Classics and other Old Books
Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen
Austen's first novel, but not published till after her death. A delightfully ironic parody of the sentimental and gothic novels of the time. Catherine is taken to Bath by friends of the family. Bath is the place for young people to meet and catch a spouse. Catherine is quite naive and is used to taking people literally. She totally misses the conniving of her new "friend" Isabella and her brother John, who think that her family is more well-off than they are. Isabella schemes to snag Catherine's brother, while the narcissistic John sets his sights on Catherine. Meanwhile, Catherine is attracted by Henry Tilney. In the novel, Austen does a brilliant job of defending the novel as a worthwhile form of literature while poking fun at the tropes of the popular gothic novels of her time. I enjoyed the discussions of this book on The Literary Life Podcast.
Biography
Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells
by Opal Wheeler
An illustrated children's biography of Beethoven. We read this aloud as part of our music appreciation studies.
History and Historical Fiction
Sgt. Reckless: America's War Horse
by Robin Hutton
The true story of a horse who served in the Marines during the Korean War carrying ammo for their big recoilless rifles. The first half was an interesting narrative. The second half was more a collection of reminisces of soldiers who encountered her during her years in the United States after the war. True horsemen might be horrified at how they fed her all kinds of unnatural stuff and how they let her behave. Caution: there are many quoted obscenities and other soldier-type conversations.
Sgt. Reckless the War Horse
by Melissa Higgins
The picture book version of the story about the Korean War horse named Sgt. Reckless. This one is clean and appropriate for younger children.
Lewis and Clark and Me : A Dog's Tale
by Laurie Meyers
A series of vignettes from the Lewis and Clark expedition, told from the perspective of Lewis' Newfoundland dog, Seaman. Each story is based on actual entries from Lewis' journal. A nice read for elementary age (and above). I picked this book up from the library while looking for animal stories for my younger daughter. It was fitting that we had recently read a book about Lewis and Clark, from the men's perspective.
The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish
by Karina Yan Glaser
The fifth book in the Vanderbeekers series. I think this one and the first one are the best. A sweet story of siblings trying to plan a surprise birthday party for their dad, dealing with the disappointment of upended plans, and learning stories about their grandparents -- the ones they never knew and the ones who aren't easy to like at first.
The Last Bookshop in London
by Madeline Martin
A delightful story that kept me up too late several nights in a row. A young woman moves to London just before the Germans began bombing London in "The Blitz." A bookshop owner grudgingly employs her as an assistant (due to pressure from her landlady). Though she's never had time to read, she does have experience in organizing a store to make it more attractive to customers. She plunges into the monumental task of cleaning and organizing the dusty, cluttered bookshop. Along the way, one the shop's regular customers befriends her and encourages to start reading some of the wares of the shop. he explains his (and my) passion for reading in this wonderful quote: "Reading is.. It's going somewhere without ever taking a train or a ship, an unveiling of new, incredible worlds. It's living a life you weren't born into and a chance to see everything colored by someone else's perspective. It's learning without having to face consequences of failures, and how best to succeed. I think within all of us, there is a void, a gap wanting to be filled by something. For me, that something is books and all their proffered experiences." I highly recommend this book to older teens and adults, especially those who love books!
Previewing for the kids
A Wolf Called Wander
by Rosanne Parry
A tale of a wolf's journey from his home grounds to a new location 1000 miles away. A fictional account based on a real-life wolf (fitted with a radio collar) who traveled the same route and established himself and his mate in an area where there were no known wolves. It's told in first person and present tense (which is always a bit annoying to me). The descriptions of the world from the eyes of a wolf are kind of humorous (automobiles are called "noisemakers", a road is called a "black river", offspring of any creature are called "pups"). I didn't think it was overly graphic in the hunting/feeding/fighting scenes, but sensitive readers might want to use caution. While it may have been mostly accurate in describing wolf behavior, it was quite anthropomorphic in describing the thoughts and motivations of the wolf. It was also inaccurate in at least one scene -- portraying a mare giving birth while surrounded by her herd giving her encouragement. Mares always try to go off on their own to a secluded place to give birth in private.
Wild Blue: The Story of a Mustang Appaloosa
by Annie Wedekind
A short book, told from a wild horse's perspective, of being captured from her wild band and taken into the strange, and sometimes cruel, world of humans. There are a few mild oaths and using the name of God as an expression of anger. Otherwise, it's a fairly decent book. One of a series of similar books about various breeds of horses.
Chancey of the Maury River
by Gigi Amateau
I think this is on par with the quality of the wonderful classic Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Chancey is an albino Appaloosa, who has struggled for acceptance because of his coloring and has never really been loved by any humans. At an advanced age, he finds himself at Maury River Stables and learns to love and be loved. Another book that kept me up late several nights and had me sighing with satisfaction when I finished. It may be a bit anthropomorphic in describing the horse's inner thought life and conversations with others, but it was a touching story.
Macadoo of Maury River
by Gigi Amateau
Macadoo is a Belgian horse who has two narrow escapes at kill auctions and learns to find love and a purpose in two different homes, helping grieving children find joy again in life. A companion to Chancey (above). Shorter and not quite so deep at Chancey, and again, a bit anthropomorphic, but a still a fun read.
Just for Fun (Read-aloud)
The Otter Who Wanted to Know
by Jill Tomlinson
Another delightful book about animals by the same author who wrote The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out and The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. Read aloud to my younger three.
The House at Pooh Corner
by A. A. Milne
After completing the Paddington Bear series, it was finally time to get around to introducing my younger ones to Winnie-the-Pooh. We listened to the audio book version because the narrator is so much better than me at reading these stories.
