Summer Reading List: Karate Kid

Jun19

Karate Kid is ten years old. He likes martial arts (Kuk Sool Won), swimming, knights, science, and video games. Here’s his reading list for the summer:


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. KK started this book, liked it very much, but lost the book. We need to get a copy from the library.

Henry Reed, Inc. by Keith Robertson.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. Since KK is interested in Korea and since he liked Ms. Park’s book The Kite Fighters., I figured he’d like this one.

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood.

Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield.

Archimedes and the Door of Science by Joan Bendick.

Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson. KK also liked Anderson’s The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen.

The Great Brain by John Dennis Fitzgerald. Hilarious adventures of an all-American boy.

Danny Dunn, Time Traveler by Jay Williams. Old, but maybe not too dated.

I, II and II John from the Bible.

Geometry for Every Kid by Janice Van Cleave. KK has plans to learn geometry this summer. He’s using Key Curriculum’s Key to Geometry.

Einstein Anderson Sees Through the Invisible Man by Seymour Simon. Encyclopedia Brown-like science puzzlers.

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz.

The White Mountains by John Chrisopher. I still remember reading this scinece fiction/fantasy series when I was a kid, and I think KK would like it.

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka.

Time Warp Trio: Sam Samurai by Jon Scieszka. Karate Kid also likes all things Japanese, especially samurai and karate and anime.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. I thought a little poetry wouldn’t hurt too much —especially this collection of kid-friendly poems that is still just as popular today as it was when it flew off the sheves in my school library twenty years ago.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary.

Half Magic by Edward Eager. Knights. Magic. Adventure. Classic.

Summer Reading List: Middle School Daughter.

Summer Reading List: Summer After High School.

I have eight children, seven at home, so there are more summer reading lists coming up soon.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born June 19th

Jun19

Blaise Pascal, b. 1623 In 1656, while he was still in his early thirties, Pascal began collecting material for a book, Apology for the Christian Religion. He wrote down his thoughts “upon the first scrap paper that came to hand . . . a few words and very often parts of words only.” These fragments of thought became, after his death at age 39, the Pensees, edited by a group of monks who shared his Catholic faith. Some pensees:

“Jesus Christ is a God whom we approach without pride and before whom we humble ourselves without despair.”

“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who believe themselves sinners; the rest, sinners, who believe themselves righteous.”

“Misery induces despair, pride induces presumption. The Incarnation shows man the greatness of his misery by the greatness of the remedy which he required.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Prince of Preachers, b. 1834.

Every Sunday evening Mrs. Spurgeon was accustomed to gather the children around the table, and as they read the Scripture, she would explain it to them verse by verse. Then she prayed, and her son declares that some of the words of her prayers her children never forgot. Once she said, “Now, Lord, if my children go on in their sins, it will not be from ignorance they perish, and my soul must bear swift witness against them at the day of judgement if they lay not hold of Christ.” That was not at all in the modern vein, but it was the arrow that reached the boy’s soul. “The thought of a mother bearing swift witness against me pierced my conscience and stirred my heart.” There was enough in him to cause his mother anxiety. His father recalled that his wife once said to him, speaking of their eldest son, “What a mercy that boy was converted when he was young.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon: A Biography by W.Y. Fullerton

I would that my children had a mother like Susannah Wesley or Elizabeth Spurgeon, but God has given them me, and my prayers, poor and inconsistent as they are, must be enough. Finally, of course, it is God’s mercy and grace that must suffice.

Juneteenth

Jun18

Those of you who aren’t Texians may be unfamiliar with this holiday, celebrated on June 19th, but I’ve heard about it all my life. According to the Juneteenth website,

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

Juneteenth is an official state holiday in Texas and it will be celebrated tomorrow, mostly by those of African American descent, with picnics, prayer services, carnivals, parades, and other festivities. Oh, yes, a typical Juneteenth celebration usually involves barbecue, watermelon, and red soda pop. Happy Juneteenth!

Author Athol Dickson on Juneteenth, Christians, and karma.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born June 14th

Jun14

Harriet Beecher Stowe, b. 1811. Harriet Beecher was one of eleven brothers and sisters, and she and her husband, professor Calvin Stowe had seven children of their own. In 1852, Harriet published her most famous book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Later, during their retirement years, the Stowes lived across the lawn from another famous author, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). During the time that the Stowe family and the Clemens family were neighbors in Hartford, Connecticutt, Mark Twain wrote his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Laurence Michael Yep, b.1948. Mr. Yep writes mostly historical fiction for children and young adults. The books are usually set on the West Coast or in Asia and feature Asian or Asian American characters. I’ve read Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate and enjoyed them very much. Laurence Yep also has a connection with Mark Twain. Two of Yep’s titles are The Mark Twain Murders and The Tom Sawyer Fires.

Sameera’s Blog Tour

Jun13

Here in Semicolonland, we’re quite comfortable talking with fictional characters. One daughter, who wouldn’t want me to even identify her by nickname, used to walk around the house talking to her fictional friends all the time. So, when author Mitali Perkins asked if I’d like to participate in her blog tour and interview fictional First Daughter Sameera Righton, I said, “Sure!”

First Daughter has a lot of information about blogs and blogging. How did you start blogging, and why do you do it?

I started when I lived in Brussels, setting up a small myplace.com blog and inviting 29 friends to tune in. During Dad’s campaign, I widened the circle and went public so I could stay in charge of my public image. But it’s more than that, Mrs. E. I’ve always loved to write and get other people commenting and chatting with each other. And as a kid growing up with two mongo-powerful parents, I figured out early that a pen (or a laptop) has way more power to change the world than a sword. That’s why I want to be a journalist or a screenwriter. Or both. And that’s why I blog.

I know you have your own blog now where you write whatever you want, but what if you decided to write about something controversial such as abortion rights or illegal immigration or the war in Iraq? Wouldn’t your Dad’s handlers want to have prior approval on topics like that?

Tough bunnies. I draw the lines when it comes to content, not them. I’m not scared to bring up the issues I care about, but I like to ask questions instead of giving answers. Don’t worry, Mrs. E., I get that how you ask a question about an issue can show people exactly where you stand. Usually, I know Dad’s position, so if we agree, I blog away. If I don’t know what he thinks, I find out. When we disagree, I hash it out with him in private (usually over dessert on Sunday evening), and after we’ve had a good intense discussion, I ask if it’s okay to share a sound byte or two from our conversation out in cyber-space. Dad’s such a champion of freedom of speech that he’d never stop me; he’s learned that letting me have my say on Sparrowblog shows off his passion for liberty. Bottom line: he trusts me, and I’d never trash him or shame him publicly, even when he drives me nuts. But hey, it is a good idea to put a disclaimer on the blog so that people know it’s my stuff and not Dad’s official position. Thanks for the idea.

Even now, when I’m writing about the real First Kid wannabes, Sparrowblog’s not an op-ed column; it’s about safety, respect, trust, and fun, and good old-fashioned courtesy, something my Gran and Poppa hammer into every member of the Campbell clan. I want red people and blue people and purple people to feel welcome on Sparrowblog.

How many famous people have you met, and who were the most interesting celebs? Whom would you like to meet?

Most of the movie stars I’d want to meet are dead — that’s the down side of being into classic films. I have to say it was freaky meeting Governor Schwarzenegger in California, because I couldn’t stop imagining him terminating me. I guess I like the old meaning of “stars” better — people who shine in the universe because of how they serve the planet, not because of how beautiful or powerful they are. When it comes to that kind of celeb, I’d love to meet Aung San Syuu Ji of Burma, who’s spent the last decade under house arrest taking a stand for democracy. My Mom met her years ago, and said she’s as lovely and graceful in real life as she seems in the media. Or >Given Kachepa and Grace Akallo, two former child slaves who have become on-fire abolitionists. Now those are shiny people. I’d also like to host a retreat for all the real First Kid wannabes where we could chat about how to take charge of your own image, handle the press, how to date in the public eye, and what to do when your parents are driving you crazy but you have to campaign with them anyway.

Do you feel a lot of pressure to always look and sound your best? How do you get opportunities to relax and be casual?

You bet I feel pressure, but that’s part of the game. The weird thing was figuring out that I look and sound my best when I’m not worrying about how I look or sound. The blog definitely helps me stay real. But I also head to my grandparents’ farm as often as I can (milking definitely gets your mind off yourself), and on Sundays, we go to church in the morning and chill at home without screens and plugs for the rest of the day. Despite my addiction to techno-toys, I have to admit that I wouldn’t survive without our Sundays. I also go dancing with my buddies, love, love, love movies, and of course, there’s nothing more peaceful than noshing on oatmeal scotchies and watching a House and Garden channel show with my cousin Ran.

If your dad weren’t running for president, whom would you like to see in the 2008 race? Which Democrat candidate? Which Republican?

I’m all for making this as interesting an election as possible to bring out a gazillion voters. Every four years, we get the chance to show the rest of the planet how awesome it is to be free. Take the extra-tight race a few years ago where Mr. Gore eventually lost to Mr. Bush and nobody tried to off anybody or start a civil war. How great is that? The more people who vote this time, the better the ad for democracy. That’s why I’d like to see an Obama-Clinton combo versus a Romney-Rice Republican ticket in November ‘08. A Christian convert Democrat taking on a Mormon Republican, and Dr. Rice debating Mrs. Clinton — now that would get people into the election, wouldn’t it?

When does your book come out? What do you like about the book Ms. Perkins wrote about you and the campaign? What would you change if you could?

First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover releases in June 2007, and the sequel, First Daughter: White House Rules, releases in January 2008. Here’s my beef — if she’d have put a bit more action into it, like have me or Ran get kidnapped or something (rescued eventually, of course), or maybe have me try and elope with Bobby, the Walden Media people or Disney just might have optioned the books for a movie. Now that would be sweet. One of the girls who played Parvati or Padma Patil in the Harry Potter movies could play me. Oh wait, they’re Brits. I’m sure there are great South Asian teen actors in the States, but they’re all unknown, so (sigh) Vanessa Hudgens would probably end up hitting the tanning salons and getting the job.

Thanks for a fun interview, Mrs. E. I’m so glad you and Brown Bear liked the book.

And thank you, Sameera and Mitali for an enjoyable read and something to look forward to in presidential election year 2008.

Sherry’s Semicolon review of First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover.

Brown Bear Daughter’s review of First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born June 13th

Jun13

Dorothy L. Sayers, (b. June 13, 1893) “I always have a quotation for everything – it saves original thinking.”
Dorothy Sayers quotations.
Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy Sayers
Top Ten Mystery Writers
Biographical Sketch of Dorothy L. Sayers with a list of her published writings.
Dorothy L. Sayers’ Feminism by Susan Haack

I like Dorothy Sayers. She was something of a character. She was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford with a degree in Medieval and Modern languages. She had an illegitimate son, Anthony, when she was thirty years old, and although she felt she could not raise him herself, she entrusted him to the care of a cousin and supported him financially and by writing him letters. She later married a war hero, Arthur Fleming, who was in poor health, and she took care of him until his death. She taught herself old Italian and translated Dante’s Divine Comedy She also translated Song of Roland from the French..

“The only Christian work is good work, well done”

“I am occasionally desired by congenital imbeciles and the editors of magazines to say something about the writing of detective fiction “from the woman’s point of view.” To such demands, one can only say, “Go away and don’t be silly. You might as well ask what is the female angle on an equilateral triangle.”

Dorothy Sayers was first of all a Christian, secondly a writer and a scholar, and her identity as a woman came in a distant third–or later.

Book-spotting #26

Jun12

Alexander McCall Smith tells Newsweek about his favorite books. A man who lists Pride and Prejudice as one of his five favorites must have something going on in the upper story.

The blogger at The Rap Sheet “e-mailed invitations to more than 100 crime novelists, book critics, and bloggers from all over the English-speaking world, asking them to choose the one crime/mystery/thriller novel they thought had been ‘most unjustly overlooked, criminally forgotten, or underappreciated over the years.'” Here’s the compiled list of all the books that were suggested.
Fuse #8 has a list of best children’s novels you’ve never read. What is your favorite under-appreciated children’s novel or crime/mystery/thriller?

Tom Payne writes in The Telegraph about words and phrases reviewers overuse. I checked it out, and I’m not sophisticated enough to use many of these cliches. I have been guilty of “take one ****, mix in some ****, add a dash of ****, leave to simmer, and what do you have?” But I never actually required anyone to simmer any of my mixtures. Roger Sutton and his commenters take on overused words in reviews of children’s books. I don’t think I’m (over)using many of these either: feisty, endearing, compelling, quirky, spunky, kerfluffle, quotidian, romp, appealing, zany. I’m sure I have my own cliches and frequently used terms. What words do you see overused in blog reviews?

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

Jun10

Disturbing. Somewhat frightening. Feverish. Violent.

A tale of love and friendship?

Enna Burning is a sequel to Shannon Hale’s successful and enjoyable first novel The Goose Girl, but in this book things turn darker and more violent in Bayern. Tira, their neighboring country and traditional enemy, has attacked, and Bayern must defend its borders and its villages. Enna, Princess Isi’s friend and confidante, has been living quietly in her village in the forest, but now is the time for all good men, and even women, to come to the aid of Bayern. Enna finds that she has the ability to save Bayern, but she may destroy herself in the process.

The book, although it’s fantasy, has an anti-war message comparable to that of another book I read this weekend, Red Moon at Sharpsburg. Again, Hale seems to be saying through her story that although war may sometimes be necessary, it’s never glorious or untouched by moral ambiguity.

I enjoyed Enna Burning, but I liked The Goose Girl better. I’m looking forward to reading a third book in the series, published last year, River Secrets.

Shannon Hale’s website, Squeetus.

48 Hour Book Challenge Final Report

Jun10

Books read: 6 1/2

The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman. (225 pages)

Marika by Andrea Cheng. (163 pages)

Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins. (91 pages)

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. (216 pages)

Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells. (236 pages)

Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer. (255 pages)

I also started The Miner’s Daughter by Gretchen Moran Laskas and read about halfway (145 pages) through it before the end of my challenge at 10:00 A.M. this morning.

Total pages read: 1331

Time read: I forgot to keep track, so I have no idea.

What I learned:
I like historical fiction and stories from other cultures.
I’m not so fond of contemporary realistic fiction unless it’s done really well.
It’s hard to write really good realistic fiction for kids and young adults set in the the present time.
I still can’t read in the car for very long without feeling queasy.
48hbc
Suggestions for next year:
Time the 48 Hour Book Challenge to coincide with the closing of nominations for the Cybil awards, and give extra points for reading and reviewing Cybil nominees.

Maybe it should be just a straight 72 hour book challenge from Friday morning until Monday morning. Some people have church or meetings to work around; others have work on Friday or Saturday. But everyone ought to be able to get in about 24 plus hours of reading and reviewing in three days.

Just a couple of non-binding suggestions. Thanks, MotherReader for sponsoring the challenge.

Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer

Jun10

Edgar Degas’s Petite danseuse de quatorze ans (Little Dancer Aged Fourteen) was the only sculpture he ever exhibited during his lifetime. I had never heard of it, although I have enjoyed his paintings of dancers, until I read Carolyn Meyer’s historical fiction novel about the life of the model for the sculpture, a dancer named Marie van Goethem.

In Meyer’s story Marie’s family is made up of herself, her older sister Antoinette, her younger sister Charlotte, and her mother, a laundress with dreams of stardom for her three daughters. The world of ballet is harsh, especially when the family lives in poverty with hardly enough money to pay the rent and buy food. The little money Marie is paid for modelling for Monsieur Degas helps to buy food and clothing for the girls —and unfortunately, sometimes it goes to feed Maman’s addiction to absinthe. As Marie sees, in Degas’s studio and later in the Paris apartment of American artist Mary Cassatt, a new world of luxuries she hardly knew existed, the little ballet dancer is tempted to follow the example of her older sister and accept the favors and gifts of the men who come backstage to woo the ballet dancers and to gain their “favors” in return. Marie’s final fate is not what I expected, but it does seem realistic, rather than a forced happily-ever-after ending.

I think the artists and the dancers and the dreamers will enjoy this look into the the story behind a great work of art. It’s most appropriate for high school age young people since one of the main dilemmas in the novel is whether or not Marie will become a lorette (kept woman) as her sister and many of the other dancers do. I thought the subject was handled frankly, but also tastefully. Marie must also choose between the attentions of a young coachman, Jean-Pierre, and a young nobleman, Lucian Daudet. Lucien gives Marie jewels and fine meals, but Jean-Pierre has her heart until the day he asks her to give more than she can give.

Carolyn Meyer is one of Brown Bear Daughter’s favorite authors. She especially enjoys Meyer’s novels of Tudor England, including Mary, Bloody Mary and Doomed Queen Anne. I read one of Ms. Meyer’s early novels, Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker, a long time ago, and I remember thinking it quite a good read.

By the way Ms. Meyer’s birthday was yesterday. According to her website, she’s still writing, and her latest project is called Dear Charley Darwin. She also has a book coming out this month called Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de’ Medici.

Happy 72nd Birthday, Ms. Meyer.

Carolyn Meyer’s website.

The story of a ballet based on the life of Marie van Goethem, Le petite danseuse.

See a picture of the sculpture by Edgar Degas, Petite danseuse.