Julie and The Wolves by Jean Craighead George

I chose the book at random off the list of Newberry Award Winners. Not entirely sure what brought me to this book or why it stood out to me, but I am fairly glad it did. I personally love stories of human survival and perseverance, and for the most part that is what this book was about. Miyax, a young Eskimo girl has run off from her life in Barrow Alaska. In order to get an education, Miyax had to leave her father and his tribe to live with her more Americanized aunt who referred to her as Julie. Eventually, to escape her aunt, Miyax marries Daniel, the son of family friends to her father, but this too is a prison. So finally Miyax decides to run away to Point Hope where a ship called "The North Star" comes to port. She thinks that she will be able to get a job of some sort on the ship and travel to San Fransisco where she will live with her pen pal Amy, but Point Hope is a long way off and she has very few supplies. At the point of starvation she finds a pack of wolves, and uses the knowledge of her fathers ancient ways and observation to become a part of the pact. She eventually travels with the wolves to her destination but the book leaves you wondering what path she ends up taking. I thought that this was a great story and that it had very interesting insight into Eskimo culture, but upon researching the book I found out that it is pact with inaccuracies that are apparently insulting to the particular tribe, the Inupiaq tribe, that Miyax is supposedly a member of. One such being the fact that the Inupiaq tribe doesn't even use the letter "x" so Miyax name doesn't even make sense. I have to admit I was a little disappointed upon learning about these inaccuracies, but regardless it was still an entertaining read that kept my attention through out the book. I would recommend it, but warn readers to take the "facts" presented with a grain of salt.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Although there are many reasons why this book is good, I found it only slightly entertaining. It is very well written and is a very believable historical-fiction book, but to me it just wasn't really interesting until the end where everyone thinks that Joey (or Joetta) has died in the bombing of the Baptist Church in Birmingham. I don't know what this might say about me, but this is after all an opinion based blog and I am giving my opinion. I liked all the characters pretty well, especially the dad because something about him reminds me of my brother-in-law. I think its the fact that he can always tell when he's going to get a reaction out of you, so he plays it up a little. Byron seemed to be a very stereotypical older brother figure, and Kenny seemed to be a very stereotypical everyman character. I liked that the story shows the differences between two parts of America, but I feel like the issue of race was just kind of thrown in at the last second to try and generate buzz for the book. I mean, yes I realize that the whole book takes place in a very different time in our nations history and it is important to get this across to younger generations, its just the author of the book even admits that the book didn't even have to do with the bombing in Birmingham until after his son brought home a school project on it, and you can tell. The issue of race is hardly even mentioned until the final chapters of the book. I will say, however, I did like that there was a follow up story after that takes place after we find out that Joey is ok, because I feel most authors would just leave it at that somewhat happy ending, but then there is the whole story about how Kenny deals with what he saw and it leaves you with a chilling feeling. I like that at least. I would suggest this for a class reading assignment on the Civil Rights Movement, just make sure that there is more information available than just the book.

Little Red Riding Hood Retold and Illustrated by James Marshall

The classic tale of "Little Red" is not particularly one of my favorites, but James Marshall does breath some life into the story through his sense of humor and watercolor illustrations. To be completely honest, I actually prefer the story in Lon Popo more, just because the oldest girl out smarts the wolf and defeats him on her own, where as in this story Red is not only eaten, but has to be rescued by a Woodsman that just happens to be traveling by the right place at the right time. I much rather read a story about someone using their brains rather than being eaten anytime. I will say that Marshall must have had a really fun time illustrating this book. If you look closely, there is at least one cat on every page, and most of them are doing something rather amusing. Also I thought that the "after dinner mints," left next to the wolf after eating Red was a nice touch. I think if you really must read this ancient tale to children, then at least make it the one done by Marshall, because then you might have a little fun as well in the process.

Lon Popo translated and Illustrated by Ed Young

I chose this book for my traditional literature comparison because Professor O handed it to me. Hey at least I'm honest. Anyway, this is a telling of a Chinese folktale that is very similar to "Little Red Riding Hood." And although there are many similarities, mostly that the story is about a wolf that tries to fool a girl (or girls) into thinking that he is in fact her (or their) Grandmother (or Popo), it has differences that can't be ignored. For one, instead of one girl, there are three. For another, the grandmother lives with the girls and leaves them alone, instead of one girl going to visit her grandmother. Also in this version the wolf does not eat anyone, but instead gets tricked in falling out of a tree until it is dead. Pretty interesting how the same basic story can be so dramatically different between cultures. I also have to hand it to Ed Young because his paintings for the book were phenomenal. The only thing I would say is that you should probably read "Little Red Riding Hood" first, because other wise it might seem a little bit confusing. All in all I liked this book and think it is great read for kids.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and Illustrated by Stephen Gammell

This book is exactly what the title suggests, "Scary Stories". Although maybe they should also add the words "Graphic," and "Gruesome" to the title. My literature group chose this book for the Banned Book Rational, and you can see from page one why the book was banned. The first story is about a boy who finds a toe, then takes it home where his mother cooks it for the family to eat. Don't get me wrong, this book was awesome! I had a blast reading it, but that doesn't mean I would read it to any children. One reason it was banned was because of the very detailed and graphic illustrations provided by Stephen Gammell. Although these ink wash drawings are amazing in composition and detail of tone variation, they are not appropriate for some readers. I understand that the book is intended for the 9-12 age range, but even that seems a bit low. In one case the book was banned after it was read to first graders. This is more the fault of that particular teacher rather than the creators of the books, but it does prove the point that this book is scary! I'm not sure who to suggest it to this time, because I am still not entirely convinced that the age range it is intended for is right, but regardless, if you want an easy, but gruesomely fun read, I highly suggest this book.

Click Clack Moo! Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin and Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

I just have to say, this is possibly the funniest book to be read to by Mrs. O, seriously, the woman really gets into it. Anyway, in this story Farmer Brown gets the shock of a life time when he finds a note on the door of the barn stating that the cows will not make anymore milk until they get electric blankets. The cows, you see, found an old type writer in the barn and they put it to good use. The chickens soon follow in soot, and Farmer Brown is forced to take action by writing a letter himself demanding milk and eggs. Finally a compromise is met and all is well that ends well. This is a good quick and humorous read that almost any age would appreciate, although it is suggested for ages 3-7. I also enjoyed the rather hysterical water color illustrations by Betsy Lewin. She does a great job of putting expressions in every character...except for maybe the Duck, but the Duck is a neutral party anyhow.

The Twits by Roald Dahl

Not sure why, but for some reason this blog didn't save the first time I wrote it. It's supposed to be between my blog on the Enormous Crocodile and my blog on Matilda. This is a very interesting tale from Dahl for many reasons, but one in particular. It doesn't contain children, except for one chapter. Most stories by Dahl either are about a child or children are a big part of the story. This book however focuses on two of the most despicable characters Dahl has ever created, Mr. and Mrs. Twit whose sole purpose in life is to torture one another. Whether its Mrs. Twit putting worms in Mr. Twits spaghetti, or Mr. Twit tying Mrs. Twit to balloons and "stretching her out," these two are always playing nasty tricks on one another. Mr. Twit also happened to keep a family of performing monkeys that he wishes to train to do everything upside down. The Father monkey, Mugglewumps, is tired of watching the Twits perform their revolting pranks, and decides to pull a few pranks on the Twits himself. This book was a hilarious good read that makes you laugh with each page. I think this is great book to get kids into slightly more advanced reading, because it will keep them entertained all the way through.

Waiting for the Rain by Sheila Gordon

This is the second book I chose for my multicultural assignment. Although the premise of this book sounded very interesting, it did seem a little preachy. In the story, Tengo is the son of farmhands on a farm owned by a wealthy white man in southern Africa. Frikkie, Tengo's best friend is the nephew of the owner of the farm. While Frikkie is content with the way life is, Tengo yearns for an education and other services that are free to white people, but are too expensive for blacks. Eventually the two grow apart from one another. Tengo does attend school but has to live with his cousin to do so, and Frikkie joins the military. Around the time that Tengo should be going to college, there is an uprising against the military and Tengo gets caught up in it. Eventually Tengo and Frikkie meet again this time in conflict, violent conflict. After realising what has transpired, Tengo decides that he will continue the fight, but from a intellectual and scholorly stand point. Like I said, the premise of the book was great, and it does bring the conflicts that happen in southern Africa into view, I just wish that Gordon didn't make it so blantently clear as to which side is the "good side." I mean although I am sure that this exactly the kind of thing that is going on, there is always two sides to a story. I mean not every german was a Nazi. Anyway, I found the book to be alright, but nothing more than that. I think I might do some more research though before I recomend it.

Three Samurai Cats: a Story from Japan Retold by Eric A. Kimmel and Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein

This was chosen for my multicultural book for one reason. It looked absolutely ridiculous! To my surprise, it actually wasn't half bad. In the story, a giant rat moves into a great daiymo (a great feudal lord)'s castle, pestering him and eating all of his food. He immediately leaves for a near by monastery famous for its well trained Samurai Cats! The master of the monastery first sends a young samurai cat eager to help the daiymo, but the rat's martial arts skills prove to be too much for the feline. Then the master sends a bigger and stronger samurai cat that the daiymo is certain will defeat the rat, but the rat still prevails over the strong samurai cat. Then the daiymo demands that the master sends his greatest and most powerful samurai to defeat the rat, but to the daiymo's surprise all that arrives is a frail, old, half blind cat named Neko Roshi. The rat laughs at the daiymo thinking that this is by far the worst warrior the rat has ever seen. For days, all that Neko Roshi does is sleep and eat, while the rat eats and pesters the daiymo. Finally one day the rat takes a misstep and Neko Roshi seases the opportunity by tripping the rat and therefore defeating him. This story was great for three reasons, one it teaches children the importance of not judging someone by their appearance, two, it teaches children to be paitent and wait for the right opportunity, and three, they are SAMURAI CATS! I would suggest it for not only the K-Grade 3 reading level, but also for anyone having trouble in dealing with patience.

STINK! and the Great Guinea Pig Express by Megan McDonald and Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

This is the fourth book of the STINK! series, and yes, I you finally find out the reason that James Moody is nicknamed Stink. It has nothing to do with the story though, its more of a side note that was thrown into the dialog. I almost don't want to tell the story behind it so that way you can go out and read it for yourself. In fact I think that I won't tell the story for just that reason. Anyway the main story is about how Stink, Webster, and Sophie of the Elves find some guinea pigs in Stinks backyard. Turns out that they belonged the local pet shop owner, Mrs. Birdwhistle, who had just rescued 101 guinea pigs from a lab that used the guinea pigs as...guinea pigs. Anyway the story is about how all four turn an old camper into "Squeals on Wheels" and drive to a guinea pig rescue shelter, while finding homes for a good portion of the guinea pigs along the way. This book also had more of liner plot line and was easier to follow. In all honesty, I am kind of sad that this is the last book in the series. Perhaps one day, when I actually have the time to read for fun, I will pick up the Joody Moody Series and revisit my old friend Stink. Once again, I would suggest this to anyone who wants to read a light hearted story about Stink!