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Mountain State, Country Roads: West Virginia in Fiction for Kids

Oct31

Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river –
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin’ like a breeze.

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads.

All my memories gathered round her
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrops in my eye.

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads.

I hear her voice in the mornin hour she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
And drivin’ down the road I get a feelin’
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads . . .

In addition to Ruth White’s 2007 book, Way Down Deep, here are some other books for children set in the heavenly mountains of West Virginia:

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Newbery Medal book in 1992. Joanne, The Simple Wife, reviews Shiloh.

Wrestle the Mountain by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

A Blue-Eyed Daisy by Cynthia Rylant.

Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. Newbery Medal book for 1993. Sandy D. reviews Missing May.

The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars. Newbery Medal book for 1971. Betsy reviews The Summer of the Swans.

Mine Eyes Have Seen by Ann Rinaldi. John Brown’s daughter, Annie, tells the story of the events leading up to the raid on Harper’s Ferry.

There are three Newbery award-winning books set in West Virginia? What’s up with that? It seems as if that’s more than West Virginia’s fair share? Good books, anyway.

Other suggestions?

Gleaned from the Saturday Review

Oct30

The Witness Tree–Howley and Loftus. Recommended by Melanie at The indextrious Reader. A fictionalized biography/family saga of the Dulles family. I know next to nothing about about John Foster Dulles or his family; he’s vaguely associated in my mind with diplomacy and the State Department. The book sounds fascinating.

Kensuke’s Kingdom–Morpurgo. Recommended by Nicola at Back to Books. A boy is stranded on a Pacific island with a Japanese soldier who was shipwrecked on the same island during WW II.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. This one just sounds like fun. Short, sweet, and off-beat —and about the joys of reading. I’m hooked. Recommended by Sam Houston at Book Chase.

I could have “gleaned” a few more, but I’m trying to cut down. Not that I’m trying to cut down on my reading, just trying to cut down the length of my LIST.

Briefly Noted

Oct17

I’ve read the following books in the past few months, but I didn’t review them because I really didn’t have that much to say about them. Here you have my brief opinions:

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Mr. Sacks is a neurologist who writes in this book about patients with “conditions ranging from Tourette’s Syndrome to autism, parkinsonism, musical hallucination, phantom limb syndrome, schizophrenia, retardation and Alzheimer’s disease.” We’ve been watching a lot of House lately, and the book reminded me of the often strange diagnoses on that program. However, Dr. Sacks sounds a lot more compassionate than Greg House.
Christian Science Monitor: What Is Oliver Sacks Reading, Listening To, and Watching?

The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. Great if you liked the other books in this No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I did.

Austenland by Shannon Hale I first read about this book at Camille’s Book Moot. She refers to a review at Bookshelves of Doom. It was enjoyable chick-lit, nothing serious, for Jane Austen fans only. I can’t imagine anyone else finding the book of interest, but I can imagine especially young single fans of Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth finding the book to be a good way to spend an afternoon.

The Case of the Gilded Fly by Edmund Crispin. Recommended by Cindy at Dominion family. I enjoyed this golden era mystery, reminiscent of Agatha, Dorothy, and Josephine. But not as absorbing.

Book-spotting #30

Oct16

Edwardian reading: novels set in Edwardian England, a list by Danielle Torres.

Down the Pub With Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: A Review of The Company They Keep, C.S. Lewis and JRR Tolkien as writers in community by Diana Pavlac Glyer.

A Reading List for Jo, Carmon’s sixteen year old daughter.

Lena Mae’s Books by great-grandaughter Lanier: “Her family said of her that she believed there was never a boy or a book that was beyond help. Having lost her only son at the age of nine she was known all her life for her fierce tenderness towards the male race, pampering the boy grandchildren with a delightful shamelessness. But she was equally shameless in her defense of books. In her mind it was a mortal sin to throw away a book, right up there with dancing and playing cards on Sundays. Books that had fallen on hard times were no more to be censured than a genuine lady or gentleman of reduced means. If the message housed between the covers was still legible—and worthy to begin with—then it found safe refuge with her.”

Tried and Found Wanting

Oct15

I’m becoming more and more willing to give up on books that are not doing anything for me after the first fifty or hundred pages. One reason blog reviews are so useful: they indicate for me whether or not I should persevere in hopes of finding something worthwhile.

Full Dark House–Fowler. Recommended by author Anne Perry.

Homestead–Lippi Recommended by Carrie at Mommy Brain.

Housekeeping—Robinson. I loved Gilead, but I couldn’t get into this one, her first novel.

Inheritance of Loss–Desai. Strange people, and not because it’s set in India.

Night Inspector—Busch. A Civil War sniper, post-war, obsesses over his war experience. Maybe something else happens later?

Raising Demons–Jackson Recommended by At a Hen’s Pace —in a comment here. I found the first half of the book amusing, but I just lost interest along the way.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel –Susanna Clarkson. I found that I couldn’t face a thousand plus pages of bringing magic back to Britain. Is there something else there that I missed by not finishing?

Confederacy of Dunces–Toole Recommended in a comment here. The main character was a dunce, and I don’t suffer fools gladly. Well, maybe what’s-his-face had something to teach or say, but it didn’t reveal itself in the first one hundred pages.

The Man With the Red Bag by Eve Bunting. In my quest to read children’s fiction published in 2007, I picked up this book at the library. It was predictable, and I didn’t finish. I didn’t really care what the man had in his red bag, and I knew from about page three that it wasn’t a bomb.

Constitution Titles for Constitution Day

Sep16

This year Constitution Day is Monday, September 17. Educational institutions receiving funding through the Department of Education are required to participate by holding educational programs pertaining to the U.S. Constitution. I think this particular instance of unwarranted interference by the federal government in educational affairs is probably unconstitutional, but well-meaning and perhaps helpful. At any rate, if you want to introduce students to the U.S. Constitution and its meaning, here are some titles to help you to do so:

Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen. Subtitled “The Story of the Constitutional Convention May to September 1787,” this book is the one that gave me the story of the US constitution. It’s suitable for older readers, at least middle school age, but it’s historical writing at its best. I loved reading about Luther Martin of Maryland, whom Henry Adams described as “the notorious reprobate genius.” Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts who was”always satisfied to shoot an arrow without caring about the wound he caused.” (Both Gerry and Martin refused to sign the final version of the Constitution.) Of course, there were Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution, George Washington, who presided over the convention in which all present knew that they were creating a presidency for him to fill, and Ben Franklin, the old man and elder statesman who had to be carried to the convention in a sedan chair. Ms. Bowen’s book brings all these characters and more to life and gives the details of the deliberations of the constitutional convention in readable and interesting format.

A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy Maestro; illustrated by Guilio Maestro.

If You Were There When They Signed the Constitutionby Elizabeth Levy; illustrated by Joan Holub.

Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Tomie dePaola.

We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States Illustrated by David Catrow.

We the People: The Story of Our Constitution by Peter Spier.

Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz.

Cobblestone: Celebrating Our Constitution. Cobblestone Publishing, September 1987. (magazine for kids)

Cobblestone: The Constitution of the United States. Cobblestone Publishing, September 1982. (magazine for kids)

Constitution Day resources for libraries from the Colorado Department of Education.

Celebrate the Constitution game.

Announcement of federal legislation concerning Constitution Day from The Federal Register.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born September 3rd

Sep2

Aliki Liacouras Brandenberg, b. 1929.

Take a look at this bibliography of books that she has written:

Ah, Music!. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.
Aliki’s Americans. Simon and Schuster, 1998.
All By Myself!. New York: HarperCollins, 2000.
At Mary Bloom’s Reissue ed. William Morrow, 1983.
Best Friends Together Again. 1st ed. Greenwillow, 1995.
Big Book for Our Planet. 1st ed. New York: Dutton, 1993.
Christmas Tree Memories. Reissue ed. HarperTrophy, 1994.
Communication. Greenwillow, 1993.
Corn Is Maize: The Gift of the Indians. HarperTrophy, 1986.
Digging Up Dinosaurs. TyCrowell, 1988.
Dinosaur Bones. HarperTrophy, 1990.
Dinosaurs Are Different. Demco Media, 1986.
Diogenes; The Story of the Greek Philosopher. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968.
The Eggs. Random Library, 1969.
Feelings. Greenwillow, 1984. Ages 4-8
Fossils Tell of Long Ago. Reissue ed. HarperTrophy, 1990.
George and the Cherry Tree.
Go Tell Aunt Rhody. Reprint ed. Aladdin, 1996.
The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. Harpercollins, 1994.
Green Grass and White Milk. New York: Crowell, 1974.
Hello! Good-Bye. Greenwillow, 1996.
How a Book Is Made. Reprint ed. HarperTrophy, 1988.
Hush Little Baby; A Folk Lullaby. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968.
I’m Growing. 1st ed. HarperCollins, 1992.
Jack and Jake. William Morrow, 1986.
June 7!. New York: Macmillan, 1972.
Keep Your Mouth Closed, Dear. New York: Dial, 1966.
The King’s Day; Louis XIV of France. Crowell, 1989.
Story of Johnny Appleseed.
The Long Lost Coelacanth; And Other Living Fossils. New York: Crowell, 1973.
Manners. Rep ed. Mulberry Books, 1997.
The Many Lives of Ben Franklin. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1988.
Milk from Cow to Carton. Rev ed. Harpercollins, 1992.
Marianthe’s Story: Painted Words, Spoken Memories Greenwillow, 1998.
A Medieval Feast. Reprint ed. HarperTrophy, 1986.
Mummies Made in Egypt. Reprint ed. Harper Trophy, 1985
My Feet. Reprint ed. Harpercollins, 1992.
My Five Senses. Demco Media, 1990, c1962.
My Hands. Rev. ed. Harpercollins, 1992.
My Visit to the Aquarium. Harpercollins, 1993.
My Visit to the Dinosaurs. Ty Crowell, 1985, c1969.
My Visit to the Zoo. Harpercrest, 1997. New Year’s Day. Crowell, 1967.
One Little Spoonful. New York: HarperFestival, 2001.
Overnight at Mary Bloom’s. Greenwillow, 1987.
The Story of Johnny Appleseed. Prentice-Hall, 1963.
The Story of William Penn. Reprint ed. Simon & Schuster, 1994, c1964.
The Story of William Tell. London: Faber and Faber, 1960.
Tabby: A Story in Pictures. Harpercrest, 1995.
Those Summers. Harpercollins, 1996.
Three Gold Pieces; A Greek Folk Tale. New York: Pantheon, 1967.
The Two of Them. Reprint ed. William Morrow, 1987. Ages 4-8
Use Your Head, Dear. 1st ed. Greenwillow, 1983.
We Are Best Friends. 1st ed. William Morrow, 1982.
A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver. Demco Media, 1988 (c1965).
Welcome, Little Baby. Greenwillow, 1987.
Wild and Woolly Mammoths. Rev. ed. Harpercollins, 1996.
William Shakespeare and the Globe. HarperCollins, 1999.
The Wish Workers. New York: Dial Press, 1962.

And this prolific author has illustrated many more books by other authors. The ones in bold are Semicolon favorites.

Aliki Teacher Resource File.

Under the Radar Recommendations for Wednesday

Aug29

A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy: The President’s Daughter series by Ellen Emerson White

Big A, little a: The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore

Jen Robinson’s Book Page: The Zilpha Keatley Snyder Green Sky trilogy

Bildungsroman: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion Part 1

Chasing Ray: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion Part 2

lectitans: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion Part 3

Finding Wonderland: The House on Hound Hill by Maggie Prince

Miss Erin: The Reb & Redcoats and Enemy Brothers, both by Constance Savery

Bookshelves of Doom: Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher

Interactive Reader: Shake Down the Stars by Frances Donnelly

Chicken Spaghetti: Pooja Makhijani guest blogs with Romina’s Rangoli by Malathi Michelle Iyengar

Writing & Ruminating: Dear Mr. Rosenwald by Carole Weatherford

Shaken & Stirred: Elizabeth Knox and the Dreamhunter Duet

Lars Walker at Brandywine Books, in the spirit of this “Under the Radar” project, writes about the mystery books Of Bill Pronzini.

Project: Books for the Prime Minister

Aug25

I just read about this rather intriguing project via one of the Saturday Review-ers (Melanie at Indextrious). It seems that Canadian author Yann Martel (Life of Pi) decided to send some books to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

For as long as Stephen Harper is Prime Minister of Canada, I vow to send him every two weeks, mailed on a Monday, a book that has been known to expand stillness. That book will be inscribed and will be accompanied by a letter I will have written. I will faithfully report on every new book, every inscription, every letter, and any response I might get from the Prime Minister, on this website.”

So far, Martel has sent ten books to Mr. Harper. He’s received one response to the first book, The Death of Ivan Illych by Tolstoy.

The other nine books are:

Animal Farm by George Orwell.

The Murder of Roger Akroyd by Agatha Christie.

By Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart.

The Bagavad Gita

Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan.

Candide by Voltaire.

Short and Sweet: 101 very short poems, edited by Simon Armitage

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez.

Miss Julia by August Strindberg.

Interesting choices, don’t you think? If you were going to send one book to one of the candidates for the Democratic or Republican nomination for U.S. president, to whom would you send it, and what book woud you send, and why?

Book-spotting #28

Jul22

Nancy Pearl on NPR: Great Opening Lines to Hook Young Readers. She includes the classic C.S. Lewis opening from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (“There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.”), but not my other favorite opening from a YA fiction book:
“Now, Bix Rivers has disappeared, and who do you think is going to tell his story but me? Maybe his stepfather? Man, that dude does not know Bix deep and now he never will, will he?” From The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks.

Thanks to Denny at The Book Den for pointing me to this great list of books recommended for summer reading by the writers at Chuck Colson’s Breakpoint.

And here’s another great list of History and Historical Fiction by PastorBob, who happens to be my pastor.

Reading Aloud ala St. Benedict’s Rule, thanks again to the Headmistress at The Common Room.

From this list of 160 Books All Boys Should Read, I’ve read . . . eight. I’m a voracious reader, but I’m obviously not a boy.

And here’s a spreadsheet for Dr. Peter Boxall’s 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. You can download the (excel) spreadsheet for free, and it gives you a place to mark which of the books you’ve read and tells you haow many you need to read each year to complete the list before you die. That’s provided you live an average lifespan. Fun. Oh, I’ve read 107 of the 1001, about 10%, and I must read 29 of the books on the list each year if I want to finish before I die. Thank goodness, I’m not interested in all the books on the list. No Ragtime for me, and I don’t think Updike and I will ever hit it off. The first 100 books on the list were published in the last ten years or so, and I don’t think many of them will make my personal list either.