children’s fiction

Book Review: Ramona Forever

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Ramona Forever
Ramona Quimby #7
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

Ramona’s life goes through a lot of upheaval in this book, but with the help of her family, including her bossy older sister Beezus, she handles it all pretty well. Though she definitely still handles some things in a way only a child could, she suffers less from misunderstandings than she did when she was younger. I’ve enjoyed watching this little girl grow up throughout this series, yet not lose her spunk or love of messes or loud noises. She learns some hard lessons and has sweet bonding moments with Beezus. Though I think some of the charm of the very young Ramona is gone as she gets older, I still enjoyed this book. I also again appreciated Stockard Channing’s narration, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

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Book Review: Take Me Out of the Ball Game

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Take Me Out of the Ball Game
McGee and Me! #8
by Bill Myers

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

In an interesting take on the dangers of idol worship, both Nick and his normally wise father put all their hopes in a particularly athletic teen on their Little League team. Though the stakes are small compared to the lesson, it’s also a situation many of us have found ourselves in (probably with something other then baseball). It can be rough to be reminded that the only One you can really put your trust in is God, though on the other hand, life is certainly easier when we do remember that. Though I’m not much of a baseball person, I enjoyed this story overall. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: In Too Deep

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In Too Deep
The 39 Clues #6
by Jude Watson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

Off to Australia to find more clues, Amy and Dan Cahill seek out a relative that isn’t involved in the hunt. As they travel around the country—and outside of it—they are trailed by other Cahills who are searching for the same clues. As one Cahill seems to be trying to help them, another Cahill has much more sinister schemes in mind.

I enjoyed the trip to Australia, both the more populated areas and the outback, and then to some islands of Indonesia. Though the Cahills, and thus us as well, are brief visitors to most of these places, they still gave me a chance to learn a little bit about somewhere I’ll never go. Plus, I was curious enough to look online at some maps of the islands involved, which gave me a nice visual. The story was similar in pacing, mystery, and intrigue to previous books in the series, and I didn’t notice any major differences in characterization either. Amy and Dan seem to be maturing, which one would expect, given when they’ve gone through so far.

I suppose it’s all on purpose, but I struggle a lot with a book series in which I truly cannot trust anyone except the two main characters. And more than that, even supposed deaths can’t be trusted in this series. This book in particular introduced a dangerous new character, (maybe) lost an existing one, and started to cast suspicion on someone that’s seemed trustworthy from the start. I do appreciate being given some insight into the death of Amy and Dan’s parents and assume more information about that will come in later books.

While I have had some frustrations with the series, and with this book in particular—for example, how do the other Cahills always seem to know where Dan and Amy are going to be? Sometimes it can be explained by saying they’re going to an obvious place to find clues, but randomly going surfing, spur of the moment, and being found by the Holts? Really? Who’s the mole in this outfit?—from past experience, I think they’re the kind of thing that kids won’t be as bothered by. There is a lot that I enjoy about this series, and now that I’m more than halfway through it, I’m pretty invested. I really do want to know what’s going to happen, especially since, as of this book, I have developed a theory and a prediction about the ending. It’s the kind of thing I feel like I should have been able to start guessing at sooner, but that kids of the age this series is meant for might not think of at all. I’m looking forward to seeing if I’m right!

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Book Review: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

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Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona Quimby #6
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

I really felt for Ramona in this book. When her teacher calls her a show-off and uses the word “nuisance,” I literally gasped out loud and just felt so bad for the poor girl! Though, as an adult, I immediately began thinking through why the teacher would say that, but I can imagine kids reading this and thinking that is just a terrible teacher. Adding to that, it was almost too painful to see Ramona having so much responsibility put on her to make things work at the Kemps’ so her dad can keep going to school and her mom can keep working. That’s not even something Ramona  blows up in her mind—it’s basically what her parents tell her. But the indignity of Mrs. Kemp being paid while Ramona entertains her granddaughter gets under my skin a bit. That really just shows how connected I’ve gotten to this little girl, though. I’ve been enjoying Stockard Channing’s narration throughout the series, too, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

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Book Review: Adventures with Waffles

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Adventures with Waffles
by Maria Parr

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s fiction

Trille and Lena are neighbors in a small, close-knit coastal town in Norway. Through summer and into the school year around the time they’re both 9 years old, they have adventures, get in trouble, and deal with tragedy.

For the first several chapters of this book, I wasn’t quite sure what the overarcing plot was, or if there even was one. And really, much of the book is a series of adventures that these two kids get up to in this otherwise-sleepy Norwegian cove. But there is a thread that runs through it, in which Trille, who thinks of Lena as his best friend, isn’t sure whether he is her best friend. And it’s not really surprising, since she is quite an outspoken, antagonistic girl, while Trille is more meek. My own daughter has gone through something similar, more than once, so Trille’s plight hit close to home for me.

As an entire year passes, a few bigger side plots emerge, and more than one of them caused me to tear up a little. Though it’s true that Trille and Lena don’t obey their parents very well and face some consequences for their disobedience (though not always are those consequences very severe), there is quite a bit of heart in this book, and that’s what I was left with at the end. This would be a great book to read together with kids, recommended for 7-10-year-olds.

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Book Review: Ramona and Her Mother

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Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona Quimby #5
by Beverly Cleary
Read by Stockard Channing

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic

This book did not stand out to me as much as previous in the series did. I think that’s just because a lot of it felt like rehashing of things Ramona did, misunderstandings, etc. from previous books. After how much I loved the previous book in the series, this one felt a little like a letdown. It seems like she could really do with a little more discipline, but on the other hand, she’s at a young enough age that both of her parents being gone full-time would have to be very difficult on her. I feel for Ramona in some of the situations she gets herself into, and there are also some nice moments in the book, as in previous ones. Stockard Channing’s narration is pretty great, too, and I recommend it for anyone who might be interested, young or old.

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Book Review: The First Four Years

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The First Four Years
Little House #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
read by Cherry Jones

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s historical classic

I can understand now the claims that this book is so vastly different from the rest of the series. The main thing I noticed is that there is a lot of hardship, just like the rest of the books have, but while the rest of the books also make sure to talk about the happy things mixed in, this one barely does. I get the feeling that Laura Ingalls Wilder, or perhaps her daughter Rose Wilder Lane, who edited the previous works, intentionally included those happy moments to soften the difficult ones. No one did that for this manuscript. Not that there weren’t a few happy moments, but they were meager compared to the loss of crops time after time, the bad weather, the fire, the sickness. And Almanzo comes across pretty terrible in this book. He convinced Laura to give farming 3 years when she tells him that she doesn’t really want to live a farmer’s life due to the hardship (which she was absolutely correct about, obviously) before they were married, so it’s not like she waited until afterward to tell him she didn’t want him to farm, and that, if farming isn’t so much a success for them that she’s okay with continuing, he’ll quit. After 3 years of losing their crops every year, though, he talks her into “just one more year.” To me, that sounds like a man who has no plans to ever give up his own way. I haven’t read Wilder’s diaries from after this time, and I don’t plan to at this time, but I do hope that he wasn’t as manipulative as he seems in this book.

For this whole series, my enjoyment of the book was greatly enhanced by the audiobook narrator, Cherry Jones, who does a fantastic job. If you’ve ever considered reading this series, or have already read it and have occasion to listen to the audiobooks, I say do it!

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Book Review: A Spy on the Home Front

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A Spy on the Home Front
American Girl Molly Mysteries #1
by Alison Hart

My overall rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s historical mystery

Having just read the main Molly series, I read the first Molly mystery to follow it up. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really have the style and heart of the main series. No one from the main series, besides Molly herself, is in this book, and Molly’s summer friend Anna doesn’t really have much of a personality. I do like the historical information regarding German-Americans placed in internment camps, the pro-Nazi Silver Legion, and the WASPs, of which Molly’s aunt is one. This book also has a “Looking Back” section like the main series books, which goes into detail more on each of these points. The mystery in the book, which involved tracking down a Silver Legion member who was sending anti-American propaganda flyers out via planes at a local airfield, was not terribly complicated, but it was a decent vehicle for the history, keeping the book from feeling dry. Molly’s strategic and slightly manipulative personality from the main series does continue here, making it a decent follow-up for anyone who has read the main series, though it could be read as a stand-alone too.

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Book Review: The Last of the Mohicans (adapted for younger readers)

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The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper, adapted by Eliza Gatewood Warren

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic, children’s

It’s difficult to know whether to rate books like this based on the story or on the adaptation. I’ve never read the original book and only vaguely remember seeing the movie when I was younger (I remember my dad watching it a lot). The only thing I really remember is some romance and a cave behind a waterfall. Anyway, in an adaptation like this, it’s no surprise to find a lot more telling than showing, as the adapter not only needs to shorten the story but also explain things in simple language. I think it gets the overall story across fine, though without the depth the original would have. And most likely without some emotion. In the end, I felt like the main thing that was lacking was a real connection between Hawkeye and Chingachgook, considering that the ending makes a big deal out of their friendship.

What is especially difficult about reviewing or recommending this book, though, is that it’s meant for kids, yet it’s full of violence and death. I’m sure the original is more so, of course. But I can only imagine the illustrator’s remarks about some of the illustrations he/she was asked to draw: “You want him being shot?” “So the knife should be bloody in this one?” “How many will be lying dead on the ground in this scene?” “Oh, she’s about to be scalped? Taken away to be forced to be his wife? Sure, no problem.”  So in the end, I think I’d recommend this book be read with your kids, so you can talk about the harsh reality of life during wartime.

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Book Review: The Black Circle

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The Black Circle
The 39 Clues #5
by Patrick Carman

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

A cryptic telegram leads Amy and Dan Cahill to Russia without the one adult that’s had their backs in the clue hunt so far. Palaces and lost treasure looted by the Nazis pale in comparison to the promise of learning more about their parents, but are Amy and Dan walking into a trap?

Five books in, I’m starting to feel like every time I’m ready to read the next book, I should re-read all the ones before it again to remember the important details. I know some of that is my own memory problems, but there’s just so much happening over the course of these books. It’s hard to keep up with who might be bad, who definitely is bad, and who seemed to be good but double-crossed someone else. Little hints that aren’t followed-up on right away get lost in the greater story. The fact that this bothers me probably means that I’m enjoying the series, though, and I am. I just may have to start taking notes about what’s going on. 

Somehow I knew that when, in my review for the previous book, I said that a future book might give me a different look at the Holts than the family of meatheads they’ve been portrayed as so far, it would end up happening soon, and I was right. Though really, it’s only the eldest son, Hamilton Holt who has a bit of character development here. I thought it was weird that after receiving actionable intel, he takes part in some kind of family capture-the-flag game before telling his dad that they need to get moving. Makes little sense. I also didn’t really get how the black circle was a big enough deal in the book to be put in the title. But overall, I enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing the series.

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