The Knight, the Princess & the Magic Rock: A Classic Persian Tale

The Knight, the Princess and the Magic Rock is a retelling of a classic Persian tale. I was initially excited to read it because it looked like an adventure book, and because it's Persian lore, I was sure I hadn't heard of it before. But, really? To be completely honest? I thought it was pretty lame. Basically everything is wrapped up with the power of prayer. I mean, I'm all about prayer, but in a children's book that is about a princess and a magic rock, I didn't get how prayer related. It's really just not the book for me. 

*I won this novel from Goodreads FirstReads. All opinions expressed are my own. 

The Whipping Boy

For the sixth graders medieval unit, they were put into different reading groups with classmates on similar reading levels. The Whipping Boy was the book I read with my group. It's about Prince Brat and his whipping boy, Jemmy, and how they run away from the castle & encounter some real characters! 

It was a cute little book with a good moral, but the students thought it was pretty lame and I tend to agree a little. It was written to a much younger audience. I think Jordyn would like it much better than my students did. It's much more for a younger audience, and I didn't think it was that great for a Newbery. I expect a lot when I see that seal, and The Whipping Boy, while cute, didn't quite live up to that standard. 

The Night Dance

"A person's fortune may rise or fall as the wheel of fate spins,

 but a person's character remains constant"

The Night Dance is Suzanne Weyn's version of "The 12 Dancing Princesses." She felt the original story was missing something, missing the why, so she wrote her own. Weyn places her tale in Arthurian times and it includes the legends of that time as well, especially of Lady of the Lake, as well as elements of a romance novel. It was a cute little story, but not anything special. I would have just as much enjoyed reading the picture book I had of "The 12 Dancing Princesses" when I was a child. 

Mr Finnegan's Giving Chest

Friday was the last day of school before Christmas Break for the middle schoolers, so it was a pretty laid-back day. In one of the sixth grade classes they were listening to this book: Mr Finnegan's Giving Chest with Mr Finnegan based on Dick van Dyke, who also read the story. I loooove Dick van Dyke, and it was a great Christmas story! I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't been at school I totally would have cried. It was super cute and true-meaning-of-Chirstmas-y! Read it!

The Willoughbys

In a cute throwback to books I'm sure Lowry read as a child, The Willoughbys tells the story of four children who want to be orphans. And it turns out, their parents don't  like them very much either. It's really a cute little story; I enjoyed it and I think kids really would too! Read on!

Revolution is not a Dinner Party

Ya know, this was a pretty interesting read about Mao & the Chinese Revolution from the perspective of an upper-class young girl. Not the best book ever, but worth a quick read. Again, it's YA Fiction, so keep that in mind. But I liked it well enough. Read on, Revolutionaries!

Bridge to Neverland

 

What if Peter Pan was real? What if starstuff was real? And what if you found a secret note from a starcatcher that led you on a crazy adventure to find and save starstuff? Well, then you would be the main character of Bridge to Never Land. 

But really. Let's be honest here, m'kay? This book was not a page turner; it took me waaaay longer to read this book. It was an okay book, but just not up to par. Not really what I expected. Plus it was super current. iPhones, iPads, etc, are mentioned far to frequently. However, I could tell that Barry & Pearson had done their research on Disney World. They even used the term "cast member"!! 

Anyway, this is super random. But the point is: maybe don't waste your time with this one. Save it for the kiddies.

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

In our final Peter chapter, which takes place directly prior to the Peter Pan story most common with Wendy, John, and Michael, Molly Aster is now grown up. She has married her friend, George Darling, and they have three children: Wendy, John, and Michael. George, as you know, is a very practical man, and has encouraged Molly, now Mary, to put all this nonsense and magic talk behind her. 

But then strange things start to happen. John, and original lost boy who chose to grow up with Molly, came to visit. And then he disappears, a victim of the underground kidnappings. Mary/Molly starts investigating, and she too disappears. It seems to be up to Wendy to save the day . . . 

And so our novel unfolds and the baton is handed off. I really did like this adventure and totally recommend it! Read On! 

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon

"I'll be careful," said Peter, grinning. "Aren't I always careful?'

"No," said James 

In the third adventure of Peter's, we are taken to Rundoon as the starstuff is once in danger of evil people obtaining it. The dark is rising, and it is up to our heroes, once again, to save the day. In this adventure we meet the lost boys: Curly, Tootles, Nibs, and the twins. They had been sent to Rundoon to work for the King, but Peter invites them to escape and join him.

The shadow-man, the dark, is returning. It's kind of neat, actually, because he tries to use Peter's shadow, but can't get full control over Peter. At one point, Peter's shadow is separated from himself, which explains that right there. 

So I don't really have much else to say about this book. I liked it though! 

Peter and the Shadow Thieves

In this thrilling adventure of Peter's, a mysterious dark force who can control shadows is after the starstuff, and it is up to Molly and Peter to save the starstuff, Molly's parents, and themselves.

Some fun things:
-Peter and Tink meet a man by the name of Barrie in the streets of London
-Molly Aster is friends with a boy named George Darling
-A main part of this story happens at the Tower of London. Molly tells us that her father has taken her there before, but left her outside with a guard, "if I asked why, Father would make some joke about not wanting me to get my head chopped off"


I did enjoy this book. Barry and Pearson keep it as exciting and page turning as the first as they give us more of Peter's history. As this one is based on shadows I thought it would give us some insight into Peter and his shadow . . . but you'll have to wait for the next one: Peter and the Secret of Rundoon!!

Shadow Children

  

Once upon a time*, when I was ten or eleven or so, I brought home a book order from school. I had circled the many books I wanted my momma to buy for me, and I was sure we would sit down later and narrow down my selections. And in that book order was a book, Among the Hidden, by an author I had read before, Margaret Peterson Haddix.  

"Do you really want this weird book?" momma probably asked me. "It looks strange. The government says you can only have two kids? What kind of weirdo are you, Jayme?"

"But Momma!" I'm sure I argued, "We liked Running out of Time, the weird book about those kids who thought they lived in pioneer days and escaped! And this lady wrote that too! So it must be good!"

"Okay, fine, whatever, you odd child of mine. At least you're reading."

And I was reading. The problem was, Haddix came out with a sequel a few years later. But I was older. I was reading other books. And Among the Imposters was never at the library. And then it was another year and another book, and so on. And I always meant to read the Shadow Children series and never quite made it. I kind of forgot about them until I would see Among the Hidden sitting on my shelf, which wasn't often. I have lots of books. 

Yet at CMS, kids are still reading the Shadow Children series. The last one, Among the Free, didn't even come out til 2006. Good thing I wasn't holding my breath. :) But I digress. I was reminded. And so while I was at the library, getting Peter and the Starcatchers, I thought to myself: I should go look at Haddix's section. See what they have of her. And low and behold, they  had the whole series. So I got them. And read them. They're children's books and short, so I pretty much inhaled them. 

These folks live in a society where, due to the famine a few years back, they have limited the number of children to two per family. But that doesn't stop everyone, and I'm not entirely sure the government has provided adequate birth control. So there are lots of illegal third, sometimes fourth and fifth, children in hiding throughout the country. And that is where the series starts, with Luke, an illegal third child in hiding. Through the course of the series we meet other illegal children and see other problems within this government. But  many of these illegals have fake IDs. The end up meeting each other and banding together, hoping that one day they will become free. Hoping they will have the right to exist. 

But they were pretty great. I love the concept, I love all books like this. Of course. I like weird books. Lucky for me, they're pretty in right now (ie: Hunger Games).  I'm a little worried they're getting ruined (see my next post) but I'm not too concerned. So yeah, go on. Read these books. You'll love 'em!

*some facts have been exaggerated for the enjoyment of the story telling. But the concept of this is completely true: I was a strange child. I read strange books.

Peter and the Starcatchers

Last year Matthew read this book at school and suggested it to me, but I didn't really listen. I have lots of books to read; even placing one in my hands is no guarantee I'll get to it. But then I got my job at CMS and the sixth graders are reading it there too. And it is a really good story!!! It is pretty exciting and gives a lot of interesting background and linking of Peter Pan with other characters and situations. While not keeping entirely true to JM Barrie's works -- Dave Barry (haha -- Barrie, Barry) and Ridley Pearson are commissioned by Disney and this is clearly based more upon the movie, which makes sense because the target audience would have seen only the movie and probably not know about the book -- there are still links and it is a good Peter Pan story. It is to serve as a prequel to Barrie's Peter and Wendy despite obvious contradictions -- especially The Little White Bird. So I just couldn't help it. I couldn't possibly wait patiently and read with the sixth graders. I had to get my hands on this book and read it for my self. And I did. 

And I loved it. There's a whole series, so I will be trying to get the next installment at the library tomorrow, and I really look forward to reading them all. The book is written for children, but there are little asides meant for adults, and it appeals to all ages. It starts with Peter - no last name - and four other boys: James, Prentiss, Thomas, and Tubby Ted boarding a ship called The Neverland, along with some characters that seem vaguely familiar . . . And showcases their adventures upon the high seas with a young girl, Molly Aster, Pirates, and the titled Starcatchers. But I sure enjoyed this book and recommend it for all ages, especially if you have an interest in Peter Pan! I look forward to the second novel: Peter and the Shadow Thieves  and hope you'll keep tuning in! 

Happy Reading!

Florizella and the Wolves

As ya'll know, I love one Philippa Gregory and her many works. And so I read everything she writes, even if it is juvenile fiction. She wrote these books for her daughter, which I thought was super cute. And I liked the story. It mixed fairy tales with real life, had a moral, and the princess didn't need a hero. I think Jordyn would like this book, so maybe I'll let her read it sometime. It's right on her level and has few enough pages that she could finish it quickly enough without getting bored. So yes, I enjoyed a book for first graders. So there.