THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett and EXTRA YARN by Mac Barnett

Novel: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (to see if it stands up over time)
We had (as usual) a great discusion at our last meeting. We spent a lot of time talking about The Secret Garden, which most of us had read and loved as kids. It resonated with many of us for a variety of reasons: the empowerment of children left to their own explorations, the creation of friendships, and the development of the characters of Mary and Colin, with Dickon thrown in for good measure as an (almost) saviour of everything. We noted the seeming didacticness (is that a word?) of the last few chapters, and the issue of dealing with "illness" by willing it to go away. It was interesting how our opinions as kids changed somewhat now we're 'grownups'. Thanks to Ann's notes from the biography of Frances Hodgson Burnett, we got more insight into her possible thoughts when writing this book.

 

Picture Book: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen:  On the picture book, Extra Yarn, we all basically loved the story....but some weren't so thrilled with the appearance of the evil count who attempted to steal the magical box of yarn....many of us thought that didn't really add anything to the story. We also discussed the illustrations at some length, and had varying opinions on whether they really added to this story. Some thought yes -- others, no.

AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN by Michael Morpurgo and QUEEN OF THE FALLS by Chris Van Allsburg

Novel: An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo: Once again we had quite good discussions at our last meeting, and once again we didn't all agree! On the novel, Elephant in the Garden, we were really split. Some thought it was absolutely wonderful in every way, others, not so much. Some felt that the idea of an elephant trekking across Germany in the middle of a war was just too unbelievable. We all felt that it gave a good picture of what war does to everyone involved, but that was pretty much our only agreement.

 

Picture Book: Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg:  On the picture book, Queen of the Falls, all agreed that it was definitely not a 'read-aloud' for younger kids. We talked about the value of picture books for older readers, and how this book might encourage older kids to do additional research.

MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LET HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM by Carole Boston Weatherford and SECRETS AT SEA by Richard Peck

Picture Book: Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illus. by Kadir Nelson (We will be comparing this with our January book, Henry's Freedom Box, also illustrated by Nelson.):

Once again we had a quite lively discussion at our meeting on Thursday. On the picture book, we all agreed that the illustrations were absolutely wonderful, and liked that the 'story' gave an insight into what Harriet Tubman was really thinking/feeling as she fled slavery and then led many more people to freedom. We had some discussion about the large presence of God -- both in the visual huge font when 'God spoke to her' and in the importance of God to her existence.....but agreed that her spiritual knowledge/feelings were what spurred her to continue her amazing actions.

 

Novel: Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck:

As for the Richard Peck book, most of us loved it. A couple of "agmoustics" didn't. Those who loved it thought it was brilliant, funny, an accurate portrayal of the time in which it took place, a great story, and a terrific example of showing the 'voice' of a character -- i.e. -- Helena the mouse. The "agmoustics" among us thought exactly the opposite -- not clever, not cute, not funny, annoying, etc. These differences of opinion are what make our group so much fun!

In our discussion of the Peck book, someone mentioned his homage to Lamont Cranston ("The Shadow" on old-time radio)......if you are interested in listening to 'old-time' radio, and you are home doing nothing else on Sunday afternoons, try "Forward Into the Past" on KSPC - 88.7FM from Pomona College. You'll hear great music from the 20s-30s-40s -- a lot of jazz and big band stuff, plus great novelty (remember Spike Jones??) recordings. Then -- from 3:00 - 4:00pm they replay old radio shows, including "The Shadow" + comedies like Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Fibber McGee & Molly, etc. -- also other drama shows which usually have some noted stars like Bette Davis, Ronald Coleman, etc. taking part. It's all really fun and really wonderful to hear.

IF I STAY by Gayle Forman and HENRY'S FREEDOM BOX by Kadir Nelson

Novel: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Picture Book: Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illus. by Kadir Nelson

(Note: both books are on the 2011-2012 ballot for the California Young Reader Medal)

Other than a few very small quibbles, we were all in agreement that our two January books were both wonderful. As usual, we had a terrific discussion, and the few points of contention were relatively minor.

SOLDIER'S HEART by Gary Paulsen and EATS, SHOOTS, AND LEAVES by Lynne Truss

We had a delectable meal on Thursday at our last meeting, with great appetizers and cheese, Ann's terrific Red and Green Holiday Lasagna, delicious baked zucchini (recipe below) and sweet, rich desserts. THEN, we had equally delectable discussions of both books. 

 

Novel: Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen:
As usual, there was a difference of opinion on each -- which is what makes this group fun. Some thought Soldier's Heart was more of an anti-war polemic than an actual story, while others thought it was excellent in every way. We all agreed that Paulsen's tight, explicit writing was exemplary, as well as his well-researched Civil War details. 

 

Picture Book: Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss (the picture book, not the adult version!!):
As for the picture book, although we agreed it was 'cute' and could possibly be used by teachers in teaching the use of the comma, we generally felt that it didn't work so well as a picture book. And some of our members want a good story in every picture book, so they were not thrilled with this one.

COME ON, RAIN by Karen Hesse and AL CAPONE SHINES MY SHOES by Jennifer Choldenko

Our discussions on Nov. 3 were great. We only had five people, but really delved into both books.

Picture Book: Come On, Rain by Karen Hesse:  Regarding the picture book -- we all loved it. We thought the text was perfect and really gave the feeling of the desire for rain on a hot day in the city. We had a long discussion about the illustrations, which were mostly wonderful......a bit of difference of opinion on the anorexic-looking 'stick figure' girls when they were enjoying the rain.....differences of opinion are what makes our group so much fun.

Novel: Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko:  As far as life on Alcatraz -- we thought the first book about this group of kids was better, but agreed that this one was a 'good read' that kids would probably like, even though there were a lot of untied loose ends, and some situations which could have been developed further -- the prison break, for example, and also some questions about Al Capone, and his real place in the story.

MILO: STICKY NOTES AND BRAIN FREEZE by Alan Silberberg and ME, FRIDA by Amy Novesky

Novel: Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg (2011 SCBWI

Sid Fleischman Award)

 

We had good discussions on our Oct. books....and delicious 'eats' with a minimum of sugar (except for Ann's wonderful Brownies!!) We talked at length about Milo, and ultimately agreed that it was a well-developed story which combined humor with the very sad situation of the death of Milo's mother, and the way he learned to deal with it. Some hated the idea of the illustrative cartoons at first, but eventually felt they fit perfectly into this particular story, and in some cases added important details.

 

Picture Book: Me, Frida by Amy Novesky (2011 FOCAL Award); and Frida by

Jonah Winter (2003 Americas Award, Hon. Mention) We will be comparing these two picture books on the same subject.

 

As for the 'Frida' picture books, we all agreed that Frida (by Jonah Winter) was the superior one, and that the illustrations by Ana Juan were wonderful. Several folks questioned the significance for young readers of the SF visit by Frida in Me, Frida, but we all basically agreed that they were both important glimpses into the life of this important 20th century artist.