95. Chomps, Flea, and Gray Cat (That's Me!)

Chomps, Flea, and Gray Cat (That's Me!) by Carol and Bill Wallace
illustrated by John Steven Gurney
Third book in the Gray Cat Trilogy

Pages: 89
Finished: May 26, 2008
First Published: 2001
Genre: children, fiction
Rating: 3.5/5

Reason for Reading: read aloud to the 7yo. next and final book in the series.

First sentence:

I loved sitting in the House Mama's lap!

Comments: Chomps and Gray are friends, summer is coming and Flea is expected back any day now. Comps and Gray spend their time together having fun and trying not to get into trouble with Mama but they just can't help it. Then one day after Flea arrives home the Mama is missing and in terrible trouble. It is is up to the three friends to get help for her.

This was a wonderful ending to this series. Full of fun and humour. The ending was quite intense with danger and the 7yo was caught up in the race to rescue Mama. Overall, a fun series for little ones, about ages 6-8.

94. Favorite Poems of Childhood

Favorite Poems of Childhood edited by Philip Smith

Pages: 84
Finished: May 22, 2008
First Published: 1992
Genre: poetry
Rating: 2.5/5

Reason for Reading: read aloud to the 7yo. We always have a book of poetry on the go.

First sentence:

From breakfast on through all the day
At home among my friends I stay,
But every night I go abroad
Afar into the land of Nod.

Comments: Collection of poetry that will appeal to children from short 4 line verses to longer story poems of several pages. This is a "Dover Thrift" book and does not have any illustrations to speak of there are 4 b/w line drawings with no appeal to them at all. This definately dampened our enjoyment of the poetry. As far as the poems go there were some favourites such as "The Raggedy Man", "The Peppery Man", "There Were Two Ghostess" and "The Quangle Wangle's Hat" and others , but there were far too many poems that marveled at the wonders of nature which bored the 7yo to tears. Not our favourite book of poems.

93. Alias Grace

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Pages: 468
Finished: May 23, 2008
First Published: 1996
Genre: historical fiction
Rating: 4/5

Reason for Reading: chunkster challenge. GRTB pick

First sentence:

Out of the gravel there are peonies growing.

Comments: This fictionalized account is based on the true story of 16 year old Grace Marks who was accused and found guilty of accessory to the murders of her master and his mistress, the housekeeper, in 1840s Toronto, Canada. As the book starts Grace is in prison and is waiting to be seen by a doctor who has obtained permission to study her. He is not the usual type of doctor but rather a doctor of the mind.

The narrative of the book switches from the 1st person of Grace to the third person narrative of the doctor and between these narratives are letters between the characters, excerpts from contemporary papers and poetry. The switching views and narratives keeps the reading moving. I particularly enjoy this type of back and forth narrative. Atwood has done a splendid job of filling in the spaces and presenting a perfectly plausible story of what really may have happened.

I really enjoyed the book. The themes are among my favourite topics, Victorian era prisons, asylums, a madwoman, a sensational murder case, and these all make for interesting reading. The character of Grace is fully realized and we care what has happened to her and will become of her but we never really know whether she is guilty, innocent or insane. Atwood's books often give off literary airs but sometimes I think they are just great genre fiction and this one is a magnificent historical fiction. Great book!

Once Upon a Time Challenge Completed

I finished the Once Upon a Time Challenge! Thanks to Carl for hosting such a suburb challenge!
I pretty much strayed from my original list and just read books as they came up. I loved them all though. I chose the first quest to complete any five books that fit the genre. The books I read are:

5. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
4. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
3. The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi
2. The Silver Treasure: Myths and Legends of the World by Geraldine McCaughrean
1. The Wrath of Mulgarath by Holly Black

92. Five Children and It

Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
First book of The Psammead Trilogy

Pages: 242
Finished: May 20, 2008
First Published: 1902
Genre: children fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

Reason for Reading: Decades Challenge. Read aloud to my 7yo

First sentence:

The house was three miles from the station, but, before the dusty hired fly had rattled along for five minutes, the children began to put their heads out of the carriage window and to say, "Aren't we nearly there?"

Comments: Four children and their baby brother stumble upon a Sand Fairy and learn from It that he can grant them one wish a day but the wish will only last until sunset. They quickly learn that making and getting wishes is not as easy as it seems. They wish for the wrong things at the wrong time and even when they get it right it never turns out as they thought it would. Such as when they wish they were all beautiful and return home to find that the servants don't know who they are and turn them away. And when they wish the baby was grown up, and all grown up he does become, even older than they and what a stuffy, snobby man he turns out to be. Some wishes so do turn out fun such as when they wish for wings, only they forget to get home in time and at sunset find themselves stuck on the top of a church roof. Lot's of fun!

E. Nesbit is credited with creating modern fantasy where fantastical creatures or elements become a part of the 'real' world. Even with having been written over a hundred years ago the writing and style is immensely readable. The 7yo loved this book very much. He found it quite all very exciting and wants to continue on with the series. This is an old-fashioned type of story (all the horse and carriages for instance) and it is very British plus this time period in England was very class conscious which makes it a bit hard for a modern North American child to comprehend at times but most of it was a non-issue. I loved these books when I was a kid and loved this just as much this time as an adult. The 7yo boy is anxious to read more about this group of children and their magical adventures. Recommended.

91. Here We Go Again: My Life in Television

Here We Go Again: My Life in Television by Betty White

Pages: 289
Finished: May 19, 2008
First Published: 1995
Genre: autobiography, NF
Rating: 4/5

Reason for Reading: I'm trying to always have a non-fiction book on the go. I enjoy old-time celebrity autobiographies and I've always admired Betty White.

First sentence:

"And now, here is Betty White --a woman who has been on television
forever!"

Comments: This is Betty White's autobiography which starts with her first amateur stage performances and then quickly gets to her television career. Being written in 1995, it only goes up to the end of The Golden Girls and the brief sequel The Golden Palace. Not only is this the story of White's life, it also reads as a history of television. Ms. White was there at the beginning in 1949 and starred on one of the very first TV shows, Hollywood on Television which she was on air six days a week for five and a half hours a day!

Ms. White has a wonderful written voice which reads in a friendly and witty style. She has lead an interesting life, has known many people in the industry, had a fairy tale marriage to the love of her life, Allen Ludden. Along with her popular shows The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show she was a staple in the game show industry from the fifties through the seventies where she was a regular guest on Match Game. Ms. White shows herself to be a classy lady with a high set of values that stardom never managed to diminish. The information on the early days of television is highly informative and entertaining. It is amazing to see how something so much a part of everyday life came to be and developed so fast.

90. Airborn

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
First book in the Airborn series

Pages: 322
Finished: May 19, 2008
First Published: 2004
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 5/5

Reason for Reading: once upon a time challenge. YA challenge. I've read all the Silverwing books and wanted to start this series now since the third book is coming out this fall.

First sentence:

Sailing towards dawn, and I was perched atop the crow's nest, being the
ship's eyes.

Comments: Matt Cruse works as a cabin boy on the airship Aurora. His father, before him, worked and died on this ship and Matt himself was born on an airship. Sailing is in his blood and he feels he was born to be in the air. He befriends a girl passenger who is making her first air voyage to prove the existence of strange air creatures that her recently deceased grandfather was thought to have imagined. While making a routine voyage with a full load of passenger's and cargo they are attacked and boarded by pirates. This is the beginning of Matt and Kate's deadly adventures.

I loved this book! There is not one single thing that did not appeal to me. Set in an alternate earth similar to the Victorian era only instead of sailing the seas their ships sail the skies. This is a rip-roaring, rollicking good nautical adventure that takes place in the air. Strange creatures, air pirates, shipwreck and desert islands, it is all here. A strong female character with an equally strong male character will appeal to both boys and girls. As per usual with Oppel the death scenes can bit on the gory side and this is definitely a YA book. Both an absorbing plot and wonderfully in-depth character development, along with a fully developed alternate world make this a page-turning adventure. Highly recommended. I can't wait to read the next book!