Book Review Roundup #14
January 10, 2025
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea
Over the course of four years, actor and director Brendan O’Hea and his good friend, actress Judi Dench, met regularly to discuss the Shakespeare plays in which she had performed, as well as a few she had directed. This book, drawn from transcripts of those conversations, features Dame Judi Dench sharing stories, anecdotes, and some playful gossip—mostly at her own expense. While her humor often focuses on her own quirks and missteps, the primary focus of the book is on the plays themselves, the characters she portrayed, and the timeless poetry of Shakespeare—the man who, as Dench notes, has “paid the rent” for countless actors over the years.
What’s Inside A Flower by Rachel Ignotofsky
Rachel Ignotofsky’s What’s Inside a Flower is a lovely introduction to the science and beauty of flowers, perfect for delighting young readers. With her signature blend of engaging text and captivating illustrations, Ignotofsky brings the life of flowers into vivid focus, making this an ideal choice for children eager to explore the wonders of the natural world. It is so likely to enrich their imagination and cultivate wonder in them.
The Pleasures of Reading in An Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs
I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I like books about people who like reading books!
However, the beginning of this one wasn’t encouraging. Jacobs starts out talking about Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book, and I started out thinking, “Oh, no, are we going to have that discussion again?” That book bored me to tears. Twice. Perhaps I’m too arrogant, but I felt like I already knew how to read a book.
By page ten of Jacobs’ book, I was encouraged to continue. “Forget for a moment how books should be read: Why should they be read? The first reason–the first sequentially in the story that follows, but also the first in order of importance–is that reading books can be intensely pleasurable. Reading is one of the great human delights.”
Mr. McCloskey’s Marvelous Mallards by Emma Smith
Of late, there have been many picture book biographies published about famous authors and illustrators. As a book lover, I have appreciated this trend. I love knowing the story behind the story, and the subjects selected have been some of the best. I particularly loved Sarah Mackenzie’s Because Barbara and Sherry Dusky Rinker’s Big Machines. When Amazon noticed the attention I was giving to those books, it recommended Mr. McCloskey’s Marvelous Mallards by Emma Blands Smith. Since I think Make Way For Ducklings is one of the most perfect picture books ever written, I was eager to read this book. It does not disappoint.
Mystery in the Night Woods by John Peterson
It’s a story of “pride goeth before a fall” and “crime doesn’t pay” and “all’s well that ends well.” I believe in repentance and forgiveness as well as justice, and that’s what the book models with anthropomorphic animal characters. I daresay had the characters been human adults doing the same things, my take would have been different. But really, a lovesick flying squirrel kidnaps an innocent Miss Owl, but then repents and helps solve a mystery and foil a major crime spree? It feels like something from the cartoons that entertained me on my childhood Saturday mornings.
The Life of Chesterton: The Man Who Carried a Swordstick and a Pen by Holly Lee
“Life, family, and laughter, Gilbert. These things are what make me so merry. There is simply no time to be glum!” (Mr. Ed Chesterton to his son Gilbert as quoted in The Life of Chesterton)
Holly Geiger Lee has crafted a perfect children’s biography—lively, approachable, and rich with detail. The narrative is quick-moving and engaging, capturing the essence of Chesterton’s storied life and the most compelling aspects of his character and work.
The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
According to a master storyteller, if it was a good book when I was 10, and is still good now that I’m over 50, it must be a good book.
As I’ve remarked in other reviews of some of my favorite books from childhood, it’s difficult to put my finger directly on why I was so crazy about animal stories. Each time I read one of them again, it becomes a little more clear. I think. Pondering which is relevant here because the day after I finished the book, I watched Disney’s 1961 cartoon interpretation. Noting what Disney added and subtracted helps identify the qualities that make the book so appealing.
A Triumph for Flavius by Caroline Dale Snedeker
Caroline Dale Snedeker’s A Triumph for Flavius is a beautifully told historical fiction story with a strong moral for upper elementary school readers, blending the storied setting of ancient Rome with interesting Roman and Greek characters. Originally published in 1935, this reprint by Purple House Press is a treasure for students and families.
The story follows ten-year-old Flavius, the son of a Roman general, Lucius Mummius, fresh from a victorious campaign in Corinth. Snedeker masterfully sets the stage for a clash of cultures and values when Mummius presents Ariphron, a captured Greek of noble bearing, to Flavius as his pedagogue. While Ariphron’s despair at his enslavement highlights the brutality of the Roman conquest, his interactions with Flavius provide a nuanced exploration of dignity and the power of compassion.
Library Girl by Polly Horvath
Library Girl isn’t a realistic, middle-grade problem novel; it’s a whimsical and exaggerated fairy tale with some real truths mixed in.
“Essie has grown up in the public library, raised in secret by the four librarians who found her abandoned as a baby in the children’s department. With four mothers and miles of books to read, Essie has always been very happy living there.”
Now that she’s eleven, her mothers decide it’s time for Essie to experience the world outside the library and gain some independence. They give her a Saturday allowance (like in The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright) and set boundaries for her exploration. But as Essie makes new friends—possibly enemies, too—including a boy named G.E., she begins to uncover surprising truths about herself and her past.
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patrica Polacco
In my review of Patrica Polacco’s The Art of Miss Chew, I mentioned that Polacco has lived a very storied life. A life marked by suffering and hardship, but one also seasoned with stories and good people who cared fiercely for her. All of her life, Polacco loved stories and longed to read. But by the time she was fourteen, she was resigned to the fact that she was “dumb” and that somehow she lacked something in her brain necessary for decoding books. She was miserable.
Mr. Falker sensed that there was more to the story. One day, he asked her to stay after class and made a game out of cleaning the blackboards. He would call out letters and numbers and ask her to write them on the board with her wet sponge. Patrica knew that she wasn’t doing it right and tried to flee the classroom. Mr. Falker caught her by the arm and said the words that changed her life: “You’re going to read - I promise you that.”
The Swedish Nightingale: Jenny Lind by Elisabeth Kyle
Jenny Lind was known for her “golden voice” by all who heard her sing, and she was a celebrity in the modern sense—hounded by fans and people eager to exploit her talent, including P.T. Barnum himself. Over the course of her career, Jenny Lind made a significant amount of money, most of which she generously gave away to family and charity.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kyle’s biography of Jenny Lind. In this portrayal, Jenny is depicted as strong-willed (her friends even use reverse psychology to guide her decisions), yet also kind and generous. Her childhood was tumultuous, with parents who were both neglectful and overbearing , yet after her career takes off, Jenny supports them by buying them a house. Though she initially resists leaving Sweden, she eventually travels to France for singing lessons, and later performs in England and America, including on the famous P.T. Barnum tour.
Jenny and the Cat Club by Esther Averill
I didn’t know, until I was looking for information about the author of The Fire Cat, that Esther Averill wrote a series of cat stories. In 1944, she published her first story about the cat, Jenny Linsky, Jenny and the Cat Club.'
In a note From the Author in a 1973 edition, Averill says:
“Yes, Jenny was real–a very real cat. I knew her in the days when I lived in a house by the big garden where she lived with her master, Captain Tinker. Night after night, from my garden window, I watched little Jenny, wearing her red scarf, jump from a downstairs window of the Captain’s house to attend the meetings of the Cat Club.”
The Story of the Three Wise Kings by Tomie de Paola
Tomie dePaola’s The Story of the Three Wise Kings is a beautifully told and exquisitely illustrated retelling of the journey of the Magi. Known for his distinctive artistic style, dePaola infuses this work with softer colors and a Middle Eastern aesthetic that beautifully complements the sacredness of the narrative.
Jack vs. The Tornado by Amanda Cleary Eastep
Jack’s family lives in rural Illinois on a multigenerational family farm. The story opens with Jack lamenting that the worst birthday present a kid could get is to have to move away from the farm (and his amazing barn fort) and to move to the suburbs. Jack’s grandparents and parents never have enough money in the bank to pay all of the bills on time. And so, Jack’s father travels to Wisconsin to do construction work to try to make up the difference, but it is time to sell the farm. Jack is miserable and resigned to hate their new home.
New Found World by Katherine Binney Shippen
It’s somewhat difficult to find good books about Latin America: Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Or maybe I just don’t know where to look. I have only a handful of historical fiction books to recommend that are set in Latin America and also not many books about the history of Latin America, although there are lots of books about explorers and exploration. There are a few more that cover culture and geography, usually part of a series, but in general I think Latin American history in books for children has been neglected.
Enter New Found World by Katherine Binney Shippen. Published in 1945 and updated in 1964, New Found World is a fascinating and engrossing look at the history of Latin America from Texas in the north to the tip of Argentina in the south. Shippen writes about the Inca, Aztec, Maya, Carib, Arawak, and other groups of Native Americans, with respect and as much detailed information as would fit into an overview of the region.
Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge is a classic I’ve known about since childhood. I vaguely remember seeing a movie adaptation long ago, but until now, I had never read the book. When I noticed the audiobook in my Audible library was about to leave the catalog at the end of the month, I decided it was the perfect time to listen to it while wrapping Christmas presents.
The story is compelling and rich with Dutch culture, transporting readers to a vivid and beautiful Holland. Mary Mapes Dodge writes in a style that feels familiar to Louisa May Alcott, speaking to children as friends and inviting them to explore the lives of people in faraway places. The family life depicted in the book is wholesome and idyllic, just like Alcott’s books, and the morals woven into the story are timeless and inspiring.
Faker by Gordon Korman
What would it be like to grow up with a conman for a father? A conman who swindles your friends’ families out of large sums of money and convinces you that it’s all just part of “the family business”?
In Faker, Gordon Korman, a prolific middle-grade novelist, explores this intriguing premise through the eyes of Trey, a young boy who has been hustling people with his dad and younger sister for as long as he can remember. The family moves from town to town, conning wealthy people out of their money, and then disappearing when the heat gets too intense. As soon as things start to unravel, Trey’s dad calls a “Houdini”—a quick escape—and they vanish, only to reappear later in a new place with a new scheme.