Alexis' Book Blog

The Boy Who Dared

A Novel Based on a True Story

by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Published Scholastic, 2008

Targeted Audience: Middle-Grade to Young Adult (Ages 10 -14)

5 out of 5 stars

Book Review by Sandra Miller-Louden

Synopsis:

Helmut Hubener is hardly a household name, but if you think of unimaginable courage and an overwhelming desire to right horrible wrongs, Helmut Hubener should be right there at the top of your list.

Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1925, Helmut belonged to the Mormon Church.  He grew up never knowing his father and lived with his mother, his grandparents and two half-brothers.  The entire family was Mormon and as such believed in one’s Christian duty to tell the truth and try to right any wrongs they saw occurring. Helmut was like any other boy who loved adventure and was curious about the world around him.  He dreamed of becoming a Boy Scout; however, when the Nazis came to power, they outlawed Scouting.

Soon Helmut found himself in the Hitler Youth, an organization he was required to join, but almost immediately was at odds with the group and its philosophy.  He soon questioned all the Nazi Doctrines, as well as Adolf Hitler’s supposed interest in peace, while simultaneously invading countries all around Germany.

After finishing middle school in 1941, he began work as an apprentice in a government office.  There in a stuffy, little-used room, Helmut discovers an entire library of banned books.  He’s amazed and can’t resist taking one book home at a time—sneaking it under his shirt, so he can know exactly what the Nazis do not want him to know.

His brother brings home a short-wave radio, also illegal in Germany and punishable by death if the authorities catch them listening to it. Although his brother locks the radio away when he returns to the front, Helmut jimmies the lock and tunes in the BBC.  He is immediately impressed that the British talk openly and honestly about their troop losses.  Helmut knows no such truth exists in Germany where every broadcast focuses on glory to the Fuhrer and hiding bad news. He invites two trusted friends to also listen and eventually decides he must do something to help defeat Hitler.

Helmut begins writing and printing anti-Hitler pamphlets, stuffing them in mailboxes, leaving them on tables and in buses.  When he eventually trusts the wrong person at work, he is turned in and then arrested by the Gestapo—the Secret Police—and tried in a Nazi court.

At 17, Helmut Hubener became the youngest person sentenced to death by Nazi authorities.  On October 17, 1942, Helmut Hubener was beheaded by guillotine in Plotzensee Prison, located in Berlin.  The room where he was executed now holds a stark shrine to his memory—and the memory of all the others who died there.

Why I Liked It:

This book is a chilling reminder that freedom is not free and that our liberties are precious indeed.  Many black and white photos are included in this book and I found myself flipping to them often as I read about Helmut, studying his handsome face—seeing him look hopeful, ready to tackle the world and yet knowing that because he lived his convictions, he was probably doomed.  This is historical fiction at its best.  The author was meticulous in her research, interviewing Helmut’s friends and half-brother; she traveled to Germany to take various pictures included in the book and look up relevant documents pertaining to Helmut’s arrest, trial and execution.

What I Didn’t Like:

There was nothing I really didn’t like, although I thought a glossary of terms would have been helpful.  This book could certainly be read by anyone 10 or older, yet middle-grade children may not know what a swastika is or what jackboots were.  Years ago, I remember a Holocaust survivor lecturing in the public schools—he was amazed that many times students would ask:  “Well, why didn’t you just report the Nazis to the police?”  In the face of such naïveté, I think a glossary of terms and general background would have been helpful.

Why You Should Read It:

If you find yourself reluctant to pick up a non-fiction history book for whatever reason, then your next step should at least be to read historical fiction.  Obviously, the author cannot know word-for-word personal conversations or even specific thoughts of the people at any given time, but she can weave a plausible story based on her research.  Hopefully, the curiosity that springs from reading an accurate historical fiction account will prove to be an incentive for reading more about that era or period in history.

Little Known Fact:

Susan Campbell Bartoletti became so interested in Helmut Hubener after writing her Newbery Honor Award Book, Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Hitler’s Shadow (Scholastic 2005), she researched his life independently, also meeting with and interviewing Hubener’s childhood friends and half-brother.  Ms. Bartoletti’s biological father died in a car accident and she, too, like Helmut had a stepfather when her mother remarried.

“On a Lighter Note” Fact:

Haley Joel Osment is scheduled to play the role of Helmut Hubener in the upcoming film, Truth and Treason.  According to the website, www.truthandtreason.com , it is being filmed in 2010, although there seems to be conflicting information that filming began back in 2007.  Hopefully, the film will be made without any other major delays, as its impact will be profound.

The A.B.C. Murders

Author: Agatha Christie

Year Published: 1935

Stars: 4/5

Synopsis:

Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have solved many, many murders together over the past years. Now, Hastings lives in South America and Poirot has long retired from the police force. One morning Poirot receives a letter taunting him to ’step-in’ and solve a crime. The letter gives the location and date of the murder. Chalking it up as a hoax Poirot stashes the letter away until the murder actually occurs and he receives another letter. Now Poirot and Hastings must try and discover a pattern that exists in his victims to determine who will be next. Can Poirot still solve a case even though he has been retired for years or will the killer outsmart the man with all the grey matter?

Why I liked it:

My mom brought up an interesting point awhile back that made me appreciate Agatha Christie novels more. Some mystery authors cheat the ending of the story. And by cheat I mean the author reveals the killer as being the doorman we meet in chapter 3 and has one line. This is not only insanely frustrating but also makes me wonder how they ever got published. I have read quite a few Christie novels and not once did she ever cheat. She has written hundreds of novels and short stories each unique in content and ending. Considering she writes in the mystery genre, I have to give her props.

Another reason I love this, and all her novels, is that Poirot is not always right. It is infuriating to read a book when the main character is perfect and never makes a mistake. In this book…spoiler alert… Poirot gets sent 4 letters before he solves the crime, which means he was wrong at least 3 times. He is protrayed as human and fallible.

Last, she is just a good author. It is a fun, quick read that transforms you from your couch to rainy England instantly.

What I didn’t like:

The Hercule Poirot novels are all written through the eyes of Captain Hastings, Poirot’s faithful sidekick…which I like. However, Hastings has an unusually small role in this novel. In fact, I almost forgot he was the narrator about midway through. Hastings is smart and ‘has a tendency for stating the obvious’, which always leads to the case being solved. Therefore, even though the point is moot and no more Poirot novels will ever be written, I think Hastings should have had a larger role in the novel. Poirot is interesting but not very likeable. Hastings has a charismatic personality and often provides comic relief.

The other part I don’t like is that Poirot speaks French from time to time. It wouldn’t bother me if I spoke French, but since I do not, it is quite annoying.

Little Known Fact:

Her play, The Mousetrap, is the longest running theatrical play in history. Take that West Side Story and Cats!

Fun Fact:

Christie wrote two famous detectives, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot; however, my favorite main character is Harley Quin. The Mysterious Mr. Quin, in my opinion, is her best book.

Freddy and Mr. Camphor

By Walter R. Brooks

Book Review by Sandra Miller-Louden

3.5 out of 5 stars

Series Book/Children

Since the Freddy Series is found in the children’s section of the library, we’ll call it a children’s book for simplicity’s sake.  However, let me warn you, this series has a wide appeal for adults as well—as we’ll see later in my review.

If you’re not familiar with this series, here’s a quick overview.  There are 26 books in all written between 1927-1958 and they are all anthropomorphic—in other words, the main characters are all animals and they walk, talk and engage in human activities.  Chief among the animals is Freddy the Pig.  In various books Freddy travels (to Florida in one, to the North Pole in another), he opens a detective agency, starts a bank (First Animal Bank of Centerboro), runs a newspaper, goes aloft in a balloon, fights a critter known as an Ignormus and even becomes a caretaker in a mansion belonging to wealthy C. Jimson Camphor when Mr. Camphor is away on business.

And here is where Freddy and Mr. Camphor begins.  Things get complicated from the get go as destructive rats, crabby toads and loudmouth horseflies show up to derail Freddy’s planned peaceful summer of looking after the mansion, reading and engaging in one of his favorite pastimes, painting.  As if this array of animals isn’t enough, the evil—and smelly—Zebedee Winch and his equally disagreeable son Horace show up again, as they did in the very first Freddy book.  (Freddy and Mr. Camphor is Book #11, written in 1944).

Winch has underlying motives to get Freddy fired (chief among them is Winch would like a good pork dinner) from his job and when that happens, Freddy rallies all his friends from the Bean Family Farm (Freddy’s home base) to help make things right.  We see some old favorites in this book—Jinx the wily cat, Alice and Emma the prissy ducks, Charles the pompous rooster, Mr. & Mrs. Webb (you guessed it, married spiders with ever-so-teeny voices!) and my personal favorites, the Mrs. Wiggins, Wogus and Wurtzberger, three amiable (if slightly plodding) cows.

Certain unyielding themes are present in this series.  There is a firm line drawn between right and wrong.  Even when it could harm him in the short term, Freddy is always honest and tries to do the honorable thing.  If reading this series to a child, an adult can find many “teachable moments” to reinforce a point.  There are also subtle observations which author Brooks makes throughout—observations that undoubtedly will go over a child’s head, but will delight adults.  Brooks has little use for wordy people who say nothing and he makes no bones about the fact that he considers most politicians in that category.  In Chapter One, Mr. Weezer, the president of Centerboro Bank (the human being bank) wears “a pair of nose glasses that always fell off when anyone mentioned a sum of money larger than five dollars.”  The swipes that author Brooks takes are understated, but always entertaining. 

In fact, this series is so entertaining that when the series went out of print during the 1970s, many people mourned their loss and frequented old bookstores to find copies.  From a determined group of fans who stayed in touch with Brooks’ widow, a newsletter began in 1984 and The Friends of Freddy had their first convention two years later—and these conventions are still taking place—the next one is in September in upstate New York.  Visit www.friendsoffreddy.org to find out more information, not only about this year’s convention, but about the history of the series, the newsletters and so much more.

While you may not have heard of Walter R. Brooks or the Freddy series, you have probably heard of a Brooks’ short story “Ed Takes the Pledge.”  No?  Well, that short story was the basis for the 1950’s television series, Mr. Ed and even non-baby boomers know “a horse is a horse, of course, of course…”!

I’ve read four Freddy books so far and each has had its own charm.  Obviously, this entire series—and this particular title—are pure escapism, chock full of cliffhanger chapter endings and simple, yet endearing lessons for living life the way Freddy does—honestly, sometimes perilously, not always happily, but always hopefully.  He is the flip side of the crafty, evil pigs of Animal Farm and for that alone, you just have to love him.

The Moon is Down

Author: John Steinbeck

Year Published: 1942

Stars: 5/5

Synopsis:

During World War II the Nazi’s invaded many small towns in Europe. In these towns, Nazi’s would force the townspeople to continue working, but allocate all resources to Germany. The Moon is Down is about one of these small towns that has been invaded. The location and exact year are not known and irrelevant. Colonel Lanser and his men have invaded a town with the help of the local shop-keeper.  The Nazi’s force the townsmen to work and, at first, expect little resistance. Mayor Orden and Doctor Winter are the prominent good guys and try to warn Colonel Lanser and his men that their town will always resist. Will the townspeople drive out the Nazi’s or will the defenseless people lose all hope?

Why I like it:

Steinbeck leaves much to the imagination. This novel is about 110 pages and could have been extended to 300 pages easily.  Instead of him writing six pages on the location of the story, he simply begins the story by stating that the Nazi’s had already taken over the town. The end of novel, which I won’t spoil, is classic. Steinbeck leaves a clear image of what  the future may hold but lets you decide for yourself how the story will end.

Character development in this novel tells the story. There is definitely a story line, but each character is so well-written that  they end up making the story. Colonel Lanser and Captain Loft are my two favorite characters. Captain Loft is a know-it-all and adds comic relief to situations that are rather serious. Colonel Lanser is a veteran of  World War I, and without saying directly, believes the Nazi party is wrong. Not wrong about the idea of taking over the world, but wrong about the way people should be treated once they have been defeated. I love character development and in my opinion John Steinbeck is the king of character development.

Last, I loved the dialogue between Mayor Orden and Colonel Lanser. Lanser is not a typical Nazi which allowed for meaningful dialogue between two ‘enemies’. Throughout the novel the Mayor is explaining to Lanser that no matter what the Nazi’s do the town will not give up. Each time they converse on the subject Lanser seems to somewhat agree with Orden but cannot say so, for obvious reasons. The last conversation between Orden and Lanser is my favorite. In this scene Orden has been arrested and the English have sent over dynamite, via parachute,  to help the townspeople slow down the mining. Lanser, to stop this, arrests Orden and is about to tell the town that if they use the dynamite, Orden will be shot. Colonel Lanser asks the mayor if this will control the people and Orden says no. Then Lanser asks Orden if he will plead to his people to not use the dynamite. Orden says…

“Yes, they will light it. I have no choice of living or dying, you see, sir, but- I do have a choice of how I do it. If I tell them not to fight, they will be sorry, but they will fight. If I tell them to fight, they will be glad, and I who am not a very  brave man will have made them a little braver. You see, it is an easy thing to do, since the end for me is the same.”

What I didn’t like: I wish it was longer.

Little Known Fact: John Steinbeck was married three times.

Fun Fact: The Grapes of Wrath, arguably the best Steinbeck novel, was banned in Oklahoma until 1941. Since the novel highlighted the negative aspects of the capitalism and Dust Bowl migrations, Oklahoma saw fit to ban it.

O Pioneers!

By Willa Cather

Book Review by Sandra Miller-Louden

Okay, right from the start I’m going to admit Willa Cather is one of my guiding literary (and yes, feminist) beacons.  I’m prejudiced and I know it. 

However, having stated that up front, O Pioneers!, Cather’s second novel—and to many Cather fans, her greatest (yes, even overtaking the famous My Antonia and Death Comes for the Archbishop)!—is one you simply have to read.  But before you read it, you also must understand that besides the human characters in this novel, there is another character—more powerful, more pervasive and more personal than any breathing human being could ever be—this character being, simply, Nebraska.

The prairie.  The land.  The dream.

Or, as Willa Cather so eloquently puts it in O Pioneers!: “We come and go, but the land is always here.  And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it for a little while.”

In O Pioneers!, Nebraska is the land where Scandinavian John Bergson settles, John Bergson who “had the Old-World belief that land, in itself, is desirable.”  John and his wife had four children, three boys and a girl.  And, as in most Willa Cather novels, it is the girl, Alexandra, who shines.  In fact, second only in importance to Nebraska, this novel is about Alexandra.  She’s smarter and more innovative than her two brothers, Oscar and Lou—and dotes on her younger brother, Emil, in whom she sees the future.

When her father John and his wife pass away, Alexandra is the progressive one.  She goes against convention, planting alfalfa (when the male farmers say it folly to do so) and refusing to sell the land for expediency’s sake, believing in its ability to yield and make a livelihood for the family and its future generations.  Alexandra, however, is not without her personal, female side.  She has feelings for Carl Linstrum, a childhood friend, who doesn’t quite fit in the farmer-mold and who is scorned by her brothers Oscar and Lou as a gold digger, only out for Alexandra’s fortune.

O Pioneers! covers many years, scooting ahead rapidly as its characters—including the land—mature and take on new dimensions.  We see the tight Scandinavian and Bohemian community so prevalent on the prairie in the latter part of the 19^th century.  (Keep in mind that this book was written in 1913 and takes place starting in 1883).  We see people surrounded by harsh, killing winters and lovely, but short summers who take pride in their land, their animals and their sense of community.  All this, again, is set against an intolerably cruel, unforgiving climate that seems often to take more than it gives.

That isn’t all we see.  O Pioneers! is a story that slowly builds to a shocking, tragic conclusion; yet ultimately to a happy (even if that “happy” is relative and perhaps fleeting) ending. 

This is definitely not your 21^st century novel.  Emotions are implied rather than graphically described in detail.  In fact, if you’re not good at reading between the lines, don’t even attempt this novel.  Its greatness and charm often spring from what is left unsaid rather than that which is explicitly stated. 

In various review blogs, there are two main criticisms of this novel.  One, amazingly, is its title.  Apparently the exclamation point (yes, that’s a part of the title) is likened to a Broadway musical, akin to Oklahoma!  Okay, I’ll give you that.  A bit overstated, perhaps, but segues into the second criticism.

For some readers, presumably Willa Cather’s feminism isn’t quite strident enough to be acceptable.  I reject this judgment.  Keep in mind this novel was written in 1913—as women, we still couldn’t vote in the United States.  Those who slam Cather’s ideas, do so from a 2010 perspective—97 years after the fact.  Judging past works by today’s standards shows a decided lack of perspective.  Conjure up the most liberal position in today’s political arena you can imagine—this then is how 1913 readers envisioned Cather’s prose during the Woodrow Wilson administration (just to continue pushing the time frame in which this was written!)

As to Willa Cather herself, she’s an amazing lady.  Her 1922 book, One of Ours, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1923. Her 1927 book, Death Comes for the Archbishop, has been designated by Time Magazine as one of its picks for the 100 Best Books published in the English Language between 1923 and 2005.   In her time, she met and rubbed elbows with such greats as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sarah Orne Jewett (to whose memory she dedicates O Pioneers!), H.G. Wells, D.H. Lawrence, F. Scott Fitzgerald,  Robert Frost and even an 18-year-old Truman Capote.  She received honorary degrees from such institutions as Yale.  An extensive website in her honor can be found at: www.willacather.org .

Put aside your 21^st century sensibilities and allow yourself to be transported back to a world no longer here, by an author in whose hands you are well served.  Allow yourself to be carried back in time to the time of O Pioneers! 

I promise you, you won’t be sorry.

Breathless

Author: Dean Koontz

Year Published: 2009

Stars: 3/5

Synopsis:

There are multiple story lines in Breathless, but in the end each story feeds into one of the two main story lines. In the first tale we meet Grady, his dog Merlin and a veterinarian named Cammie. To make a long story short, they discover magical creatures and are struggling with external and internal forces to decide what to do with them. In the second story line we meet Jim and Henry, twins, who are reunited for the first time in over 10 years. Unfortunately, for one of the twins, the past 10 years hasn’t been so good. A homeless man discovers his true meaning in life in the fourth tale. Two men in Seattle plan to kill a woman and child for no reason in the fifth story and a gambler in Vegas uses chaos theory to save lives in the last story line. While some get more book time than others, these six tales converge into two main story lines leading to one life-altering event…

Why I liked it:

I love Dean Koontz. So while this was not my favorite Koontz novel of all time, there were some great parts of this story. My favorite part was the battle between Henry Rouvroy and himself. Henry is arguably the most evil character in this story and after he kills his brother and his brothers wife, he begins to feel trapped and stalked by an unknown entity. Koontz gives the audience glimpses of what the mind of a killer is like and it is not pretty (in a good way). Most people, I hope, don’t know what it’s like to think like a killer, so reading Henry’s thoughts is extremely uncomfortable and foreign. There is no author, whom I have read, that portrays a killer better than Dean Koontz.

The second reason I liked this novel was because it carries multiple story lines. These multiple story lines connect throughout the novel in a ‘Lost’ kind of way which keeps the reader interested until the last page. Learning about each character in little bits and pieces at first is frustrating because you want more detail, but as the story progresses you find you are attached to multiple characters in different story lines. Again, this book is not my favorite, but Dean Koontz is one of the best authors of our time.  

What I didn’t like:

The reason I gave this story 3/5 stars was not because the story itself was bad, but compared to other novels by Dean Koontz, it was not his best. The Good Guy, Frankenstein and The Taking are just a few of  Koontz’s best novels and Breathless was not on the same level as those novels. I like the multiple story lines in one way because it keeps you wanting to read more; however, I dislike multiple story lines because I feel true character development is never achieved. While the story itself is important, so too are the characters. And in this novel I felt that the story itself took too much away from the character development, leaving me feel a little cheated at the end. The book was very well-written, but I needed more character insight.

Little Known Fact: To date, Dean Koontz has written 58 books, with two more in the works in 2010. YAH!

Fun Fact: Dean Koontz was born in Pennsylvania, which by default makes him awesome!

In Dubious Battle

By John Steinbeck

Review by Sandra Miller-Louden

Think of In Dubious Battle as a time capsule, a curious and sometimes compelling story of a fascinating decade in America’s not-too-distant past.  The subject matter, the writing style, the language—and most important, the novel’s outlook—is vintage 1930’s Depression America. 
Written in 1936 and set, as are most Steinbeck novels, in California, In Dubious Battle tells the story of itinerant, unskilled laborers—apple pickers, in this case—who are being organized, guided and manipulated by “The Party.”  While the word “Communist” is never directly used, it’s clear who and what “The Party” is (the closest Steinbeck ever gets to actually coming out with it is his sparing use of the word “Reds”).

The novel starts with Jim Nolan who gets a letter telling him where to go and who to meet—this is the beginning of his involvement with the group of organizers, led by Mac.  Most characters here only go by one name—either first or last—which gives a transient, short-lived feeling to the novel.  The reader knows these characters in a way, yet she doesn’t and while certain characters such as Jim and Mac are mainstays, many others flit in and out at random.

Jim and Mac pick their “dubious battle” in a California valley where it’s time to pick apples.  The bosses have just slashed the wages after promising higher ones.  The men are angry, but without organization.  Mac’s job—and Jim’s as his pupil—are to get the men to strike and stop anyone from trying to break the strike by picking the apples at the low wage (known as “scabs”).  Mac and Jim fly by the seat of their pants, using any means that comes their way to cement the will of the workers and have them pull together as one.

I find this book fascinating for several reasons.  First, it’s by John Steinbeck, written three years before The Grapes of Wrath.  While there are definitely seeds being planted here that will take root and become his Pulitzer Prize masterpiece of 1939, they are still in their infancy in In Dubious Battle.   There are also scenes and references meant to shock—and by 1936 reading standards—they very well would have.  Today’s jaded reader, while identifying these references, can barely muster up distaste, let alone offense.  Steinbeck’s writing at times is also distracting and yes, a bit wooden.  “Jim laughed hopelessly,” and later Mac laughs “mirthlessly.”  Characters “mumble weakly” (“mumble” is defined as “speaking indistinctly and in a low voice”—ergo, “weakly”) and at one point Mac “gobbles his food quickly and hungrily.”  (Isn’t that what “gobbling” means?)  Characters are constantly “nodding their heads” (“nod” would suffice).  Writers today are admonished constantly to “show, not tell.”  There’s a lot of “telling” in In Dubious Battle.

While many of Steinbeck’s novels and novellas were turned into movies, In Dubious Battle has not been.  There’s enough action—and enough pathos—that it could have been.  That it was not, perhaps speaks volumes.  I liked it much better the first time I read it in the mid-‘90s.  This time around, I considered it quaint, often redundant (the same speeches and scenes restated three and four times), often overwritten—and yet, I can’t say I didn’t like it.  Steinbeck’s emotion is sincere and his take on men in groups, men in mobs as opposed to a single man is dead on. 

The ending is stark and effective.  While not a great novel, In Dubious Battle is still worth reading, if only to get an accurate time line on Steinbeck, his work, his views, his obvious sympathies.  He isn’t a National Treasure for nothing.

Betrayed

Book # 2 of the House of Night Series

Authors: P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

Year Published: 2007

Stars: 4/5

Synopsis:

Zoey has been at the House of Night for about one month when this book begins. This the second book in the series, the first book details how she gets to the House of Nights, what it actually is and we are introduced to her friends. In this novel, Zoey, our protagonist, gets betrayed (hence the title) by someone very close to her. But who? Is it one of her four best friends, Shaunee, Erin, Stevie Rae or Damien? Or is it one of the three men who are love interests of Zoey, Heath, Loren or Erik? Someone is killing humans outside of the House of Night and all signs point to a vampyre at the House of Night. It is up to Zoey to figure who is doing this, and she must elicit the help of someone she never thought she would.

Why I liked it:

First and foremost this book is a sequel and in the movie world a sequel always means it is worse than the original (with exceptions to Empire Strikes Back, the second Godfather and maybe Terminator 2). Not the case for this book. Although I have not officially reviewed the first book, I have read it, and I enjoyed this book more. Zoey is a likable heroine, much more likable than Bella from Twilight. Zoey makes mistakes, owns them and moves on. Her sidekicks create a fun environment when the action lags, leaving me entertained and not bored or annoyed that there is a lull in the story. Damien is my favorite of her sidekicks and he reminds me of Piggy in Lord of the Flies…he is the voice of reason. Which makes me like the series even more, because (although it is a fantasy/vampire book) it is more believable.

Second, and spoiler alert, one of main characters dies…at least for now. What drives me crazy about most movies and even books is that the main characters could have 100 bullets shot at them from point-blank-range and they just happen to come out of it unscathed….come on people! When a focal character dies, it may be sad, but it makes the story much more interesting.

Third, both Cast’s are good writers. I am not an expert literary critic, but I love that I can pick up the book and read sentences, paragraphs and chapters that flow nicely. It’s like the opposite of Stephen King. I love Stephen King, but when I read his books I have to be 100% awake. It has to be like 1pm, after 2 cups of coffee and then I can read his novels. They are great literary works, but sometimes it is just hard to follow. Anyway, back to Betrayed. The book is well-written, flows nicely, and is interesting… sounds like a triple threat to me .

What I didn’t like:

There is one thing I do not like about the story, and since it is a semi-big piece of the story, I removed a star. I cannot stand Heath. Heath is Zoey’s human exish-boyfriend and he bugs the shit out of me. I understand it’s just a book but whenever he enters the scene I read faster until I reach the next scene…without him. I also understand that some characters are written to be annoying, but I do not think that was the Cast’s goal with Heath’s character…I just hate him. He is a football jock…strike 1. He acts like a total moron in every scene…strike 2. And he is simply not a vampire…strike 3. Sorry Heath, you’re out!

Little Known Fact:

P.C. Cast, the mother, served in the United States Air Force for a few years and attributes her non-procrastination skills to the Air Force’s instillation of discipline.

Fun Fact:

The House of Night has a movie deal. Not sure how many are on the books, but the first is scheduled to come out in 2011.

The Wheel on the School

by Meindert DeJong

Pictures by Maurice Sendak

1955 Newbery Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature

Ages 10 & Up

Review by Sandra Miller-Louden

I started this book with a prejudice against it.  First was the title—what did it mean?  Second, I’ve been reading Newbery Gold winners since 2004 at a steady pace and found some to be outstanding, others mediocre and still others definitely not for children, but rather aimed at librarians who cast the deciding votes as to which book receives the Gold.  And while no particular era has a stranglehold on the “outstanding, mediocre or not-for-children” designations, books written in certain decades have definite characteristics peculiar to that decade.

The Wheel on the School, written in 1954, is told in third person, not in today’s more “hip” first person.  It has chapters and chapter titles which immediately tends to date it (although which personally I find to be charming).  Children are part of a two-parent home, where father works as a fisherman and mother tends the home.  The teacher is treated with respect and, in turn, treats his students with fairness, yet with discipline.  And while the children take a huge role in defining and solving problems, they are still guided by adults.  They are not more “in touch” than adults and do not, at the end of the day, miraculously solve all situations that their parents or teachers were too jaded, preoccupied or clueless to understand, define or do anything about.  This slant is definitely at odds with today’s focus.

By Chapter 3 of The Wheel on the School, I was hooked, however and stayed that way until I finished it.  The premise is simple:  When something seems impossibly impossible, that’s the time to believe it just must happen—and so it will.  In this story, the “impossibly impossible” is having storks return to the fishing village of Shora in Holland (today’s Netherlands).  Lina, one of six school-age children in the tiny village, starts it all when she writes an essay for school that asks why there are no storks in Shora.  Her teacher encourages the class (consisting of Lina and five boys) to find out for themselves. Through talking with their parents and neighbors, they find out that besides having no trees (except for a cherry tree in the yard of a scary man named Janus) where a stork would feel protected, the village also only has steeply-pitched, pointed roofs where the storks cannot find space to nest.  They’re told that placing a wagon wheel on each roof would give storks a flat, comfortable place to nest.

Armed with this information, their teacher then sends them out to find a wagon wheel and advises them to “look for a wagon wheel where one is and where one isn’t; where one could be and where one couldn’t possibly be.”

And so they do.  And as they do, they discover many things along the way.  Lina talks to an old woman in the village and understands for the first time, the way the village used to be. Two of her classmates, twins Pier and Dirk, encounter Janus in his wheelchair and find out he’s not as mean as everyone thinks.  Above all, the children are finding out about determination, disappointment, working together and not always believing everything that’s in print.  These and other subtle themes are gently woven throughout the text—simultaneously a page turner loaded with adventure combined with a poignant, simple story capable of reminding us that dreams can become reality.  If ever there were a book tailor-made for a movie, this is it.  I’m stunned no one has stepped forward to make it.

If you have children in your life who are not natural readers, read this book to them.  If you don’t, read this book anyway.  You won’t be sorry.

Shutter Island

Author: Dennis Lehane

Year Published: 2003

Stars: 5/5

Synopsis:

In September of 1954, U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule travel to Shutter Island, off the coast of Boston, to investigate the disappearance of a woman named Rachel Solando. Ashecliffe, the facility where Rachel Solando resides, is both a mental hospital and prison. When Teddy and Chuck begin to investigate they quickly realize everyone on the island is lying to them. Each time Chuck and Teddy find an answer, they end up with more questions. Through means I cannot reveal without spoiling the novel, Teddy and Chuck realize they may never leave this island and must rely on each other in order to survive. The ending of this story is one that is almost impossible to guess… Who is Rachel Solando and can they solve her disappearance? Will they leave the island or be stuck there forever?

Why I liked it:

This book is just  very well-written. Probably pretty obvious since I gave it 5 stars. There are two excellent scenes in this story, not including the ending (which is also amazing, but I cannot ruin it for you ). The first scene is about 60 pages in, Teddy and Chuck are engaged in comical banter about how they are not receiving any actual support from the Ashecliffe Staff. In the last line of the chapter Chuck turns to Teddy and says “Joking aside… starting to get nervous here”.  That line sent chills up my back because for the first time, the character validated my own thought of ‘what the heck is going on on this island’.

The second scene occurs in a mausoleum when Chuck and Teddy are attempting to ‘ride-out’ the hurricane. Teddy reveals (small spoiler alert) that he is not solely on the island to solve Rachel Solando’s disappearance.  There is someone on this island Teddy needs/wants to find. That conversation not only reveals more of Teddy’s character, but also sets the mood for the entire novel. Now only a fourth grader would fail to infer from the synopsis on the back of the book or even the cover that the book is mysterious, but Teddy and Chuck’s conversation sets the bar of eeriness throughout the novel.

Overall, I loved the book because the ending is shocking and original. Although I haven’t read thousands of books, I have read enough to know this book is original.  

What I didn’t like:

I only have one qualm with the book, the 1950’s acronyms and syntax. It is understandable that Lehane would create dialogue that is reminiscent of the 1950’s because that is when the novel takes place; however, some of the phrases are hard to decipher without context clues. For example, Teddy knows Dr. Cawley has ties to the OSS. I had no idea what the OSS was. Turns out the OSS was the first version of the CIA, but I am willing to bet most people do not know that. The majority of readers today were not raised in the 1950’s and I can only remember so much from my high school history classes. Footnotes or an appendix with definitions would have been appreciated. While the book has a few more of these acronyms, the majority of text is easy to follow.

Little Known Fact:

The book is divided into 4 days (pretty evenly). In an interview Lehane stated he finished the Day 4 section very quickly because he was having nightmares about the storyline and context of the book.

Fun Fact:

Lehane has written several episodes for HBO’s ‘The Wire’.