The Family Under the Bridge

The Family Under the Bridge Natalie Savage Carlson

First imagine that it's present day, present time Decatur.

Now imagine, a young mother of three children and a dog. She is a widow. She has been forced to take a job, but the wage is not sufficient to provide shelter for the family. Afraid that the authorities will take her children from her and split them up, she takes them out of school and moves them to live under the safety of a bridge over the river.

She must leave the children alone everyday while she works. It is up to the oldest daughter to maintain order. I'm guessing she is not yet ten. She cares for her younger brother, possibly eight. And her little sister, I'll say a young five-year-old. They have strict instructions to stay hidden under the bridge.

Now imagine a homeless man. He is the kind of man who chooses this life. It is his choice not to be bound by a job. His possessions amount to what he can carry in his grocery cart. I imagine him to look like a thin Santa Claus. You've seen them before. Long white/grey hair and beards. And he is on his way back to his winter dwelling. The bridge.

Of course he finds three young children have usurped his particular section of bridge. And he wants nothing to do with them. You see, children have a way of wrapping you around their little finger and the bum wants nothing to do with responsibility. Of course it's too late once he feeds them from his cart.

But help is on the way! Would you want your children befriending a homeless man while you're away at work? I didn't think so. The whole scenario is a bit scary really.

Welcome to a 1959 Newbery Honor winner. It is not the streets of Decatur, but the streets of Paris. It is not today, but the 50's. Still! What a strange story. Kind of "it takes a village" including the town bum. And the gypsies. And the dockworkers. And the nuns. Actually there are several helpful bums including a Santa Claus at a department store.

And what would these children like Santa Claus to bring them? A home. And not just any home. Preferably a little gypsy house on wheels. Of course, the brother would like nothing more than to live with the gypsies, stay out of school and travel with them to Provençe.

A sweet little, quick little read. A nice break from the current popular kids' fiction where you can automatically see the movie playing out in your head.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney

I was only slightly embarrassed a couple of times by carrying this particular book around with me. But first, I was proud of myself. Mr. John, fellow DPL Children's blogger, welcome John, checked in this new book. He began to read the first few pages and proceeded to read the entire book in one 40-minute sitting. FIRST. And it was MY book. MY request. MY turn. Hrrumph! Oh, but wait. I was proud of myself because I didn't let it bother me. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

See, I was actually quite pleased to hear that it was a quickie. Every once in a while, you need a break from the epic trilogies and Wimpy Kid has become my break. Of course, I didn't have 40 minutes of time all at one time in which to read MY copy. I had to do it in 2 sittings. And here is where the embarrassment comes in.

The first sitting – I was waiting outside of my daughter, Gabi's, dance class with my book as always. And in walks the triplets. Two boys and a girl. And one of the boys was sporting a brand new purple-covered Wimpy Kid. I'm guessing they are around 9 years old. I was faced with this fact – this child is my peer. We read the same books. I'm just a female and 30 years older.

The second sitting – I was at Guadalajara eating my dinner on break from the library. I went to pay my bill, armed with my purple book in hand. A lovely woman was standing at the checkout counter and remarked, "Oh! Well, then it must be good." Her son was reading it too. She didn't know if it was really a good choice for him or not. But seeing me read it, apparently made it okay for her child to read it. I believe I mumbled something along the lines of, "I'm a librarian. It's my job." As if I wouldn't read it otherwise. Would I? Hey, probably not. I am vindicated!

Nothing offensive here. As usual. Simple 5th-6th grade boy humor. Lovely.

One section had me laughing out loud. Okay, spewing chips and salsa and maybe some white cheese sauce. It was so true in my mind.

In this book, number five in the Wimpy Kid series, Greg's mom decides to head back to school. Improve herself. Do something for herself. And the men of the house, all four of them, are going to have to take on a little more of the responsibilities of running the household. They will have to pack their own lunches, make their own dinners and do the laundry.

Since mom is no longer around to help with homework, and big brother isn't exactly an academic type, it is up to Greg's dad to assist with his studies. Now mom was really great at helping Greg come up with the appropriate answers. Strike that. Make it – Greg's mom was really great at giving Greg all of the answers. But dad wants his son to learn something and really understand the mechanics behind the lessons.

Problem is – school isn't taught the same way it was taught years ago when dad was in junior high. The result? Dad takes about two hours to read Greg's textbook in order to teach his son the current, proper way to do the math problems. This really cuts into Greg's TV time!

But it gets worse! Dad is a lick-his-finger-to-turn-the-page page turner! It is extremely hard to figure in your head when you're trying desperately to remember all of the pages your father's saliva is stuck to! Ew, YUCK!

Welcome to my house. I'm not telling who's who.

Kids WILL buy this one and read it over and over and over and over again! I've already see the proof.

Halt's Peril

Halt's Peril by John Flanagan

Librarians and teachers can be your very best friends. They certainly have servant's hearts. They will go out of their way to help you. Often times, they will continue to help you long after you have given up.

During DPL's Summer Reading Program, we rely heavily upon volunteers. Our adult volunteers are primarily retired librarian's; school librarians; and teachers, both retired and working. They continue to come back every year, so I have to assume that they enjoy it at least as much as we do, if not more. And we couldn't do it without them.

When we get to sit at the Summer Reading desk with one our volunteers, one of our favorite conversations is … I know, big surprise … what the other is currently reading or what is new to recommend. Every once in a while, you will find someone with the same tastes in children's books. I found that someone in a Decatur Public School Kindergarten teacher.

When Marsha visits the library during the school year, it is almost like Christmas. She is guaranteed to brighten my day. Have you read? Yes. How about? No. Then you must. Have you listened to? No. You really should. It's priceless. Have you heard of the? Yes, it's one of my favorites. Do you think I'll like it? You won't be able to put it down. It's that good.

Some of you may have heard or realized that the DPL book budget is semi frozen. It is November and we have only spent just under 8% of our usual book budget in Children's. Usually, we order at least three and sometimes up to six copies of a book that is known to be popular. Right now, we are lucky if we own one copy. In some instances we do not own any.

Being a heavy reader, I can feel the pinch. I have to wait longer to get the books I want to read and have had to order them from other libraries. In the past, this was unheard of. Marsha and I had to wait months to get a copy of Ranger's Apprentice Book 8. So where am I going with this?

Recently, I arrived at work and went to my desk to unload my burden. And there, sitting all bright and shiny, upon my desk, was a copy of Ranger's Apprentice Book 9 with a note from Marsha. She just had to buy it. She could NOT wait. And she knew that I would be eager to read it as well. So take my time and enjoy. WOW. Like I said – Christmas.

Crazier still, she had asked her husband to do it for her. A week later she visited to make sure I had received it and inform me that I would need a box of tissues. Another week later she visited and I was excited to tell her that I was finally going to be able to start it – that – very – day! And now I am finished, and it is sitting on my desk waiting for her next visit.

Suffice it to say, one librarian and one teacher agree that this book is not only worth the read, it is worth the purchase. I certainly would not mind receiving the complete boxed set for Christmas some year. It would be my own personal copy that I would willingly share with everyone just like my Chronicles of Narnia. Hmmmm. Come to think of it, I've owned at least three, maybe four sets of those … where do they all go?

Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa

Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa by Francis Kalnay

Here is a Newbery Honor book from 1957. DPL no longer owns a copy, so I had to request it. In fact, now that I'm reading the books from the 50s, more and more of them will have to be requested. I am not looking forward to the books that are so old I have to interlibrary loan them. Somebody, please talk me out of my obsession to read everything on God's Great Earth!

People talk about a time when life was simpler and slower. Work was harder. Leisure time was perhaps non-existent. And I think this book reflects that. Today, books have to be full of action and adventure. They have to be enormous even if they don't really say a whole lot. Kids and myself devour them and quickly rush to the next … rush.

I find it so refreshing to sit down with a book that could technically be read in one one-hour sitting. This book has five to six important characters – tops! And really just two characters that you need to care about. There are maybe three or four settings, but one main one where all the action is. And it is NOT a vast "castle" with many rooms. It’s a corral on a ranch.

The book jacket will tell you that this story is about a boy and his horse. The boy, Pedrito, discovers a wild pony on the estate lands. The pony is a rare, pink color which of course makes the pony valuable in the boys mind. Pedrito is so intent on making the pony his own, that he asks the primary ranch-hand to lasso the pony for him. He doesn't want to miss the pony himself and chance the pony bolting off.

The conflict in the story arises when the Owner of the estate asks his Manager to acquire a pony for his son and the Manager thinks that the pink pony will make a fine present for the Owner's son. Not only is it an unusual color, but it is already tamed and the Manager cannot acquire such a specimen quickly. Now, the pony was on the estate lands, therefore it would belong to the Owner, however, the pony was captured and tamed specifically for Pedrito. Both parties will argue their claim to the pony that is called Chúcaro.

The argument is settled by allowing the Owner's son the opportunity to try to lasso Chúcaro himself.

Having read the story, I would disagree with the book jacket. This story is not so much about Pedrito and his beloved pony, Chúcaro. It is more about the ranch hand Juan who lassos the pony for him. He is made out to be the hero of the story.

Pedrito's mother is deceased. He is left with a depressed and alchoholic father who used to be a cowboy, but now chooses to drink when he is not sleeping and sleep when he is not drinking. And it is Juan who raises the boy. It is Juan who teaches Pedrito the ropes of being a ranch hand. And he does a fine job. Pedrito idolizes him.

Juan chooses to sleep outside under the stars, but he has a small shack where he keeps his valuables including a wanted poster, a postcard, a map and a picture of a waterfall. The wanted poster was a gift from the sheriff, for if anyone was to capture the criminal, it would be Juan. The poster is ten years old. The postcard was from a girl who didn't provide a return address so Juan couldn't reply even if he wanted to. The map is to plot his route to visit the actual waterfall. And the waterfall is the the paradise that he only dreams about.

What will it take to make Juan realize his dream … a boy and his pony.

Into the Gauntlet

Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I was giddy with delight when I finally had Book 10 in my hand. Happy Dance! The end is near! And then Mr. John spoiled if for me entirely by discovering that the adventure will continue with not only The Black Book of Buried Secrets, but also Vespers Rising. Deflated.

This is where you all jump in and say, "But you don't have to read them all." Okay, double dog dare me and I might attempt to ignore them.

This, the 10th and semi-final book in the series, is written by one of my favorite children's authors, Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of the Among the Hidden series. While she is an excellent writer, this series is not her brainchild and therefore cannot compete with the library of her own original work.

I wonder if having multiple authors tackling individual installments of the series actually improved the series? A positive thought is that a child would read the series because they loved the Lightning Thief and therefore would pick anything by Rick Riordan up. And then they child might discover Gordon Korman or Jude Watson. On the other hand, no one author has the ability to put their personal mark on the series. I have a feeling that this prevented the characters being fleshed out in a more satisfying light.

One thing that I particularly like about the 10th book is that we got a better feel for the intentions more of the key players. Within a single chapter, we might get a glimpse of what Jonah, Ian, Hamilton or Alistair were thinking. I've always felt we as readers were better in tune with Amy and Dan because they are the main characters and that is as it should be. But I truly enjoyed finding out the more personal motivations behind some of the other characters.

On the other hand, there was one thing in particular that I didn't like about this installment. The book was significantly thicker than the previous volumes. It would see that there would be more meat to the story. Unfortunately, most of the book felt rushed. For instance, the gauntlet seemed to be broken and the players just ran from room to room. The characters could have been forced to work together to master the gauntlet. Instead, the characters were forced to work together through tragedy and were able to bypass the gauntlet.

The best part of this book is that it is finished. It took me forever to trudge my way through it. I just wasn’t on the edge of my seat to finish it. I finally had to sit myself down without a clock and read until I was done.

I don't want to spoil the series for anyone, so again, I'm left by saying "I told you so," and "I knew it," and "Didn't you see that coming?"

I'm excited for my next review. I finally got a chance to read something older. It's always a thrill to experience the way literature used to read!

ArchEnemy

ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor

This book is the third and final installment in a trilogy, but I have not reviewed the first two here. This is a good thing for you. Having read all three, I can prevent you from wasting your time.

Where to start? The trilogy is called The Looking Glass Wars and is also the title of the first book. The second book is called Seeing Red. The premise behind the series is that Alice and Wonderland are real, but Lewis Carol got the story wrong. I would describe the series best as Alice in Wonderland meets The Matrix.

Why did I gravitate to the book? You see that people collect things. You know someone who has a collection of sheep or birds or turtles or piano music. They mentioned at one time that they liked "sheep" and from that moment on they were gifted with sheep of every shape, size or color. Well, I love Alice. Always have and probably always will. I can identify with Alice one day and the Cheshire cat the next. And I have a collection of various editions of the book, various tea pots, Christmas ornaments and stuffed animals. They were even on display at the library recently. So of course, I hear of a new version of Alice and I own it.

Alice's Adventures in Quantumland is better reading. Seriously. I'm thinking of reading it again. I've got a copy if anyone would like to borrow it. Want to understand quarks? It's right here at my library desk.Lovely, it is.

Characters … you have Alyss Heart, the rightful Queen of Wondertropolis.To protect her, she is sent through the Pool of Tears to London where she is placed with the Liddells and meets Charles Dodgson. She tells the story of who she is and where she has come from to the Reverend Dodgson and he believes she has a fabulous imagination. Which, by the way, is true. However, while she is telling the truth, he believes it to be a story and decides to immortalize it in the now famous book. And he transforms a world at war into nonsensical fluff!

For instance, the White Rabbit is an anagram for Bibwit Harte, the longevous tutor for the royal family that happens to be very pale and have very long ears. The Mad Hatter is a spoof of Hatter Madigan, the Milliner. Consider him the best of an elite special forces group. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are based upon General Doppelgänger, the General of the troops who happens to be able to split into Generals Doppel and Gänger seemingly to infinite numbers as needed to direct military actions. And the hookah-smoking caterpillar seems to be a right-on description of the Oracles of Wonderland who reveal the future to the Royal Family, but instead of one, there are six.

And then there is the most frightenly magnificent - The Cat who became the Cheshire Cat. Imagine a killing machine/assassin, a humanoid cat who can transform into an innocent looking kitten at a moment's notice. Oh, and The Cat has nine lives.

There was so much potential there. I enjoyed the first so much. Second was all right. This, the third, well, it fell flat. It took forever to read. Most of it was confusing. There wasn't a whole lot of Alyss and she's the main character! The villains became more clownish than anything. And the true scary characters could have come out of a Hellbound/Pinhead movie. Nightmares!

So, if you're a diehard like me, go ahead and try it, but there is so much better out there in the way of books. Maybe the movie will be fantastic. I here the author is really a screenplay writer …