Friday Favorites: Star Wars Episodes V and VI

 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi

Recommended For: Ages Eight to Adult

Rating: PG (for sci-fi action violence) and PG (for sci-fi action violence)

After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.

Somewhere in 2009, I watched these movies for the first time. And became obsessed with them. While I certainly am not obsessed any more, I still enjoy watching the Star Wars movies, despite some of their...obvious plot problems. Not to mention the bad acting in the Prequel Trilogy. Oh, and the fact that George Lucas can't direct a movie? Which is probably why these two movies are my favorite of the Star Wars Saga (so far, since the new one hasn't been released yet...). George Lucas didn't direct them, which is probably why they are just better than the others. (Although, maybe it's just me, but Luke looks funny on the front of the Return of the Jedi cover...)

Anyway. We rewatched the Star Wars movies (all except A New Hope) recently in honor of the new movie coming out, and to introduce our friend to it before The Force Awakens is released. (We watched the movies out of order, but that's beside the point.)

Not having George Lucas direct these movies really made them better than the others, I think. Plus, Luke is just awesome, and I relate to him really well. Apparently we're the same personality type. (Well, as much as a fictional character can have a personality type.) 

These movies are just really, really good. I especially love the happy ending of Return of the Jedi.

And that's the end! Sorry if this is a lame post. I really can't think of much more to say about these movies. (Other than Luke is a much better guy than Anakin? But I guess that's just a given.) I can't wait until the new Star Wars movie comes out. Out of curiosity, who's planning on going to see it in theaters?

Friday Favorites: Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Island 

Recommended for: All ages

Rating: G

 A tour boat gets caught in a storm on a three hour tour and lands on an uncharted desert isle. The crew and passengers then try to find a way back to Hawaii.

Recently I've been re-watching a lot of these episodes and it reminded me how much I enjoyed watching this show.

 It is not a serious show and there are a lot of things that don't make sense, such as the amount of visitors they get on an uncharted desert isle. There are also animals that are unrealistic and the characters are also unrealistic. These are the things that make the show so funny. 

The characters are the main thing that makes this show so amusing. The Professor knows everything and has a book on everything. It never explains why he brought so many books on a three hour tour. The Howells are always talking about money, which they brought quite a bit of with them along with all of their luggage. There is also the movie star Ginger Grant who is always saying how something happened in a movie that she was in. Mary Ann is a farm girl and is my favorite one of the seven. The Skipper orders Gilligan around and helps run the island. Gilligan is clumsy and is always messing up their chances of getting rescued. He can't keep a secret but they continue to ask him to keep them. Sometimes part of an episode will be of a dream he has. Mary Ann is if not always, almost always good in his dreams. The dreams are always amusing.

 This show isn't realistic but is definitely funny and I would recommend it.

Friday Favorites: Sarah, Plain and Tall

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Rating: G

Recommended for: All ages

What kind of woman will answer the ad that Anna and Caleb's father places for a wife and a mother? Will she be kind and loving? Will she make their father happy? And once she arrives at their prairie home, will she want to stay? That's what Anna and Caleb want to know as they eagerly make plans for the arrival of Sarah--a warm, wise, and wonderful woman whose long-awaited visit just may change their lonely lives forever.

This is one of those books that was always a part of my childhood. I can't remember when I first read it, it seems I've always known about this story. I do, however, remember seeing the movie for the first time and being severely disappointed by the "yellow bonnet." It was not a bonnet, it was a straw hat with what looked like a piece of yellow tulle over it. Sorry, but Glen Close doesn't fit the story. Because it's a sweet book, a simple, but beautiful story.

Anna and Caleb's mother died, and so their father sends for a mail order bride. Sarah comes, and they all get to know each other as they decide whether or not she will marry their papa. But Sarah comes from a very different life. She has always lived by the sea, while they live on a pioneer farm. Sarah misses the sea, but the children know they will miss Sarah if she returns to it.

Sarah tells them about the sea: the colors, blue and gray and green, the sand dunes and how she would slide down them, the waves. Their eyes are opened to a new life, a new place, which they actually visit in the second book. And she gives them something they haven't really experienced: a mother.

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a small book, it's written for children who have just begun chapter books, but it's an enduring story. In fact, I hadn't known there was a fifth book in the series, so when I saw it at Goodwill, I quickly snapped it up. These are quality stories for young children, especially those interested in pioneer life as I was. Sarah, Plain and Tall is well worth its Newbery, and an essential childhood story.

Friday Favorites: The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Recommended For: All Ages

Rating: PG

Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the first book in the magical series The Chronicles of Narnia, a wondrous fantasy adventure for all ages. The next book in this amazing series is titled Prince Caspian.

When I was four and I had just recently started listening to stories at night with my older two siblings, my parents decided to introduce us to the wonderful world of Narnia, and we read all seven books out loud at night (not the same night, many multiple nights until we finished them). Ever since, The Chronicles of Narnia have been a beloved favorite that the movies never have lived up to. It is my humble opinion that either you love Narnia, you read them in the wrong order (I know quite a few people who have done so), or you haven't been introduced.

Let's see, what can I say about The Chronicles of Narnia? They're awesome, they're wonderful, they have great scope for imagination...did you know that it never says in the book that Edmund was stabbed in the stomach by the White Witch's wand? (I guess we all just assumed...)

But for all you non-Narnia fans out there, you need to go read them. Now. Start with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or you probably won't love them. I don't care what everybody including the publishers say: you cannot start with The Magician's Nephew. End of story. I could give you a dozen reasons, but I will refrain. Still, though...

If you asked me what is my favorite Narnia book, I really couldn't tell you. They all have such wonderful memories and are just so awesome...but if I had to pick, I would probably pick The Last Battle. Not just because everything's (literally) perfect at the end, but because...it's so awesome. (I know, I'm using that word a lot. Bear with me here.) Shift infuriates me, and yet, he is part of what makes me love the book so much. He's so much like men of today, and how they triumph over him...it's just awesome.

Who's my favorite character? I don't know. Aslan? I love him, but...maybe Lucy, or Peter. Possibly Shasta or Aravis, Eustace or Jill, Rilian, or perhaps Caspian. I love Tirian, and you can't forget Reepicheep. And then Digory and Polly... They're just all so wonderful.

These books are a classic for a reason. Nobody, and I mean nobody should miss out on them. And you can't just watch the movies, either. The Wonderworks version is not very well made, and while The Silver Chair is a mostly faithful adaption, they...probably aren't worth it. (Except The Silver Chair, maybe.) And plus, the beavers in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe are seriously creepy.



See? Creepy.

The newer movies...The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is enough like the book to be good, but Disney ruined Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader wasn't very well made and the screenplay definitely wasn't well-written. Basically, if you want to be perfectly happy with them, sick to the books. And please read them. In the proper order. Now I'm off to work on a fanfic with Jace from Ilyon Chronicles in it.

Friday Favorites: The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Rating: PG (some scary situations)

Recommended for: Ages 8 to Adult

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other’s lives. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

If you've read any of my books or possibly my author blog, you may have noticed that I have a slight obsession with dungeon scenes. Reader, I can inform you that it comes entirely from The Tale of Despereaux. This tale of a mouse who does not act like a mouse, who is in love with the princess. This tale of a light-coveting dungeon rat whose heart broke and mended in a crooked way. This tale of a deaf, slow-witted girl whose father sold her for a hen, a blood-red table cloth and a handful of cigarettes, who only wants to be a princess. A tale of a kingdom where soup has been outlawed because the queen died when a rat fell into her bowl. A tale of perfidy and forgiveness, a tale of wrongs and revenge, a tale of darkness and light. Reader, let me tell you my story.

I do not remember when I first received this book, nor who gave it to me, but I do know that it quickly became one of my favorites, and a story which influences me to this day. From the moment of Despereaux's birth to the end of his quest, this is a compelling story about those who are different, those in darkness who struggle to get to the light. About love and forgiveness. It is a story I read many times, for when I could not sleep, I would take this book off the shelf to read, because I loved it so, and because it was scarier in the middle of the night.

Despereaux, Roscuro, Miggery Sow, Princess Pea, they remain with me. I flipped through the book as a refresher, since it has been many years since I read this book, but there they were, just as they had been. I cannot exactly say they are old friends, for one would certainly not wish to be friends with the rat Roscuro, bent on revenge on the princess, and Mig is, well, Mig, but I know them. I know Roscuro's longing after the light. I know Mig's cauliflower ears and desperate desire to be a princess. I know Princess Pea's hatred of Roscuro, the rat who caused her mother's death. I know Gregory, the jailer, living life in the pitch black maze of a dungeon, asking a little mouse to tell him a story because stories are light. And I know Despereaux, the romantic hero, the tiny mouse with the big ears, the mouse who loved music and stories, the mouse who fell in love with the princess, the mouse whose own family betrayed him and sent him to the dungeon, to the rats.

This book is so expertly written, Reader. In this book, DiCamillo uses a beautiful, old-fashioned style to bring the story to life. She tells the story as a mouse whispering it in your ear, to bring some light into the darkness. It is a children's book written for children, but yet it is not dumbed down in the slightest. The vocabulary is rich. The descriptions are vivid.

The dungeons are dark and scary. It is a maze down there. Only the rats and Gregory can find their way, and Gregory only because of the rope tied around his ankle. It is dark. It is dirty. It smells horribly. If one becomes lost down there, they are lost forever. It is horrid, but yes, it sparked my love of dungeon scenes.

This book, Reader, I assure you, is well worth your time. Do not judge this book by its movie, for the movie does not come anywhere close to doing it justice. Nothing can replace the brilliance of the writing. Nothing can convey the complexity and depth and light the way Kate DiCamillo did in the original book. Nothing can quite display the forgiveness.

" 'Stories are light,' Gregory the jailer told Despereaux.

"Reader, I hope you have found some light here."

Friday Favorite: Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo

Recommended For: All Ages

Rating: G

1. Marlin, a clown fish, is overly cautious with his son, Nemo, after a tragedy with a shark kills his wife and the rest of Nemo's brothers and sisters. When Nemo swims too close to the surface in order to prove himself to his friends, he is caught by a diver, and a horrified Marlin must set out to find him. A blue reef fish named Dory -- who has a really short memory -- joins Marlin and complicates the encounters with sharks, jellyfish, and a host of ocean dangers. Meanwhile, Nemo plots his escape from a dentist's fish tank. Join this high-thrilling adventure with lots of fun characters that children everywhere will adore.

I've loved Finding Nemo for as long as I can remember. We used to always watch this movie when we went to our grandma's house. This is such a good movie full of fun and laughter and heartfelt moments and Dory.

The beginning is so awful. I mean, it starts out with Marlin losing his wife and all but one of his children. I still mourn Coral. And if she hadn't gone down to the cave, the children would have survived and she might have, too. I really don't know why I like this movie...I guess sad is happy for deep people.

It doesn't stay sad, though. Nemo grows up, goes off to school, and...acts like a bratty kid. Which gets him into MAJOR trouble. Marlin frantically goes after him, and meets a forgetful blue tang on the way who wants to help but keeps forgetting everything about their mission. Dory helps Marlin loosen up and stop being so scared of losing his son. They traverse an ocean together and become friends.

Nemo gets stuck in a fish tank at a dentist's office that I wouldn't want to go to if my life depended on it. He makes some friends, gets his courage bolstered, and in the end, gets a major boost of confidence in his dad, who he probably won't disobey ever again. 

Nemo and Dory join forces near the end in a search to find Marlin and get caught in a fish net. It doesn't take long for them to escape this, however, in a surprising example of what unity can accomplish. Then they all go back home to the barrier reef. They even get to bring along Squirt to Mr. Ray's class as a foreign exchange student!

This is such an awesome movie that everyone should seriously see at least once in their lifetime.

Friday Favorites: Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Recommended for: All Ages (as a read-aloud, 10 and up on own for reading level)

Rating: G

As soon as Anne Shirley arrived at the snug, white farmhouse called Green Gables, she knew she  wanted to stay forever... but would the Cuthberts  send her back to the orphanage? Anne knows she's not  what they expected -- a skinny girl with decidedly  red hair and a temper to match. If only she could  convince them to let her stay, she'd try very hard  not to keep rushing headlong into scrapes or blurt  out the very first thing she had to say. Anne was  not like anybody else, everyone at Green Gables  agreed; she was special -- a girl with an enormous  imagination. This orphan girl dreamed of the day  when she could call herself Anne of Green Gables.

I don't think I've talked about Anne here on Shire Reviews yet, though I know I have over on my author blog. And that is somewhat of a shame, since Anne is more than worth talking about, but at least that means I get to talk about her now.

Anne of Green Gables. I don't remember how old I was when my mom first read it to me, but I do remember things from it, primarily how much I hated the part where SPOILER Matthew dies. END SPOILER That was only the first of many times I experienced this wonderful story. It never gets old. 

 

Anne is an orphan. She wants a family, she wants raven black hair, and a bosom friend. When she finds out she is to be adopted, it seems too good to be true. And, in a way, it sort of is. Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert intended to adopt a boy, but they got Anne instead. Though at first they didn't want to keep her, soon they can't imagine life without her. Anne is very talkative, highly imaginative, and makes LOTS of mistakes. Like the time she accidentally set Diana drunk. Or when she dyed her hair green. And there's the time she fell off the Barrys' ridgepole. Life is never dull with Anne around.

L. M. Montgomery is such an excellent writer. Her choice of words is simply exquisite. Her descriptions are so vivid. The characters are well drawn and very memorable. Her books are full of heart, and just too fantastic for words. The entire Anne series is amazing, all eight books. I love and recommend them all.

I can't finish this without mentioning Anne's relationship with Gilbert Blythe. From the start, Gilbert liked Anne, but he went about getting her attention quite the wrong way. By calling her "carrots" he caused her to not only break her slate over his head, but to refuse to speak to him for five years. Yes, Mr. Philips played a part in causing that as well, but five years. And then she became good friends with him, instead of just good rivals. Gil had tried to make amends, but Anne was just too stubborn. And too stubborn to realized she loved him until he nearly died of typhoid fever towards the end of Anne of the Island. Of course, since that's only book 3 of an 8 book series, there's much more to their story after that. In fact, the protagonist of Rilla of Ingleside is their youngest daughter.

I do love these books so much. They are true classics, just as beloved now as they were when they first came out a hundred years ago. Anne is relatable. She is a character from whom one can learn both what to do and what not to do. Her story is timeless. It is both fun and heartbreaking. It is a story well worth reading, and one you will find yourself reading again and again.

Speaking of, I still need to find time to finish listening to my Anne of Green Gables audio drama...

Friday Favorites: The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride

Recommended For: Ages 8 to Adult

Rating: PG (for swashbuckling violence, some sensuality, and brief language.)

Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...The Princess Bride has got it all. Don't miss out on this hilarious classic that will have you laughing, crying, and cheering at the inconceivable end.

Oh, my goodness, this is such a good movie is a surprise everyone hasn't seen it. It's not a movie to be taken seriously, though. That'll take away all your enjoyment of it. It's just such a fun tongue-in-cheek movie with so many great quotable lines. If you see this movie, you'll either love it or you're wrong.

How do I start? The Princess Bride has so many facets to the story it's amazing. It's a comedy, a romance, an adventure, a revenge story, and so much more. And it's so enjoyable and unique. From the R.O.U.S.s to The Machine to Miracle Max to Prince Humperdinck, this story has things you won't see anywhere else.

The humor. Just. Wow. The movie's chock full of it. "True love is the best thing in the world. Except for a nice MLT. Mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe." "Thievery. You are trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen." "Common blunders. Most common of which is never get involved in a land war in Asia. But only slightly lesser known is never get involved with a Sicilian when death is on the line!" It's just hilarious to the nth degree.

The characters. Westley, the farm boy who loves Buttercup and goes out to seek his fortune, and who consequently gets killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Buttercup, the princess bride engaged to Prince Humperdinck. Fezzik, the lovable and friendly giant. Inigo Montoya, the fiery Spaniard bent on avenging his father's death. Vizzini, the clever and diabolical Sicilian who will do anything for money. Prince Humperdinck, who wants to start a war with Guilder so much that he'll kill his own wife to do it. Count Rugen, the evil man who loves causing people pain, and who invented The Machine to do so better than ever. And the mysterious Man in Black that follows them around. Can't forget him. He's actually very important.

The story. Well...It's kind of a satire, kind of serious, kind of comedic, and kind of something else. It's...well, inconceivable, as a matter of fact.

In short, this is a movie everyone should see at least once. Warning, it does have one bad word in it (that I always forget about until it happens in the movie) but under the circumstances, I can't blame the character at all for using it. So, I'm off to show The Princess Bride to a friend for the first time while watching it for the millionth time myself. It'll be awesome fun. And I expect you all to go watch it again as well. So goodbye, and have fun stormin' the castle!

Friday Favorite: The Ramona Series

The Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary

Recommended for: Ages 6 and up

Rating: G

This series is about a girl's life starting when she is four. The first book focuses on Ramona's older sister but the rest of the series focuses on Ramona. When Ramona is young she is a brat, but by the end of the series, which ends when she turns ten, she mostly just gets into scrapes.

 I'm not exactly sure why I loved this series, but I read it several times. The books are funny part of the time and when I was younger I was as confused at some of the things as Ramona was, for example it took me a little while to understand what the Dawnzer song was, "The Star Spangled Banner," but it didn't give the lyrics. Ramona is a brat at first and since our dog was bad as a puppy, she got the middle name of Ramona. One thing that I do like about this series is that Ramona gets in trouble when she is bad and her misbehavior is not portrayed as something good.

Not every author is able to write ordinary life in an interesting way. I've read a couple books about the characters' ordinary life that were boring. Beverly Cleary is one of the few authors I have read that is able to write ordinary life in an interesting way. Her characters are also well done. In the first book, Beezus, Ramona's older sister, struggles with not being frustrated with her little sister. Her characters are realistic and none of them are perfect, but many of them are still likeable. Throughout the series, Ramona grows up a lot from the beginning of the series.

There are eight titles in all: Beezus and Ramona, Ramona the Pest, Ramona the Brave, Ramona and her Mother, Ramona and her Father, Ramona Quimby Age 8, Ramona Forever, and Ramona's World. The first one is not from Ramona's point of view, but I still count it with the series. 

I would recommend it with the one caution, that Ramona is not a good role model, but it is a good series and one of my childhood favorites. Writing this review is making me want to read them again.  

Friday Favorites: The Chronicles of Prydain

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

Recommended for: Ages 8 to Adult

Rating: PG (violence and magic)

Taran wanted to be a hero, and looking after a pig wasn't exactly heroic, even though Hen Wen was an oracular pig. But the day that Hen Wen vanished, Taran was led into an enchanting and perilous world. With his band of followers, he confronted the Horned King and his terrible Cauldron-Born. These were the forces of evil, and only Hen Wen knew the secret of keeping the kingdom of Prydain safe from them. But who would find her first?

 A few summers ago, my sisters and I read the entire Chronicles of Prydain series and couldn't talk about anything else for quite some time. It's a fantastic fantasy series claiming one Newbery Award and one Newbery Honor, with delightful nods to The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings all over the place.

The series follows the adventures of Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper of Caer Dallben as he fights against Arawn-Death-Lord and his servants the Horned King and Queen Achren, goes on quests to discover his mysterious parentage, to find the powerful sword Dyrnwyn, a mission to rescue his friend Princess Eilonwy, or to destroy the horrible Black Cauldron that creates an army from the body of the slain. Taran's adventures in his fight against evil will thrill all fantasy lovers as he grows from an irresponsible Assistant Pig-Keeper into a true hero.

These characters are so fantastically developed. Taran, with his well intentioned irresponsibility. Stubborn Eilonwy, with her witty, sarcastic retorts. Faithful Gurgi with his love of munchings and crunchings. Calm, Aragorn-like leader Gwydion. The bard Fflewddur Fflam and his lie detecting harp. Good old Doli, the dwarf who could not turn himself invisible.

Looking at these books, going through the characters, I am reminded of the time I spent reading and rereading my favorite parts, recording bits read aloud as if it was an audio drama, chattering incessantly about these stories...They are fantastic. I loved them to pieces that summer of Prydain, and I continue to love them still.

Friday Favorites: Thursday's Child

Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild

Recommended for: All Ages, lovers of orphan stories

Rating: G

Never in the entire history of St. Luke's Orphanage had any child dared even to think about running away. But that was before the arrival of Margaret Thursday, who was not at all an ordinary orphan--as she was always the first to point out.

Headstrong and proud, Margaret refused from the start to be frightened by the harsh punishments and threats of Matron, the cruel director of St. Luke's, who bullied the children as though they were to blame for being orphans. And when life at St. Luke's no longer seemed bearable, it was Margaret who instigated the plan by which she and her two friends, Peter and Horatio Beresford, made their nighttime escape.

This proved to be the start of an exciting and unpredictable journey. England at the turn of the century comes vividly to life, as the reader meets a variety of colorful characters--from the rugged, hard-working canal boat people, to the eccentric cast of a traveling theatrical company, and the polite and proper society of the Earl and Countess of Corkberry. But the end of the story we know tat, just as the old rhyme says, Thursday's child has far to go, and we are confident that this particular Thursday's child is sure to reach her destination.

I've always loved orphan stories. Something about that nature of hard luck story, the hardships they endure, the adventure of running away, the "rags to riches" of some nature that so often follows, just grabs my imagination. Thursday's Child by Noel Streatfeild claims the title of my favorite orphan story. It has everything one could wish for in such a story: a spunky protagonist, intriguing secondary characters, a cruel orphanage Matron, a harsh environment including little food and too much work, a kind benefactor, a daring escape...

St. Luke's Orphanage is just terrible, and so are all the people who work there, someone even purposely puts soap in Horry Beresford's eyes every morning. But it is the place that brings together Margaret and the Beresfords. Margaret is spunky and headstrong, rather proud because her mother left her on the church steps with two of everything, all of the finest quality. She is stubborn, but also caring and has a strong sense of justice. Peter Beresford is quieter, quite the reader. It is because of him I chose Bleak House to keep me company on the long drives to and from orchestra rehearsal last semester. He's sweet, but all wrapped up in his imagination, which, I believe, makes me identify with him. He even manages to read while cutting the grass. And doesn't he look like the Tiny Tim in Scrooge with Albert Finney on this cover? Horry is the little one, the one who lets their true conditions slip, a large part of the reason the escape is enacted. There is also Lavinia, Peter and Horry's older sister, who works as hard as she can to earn money to support her little brothers, but unfortunately, she is not fast enough.

In true Noel Streatfeild style, everything circulates back to the stage somehow. Margaret Thursday has acting talent in her little finger. Perhaps her attitude has something to do with it. But it is largely this book that got me to read Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Because the ending is all wrapped up in it. And there is more spoilery material to the ending that I oughtn't to divulge. It is very good. I love this book. (As a side note, this book reinforces my belief that home hair dying experiences always turn out green. :P )

If you like orphan stories, if you like stories about the stage, if you like hard luck stories, or rags to riches, read Thursday's Child. It will not disappoint. There is also a sequel entitled Far to Go, which I have yet to get a hold of.

Friday Favorites: Magic Tree House

Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne

Recommended for: Ages 7 and 8

Rating: G

In books 5-8, Jack and Annie's friend, Morgan le Fay, is in trouble They must find four "M" things to free her from a spell. Their adventures take them to meet a ninja master in ancient Japan, flee a crocodile on the Amazon River, discover the cave people of the Ice Age, and blast off to the moon in the future. It's a difficult and dangerous mission, but Jack and Annie will do anything to save a friend.

When I was about seven, this was my favorite series. I rarely reread books but I read the ones that I owned multiple times. One thing that I didn't like about this series was the evolution, but I would just ignore it. In this series Jack and Annie, brother and sister, would travel through time in a tree house visiting places all over the world. They would visit famous people, like Shakespeare, and experience well-known events such as Pompeii and the Civil War. Sometimes they would have to search for things. Later there were Merlin missions but I only read two of them. This series is the reason that I think of Morgan le Fay, from the King Arthur legends, as good. I was surprised to find out that she is usually a villain. In later books there is more about the Arthur legends but I don't remember reading them. One thing about the time travel in this series that makes it different from most time travel, is that they don't have to fix history or mess up history and then try to fix the problems they created. The way they travel in time is not scientific. All they do is find a book and point to the place and say "I want to go there". They would then use that book for information about the time and place that they traveled to. Sometimes they would end up in the jungle or in a savannah in Africa. The main character is Jack but Annie was my favorite. I don't think they got along perfectly but I don't think that they had a horrible relationship.

These books have a lot of adventure and I don't remember them being scary at all, but some of them might have been. I loved these books and I still loves stories about time travelers in a wooden box. I will always remember this series fondly and I would recommend it to young readers with the one caution that there is evolution in them.

Friday Favorites: The Missing Series

The Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Recommended for: ages 10 and up

Rating: PG (for violence)

  Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was a big deal. Then he and a neighbor, Chip, who finds out he's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters, saying things such as: "You are one of the missing," and, "Beware! They're coming back to get you."
  

 Jonah, Chip, and Jonah's little sister Katherine are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere; and people who seem to disappear and reappear at will...and make a staggering discovery. 

 This is a newer favorite and last year I did a review about Found, but I wanted to do a favorites review on the whole series.

 These books are a lot about time travel and some mysteries in history. Since last year I got into a show about time travel, it was easy to get into a book about it. The time travel is done very well, better than most time travel stories. In the first book, there is a lot of mystery as to what is going on. I already knew the premise of the series, so it wasn't all that mysterious. For the first couple of books I could get annoyed with Jonah for not knowing history, because I knew a little about the events that they experienced, until the fiction came in. Then when it came to the fifth and sixth books, there were parts of history that I knew nothing about. I enjoyed learning about the historical events in 5 and 6 and reading the Author's notes at the end, which tells what is fiction and what is real. Something that I also enjoyed in this series is how Jonah and his sister Katherine's relationship improves throughout the series. There are several twists in the series and, of course, as there is in almost all time travel story, messed up history.

 The seventh book was very different from the rest of the series and it is very confusing. It has a lot to do with paradoxes and messed up history and time collapsing. I enjoyed this book and it reveals something that you will want to know from the first book. One of the best things about this series is that the last book hasn't even come out yet. I look forward to reading it, especially because of how the last one ended.

 These books are pretty easy reads and I would recommend these books, especially if you are interested in some of the disappearances that happened in history.

Friday Favorites: Voices at Whisper Bend

Voices at Whisper Bend by Katherine Ayres

Recommended For: Ages 10 to Adult (interest and reading level)

Rating: PG (for frightening situations)

It's 1942. America has just entered World War II, and Charlotte Campbell's brother Jim has gone to fight. Twelve-year-old Charlotte wants to help the war effort too, so she and her classmates start a scrap metal drive. when all the metal is stolen, Charlotte is furious. Her determination to catch the thief leads her out on the rain-swollen river at night. There she discovers evidence she doesn't want to find-and there she faces the fear that haunts her.

I have a confession. There is a two-fold reason for this post. One, I need to post a favorite for this week, and my mind went blank. Two, Miss Jack Lewis Baillot is giving away three copies of her book Brothers-in-Arms that isn't out yet, so for the time being the only way to get the book is through the giveaway at her website here. I want to enter as many times as possible, so that means I have to post something about World War II and link it back to her blog. Which I have. So go enter, please (or don't so I have a better chance of winning :). After racking my brain for a favorite book of mine that is about World War II, I finally remembered this awesome book. And this will have to constitute all my entries, since I see no prospect of finishing The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich before the giveaway ends.

I bought this book with birthday money years and years ago. It came in a set of History Mysteries, but this was the one I loved the most, probably because it's set during World War II, and anything set during World War II is awesome. This book is really good. It's a well-done mystery, not unrealistic like many of the mysteries I've read, and it's about World War II. Which makes it a good book. 

Anyways. It's hard to put into words why this book is one of my favorites (other than it's set during World War II).

Can you tell I love World War II?

This book has great characters. I love Charlotte, the main character, her little brother Robbie, and I like Paul Rossi, too. And as a plus, Charlotte has an older brother, although he is absent fighting in the war. All the characters in this book are very well done. And the plot is very good as well. Which is probably why I like it so much.

And it's set during World War II.

So. I really like this book, and I think anyone who likes mysteries or World War II would, too.

And sorry for the awkward post, but I really like World War II.

Friday Favorites: The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Rating: G

Recommended for: All Ages (read-aloud) or 8 to Adult (on own, for reading level)

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite Manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned Mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too. But Misselthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin, Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic will work wonders on him.

Oh my goodness, where do I even start? I love this book so much. I first encountered it when my parents read it to my sister and me as a bedtime story, before our youngest sister had even begun to listen to chapter books with us. I believe it was recycled as a read-aloud when my sister was older. I have read it so many times myself. I know I read it when my dog was a puppy, because she tried to run off with it. I have loved trying (and likely failing miserably) to imitate the Yorkshire accents of Martha and Dickon and Ben Weatherstaff just as Mary did. I often used the word "wick" to describe green wood. My dream garden is one exactly like the Secret Garden. I (rather too loudly) quote Mary's "hysterical lump" speech which she yelled at Colin when he was freaking out and having a tantrum because he thought he was turning into a hunchback. I love the pictures of the outdoors, of being right there with Creation. It is so beautiful. The manor house is so dark. And it is so amazing.

Back in the days when The Secret Garden was written, protagonists of children's literature were always perfect little angels. Burnett's own A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy conform to that. A protagonist such as Mary Lennox definitely broke that mold. Honestly, she is a spoiled brat. She is sickly and cross. Her cousin Colin is even more sickly and cross, besides being a perfect little tyrant. But they do not remain so. They have simply beautiful character arcs. And then there's Dickon. The animal charmer, the boy who spends all his time on the moor. I always loved Dickon. Actually, I once named a character after him. Colin too.

The garden. There is such charm in a garden all locked away and overgrown, such beauty in transforming it by one's own hands. I still want a secret garden of my own. No garden will ever be satisfactory if not just like that one. Though with no Ben Weatherstaff of my own, it still wouldn't be the same.

There are mysteries about Misselthwaite Manor. It is such a large old house, so shut up, with so many things hidden. Like the crying. "There was someone crying. There was!" And old Mr. Craven, who is rarely at home. He is a strange person, with a hurtful past. Still the mention of hunchbacks makes me think of him. And of Colin.

The Secret Garden is such a well written book. The characters feel so real. The settings are so intriguing. The writing draws the reader in. Writing about it and flipping through my copy reminds me so much of my childhood and my love of this fantastic book. It is waiting for me. Misselthwaite Manor and the Secret Garden call.

Friday Favorites: The Hiding Place

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill

Recommended For: Ages 13 and up

Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Content)

  At one time Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the Idea that there would ever be a story to tell. For the first fifty years of her life nothing at all out of the ordinary had ever happened to her. She was an old-maid watchmaker living contentedly with her spinster sister and their elderly father in the tiny Dutch house over their shop. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. However, with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, a story did ensue.

Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story.

This is an amazing book about Corrie Ten Boom's experience during World War II. The book starts out by going through Corrie's childhood and adult life. The book tells of how their country was taken over by the Nazis and the changes that happened as a result. It also tells of how the Ten Booms helped shelter Jews from the Nazis. It went into detail on their secret room and the drills they had to do to make sure if they were searched that no one would be found. They were searched one day but there was no evidence found of any Jews, though the Nazis suspected that they were hiding them. The Ten Booms were arrested for having extra ration cards. When they were arrested, Corrie was sick and she had to leave a bag that she had packed for jail, because she had thrown it over the small door into the secret room where some Jews were hiding. 

 When they were put in jail, the Ten Boom family was separated. It was a while until Corrie found out what had happened to her family. While she was in jail, she received the four Gospels, which she eventually gave away. Corrie and her sister, Betsie were taken to a concentration camp. While they were there, they ministered to the other women that were there. They trusted in God and were thankful no matter how horrible their situation was. There was some sort of medicine that Betsie took. Betsie shared it with the other women and there was always enough. They didn't know how it had lasted so long. One day they got something that served as a replacement for what they already had. Corrie wanted to finish their bottle first, but that night it was empty. Corrie was eventually let out of the concentration camp. There is some of what happened to her after leaving the camp. The most amazing thing is the reason she was let out of the camp, but you have to read the book to find out. This book was well written in a way in which it is easy to concentrate on.

There is a lot of information on what went on in the concentration camps, and while it isn't graphic, it doesn't tone it down.

This is a really great book to read and I would highly recommend it for everyone to eventually read.

Friday Favorites: The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk

 

 Recommended for: All ages

Rating: PG (violence)

This is the TV show from the 1970s and the early 1980s. It follows the life of Doctor David Banner as he searches for a way to cure himself after an accidental dose of gamma radiation.

I loved this show, even though every episode follows the same pattern. He would usually meet someone in trouble, help them and in the process get beaten up and turn into the hulk (usually twice). At the end of each episode he would be walking away along a road. The show got canceled before he ever found a cure. He was also followed by a reporter named Jack McGee, who was obsessed with catching the Hulk. Even though I didn't like Jack, I still wanted him to know the truth about the Hulk and to realize his mistake about David Banner.

It is a sad show about a lonely man. There are some episodes that many TV shows have, for example, an amnesia episode, which was a two parter. I especially liked the episodes where he visited his family, which was also very sad. It was funny though when you could see the green paint coming off of the Hulk. I have seen everything Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby in it, although the TV movies weren't very good. The only disappointing thing about it was that he never got a cure and that he had to keep wandering. We were sad when we came to the end of the four with a partial fifth season. It was hard to find a show to replace it and it took several years to find one.

I would definitely recommend this show, even if you are not that into superheroes.

Friday Favorites: Peter Pan

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Recommended For: All Ages

Rating: G

"I'll teach you how to jump on the wind's back, and then away we go," said Peter. "You just think lovely wonderful thoughts, and they lift you up in the air."

When the Darling children are visited by Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, he convinces them to fly away to the island of Neverland, where children never grow up! There they meet the Lost Boys, a giant crocodile, and the evil Captain Hook. Discover the magical adventures of Peter Pan in this timeless, classic tale.

We all at one time have wished never to grow up. We all have read about Peter Pan, the boy who never did.

I really don't know why I like Peter Pan so much. I first read it a long time ago when the only copy in the house was my sister's. It had small print and was rather daunting. But I finished it and I really liked it. I have since then acquired my own copy, and now I love it. I can't really say who's my favorite character, though. All of the children are heartless, and J. M. Barrie acknowledges this, especially in his last line which I really love: "...and so it will go on, as long as children are gay and innocent and heartless."

Peter Pan is, of course, the central character of this book, although Wendy is the protagonist. Peter Pan, I'm told, is a jerk in the movie (I don't really know; I haven't seen it in forever), and is even worse in the TV show Once Upon A Time, but in the book, while he badly needs a mother, he's not a jerk and certainly not a villain. Peter Pan is very forgetful, he's selfish, as all children are, carefree, a little rude, but nice to the ladies. He tries to be a gentleman, although I'm not sure he succeeds at times. But he does succeed at other times, namely the lagoon adventure (read the book if you don't know what I'm talking about). Namely it is his forgetfulness that shapes Peter Pan. He is a natural leader, he doesn't like the Lost Boys to dress like him or know anything he doesn't know, he loves a good game, he is extremely cocky, he won't strike a man when he is down (literally), strives to always be fair, he despises the thought of mothers (real mothers, that is) and is insanely good at imagining things. An oft-forgotten fact is that Peter Pan had nightmares. As J. M. Barrie said, "Sometimes, though not often, he had dreams, and they were more painful than the dreams of other boys. For hours he could not be separated from these dreams, though he wailed piteously in them. They had to do, I think, with the riddle of his existence." This really made me feel sorry for Peter (and gave me inspiration for one of my characters with the same name).

Sorry for the really long paragraph. Peter is a mystery and it takes a while to explain him. Wendy was fascinated with him, and she could tell, like her mother and her progeny, that he desperately needed a mother. She tried to fulfill that role for him for a while, albeit not very well, but she was just a little girl in need of a mother of her own. I like Wendy very much. She and Peter are probably my favorite characters.

The Neverland is a very interesting place. J. M. Barrie developed it very well. It's so interesting and weird, and its inhabitants are whimsical.

Captain Hook deserves a shout-out. His name wasn't really James Hook, or as he wrote it, Jas. Hook, but someone who "To reveal who he really was would even at this late date set the country in a blaze;" but by Barrie's own admission, was not wholly evil. He loved flowers and sweet music, and was no mean performer on the harpsichord, and was harped up on good form. Peter himself had the highest of good forms, good form without knowing you have good form.Captain Hook was not wholly a bad man, and I kind of like him.

I also really like Barrie's writing style. It's hard to explain, really; I guess you'll just have to read the book again. I do a lot: it's a comfort read.

Anyone and everyone should read this book, and read it again and again. I really like it and it's a really good book.

Friday Favorites: The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair

 

Rating: PG

Recommended for: All Ages

Jill and Eustace must rescue the Prince from the evil Witch.

NARNIA...where owls are wise, where some of the giants like to snack on humans, where a prince is put under an evil spell...and where the adventure begins.

Eustace and Jill escape from the bullies at school through a strange door in the wall, which, for once, is unlocked. It leads to the open moor...or does it? Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face and face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rillian is to be saved.

Out of all of the old Narnia movies, this one is my favorite. The technology is not the greatest and some of the animals are abnormally large but it is still a great movie. There are some parts that are cut from the book but other than those couple parts, it is a faithful adaptation. I'm pretty sure that at one time this was my favorite movie and we watched it several times. I loved Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum and I loved the parts with the giants. The man on the cover was always creepy no matter how many times I watched it. I have even seen this movie in German, and it was funny when they talked about falling in the E in "mir" (which is German for me). There are many parts that I loved and thought were funny. I was first introduced to Narnia with the movies so I am more likely to like them when they are not like the books. I hope that they do make a new version of The Silver Chair but even if they do, I will still like the old version, which I have probably seen too many times. One thing that makes it my favorite is that the characters go on a quest, which is also one of the reasons that  The Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite of  The Lord of the Rings.

I would recommend this movie, especially if you're a Narnia fan.

Friday Favorites: Little House: The Caroline Years

Little House: The Caroline Years by Maria D. Wilkes and Celia Wilkins

Rating: G

Recommended for: All Ages 

Meet Caroline Quiner, the little girl who would grow up to be Laura Ingall's mother. "Little House in Brookfield" is the first in an ongoing series about the adventures of another girl from America's favorite pioneer family. It's 1845 in the bustling frontier town of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Five-year-old Caroline lives in a frame house at the edge of town with her mother, her grandmother, and her five brothers and sisters. Caroline's father was lost at sea the year before, and the close-knit family is struggling to cope without him. Each day brings Caroline new responsibilities and new adventures as she strives to help Mother all she can. And though this first year on their own also brings Caroline and her family great hardship, they survive with courage and love.

Little House was a literary staple of my childhood. Naturally the Laura books were first. I have vague but good memories of my dad reading about Pa's encounter with the "bear" that turned out to be a tree stump. But the books that were my favorites were The Caroline Years about Ma as a little girl. It's a little hard to see in the picture (yes, that is my set, not quite complete, which I'll explain later), but especially the first two books are well worn. I read them so much that, even not having touched them except to make more room on my bookshelf in years, when I reread them in the summer of 2012 (the same summer I wrote The Experiment) they were as familiar to me as if I had only just read them.

The first two were the most read. I unfortunately haven't been able to confirm how old I was when I got my first one, but I think I was about five because I seem to remember being Caroline's age. I'm pretty sure I started my collection in the house we moved from when I was six and a half, because I'm fairly certain that it was in that house that I danced around singing, "Martha and Charlie, the new Carpenters," after my mom looked it up and discovered that Martha Quiner did indeed marry Charlie Carpenter.

The series is based on letters written to Laura by Caroline's sister Martha. Ma apparently didn't talk much about her childhood, so Laura wrote her aunt asking her to "tell the story of those days." It is historical fiction, but closely based on Martha's memories.

I did also particularly like On Top of Concord Hill, I admit, probably because they all came down with cholera in the second half of the book. There are a lot of struggles, particularly with Henry, at their mother's marriage to Mr. Holbrook. I do have a theological caution with this book, though. In the chapter "Secrets," Caroline is bothered by the camp meeting preacher, a major fire and brimstone preacher. She confesses to her mother that she accidentally overheard a conversation between her mother and Mr. Holbrook and was afraid she is doomed to Hell because of it. Mother assures her that it's okay, because she didn't mean to. (This is the context of the issue I have.) This is the issue. Caroline is afraid she is a sinner. Rather than telling her that, yes, she is, we all are, but Jesus died to save us from our sins, Mother tells her that she is not sinful and she is a good girl, thus banishing all Caroline's fears about sin and Hell. So I would recommend having a conversation about that with your child/younger sibling to ensure they do not develop a works based view of salvation.

You might notice Little City by the Lake looks brand new. Well, that's because I only read it twice. Know why? Caroline is 15! And then she turns 16! When I was younger, I couldn't stand for characters to grow up, and apparently 15 was my limit. When I read it when I was 16, I really enjoyed it. But it wasn't until then I discovered there was a seventh book in the series: A Little House of Their Own. It's the only one I don't have, though I want it. I discovered it at the library looking for books for my sister. It takes things from Caroline's schoolteaching through her courtship with Charles Ingalls. I can't remember when the story itself stops, but it contains an epilogue which takes the events up to the beginning of Little House in the Big Woods. At age 16, I really, really loved that book, though I doubt I would have at a younger age. I did have two quibbles with it. First, Caroline told her students that America is a democracy when really we are a representative republic. Pet peeve. The other one I forgot, so it must not have been too important.

The Caroline Years are an excellent supplement to the original Little House books, and a great standalone series as well. The tales of pioneer life are both heartbreaking and inspiring, with a good dash of humor as well. An excellent series for readers of all ages.