Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Adventure
Format: Paperback, 112 pages, Own
Rating: 3.5 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Bright Dawn was a teenaged Eskimo girl. Black Star was her part-husky, mostly wolf, pet. Together they were about to begin the famous Iditarod dogsled race through the bitter cold of Alaska. Bright Dawn knew they would win, but she didn't count on the cold, blinding whiteout, the belligerent bull moose, or ice that could crack and splinter at any time. And she soon realized that she was not only depending on Black Star for the race, but for her life...
My Thoughts:
I think it was an important story for its time. But I don't think it's a book that still needs to be read by young kids. There are better stories out there actually written by Indigenous authors. I think those stories should be promoted.
I read this for my son's school Battle of the Books. It's a very quick read. I had a hard time remembering Bright Dawn was actually 17 in the book. I kept thinking she was 11 since that's how she's written. This book could have easily been expanded into a full-of-adventure novel. But it's only 112 pages and it's over before it has even begun. But like I said before it was an important book for its time but let us let other better stories be read in schools.
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, True-crime
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages, Library
Rating: 3 stars
Publisher's Summary:
The stunning story of an Alabama serial killer and the true-crime book that Harper Lee worked on obsessively in the years after To Kill a Mockingbird.
Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell’s murderer was acquitted–thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend.
Sitting in the audience during the vigilante’s trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own In Cold Blood, the true-crime classic she had helped her friend Truman Capote research seventeen years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting, and many more working on her own version of the case.
Now Casey Cep brings this story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South.
Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell’s murderer was acquitted–thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend.
Sitting in the audience during the vigilante’s trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own In Cold Blood, the true-crime classic she had helped her friend Truman Capote research seventeen years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting, and many more working on her own version of the case.
Now Casey Cep brings this story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South.
My Thoughts:
I had a hard time with this one. It's different. Yes. But was it necessary? And was it a cohesive story? Not so sure about that. Casey Cep takes three different stories and tries to throw them all together. Insurance fraud and the murderous Reverend Maxwell, the murder trial of his killer, and a short biography on Harper Lee. Yes, this crime was something Ms. Lee had been working on and never finished but... I don't know. What was the point? I never felt like I got enough of any one story. I felt a bit cheated. It was a bit interesting and I didn't know much about Harper Lee before this book. And yes my hero has been destroyed. Do NOT meet your heroes... But yeah, I have mixed feelings.
Published: 1990 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy
Format: Paperback, 208 pages, Library
Rating: 4.5 stars
Publisher's Summary:
Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.
My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Cimorene's story of daring to be herself and kicking ass and saving dragons and kingdoms along the way. I wish I had read her story when I was a tween. Fantastic characters and a wonderful world make this a true classic.
Published: 1998 by HarperCollins
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Format: Paperback, 144 pages, Library
Rating: 4 stars
Publisher's Summary:
The Dry Creek Middle School drinking fountain has sprung a leak, so principal Walter Russ dashes off a request to Flowing Waters Fountains, Etc.
...We need a new drinking fountain. Please send a catalog.
Designer Flo Waters responds:
"I'd be delighted...but please understand that all of my fountains are custom-made."
Soon the fountain project takes on a life of its own, one chronicled in letters, postcards, memos, transcripts, and official documents. The school board president is up in arms. So is Dee Eel, of the water-supply company. A scandal is brewing, and Mr. Sam N.'s fifth-grade class is turning up a host of hilarious secrets buried deep beneath the fountain.
...We need a new drinking fountain. Please send a catalog.
Designer Flo Waters responds:
"I'd be delighted...but please understand that all of my fountains are custom-made."
Soon the fountain project takes on a life of its own, one chronicled in letters, postcards, memos, transcripts, and official documents. The school board president is up in arms. So is Dee Eel, of the water-supply company. A scandal is brewing, and Mr. Sam N.'s fifth-grade class is turning up a host of hilarious secrets buried deep beneath the fountain.
My Thoughts:
This was a fun story told in letters about solving a mystery, creating a new fountain, and thinking outside of the box.
I haven't read The Scott O'Dell book, but have read others and I'd agree with your sentiments on those as well. Regarding the Founding looks fun!
ReplyDeletestacybuckeye
It's been fun going through some of these classic books! Some are great others only so-so but it's been a journey helping out with the Battle of the Books for G's school.
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