Read-aloud with a thirteen-year-old. This was an odd conclusion to the Giver series. Granted, Gathering Blue was something of a departure from TheRead-aloud with a thirteen-year-old. This was an odd conclusion to the Giver series. Granted, Gathering Blue was something of a departure from The Giver in that it did not obviously follow the same characters and community. The third, Messenger, had a little more overlap with its predecessor, but it still prompted more questions than answers and left open possibilities as to how the series was all to fit together. Son is the book where Lowry brings everything together, but the answers and world are simply bizarre. The author became over-reliant on mystery throughout the series, and she left herself without any sort of plausible explanation for all that she had done. As a result, the answers feature some strange connections and explanations that are barely satisfying.
Whereas some of the early books offered something of a vague morality tale, describing the evil normal people are capable of, this one took a more positive look at the motivations behind good people. This was, in its way, affecting, but the explanations for how such values could develop were somewhat strained and took something away from the original book. I definitely consider this one of those series that need not have been continued after the first volume. It is hard to see how readers or the ideas in The Giver are bettered by the subsequent books. They follow-ups are not awful, but they never accomplish what the first did, nor do they add any new memorable qualities of their own. They are merely something available to read in a world and from an author one has already invested in....more
Both The White Mountainsand The City of Gold and Leadfeatured our protagonists working toward a single objective. Achieving that objective wasBoth The White Mountainsand The City of Gold and Leadfeatured our protagonists working toward a single objective. Achieving that objective was the substance of the book. The Pool of Fire had at least three such objectives. If written in a similar pacing as the first two, this third volume could easily have been split into three different books. Instead Christopher slotted them into one, making this a much more hurried story. There is little mystery to this one and the dramas are generally quickly settled, so it is also quite unlike books one and two in style. Yet readers will still readily recognize it as another juvenile adventure/science fiction that is easy to read and easy to follow. Christopher seems to target the same age-group of children with this volume. It has some similar adventure-related violence, but this one is even more kid friendly than the last two. It worked fine as a read-aloud with a thirteen-year-old, but my now teenage reader had matured past the eleven-year-old that had started this series and, in that time, had really grown beyond it. The original three books were published over the course of approximately a year. Having your pre-teen read them all in a single year might lead to a more satisfying experience. There is some mention of politics toward the end of the book that was clearly informed by the Cold War years. This and some very identifiable failings in the main character created some discussion opportunities to move this out of the mindless action-adventure category, but these themes did not seem planned for in the initial two books. The “Tripods” series might have been regarded as something more memorable, meaningful, or important had those themes been threaded through the early volumes and brought to their culmination in this last one....more
I cannot tell if L. Frank Baum is a genius or a quack. The plot is so often meandering and aimless, and the creations and scenarios are ridiculous, buI cannot tell if L. Frank Baum is a genius or a quack. The plot is so often meandering and aimless, and the creations and scenarios are ridiculous, but the three listeners between the ages of seven and eleven found places to laugh, cried out in frustration when a chapter ended without all the answers given, and cheered the resolution. These books seem so very dumb; but children--as he himself notes in the foreward--seem to delight in them.
For a time, I thought this was going to be better written than the last couple, with Baum alternating between two storylines, but he ends up neglecting one of them for most of the book, and the second one was there to showcase more of Oz. Baum gets us to the plot climax with what seem like very foolish decisions on the part of the main characters, and he resolves the crisis with surprises that were entirely unprepared for. But all the listeners were satisfied. The book definitely ends with the implication that this is all that will be written about the lands of Oz. Coming to these in the 21st century, however, readers will know that the series continued further (8 more books by Baum, and scores by other writers). The child listeners want more, but I am not sure how much more of it I can take......more
Read-aloud with a ten-year-old. My little child readers do not like to give up on a series, and though Nils was not one of their favorites, they stillRead-aloud with a ten-year-old. My little child readers do not like to give up on a series, and though Nils was not one of their favorites, they still had a fondness for it and anticipated the sequel. This sequel is more of a short story collection adding in snippets to or between the starting book. It definitely cannot be read apart from the first, but some portions of the first are reproduced in this Further Adventures text. The highlight of the book was undoubtedly the novelette at the beginning. It was rich in language and description, provided interesting animal characters and scenarios, and a curious problem and solution. It was very unlike the Nils stories, and the connection to the Nils stories only comes belatedly (and quite unnecessarily). I feel comfortable claiming that his was not originally written as a Nils story and was only later added to give the collection more heft. The children did have some fun piecing together when some events must have happened and returned to the original to try to put things in their proper chronology. So it was a successful gift and entertaining read. ...more
Read-aloud with a nine-year-old fan of the series. Every book is noticeably worse now, but Miss Bianca in the Orient is not too different from the lasRead-aloud with a nine-year-old fan of the series. Every book is noticeably worse now, but Miss Bianca in the Orient is not too different from the last three in the series. One of the more unfortunate trends it continues with is the macabre threat to life which send our heroes on their mission. Truly ghastly depictions of impending death have long marked the series, and the vividness of it here exceeds that of prior volumes. This one was also a source of some embarrassment as Sharp, who was writing in 1970, seemed to be going off tropes, rumors, and characterizations of the Orient that probably started circulating closer to 1870. Our author clearly was ill-informed and proceeded with stereotypes and guesses. My child readers were more informed than Sharp and were confused by some of the details. It became one of those books where you stop and explain how the ignorance of authors of yesteryear led them to make assumptions and how differences between peoples and cultures became something to caricature. This would have been more excusable had the book been 150 years old instead of 50 years old. Still, the child listeners still love Miss Bianca and Bernard, despite the many other failings in the story....more
Read-aloud and gift for an eight year old who has thoroughly enjoyed the first three in the series. This one continues with the more cartoon-like qualRead-aloud and gift for an eight year old who has thoroughly enjoyed the first three in the series. This one continues with the more cartoon-like qualities that have marked the series since the second book, but it also keeps up the rich and endearing characterizations of Miss Bianca and Bernard. My child listeners were intent on loving it, and they are hardly critical readers, but even they noticed and commented on the hurried ending and the out-of-nowhere resolutions. They enjoyed the book, but I think everyone can tell that the quality is going down with each installment. ...more
The series first, The Rescuers, was an especially good children's book. It nicely straddled the line between entertainment and education. It challengeThe series first, The Rescuers, was an especially good children's book. It nicely straddled the line between entertainment and education. It challenged young readers with such aspects as an advanced vocabulary and some real world injustices. It was creative, and it was fun. The second book was a caricature of the first and this third much the same. The stories are now cartoons and very much lend themselves to sensational animated movies. Still, The Turret is not entirely without merit, for Sharp evidently cares very much for her two main heroes, Miss Bianca and faithful Bernard. Their characterizations, and their discussions and their relationship keep this book from plunging to the full depths which this plot directed it. And to be honest, children who are reading this are probably not worried over its flaws. There is a clear mission for our duo, a plan put into action, and some drama in its execution. So while it lacks many of the qualities of the first, it remains an entertaining series for child fans. ...more
*I do not usually rate children's books, but this is one of the few such books that was recognized as a Hugo Finalist. It is difficult to rate this as*I do not usually rate children's books, but this is one of the few such books that was recognized as a Hugo Finalist. It is difficult to rate this as an adult because it is not written for an adult. It can only be enjoyed by an adult, I think, by reading with a child or recalling what it is like to be a child.
Showing more of the magical world and taking us through even more daring adventures, Rowling takes the Harry Potter series further along the directions that had been set with the first two volumes. Some of the new characters are every bit as entertaining and endearing as ones established thus far in the series. Those established ones continue in their simple but delightful characterizations. Bringing in more backstory and connecting it to events in the present, this volume not only creates some affecting moments but suggests great mysteries, revelations, and adventures to come. Though the events are a little more frightening and the threats even more dangerous, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban reads even more like a children’s wish fulfillment fantasy, requiring either the perspective of a thirteen-year-old or a more committed suspension of disbelief.
I read this as a finalist for the 2000 Hugo Awards, which generally does not include children's books. If you think of the Hugo Awards as a listing of the five best books in science fiction and fantasy for that year, then it is clear to me that Harry Potter does not belong. The characters are far too two-dimensional, the writing too simple, and the plot far too unbelievable. If, however, you think of the Hugo Awards a contest of fans from contending subgenres, each trying to get their favorite recognized, then it is easier to understand how Harry Potter makes it to the list. Granted, most of the fans of the book were not old enough to vote for the awards, but their parents were. Young adults were. And though I did not read them at the time, I remember the buzz around the books and each new release; the energy and attention to the books - even as works for children - was so great that it should not be surprising that popularity alone thrust it into the limelight. I have a child now that is reading them for the first time, and I am happy to be reading along. The series so far is rightly deserving of being considered a children's classic. I would have rather Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban stayed off the Hugo radar, however, and been recognized only on those lists intended for children....more
A fine second installment to the Harry Potter series, carrying forth most of the best of the first along with all the hallmarks that make for a pre-teA fine second installment to the Harry Potter series, carrying forth most of the best of the first along with all the hallmarks that make for a pre-teen adventure story. The playful writing style and narration that started the first book did not make it into this volume, but Rowling settles into a fast-paced narration that makes for an easy and gripping read. ...more
Read-aloud with a ten-year-old who loves and rereads the earlier volumes over and over again. This one is more of the same, though perhaps with less pRead-aloud with a ten-year-old who loves and rereads the earlier volumes over and over again. This one is more of the same, though perhaps with less planning and less of a plot than the books before. The Road to Oz sees Dorothy on another trek where the main spectacle is encountering new creatures and lands. The story is meandering, with only the most general goal. It is episodic, great for chapters but failing to provide much of a connected story. There is plenty more creation in this one, Baum bringing in more creatures, places, and characters than perhaps the rest of the series combined thus far. Some of the new creations are quite similar to earlier ones, and one can wonder if the author was starting to run out of ideas. My little listener, as an avid fan, noticed some incongruities and what seemed like mistakes with connections to previous books. Still, the suspension of disbelief and a willingness to trust the author can go a long way, and most of the fun in this one is seeing characters reconnect with one another. My ten-year old listener also regularly anticipated what was going to happen next. Either Baum was a genius writer of children’s book, leading them to expect what he wanted, or he was writing plots with all the sophistication of a 10 year old. ...more
Read-aloud with a twelve-year old. Messenger continues in the same style as the previous two entries into the series. This new volume is more connecteRead-aloud with a twelve-year old. Messenger continues in the same style as the previous two entries into the series. This new volume is more connected than those earlier ones, tying them together. Still, don’t go into it expecting answers or clarity. This volume brandishes even more strongly that enigmatic atmosphere and background so strong in the earlier books. This one takes it even further, however, making the world even more distant from our own, less easily understood, and giving far fewer answers. It is still a series that is pushing preteens into adolescence, although it is not as pronounced as it was in the first book. My young reader and I both thought this was the worst of the three but still very much in keeping with the quality of the others. ...more
I read a lot of science fiction on my own, most of it decidedly appropriate only for late teens or adults. This one I read aloud with a 12-year old. CI read a lot of science fiction on my own, most of it decidedly appropriate only for late teens or adults. This one I read aloud with a 12-year old. Comparing it with other science fiction that I read for my own enjoyment, The City of Gold and Lead, like The White Mountains before it, is in an entirely different category. Young adult fiction (or middle-school fiction) is categorically different. It is not simply science fiction minus the adult themes. I think that a lot of the pulp and Golden Age science fiction writers, despite writing for juveniles, had no idea how to really write for adolescent minds. This 1960s tripod series is definitely ahead of its time in knowing how to target and write for middle-school age kids.
I liked this one a lot more than the first (as did my young reader). The first one was mysterious, with slow reveals and few bouts of excitement. This one was much more adventurous and revelatory, with drama aplenty. So much more happens here, and I thought the world (given that it is such a short book) was nicely filled in and the characters nicely developed. We both look forward to reading the final volume and to seeing how it ends.
Kids that are already reading the extravagantly adventurous pulp science fiction, the adult-targeted mainstream science fiction post-Golden Age, or even the more contemporary long children’s fantasies might find this tale somewhat simple, but it was a fine read for us. ...more
There are times when I want a safe and comfortable book to read aloud to a child. Not something that is pushing them into adolescence or confronting tThere are times when I want a safe and comfortable book to read aloud to a child. Not something that is pushing them into adolescence or confronting them with the monstrosities of human history. I want something inoffensive, uncontroversial, and pleasant. I often look back in the history of children's literature for such books. Back before children's awards were given for introducing kids to topics of abuse, discrimination, or genocide. And I understand that such pleasantness comes at the expense of missing an opportunity to confront injustice or overlooking the biases of that time. But there's got to be a place in the cannon for such books, and certainly a place in my reading repertoire for them.
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils was exactly what I was looking for. The eight-year old to whom this was read aloud (along with some younger hangers-on) enjoyed the story every night. It prompted discussion and speculation among the hearers, and a re-read on the child's own immediately afterward. This was a pleasant story, an easy story, but one with some literary merit and rich descriptions to push on the listener in their acquisition of vocabulary and grammar. It was a success in nearly every way.
I always look for the unabridged version of a book. The one I ended up with was not in this site's catalog. It was a tall Doubleday & Company hardcover printed in 1969 with multiple photographs on every page. The photographs are of (presumably) a young Swedish boy and some creative development to pair him with the various animals in the story as the tale proceeds. The book is "By Selma Lagerlof," "Narrated in pictures by Hans Malmberg," "Text edited by Tage and Kathrine Aurell," and "Translated by Richard E. Oldenburg." I had thought that the "text edited" indicator was grammatical editing or perhaps changing some spellings from Swedish to a more American-friendly format. There were several places in the book, however, where there seem to be some awkward jumps. Creatures would be introduced and the scene would transition strangely and there would be a name used in conversation with a creature that had not been previously been named. I think that this was probably an abridgement (and one, perhaps, not done very well). In hindsight I would have spent more time researching the translations. I noticed that several of the other editions run into the hundreds of pages, but mine (lacking page numbers...) is probably about 100. I do not in the least regret reading The Wonderful Adventures of Nils aloud to a child. I would regret, however, having missed out on the full version....more
As an adult reader I spend a lot of my reading hours with science fiction, and I'd like to share my enjoyment of the genre with kids (this one was a rAs an adult reader I spend a lot of my reading hours with science fiction, and I'd like to share my enjoyment of the genre with kids (this one was a read-aloud with an 11-year old). The problem I find is that a lot of science fiction--even classic science fiction--is really inappropriate for children. Certainly people will have different opinions on whether or not something is wholesome (or whether wholesome is even a desirable attribute), but I find that a lot of early science fiction's interest in challenging the adolescent mind comes in the form of pushing the boundaries of the prurient and obscene. It is a shame that science fiction authors have for so long abandoned the opportunity to challenge children's minds and instead simply make it more "adult" by spicing it up with "forbidden" topics and themes.
The White Mountains, by contrast, is a fairly wholesome, inoffensive work of science fiction for younger adolescents. It doesn't push forbidden topics, but neither does it challenge the reader literarily or intellectually. The primary impression I had when reading it was that it was a carefully targeted and marketed piece of popular adolescent fiction. Somehow I had initially missed that it had been printed in 1967. Perhaps it was the new shiny cover of the edition I had. But all along I thought it was a Lois Lowry "The Giver" knockoff - a crossover, quickly printed, YA, fiction put on the market to grab some of the sales from "The Giver" fans. I admit I erred in my assumptions. The White Mountains did come first. That still leaves me with something of a puzzle. It really did read like a 21st century, hastily printed, knockoff that was trying to get in on the fad before it changed. So "The White Mountains" was ahead of its time, but not necessarily in a good way. In the end, it was science fiction that was safe for a late elementary school kid, but it was hardly a book to inspire love of science fiction....more
I thought well of the series first, The Rescuers. Enough so that I got this as a gift for the seven year old listener I read the first to. One could tI thought well of the series first, The Rescuers. Enough so that I got this as a gift for the seven year old listener I read the first to. One could tell that this was the same writer, showing some of the same attributes: witty digressions into class and society, musings on propriety in the face of danger, a kind regard for the understated hero. These asides, however, seemed far more numerous, convoluted, and random than they did in the first book. I was doing a lot more summarizing and explaining, and I would estimate that the grammar and syntax was at least two school grades higher than The Rescuers. There were a number of French words that I did not know and several English words which I was unfamiliar with. This was all the more strange because the narrative and characters in this second in the series were so much more blatant and straightforward compared to the last. This story moves along at a much faster pace and resolves tensions quickly and often thoughtlessly. Most surprising, however, were the instances of violence and morbid characterizations of death. The first was slow and careful enough that I had a hard time envisioning how the series got turned into an animated Walt Disney production. This second one was careless and sensational, easy to see how it inspired the 1977 Disney movie. The language, grammar, and vivid portrayals of violence (view spoiler)[mostly the beating of a child but also some threats and discussions of death by being eaten by dogs (hide spoiler)] made this too advanced for the seven year old. The storyline was so simple and the problems resolved so casually, though, that it would seem to target an even younger age group....more
Read aloud with a nine year old. This is one for those looking for lyrical writing, innocence, and beauty for children. The syntax and vocabulary was Read aloud with a nine year old. This is one for those looking for lyrical writing, innocence, and beauty for children. The syntax and vocabulary was developed enough to be a challenging though still comprehensible read. My main complaint was that the page count was deceptive. The 192 pages could easily have been printed in half the space, and some bindings would have squished into a third. This meant it was a lot shorter work than I had thought, and we finished reading it very quickly. It was perhaps a little too short and straightforward for the nine year old, but one much younger would have difficulty staying interested, I think....more
Read-aloud with an eleven-year old. The Giver had ended with flair, an artistic ambiguity that told us some things are better left unsaid. The appearaRead-aloud with an eleven-year old. The Giver had ended with flair, an artistic ambiguity that told us some things are better left unsaid. The appearance of Gathering Blue - regardless of its content - takes something away from The Giver. Lowry doesn't give away all the answers or ruin the enigmas from the first, though. In fact, she does it all over again. This is basically The Giver rewritten in a new setting and with a new protagonist. It was effective the first time; it was effective here. The framework behind the telling - Lowry's proclivities in shocking, addressing authoritarian systems, the coming-of-age realizations and maturation - is plainly visible to one who has already read the first in the series. Thus this one does not stand out for creativity. That the many weaknesses of The Giver - the simplistic morality play and the skeletal structure of the world - are repeated make this a much weaker book. One could overlook those in the first for the creativity it offered. In this one Lowry's simply doing everything she had done before. This is bound to entertain later middle school/early teen age kids who enjoyed the first and those who always demand a sequel....more
I hadn't realized when starting this, but this is a collection of short stories rather than a single story. My seven year-old listener was a little coI hadn't realized when starting this, but this is a collection of short stories rather than a single story. My seven year-old listener was a little confused as well, wondering what the book had to do with magical melons beyond the first chapter. She soon settled in and accepted the format, however, looking forward to each chapter that introduced a small new plot and resolved it before the next. This is the kind of book that conservative home schoolers enthusiastically endorse. Written in an embellished early 19th century prose that laid claim to more ambition than skill, it is a book targeted at young readers without simplifying the writing for them. I thought a few of the first chapters were a little dry and was not myself looking forward the the remaining ones. But even I found myself increasingly interested as minor characters or family members took a turn as the focus of a short tale. There was a lot of goodwill and good values throughout this. This is a book that reinforces virtues such as hard work, honesty, kindness, and humility (and excuses - if not endorses! - some innocent childhood mischievousness). I'm sure I'll read the other Caddie book(s) before too long. This one won't ever make it on my list of must-reads for children, but for families looking for something safe and pleasant to add to a voracious reader's book pile - toss Magical Melons in....more
My young reader with whom I visited Gone Away for the first time was eager for the return. The same themes are present in this one: childhood vacationMy young reader with whom I visited Gone Away for the first time was eager for the return. The same themes are present in this one: childhood vacations and exploration, childish mysteries and discovery, wholesome family environments free of any social ills, and a generational transmission of old-fashioned values from the senior to the junior. Return to Gone-Away is an unambitious sequel. Most of the satisfaction is derived from revisiting characters and places. There some amusing and warm-hearted tales with those some people and in mostly the same locations, and the reader that treasured the first in the series will be happy to follow the story further. I had appreciated in the first that Enright hadn't dumbed-down the descriptions for readers; a couple of the characters loved nature and the descriptions often used the names (colloquial or scientific) liberally, and it enriched the tale. Enright goes a little overboard on this one, I felt, leaving me to explain the significance (if not the referent) of the terminology. On the whole, however, Return to Gone-Away delivers the same warmth as its predecessor. ...more
This wasn't yet a classic when I was the target age. I probably would have thought I was too old for this already by the time it was published. It is This wasn't yet a classic when I was the target age. I probably would have thought I was too old for this already by the time it was published. It is not targeted at young adults, I think, but saying it is a children's book gives the wrong impression. The last years of elementary school, preteens, the first couple years of a teenager, those are who this seem to be written for. I can see why it is both acclaimed and controversial, and the one has nothing to do with the other.
It is plainly but well written and easy to follow. The revelations in the world are exceptionally well-placed, and the drama and tension comes from very simple coming-of-age developments enigmatically situated in the environment Lowry created. From beginning to end it was permeated with a delightful mysteriousness and a gripping foreboding. One knows when reading it that it has a moral as well. There's an understated message vilifying the the right people. All of these things contributed to its popular reception.
The controversies were unnecessary. Lowry wants to confront young readers with some of the idiosyncratic and restrictive cultural mores they've grown up and accepted. She touches on topics that are sensitive for parents of kids at this age, deciding for readers that it is time they confronted these themes. Perhaps the boldest message of all was the one where good, loving people commit horrors - horrors we are shown and discuss in detail. This same story could have been written without any of these themes, and it still would have been an acclaimed book. Parents are right to question whether this should be read in schools and at what age. I read this aloud with a preteen, and realize that it is not a book that is going to be appropriate for every 10, 11, or 12 year old. Kids are going to be ready for such topics in their own time, and when they're ready for it.
Although I enjoyed the mysteriousness, I thought Lowry sometimes took it too far. Some of the ambiguity was intended as artful, I think, but there were times that it felt indecisive and incomplete. The moral was particularly obscure. Even though it is clear who we are supposed to cheer for and detest, there is no moral complexity. Little consideration of mitigating factors or moral dilemmas, this is not a story that a child reader can come away from with an increased awareness of right and wrong or of the difficulties in making hard choices. Still, it is a remarkable book for this particular age group, one that every kid should eventually get to (and talk with an adult about)....more
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