2011 - Moon Over Manifest

Dates read: May/Jun 2011
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 231 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

Moon Over Manifest is a great book. I love the way it comes together at the end. It reminds me a bit of last year's Newbery that also had many details that resolved themselves seamlessly in the end. That said, the first 200 pages took me over a month off and on to get through. I wanted so badly to just take the book and feel motivated to stay up all night to finish it. It didn't happen. Then I was just about to give up on the book when I decided that I was more than halfway through so I really owed it to myself and the book to finish. So I committed and I am glad that I did. (Then it only took me 3 days to finish.)

A couple ideas to take from it: Accept the love of others and allow yourself to belong. Family ties are very strong and deserve to be nourished and strengthened. History is important. Know where you came from and you'll find that it can significantly influence where you are headed. Community ties (the "village") are also useful and strong. The family can't always provide all that is good and needful so the community will oftentimes fill in. Make yourself a part of the community so that you can take advantage of all it offers.

1982 - A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers

Dates read: May 2011
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 44 pp.
Rating: ●●○○○

So, I just couldn't get into it. I read it twice to give it a fair shot. I think I was not in a poetry mood. I am sure that the poems are pretty good but they weren't there for me. The pictures are very nice. This book actually got a Caldecott Honor medal. Pretty impressive, I'd say. I wonder if there are any other books that have received both a Caldecott and a Newbery? I feel guilty for not loving this book, but I don't. Someday I'll have to pick it up again and give it another try.

1950 - Amos Fortune, Free Man

Dates read: Apr/May 2011
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 181 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

Fabulous read. I would be interested how much creative license the author took and how much is documented. Amos Fortune was born free in Africa. At 15, he was shipped to the colonies and sold as a slave. During his lifetime he bought his own freedom and that of many others. He taught that freedom means nothing until one knows how to live. His life teaches self-reliance as well as helping others help themselves while still showing forth immense compassion. A line from the book that sticks out: "If people knew what it was they did that caused suffering they would no longer do it." Oh, how nice it would be to see the end from the beginning. I felt that this was likely a progressive book in terms of racial issues being that it was written in 1950. Loved it.

1946 - Strawberry Girl

Dates read: Oct 2010
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 194 pp.
Rating: ●●●○○

I was impressed by this book mainly because of the strength of some of the characters. Mrs. Boyer was an accepting and forgiving individual who overlooked the apparent weaknesses of her neighbors. She was able to give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps their situations or certain influences in their lives caused them to act and react the way they did. Just today I read President Monson's October 2009 address on anger. He testifies that we are able to control our anger even when the supposed cause of our emotions are out of our control. I felt that the book "resolved" itself a bit too quickly and that the resolution was not terribly believable. But that is OK, the actual story was enjoyable and hopefully we can see it as timeless.

1998 - Out of the Dust

Dates read: Aug 2010
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 240 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

This was another book that I had avoided reading because of the poetry. It turned out to be very good. I finished it in the tent on the camping trip. (That says something because, for various reasons, I think that reading in a tent is a pain.)

One of the strong points of Out of the Dust, among others, was the establishment of setting. I have heard of the Oklahoma dust bowls, but knew little or nothing about them. As I read this book, I saw, felt, smelled and tasted the dust everywhere. Despite all her intense hardships and deep challenges, Billie Jo comes to realize the value of home.

1984 - Dear Mr. Henshaw

Dates read: Aug 2010
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 134 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

I read this book a couple times in (many) years past. I didn't like it then. I thought it was cheesy or a bit flat (everything was wrong in the kid's life and no one lives like that). I wonder if it was because the theme of divorce (not that that is the only theme in the book) seemed to be discussed frequently. Fortunately, it wasn't something I had to deal with.

This reading was different. Now, the book does appear to be written for the 9-12 crowd, but with that in mind, I really enjoyed it. Leigh dealt with real problems and concerns - some of which I, even as an adult, can relate to and many others that my life experiences have helped me to understand second hand.

It was written for a young audience and perhaps that is refreshing for a Newbery since it seems that so many of them are being written for older (even adult) audiences under the mask of children's or young adult literature.

1989 - Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman

Dates read: Aug 2010
Read or listened to: Read
Pages: 44 pp.
Rating: ●●●●○

I am not a "poetry person" (whatever that means). I am not sure what my expectations were. But, honestly, it was delightful. The book is written in two columns. It is meant to be read aloud by two people - each reading a column, "the two parts meshing as in a musical duet". If I taught 5th or 6th grade, this would be a wonderful exercise in poetry performance.

My favorite poem was probably Water Striders. I was fascinated with water skeeters growing up so I didn't have any problems hearing the bugs telling me of their experiences.

I thought that Honeybees was a great contrast in the jobs and roles of the different bees in the colonies. Could this evolve into a discussion on classes in our society?

I got dizzy just reading Whirligig Beetles.

I never realized that the word "cricket" is a type of onomatopoeia for the sound a cricket makes until I read this. (I must admit I read it silently - in about 15 minutes, no less - and I could still hear the crickets in my head.)