St. Lucia's Day: Kirsten's Surprise

Christmas Reading

St. Lucia's Day Reading

Kirsten has always been one of my favorite American Girls. I've always had a soft-spot for anything Swedish and Kirsten and her family traveled a long journey across the Atlantic Journey from Sweden to America. In this installment, we find Kirsten a bit homesick for Sweden. In Sweden, St. Lucia's Day is celebrated and marks the beginning of the Christmas season.

Kirsten and her cousins, Anna and Lisbeth, decide to throw a St. Lucia's Day surprise for their families. The only problem is that the items Kirsten needs to be the St. Lucia's Day Queen are still in the painted trunk which the family had to leave behind a few towns away. Papa has still not gone to pick them, but decides he should do it quickly before the snow gets any thicker. Kirsten goes along with Papa to pick up the trunk, in the town of Maryville 10 miles away.

Papa and Kirsten are stuck in blizzard conditions on their way back home to Uncle Olav's farm. Their horse is frightened and will no longer walk on his own, so he has to be led by Papa. When Papa twists his knee leading the horse, it is up to Kirsten to save the day and lead them to safety. 

Readers often complain that Kirsten is a bit boring and on the dull side, however this book stands out. I find books about bad weather really interesting and so this one was definitely a bit "edge-of-your-seat". Kirsten's story also educates young readers on the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia's Day. I am giving Kirsten's Surprise 4 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: Samantha's Surprise

Christmas Reading

1986

Samantha's Surprise is the third book in Samantha's American Girl series. Just like the first book, this book also is focused on a doll which Samantha wants. Samantha is eager for Christmas. She has made Christmas decorations for Grandmary's house, has a special holiday dress to wear, looks forward to making a gingerbread house, and attending her friend Ida's Christmas party. All of these things are cancelled though when Grandmary learns that Uncle Gard will be bringing Cornelia along for the holidays. Grandmary is very eager to make a good impression with Uncle Gard's fiance and soon everyone in the home is too busy making preparations to help Samantha with her plans.

The story for this book was nice enough. Samantha isn't exactly my favorite American Girl and her stories are often centered around material things. I suppose, that's the somewhat spoiled life Samantha leads, though. Samantha still has heart though and seems like a sweet girl. She's often charitable and focused on giving to others, whether it be her family or her poor friend Nellie. 

This would be a nice Christmas story for young girls. Samantha's Surprise is a short chapter book with a bit of history woven into its story. I am giving Samantha's Surprise 3 out of 5 stars.

Throwback Thursday: The Baby-Sitters Club: Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller (Super Mystery #4)

Christmas Reading

1997

I love Ann M. Martin. She is definitely one of my favorite authors. I still look forward to her new books that come out as an adult. This is my first Baby-Sitters Club mystery and oh man, it was good!

This book is basically three mysteries in one. First, there's a series of break-ins in Kristy's neighborhood. Second, Mallory finds a woman wandering around Elm Street who can't remember who she is or where she came from. Third, Stacy and Claudia are in New York City for the holidays and it seems like they're being followed and strange things begin happening in Stacy's dad's apartment building.

The mysteries were very well thought out. Even as an adult, I was intrigued by them! Stacy and Claudia's mystery alone was like something out of a Lifetime movie. Are all the BSC mysteries this crazy? I look forward to reading more!

I am giving Baby-sitters' Christmas Chiller 4 out of 5 stars. It was fun holiday reading and the baby-sitters exhibited detective skills that would make Nancy Drew proud.

Book Review: Candlelight for Rebecca

Hanukkah Reading

Candlelight for Rebecca is the third book in Rebecca's American Girl series. Traditionally, the third book is always the holiday book, so in this installment we find Rebecca preparing to celebrate Hanukkah with her family. However, every where Rebecca looks there's Christmas decorations. Even at school, the students are creating a Christmas decoration to take home. Rebecca's teacher tells the class that despite one's religion, Christmas is an American holiday celebrated by all.

In her heart, Rebecca feels this isn't right. She follows the class rules and creates the Christmas decoration, but she doesn't feel very good about it. To make matters worse, Rebecca knows her grandmother, Bubbie, and probably her mother will not approve of her bringing home Christmas decorations. Rebecca's twin sisters were already chastised for singing Jingle Bells and wearing red ribbons with bells attached at the ends in their hair. Rebecca is torn between two cultures. 

I enjoyed this book and it'd be a great book for a young girl to read to learn more about the Jewish holiday, Hanukkah. The author weaves the story of Hanukkah into the story, so like with the other American Girl books, children don't even realize they're learning. In this story, Rebecca also learns that hard work and doing what's right pays off, when she helps crotchety Mr. Rizzo, her buildings janitor when he's in need of a helping hand. Mr. Rizzo comes down with a cold and Rebecca kindly offers to help him take care of his pigeons and cat. By doing these good deeds, she's able to understand and get to know a person whom she may have misjudged. 

I am giving Candlelight for Rebecca 4 out of 5 stars. 

Throwback Thursday: Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitter's Club #1)

I just re-read the first book in The Baby-sitter's Club series, Kristy's Great Idea. This series was hugely popular when I was in elementary school. I had so many of these books. I know I read some of them, but I can't even remember which ones. I'm going to try to re-read the series gradually over time as an adult. The great thing about nostalgic books from the '80s and '90s is that they can be found used online, for usually a little under $4.00. 

Kristy's Great Idea definitely did not disappoint me. It was just as good as an adult as it was when I was a child. I love how all four of the girls had their own personalities and styles, but every one of them was likable. I also loved that they had rules. That's something rare to come across in a young adult book nowadays. Claudia, Kristy, Stacey, and Mary Anne's parents had expectations of their daughters and rules for them to abide by. The girls weren't rebellious or troublemakers, but I feel that Ann M. Martin still gave them a way to express themselves. Kristy doesn't like her mom's fiance, Claudia doesn't do as well in school as her sister, Mary Anne's dad is super strict, and Stacey feels the need to lie to her need about a health problem she has.

I look forward to continuing the series and reminiscing about my childhood. Ann M. Martin has an amazing talent for writing. 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Ghost Town at Sundown (Magic Tree House #10)

This is the tenth installment in the Magic Tree House series. In this one, Jack and Annie find themselves sent back to the Wild Wild West trying to solve the next riddle in a ghost town... that may really be haunted! I really enjoyed this one! I'm a sucker for Westerns, so I really liked reading about Jack and Annie's adventures. For some reason, this one seemed a bit longer so Zachery did lose a bit of interest towards the end. 

I highly recommend this series to both young girl and boys. The first ten in the series were great and Zachery and I look forward to the next ten. I'm giving Ghost Town at Sundown 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review: Dolphins at Daybreak

Dolphins at Daybreak is the 9th book in the Magic Tree House series. In this installment, Jack and his little sister Annie find themselves on a coral reef trying to solve a riddle. If they solve they solve the riddle Morgan la Fey will make them Master Librarians. Jack and Annie have exciting encounters with a leaky submarine, an octopus, a hammerhead shark, and a pair of dolphins. 

In my opinion, Dolphins at Daybreak is the most exciting book in the series thus far. I'm pretty sure that my five-year-old son, Zachery, would agree. I find that sometimes the Magic Tree House books will have somewhat of a lull in the middle or they get to the point where I'm thinking, "oh my God are they ever going to complete their mission? Hurry up, for Christ's Sake." However, in Dolphins at Daybreak I found the story line moved along super fast-paced. The fast-pace was great because that meant it was able to fully hold Zachery's attention. I never noticed his mind seeming to wander away.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Meet Marie-Grace

Marie-Grace has just moved back to her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana where she doesn't have any friends, isn't a rich society girl, and barely remembers the preferred language... French. However, thanks to meeting a new friend, Cecile Rey, things start looking up. 

Marie-Grace is one of the newer historic American Girls. I enjoyed reading about 1853 New Orleans. Louisiana is a state that I don't know much about and I honestly never had any interest in learning more about it. Outside of the Sookie Stackhouse books (better know as True Blood), I don't recall reading any other books based in this state. I enjoyed that as Marie-Grace discovered and learned more about New Orleans, so did my little sister and I. Like with Meet Rebecca, we also ended up with a small lesson in a foreign language, French. Most parents will recognize the French in this book from their high school or college introductory French classes. It's all very basic, but it's a great start for young girls. I love that the American Girl books always offer plenty of opportunities to learn!

The only thing I felt was lacking was that Marie-Grace didn't seem to have any lesson learn, like with most of the American Girls. Often this lesson is sacrifice like with Molly, Rebecca, and Caroline. Sometimes, there's hardships to overcome like with Kirsten and Addy. Other times there doesn't seem to be much of a lesson or challenge and that's where the story falls a little flat or tends to feel a bit empty such as with Josefina, Kit, Samantha and now Marie-Grace. I suppose it's not fair to say that those girls didn't have any challenges, because they did- Marie-Grace and Josefina's mothers passed-away, both of Samantha's parents were dead, and Kit's father was laid-off during the Great Depression and she had to learn how to share her house with complete strangers since her mom began renting out rooms (including her own!) to earn extra cash. But, those girls just didn't have to face the things that Kirsten (a pioneer) and Addy (a slave) did. From what I can tell this series is going to get a bit more tense and challenging for both Marie-Grace and Cecile as Yellow Fever takes over New Orleans, so the introductory book to this series can be forgiven.

Overall, I did enjoy Meet Marie-Grace and I look forward to reading Meet Cecile with my sister. I am giving Meet Marie-Grace 4 out of 5 stars and like most American Girl books I would recommend this book to any young girl.

Book Review: Meet Rebecca

Another great American Girl story! Like so many of the other American Girl books, Meet Rebecca has a lot of heart. Rebecca is a Jewish girl living in New York City in 1914 with her twin sisters, brother, parents, and grandparents. Rebecca, being a middle child, always feel left out- especially from her teenage twin sister's activities. When Rebecca's family receives word that their family in Russia is suffering due to prejudice towards Jews and the oncoming war, the family must act fast to save the money to earn their Russian family's passage to America. Rebecca's dad has some money saved towards the ship fare, but it's not yet enough. What can Rebecca do to help?

Well, Rebecca uses her talent in needlework and position as a helper in her father's store to help earn money. Initially she's saving money to buy her own candlesticks for the Sabbath supper. Rebecca has always wanted the honor of lighting the candles, but due to her age she is always overlooked for her older sisters, Sophie and Sadie. Rebecca finally realizes that if she doesn't buy her own candlesticks, she can use her money to help in a much bigger way. 

I really liked this story for several reasons:

1.) The obvious history lesson it offered my little sister.

2.) This American Girl book introduces us to a girl who is a different religion than the other American Girls. My little sister knew nothing about the Jewish religion before and now she has a basic knowledge of their traditions and we even learned a little Yiddish vocabulary.

3.) And most importantly, Rebecca's story is essentially a story about hard work and sacrifice. It was not easy for Rebecca to sacrifice to help others, but through the Jewish tradition of Mitzvah (which means 'good deed') she learns how wonderful it is to help others. Rebecca's dad also is also very charitable through the recycling and repair of shoes in his shoe shop for those in need.  

I'm giving Meet Rebecca 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend this book to young girls. I found it also made a great read-aloud book for story time because I was able to quiz my sister throughout the book on the Yiddish vocabulary and Jewish traditions to keep her memory fresh. Rebecca's sacrifice is also a great conversation topic at the end of the book. Chloe loves this book so much that we read it in one day!

Chloe Says...

Rebecca was very pretty. The book was very challenging because she has to earn a lot of money to make a lot of money so her cousin can come get out of the war. I think Rebecca was very generous. 

Book Review: Meet Josefina

Meet Josefina is the story of Josefina Montoya, an American Girl from New Mexico living there in 1824 before New Mexico was even part of America! Like many of the other American Girl books, I read this book when I was a little girl and again recently with my little sister, Chloe, who is seven. Josefina lives with her father and three sisters who don't always get along. The sister's mother passed away a year ago and her presence is greatly missed on the rancho where Josefina lives. 

Personally I found Josefina's story a bit boring and I noticed that it didn't hold Chloe's attention quite as well either. I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars. There just wasn't much moving the story along, sadly. Which is odd because Valerie Tripp, the author, usually writes the best American Girl books- in my opinion. She also wrote the Molly, Felicity, and Kit series. The whole story revolves around Josefina's Abuelito coming home from the Camino Real caravan trip to Mexico City. When Abuelito returns home the family throws a fandango and they have a surprise guest from Mexico City, Tia Dolores, whom the girls try to convince to stay and live with them on the rancho rather than moving to Santa Fe with Abuelito and her mother.

Chloe Says

"I think it was very sad because her mother died. And Josefina was very brave because she stood up to Florecita the goat who is very mean. When her mother was alive, her mother was protecting Josefina from Florecita."

Book Review: In a Blink (The Never Girls #1)

In a Blink is the story of four friends who are playing one day, when they are accidentally sent to Never Land.  Never Land is a magical place filled with all sorts of lovely and enchanting things to discover, just like in the Disney movie Peter Pan. This book is based on the concept of that movie, but with a modern twist and so far no Peter Pan appears, though there is mention of "lost" children, who will never grow up. Even though there's no Peter Pan, there is, of course, fairies. Plenty of new fairies are introduced in this book, along with an old favorite, Tink. 

I really like how Tink is portrayed in this book. Usually she is portrayed as very snobby and jealous and somewhat naughty. In this book, we really get a fresh perspective. Even though, she's not happy about the arrival of "clumsies" which is what fairies call humans- she still remains pleasant and kind. I also like that she is a "tinkerer" so she fixes things, which I think is great. I like that author didn't feel the need to make her into a gender stereotype or even a fairy stereotype. She's strong and intelligent.

This book just has a very magical ambiance and even as an adult I enjoyed it. The dynamics of the friendships of the four girls were realistic, but not overly dramatic. One of them even learns a valuable lesson when she lets a bad fairy persuade her into doing something the girl feels isn't right. If you have a girl between the ages of 6 /7 and 10 I could definitely see them enjoying this one. It's also very innocent and I'd give it a 'G' rating, so parents don't have to worry about the content. 

I'm giving In a Blink 4 out of 5 stars and my little sister and I both look forward to reading more in this series.

Chloe Says 

The book was very fun and there was a sneaky fairy. I thought it was very good because it shows about friendship. 

Book Review: Meet Caroline: An American Girl

Meet Caroline is the story of Caroline Abbot, who is girl living during the War of 1812. I read this one on my own, without my little sister, because she and my mom read it together. So, before we buy more in the series, I had to know what happened in the first one. Even without reading it to a child, I still found this one totally interesting! As an adult, it kept me turning the pages. This book is really action-packed! 

Caroline, her father, and cousins are sailing on Lake Ontario when their boat is taken hostage by British Soldiers. The War of 1812 has just broken out, unbeknownst to them. Her father and cousin, Oliver, are taken as prisoners of war by the British, and Caroline is returned to her mother in Sackets Harbor, New York. Later, Caroline sacrifices something special to her to help the US scare off the British Naval Fleet, when Sackets Harbor comes under attack.

I actually learned a bit of a history lesson from Meet Caroline. Prior to this I really didn't know what the War of 1812 was about, we just never learned in school and I never did my own research. I just assumed it had something to do with America and Mexico, but it was a totally different border!

I am giving Meet Caroline 4 out 5 stars and I look forward to reading more in Caroline's series. Caroline is a courageous and spirited girl and I highly recommend this book for any young girl.

Book Review: Meet Addy: An American Girl

I probably don't have to describe Addy's story, as she is a classic American Girl, but I will go ahead and talk about her amazing story for any newcomers to AG. So, Addy is a slave living on a plantation in North Carolina. Her master sells her father and brother to another plantation, right before the whole family is supposed to escape to freedom. Addy and her Momma bravely decide to continue their escape into freedom without the men in the family and also sadly, heart-breakingly must decide to leave behind Addy's baby sister Esther. Sigh. That part is so sad, but Esther is left in the good hands of family relations on the plantation. 

This book... it just makes you feel so lucky. I couldn't imagine living during these times. How? How do these people even make it through the day? This is one of those special books that will definitely make the little girl in your life realize how lucky she is. People had it so hard. What we think of as hard is not even what Addy and her family would have considered hard. A bad day for Addy isn't her iPad being taken away from her for the day, a bad day for Addy is the slave master making her eat the tobacco worms she missed picking and/or her family being torn apart in all different directions. Addy and her family have no control of their lives. They literally have to steal that control away from the master. 

I highly recommend Meet Addy to anyone with a little girl in their life. My sister is seven and really enjoyed this one. She loved reading this one even more than the AG books about more pampered girls like Samantha. This book, like a lot of the AG books, really has heart. It's amazing. I truly enjoyed reading this one to my little sister. 

Chloe Says

"I think it's very fun. But the book... it was sad because they had to leave the baby. But, it was kind of happy because they made it to freedom. Please read the book! I think it was sad again, because she had to leave her father and brother, they had to go to this different place. But, at the end of slavery they'll see their own family again."

Book Review: Saige Paints The Sky

Saige Paints The Sky continues the story of Saige Copeland, a real-life fourth grader who fights to bring art classes back to her elementary school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. My 7-year-old sister and I absolutely loved the first book. We totally enjoyed it. It was a given that this one should be equally as impressive, as well. Sadly, that was not the case. This book bored us both to tears. Thanks to this book, story time became a huge fight and when I could get her to sit down and to listen to it, she just made faces at me or called me names... and that's when I managed to get her to pay me and Saige any attention. Being bullied by a 7-year-old for my poor choice in reading material is no fun. 

I started thinking, because my little sister loved Saige so much, what went wrong with this book? I didn't have any fun reading this one either and I ended up reading the last half by myself, simply because I can't stand leaving a book unread. It was sooo dull, I couldn't wait for it to end. We are now reading an old American Girl favorite, 'Meet Addy' with much better results. So anyways back to Saige, what was wrong with the much anticipated (in our house anyways) second book? The only thing I can think of is that nothing exciting really ever happens. Saige has a very mild personality. She's obviously a wonderful kid, but nothing exciting enough to write a book about happened to her after the first book. In the first book she was preparing for a show during a parade and trying to get people excited about art classes and her grandma broke her arm and there was some friend drama. This one was just so lukewarm. The only reason I could see American Girl continuing the story is so we can see her complete the big goal of bringing art back to her school. That doesn't even happen in this book. I'm really not sure what the point is?

Don't get me wrong Saige is brilliant and very talented, she's a great role model for any girl and that alone I guess sort of makes it worth reading if you're like 9 or 10, but thinking back to when I was that age, I don't think I'd still have enjoyed this one. I think maybe it's just that Saige is such a goody-two-shoes, which I feel horrible complaining about. But there's a lack of spunk that most of the fictional American Girls have. Molly throws her brother's undies out the window, Felicity stole a horse, Samantha snuck out in the middle of the night to see her grandma's servant... it's those little human moments of making mistakes that keeps the book engaging and sadly this book really lacked those.

Book Review: Better To Wish

Better To Wish is the latest book in a new series from author Ann M. Martin. Most young women will remember Ann M. Martin as the author of the famous 90s book series, The Babysitter's Club. When, I first started reading this book, I really had no idea what to expect and I didn't know what it was about. Both on Netgalley, where I requested the ARC, and Goodreads there was a one or two line description which really told nothing about the story. But, the book was from Ann M. Martin and nostalgia for The Babysitter's Club wouldn't let me not request this book.

This book follows the life of Abigail Cora Nichols, at the time we enter the book she's 8-years-old and living in a small cottage near the Maine coastline. We know her mother has lost two babies and Abby and her sister, Rose, are the only of the four to have survived. As the book moves along, her mother's depression basically becomes debilitating. We know her dad, Luther, has a horrible temper and cares a lot about keeping up appearances. To add some spice to the list of his negative attributes, he is also very prejudiced. He does not like Catholics, Jews, French Canadians, or anyone else who isn't a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP). Even though the book is set during The Great Depression, it also turns out that he does not like  "lazy people" who do not work... even if there's no work to be had. 

Just to stop there, you're probably thinking "wow, that's a lot of heavy stuff." Let me just say, it gets worse. I don't want to spoil it, but in every chapter there seems to be some grim event. The book overall is very sad, but I think it's very true to life. Especially for that era. The book follows Abby from the time she's eight until she graduates from high school and a bit beyond that. So, there's plenty of room for terrible things to happen. 

At first, I wanted to say that this book isn't really the kind of book that a child should read. According to Amazon, the book is for ages eight-and-up. Thinking of a child reading about depression, grief, prejudice, and some other sad stuff just didn't seem appropriate. But, then I thought children are way too sheltered nowadays. Everything is always rainbows and sunshine and even though this book has its difficult topics, it's also uplifting. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think it would be good for kids to read this. Adults too.

I so loved this book. I connected with it. I loved Abigail, the main character. I cannot wait for the next one to find out what happens after the cliffhanger at the end. Abigail is a great role model for young girls. She is so intelligent and insightful. No matter what happens, she is never down on herself, nor does she mope and whine. We could all learn a lesson from Abby. That's why I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars, the highest honor.

In my last review of a children's book, Secondhand Horses, I spoke about how a great children's book will connect with readers of all ages. This is one of those books. Do yourself a favor and read it. I did not expect to enjoy a book for children as much as I did this one. I'm very eager to see how this unique series will play out.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) courtesy of Netgalley and Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Markings: My Father's Dragon

I bought my son this book, My Father's Dragon online used. When we were reading it last week, I noticed an old note in the front. I love finding stuff like this in used books.

It says:

2/88

Devin:

 I hope you enjoy this - let me know what you think of it when you have finished it-

Love,

Helen

(mom's friend)

I wonder if Devin read it and enjoyed it? The book was apparently given to him in 1988 and found it's way to Winter Ventures in Red Lion, Pennsylvania and they posted it on the used book site, abebooks.com. Now, my son in Orlando, Florida has it in 2013. He loved this book by the way :)