From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler made for an exciting read aloud as it is the story of two children who run away to live in a museum undetected for a week and who help to determine that Michaelangelo is the sculptor of a special statue there. The reason we chose to read this was because Jeff personally knows the son of the lady who wrote this, Mrs. E.L. Konisburg. This book is a Newberry Award Winner and this author wrote another book which also won the Newberry Award, thirty years later!
That is remarkable! When Jeff told me about this fellow ( the son), I was able to tell him that I have had two different editions of this book on my shelves for years. It was entertaining and we enjoyed it.
Our next Read Aloud was
The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli. In this story, a youth who becomes crippled has to learn to quit feeling sorry for himself and learn some new skills. He learns to swim, whittle, walk on crutches and eventually saves the castle from attack by going through " A door in the wall", which also describes the opportunities that open up for him as he tries new things to help himself grow up.
It takes place during the time of the Bubonic Plague and is Historical Fiction.
John has been reading up a storm. He read four stories in the Seekers series about bears and their clans.
He pleased me by reading and enjoying some books I picked out for him from the library when he wasn't with me including
City of Orphans by Avi and
The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander.
Two other books he gobbled up were
My Side of the Mountain and
Frightful's Mountain, both written by Jean Craighead George.
He also enjoyed this series called
Keeper's School , written by Andrew Clements. I really admired the fact that he tried these books that I thought he would like, and did.
I've been reading a lot as well and in fact I love to read with John while sharing the loveseat in the evenings.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was excellent. It was written by Agnes Bronte, the sister of both Charlotte
( Jane Eyre) and Emily ( Wuthering Heights). What a family of writers!!!!
I pick out my books from the library from one section called "paperback classics". I tried something different from that section called
The Handmaid's Tale written by Margaret Atwood. This was something of a
Brave New World or
1984 kind of futuristic commentary on certain women used as breeders only. It wasn't that good, somewhat depressing.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker is a book that shows the sisterhood of a community of black women in the south a long time ago and how they manage to raise their families despite having husbands who abuse them and won't work.
I mentioned
Lucy Gayheart written by Willa Cather in my post on Willow Shade. Lucy is a young woman who leaves home to move to Chicago. She plays the piano as an accompanist for an opera singer who is in his fifties whom she develops a crush on. This novel excellently captures the excitement of city life and the sweet heart of this young lady just starting out on her own. I really enjoyed this. I have loved everything that I've ever read written by Willa Cather.
Rapunzel Let Down was written by Regina Doman, a lady that I have talked to in person often enough to consider an acquaintance.
I purchased this book at the conference because I have read five other books she has written and thoroughly enjoyed them all. What a plot!!!!! I stayed up until 4 o'clock in the morning reading this and finished this 500 page in 24 hours. Excellent! I recommend it. Wow, is all I can say. I was on the edge of my seat. It is about young love that goes wrong, but redemption occurs as the characters struggle toward maturity.
