Book Review Roundup #4
July 26, 2024
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
This review of the memoir by now-Vice-Presidential candidate, J.D. Vance was written in June, 2017 when I first read the book. My review and, of course, the book itself might shed some light on the character and aspirations of the man who may very well become our next vice-president. "Former Marine and Yale Law School graduate J.D. Vance has an unconventional background for a man with such credentials: he grew up in poor, dysfunctional, hillbilly family from northern Kentucky, mostly living in the lower-class neighborhoods of Middletown, Ohio."
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom
Swallows and Amazons, written by Arthur Ransome in 1930, is one of the most perfect children’s adventure novels I have ever read. My only regret is in taking so darn long to get to it. This is high imagination at its best! It has all of the wonder and fun of Narnia but the children are firmly in this world. They take everything they are doing and pretend it is something straight out of the classical children’s books they love. The siblings are good to each other, good to their friends the Amazons, and obedient and respectful of their mama. The Amazons are spunky, smart, less respectful of adults, and they make everything they do exciting. In essence, these children are very realistic and fun to love.
Keeper of the Hidden Books
Inspired by true events in World War II of the Warsaw librarians’ resistance, Madeline Martin’s 2023 historical fiction novel, The Keeper of Hidden Books is her strongest novel so far. As Poland tries to avoid succumbing to the invasion of Germany, young Poles are organizing themselves into various forms of resistance work. Zofia and her Jewish friend Janina are assigned to assist the Warsaw public librarians as they work to preserve and protect Poland’s national collections. When Poland falls and the Germans take control of the libraries, the librarians work to hide and protect the books from the German eradication of all works which do not support Hitler’s agenda.
Mary's Monster by Lita Judge
The subtitle of this book seems a bit misleading to me. It is not a study of the literary process or the merits of her famous book. After being dragged through Mary’s dysfunctional life in depressing monochrome, it feels like, “Lust, Madness, and Why Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein” would have been more accurate. Because Judge’s previous books have been children’s stories on various topics, fiction and non-fiction, with lovely illustrations, I thought it was worth alerting parents that this one is entirely different. Rather than analyzing Mary Shelley’s life or Judge’s treatment of it, I will simply show you some of what your teens will be exposed to in Mary’s Monster. (WARNING: PHOTOS OF ILLUSTRATION FROM THE BOOK ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR LITTLE EYES.)
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
At first Owl is just a child playing dress up. But eventually he is accepted into Knight School where he learns to be a real knight, and upon his graduation he is assigned to the Knight Night Watch on the castle walls. Then, one night Owl confronts a real, live dragon. Can he act with bravery and cleverness like a real knight? Can he find a way to keep the dragon from eating him as a snack?
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey is one of my most favorite picture books of all time. I think that I expressed the same sentiment in my Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey review. If I were asked for the ten picture books that are not, for any reason, to be missed, this would always be on my list. The story itself is completely charming and a joy entirely on its own. The illustration, however, is not “as good as the story.” The illustration is in fact absolute perfection.
Virginia Hall, an Extraordinary Woman
Diane Reviews Chapter & Picture books about Virginia Hall Here
Locomotive by Brian Flocca
Locomotive by Brian Floca is a completely marvelous invitation into the romance of trains, how they work, and why they matter. Floca uses lively and lovely illustration to draw the child in and pairs it with a metered narrative that is delicious to read aloud and exciting to listen to. Teaching the entire time, it is not hard to assume that Floca was one of those little boys who spent countless delight-filled hours with his toy trains.
Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn
This picture book is the second in a series of nine books about Lola and her family and their love affair with books and libraries and reading. The first book, Lola at the Library, is more informational, showing how Lola goes to the library with her mommy and checks out books and listens to the librarian tell stories during story time. In Lola Loves Stories, we get to read about and see how the books Lola borrows from the library work themselves into her imagination and her playtime.
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Who doesn’t know of Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Are Friends? Strangely, despite being a 1971 Caldecott Honor book, I never encountered any of the Frog and Toad books in my childhood. Instead, I found them at my local public library when my oldest was a tiny little one.
Such a simple, lovely friendship is celebrated. It is no wonder that so many people today have such a fondness for these two friends. Lovely characters in a lovely setting with great respect for young readers are shown. May Frog and Toad never go out of style on the early readers shelves in libraries everywhere.
Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call by Claudia Friddell
When American men began to go to war by the hundreds of thousands, women took up the slack. They filled the jobs men left open, planted Victory Gardens, sold war bonds, worked with the Red Cross, and conserved food and fuel. But women had never been allowed in the army. They didn’t even have the right to vote.
In Grace Banker and Her Hello Girls Answer the Call: The Heroic Story of WWI Telephone Operators, Claudia Friddell brings Grace Banker to life in fewer than forty pages. Grace Banker was an unusual woman for her time. She was a 25-year-old single woman who had graduated from college, majoring in French and history. She had a career in which she made enough money to support herself. According to Chiaverini’s book, despite her education and career, Grace still needed a man to sign a lease for her as guarantor.
Contact by Carl Sagan
Contact is a substantially complex, interesting, and challenging story. In point of fact, it is a wonderfully creative and fascinating story. While, like Sagan’s character Palmer Joss, I disagree with Sagan’s conclusions, I do agree with much of his approach and I respect his attempt to know truth. Of all the non-theistic science writers I have encountered, I think that Sagan shows the most respect to those of us who conclude that there is a Master Creator, and that He is knowable. Further, a close reading of Contact seems to indicate that Sagan envied us our faith when he perceived that we were otherwise rational and careful in our conclusions.
Paint the Wind by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Bravo, Pam Muñoz Ryan! Every time I thought the plot was going to turn trite and sentimental, it didn’t. I was prepared to find her portrayal of life in Wyoming, at the very least, inaccurate. It wasn’t. When she brought in the wild horse element, I thought, Oh, here we go, politics and environmental sentimentality. That wasn’t included. The wild horse question is presented as though there are two sides to the story, which there are. The three horse lovers regret the gather, but the story doesn’t turn political.
It is evident from the author’s long thank-you list that she devoted an extensive amount of time and effort learning to ride horses and also to learning about the West. I appreciate that!
The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rose Faustino
This enchanting picture book is a delight! When lively and creative Gran dies, the whole family assembles to hear her will read. Gran was the best at hide-and-seek and loved to hide messages for her loved ones to find. Her will-reading is no different.
“To each of my favorite people, I leave a note hiding in one of my favorite things. Keep those things. Sell whatever’s left and split the money between Candy-May, Lofton, and Louis Senior.”
The family laughed. Oh, how much gran loved a good game of hide-and-seek. And, with great merriment, the family combs the whole house looking for hidden notes attached to treasure.
Good Luck Duck by Meindert DeJong
I just happened to find this out-of-print book in a pile of free books. I had never heard of it and, at first, it seemed like it was going to be a trite “boy needs a pet” story. One thing I love about it is the way that, through an accident, Timothy learns to see the world from another point of view. He also learns a little about the selflessness necessary to care for a helpless creature. I love ducks, but I particularly love this one, because it is an introvert like I am. I wish I had a duck that would whisper to me and sleep contentedly on my doorstep with my shoestring in its bill.
The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan
This picture book came to my attention via Tanya Arnold of Biblioguides, but I already knew and loved Dodsworth the rat. (I thought he was a mole, but he’s actually a rat.) Dodsworth and the duck are the main characters in one of my favorite easy reader series, Dodsworth in New York, Dodsworth in London, Dodsworth in Paris, etc. I had no idea that Dodsworth made his first appearance in print in The Pink Refrigerator.