The Bookline of My Life

I was recently inspired by other blogs to make a bookline. These are the books that have had the greatest significance in my life. Not all of them are favorites but most are. Some are important simply because of what was going on in my life at the time. (Also, I'm counting series. It isn't cheating because I said so.)

1. Panda Cake - Every child has a favorite picture book. Mine was a delightful story about how a panda cake is made. My mother read to me faithfully, even though she hates reading; because of her I'm a lifelong reader.

2. Chronicles of Narnia - I have an old version of the set (in the right order, thank you) but when I first got it I made the egregious error of judging a book by its cover. I took one look and picked up other reads. So these gems sat, alone and forgotten, on my shelf until I picked them up one summer in middle school, and proceeded to devour them. Those who've never had a favorite series cannot possibly understand what I was going through when I finished. It was over, some of my favorite adventures had been in Narnia (as well as my only literary crush), in order to keep the magic I revisit every year.

3. Harry Potter - Growing up, one thing I remember about fads - they were expensive. My parents were never ones to indulge in Furbies, or Pogs, or even a Walkman for crying out loud (and I thank them for not buying any of that crap). But I suppose at the price of one book a year Harry Potter wasn't too hard on them. It was fun to be able to talk about it with my classmates. We grew up with Harry, the reading levels aging with every book. I'm not going to lie, the last HP movie marked the end of an era for me. It is unlikely that something will ever come along that engages me in the same way. Mid-night releases, reading 500 pages in two days, listening to the tapes so my family knew what was going on, and movie premieres: Pottermania was a fun adolescence, and a grand magical adventure I'll revisit again and again.

4. Anne of Green Gables - A good book to be certain, though not one I'd imagine ever making it to my favorite ten. This book makes the list because of memories associated with it. I picked up the entire set at a thrift store one November and began reading the first one sometime in December. I really enjoyed the book, but Dec. 21 my grandma died, I finished reading the book on the way to her funeral. That was five years ago, I still haven't been able to bring myself to finish the series, but they sit, patiently waiting, on my shelves.

5. Guardians of Ga'Hoole - Not exactly highbrow stuff. But I really love this series! It is, dare I say it, fun! It is also a looooong series so I remember reading them during various points growing up, it was always below my reading level, but then most stuff was. This is a series I look forward to sharing with my children someday, and, with the recent movie, I was able to share it with my two favorite bibliophobes, my mom and my brother.

6. Junie B Jones and The Magic Treehouse - I throw these on the same slot because they're both here as honorable series that my brother actually read. And by honorable I mean that The Magic Treehouse was fun, I enjoyed those read alouds, but Junie B? Oh God, every grinding second of it, smiling at his enjoyment of them but secretly wishing that Junie B Jones would end quickly and mercifully (it hasn't). But he liked them, so it counts for something right?

7. Space Trilogy - Let me say squeeeeeeeeee! Now that that's out of the way, onward. C.S. Lewis is my favorite author (his fiction that is) and this is one of his less well-known works. I found the first book tucked away on a teacher's shelf in high school and read it ravenously. This was the first book in a long time to really suck me in, it was soooo good. That Christmas my doting family dug up the entire series on e-bay and gave them to me, best gift ever! The second book in the trilogy was destined to become my favorite book ever.

8. Watership Down - I've mentioned before that my reading level has always been high, in eighth grade I wanted to read Redwall for a book report but my teacher said it was below me and gave me this instead. I figured, eh why not, after all Redwall had a mouse on the cover, this had a bunny, pretty similar choices. I hated every minute. And in one of my few open defiances of a teacher I didn't finish it. I read Redwall instead, and loved every second of it. So this book stands as a testament that, just because something is at your reading level, doesn't mean you need to read it.

9. The Time Quartet - I love Madeline L'Engle's work, she writes personal characters whom you come to know and love deeply. I also enjoy the elements in her books such as space travel, time travel, and more metaphysical-ish travel. After Lewis I don't think any other author has affected me so much.

10. Little House in the Big Woods - This book stands high and proud as my first 'big-person' book. I read this book on my own sometime in second grade and it was thrilling! I love all the Little House books but this will always stand as my declaration of independent reading.

And now, for grins, my favorite ten:
1. Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
2. A Wind in the Door by Madeline L'Engle
3. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
4. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
5. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
6. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
7. A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L'Engle
8. The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
9. The Indigo King by James Owen
10. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Notice any trending going on there? :)

Crispin: The Cross of Lead, Newbery Winner 2003

Avi has written a massive collection of work, in fact Crispin: The Cross of Lead is his fiftieth book! I'd never before read any of his works, always of the impression that I would 'get around to it'.

Now that I've read this work I can't wait to read more. This novel would be excellent for reading aloud to fifth graders and perhaps as part of a reading group. Earlier I mentioned that The Whipping Boy functioned as commentary concerning the injustices of medieval monarchy; let me just say that this story blows that one clean out of the water! I love the character development shown in Crispin as he goes from lowly serf to a strong-willed free man. In this adventure with him is Bear, a gruff, giant of a man. And while the mystery is easy enough for me, with me knowledge of both literature and history, to solve; I think that it is complex enough to keep children on the edge of their seats.

Now, it may be repetitive for me to say that every book is a good book so far on this reading, but it is well worth noting that this book is amazing while being the furthest out of my usual genres. Certainly not fantasy, not realistic fiction, not non-fiction, nor American historical fiction, this book took me far into a realm that I know about, but frankly did not, and for the most part still don't, care about. The serf system is of little interest to me, reading about royals has always been more interesting, but for Crispin and Bear I'll make a return trip through the two sequels.



First Round-Up

Now that I've finished my first ten Newbery Winners, I've decided to have a little round-up so that everyone can see where the books stand. In order from most to least favorite:

1. Number the Stars - This one entered the line-up with the distinct advantage of being the only book so far that I had read (listened to) when I was in the target age group.

2. Julie of the Wolves - A great book that I'm sorry to have missed out on all those years ago. This is a little surprising since I am quite the nature girl at heart. I was that kid; I watched All Creatures Great and Small before I started school; was broken into children's TV by Kratts' Creatures; read every animal book I could get my hands on; and memorized almost every episode of Nature on PBS. In short, I was obsessed.
3. Bud, Not Buddy - For some reason I never hear about this book. How people have forgotten it after twelve short years is a mystery. Bud is one of the most charming children's book characters I have read in my life. This book is a true gem for generations.

4. King of the Wind - Now, after my long description of my animal loving youth, I must retract part of my statement. I didn't read every animal book I could get my hands on, I didn't read the horse ones. But if other horse books are anything like this one, perhaps I should have.

5. Out of the Dust - Like Bud, Not Buddy you don't hear about this book much. I understand why, the blank verse isn't something that most reader's will be comfortable with. Personally though, I found Karen Hesse's writing carried such strong emotion that I was carried away by the words. So much so that I recently acquired another of her books sitting on my 'to-read' pile.

6. Sounder - It's not a dog story, it's something more. There is a reason that this work is called a masterpiece, it is solemn and scholarly without any effort. It is an eloquently told tale from the past that never tries to be more than what it is.

7. Bridge to Terabithia - Another classic that enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after the recent Disney movie. And why not? The characters are real and the situations deeply moving.

8. Sarah, Plain and Tall - This little book is gentle and touching, but I feel it could have been more. Guess I'll need to read the author's sequel!

9. Call It Courage - This book has an enthralling style and introduced me to a whole new culture. Though Sperry's writing can sometimes be a little dry, as a whole the book is an outstanding work that holds up well seventy years later.

10. The Whipping Boy - A fun work to be sure but I'm not entirely convinced it contains the same quality literature found in the other works on this list.

I liked all of these books but as I said before, I have a hard time comparing The Whipping Boy to the others as an example of the greatest children's literature from the year. However, while I enjoyed Call It Courage, I'll be upfront and say that I can easily see it as the book that children are least likely to get into simply because of the older writing style.

Sounder, Newbery Winner 1970

At first glance I thought Sounder was a dog story, after all the dog's name is the title (interestingly, Sounder is the only proper name in the book). However, as I read, I came to realize that the story was really about the boy, how he grew and eventually came to celebrate loss as a part of life.
This story reads like a memoir and perhaps it is loosely biographical, the author's note at the beginning says, "It is the black man's story, not mine. It was not from Aesop, the Old Testament, or Homer. It was history -- his history."
And this book reads more like history, it is this most solemn of the books I have read so far and, I feel, geared towards the oldest readers.
Without being particularly exciting, though-provoking, or sad it is hard to tell what makes this book work. But work it does, spinning a tale that is simply beautiful and beautiful in its simplicity. There are elements of a dog's loyalty to its master, but the true story here is how a young boy overcomes the life he was given through perseverance and love.

The Whipping Boy, Newbery Winner 1987

Another relatively short read, The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman, is a fun romp. Of all the Newbery books I've read thus far this is undoubtedly geared towards the youngest age group, similar in length to Sarah, Plain and Tall it lacks the emotional depth of that work.
I have little doubt in my mind that children will enjoy this tale, especially those just old enough to read a chapter book. The adventuresome pace is kept moving along nicely throughout.
While Sid Fleischman has written an excellent commentary for children concerning class distinction in a monarchy, I can't but feel that this work doesn't stack up to the other winners I've read so far. It is a well written book and fun, but it just doesn't seem to have the same literary quality as, say, Julie of the Wolves, Bridge to Terebithia, or Bud, Not Buddy, really any of the books I read so far.

King of the Wind, Newbery Winner 1949

 

 

For some reason I was never as captivated by horses as other young girls frequently are. They were nice and pretty I guess, but I never really sought them out in fiction. As such I never read the classic horse stories such as: Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague, The Black Stallion, My Friend Flicka, or this selection, King of the Wind. Truth be told I was expecting it to be a bit of a slog; once I picked it up though, I found it nearly impossible to put down.
When I read a book about a subject I know relatively little about, I like to keep Google open on my laptop. It's better than reading with a dictionary in my opinion because I can explore deeper into a subject and not just get a definition. With this book I found myself looking into the history of horse racing, the foundation of the Thoroughbred horse breed, and the greatest racehorses of all time, amongst other things.
This is a beautifully written tale that captured my imagination; it's like a classic fairy tale, but with a horse. Why I never hear about this book compared to other horse books is a mystery. Marguerite Henry had true talent for writing an emotional tale and in-depth characters. I found it very easy to relate to her characters and found it quite a shock to learn, nearly a third of the way through the book, that the principal character is mute! I had to stop and look back, he had conveyed so much emotion that I never paid attention to the fact that he had no dialogue. I am interested to see if the author's other works are as superbly written as this one.

Julie of the Wolves, Newbery Winner 1973

Wow! I just finished plowing through this book in four hours, and I've got to say it was worth every minute. One of the places I am really interested in teaching at after I graduate is the Alaskan bush. I reveled in every description of the tundra, animals, and culture of the Yup'ik. I loved the intimate interactions between Julie and the wolf pack, the naturalism of this work is beautiful.
I am a great believer that there is some measure of truth in old customs and this book makes it clear that Jean Craighead George agrees. It was as I read about Julie's acceptance of 'the old Eskimo ways' that I came to adore this book.
I discovered that there were two sequels written for this book that I am now quite anxious to read. Combining nature, survival, new cultures, and coming of age into one novel, Julie of the Wolves, rates as my second favorite Newbery winner thus far.

Call It Courage, Newbery Winner 1941

This was an amazing read! I probably would never have picked up this book if it weren't for my goal of reading all the Newbery winners but Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry has one of those timeless stories that rings with the excitement of another time and place.
There were several words and concepts in this tale that I was unfamiliar with, but I feel that I have expanded my knowledge of the South Pacific lifestyles simply by reading this short story. Now that doesn't make me an expert on any level, but it does give me a few reference points.
This story deal with facing our own personal fears, Mafatu fears the ocean and so strikes out to become worthy of his name 'Stout Heart'. It can be difficult to face our challenges head on, especially if they are something we live with everyday but this story brings hope and confidence in an exciting adventurous manner.
And, a last note as I'm skimming the reviews on Amazon, I feel that the content is entirely appropriate for children. Many seem to feel the term 'black' is applied inappropriately to the cannibals of the South Pacific and that makes the book racist and unsuitable for children. However, not all Pacific Islanders look like Hawaiians or Polynesians. One of the last remaining cannibalistic cultures of the 1900s (when the book was written) were the Korowai people of Papua. Look them up and decide for yourself if the author was within reason to describe them as 'black'. As for me, I think that this is a wonderful book that many children will enjoy. I can recommend it honestly, and without fear of 'tainting' the children's minds.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, Newbery Winner 1986

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is an enjoyable little read. It proves that a story does not need to be long to capture the hearts of millions. My copy can in at 64 pages, including the afterword, and the print was actually pretty big. But this little gem is very heartfelt.
A quick note to my readers (I'm just pretending you exist, okay?), I haven't posted in such a long time because I was focusing on schoolwork and other duties. But with summer comes not one, not two, but three jobs that require me to remain near a phone all day but ask me to do little else. What does this mean? Expect the reviews to begin rolling in!
This will be my first summer not spent at home, I thought it would be fitting to start the summer with a book about a woman who leaves her home for the first time and makes a new life in the rolling prairies.
While Sarah missed the sea, I find that I will be missing the mountains. But I have friends to get me through it and I know that ultimately this decision was for the best. This book only took about an hour to read, I think anyone could really enjoy this work. It doesn't try to be exciting, scary, dramatic, romantic, or heartwarming, yet it is all of these things and more.