Mommy Brain

Fly by Night by Francis Hardinge
Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
Brother Sun, Sister Moon: The Life and Stories of St. Francis by Margaret Mayo
Archers, Alchemists, and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed by Priscilla Galloway
Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1) by Angie Sage

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner

How to Speak Dragonese (Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III) by Cressida Cowell
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen - Natalie’s Review
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis - Natalie’s Review

There is nothing better than a weekend with lots of reading time, especially when the books you spend your time reading turn out to be terrific. I don’t give out 5 stars to books very often. I’ve read 54 books this year, and Tigerheart by Peter David is the 5th book I consider a 5-star read. It is based on Barrie’s Peter Pan, but it’s not a sequel or a prequel - more of Peter Pan in an alternate universe. A re-telling of the story. David was gutsy to take on one of the most beloved children’s stories of all time - it could have failed in a big, big way. Fotunately for him, it works, and works brilliantly.

This book is everything you could possibly want in a novel: adventure, magic, love, danger, truth, tragedy, and triumph. The best thing is that this is a children’s novel in the same way that the Harry Potter books are “children’s books.” By which I mean that anyone who loves a good story will appreciate this book.

Tigerheart is the story of Paul Dear. Paul’s father has regaled him with stories about The Boy and his magical land, Anyplace, where The Boy fights pirates and saves Indian princesses and has a pixie for a sidekick. When Paul’s new baby sister dies, his mother changes, and Paul is determined to find a new baby sister for her - in Anyplace. His adventures with The Boy, Fiddlefix, Gwenny, the White Tiger, and the Vagabonds demand more of him than he ever imagined, and make more of him than he ever thought he could be.

After reading the first chapter, I knew I wanted to read this aloud to the kids, but I needed to read it quickly so I could comment on the book’s forum for Del Rey Books. I will definitely be coming back to it in the next few months so that I can share it with the kids. The author’s style is not as much narrator as it is storyteller, complete with asides and advice to the readers. This is all done delightfully tongue-in-cheek, and makes for many laugh-out-loud moments. For example, here is Paul’s first meeting with the pixie, Fiddlefix:

She was clad in a skeleton leaf, or at least the remains of one, and she was a bit rounder in the hips than most women preferred - which was not something Paul noticed, being a boy and not understanding women.

But take heart! If he is fortunate enough to survive all that is going to happen to him before we take our leave of him - and we must tell you that his survival is not remotely guaranteed - then his reward, such as it is, will be to become an adult man and still not understand women. ~p. 38

Here are the storyteller’s words during a scene where The Boy is battling a fierce storm:

The Boy was helpless.

We must now take the briefest of side steps to address what we’re sure has just occurred to you, in order to make clear that certain apparent inconsistencies are, in fact, not. And if these have not occurred to you, be not angry with us that we are interrupting our narrative for a short time to deal with them, but rather focus your ire on the quality of your education that you didn’t notice what we are about to tell you. ~ p. 188

Tigerheart is due to be released on June 17th. I hope that this won’t be Peter David’s only adventure in Anyplace.

Some Fine Dog by Patti Sherlock
Horrible Harry and the Green Slime by Suzy Kline
Horrible Harry and the Ant Invasion by Suzy Kline
In the Garden (Andrew Lost #4) by J.C. Greenburg
Under Water (Andrew Lost #5) by J.C. Greenburg

(Gone was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for anyone young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what’s happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents - unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers - that grow stronger by the day.

It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: on your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else did.

When I agreed to read and review an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Michael Grant’s Gone, I thought the premise sounded fascinating, and that it would be an interesting read. I had no idea that it would be so enthralling that I would spend most of a day reading from page 285 until the thrilling ending on page 558. All I did this afternoon was finish this book. Only to discover that, even though there is an ending of sorts, the story is not over. After some research online, I found out that this is the first in a planned six-book series from Michael Grant. And, since Gone isn’t even being released until June 24th, I wonder how long I’ll have to wait for the sequel!

I read one review that likened this to Lord of the Flies a la Stephen King plus a little X-Men. I couldn’t have described it better myself. First of all, really try to imagine what it would be like if, one day, everyone in your town aged 14 or over disappeared. Poof. Completely gone.

Stay-at-home moms disappear, leaving their toddlers and babies alone, unattended. Teachers, day care workers, doctors and nurses. Policemen, firefighters.

The young kids look to the older kids for answers, for protection. But the oldest one is only 13 years old. I wouldn’t even let a 13-year-old babysit my kids.

Grant does a good job of showing the horror without going overboard. I’m pretty sure this book is being called Young Adult, and it should be. While some tweens and young teens could handle the book, those with a strong sense of empathy might be disturbed by the predicaments in which these kids find themselves. A 13-year-old girl taking over at the daycare, trying to take care of all the babies and toddlers, with help from her 10-year-old brother. Searching a house and finding a baby that had starved to death. Bullies taking over as the self-proclaimed leadership, and ruling with baseball bats.

That sounds awful enough, doesn’t it? Then add the fact that there is some sort of weird membrane-like dome-shaped barrier encasing the entire area. And animals are mutating. And, kids are starting to develop powers. Some of the good kids, but some of the bullies, too. Oh, and on your 14th birthday, at the very minute of your birth, you disappear. Poof. Gone.

This book is extremely well-written, with the right amount of description to put the reader right into the action - smelling the smells, seeing the sights, feeling the fear and anxiety - but not to slow the pace. It kept me turning page after page. And I will definitely be picking up book two in the series to see what happens next. Don’t let the YA label keep any of you grown-ups from picking this up! If you love a good story, this book delivers.

Michelle’s two boys, Jacob and Nicholas, are here for the weekend, which means many Orcs will be killed, Pokemon battles fought, Nascar races won, and Madden NFL games played. The boys are ODing on gaming this weekend before we have our 2nd Annual Two-Month Game Free Break. That’s right - June and July will be game-free at our house. At least for the kids. And me, but I don’t game anyway. I don’t think it’s likely Kevin will completely give up Call of Duty 4, but he limits his gaming to evenings anyway. The kids and I will be spending lots of time at the park and the pool, and enjoying the good weather before the unbearable hotness known as August in Eastern Washington descends upon us.

So, anyone watch the Lost finale? Man, that was good.

While the boys are gaming this weekend, I plan to finish Gone and Tigerheart and then start and make a good dent in New Moon (the sequel to Twilight), which came yesterday.

Here are a few links for your weekend surfing:

~ Volumes to Go Before You Die - the NYT on 1001 Books to Read Before You Die.

Assume, for the sake of argument, that a reasonably well-educated person will have read a third of them. (My own score, tallied after I made this estimate, was 303.) That leaves 668 titles. An ambitious reader might finish off one a month without disrupting a personal reading program already in place. That means he or she would cross the finish line in the year 2063. At that point, upon reaching the last page of title No. 1,001, “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro, death might come as a relief.

~ In case you’re curious about which books are actually on the list, you can find all 1001 of them listed here. The above quote says that a “reasonably well-educated person will have read a third of them.” I am definitely not “reasonably well-educated.” I counted 39 that I’ve read, 29 that are on my to-read list, and 2 that I started, hated, and didn’t finish.

~ Spunky has blogged about the embarrassment that is being called Subwaygate. She sums up my feelings nicely. Here’s a snippet:

Let’s be a bit more adult about it, accept their decision, and if you must quietly remind them that you exist too, but then it’s time to move on. Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot clamoring for a boycott. Marketing expert, Ned Barnett said that Subway made a marketing blunder with this contest, but this outcry makes us appear arrogant and immature. Do we really want to cultivate that image?

I’m actually surprised that Tennesse state officials can tell homeschoolers in that state that they need not apply to any government job and there is nary a peep from the homeschool community, but let a company exclude homeschoolers from an essay contest and the homeschool community cries foul, demands their right to enter, and starts eating at Quiznos!

I say, let Subway exercise their right to hold a contest and allow the entrants to be of their choosing not ours. It’s not fun to be excluded from a contest, but the alternative is to limit their freedom based on our choices. As homeschoolers, is that the message you want to send out to the watching world?

~ Our worship leader showed this video at church on Sunday - pretty wonderful stuff. I love to see creative ways to express worship.

~ I’ve decided to give Twitter a try.

What will you be doing this weekend?

I’m blogging about it at Books and Movies. (9 pm to 11pm PST) Update: Oh. my. gosh. What a finale!

Which cancelled programs do you miss the most? That’s what I’m talking about here today.

I devoured Doesn’t She Look Natural by Angela Hunt a couple of weekends ago, but haven’t had time to blog about it until now. The fact that I used the verb “devoured” should tell you something. Angela Hunt is one of my favorite Christian authors, mainly because each of her novels is different and unexpected.

Jennifer Graham is a newly-single mother, trying to cope with her new and unfamiliar situtation. Formerly a Congressional aide, she is having a hard time finding a job on Capitol Hill, since her ex-husband still works there. He has left Jennifer for the nanny, and for the first time Jennifer is responsible for the household finances and full-time care of her two sons. She has one son embarking on teenager-dom, one who’s ready to start school, a mother whose heart is in the right place but more often hinders than helps, and no home or financial prospects.

Into the midst of this mess comes the announcement that Jennifer has inherited Fairlawn Funeral Home in a small town in Florida. Jennifer, her sons, and her mom head to the tiny town of Mt. Dora, intent on fixing Fairlawn up, selling it, and using the money to start over again back in Virginia. But God has other plans.

The characters in this book are well-rounded - they each have their strengths, their flaws, and their blindness to their own weaknesses. The relationship between Jennifer and her mother seem especially real, as they try to navigate the boundaries of their relationship. Jennifer needs her mother’s support and help, but she doesn’t need to be mothered. Jennifer is trying to walk out her divorce in the most godly way possible, while her mom sees a future of hurt if she isn’t realistic. Both of these strong women are memorable characters, and I look forward to more of them in the next book in the series, She Always Wore Red.

4 out of 5 stars.

I posted a review of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley at Books and Movies, if you’re interested.

(Grace is Gone was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

I consider myself a huge John Cusack fan, and I already thought he was a terrific actor. In Grace is Gone, Cusack gives his most brilliant performance ever.

Cusack stars as Stanley Phillips, the manager of a home improvement store. He is taking care of his two daughters, 12-year-old Heidi and 8-year-old Dawn, while his wife Grace is deployed to Iraq. One morning, he opens his door to two military officials and the news that his wife has been killed in action.

Stanley doesn’t know how to tell his daughters that their mother isn’t coming home, and so takes them on a road trip. During the trip, he learns how to talk to his daughters, how to enjoy them for the first time. And all the while, he knows that he has to tell them the truth.

This is a simple film, and occasionally drags a bit in pace, but is well worth watching for the performances - not only for Cusack’s but for the two young actresses who play Heidi and Dawn. Regardless of your opinion of the war, we can’t forget that each person fighting over there leaves a family behind. While I watched this movie, I couldn’t help thinking that Stanley Phillip’s family represents thousands of families who have lost someone in this war, thousands more whose loved ones have been wounded or disabled, and even more whose marriages end because of long deployments.

Grace is Gone is rated PG-13, and is available on DVD today, May 27th.

(Stargate Infinity: The Complete Series was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

We’re big fans of the Stargate: SG-1 series here at our house. Kevin has watched the first seven seasons on DVD, thanks to Michelle and Don, who own them and are generous with their DVD library. I’ve watched many of the episodes with him, especially the ones that feature Michael Shanks as Dr. Daniel Jackson. But, I digress. Ahem.

Stargate Infinity: The Complete Series is a cartoon series that was produced based on the Stargate concept. It takes place later in time than the live action series. My boys have been watching an episode or two a day since it arrived in the mail, and are enjoying it very much.

A generation after the SGC first stepped through the alien device known as the Stargate, the universe has become a much different place. The war with the evil parasitic Goa’uld is won. The once top-secret Stargate Command and its work have been declassified, and beings from other worlds are living and working among us.

But now there’s a new threat from a warrior race known as the Tlak’kahn, and when SGC veteran Major Gus Bonner is convicted of a war crime he didn’t commit, he must lead a group of young SGC cadets through the Stargate to protect the life of an Ancient from their hostile new enemies. Along the way, the team visits unknown worlds and cultures, learning that life—no matter where you are in the universe – may never be easy, but should always be cherished.

Inspired by the blockbuster feature film and its two popular television spin-offs (Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis), Stargate: Infinity further explores the universe through the eyes of those few who are brave enough to venture through the mysterious Stargate.

Noah’s review: Stargate Infinity is more fun than the real series of Stargate. It’s got different characters, but it’s really fun. It’s about one ongoing mission, but that’s fine. I love it. 4 and a half stars.

Jonathan’s review: In Stargate Infinity, the team travels to different places through the Stargate. You might like it, there’s lots of stuff that’s exciting. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: I like it. 6,000 stars.

Stargate Infinity: The Complete Series is available now on DVD.

I actually finished all but one of the books on my Spring Reading Challenge list, and that was because I hated it. Here’s where I ended up.

I continued reading:

~ The Oxford Book of American Poetry (I’m up to William Carlos Williams, chronologically.)

~ An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn’t by Judy Jones & William Wilson (I’m actually close to finishing this. I’m almost finished with the Science section, then there’s World History and Lexicon. Lots of very interesting stuff, most of which I’m sure I’ll forget quite soon.)

~ The Intellectual Devotional by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim (This one will take all year, one page a day.)

I finished:

~ Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - related post (Finally! And it was definitely worth it.)

~ Heart of Darkness & Selected Short Fiction by Joseph Conrad - related post

~ Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick - related post

~ The Quiet American by Graham Greene - related post

~ The Best American Short Stories 2007 edited by Stephen King - related post

~ The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L’Engle - related post

Started, but didn’t finish:

~ The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (I tried. I made it to page 56. Ugh.)