It's been a good week of reading. I finished Red by Liesl Shurtliff and started Home of The Brave by Katherine Applegate, strongly suggested by Ramona, a good friend and reader. And I'm nearly finished with Isabel Allende's The Japanese Lover, enjoying this adult book very much.
Here's my review on Goodreads of a poetry book you need to know about, out for the last election, and so wonderful for this year, too. The Declaration of Interdependence: Poems for An Election Year by Janet Wong is filled with poems you can use to teach history, to discuss current events, to enjoy the entertainment value of them, too.
Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy of Red- out in April!
Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood - Liesl Shurtliff
I couldn’t help but think of the word “family reunion” as I read this new tale by Liesl Shurtliff. There are new things to learn about Red Riding Hood, but there also are reminders of her past adventures with Rump, good memories touched on. Red has inherited the strength of magic from her Granny, but early in the book we learn that Red stays away from it because of disasters that happened in her young life. Once she tried a small spell or two, which never worked, and one nearly became the end of Granny. To Red’s dismay, one day she arrives to find Granny in bed, very ill, and sends Red off to find the ingredients for a strong medicine. The ingredients are not all found, and Red’s path turns to a new idea: she begins to look for the spells that would mean eternal life so that Granny would never die. This leads to an adventure with dwarves, being followed by a wolf and a hunter, and conflicting experiences with a beast. There is also a new unwanted companion, the familiar one with blonde curls, Goldie. Goldie’s on a search too, and that porridge-loving girl we all love is both an irritant and a help to Red. Does this sound complicated? It is, wonderfully. I was surprised whenever I rounded a corner with Red, worried when she was in danger, commiserated with her feelings, admired her courage and rooted for her success. I loved every bit.
Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail -
Ranger in Time: Danger In Ancient Rome
Kate Messner, illustrations by Kelley McMorris
I have to admit I’ve never
read any of Kate Messner’s Ranger In Time stories, and I won these two. Now I’m
hooked. For time travel books for middle grade readers, these are terrific.
Kate Messner moves the stories from today’s Ranger and family, into meeting the
new setting with realistic people that need Ranger’s help. Adventures in time
travel often show someone who is pulled back in time in order to save someone’s
life, and Ranger makes a different kind of hero (dog, not human), but quite a
wonderful one.