Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I’ve had Jason Reynolds’ Ghost checked out forever. (Yeah, I know, how many books have I said that about?!) The reviews were fabulous, and his Newbery was impressive, and I’ve wanted to read it, you understand, but I’ve kept just not getting to it. I finally put the audio version on hold, however, and then it finally came in, and I FINALLY finished listening to it yesterday.

SO GOOD.

Seriously. I’m so glad I finally picked it! (It made for two books in a row that I gave 5 stars to, actually–it was a good week.) Castle (aka Ghost) as a narrator is fantastically funny and completely likable, and Reynolds manages to make him a sympathetic character through even his worst choices. In some ways, it’s a classic sports story–kid joins a team and it helps him with his demons–and yet it feels fresh and funny and fabulous. It’s also not just a “sports book,” which made me happy; it’s character driven and situation-focused (is that even a thing?) in a way you could apply to a wide range of activities.

Bottom line? I’m desperately hoping that my older girls are going to be interested enough to read it; if not, however, it’s likely to be a Christmas gift for my son in a few years. Read and enjoy!

It’s certainly no secret that I manage way more audio than print books these days; up until now, however, I’ve been holding out on Newberys, feeling like I should read them the ‘old fashioned way.’ A week or so ago, however, I faced the realization that I’m not going to get through them that way. I haven’t given up on my Newbery goal, but there are so many other books that I want to read–and so many other books that my KIDS want to read and I want to therefore familiarize myself with–that if I don’t utilize audio where I can, I’m never going to make it. This week, therefore, I listened to my first Newbery–William O. Steele’s The Perilous Road. It’s a Honor book from 1959, which is encouraging–it means that at least some of the older Honor books will be available in audio. (Medal books tend to stay fairly available, but the older Honor books are hit and miss. Of course, the really old ones are from the 20s and 30s, and I have my doubts about what I’ll find there…)

Anyway. The Perilous Road isn’t long, and there’s a decent chance that I would have gotten to it already if it weren’t about the Civil War. (Have I mentioned lately how much I DON’T enjoy reading about the Civil War? Because it’s pretty much my least favorite time period in American history.) It was available to borrow right away, however, and so I jumped right in–and I actually quite enjoyed it. I mean, yes, Chris witnesses a battle, and that’s awful in the way such things usually are, but third person–especially the third person style from the 1950s and 60s–gives you a bit more distance (more of a buffer, really) than first person, and I really liked how Steele showed Chris’s mental and emotional journey. We’re often very black and white in our thinking when we’re young, and Chris’s hatred for the ‘Yanks,’ his attempts to prove his southern loyalty, and his harsh introduction into greater emotional maturity and a more adult mentality all ring true. This is a story that makes you think, and I had more empathy for Chris than I expected to, being a Yankee myself. It’s also a story with lilting dialect and enough action to engage today’s readers, especially the boys. I’m pondering purchasing this one.

Guess what, folks–I actually managed to read one of this year’s Newberys already! Of course, it was a picture book…anyway. Kwame Alexander’s The Undefeated won multiple awards this year, some of them due to Kadir Nelson’s illustrations. After reading it, I found the illustrations impressively intentional AND accurate, which is all I can really say; I am not remotely qualified to judge art on solely artistic merits. (That would be my mother. And she does.) As for the text, it depends. As a “picture book for children”, I’m honestly not sure it works. The text is simple and sparse, and you have to read the fine print in the back to truly appreciate the illustrations–not a good combination for the probable audience. As a poem, however–which is what Alexander calls it in the afterward–it is poignant, it is aptly illustrated, and it is bold. I was impressed by it as poetry, even if its particular focus on black America made me feel vaguely as if it wasn’t meant for me. Which in turn made me wonder how men feel when they see books focusing on accomplishments by women, and yet I’m a big fan of those, because for so long women’s accomplishments were under-reported, under-credited, and underestimated. It’s never a bad thing when a book makes you think, right? Ultimately, however, and not at all surprisingly, my favorite part was the list of specifics and explanations in the back. (At the end of the day, while I respect poetry, I like it served with a healthy dose of historical background.) I worry that The Undefeated‘s format does it a disservice–my children rarely take the time to read the fine print at the end of picture books like I do–but I can also see why sprinkling that information throughout might weaken the overall effect. I think adults will be far more drawn to this than children; if my children’s reactions prove me wrong, though, I’ll be sure to let you know!

Oh, Kate DiCamillo.

The woman can write SO beautifully–and she can pull you far enough into a story that you want to finish it. But MAN, she gets weird! To be fair, I did expect Raymie Nightingale to be quirky; after all, the inside cover begins its synopsis by telling you that Raymie’s father has run away with a dental hygienist, and Raymie plans to learn how to twirl a baton, win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, and get her picture in the paper, all so that he will see it and come home. (That says quirky to you, too, right?) What I didn’t expect, however–but probably should have, in a general sort of way–was the focus on Raymie’s soul and its ever-shifting size, the odd evolution of the pet situation, and the surprisingly satisfying ending after a very wandering sort of plot. For those familiar with DiCamillo’s work–apart from Because of Winn-Dixie, which was delightful and beautiful in a very not-weird sort of way–it should come as no surprise that I’m unable to give you much more than that. At the end of the day, though, Raymie and her friends are characters worth knowing, so what can I say? You might as well embrace the weird.

Apparently the spin-off “Baby-sitters Little Sister” series existed in regular book form years ago, but I was unaware. I came across its graphic novel incarnation while looking for info on the next BSC graphic novel, however, and I’ve had it on hold ever since; it finally came in a week or two ago–AND I finally finished it today. (I say finally partly because I’ve been trying to push through it and so I’ve tried to read a bit in the mornings, only I keep falling asleep.) Karen’s Witch is likely to appeal a bit more to the younger fans of the BSC series; Karen herself is only 7. Then again, the reader catches glimpses of the story from Kristy’s viewpoint as well, so who knows? Maybe they’ll all like it! What I know is that I never had the kind of imagination that created witches out of my neighbors and convinced me that I was the only one who knew something and therefore had to save the world; on the other hand, that kind of imagination makes for quite the story. This is going to best appeal to its intended audience, but it was still kind of amusing for me–and I’m sure that my 10-year-old, at least, is going to LOVE it.

1. At the dentist’s office on Monday the radio station played–in a row–“I Saw the Sign,” “Complicated,” and “Billy Jean.” When I mentioned to the hygienist that Ace of Bass brought me back to high school, she responded with “yeah, that’s an old one!” I’m not sure how I feel about this.

2. I told my second girlie to close the blinds closest to the door this evening. Five minutes later I re-entered the room and reminded her (in an impatient voice, I admit) of what I’d told her to do. “I did it!” “No you didn’t–they’re still open!” “I thought you said the ones closest to me!” “THEY WERE ALREADY CLOSED!!!” A late night finishing her history fair project coupled with early play practice is making for a difficult week.

3. At the dinner table, AFTER this second girlie had established beyond all reasonable doubt that she was on the ragged edge, her older sister opted to talk about what she’d learned in Utah Studies today. I’m all about this sort of sharing, normally, but she learned about how the Paiutes hunted rabbits and using their furs. We have bunnies. This was completely guaranteed to upset her sister on a NORMAL day.

4. She also felt the need to remind us all of what she learned in science about how you can tell that yogurt might be bad–while we were eating yogurt.

5. I left to help with a youth activity shortly afterwards. You know those days when you’re practically sprinting toward the door…

6. At 9:54 my ragged edge girlie came up to tell me that she couldn’t sleep. Part of the problem appeared to be a scary dream she couldn’t shake, so I gave her something silly to think about instead–but she has play practice again tomorrow morning.

7. Pray for us all.

Seriously, folks–we got slammed. And even though our school district stuck to its two hour delay instead of relenting and cancelling altogether (like most of the school districts affected), it also explicitly stated that if you didn’t feel like you could safely get your children to school, you shouldn’t send them. And given how long it took for the plows to come, and how appalling the weather and traffic news was, and how unlikely it was going to be to get safely out of my driveway before I shoveled…yeah, we stayed home. (Until 3, when we had dentist appointments. But the plows had come and I had finished shoveling by then.) There was hot chocolate, there was Play Doh, and there was soup and rolls for dinner. Not a bad day, really.

Anyway. On the other end of the weather spectrum there is Carl Hiaasen’s Skink–No Surrender, which I finished listening to on Saturday night. Hiaasen loves to write about Florida in all of its sweltering, steamy glory, and this foray into YF, instead of intermediate or adult fiction, is no exception. It involves a teenage boy’s search for his cousin (a rebel who runs off with a guy she meets online), various sorts of wildlife, and an impressive array of questionable choices–not to mention one legendary ex-governor. (Skink apparently shows up first in several of Hiaasen’s adult works, but I believe he also makes an appearance in Scat.) His presence adds a fabulous degree of unpredictability and laconic understatement to a story already teeming with captivating bits, making this book another wild ride from a man who never fails to entertain. I was worried about what content made it YF rather than JF, but after reading it I have no problem passing it on to my 13-year-old. Hiaasen manages to convey the horrendous consequences that can stem from trusting someone you meet online when you’re young and reckless WITHOUT getting overly graphic, and that’s actually impressive. Bottom line? This is one heck of a ride that’s just fine for early teens. Bon voyage!

Our county library system does a monthly Goodreads challenge, and January’s was to read either a Sherlock Holmes story OR “something from the Sherlock pastiche”. Since I was feeling overwhelmed and read Doyle’s complete Holmes works as a kid, I was going to skip this particular challenge–until my friend Britt found me the perfect graphic novel. It still came down to the wire, I admit, but tonight I finished Muppet Sherlock Holmes.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Here’s the thing, folks. “The Muppet Show” is a very hazy memory. I was too young to really remember the details, but we had one of those books that you color on with the special crayons that wipe off–it was the Muppet stage, I think–and a friend of the family took my sister and me to see “The Muppet Show on Tour” when we were kids. (We got Gonzo and Fozzie felt cutouts–just their heads–on poles.) My grasp of the details isn’t much, but there’s still memory there, and reading Muppet Sherlock Holmes was like being transported back in time. There are key bits of Holmes stories, sure, but ultimately, it was vintage “Muppet Show.” Fozzie’s jokes, Gonzo’s random weirdness, and Kermit’s commentary kept me grinning; it was like a piece of the 80s had made it all the way to my 2020 married life. (Trippy, I grant you, but FUN.) If the muppets have ever been a thing in your life, friends, DON’T MISS THIS.

(It’s out of print, though, from what I can see. Hope your library is a good one!)

I confess, I’ve been on a new recipe kick of late; I think it’s a reaction to all of the “too much craziness, we’ll just order something or have breakfast for dinner” that happened over the holidays. (Also a reaction to my holiday over-indulgences–I’ve been using Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly quite a bit.) My kids are getting tired of our more frequent leftover nights, but when you cook more often, there’s more food to be consumed, right? Anyway. One standout recipe was this Pork Chops and Hash Brown Casserole from Six Sisters’ Stuff. (I have no idea if the name of a blog should be in quotes, italics, or what, and so I just left it alone. It’s past 9, which means I don’t care enough to research it.) It was TASTY, and not actually as decadent as you might think. I used my homemade cream of celery soup substitute, because I like it better, and plain yogurt instead of sour cream, since it was baking; the meat took a bit longer to cook than anticipated, but getting the hash browns out of the freezer a bit early would fix that. All in all, we enjoyed this quite a bit, and it will definitely be happening again. The next time you find pork chops on sale, give this one a try!

I am SO tired and I was almost DONE with my post when some random movement deleted it. I can’t figure out how to retrieve it, so here’s the VERY abbreviated version…

ALA awards were announced today. Go to their website for the winners, honor books, and runners up.

I finished listening to The Fairy-Tale Detectives. I should have known it would be darker, because hey, SISTERS GRIMM, but I didn’t think about it. The Grimm sisters go to live with the grandmother they thought was dead and end up investigating Everafters (fairy tale and imaginary characters, from Dorothy to Snow White to Baloo) because of their family legacy. Action packed and fast paced. Not warm and fuzzy–at ALL–but fun.

Sorry you missed the original review–signing off.

(Yeah, I know this was terse. But I’m exhausted and MAD at my computer!)