Becoming Naomi León

This book made me want to read more by Pam Muñoz Ryan especially Esperanza Rising, a book I have heard a lot about, but haven't yet picked up to read. Becoming Naomi León is a meaty book which would be ideal for a book discussion group since it covers wide ranging topics such as alcoholism, child abuse & child custody. Naomi León is a character who grows in her sense of self as she discovers her father's heritage and the importance of her sculpting ability. However, this book is geared toward approximately fourth grade readers...it is a bit heavy thematically for this age group, and I, as a parent, am not sure that I would recommend this book for independent reading for this age group. I think some adult guidance is necessary to navigate this very sad, but very hopeful book.

Precocious Young Girls

What is it about precocious female protagonists that I find so very appealing? Some of my favorite characters in children's literature have been Harriet the spy, Claudia Kincaid from The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Anastasia Krupnik and from today's book Margaret Rose Kane in E.L. Konigsburg's The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. Margaret is typical of the rest of these girls--intelligent, misunderstood by less-than-sympathetic adults and willing to take risks. I often wonder if these aren't the characteristics of the authors themselves. Otherwise, where would they get the courage to write or worse, send off to a publisher, such wonderful books?

One of the arguments I heard a lot during classes is that children and young adults need to be able to identify with the characters in the books they read? So, do these books only appeal to precocious females? I would have to say no, because while I am female and, perhaps, intelligent, I would not describe myself as precocious, misunderstood or willing to take risks. Do these characters appeal, because they are who every girl wants to be (or for an adult, who she wanted to be as a child)? Or, and I sometimes suspect this, are they written for the adult women (as so many librarians and teachers are) who buy them?

But, these books are not all about the wonderfully clever characters who always seem to best the somewhat dense authorities that people them. I loved that Outcasts was about a girl who loves her eccentric, European uncles and who appreciates and is willing to fight for "outsider art." I loved the truffle hunting dog and the neighbors with the sourdough starter kit. Konigsburg's humor appeals to me as does her sense of beauty.

Another wonderful read from the the mind of E.L.Konigsburg

Elijah of Buxton

My children's literature class discussed Newbery winner Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, and after the discussion, I just had to read the book. However, as so often happens with me, when a book (or movie or restaurant or anything else for that matter) gets a lot of buildup, I found I was disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, there was so much to like about this book! But, I really wish I had read it before the big buildup.

So what's to like? Elijah is a "fragile", humor boy at the beginning this book who grows into a responsible young man through the course of the book. Elijah is the crux of this book, and few books have such a solid core.

I found learning a bit of Elgin Settlement's history fascinating. I had heard of towns made up of former slaves, particularly in Kansas, but these started only after the Civil War. Elgin was in Canada and was a safe haven for runaway slaves.

I won't give away the ending, but I thought it was fitting, believable and poignant.

So, I don't know why I was disappointed, but as I said, sometimes too much anticipation is a bad thing. Hopefully, I haven't ruined someone else's enjoyment of this book.

Are you feeling Lucky?

Newbery Award winner and user of the word scrotum (gasp), The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron is a wonderful story of young Lucky whose mother has died, and her Guardian is her father's first wife Brigette. Lucky has problems with trust as would any child who lost a mother and whose father opts to not parent. The driving fear of the book is that her Guardian will desert her and return to France. She wonders how to access her Higher Power, a force that she overhears her twelve step neighbors discuss. The conflict with her Guardian is neatly resolved, but I was left a bit unsatisfied with Lucky's contact with her Higher Power. Still, it was a wonderful read.

Lois Lowry

New and old: Lois Lowry doesn't fail to please. Anastasia Krupnik is a series that I have missed somehow along the way. I loved it. I loved that she kept a list of things that she loved and hated and that entries routinely were crossed out and shuffled from category to category. Anastasia is a bright girl, perhaps too bright for the adults around her, and her 10th year is full of the stuff of life--birth, death, love and loss. What's not to enjoy?

I enjoyed The Willoughbys with its spoof of old-fashioned, orphaned characters from old-fashioned children's books. I wasn't so certain that children who didn't grow up with Anne of Green Gables, Tom Sawyer or Heidi would get the joke. Still, they may enjoy the idea of getting rid of their parents by sending them on vacation or the happy ending when the children are adopted by a rich candy maker.