The House at Riverton

It's a Winter Wonderland here...12 inches of snow plus freezing rain and now cold rain to make everything slushy.  Makes for wonderful reading.  On loan from LT is this debut novel from Kate Morton, The House at Riverton.  It's a 1920s mystery set in England, narrated by one from "downstairs" about certain events that take place "upstairs".  Very much like Downton Abbey, which is one of my personal favorite television series of all time.  So far, I know the main character, Grace, is a new servant at Riverton.  She's no stranger to the house, as her mother worked there previously and there is some question as to why she no longer works there.  It's slow reading, but interesting.  I highly recommend it if you like period films or novels.  

Now back to my book!
RC

What's up next?

 Up next in the book line-up is the February Book Breakfast Title by Newbery author Elizabeth George Speare, The Bronze Bow.  I'll be starting it this weekend and so I took a look at what Amazon.com had to say about it...

"He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. –from the Song of David (2 Samuel 22:35)

This book won the Newbery Medal in 1962. This gripping, action-packed novel tells the story of eighteen-year-old Daniel bar Jamin—a fierce, hotheaded young man bent on revenging his father’s death by forcing the Romans from his land of Israel. Daniel’s palpable hatred for Romans wanes only when he starts to hear the gentle lessons of the traveling carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. A fast-paced, suspenseful, vividly wrought tale of friendship, loyalty, the idea of home, community . . . and ultimately, as Jesus says to Daniel on page 224: “Can’t you see, Daniel, it is hate that is the enemy? Not men. Hate does not die with killing. It only springs up a hundredfold. The only thing stronger than hate is love.” A powerful, relevant read in turbulent times."

 I'm looking forward to discussing this with our students...the concept of love being stronger than hate is powerful and timely.  

And then right after that, I'm going to read something fun I found this morning on the adult shelf at work.  Donated by a coworker, Cemetery Girl by David Bell promises to be a page turner!  Here's one of the reviews found on his site, www.davidbellnovels.com...
“David Bell's CEMETERY GIRL is my favorite kind of story because it takes the familiar and darkens it. This story is essentially about a missing little girl, but trust me: you have never read a missing persons story like this one. The reader is taken down the rabbit hole in this novel and when he comes out at the end—just beyond that mysterious and hopeful last page—he is all the better for having been invited inside Bell's disturbing, all-too-real world. I could not stop reading CEMETERY GIRL because I had to know how it ended. A fast, mean headtrip of a thriller that reads like a collaboration between Michael Connelly and the gothic fiction of Joyce Carol Oates, CEMETERY GIRL is one of those novels that you cannot shake after it's over. A winner on every level.”
—Will Lavender, New York Times bestselling author of DOMINANCE 

Cemetery Girl is for adults only.  
Happy Reading!
RC

One Crazy Summer

One of my most trusted reading pals brought to my attention an article/newscast produced by Fox News.  Not being an avid television watcher, nor a political activist, I was unaware that this book by Rita Williams-Garcia was being challenged nationally.  Apparently, a school district in North Carolina requires it read by their 4th graders and due to the fact that it's set smack down in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and includes Black Panther references, there are those who challenge it's use.  

 I've had this book in our middle school library for as many years as was possible, due to the fact that it won so many awards.  There literally isn't room on the cover to display them all!  I mean, look at that!  I hadn't taken time to read it, trusting in the coworkers who read it for me.  I've never received any negative feedback from my students, parents, teachers, etc... But I suppose it's time I read this one for myself.  I can promise you this...if the author simply shares with the reader accurate historical references which enhance the plot and theme, I will put it back on my shelf where it belongs.  Available to all.  

The only problem I would have with this book being required in the 4th grade is the fact that the age of the student may be a tad too young to grasp the significance of the strife these characters endure.  My middle school students are familiar with the Civil Rights Movement, so they'll be able to understand why the main character, Delphine, acts the way she does so as not to "embarrass the Negro nation".  But 8 and 9 year olds?  Perhaps after a lesson about slavery and the fight for African American freedoms. Who knows.  

I'm on chapter 3 and loving it so far.  RWG has set the stage for the girls to arrive in California to meet their mother who abandoned them so many years ago.  And she's getting the setting just right.  I'm embarrassed by the way some of the white characters are acting.  Ouch!

Happy Reading!
RC

 

Pure Drivel

I knew the moment the teacher laid the stack of books on my counter which one of the donations I'd be reading first.  The one with the cover that makes my heart flutter just a tad. The one which contains my...dare I say it?...my crush.  I have ALWAYS, since the beginning of time, loved Steve Martin!  How many times have I watched Father of the Bride?  Too many to admit.  It's not that it's a great movie...you know why I watch it.  I love to watch this man work!  And I do believe I'm telling this for the first time ever!  

But I digress... If you enjoy Steve Martin's dry wit, you need to pick up a copy of Pure Drivel.  It's not new, it's not on the New York Times Bestseller List, it's not a book club book.  It's just a collection of essays written by the man himself.  In his style.  And it's for adults, please.  

Guilty pleasure of the week accomplished!
Happy Reading,
RC

Brown Girl Dreaming

As a member of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award panel, I've been asked to preview the latest by Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming. I started it this week and have been working my way through slowly.  The poems are loaded with thoughts to peruse and historical events to consider.  I find it quite the challenge for middle school students.  With that said, I believe in challenging students.  Struggle brings about self-confidence.  Pride.  That's not always a bad thing.  Reading this book would be an accomplishment for many of my students.  I do have a few in mind who would be able to grasp Woodson's themes and wit.  So with that said, I would encourage you to pick up a copy.  Sit down with some time to read slowly.  Think about the time period, the setting, the characters experiences and how they mold their point of view.  And then read some of them again.  One poem I read five times before I felt like I truly understood what the author was trying to tell me.  Sometimes that happens to readers.  We get lazy and just become receivers of information.  We sit back and expect the author to spoon feed us everything we should know or feel.  And when they don't, we can feel frustrated.  We can quit reading.  We can say we don't "like" this book.  It wasn't a "good one".  Hmmmm.  Makes you wonder how many times you've done the same thing.  Makes me wonder as well.

Keep Reading the good stuff!
RC