Category: Book Reviews

The Book of Fairies

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews

The Book of Fairies by Michael Hague is a compilation of short stories about fairies.  This comment was in the appendix and it struck me:

“A world without magic and danger would be boring.  Stories of fairies remind us how unpredictable and interesting the world really is.  And they remind us that we must have times of struggle before we can have happy endings.”

It’s a sentiment we’ve all heard before, right?  You got to have the downs to have the ups.  But I’ve never heard it quite put like this before.  Since I’m a writer I guess the simile impacted me more.

But it’s true.  It reminds us all to keep plowing through the rough spots to find the smooth road; that the pot of gold lies at the end of the rainbow; to follow the Yellow Brick Road to return to Kansas.

I think that’s why I switched from writing non-fiction to fiction: because I like a good make-believe story as well as the next person.  And I believe I can create one as well as or better than others.

If I keep trudging through the muck to get to the shower…

Why Would Anyone EVER Pre-Order a Book?

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews

I am anxiously awaiting the release date of the final book in the Inheritance Cycle (called Inheritance) by Christopher Paolini as a lot of other fans are on November 8.

So, I go online to Amazon to pre-order it.  Well, as most of you know, you have to spend $25 or more to get free shipping so I thought I’d order some other books I’ve had in my queue.

I go through the whole process to the end where it says, “Your books will not be shipped until November.”

What?!

I thought books from Amazon were shipped when they arrived so I’d get separate orders.

I cancel that order and hop over to Barnes and Noble.com and see what they say.  I call a physical store to ask,”If I pre-order this book along with others, will it be shipped separately?”

“Oh, yes,” the employee assures me.  “You’ll get your other books first.”

Once again, I go on-line to order my books along with pre-ordering Inheritance.  Again, same message:  “Your books will not be shipped until the pre-order is available.”

Of course, I don’t believe the young man on the phone and I just cancel my order.

In the end, I don’t order Inheritance (much to my chagrin for I really want the book) and just order the stuff I need now (some are workbooks for homeschool) along with a book my daughters really want (the new book in the Magic Tree House Series called Dogs in the Dead of Night #46 by Mary Pope Osborne) to get myself over the $25 mark.

Why would anyone ever pre-order? I wonder.

Amazon has changed the price on Inheritance THREE times since I’ve put it in my cart.

I decide to just order the book when it comes out.  Easier. Safer.  Less hassle. And confusion.

And if I pay shipping, so be it.  But by November, I’m sure I’ll have something else I need (all books are a need, ya know!).

Scarecrow Pete

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews

I LOVE this book by Mark Kimball Moulton!

We follow a boy who one day realizes the old scarecrow in his garden talks.  Scarecrow Pete loves to read and he asks the boy to read to him.  The boy picks out Moby Dick from a pile of old books by the Pete’s feet and begins.  The boy is immediately sucked in and this sets off a summer full of wonderful reads as the boy learns that reading is an adventure.

Told in verse, this book is great at telling kids the wonders of reading.  Scarecrow Pete has imaginary friends and explains, “Why, I can go most anywhere by reading a good book.”

Pete leaves in the autumn to be a library volunteer on his mission to encourage others to read “for it’s the first step that it takes for someone to succeed.”

I couldn’t agree more!

“You can do most anything, meet anyone you please, travel anywhere you like and do it all with ease.  Just find a place that’s comfortable–a nice, warm, cozy nook–and lose yourself among the pages of a favorite book!”

Scarecrow Pete is a great, fun encouraging read with a timeless message and fantastic illustrations!

You Are Special

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith

You Are Special by Max Lucado introduced the world to the Wemmicks.  For those of you who don’t know these delightful kids’ stories, I shall summarize.  They are about a group of wooded people called the Wemmicks who all live in a village overlooked by a house on the hill where the a woodworker named Eli lives (Eli carved all the Wemmicks).  We follow one in particular named Punchinello as he struggles through his daily life.

This story is about Wemmicks who either give you a star or a dot, a star being they approve of you; a dot being otherwise.  Punchinello always receives dots so he’s depressed. He meets another Wemmick named Lucia who has no dots and he wonders why.  She tells him to go and see Eli.

Eli explains:  “I don’t care what the other Wemmicks think.  What they think doesn’t matter, Punchinello.  All that matters is what I think.  And I think you are pretty special.”

Punchinello says he doesn’t understand.

“You will,” Eli says.  “Just come to see me every day and let me remind you how much I care.  And remember you are special because I made you.  And I don’t make mistakes.”

It’s not hard to see the analogy to God here.

This is so what I needed to hear.  It doesn’t matter what others think (my concern with others judging my writing).  It only matters what God thinks and what God wants.  And if you come to Him, you will know and understand.

Powerful story brought to a kids level that even adults get life truths from.

The Impudent Rooster

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews

The Impudent Rooster is an adaptation of a traditional Romanian tale by Sabina Rascol.

Frustrated at being poor, an old man yells at his rooster one day for not laying eggs.  Crushed, the rooster leaves his best friend and master.

The rooster then finds a money pouch he desires to take back to his master so he can eat but along the way it’s stolen by a greedy nobleman.  The rooster enters a series of tests as the nobleman tries to rid himself of this impudent rooster.

In the end, the rooster succeeds at outsmarting the nobleman and ends up bringing back riches to his master.

The best part of this story is the emphasis on forgiveness:

“The old man asked the rooster’s forgiveness for his ill-tempered words, and the rooster rubbed his head against the old man’s hand.  He had long since forgiven his master.”

The old man uses his wealth in the end to provide for the poor and help others.

The pictures by Holly Berry are bright, cheery, and fun.

Wonderful, uplifting story kids (and adults) of all ages need to hear.

Stone Soup

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews

Stone Soup by Jon J Muth illustrates beautifully what can happen when people work together.

It tells the tale of three monks who visit a town and are turned away by all when they knock on their door for charity.

So, they begin to cook stone soup in the middle of the town square.  The villagers, curious as to what they are doing, all begin to ask them questions.  Soon enough they are all pitching in items “needed” to make the soup better.

They have a huge town feast and everyone shares the town soup. The monks are lodged that night and the whole town turns out in the morning as they depart, saying “You have shown us that sharing makes us all richer.”

Great version of a timeless tale about sharing and working together to make something better.  Also, how something wonderful can be made from nothing.

Jon J Muth also wrote one of my favorite kids books, The Three Questions, which is the story of a boy trying to figure out the answer to three questions about life.

The Animal Hedge

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews

“Slowly they (the sons) realized that they’d seen in the hedge what lay deep in their hearts and heavy on their minds.”

The Animal Hedge by Paul Fleischman tells the story of a farmer who loses his farm and begins to carve his passions (farm animals) into his hedges.  One day, he tells his sons they must look in the hedges to find the answer to what their calling was.

In the end, the sons realize they saw in the hedges what was in their minds and hearts:  what their calling was in life, their passion, what was most on their minds.

Great story of finding your passion.  It seems to say we all know what our passion is; it’s just a matter of stepping back and letting the shape form in our minds until we recognize and acknowledge it.

“We Often Look So Long and So Regretfully Upon the Closed Door that We Do Not See the New Ones Which Open for Us”

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Life

Words I needed to hear courtesy of Mary Pope Osborne and her Magic Tree House Series.  Here, Osborne quotes Alexander Graham Bell in Night of the New Magicians.

The entire quote of Mr. Bell’s:  “When one door closes, another door opens.  But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”

LOVE THIS!  Especially now as I look to close the door on my life and move to another state.

I cannot praise this series enough.  I have learned so much myself let alone my kids.  Every book has a great life lesson to apply to life or a great quote from a historical figure (like the one above) that we all need to be reminded of.

In the Night of the New Magicians, Jack and Annie discover 4 secrets from 4 “Magicians”: Alexander Graham Bell, Gustave Eiffel, Thomas Alva Edison, and Louis Pasteur.

Edison’s Secret:  “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”

Pasteur’s Secret:  “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

Eiffel’s Secret:  “From my father I inherited a taste for adventure, from my mother a love of work and responsibility.”

All great quotes from geniuses in their own right.  Way to go, Ms. Osborne!  Thanks for teaching my kids and reminding me of great, timeless advice.

YOU GOTTA READ THIS BOOK!!!

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Faith

Did you hear me???!!!

You HAVE to read this book!  I feel like I’m re-living the Isaiah study through the eyes of a child.

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo tells the true story of a 3 1/2 year old kid who says he went to heaven when he almost died in emergency apendectomy surgery.  There is so many life lessons in here I’m not for sure I can summarize it all here but I’ll try.

Lesson #1:  Always trust your gut and get second opinions when it comes to doctors.

The home town doctor of the Burpos told them their son didn’t have appendicitis, which is ultimately what he did have.  His appendix poisoned his body for 5 days before the Burpos sought out a second opinion as they watched their son deteriorate before their eyes.

Lesson #2:  God does answer prayers.

Colton, the son, says Jesus sent him back specifically in answer to his father’s prayers.  Powerful stuff!

Lesson #3:  God gives gifts to be used for His kingdom.

P. 64 Quote:  “We’d been given a gift and our job now was to unwrap it…and see what’s inside.”

We all have gifts to which it is our RESPONSIBILITY to use for His kingdom.

Lesson #4:  Our relatives and pets are in heaven, waiting for us eagerly to be with them.

Colton tells the heart-wrenching story of meeting his unborn sister whom his mother had miscarried. These people are in God’s hands and will be there to hug us when we arrive.

Lesson #5:  The Holy Spirit “shoots down power” for us.  P.126

I liked this one.  To know God gives me strength and energy to make it.

This story is heart-wrenching yet the good that comes out of the bad is extraordinary.  I can guarantee you this child will never doubt the existence of God even as life takes it toll when he ages.

What I like about this story is Colton confirms everything in the Bible.  As humans, we always questions things we can’t see.  The Bible is all about faith, especially in terms of the prophecies and the future.  Colton speaks about such things and the accuracy is amazing.

God gives us these stories to encourage us in our walk with Him. Colton encourages his family and all those who read his story. The End Time stories Colton tells from the book of Revelation are elegant.  God wins in the end and therefore we win.

I can see Colton in my kids.  My kids’ faith is very strong.  They believe and love Jesus with all their hearts, minds, and souls. They never doubt.  I want the child-like faith in Jesus.

Quick read.  Great, uplifting book.  Sure to have you shouting at the end, “Yeah, God!”

The Mightiest Heart

by atozmom, posted in Book Reviews, Dogs

The Mightiest Heart is a kids book by Lynn Cullen.  It tells the tale of a loyal Irish Wolfhound, Gelert, to his master, Prince Llywelyn.  One day Gelert stays behind while Prince Llywelyn goes hunting.  When the Prince returns, Gelert is all bloody and his son is missing.  He blames the dog who runs away only to rescue the Prince once more when he is in danger.  The Prince finds his son and the body of a dead wolf nearby.

When the Llywelyn’s son grows up and finds a puppy (presumably Gelert’s child), the Prince tells him he may keep him only if “You never let him go.”  He continues, “The mightiest heart can come in the humblest vessel.”

I have read this story before where instead of Gelert running away, the Prince kills the dog with his sword before he finds out his son is alive.  This is the traditional tale.  I like this version better merely  because my daughter can’t stand it when animals die in stories but the traditional one is much more poignant.

It highlights how we all jump to conclusions, react when we shouldn’t, do things we shouldn’t, only to find out later we were wrong, and regret our choices made.  I especially like this one because this dog had shown no reason to doubt it in the past and yet our human mind still thinks the worst.

This is based on a true story.  The Prince really lived in the twelfth and thirteenth century and he had an Irish Wolfhound named Gelert.  In fact, the town of Beddgelert in Wales, United Kingdom is named for the dog where an actual grave site exists purported to be the resting spot of the real Gelert.  Fascinating stuff.

Irish Wolfhounds were prized in the Middle Ages for their hunting capabilities and given to royalty as gifts.

Dog owners know how loyal dogs are and uncharacteristic behavior usually has a very good reason behind it.

Personally, I like this tale because we almost got Irish Wolfhounds instead of English Mastiffs.  They are one of my favorite breeds and are still on my short list of dogs to own in the future.  I love loyal breed dogs, guard dogs, and big dogs–all of which describe these breeds best.

Here’s a link to the story with photos of the grave:

http://www.rohan-irishwolfhounds.com/Myths%20and%20Legends.htm