This quirky and action-packed story is about a ten-and-a-half-year-old girl named Alex (who is constantly being confused with being a boy because of her short hair, feisty attitude and dislike for skirts) who lives with her kindly uncle and goes to a prestigious private school (because her uncle is on the Board). Although she loves learning, she dislikes school because of her shallow classmates and her old-fashioned teachers. But this all changes when she gets a brand-new teacher, Mr. Underwood, just as she begins sixth grade, who teaches her to fence and use correct grammar. Alex and her uncle befriend the teacher and he reveals to them that he is heir to an enormous hidden treasure garnered by his piratical great-great-great-grandfather, the infamous Wigpowder.
Slight Spoiler Alert
Of course, the current infamous pirate Steele kidnaps Mr. Underwood so as to have to treasure for herself, kills Alex's uncle and leaves Alex homeless. Whereupon, Alex sets off to find her favorite teacher (taken aboard the notorious pirate ship, The Ironic Gentleman) and rescue him. Her journey takes her on a number of adventures, from placating a ginormous Octopus to becoming a mind-reading personal assistant to rescuing a train of partiers having their souls stolen from them. Naturally, the story concludes on the high seas in a swashbuckling climax.
Alex and the Ironic Gentleman was action-packed and took many unexpected twists and turns, (I was particularly intrigued by the moral dilemma Alex struggles with during her captivity on the pirate ship). I enjoyed the unusual experiences and the chummy tone of the author- similar to E. Nesbit- as well as the very well-defined characters. And anyone who has ever gotten yelled at (or whispered at) when visiting a museum will enjoy the comeuppance of the villainous Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society.
The one problem I had with the book was the amount of character casualties. I know that the Harry Potter books, especially the final one, had no problem killing off many of the readers' favorite characters; J. K. Rowling said it was to exhibit the horrors of war. Yet this book didn't really go as dark and foreboding as the Potter series; having characters, side characters or otherwise, drop like flies was a bit disturbing. I like happy endings and everyone coming out okay.
If Ms. Kress decides to release another novel, I will certainly read it- I loved her page-turning plot and her larger than life characters. Yet I will be careful not to get too attached to any characters in the story... just in case.
I actually had the opportunity to meet Avi in person at a book talk and I told him that my absolute favorite of his books was The End of the Beginning. He sighed resignedly (clearly he has heard that before) and said it was a book he wrote over the course of several days. He was trying to help a friend and aspiring author by telling him how easy it was to write, saying that he could complete a book in one day. He said that although he wasn't quite able to finish it in one day, he did finish it within a week!
It makes complete sense to me that my favorite (sorry, Avi!) of Avi's books, The End of the Beginning, was written in a brief amount of time. The End has a sweet and light touch and there is no evidence of over-thinking and complicating. Its collection of vignettes contrasts with the more elaborate plot lines of his other books. It concerns a snail named Avon as he leaves his cozy home looking for adventures with his new friend, an ant named Edward. The events that follow, while adventuresome to the heros, are humorous to the readers: guarding a caterpillar in her cocoon, dueling another snail, teaching a cricket a new song and, biggest of all, discovering the end (the beginning?) of the branch they've set out on.
The language is clever and endearing and Tricia Tusa's illustrations are precious. The whole book has a Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet spirit and the illustrations even evoke Ernest H. Shepard's whimsical style. It's a quick, refreshing and delightful read.
Very highly recommended!
This was Lloyd Alexander's final book he wrote before he passed away so I felt a little sentimental reading it. He is definitely a beloved author of mine and I hoped that it would be genuine Alexander goodness. It has a lot of his trademarks: a ne'er-do-well hero on a quest, a feisty, quick-tempered love interest, a journey that is more than it seems and ruthless, cutthroat villains (led by one particularly ruthless, cutthroat villain).
Slight spoiler alert...The story concerns a lazy dreamer, Carlo, who discovers a treasure map in the back of a book of fairy tales. After his hardworking uncle tosses him out because of one mishap too many, Carlo decides that it is the perfect opportunity to find the treasure on the "Road of Golden Dreams." Along the way he joins up with a diverse cast of characters, chief among them, the fiery Shira, the wise Salamon and Baksheesh, a smooth-talking conman who ends up having a heart of gold. Of course, Carlo also manages to make mortal enemies and endanger his life and the lives of his companions but, like all Alexander's books, it has the happy, "everything turns out for the best" ending.
I enjoyed this book; Alexander is brilliant at creating a world that is at once intriguing in its foreignness and then comfortable in its familiarity. However, I thought the characters lacked the spark of those in his other marvelous books: The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha, The Arcadians, The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, etc. Also, there was a bit more "moral" than in his other books and the adventure didn't have as much suspense and humor as some of his others. Yet, it was still an engrossing read and I would certainly recommend it.
But I'd also recommend picking up a copy of Sebastian on the same trip...
This book, like the other Sharon Creech books I've read, left me with a feeling of delight. Somehow, I always think that the books are going to be heavy and dramatic but she has a gentle and lighthearted touch (at least in the books I've read of hers- The Wanderer and Bloomability) with an overall feeling of optimism.
The Castle Corona is a fairy tale without witches, magic or scary forests. Instead it concerns two peasant children, the wise and imaginative Pia and her little brother, trusting and energetic Enzio, who spend their dreary days dreaming about living in the golden castle. Inside the beautiful castle, however, is a family of royals also dissatisfied with their lives and dreaming about lives filled with more excitement or leisure (depending which royal is doing the dreaming!).
One day Pia and Enzio find a pouch that was dropped by a thief from the castle, turning both the town and the castle upside-down. The rest of the story unfolds, revealing the characters' different dreams, fears and endearing quirks.
The story is completely delightful, the characters are unique and yet identifiable, the tone is tender and whimsical with a whisper of a wisdom. David Diaz's illuminated text is a beautiful touch. Despite the lack of any suspenseful or dangerous conflict, I couldn't put the book down. Her playful and humorous style reminded me a bit of Carol Ryrie Brink's fantasy stories.
I thoroughly enjoyed it! If you've read it, feel free to comment!
I wanted to write a blog about all the wonderful children's books I've read (at least some of them) because often I'll finish a fantastic book and think, "Oh, I so want to talk to someone about this!" But fellow children's book fanatics are difficult to find, so I thought I'd go online and find a (hopefully) gentle and enthusiastic audience...
Some of my very favorite children's lit is from a while ago (as in the inspiration for my blog title) or out-of-print. However, most books are still available via Amazon so some of those long-lost treasures will get their reviews as well.
Looking forward to blogging with you!
