Archive by Author | Sherry

Children’s Fiction of 2007: Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf

Oct29

There’s probably more than one reason that I enjoy reading fiction written for children, but one of those reasons is that even the best of children’s fiction is somewhat simple and straightforward. Children, and adults like me, want a story, a beginning-to-end, satisfying, well-written story that gives us something to think about in the process. Someone Named Eva was such a story.

The novel is appropriate for any child who’s mature enough to deal emotionally with the essential plotline: a Czech child is stolen from her home and sent to a school for training young Aryan Nazis to serve the Fatherland. Milada qualifies for this “honor” because she is blonde, blue-eyed, and her nose is the right length. Before she leaves, her grandmother tells her: “Remember who you are, Milada. Remember where you are from. Always.”

Easier said than done. Milada, whose named is changed to the German Eva, hears so many lies, repeated so often and so convincingly that she begins to lose her grip on truth and her sense of her own identity. Her German teachers tell her that her parents died in an air raid, and even though she knows that they were arrested by the Germans themselves and that she was taken away from them, Eva begins to doubt her own memories. Could such “brainwashing” really happen? Of course, it could; Someone Named Eva is based on a true story of a Czech village burned to the ground for supposed collaboration with the the Allies and Aryan-looking children given in adoption to German families during World War II. Many of those children did forget their own native language and their family and cultural heritage.

I was reminded of Hitler’s famous dictum (not actually formulated by Hitler, but attributed to him anyway): “people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.” I thought, too, of Satan, and how his colossal lies are repeated over and over again throughout our society and of how we eventually begin to doubt the truth in favor of the oft-repeated lie:

Money will make you happy. Lots of money and stuff will make you supremely happy.

People and relationships can wait. Pursue the urgent rather than the eternal.

God can be mocked. You will not really reap what you sow.

You are not loved. God cannot be trusted. Live for the moment because that’s all you’ve got.

We believe the lies, act upon them, and lose our own souls in the process.

I’ve gone a bit far afield from the book Someone Named Eva, but a book that can make me think about such important issues is only simple in the sense that it is honest and direct. Oh, the power of a simple story.

Someone Named Eva was nominated for the Cybil Award for Middle Grade Fiction. Read more about author Joan M. Wolf here.

Other reviewers write about Someone Named Eva:

Elizabeth Bird at A Fuse #8 Production.

We Like Mike

Oct29

I told you I’d be posting about Mike Huckabee on Mondays for awhile. I think that the bandwagon is rolling along quite nicely, but it could always use a few more passengers.

Chuck Norris endorses Mike Huckabee for president.

Newsweek interview with Mr. Huckabee.: “Some of the people in leadership positions among the social conservatives have become more process-focused than they are principle-focused, and that’s unfortunate because they will marginalize themselves out of any relevance if they continue in that vein.”

Terri Blackstock, Christian author: “Some would say that I’m a one-issue voter. I’m not. There are several issues that are extremely important to me. The abortion issue is not one of those issues. It’s the foundation on which any candidate I consider must stand. You must understand, if a man or woman believes that it’s okay to kill babies, that tells me that their judgment is severely impaired. They are not fit to run our country.”

Homeschooled twins Alex and Brett Harris blog about Mike Huckabee: “Three brothers’ attempt to spread the word about a man who will take this country up, not down; someone who has a proven track record as an innovative, optimistic, and authentic conservative — Mike Huckabee.”

Joe Carter (Evangelical Outpost): “Only after prayerfully considering the issues, the candidates, and the electoral calculus have we decided to settle on this joint endorsement. We hope that you will join us in careful deliberation of Gov. Huckabee’s candidacy and that you will join us in pledging to cast a sacred vote for the office of President of the United States. Our army may go down in defeat, but it won’t be because we refused to enlist in this worthy cause.”
Joe Carter is joined by Justin Taylor (Between Two Worlds) and Matthew Anderson (Mere Orthodoxy) in this endorsement.

Concord Monitor: Voters Should Get to Know Huckabee.

Tim Ellsworth interviews Mike Huckabee.

Da Vinci: Up Close

Oct28

See Da Vinci’s famous painting up close and in detail. Fascinating.

Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ Goes Online
By COLLEEN BARRY (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
October 27, 2007 11:15 PM EDT
MILAN, Italy –
Can’t get to Milan to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece “The Last Supper?” As of Saturday, all you need is an Internet connection. Officials put online an image of the “Last Supper” at 16 billion pixels –1,600 times stronger than the images taken with the typical 10 million pixel digital camera.

The high resolution will allow experts to examine details of the 15th century wall painting that they otherwise could not – including traces of drawings Leonardo put down before painting. The high-resolution allows viewers to look at details as though they were inches from the art work, in contrast to regular photographs, which become grainy as you zoom in, said curator Alberto Artioli.

“You can see how Leonardo made the cups transparent, something you can’t ordinarily see,” said Artioli. “You can also note the state of degradation the painting is in.”

Besides allowing experts and art-lovers to study the masterpiece from home, Artioli said the project provides an historical document of how the painting appears in 2007, which will be valuable to future generations of art historians.

The work, in Milan’s Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, was restored in a painstaking effort that wrapped up in 1999 – a project aimed at reversing half a millennium of damage to the famed artwork. Leonard painted the “Last Supper” dry, so the painting did not cleave to the surface in the fresco style, meaning it is more delicate and subject to wear.

“Over the years it has been subjected to bombardments; it was used as a stall by Napoleon,” Artioli said. The restoration removed 500 years of dirt while also removing previous restoration works that masked Leonardo’s own work.

Even those who get to Milan have a hard time gaining admission to see the “Last Supper.” Visits have been made more difficult by measures to protect it. Twenty-five visitors are admitted every 15 minutes to see the painting for a total of about 320,000 visitors a year. Visitors must pass through a filtration system to help reduce the work’s exposure to dust and pollutants.

“The demand is three or four times higher, but we can’t accommodate it because of efforts to preserve the painting,” Artioli said.

Back to Standard Time: NOT

Oct28

REUTERS. Don’t set your clocks back an hour this weekend or you’ll have a lot of coworkers laughing at you on Monday morning. This year, Daylight Saving Time ends 2 a.m. the first Sunday in November, instead of the last Sunday in October.
For that, you can thank the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005. To save energy, U.S. legislators set the stage then for 34 weeks of DST, beginning this year.

The savings “could be in the ballpark” of 1% of household consumption on a daily basis, said Rob Douglas, research officer at the time standards group of the National Research Council of Canada.
So it won’t be until next week that everyone rolls back the hands of time — everyone except Saskatchewan that is. The province stubbornly sticks with Central Standard Time, year round.

Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson

Oct27

Leepike Ridge was a book that my mom wanted me to read. She said that I needed to broaden my taste in books. I didn’t read it, and my mom decided that she would read it to us at night. I went along with it, and one night, we had finished reading and the end of the chapter left me in suspense. I picked up the book and started to read, and I learned that it was a very good book. Here is the basic story:

In this book, there is a boy named Tom Hammond. He lived in a house on top of a huge rock. His dad was dead, but his mother was still alive. It all starts out with a new refrigerator. He was catching crawdads in the stream next to his house. He ran to where the delivery men are grunting and heaving the heavy box up the stairs. When the delivery men were done with their job, he took the box and packing foam and brought it down the stairs to the woods. He threw the box and it hit a rock; he threw the packing foam and it fell in a tree. He knockeed it down and threw it again and started to play with it, as though he were in the army. He left it on the bank and went back home. There was his mom’s boyfriend, Jeffrey. Tom didn’t like Jeffrey, and when his mom said that he was staying for supper… Tom was close to blowing. After supper, his mom told Jeffrey about how Tom was playing with a box, and that it sounded like when he played with his army men. “I do not, play with army men.” Tom said and about one minute later, he stormed out of the house. He stood for a moment, and started to climb up the house and onto the roof. He stood on the chimney, and looked down. A couple of minutes later, his mom came out and called him, he didn’t answer. Oh, well, I don’t want to give the whole story away, so I am going to leave you there!

Sherry’s review of Leepike Ridge.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born October 27th

Oct27

“For unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.”

“There are two things that I want you to make up your minds to: first, that you are going to have a good time as long as you live – I have no use for the sour-faced man – and next, that you are going to do something worthwhile, that you are going to work hard and do the things you set out to do.”

“Don’t hit at all if you can help it; don’t hit a man if you can possibly avoid it; but if you do hit him, put him to sleep.”

“I don’t think any President ever enjoyed himself more than I did. Moreover, I don’t think any ex-President ever enjoyed himself more.”

Theodore Roosevelt became president at forty-two, when William McKinley was assassinated. Although he wasn’t the youngest man ever elected president (Kennedy, age 43), Teddy was the youngest to become president. When TR’s second term was over, he was still only fifty years old, making him the youngest ex-president, too.

T.R., b. 1858, is my favorite of all the presidents. I don’t say he was the best or the wisest or the one I would most agree with politically, but he would definitely be the most interesting dinner guest of all the presidents. Which president, or first lady, would you invite to your home if you could?

Bumper Stickers that Made Me Go, “Huh?”

Oct24

Almost everybody collects something. I collect books, so I don’t really have room for any other collections in my house. (In fact, my children would say that the books have taken over the house.) However, I also collect something that doesn’t take up any space: bumper stickers. Actually, bumper sticker slogans. I saw both of these when I was taking my son to canoeing class last Thursday.

On the left side of the bumper: CLEAN AND SOBER
On the right side of the bumper: SOBER AND CRAZY
(Should I be worried or reassured?)

On the back of a black car with a Goth-looking girl driving:

Knowledge is power.
Power corrrupts.
Study hard. Be evil.

Underneath that one on the same black car: Kill all the hippies.
(Is this some attempt at irony? Hippies want peace, so kill all the hippies? If so, it’s a little/lot heavy-handed, don’t you think? I guess it fits with the first syllogism.)

Have you seen any interesting bumper stickers lately?

To this Great Stage of Fools: Born October 23rd

Oct23

Robert Seymour Bridges, b. 1844. English poet, poet laureate from 1913 to his death in 1930. According to Wikipedia, “At Corpus Christi College, Bridges became friends with Gerard Manley Hopkins, who is now considered a superior poet but who owes his present fame to Bridges’ efforts in arranging the posthumous publication (1916) of his verse.” Bridges was also a translator of hymns, including O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded, When Morning Gilds the Skies, and Bach’s famous Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.

Jesu, joy of man’s desiring,
Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.
Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings;
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown.

Laurie Halse Anderson, b. 1961. She’s the same age as my baby sister. She wrote Speak, an excellent YA book about a difficult subject. Semicolon review here. She’s also the author of Fever 1793, a fictional account of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in that year.

To this Great Stage of Fools: Born October 22nd

Oct22

Marjorie Flack, b. 1897. Artist and children’s author. She wrote several well-loved children’s classics, including:

The Story about Ping: Ping, a little yellow duck, is the last duck to come home when the boatman calls, and the last duck across the bridge gets a spank. So instead of taking his spank, Ping hides and gets separated from his wise-eyed boat on the Yangtze River. Illustrated by Kurt Wiese.
Ask Mr. Bear Similar to Charlotte zolotow’s Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, Danny asks all the animals for help in finding the perfect birthday present for his mother.
Angus and the Ducks
Angus and the Cat
Angus Lost: Semicolon review here.
Walter, the Lazy Mouse
The Boats on the River: Caldecott Honor book in 1947, illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum.
Wait for William William is late for the parade when he stops to tie his shoe, but he gets the best parade view of all.
Tim Tadpole and the Great Bullfrog
Neighbors on the Hill
The Restless Robin
Angus and Wagtail Bess
All Around the Town: The Story of a Boy in New York

Ms. Flack also illustrated The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward. Marjorie Flack’s second husband was William Rose Benet, brother of Stephen Vincent Benet. William Benet was a Pulitzer prize winning poet (1942) as was his brother, and Marjorie was his fourth wife. She outlived him.