books as I did. Not only did I enjoy them but I poured a lot of time and energy into previewing books and building up a Legacy Library for my family. My kids are now teens and pre-teens. When they come to me and tell me that they finished one read and are looking for another, we can just take a quick little jaunt over to our home library shelves and find another. I've already read (most of) them and have a good idea what is there and am not scrambling for information.

Also, let's be real. I like Middle Grade fiction best and I now happily and very boldly embrace that fact. Don't let anyone tell you that the genre you like to read isn't worth your time. (Unless it's the Twilight Series or 50 Shades and then we need to have a serious sit down.)

I like Middle Grade Fiction but I don't care for much of what is being published these days. Picking up titles published anytime after the year 2010, I feel, is moderately risky business for the more conservative reader. I haven't spent a lot of time previewing new releases in recent years. That explained, I was out thrifting and I came across this title Each Little Bird That Sings, by Deborah Wiles for about the fifteenth time and took that as a sign that I should buy it and check it out (which I proceeded to do). 

The other afternoon I was looking for a quick read so I snatched this one off the shelf and it occupied the next hour and a half of my life. I'm not remotely sorry about it. Now, if you should pick up Every Little Bird That Sings on my recommendation know that you will open it, begin reading, and if you know me at all, you'll begin to wonder what I saw in it. Before you get antsy, hear me out.

This title opens up in the usual modern (2010+) way. The writing style begins as something I consider cheap, flippant, and too "grabby" in an effort to capture the reader's immediate attention. Authors these days have a way of dumbing down their words, appealing to a more base sense of humor which hardly requires anything from the reader. Another way to say that is that the writing style is unrefined. If you yourself also dislike modern novels, you perhaps know what I'm talking about. I almost didn't make it past the third chapter of this read but I decided to give the book a go mostly because I didn't feel like moving off the couch to find another book. What luck my laziness has brought me! In the end, while I didn't find this book to have a brilliance about it, I did find it to be very curious in that the entire subject of this book is death. 

Our protagonist is ten-year-old Comfort Snow who lives with her family at the local gravesite in the local funeral home. Everything in their life revolves around the topic of death. As the story begins we learn how how death is a very normal part of life for Comfort's family. Dead bodies are simply there, but they are not creepy. Comfort is nonplussed over this fact of life until her own elderly relatives die and their family is forced to say goodbye to those they personally love.

Wiles deals with this topic adroitly, using a ten year old to describe how children feel about death and how resilient they can actually be when it comes to this topic. Death is not, by any means, fun. Personally, we've had enough rounds of dealing with death in our family that I'd just as soon not talk about. I don't like death. It hurts. It is a reality of life and also a tender topic. That's what compelled me to go on reading this book. While Wiles' writing style is verging on flippant at the start, she settles down into her story and discusses the topic in a way that young readers can easily understand. Death does hurt. And yet it is a part of each and every beautiful life and nothing that we should ignore or shut out of our conversation and reflection. The story is so heavily focused on death that I found this book to be an interesting tool which others might wish to know about. You might read or discuss with your own kids. It is also a title I feel pretty confident that you would want to understand before you just blindly handed it over to a child to read on their own. Hence my little PSA here. 

Topics to be aware of:

• Death in general
• Death of elderly relatives
• Death of friendship
• Death of pets

Each Little Bird That Sings didn't turn out to be the light and fluffy read I was expecting. Nor was it flippant. For introducing the topic, or possibly talking through it with your kids, I found it balanced. I do plan to keep a copy on our bookshelves. I think our kids will find it a little on the strange side but it's interesting and compelling as well. I've never read anything quite like it and felt it was worth a mention for you to take with and do what you will.

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, by Laura Geringer & William Joyce

I heard about Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King on #Bookstagram. (It's Instagram, but its all about books!) The cover art was beautiful (in my opinion) and the story line intriguing. This is the first book in a series which re-imagines imaginary characters in roles of guardians of children everywhere (and, I suppose, all the rest of humanity along with them). This first title in the series introduces us to Nicoholas St. North, former outlaw but destined to be known as Santa Claus. Nicholas has come to save the day. He is the first of the Guardians, the rest of which I gather are the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, etc.  Together these characters face and will, I presume, slay the mortal enemy of children, a nightmarish creature called Pitch.

As an idea for a book, I found Nicholas St. North intriguing. As a read, I found it ridiculous. Oh, it has promise! It has great potential! It could be completely awesome and I would have enjoyed it if Geringer and Joyce were writing it as a story involving a detailed plot with twists, turns and climax! Alas, I fear they were writing a screen play. (And I bet they were. See here.) Reading this book felt like I was watching what someone wanted to be a movie. This is a pet peeve of mine in a book. A big pet peeve. I can't stand it when an author is clearly writing with the idea of having the book turned into a film. You can always tell when that happens because descriptions are brief but forceful, (I don't know how else to describe it), leave very little to the imagination, and write as if in jest. There's nothing serious about such a story to grasp hold of because anything you might want to guess a little about, or have slowly explained, is just there for you to take in in approximately the same amount of time you'd spend at the theater. I hate these kinds of books for their impudence.

I would like it if someone came along and wanted to give this story another go, anticipating only that readers might love it. No expectation for grandeur in the form of plastic action figures!  I would appreciate being told a story strictly for story sake. I wanted to like this book but I really just did not. Nor do I find myself in a position to recommend it. There's a movie version if you want to see it and it might be better than the books because a.) ultimately it will take up less of your time and b.) that's that the writers were going for in the first place. Cut to the chase. Skip the book.

***

You can find me on Instagram @1000lives_and_severalcupsoftea

What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge (The Katy Chronicles)

Have you all heard of #Bookstagram? It's Instagram, sure, but all about books, so it's awesome. A friend of mine introduced me to the Bookstagram community earlier this year and it has been a joy and a delight. (If you want to find me on Instagram, look for me at @1000lives_and_severalcupsoftea.) Bookstagram has opened up a whole new world of reading possibilities to me, mostly through beautiful pictures of beautiful books!

A few months ago several Bookstagramers posted their pictures of the The Katy Carr trilogy of books by Susan Coolidge. Specifically, they featured the editions published by Virago Modern Classics. I had never read the Katy books before but these editions looked so attractive to me that I felt compelled to read them. I picked up my own copies on Amazon and dove into them recently.

The first book in the series, What Katy Did, was first published in 1872 by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey who wrote under her pen name, Susan Coolidge. The character of Katy and her siblings are all based on Woolsey's family growing up. The story is set in Ohio in the mid 1860's and is a charming tale of small town America. Katy's father is a busy doctor and her mother passed away so the family is cared for by her father's sister, Izzy. When the book opens we find a mischievous young Katy who is full of life and vivacity. Aunt Izzy has her hands full trying to keep up with all of the shenanigans of her young nieces and nephews, particularly Katy!

Admittedly, this book got off to a slow start for me. The introduction to the family and characters was not exactly riveting. However, by the middle of the book it was clear that Coolidge was setting the stage for what was to come. Katy, like many young children, believes herself to be far wiser than her elders. In her prideful condition, she ends up disobeying a directive of her aunt which in turn leads to a significant injury to herself. The second half of the book really took flight as Katy learns patience, respect, and love for others while taking lessons in "the School of Pain." The great message of this book is that pain in life is God's tool to mold and make us more like Him. Told in a very gentle manner, Coolidge uses this story to inspire her readers to endure hardship, knowing that each struggle and trial we encounter in life serves a higher purpose. Even if we can't quite see or understand the importance or significance of our trials in the moment, we must trust and believe that God is good and has good things in mind for us. Pain certainly isn't easy and it isn't any fun; gratefully Coolidge doesn't pretend otherwise. Instead she shows how Katy grows and matures through the hard times which is exactly what happens to people when they put their faith in Christ.

Readers of the Katy books will quickly realize that Coolidge enjoys writing poetry. She wrote a piece on pain which is included in the story. I noted these few lines, in particular:

There are two Teachers in the school,
One has a gentle voice and low,
And smiles upon her scholars, as
She softly passes to and fro.
Her name is Love; tis very plain
She shuns the sharper teacher, Pain.
Or so I sometimes think; and then,
At other times, they meet and kiss,
And look so strangely like, that I
Am puzzled to tell how it is,
Or whence the change which makes it vain
To guess if it be Love or Pain.
~ Susan Coolidge

When in the midst of pain it's hard to appreciate it as being a lesson designed to better one's self. It is easy when in pain to feel angry and confused. I loved how Coolidge handled the subject in this "simple" story which kindly encourages the reader to stay grounded in their faith, to be patient, and to trust that there is a good, good plan at work. I think everyone needs this reminder in their lives from time to time. I certainly do. It's tempting to crumple up when one is being wounded in some way but it's a beautiful thing to bear the pain quietly, submitting to it as a great teacher. That's a hard challenge but a brilliant one.

I simply loved What Katy Did so much that I immediately picked up What Katy Did at School because I wanted to find out what happened to Katy next!

Katy has recovered from her injury in this second story and her father has been persuaded that Katy and her younger sister, Clover, would do well to attend a girl's boarding school. Off the two sisters go on a new adventure to a fairly strictly run boarding school on the East Coast. While at school they make many friends and endure new challenges. Much of the book is playful and enjoyable but there is a main point and lesson to be learned in this sequel as well as in the first story of Katy. In the middle of the girls' school year, Katy and her sister are unjustly accused of doing something which they had not done. Their attempts at being believed are snubbed and they are ultimately thought the worse of by those in authority over them. The girls must grapple with how to handle this and they do so in a manner that modern day audiences would do well to learn. They take their unjust punishment quietly and peacefully and submit to it in so much as they can and then they determine to live it down. "Live it down!" becomes something of a battle cry to Katy as she determines to respond and act to these accusations in a right way. She doesn't accept the judgment but she has to live with it. Anyone who has ever been unjustly accused of something can appreciate this read. The way that Coolidge inspires and instructs her readers is, again, something quite brilliant! This book flew by for me and I read it in two sittings.

Yet again, I loved the story so much that I jumped straight into What Katy Did Next. I felt like I was cheating by jumping straight into this one. While What Katy Did was published in 1872, What Katy Did Next wasn't published until 1886. Coolidge mentions in the beginning of the story that this particular book was written in response to the request of Katy's many fans who begged to know what happened to Katy after she finished school. If What Katy Did Next was meant to appease, it certainly did so for me and I loved it every bit as much as I enjoyed the first.

I didn't find that What Katy Did Next had any particular moral standard or lesson to pass along. A friend mentioned to me that she thought this title dragged a bit. For my part, I enjoyed it because Katy spends the book traveling. She kicks off her European tour in England with talks of Scotland and since I've been to both places I was thrilled to visit them again with Katy as my companion. Clearly Coolidge had visited Europe before writing this book and I think she described things accurate and well. By the sounds of things, I'm not so sure she enjoyed England as much as she could have though; I think I enjoyed it more. (Ha!) This last title in the series was definitely written to appease the curiosity of readers of Katy. It scratched an itch and I appreciated it.

I did mark one passage, in particular, as standing out to me:

In my observation, grief can look like different things to different people and it would really behoove the lot of us humans if we'd come to recognize this. For some people, grief is a slow process of coming to grips. For others, they grapple with change more quickly and then pick up and move along. Pain and grief are tricky things and I don't think people use enough caution when encountering either. I'm not saying that there is a perfect way to approach someone who is suffering because there isn't. Sometimes you just have to be willing to try, fail, and/or compromise to stick together in the midst of hardship. That can be a scary thing! The comfort in the trying and the failing and the compromising is in knowing that God is perfect and able to perfectly meet each grief and bear it. We fail where He continually succeeds. There is grace in that belief - grace for each of us as we process life alongside one another in community.

To summarize my thoughts here, I'd say that if you haven't yet read the Katy books, I heartily recommend them. I'm not entirely sure how I missed them growing up, but I'm glad to have rectified the situation. I'll be pleased to introduce Katy to my daughters earlier on in their young lives so that they can enjoy knowing her longer.

The Adventures of Hamish and Mirren, by Moira Miller

One of this blog's readers picked up on the fact that our family recently took a little vacation. For the past few years we've been blessed to make a trip out of the country. Last year we visited Prince Edward Island and this fall we went on holiday to Scotland. As always, before we travel I like to scrounge for books about the country we plan to visit and read up on it. I'm always looking for picture and chapter books to share with our kids and one of the ones I found this year was The Adventures of Hamish and Mirren: Magical Scottish Stories for Children, by Moira Miller. Whether or not you or your family is traveling to Scotland in actuality or not, I recommend this read. At the very least, you can transport yourself there via imagination!

The book opens with Hamish residing with his "old mother" on a farm by a loch on the west coast of Scotland. A Big Wind comes along and destroys Hamish's hay stacks and he heads off to chase it. His journeys take him to the home of Mirren and her father and sisters. The two fall in love and marry, after which he brings her back to live with his mother on the farm. The remainder of the book talks about their various adventures on the farm with an old and troublesome witch, some mischief loving wee folk, some noble seal people, and Hamish and Mirren's own growing family. It is a delicious book of magic and hilarity and it delighted us thoroughly.

This is a chapter book with easy-to-breeze-through chapters. Amazon.com ear-marks this book as being best suited for readers for grades 1-2 which is silly. This book is tremendous fun for a person at any age and I wouldn't get stuck on their labeling system. We read through a handful of Scottish fairy tale chapter books in preparation for travels and this one was our absolute favorite. It is good, clean innocent fun; it is not remotely dark or scary. This book was published by a Scottish book publisher called Kelpies which is worth looking into as they have a slew of titles worth checking out!  The Adventures of Hamish and Mirren makes for a terrific read-aloud and bonus points to anyone who can read it with a Scottish accent. (I stumbled and fell but it was still great fun to try in the privacy of my own home.)

In conclusion I'll share a few random pictures that we took on our visit to the Isle of Skye which lies off the coast of the mainland. We stayed a week in a thatched cottage next to the Fairy Glen.  (Yes, it was just as magical as it sounds.) The beauty of Fairy Glen defied imagination and the photos do not remotely do the place justice. It was my favorite spot in all of Scotland and I bet you can guess why when you see these images.

Again, whether or not you ever manage a trip to Scotland, you can escape there with the help of Hamish and Mirren and we highly recommend that you do! This book is sure to engage the reader and provide a lovely time.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is my first Kelly Barnhill book and is guaranteed not to be my last. From the very beginning of this book to the very end I was completely captivated by the story.

Open the pages of The Girl Who Drank the Moon and dive into a fantasy and adventure story which is both unique in nature and also remarkably well-crafted. Barnhill is a beautiful writer of prose and I enjoyed the sentences which made up beautiful paragraphs and chapters and book. The story begins with the explanation that every year the people of the Protectorate leave the newest born baby from their village in the forest as an offering to "the witch." No one has ever seen the witch but they are well-familiar with her and the overhanging threat that she will do Something Awful if they do not sacrifice one of their young to her on an annual basis. At the very beginning of the tale, we are introduced to a woman being forced to give up her baby girl and who succumbs to sorrow and madness as a result. She is locked away in a tower in the local abbey where the sisters see to her care. Or do they?

In the forest lives a witch who never asked to become one. Her name is Xan and it is she who takes the babies which the Protectorate leaves in the forest. However, all is not what it might seem. Xan takes the babies without understanding why they have been left and she delivers them to loving homes in a village on the other side of the forest. However, one day she collects a baby girl who captures her heart. Xan names the baby Luna and accidentally feeds her with moonlight. In so doing, Luna herself is enmagicked with a magic so powerful that Xan is forced to hide Luna's magic from her until her thirteenth birthday. Xan hopes that in time and with age Luna will learn to better control her magic and use it responsibly. The Girl Who Drank the Moon follows Luna, Xan, the woman in the tower, and also a young father from the Protectorate who offers hope to a village shattered by sorrow at having lost so many babies to the unknown witch.

Kelly Barnhill has woven together a beautiful tale of magic. Her imagination seems to know no bounds. The reader is left to marvel at and enjoy this story of tragedy and hope. The best way I know to describe it is to say that it reads like ancient lore and legend. There's a timeless feel to it that makes you to think that you've heard this story somewhere before, although perhaps not quite in the same way. There's a uniqueness to the tale which is immensely satisfying as a reader. It's always a pleasure to be told a new story in a way that is not entirely predictable if for no other reason that the story is so well-told that the reader/listener is patient enough for things to unfold as they are meant to all in good time. Barnhill is a reader's dream and no, I don't feel like I'm being overly dramatic in saying so. However, I want to be cautious that I don't puff the story up so much that when you finally get around to reading it you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Not that you'll want to wait a long time to get to this, because it's so fun and fanciful that you'll probably want to rush right off and grab a copy. If you enjoy it half as much as I did, that'll be plenty.

In terms of worldview, I would say that more conservative readers will not like The Girl Who Drank the Moon if they are skittish about magic and witches. However, this new title has nothing over Harry Potter or Narnia or Lord of the Rings. While there is no real distinction made between what is "white magic" versus what is "black magic", there is a clear distinction between good and evil. The right side wins, leaving no ambiguity or requesting of the reader to be sympathetic towards those in the wrong. It's a clear cut story full of delicious magic and imagination of the best sort.

This book is classified as Middle Grade Fiction which I think is entirely appropriate. I plan on handing it over to my ten-year-old to read next and I fully anticipate that he will enjoy it. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a book I am happy to keep on our home bookshelves to be enjoyed by all when they are ready for it. I can imagine myself enjoying it again at some future date.

Many thanks to Kelly Barnhill for writing this story and to Algonquin Young Readers for publishing it. I was sent a copy for review purposes. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my very own.

The Year of Miss Agnes, by Kirkpatrick Hill

I picked up a copy of The Year of Miss Agnes on a whim. I was visiting a friend in Northern Idaho and we went to her hometown bookstore (which is, in my opinion, the best bookstore in the entire country). The owner of the bookshop, while not very talkative or friendly, clearly was a reader and the shelves were filled with books I'd either read myself or knew to be quite excellent. (See? We had similar tastes. Clearly it was the best bookstore in the country! You doubt!?) I hadn't ever heard of The Year of Miss Agnes before but the selection of books upon his shelves recommended this tile to me. It was a safe bet that I was going to like it and like it I did!

The Year of Miss Agnes is a short and simple story told from the perspective of ten year old Frederika (Fred). The story opens with Fred explaining how many teachers have come and gone from their village's one room schoolhouse out in the Alaskan wilderness. Recently the village lost another teacher who couldn't hack the conditions of the community. A new teacher by the name of  Miss Agnes was being flown in to try her hand at teaching in the area, and Fred is wondering just how long she'll last. Expectations in the village are low but Miss Agnes seems to rise to the challenge. As it turns out, Miss Agnes isn't like any of the other women who have come to teach. Hailing from England, she doesn't seem at all put off by the environment but chooses instead to focus on the adventure of it all, desiring nothing more than to foster a love of learning in her pupils.

This is a sweet story and, at 113 pages, a fast read for an adult. I read it first and then handed it over to Bookworm1 (age 10) who also polished it off in short order. It's easy to breeze through and enjoy this book. The Year of Miss Agnes is a story about a passion for learning but even more so, about the powerful influence that a teacher can have on the life of their students.

I loved this one and am happy to recommend it to others. If you find a copy, pick it up! I sure am glad that I did.

The Secret Keepers, by Trenton Lee Stewart

I made a wish and it came true.

Trenton Lee Stewart finally graced the reading public with a new title, The Secret Keepers.

I heard about this title a few months back and pre-ordered my copy on Amazon because you do know I love The Mysterious Benedict Society (linked to my ravings), right? It's quite simply the best middle grade fiction series in modern history. It really is. My hopes were astoundingly high that I would love The Secret Keepers just as well. Now, I am aware that that sort of a attitude is quite a dangerous one to have towards a book, but I'm relieved happy to say that all of my expectations were met. Any fan of The Mysterious Benedict Society is highly likely to be well-pleased with this latest title.

The Secret Keepers is a standalone novel about a young boy named Reuben who lives with his hard-working, single mom. Reuben is largely left to himself due to the fact that his mom is working two jobs to try to keep them afloat. (His father died when he was young.) One day Reuben comes across a rather extraordinary antique watch which has a mysterious ability to turn people invisible. This watch is highly prized and, as Reuben discovers, highly sought after. He first believes that the watch might provide a little extra cash for he and his mom but quickly discovers that this watch is not some magic trinket good for a month or two of rent. Danger lurks everywhere and Reuben finds himself on an adventure that he didn't quite bargain for.

This story is your basic good vs. evil type of story. There are good guys and bad guys and some you have to spend some time with before you figure out whose side they are really on. Reuben is the main protagonist but along the way he picks up a few friends who prove that their friendship and assistance is absolutely crucial to his well-being.

The chief question that I think the book asks is if you would choose to be courageous even if and/or when you are scared. What will fear drive you to do? I love this question! I love it because, of course, we all face things that terrify us in our lives. The idea though is not to run away from our fears, but to face them. Courage, as "they" are want to say, is not the absence of fear but doing the right thing regardless. This message being wrapped up into a Stewart-esque story just makes it all the more engaging and enjoyable from my perspective.

One of the reasons why I love Trenton Lee Stewart's writings so much is that he isn't out to make a point with his stories; rather, he is out to tell a good story. He is so focused on telling an intricate tale that draws the reader in and captures their imagination, that truth and beauty naturally flow from his storytelling mouth. To put this another way: Stewart is about the business of telling a story, and along the way he occasionally raises an interesting question for the reader to think about. In comparison, most other modern authors are so interested in making a point that the story begins to takes a backseat. The point that they wish to make becomes the whole issue of the book to the detriment of story, a fact I find distracting. I love that Stewart cares more about developing as a writer and crafting a good tale than bludgeoning his reader to death with a personal agenda. Of course Stewart has a worldview; everybody does. But it's not obvious and on its face like much of what you see published today.

There wasn't a single character that I did not grow to love in this book. I'm halfway afraid to confess that because it sounds like I was set-up to love this book from the words, "Written by . . . " and there is some truth to that! I was going to love it. I would have been some level of devastated if I didn't. I love his characters though because they slowly unfold. Stewart isn't in a rush to tell you this story. He takes 501 sweet pages to allow you get to know the people, their motivations, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams. I knew from The Mysterious Benedict Society to expect surprises all the way to the end of the book and, although there are no shocking revelations at the end of The Secret Keepers, there is plenty of guesswork to keep the reader interested in what is happening.

There's no point to you reading anything else I have to say about The Secret Keepers. I can be easily summarized into the following three sentences:

"Drop everything. Buy this book. Read it."
Thank you, Mr. Stewart, for giving me (personally - heh) another book to love. I know this title just came out but I'm hereby putting you on notice that I'm waiting for your next work. It can be a series if you want. Or, really, whatever you feel like.

Tick, tock!

*****
I'm a little unclear as to whether I should mention this or not but the copy I read was sent to me by L-B Kids Publishing for review purposes. I wasn't expecting it to come. As I mentioned at the beginning of my review, I pre-ordered my copy off Amazon. However, I did read the first solid book that showed up and that was the one from L-B Kids. I received no additional compensation. (In fact, I wasn't expecting the book at all!) All opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own. I mean, if you doubted . . .

Middle Grade Fiction (That I'll Take a Pass On)

Alright, I know the title of this post is harsh and I'm sorry. Harsh, I know, has a tendency to hurt people's feelings and I don't really care to do that unnecessarily. Books can be very personal things that we identify with closely and I've discovered a fair number of people who really take it to heart when you say that you do not care for a particular book that they themselves love. Such may prove to be the case with the following two titles but, ultimately I have to confess that I just didn't care for them, for various reasons.

I've mentioned that this year I'm involved in a little project which requires that I spent a lot of time reading Middle Grade fiction released in 2016. This should help to explain the increase of this genre being featured around these parts. Bear with! Both of following titles are due to be released here shortly and I received both for review purposes.

In the case of The Bicycle Spy, I have to say that I really wanted to love it. Written by Yona Zeldis McDonough, this book is set in France during World War II. It tells the story of young Marcel who dreams of one day riding in the Tour de France. At the time the book opens though, we meet him making deliveries of bread from his parent's bakery on his bicycle. It doesn't take too long for him to become suspicous as to why his parents are having him deliver so much bread and he rather quickly discovers that his parents are part of the French Resistance. Quicker still, he confesses to his parents that he knows what they are up to and he becomes involved in their plans and movements.

I like what McDonough is trying to do this book. She is hoping to share with her young readers a brief history of World War II and what life looked like in a French household during the German occupation. This is all well and good, but as an adult reader I found the tale less than convincing. Her writing style just flat out didn't appeal to me. The only way I know to describe it is to say that it was "simple", lacking artistry. I found Marcel's activities unbelievable and his internal thought processes too mature for the age of his character. He just didn't work for me and so I found the majority of the story a bit eye-rolling, I am sorry to say.

Again, I love the idea for the story but it felt too stilted somehow and lacking in depth.

I know it seems rude to say thank you to Scholastic Books for sending a copy of The Bicycle Spy my direction but I am grateful for the opportunity to read it, even if I didn't particularly care for. I wish to assure the general public that I received no additional compensation for this review and that all of my opinions are 100% my very own.

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Secondly, I was sent a copy of The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White. Let me say that I find the cover art incredibly attractive and the title quite intriguing. I was very excited to launch into this one . . . and was very quickly disappointed by it.

This book tells the story of young Anne, an orphan who lives under a cruel and terrible guardian at a home for "Perpetually Wicked and Hideously Unattractive Children." The day before her thirteenth birthday she is rescued from her life situation and accepted into a school by a Wizard counsel. (Wait. Wait. Where have I heard this idea before?) I got about 100 pages into the story before I couldn't take it anymore, whereupon I skimmed a few chapters in the middle and read the final two to discover this is the first story in a series of books. This bit of info should strike fear into your very hearts and minds.

Unlike other authors who have written about orphans and wizards, White doesn't appeal to the best in his reader. I felt very much as if he assumed I couldn't (or wouldn't?) track with his storyline unless he provided a laugh a minute. If I wanted to be super fair to him, I'd say our senses of humor simply do not jive and so we just could not connect. White is a bit over the top for my tastes and, in my (ever) humble opinion he dumbs down his verbiage and tries to be too clever by being overly flippant which I found unbearable annoying. The best way I know how to describe his writing style is to quote him:

"Sorry I dragged you into all of this," said Anne suddenly, "I thought we were heading off to a wonderful adventure, not getting dropped into the middle of a horrible one."
"Are you kidding me?" said Penelope. "This is the best thing that's ever happened to us. I mean, yeah, okay, so whacking my head on the drawbridge hurt a lot, and the zombie sharks and the iron knights were all kinds of terrifying, and I was unconscious for part of the time, and research is boring and makes me sleepy, and I thought we were finished for sure when those suits of armor attacked us and then that rope bridge broke. And of course, the thought of falling off these steps in our sleep is scary beyond belief, and who knows what we're going to find at the top of this tower, and sure, if we fail miserably, we'll spend our formative years stuck in a dungeon somewhere. But, you know, other than that, I'm having the time of my life."

Maybe someone else out there would revel in passages like this (on every page) but I couldn't. I was in all out forehead smacking territory by the time I read about the cat named Her Royal Highness Princess Fluffington Whiskers of the Mousetrapper Clan.

I'm going to take a pass on this one for sure and you won't find a recommendation for it in me. If you think you can stomach it though, be my guest!

This is a horrible point in the review process to say "thanks" to L-B Kids for sending a copy my direction. I'm sure this wasn't the type of review that they were hoping for. Everyone should rest at ease in knowing that I did not receive any additional compensation for writing this and the opinions expressed are 250% my very own. I invite you to second and third opinions! In the words of LaVar Burton, "You don't have to take my word for it!"

And that, as they say, is that.

Boy, this is a Monday post if ever there were one, isn't it? Sorry.

Moving on then . . . 

Paper Wishes, by Lois Sepahban

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban is a beautiful treasure of a story. Set in World War II, it tells the story of ten-year-old Manami and her Japanese American family. Manami and her family live on Bainbridge Island off the coast of Washington state until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. As the armchair historians among you will recall, after Pearl Harbor Americans were suspicious of Japanese (and Asians in general). To preserve a sense of safety, the government allowed for the removal of Japanese American families to internment camps for the duration of the war. Such is the case with Manami's family in this piece of historical middle grade fiction.

Paper Wishes begins after the attack on Pearl Harbor has taken place and tracks life with fictional families for the following year of upheaval and change as they are moved from the island to the Mojave Desert in California. Sepahban describes this experience to her readers chiefly through the characters of Manami, her parents, and her grandfather. Manami also has a brother and sister who are both away attending college in the Midwest. Through this family, the reader comes to understand how the internment camps effected entire family units and individual lives through use of creative story telling.

Manami's family was given six days' notice before they were to be transported to the camp. They weren't told where they were being sent, they were only told that they could bring one suitcase each. Manami's mother packs and repacks their suitcases, deciding which clothes to take, which family heirlooms are important to hold onto, and has to think about what dishes they need to bring along to use for meals. Manami and her grandfather both share a special love for the family dog which they are required to say goodbye to, for dogs were not initially allowed into the camps. Leaving her dog Yujiin behind ends up causing Manami the most emotional distress, ultimately leading to such grief that she finds herself unable to speak. People in the camp understand her grief and it is generally understood that she cannot talk due to the stress and the pain of relocation and loss of home and normality. We understand Manami's thought processes, but her voice is removed from the story as it progresses.

Through Sepahban's characters the readers come to understand how schooling was arranged for the children in the camps, how gardens were attempted, what jobs people might have taken on, and generally how life was lived in this bizarre captivity. Paper Wishes is a brilliant introduction to this period in American history. Although the treatment of the Japanese Americans can clearly be deduced as being unjust and unfair, Sepahban is not here to present a political argument. She tells her story with grace and humility, wanting us to understand and love the characters for their own sake. This, I found, was easy to do. I appreciated her straight forward manner of story telling which allows the readers to draw their own conclusions, avoiding any forced ideas or political arguments. The story speaks for itself, exactly as it should.

Paper Wishes is a quick read for adults (it took me all of an hour and a half to consume). It should make for easy reading for burgeoning readers. I borrowed a copy from the library but I'll be purchasing my own to have in our home library. It's worth owning.

If you are looking for a way to introduce your children to the plight of Japanese Americans during the war, I doubt you'll find a better story with which to do so. Beautifully told, this book is a memorable winner of a tale.

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, by Jonathan Auxier

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard is the second in an apparent series of Peter Nimble books by author Jonathan Auxier. If you haven't read the first one (I had not) there's no need to fret. Although Peter Nimble features heavily in this tale, Sophie is the main character and Peter is more of a sidekick. Auxier weaves Peter's story into Sophie's, providing just enough background to make you want to run out and purchase the first title but not so much that you feel lost by this present tale.

I checked out a copy of Sophie Quire from the library and enjoyed it thoroughly precisely because of that. My regular readers are likely familiar with my general discomfort when it comes to checking out books from the library. (Why, you ask? Fees! I can't ever seem to get a book back in time!) In fact, when I went to check out this title and some others, I discovered that my card had expired and there was a little matter of fines. (Sigh.) I used the receipt they gave me as a bookmark so as to better remember when my books are due back! That all explained and squared away, let's get back to my thoughts about this book, shall we? As I said, I liked it because it was a library book. If I were to have bought it, I think I would have been a bit disgruntled by some of the content and would have liked it less. Because it was read on loan, without any (really big) cost to myself, I could relax and enjoy it and that is exactly and precisely what I did.

Sophie Quire mends books in her father's bookshop in the town of Bustleburgh. Her mother died when she was but a baby and she lives alone with her father surrounded by what she loves best - books! In the town of Bustleburgh there lives a man named Prigg who desires nothing more than to rid the world of "nonsense" and who is slowly and methodically removing all signs of magic from the land. One of the things Prigg wishes to eradicate is books because books, as anyone can tell you, are magic and therefore "nonsense" and therefore dangerous. Enter: Peter Nimble. He delivers a book to Sophie for her safe keeping entitled The Book of Who. This is one of four magic books (Where, When, and Why being the others). The Book of Who is to be safeguarded by Sophie who is also charged with collecting the four volumes from their hidden locations and bringing them together again. As she discovers, these four book are more magical than most and her attempts to collect and protect involves a great deal of danger. It would appear that her own mother was murdered as a result of these books and one of Sophie's additional missions is to discover who committed the murder.

Sophie Quire and the last Storyguard is an adventure story extraordinaire. Auxier has a very engaging writing style which draws his reader into the tale. His sense of humor definitely appealed to me, as did his insights into the world of books, stories, and what makes us love them. This is an altogether fun and imaginative read.

I had only two qualms with the story which cannot go unmentioned. Both Sophie and Peter are both twelve years and there is a great emphasis placed on the idea that they have a crush on one another. Many of the other characters in the book tease them about being boyfriend and girlfriend and, while I totally understand that this is an age where crushes are becoming the norm, I'm not impressed with the focus all the same. I find the idea of twelve year olds having significant others completely absurd. There is plenty of time in life for such matters but I don't think we really need to kick such ideas into gear in children so young, so I would offer a caution as to this content to the parents who agree with me. (You might not agree with me and that's ok. I'm good with my opinion even if it isn't yours.)

Similarly, I have a concern with the character of Madame Eldritch who is a person of suspicious motives throughout the story. It is hard for the reader to tell if she is good or bad but in keeping with modern story telling, Auxier would seem to want us to deduce that bad conduct and bad character can have good intentions and therefore be good. Which, when you think that idea through for about one minute you're forced to come to the conclusion that that can't possibly be correct. Bad character and bad behavior display a person's heart motive and do not in any way express goodness. I will agree with Auxier that someone who "starts off" bad can become good but the becoming involves a great deal of character development with a healthy dose of repentance. Repentance is not a part of the equation with Eldritch so I have a hard time buying the fact that I'm to like her "badness" in order to successfully confuse it with "goodness." Good is not bad, it is good. Bad and good are mutually exclusive and in order to show signs of redemption you can't just have your character do something that you like for sympathetic reasons. Bad is bad because good is good. That's how it works. Sympathy is a bad reason to like bad things. Eldritch's character spends the entirety of the book thwarting the plans of Sophia only to have a slight turnabout at the end which I found utterly unconvincing. Add that to the fact that Eldritch also encourages risqué dress and manners for the express purpose of catching the attention of men, I found her a rather concerning and distasteful influence in my middle grade fiction.

As a result of the above two concerns, I won't be handing this title over to my own son who is the right age to be reading this. (This, assuming there is a "right age" to enjoy a piece of middle grade fiction which I don't believe there is.) As an adult, I enjoyed it thoroughly. He can make his own judgement call on this book later but for the present we're going to discourage romantic relationships and suggestions that seduction should be used for manipulation purposes. That being said, I think Auxier is a fun adult read and I fully intend to pick up the first Peter Nimble book to preview for Bookworm1. If that title is a little more free of innuendo and pre-teen romance then I'd love to hand it over to him.

In conclusion, at one point in the story Auxier is explaining the concept of a Royal Storyteller. Auxier writes:

"Should you ever be so lucky as to encounter an author in your life, you should shower her or him with gifts and praise."

From my review you might assume that I have more negative feelings about this book than positive ones but you would be wrong. I was royally entertained by a terrific storyteller and I offer this book up for the consideration of others who are free to make their own decisions with regards to the issues I've raised. These things which are issues for me might not be issues for you and that is totally fine. As an adult, I found this story extremely entertaining and wonderful. I'd feel remiss if I didn't list my concerns as I think honesty is the best policy, but this does not preclude anyone else (or their children) from full enjoyment of it.

Many, many thanks to Jonathan Auxier for the good time and also to my library for giving me another go. (Ha!)

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, by Janet Fox

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle, by Janet Fox, is honestly not a title I would have necessarily sought out for its own sake, except that it's part of a middle grade fiction project that I'm working on. This title was released in March of this year and has been reviewed fairly positively, both by fine folk at Goodreads and also reviewers on Amazon. I'm not normally one for ghost stories (and this most definitely is one) but I was in the mood for a mystery so I snatched this from the top of my middle grade fiction book stack and plunged right in.

Katherine Bateson is the twelve-year-old protagonist in this story which begins during the Blitz in 1940's London. Katherine and her younger siblings are being sent from the city to a castle/(manor?) in the Scottish moors which is purported to be a boarding school. The school is run by a Lady Eleanor who has no children of her own and who expressed to Kaherine's father her desire to care for the children during the duration of the war. The moment the Bateson children arrive in Scotland, Katherine realizes that something is not quite right with Lady Eleanor or the castle. She and the other children are aware of various oddities, including ghost sightings. This is a creepy tale about witches, monsters, Nazi spies, encrypted codes and soul-less children.

As I say, I'm not really one for ghost stories and wouldn't normally seek them out. I made sure I only read this book during daylight hours and I did fine with it. That said, I wouldn't dream of handing it over to my own kids. It's not too terribly disturbing for an adult, but I like to sleep at nights and would prefer not to give my children any nightmares which would potentially keep us all up. I also have to confess how hard it was to limit my reading of this title to daylight hours (most of my free reading time is at night when the kids are in bed) because I was curious enough about the story to want to find out how the story would end! There is something to be said for its spell-binding quality. Once you are engaged with the story, you rather wish to revel in it a bit and enjoy the ride (as able).

Ultimately my review isn't going to be sparking and positive. I am happy to say that clearly unique story lines still exist in this world and that Janet Fox was in possession of one. It's always nice to run across unique stories which have the potential to really stand out in a crowd. So many, many books are published these days that it feels dizzying and it's hard to know which ones are worth your quality reading time. I'd love to be able to say that The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle is worthy of your time but if I'm being terribly honest I have to recommend to you that it isn't. Which begs the question of how on earth I can simultaneously say that it's a spell binding tale and not worth your time in the same paragraph. I'll do my best to explain.

As far as a story line goes, it's imaginative, clever, and unique. This book had fantastic potential to be everything you'd want in a book in terms of intriguing and mystifying characters and a good spot of adventure. Sadly, it's not very well researched or written and as a result the reader is left holding the bag, so to speak, having to make decisions to ignore glaring historical errors and the author's "voice" changing between chapters in order to enjoy the read. I found it possible to put my own mind to work to explain away errors and chose to enjoy the idea of the story for story sake. Clearly I'm not the only one who managed to enjoy this title but I do have reservations that might not be as widely held which I'll explain in a moment.

On Goodreads I noted a couple of other readers who mentioned the fact that Fox didn't do enough research on the time period during which she placed her characters. This was obvious to me in the first chapter when - in 1940 - Kate's father tells her to, "Keep Calm and Carry On." This is a running refrain throughout the story which is so very unfortunate, rather embarrassingly so. (I truly do feel rather guilty for pointing this out.) Americans are kinda bad at knowing their history and I don't wish to call attention to it most times, especially when the mistake is so clearly an accident. However, it's important to note that the Keep Calm and Carry On sign that we know (and love to varying degrees) was not actually used during World War II. Oh yes, it was printed to be used but was never placed in circulation. An original poster Keep Calm sign was discovered almost 60 years after the war and was displayed at Barter Books in Alnwick. People began to notice of it at the bookstore and the rest, as they say, is history. (You can read the fascinating story of the sign HERE. After visiting Barter Books last year, I posted a video that they made about the sign here.)

It is hard to write a book. The amount of research which has to go into such a project is mind numbing to think about and I feel bad that Fox is catching flack on that point of incomplete research but should that be cause to ignore the issue?. She thanks her editors profusely in the acknowledgements but I don't know that they did her much good. Too many things were missed to make this a classic piece of literature (which,  frankly, is something I hope to find with each new book I pick up).

But aside from the various historical inaccuracies, and far more importantly, conservative readers will want to know that there is a strong focus on the subject of magic and the occult. Fox focuses more heavily on black magic and only references (or names?) the occult near the end. There are ghostly walks through walls, ghost children singing, blank eyes and magicked items. Near the end we read of some incantations which were more disturbing than ye olde general talk of magic. Overall, this is a title that is pretty steep in dark magic without much white for counterbalance. The lack of clear right/white magic is the chief reason I'd urge caution in reading this work. I don't mind talk of black magic when it is clearly painted out as being evil and wrong. While Fox does make it evil, there is also some confusion afoot in what is right or wrong when Katherine herself is "infected" with a bit of the black magic. Without some clear direction and distinction between good and evil I am forced to sit back and take stock of the story as a whole and my concluding opinion is that right didn't win and therefore this is a bit of a "broken" story.

I'd like to say that The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle is an interesting new look at the battle of good vs. evil which we face in this world (whether we call it "magic" or something else entirely). However, without clear victory on the side of the right,  I am hesitant to recommend it. That being explained, the book ends on a cliff hanger, causing the reader to believe that there is a second book in the works. Perhaps good wins. Perhaps white magic rises up and begins to conquer. I do not know and I cannot confirm a second title but I can say that I am quite unlikely to read it. I intended to read this book as a stand alone, not realizing it might be only the first book in a new series. I just wasn't made comfortable enough with the use of magic to feel compelled to pick up the next in the series, should there be one.

As a concluding note, I am well aware that it's not fun reading a negative review on a beloved book but we each have our own reading experiences and Reading to Know is my book diary documenting my own personal experiences and preferences. For my part, I can't recommend this title but you are certainly welcome to go seek out a second opinion.

The Goblin's Puzzle, by Andrew S. Chilton

First, an aside: You're going to see a lot more reviews of recently released middle grade fiction around these parts for a bit. I'm involved in a little project and middle grade fiction is what it's all about me for at the present. Head's up!

I "discovered" The Goblin's Puzzle by Andrew S. Chilton when looking through a list of new titles and thought I'd give it a go. To my way of thinking, this book had a lot of things going for it at first glance:

1. It's middle grade fiction which is one of my favorite genres. Why do I like it? Because it's typically clean fiction (i.e., short on foul language and sex scenes or innuendos) and therefore a book you can relax with a bit.

2. The typical length of a middle grade fiction book is around 250-300 pages which gives enough time for the author to provide a meaty tale of some sort.

3. Middle grade fiction is also much more imaginative than most modern day fiction. The readers aren't assumed to have grown too old for fairy tales. (And truly, who among us is really too old for fairy tales? I imagine that "being a realist" is somehow more romantic to some but I'm not buying the exceptions.) Do note that I'm not saying real life doesn't involve hard subjects with which we have to deal, but I also think there is still a bit of magic left in this world and that a great deal can be learned from fairy tales in order to help us overcome life's difficulties. At any rate, The Goblin's Puzzle looked like fun.

As we proceed, I think it's important to note that this is the debut novel of Andrew S. Chilton. It's an interesting and unique storyline which I would be happy to describe in my own words except that I'm feeling lazy. Instead, let's just read the description from Amazon, shall we?

THE BOY is a nameless slave on a mission to uncover his true destiny.
THE GOBLIN holds all the answers, but he’s too tricky to be trusted.
PLAIN ALICE is a bookish peasant girl carried off by a confused dragon.
And PRINCESS ALICE is the lucky girl who wasn’t kidnapped.

All four are tangled up in a sinister plot to take over the kingdom, and together they must face kind monsters, a cruel magician, and dozens of deathly boring palace bureaucrats. They’re a ragtag bunch, but with strength, courage, and plenty of deductive reasoning, they just might outwit the villains and crack the goblin’s puzzle.

I ended up reading this book in one sitting, partly because I was enjoying it well enough and mostly because I had the time to do so (a rarity these days). If I were to summarize my thoughts on this one I'd tell you that it was a book that had great potential but flopped a little for me. Obviously I know that's not what any author wants to hear and I'm sorry to disappoint but perhaps I can explain a bit? While I didn't prefer it, I can completely see how another reader could enjoy it quite well. It has its highlights, I just wasn't completely won over.

Where to start? I'll go by numbers and try to stay organized!

1. Chilton's writing style has a heavy dose of humor attached to it with asides that reminded me a great deal of Gail Carson Levine. Perhaps it reminded me of Ms. Levine's work because I recently read Ella Enchanted and even more recently watched the movie (which I found kinda cheesy). The Goblin's Puzzle isn't a fairy tale story told in a classic manner, so I don't know that it'll have any sticking power over the decades, but it is very much suited for the modern audience for which it is written. It's Shrek-like and Levine-like and I might even go so far as to say a bit Princess Bride-like (my best compliment for Chilton!). If you don't care for those styles, you won't care for this title. It would be remiss of me not to note for you that some of the humor in this book involved nudity and references to affairs (which, frankly, I didn't appreciate it a bit).

2. Regular readers around here know that I always want to get at what the author of any book ultimately wishes to communicate to his readers. I felt that Chilton had three main arguments to make. I agreed with two of his arguments, but not the third. I'll use the alphabet to continue subdividing my points. Heh. 

a.) Chilton is a former attorney and wanted to use this book to explain the basic concept of logic. At the conclusion of the book, he explains the study of logic and its purpose (i.e., premises, fallacy, conclusions, etc.). This is both a positive and a negative aspect of the book, depending on your world view. It is good to use logic, (obviously), and understand how to think. Actually I find it imperative that children be taught how to think for themselves. We, as a society, do not spend enough time learning how to learn/think/process and this is a huge problem that needs to be rectified. I'm all for thinking! If Chilton's desire is to promote logical thought, we're in tune with one another.

b.) That said, my worldview does not quite match Chilton's and part of his desire to use logic is to rationalize away any belief system that would exist outside of one's person. One of the major ideas which Chilton is promoting in this book is that we as individuals are not bound to a predetermined fate or design of the "universe" (or, if you will indulge, Providence). The unnamed boy in this book is questioning who he is and what his role is in life and the question posed is whether or not he is free to make his own choices or if he is bound to a belief in gods who would dictate who and what he is on his behalf. The idea set forth by Chilton is that an individual is truly free when he or she does as he or she pleases without being "shackled" by a (presumed) faulty belief system.

"While he searched for what he thought was his fate, he had been forced to act as though he had none. He had made his own choices without regard for who he was supposed to be. For the first time, he had lived with doubt and uncertainty. Not knowing meant exploring and discovering. Yes, it was frightening, but it was also fun. Some of his choices were wise, and some were foolish, but all were his and his alone. Once he had thought fate was an anchor, holding him steady, giving him a place in the world. Now he saw that it was a shackle, binding him in place. Except that he was held prisoner not by iron bonds but by his own belief. When he let that go, the shackle simply vanished." (Chapter 15, page 220)

Chilton seems to begin with the premise that faith in something is a prison whereas I begin with the idea that faith - specifically in a Creator God - is the most freeing and liberating position from which to tackle life head on. I am not bound in chains by my belief in God, but instead know my liberties to explore the world and delight in it. My faith is an anchor which gives me the ability (and even the right) to live life to the fullest. Within the bounds of my faith I am exhorted to use my gifts and talents well, to test the limits, and am even authorized to enjoy the ride! You might say that Mr. Chilton and I start on different pages and so I found myself disagreeing with some of his seemingly forgone conclusions.

b.) Chilton desires to make a strong argument against slavery in this book - something with which I have no objection whatsoever. (I agree with both his premise and his conclusion on this point!) My only qualm is with the way he decided to argue his points. We understand throughout the book that the boy with no name is a slave and he is wrestling with his position in life as a result. Perhaps Chilton is setting the stage for his closing arguments but he really went off on his "jury" (i.e., the reader) within just the last few chapters about the evil which is slavery. Again, his arguments are fair, fine, and right but tossing it at the readers at the end of the book made me feel as if the thing I was supposed to remember best about the book was his stance against slavery instead of a carefully crafted and beautiful tale. In a courtroom setting you do want to hammer home the vital points of your arguments at the conclusion of the trial in hopes that the jurors will remember what you deem most important. In a book, you want the reader to be internally arguing with you over the course of the entire read and then to leave the story with a compelling conclusion which subtly wraps up your point in a way which drives said point home. Instead I felt like we sort of tiptoed around the issue of slavery throughout the book only to be walloped on the head before saying goodbye to this particular cast of characters. In short, his argument was abrupt. Given Mr. Chilton's background, I completely understand why this is and maybe this will ultimately prove his style of writing. A second and third book over a period of time will be telling! Other readers might not nitpick on this aspect of the book and might not even notice it. I can only tell you of my own personal reading experience.

On the whole I'd say I appreciated The Goblin's Puzzle for its unique storyline. It's incredibly interesting to me to read someone's first work and I do feel like Chilton shows great promise as an author. From the book jacket I'd say he plans to write more stories and if he did write another, I'd read it. Next time I would just know that we're coming at life from two differing perspectives and so that's going to cause some friction. It's not the sort of friction that would make me avoid his books necessarily, but I would offer a caution to other readers to pay attention to his main points and style of humor. Beyond that, you've got to think it through for yourself and form your own conclusion!

Snippets

I'm falling behind in making notes about what books I've read this year! I've got to pick up the pace and quick! To that end, I'll offer up a few "snippets" for today:

The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls was the last of my Facebook Challenge reads that I had accepted. You might recall that the first of every year I invite a certain number of people to make a suggestion for a book that I then have to read in the coming year. In 2015 I invited 4 people to make such a suggestion and Shonya "assigned" me this book as one of my challenge reads.

I finished it several weeks ago and meant to write about it immediately, because it was something of a haunting read. I wanted to write my thoughts on it out of my system but instead I walked away from it and let them languish. (Whoops.) If you aren't aware of this story, know that it's a New York Times Bestseller and a memoir by Jeannette Walls. In this book she shares her growing up experience with a set of parents who might by all accounts be considered deadbeats, but whom she really adored as a young child. Their family moved all over the country during Walls' childhood, due to her father's inability or interest in holding down a job. Both of her parents enjoyed the concept of having a free spirit that could wander about at whim and fancy. Doing whatever pleased them most seemed to be their life goal. The problem what that is that you can't do just anything you like when you have three children in your care. Jeannette and her siblings knew what it was like to be and/or feel alone, to be freezing cold in the wintertime, and to be hungry year 'round.

As Jeannette comes of age, she begins to feel the urge to make something of herself. She wants to take more care of not just her own person but of her siblings too. She set goals for herself and worked hard at them. I would say that Jeannette Walls has done a great job striking out on her own and pursuing hard goals. She has succeeded in much that she has put her hands to, but never quite lost the respect a child always feels for their parent, regardless of how they are or are not cared for. Walls had a challenging set of parents to write a story about but she does so in such a fashion so as to provoke a sense of compassion in the reader. I'm not quite sure how she managed that as I'm typically not very compassionate towards those who absolutely refuse to work. I can't say that I understand her father at all, but she explains him so that I feel sorry for him, to some extent or another. One thing that I really appreciated her saying was that people with brokenness in their life have some of the best stories to offer. I think there's truth to that. We're all broken but not all of us admit it. If we were to do so, honestly, our stories would be vastly more interesting. We are able to connect with the Walls family in part because she lays all things bare. With nothing hidden, you can find places to identify and connect with and that's pretty amazing.

This isn't a bright and peppy book, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is an interesting one. I think it would make a good book club read because the characters contained herein definitely stand out. Plus there's a lot of social topics to be discussed as a result of reading and thinking about the Walls family story. Anyway, if you like memoir and you like being provoked to thought, then this is a title to be considered.

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Another title which I devoured in an afternoon (it's short enough to do so) was Hurry Henrietta by Molly Cone. I picked this one up at a used bookstore simply because I thought the premise sounded interesting. It was described as a book about a young Jewish girl who was the oldest of five daughters. Her siblings all grew up and fell in love but she never married, being very focused on educational pursuits instead. Come to find out, this is a true story about Henrietta Szold who you can read about here. She was a U.S. born Jewish Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America.

Hurry Henrietta tells a very condensed version of her life story. Author Molly Cone says of it, "This story leaves out a great many things - you cannot really call it a biography - for it picks and chooses among the events of her life to find her "true" story. Call it only a story." That's probably the most honest disclaimer I've ever seen in a book! That is also a very good description as a great many liberties are taken when it comes to picking and choosing which parts of Henrietta's life to focus on. This story is something of a hodge podge of random bits and pieces from Henrietta's life and it is not very neatly stitched together at that. While I learned who Henrietta Szold was and noted a few interesting things about her personality, there wasn't a great deal more to it than that. I think Cone's idea was to clue you in on Henrietta's existence. In so far as that, she did a great job.

As you might gather, I wasn't enamored with the book. It certainly wasn't what I was expecting to discover when I purchased it to read. Sometimes you have to take a gamble and on this one I learned about someone I had never heard of before. In my mind, that makes this book which wasn't a total waste but I don't know that I'd go about recommending it as being the greatest thing ever. If you come across it and her story sounds a little bit compelling, it makes for an interesting and quick read.