Book Review: Happy & Sad & Everything True

Sometimes I settle for a middle grade book out of sheer frustration over the content in women's fiction. I have recently read and tossed aside 3 or 4 books. In two different books, I waded through 4 or 5 CDs (1/2 the book) before coming upon content I just couldn't tolerate. So discouraging! Indeed, for our December book club meeting, we had a book exchange. I received a psychological thriller from a popular author. In seeking an audio book for my car trips, I selected one of her other books as an introductory sample. With that one, I overlooked smut until half-way through, when I just couldn't take it anymore. 

Thus, on the next trip to the library, I selected Happy & Sad & Everything True by Alex Thayer. Slated for readers 10 and up, it straddles the age brackets of children's and tween. The main character is in the 6th grade, but includes characters who are in 2nd. I appreciated a clean book for a change.

Dee is sure her mother doesn't understand. She expresses her devastation at being placed in a class apart from her best friend Juniper. Her mother says it will give her the opportunity to make new friends. But watching a best friend detach from you is never easy. As she hides out in the school bathroom, she discovers she is not the only one with problems. As she helps others, she heals her own wounds simultaneously.

Thayer has presented, as the title describes, a range of emotions that children face, and presented them with honesty. The reader cannot help but feel for Dee as she endures mortification, confusion, frustration, and hope. She is an empathetic character who draws empathy from the reader. This would make a good read-aloud, but I would steer it toward 4th or 5th graders.

As for the gifted book, I cannot decide if I will wade through possible cautionary content or not (easier when it is a physical book and you can skip a page). I'm not against psychological thrillers, and this author has quite a following. I just prefer not to get bogged down in sexual promiscuity with graphic details. So sad! It has become harder and harder to find clean women's fiction. Perhaps I will have to stick with Christian fiction and miss out on reading skilled writers who cannot write without bludgeoning the reader with language, filth, and smut.

Book Review: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

I know I read this book when I was younger. Perhaps I liked it better the first time around. It wasn't regrettable, yet I expected so much more (both from its reputation and my memory). I'm guessing it was a read-aloud in one of my elementary classrooms. Fitting.

Claudia Kincaid is running away. She selects her younger brother Jamie to come along (he's thrifty with his money and has amassed enough to finance her venture). They execute her plans, from hiding in the Metropolitan Museum of Art to bathing in the fountain (and making off with the coins in the fountain). She seeks to change somehow, yet finds the little adventure not as fulfilling as hoped. They stumble upon a mysterious statue. Is it truly a famous work of art purchased by the museum for a pittance, or is it just an ordinary statue of an angel?

I enjoyed the sections on sneaking in and living in the museum. The parts about bathing and washing their clothes entertained. Sadly, when they came to the climax of the story (the mysterious statue), it fell flat for me. Thus, I'd say the beginning and middle were strong, but the end felt contrived and dissatisfying. I loved the glorious name of the elderly woman (and the title of the book). The interesting idea of children hiding out in a museum will still appeal to elementary students.

Book Review: Rascal

Written in 1963, two years prior to my birth, this children's memoir tells of a simpler, more wholesome time. Set in 1918 in Wisconsin (near to my past home in northern Illinois), it recounts the adventures of 12-year-old Sterling North and his pet raccoon. This book has sincere boy appeal, but is also entertaining for all. It made me hearken back to times when you could go on a trip and neglect to lock your house doors, when family was nearby and always at the ready to help you in times of need, and when young boys could make pets of wild creatures without worrying about legislation against them. Dipping back in time with Sterling is a satisfying exercise and made me want to know more about the author. The Amazon listing for the book shows the 1st edition copies go for over $300 now. Of course, you can still access it in cheap paperback modern form and I listened to the audiobook. I wonder if they illustrated the book. Suitable for ages 8-12, this would make an excellent classroom read-aloud.

Book Review: Lifeboat 12

My library set specific categories for the winter reading challenge. Normally, I despise such dictates, but when prizes are involved, I'm more willing to play at their game (didn't win though, 😢). Thus, in searching for "a book based upon a true story," I discovered this children's book available in audio form (yay - I'm always looking for clean audio reads).

In Lifeboat 12, we meet thirteen-year-old Ken, a boy from Wembley who learns he is being shipped off to Canada to avoid the London bombing of WWII. He doesn't want to leave his dad, but figures his step-mother considers it a way to get rid of him. He boards the SS City of Benares, bound for Canada. His opinion of the banishment changes when he makes friends onboard, eats glorious meals, and flees war dangers. The crew claims they have made it to safe waters. Then the enemy torpedoes the ship. As the boat sinks, Ken feels he must go back for the expensive wool coat his step-mother warned him not to lose.

The cover illustration and back cover copy seem misleading. They imply Ken is alone with five other boys. The story explains there are other crewmen, a Catholic Father, and a female chaperone. During the perilous days drifting at sea, Auntie Mary keeps their spirits and anticipation high by regaling them with a story. Leaving them each day with a cliff-hanger, Mary strengthens their will to survive. This recounting of a true tale is worth sharing with children (suggested ages 8-13) who may one day struggle to survive.

Book Review: Lives of the Musicians

Since I enjoyed Kathleen Krull's Lives of the Writers, I sought another similar volume. This time she delved into the fascinating biographies of twenty famous musicians in Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought). Written in 1993, this is the first book in this series of biography compilations. As in the other book, she presents oddities and tid-bits with flair.

I was intrigued to learn that Chopin shared some of Dickens' obsessive quirks and got ideas while walking. He was quite meticulous. He spent six weeks working on one page of music. Brahms was also intense. His first symphony was the product of ten years of devotion. Like other famous musicians and writers, he burned what he didn't like and started over. 

I enjoyed the section on Gilbert and Sullivan the most. It was full of new and interesting facts. I hadn't known about the friction between them. Nor did I realize that Sullivan wrote "Onward Christian Soldiers." Even more perplexing, someone kidnapped Gilbert when he was two and held him for ransom. 

Many of these famous musicians turned to their colleagues' music for comfort. When sad, Ives would play "Onward Christian Soldiers," until his melancholy lifted. Of course, some sought unconventional cures. Stravinsky relaxed by standing on his head. Crazy!

My library only has a few more of these titles, covering athletes, explorers, presidents, and scientists. I probably won't seek those out, but I may seek a neighboring library's copy of her Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought). The other inaccessible titles explore the lives of extraordinary women and pirates. Sadly, this author passed away a little over a year ago. No more interesting children's biographies from her entertaining pen!

Book Review: Lives of the Writers

When seeking the Gilbert and Sullivan book by Kathleen Karr (mentioned in my recent compilation of books about music), I stumbled onto this listing. My library no longer has Kathleen Karr's book, but they have several biographies by Kathleen Krull. Intrigued, I requested one. This delightful children's book introduces kids to twenty famous (or semi-famous, as I didn't recognize a few of the names) authors. Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought) shares all the tidbits and oddities that make lives interesting. I've studied Dickens for years, yet I was unaware of his obsessive-compulsive traits. Who knew Louisa May Alcott wrote for 14 hours a day, only taking breaks to run? So many of these authors felt they had to write to support their poverty-stricken families. Many went to work at young ages. Stripped of leisurely childhoods, did this prompt them to create fantastical worlds? Many took long walks of ten or twenty miles. This would make a great read-aloud for elementary classrooms. Informative and interesting.