Surviving the Applewhites

By Stephanie Tolan

These days it seems like every newly published book for middle readers (4^th-6^th grade) I pick up is fantasy and in first person.  I must admit, I long for the days of Ramona Quimby, from Beverely Cleary’s Ramona series and Peter Hatcher, of Judy Blume’s Fudge books.  These wildly funny, realistic fiction novels shed light on the lives of young people in the way fantasy just can’t.   The mishaps that bring on the laugher and the tears are the same stunts our children are up to, and I think, for a newly capable reader, easier to interpret and identify with.

I recently read Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan.  It was published in 2003, after my time.  And, my son is as obsessed as his peers with fantasy, so it never found its way to my house until now.  I have to say it was a hoot.  I can see why it won Newbery Honors and made its way onto the New York Times bestsellers list.

We are first introduced to Jake Semple, a kid who has used up all his chances.  He has been kicked out of every school his has ever attended.  He was even blamed for burning one of them down.  Because his parents are in jail, he recently moved to North Carolina to live with his grandfather for a fresh start, but in just a few short weeks is expelled from yet another school.

As a last effort, Jake’s grandfather approaches the Appleswhites for help.  The Applewhites are family of artist who has created an Academy in their home to educate the four children.  They all work independently and pursue their own interests.  Once they decide, in a family meeting, to take on Jake, he is paired with the third daughter, to learn the ropes.

I must say, this story is not only funny, but has an inspirational theme:  that we all have a gift, if only we can find the courage to employee it.  If you and your reader are looking for a break from fantasy, you should give this story a try.

The Sign of the Beaver

The Sign of the Beaver
by  Elizabeth George Speare

When I think back to my childhood, I can picture my box set of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The books were light yellow and paperback.  They fit perfectly into a light yellow cardboard box, with only 5 sides, creating a mini bookshelf for the books.  I didn't like all of the stories.  The Long Winter and Little House on Plum Creek were my favorites.  Over time, the spines bulged with overuse, making it nearly impossible to fit the entire collection into their bookshelf box.

When my son started going to school, his primary Montessori teacher read Little House in the Big Woods to him and his classmates.  He loved Pa, with his gun and his sense of adventure.  I thought this would mark the beginning of our sharing the rest of the stories.  So, continuing on the boy theme, I read Farmer Boy to him.  He only thought it was fine.  Not to be discouraged, I proceeded to the Long Winter, and he completely detested it.  Sadly, I began to ponder how he would ever experience America's move into the wilderness.  I tried a few of the other books on the theme, but finally moved on.

In the first grade, he brought home a book I had never heard of, The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.  His reading assignment was to read it aloud to me for 30 minutes each night.  As the story began, I met a father and his son, Matt, heading out into the wilderness to start a new life for the family.  Yeah, I cheered inside, a trip to the west, at last.  Matt and his father built a cabin for the family.  Once it was complete, Matt's father equipped him with a gun and the other necessary supplies for survival, so he could guard the new home while he traveled back East to get Matt's mother and sister.

Now Matt was only thirteen, but if you've read much about the migration West, this was old enough to entrust with such a task.  In short order, a man ambushes Matt in his home and steals his gun.  Matt is left with no protection and no simple way to hunt for food.  Understanding that it would be some time before his family would return, if they returned, Matt began to create a system for survival.  I have to tell you it is slow going until he meets a Native American boy named Attean from the Beaver Clan.

With Attean's help, Matt survives life and its adventures in the West.  They become close friends and Matt is increasingly able to care for himself while he awaits his family.  You and your reader will need to read it yourself to find out whether or not Matt's family makes their way back to the cabin and what happens to the unlikely friendship between Matt and Attean.

If you are thinking of this as an independent read for your child, they should be quite capable readers.  It is suggested for children 10-14.  If, on the other hand, you plan on reading it with her, get started when ever the themes fit your reader's interest. 

What a Character!

Throne of Fire

by Rick Riordan

Rangers Apprentice 

by John Flanagan 

March book clubs began today.  Right now we are all reading whatever book we choose and talking about different parts of the book.  For the most part, when you talk with a youngster about a book they stick to the plot.  First the boy did this and then and then and then, etc.  I have to admit it can make for some rather dry discussions.  So, March is dedicated to character.  Today, I started the conversation by asking, "What character would you like to be friends with?"  At first the children thought they should choose the main character.  I assured them I often found characters other than the protagonist to be more intriguing   For instance, the people in the Harry Potter series I would want to be friends with are Mrs. Weasley, Professor Lupin and Sirus Black.  

To help get the conversation moving along, I asked them who they would want to hang out with at Hogwarts.  Most of the kids said either Ron, Harry or Hermione, but two of my best readers surprised me.  Max said, "Voldemort, I wish he could be my professor at Hogwarts and I would try to turn him around."  James said, "Dumbledore and Hagrid."  When I asked James why, he said Dumbledore would be able to teach him anything that he wanted to learn and that Hagrid was loyal and kind.  Amazing!

With this wisdom in our mist, we moved onto the books the kids read this month.  Max is reading Throne of Fire and said he would be friends with Carter. When pressed for a reason why he said, "Carter is crazy adventurous and he sees the world differently than everyone else, since he is the son of a god.  It would be cool to compare notes."  James is reading one of the Ranger's Apprentice novels and would befriend Will, the main character of the series, if he had the chance.  Will is a small, careful and smart young man, not unlike James himself.  James said he would want to be friends with Will because of "the things we have in common and because of the ways we are different.  I like the way he is always sneaking around."

You might want to try finding out what fictional characters would be in your readers gang.  I am sure you will be surprised by who.  And if not, you will not believe why.

The Wright 3
by Blue Balliett

I am doing research on the 1920s and 1930s.  To collect some oral histories before they vanish, I am headed to Chicago for the week.  I am so excited!  Chicago is perhaps my favorite town.  One of the reasons I love it so much is that is it so beautiful.  One of my favorite things to do there is take the Chicago Architecture Foundation's river tour. We won't be able to go on this trip because they don't run the tour in the winter.  But, we are hopefully going to take a trip out to Oak Park and see the many homes Frank Lloyd Wright designed there.

If you have a reader who is interested in building and likes a good mystery, you should check out The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett.  In the book, we met three youngsters: Petra, Calder and Tommy.  They attend school at the Hyde Park Lab School and have what could kindly be described as an eccentric teacher.  Think Mrs. Frizzle, but in love with art and literature.  The children's classroom is put into a frenzy when their teacher tells them that the Robie House, a home designed by local hero Frank Lloyd Wright, in is need of significant repair, and there is more.  Because the University that owns it can not repair the home, they have instead sold pieces of it to the world's best museum.  The house will be disassembled and shipped around the world to create indoor exhibitions.

Well, this horrifies the children and their teacher, and they decide to attempted to save the house.  Always looking for a teachable moment, Ms. Isabel Hussey insists that her students learn all they can about the house.  This includes a visit to the home, a short walk from the school.  Along the way, many mysterious things begin to happen causing the teacher and the families to worry that the children might come to some harm.  Though they were meant to stop investigating the home, Petra, Calder and Tommy do not.   As they continue looking into the house, more mysteries and danger surround the children.

This is a clever tale.  It is fast-paced for its intended audience, 3rd-5th graders.  As a bonus, the reader learns about Frank Lloyd Wright, and in an interesting twist, about H.G. Wells and his book The Invisible Man.  If your reader makes friends with these children, he or she can read more about them in Chasing Vermeer and The Calder Game also by Blue Balliett.

Book Crush

Book Crush
by Nancy Pearl

The winter weather, with its cold, sunless skies, finds us reading up a storm. When my son and I discover that we have made it through the stack of books on our bedside table, we begin searching for new titles. Friends, Goodreads and blogs like mine are one place to look, but there are other places you can look.  Read More...

I Survived...

I Survived: 
The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
by Lauren Tarshis

I watched a bit of the CNN coverage of the Carnival cruise ship being towed into port the other night.  I must say, it did nothing to encourage me to book a trip.  I did, however, find some of the comments of the de-boarding passengers interesting.  One person described it as being, "like a third world country."  Another pair of girls, who had won the trip at a basketball game, said it was "manageable,but exhausting."  The one word I kept hearing over and again was "survived."

With this in mind, as I sit down to write this post a little under the weather I must admit, I thought of this series of books published by scholastic called, "I Survived."  Without a doubt, one of the all time favorites is I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912.  These books are great for kids in 3rd grade and up. Each of the stories has a child as the main character. They are present during the titled event and survive each time.  The books are a great introduction to historical fiction.  Each gives facts of the events while creating an empathetic character for the reader to identify with.

Some of the historical events covered in the series include:

• September 11, 2001
• Hurricane Katrina, 2005
• Pearl Harbor, 1941
• Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
• San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 

You should pick one up at your next book fair!  They are simply fun to read.

Something for the Adults

Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry

I have had some of the best moments lately.  I try to keep track, because all too often the little difficulties in life get me down. Having a list of the great small moments reminds me that it is all worth it.   Anyway, the moments....

First, I went to check out my page on our local library's web site and discovered that Larry McMurtry will be coming for our Literary Festival.  He is among my favorite authors and I must sadly admit that I have been as giddy as a school girl since I read the news. He will be at a dinner that will serve as a fundraiser for the event and the next day he and Diana Ossana will be reading in an event open to the public.

Now, if you are not familiar with Larry McMurtry, you ought to pick up one of his more than forty novels, or watch one of the films adapted from them.  Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment,  Some Can Whistle and the Last Picture Show are among my favorite novels, if not films.  McMurtry and Ossana received the Academy Award for their adaptation of Brokeback Mountain and have created many other screen plays together.  Needless to say I will be attending the dinner and if you are from Little Rock you might consider coming to one of the events as well.  You will find more information here, just click.

Second, my husband has been scouring the used book stores online, procuring my favorite McMurtry novels in hard back, in case there is an opportunity to have books signed.  My collection of his novels is sparse, given my admiration for his work.  I first read him in college.  With a limited budget, most books were borrowed from my beloved library or if at all possible purchased in paper back.  It is wonderful watching the collection grow.  What is more wonderful, is that I am again opening the pages of this craftsman's work.  His characters are among my best fictional friends.  Catching up with them after all this time is reassuring and comforting.