March 2020 Books

The total for March was 13 books, and 2 magazines.

That brings the total for the year to 41 books and 12 magazines.

The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs

by Cylin Busby

The runt of a litter is rejected by most sailors because of his size and his four white paws, which they believe indicate he will be not good as a mouser.  But the captain who has owned his mother for many years decides to keep him.  The cat and the captain experience storms, mutiny, and being stranded on a deserted island, but everything comes out all right in the end.  There are a couple of uses of God's name in vain and a couple of d---s near the beginning of the book.  But they are not widespread, and overall it's a very delightful adventure.

The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue

by Karina Yan Glaser

The five Vanderbeeker kids try to fix things after they inadvertently bungle the inspection for their mother's in-home baking business.  A good story.  A few substitute swear words.  This is the third Vanderbeeker book.

The Lone Ranger On Powderhorn Trail

by Fran Striker

This was given to my dad when he was a young boy.  It's a good, clean western.  My 11 year old boy finished in less than a day.

Seeking Cassandra

by Lutricia Clifton

I found this book at the library while searching for books about Palo Duro Canyon.  A girl spends her summer at Palo Duro Canyon with her dad, unwillingly learning to be a junior ranger/naturalist.  I liked that it gave a lot of detail about Palo Duro Canyon State Park (since we hope to go there this year).  It's a reasonably good story except that it seems to condone lying to avoid getting in trouble over an innocent mistake.  That part could make for a good discussion starter.  However, there is a discussion among some characters about some details of puberty that really wasn't necessary to the story and I felt is inappropriate.  You might want to make this a read aloud and edit out that part.  It's also written in the present tense, which is an annoyance to me.

The Little Lame Prince and Other Fairy Tales

by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

Another of my dad's old books.  The main story is about a prince who was dropped as an infant and became lame.  His parents both died when he was a young child, and his uncle became king.  He sent the boy away with a nurse to an isolated tower where they were to be spend the rest of their lives.  The boy has a magical godmother who gives him a magical traveling cloak that takes him to see the world.  He eventually finds out his true identity and becomes a kind and honest king after his uncle dies.  A reasonably good story if you don't mind the godmother seeming to have god-like qualities.  The other fairy tales in this book were weird, gross, or disparaging of black people.

Treasure Island

by Robert Louis Stevenson

A classic pirate tale of which I'd only heard allusions, never read it myself.  I had some trouble following the plot in some places because of the pirate lingo.  Also, the murders and gore was not to my taste.  I wouldn't recommend it for sensitive readers.  I probably wouldn't stop my older kids from reading it, but I wouldn't encourage them either.

Baby

by Patricia MacLachlan

I picked this up at a library book sale because it was written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall.  It did not live up to my expectations. A 12 year old girl and her family care for a one year old baby named Sophie after her mother leaves her on their doorstep, promising to come back for her.  As they care for her and then give her back, they learn to deal with and talk about their own baby who died.  There's not a whole lot of plot action.  It's more of a "thought" and "emotion" book.

The Face on the Milk Carton

by Caroline B Cooney

A fifteen year old girl sees her picture on the back of a milk carton one day.  She recognizes herself as a three year old and begins having been flashbacks, remembering another family and a woman giving her an ice cream sundae and taking her for a drive. The book depicts the emotional turmoil she goes through trying to unravel the mystery and some to terms with the truth.  It would be a good story, but is hopelessly marred by overt sexual content and the viewpoint that pre-marital teenage sex is normal and expected.  Definitely NOT recommended.

The Man with Yellow Eyes

by Catherine Anthony Clark

A book from my Canadian childhood.  A boy races to file a claim on a silver mine for his sick father before an unscrupulous scoundrel beats him to it.

The Orphan of Ellis Island

by Elvira Woodruff

Dominic is an orphan bouncing around through the foster care system.  On a class trip to Ellis Island, he is transported back in time to 1908 Italy. He learns what's it's like to emigrate to America, and more importantly, he learns the meaning of family.

The Shy One

by Dorothy Nathan

Eleven year old Dorothy is the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants who is extremely shy.  She is terrified of dogs, strangers, boys, and piano recitals.  Her grandmother and uncle come to live with them after escaping from Russia (the story is set in 1921).  She finally learns to take some courageous steps to overcome her shyness. A lovely story!

Bitesize Theology

by Peter Jeffery

Short chapters on the various basic Christian doctrines such as God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Sin, Atonement, Grace, etc.

Passover Haggadah : A Messianic Celebration

arranged by Eric Peter Lipson

Published by Jews For Jesus, this book gives some background on the Jewish Passover celebration, including its history and symbols, how Jesus celebrated it, and how the events of his death and resurrection fit into the Passover story.  It contains a full-length script for a Passover seder recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, although it is kind of hard to distinguish what is to actually be read and what is just explanation.  It's too long to read it all at a Passover meal.  It also has some songs that can be song (with music included).

Just 2 magazines this month.