May Is Religion Month: Child of Dandelions

The cover of Shenaaz Nanji's Child of Dandelions gives very little hint about the contents of the book, and since it's been over two years since I placed it on my to-read list, I had to just trust long-ago-me and start reading. The bangles around the wrist of the girl on the cover belong to Sabine, an adolescent in 1972 Uganda, soon after the rise of Idi Amin. My memories of history in the '70s told me that he was a bad guy, but they don't actually get more nuanced that that.

The tension in this YA/older middle grade book grew quickly, as Sabine hears that the Indian community will be expelled. She and her father consider themselves Ugandan citizens and assume that the decree doesn't apply to them, but I knew they were underestimating the situation. Nanji does a good job of showing the complexity of the situation through the connections between Sabine and her ethnically diverse circle, starting with her best friend Zena, ethnically close to Amin who trusts him to restore the country and including Indian relatives and store keepers as well as the family servants, all African.

Things rapidly get worse for Sabine and her family and the mother begs to leave immediately. Secure in their wealth and citizenship, Sabine and her father laugh at the crazy orders of the government, but the danger quickly mounts as army officers shoot people at traffic stops and burst into shops demanding bribes and respect. The disparity between Sabine's wealth and Zena's poverty shows how resentment grew, and even though Sabine learns how her family has discriminated against blacks (the servants eat off separate plates, she never thought to ask after the chauffeur's real name or family), her small steps do nothing to avert society's plummet of a cliff.  Although the worst atrocities happen off-stage, Sabine sees the loss of all safety and barely manages to escape with the her life and her little brother.

I enjoyed the taste of events almost unknown to me, and the story should be exciting enough to get my seventh grader to read it as well, but the cover will be a tough sell, since the passive and relaxed arms show nothing of the dangers and actions taken by the main character throughout.

I've just read some discussion of religion in YA books; despite the prevalence of vampires and demons, apparently very few books actually show kids practicing religion. So I thought for this month I'd pay attention to see it that was try for the books I read, especially the YA and children's book.  In this one, although Sabine is a practicing Muslim, she doesn't spend much time thinking about her religion or praying; she respects the Hindu faith of her mother's friends, many of whom do pray for help. So it's part of the background but not in the forefront of her concerns.

Working Vacation: Unfamiliar Fishes

I stumbled across Sarah Vowell through Nick Hornby's reading journal, as he complained about her stylish prose and witty writing. And so far I've been enjoying her books, especially as she writes nonfiction in a energetic, opinionated and interesting manner that amuses me even as it deepens my knowledge about some event.

In Unfamiliar Fishes, she combines chances to visit the lovely Hawaiian islands with the excuse of researching its modern history. She tells about the people she spoke with and the places she went as she learned about the people and events in Hawaii from its unification through its annexation as an American territory. I knew the general outlines of this story (probably mostly from Michiner's Hawaii, which I read a few decades ago), but Vowell's account shows the good and bad intentions of the players in memorable detail. She's willing to accept the self-professed motives of people from Hawaiian kings to ambitious plantation owners, but she also skewers their greed and duplicity.

I found the meandering path of the narrative a bit confusing, as she skips back and forth among several generations of Hawaiian royalty, following various stories as they interest her rather than chronologically, and I admit that I didn't need quite so much of her nephew Owen's opinions, but overall it was a worthwhile few hours. I've been to Hawaii once, and her descriptions remind me that I'd really like to go back again.

The State of the Shelves

Every week Sheila at Book Journey invites people to report on what they read, what they are reading, and what they will read. I'm not very good at knowing what I'll read next, but I usually keep track of what I read and what I'm reading.

Also, at Teach Mentor Texts they do another roundup that concentrates on children's books, which this week includes almost everything. I wonder at what age I'll outgrow picture books?

I finished a few books:

• The Naked Viscount (not a kids book)
• The Ogre of Oglefort (kidlit)
• Warriors: Omen of the Stars #4: Sign of the Moon (kidlit)
• Vampire Academy (YA)
• Child of Dandelions (YA, or older kidlit)
• Stardust (could be a YA)
• Earwig and the Witch (kidlit)
• Dragonbreath #6: Revenge of the Horned Bunnies (kidlit)
• Fish You Were Here (Pet Shop Private Eye) (kidlit)
• The Ferret's a Foot (Pet Shop Private Eye) (kidlit)
• And Then There Were Gnomes (Pet Shop Private Eye) (kidlit)
• Thor: The Mighty Avenger, Vol 1 & 2 (could be YA)
• Scarlet, Book 1 (I wouldn't call this YA, but the ALA does)
• Wandering Son, Book 1 (YA)
• Bigger Than a Breadbox (kidlit)
• Zahra's Paradise (Again, I wouldn't call this YA, but it's on their list)

I reread some picture books this week, with a budding reader:

• Mr Putter and Tabby Run the Race, by Cynthia Rylant. I share-read this with N, me taking one side and him taking the other, just as I used to do with P back in the day. He worked hard and determinedly, refusing to quit until he finished. Awesome N!
• Mr Putter and Tabby Clear the Decks, by Cynthia Rylant. I read this to N afterward, and I'll share-read it with him in upcoming days. This is such an exciting thing to watch, a child becoming a reader! I showed N how the library labels these books as READERs on the spine, proof to him that he's joining that elite group.

I'm had an honesty fit about my currently reading list and included the audio books from the car as well as things I'm sneaking on the side. Three different kids have three different stories going in the car, requiring delicate judging on instances when I'm accompanied by more than one passenger. Of course, all audio books are re-reads for me, so it's easier to keep them straight in my head.

• Misfit, Jon Skovron. (Cybils). The Big Bad is closing in on them.
• Bunheads, Sophie Flack. (Cybils). This isn't due yet, so I put it back on the shelf.
• The Galacteran Legacy: Galaxy Watch, Michelle Izmaylov. (RML) X stole this, but has returned it with a recommendation.
• The Know-It-All, A.J. Jacobs. I've been meaning to read his books for a while -- a man who bases his life around various lists? Perfect.
• The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, Elna Baker. Next up on my to-read list. This is a memoir, not a novel.
• The Wives of Henry Oades, Johanna Moran. From the TBR list.  First wife has been kidnapped by Maoris.
• Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley. I think this is also a Best of the Best, so bonus!
• Angelfall, Susan Ee. NOOK. (Cybils) Escape from the human resistance fighters! I keep reading the due-soon library books instead of this, since I own it.
• Hexed. NOOK. I got it for the Ilona Andrews story.
• Smart But Scattered, Peg Dawson & Richard Guare.  Where to start to fix things.
• The Same Stuff as Stars, Katherine Paterson. More death. Angel never gets a break.
• Honored Enemy, Raymond Feist & William R Forstchen.  Safe haven, for a few days.
• Knight of a Trillion Stars, Dara Joy. He has kidnapped her. I guess that's romantic?
• The Catholic Church in the Modern World, E.E.Y. Hales. The Pope's reluctance to accept the separation of church and state causes problems.
• Close Range: Wyoming Stories, Annie Proulx. From the classics shelf of my to-read bookcase.
• The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, Jeanne Birdsall. (Audio) Actually I snuck ahead and finished this a few weeks ago, but I'm enjoying it again with A.
• Escape From Witch Mountain, Alexander Key. (Audio) X is the last to finish this, as he rarely misses the bus and so gets less car time. 
• Ghetto Cowboy, G. Neri. (Audio) P is listening along with me. The city just took the horses.

What will I read next? I've made a pile of Best of the Best books next to a comfortable chair. The new Sookie Stackhouse comes out next week. But who knows?

Challenges:

1. Cybils: 51/73.  Finished the last poetry book. 
2. Global Reading Challenge: 12/21. Still need 5 American books.
3. What's In a Name?: 5/6. Land formations are hard. I'm looking for a mountain book.
4. Where Am I Reading?:  16/50. Need to review Massachusetts (I've read three), Montana and Hawaii books. And finish the Vermont and Wyoming books. Current for March, but I'd better get those 4 reviews up for the end of April.
5. Science Book Challenge: 1.141/3.14159. Not much science happening around here.
6. Reading My Library:  Almost caught up!
7. Eclectic Challenge: 6/10. Well, 7, but I need to review one. Need a horror book now.
8. Best of the Best: 5/25. I'm pretty much doomed. 

Good Guys Win: Ogre of Oglefort

Eva Ibbotson writes several different kinds of books, and I'm a fan of most of them. I like her bulky and serious children's stories, I like her romantic comedies for older readers, and I like her frothy magic stories for junior readers. Seeing an unread book on the "I" shelf made my Reading My Library quest even happier.  The Ogre of Oglefort is one of the juvenile comedies, light, almost frothy books with downtrodden British kids who find magic and also a better life. That's the pattern of this book, with the lonely orphan and the misunderstood princess who have the luck to stumble onto the almost obsolete magical world.


There weren't a lot of surprises for me in this book, but it doesn't really need them. The innovation comes in the details and the brightly painted scenes that makes sense from both sides even when deception or misunderstanding creates very different versions. There are good guys in conflict with good guys, but goodness finds a way through, and then the satisfying good guys against bad guys, with victory going the right way. And yes, there are happy endings for everyone who matters, whether its a cushy retirement or the severing of unhappy family bonds. I'll leave this one out for the kids.

Diana Wynne Jones: Earwig and the Witch

When I go into a library for the first time, I use a standard method for evaluating its awesomeness. First, I walk into the children's section and check the N shelves for E. Nesbit; this tells me how deep the library is in ancient treasures. Then I amble over to the J shelf and count the Diana Wynne Jones books. Now I know its strength in modern day wonders. Yet now that it's been a year since her death, I suppose I need a newer author, but who can stand up to the greatness of DWJ?

I read Archer's Goon, and didn't really get it. Was I supposed to have to pay this much attention? There was some kind of mistake; the author seemed to be giving the reader a lot of credit, which couldn't be right. Then I found Howl's Moving Castle and fell in love, and went back to get everything.  Which led me to Crestomanci, and Cat, and Polly of Fire and Hemlock, which I still reread and understand more fully each time. She was willing to have her characters (kids!) pay actual prices for their actions -- I love Homeward Bounders because no one comes back and says that the hero doesn't have to make a sacrifice, his bravery was enough. Because part of that courage was knowing that it was necessary, and knowing he's still out there is comforting. Some hope is OK; maybe Sirius will find a way back after Dogsbody.

My Renton library does very well on these tests, incidentally, and in fact when I got to the J shelf I found a new book by her, which was a miracle and a delight and a sign that I haven't been stalking her closely enough on the Internet. Earwig and the Witch is a short book, rich with characteristic descriptions and a strong willed girl who could be Gwendolyn on a darker day. And knowing that this is probably the last time I will be delighted by finding an unread DWJ book makes me more than a little sad.

Except that I have children, some of whom have not met all of her books. I think I know who the author of my next pick for the Family Book Club will be. It might be my fifth grader's first introduction -- any suggestions as to which book I should pick?

P.S. Actually, I had Earwig and the Witch on my to-read list from last March. I guess I didn't rush out to find it because now I have read all the books, and there won't be any more.

Library Explosion

Wow, is the King County Library System efficient. Remember how I put a bunch of book on hold last week to jump start my Best of the Best reading? I expected books to come dribbling in over the next few weeks, but instead I got a huge jump this week. Oops. I'd better start reading.

I went on my own to get the enormous pile, hoping to come back with the kids, but life interfered. Actually, they are old enough to get used to a more normal library pattern, going every few weeks during school. Or something.

On the hold shelf I found a stack of Best books, as well as the next Dragonbreath, all the missing Hamster Detective books, another pick from my to-read list, and a book/CD combo that looked intriguing:

• Dragonbreath 6: Revenge of the Horned Bunnies, Ursula Vernon. I proudly showed this to my sons, also fans, and they smugly said they had read it in New York, with their dad. Humph.
• And Then There Were Gnomes
• The Ferret's a Foot
• Fish You Were Here, all by Colleen AF Venable, showing the further adventures of Sasspants, Pet Shop Private Eye. 
• The Worst Band in the Universe, Graeme Base, a picture book/audio CD combo.
• Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, James Hirsh. Biography from my TBR list.
• Thor: The Mighty Avenger 2.  Here starts the Best Books avalanche.
• How They Croaked (Audio). This is also a Cybils book, which I read last year and didn't review, so bonus!
• Wandering Son, Shimura Takako. Manga, so I hope it reads fast. I need help here.
• The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater. I've been wanting to read this for ages.
• Sugar Changed the World, another Best Book from my to-read list.
• Zahra's Paradise. I took the advice for slow readers and got a lot of graphic books.
• Jane, April Lindner. Retelling of Jane Eyre, without zombies.
• Beauty Queens, Libby Bray. Unfortunately, this doesn't count -- it was the audio book that won.
• Young Fredle, Cynthia Voigt. Ditto. This is why I made my own list. Although I'll read them and try to get the audios; I rarely enjoy an audio if I haven't read the book first. Something about being a control freak, I think.

And the Seattle Library stepped up with a book my by to-read list that King County didn't have:

• Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare, Dorothy Roberts. You may notice that my to-read books are rather intellectual. That is because the cheesy ones get read first and don't have time to float to the bottom of the list, where I explicitly summon them from the library. You won't find me picking up a Charlaine Harris book because it was on my TBR list, for example.

This brings me to a total of 56, wait, 57 items out on my card, plus a lot of ebooks that I'm in denial about. That's actually even more than the age the 5K organizers a few weeks ago thought I was, so I need to take action. I have made a bargain with myself that if my library exposure is less than my age, I can buy a book that week. And there's a book I want to get next week, so I have to return a dozen or so things. A baker's dozen. Plus one. Clearly it's time to review everything and also read a lot of the graphic novels, comic books, and picture books.  I'll go share my Library Loot at the event co-hosted by Claire from the Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader, where all the library addicts compare their treasures.

Lost In the Middle: SIgn of the Moon

Erin Hunter's cat based Warriors series gets an entire shelf to itself in my library, so obviously I grabbed one as part of my Reading My Library quest. As I have since learned, the books are grouped into various series, and then numbered within those series. I brought home Sign of the Moon, Book 4 of Omen of the Stars, which my son informs me is, like, the third series. His literary soul shudders at the idea of entering a series in the middle; he'd rather show up halfway through a funeral and tromp on down to the front row.

The book seems a happy enough middle grade book, with diverse characters whose names I can't remember but which I never got mixed up. There was a lot of references to prophecies that I don't know about and conflicts that I didn't fully appreciate and many of the characters clearly had a Past, but the current events were marked clearly and I like the feeling of backstory between characters that looms larger than my knowledge.

I'd put these books in the same library as Ranger's Apprentice -- good clean fun that doesn't leave much aftertaste. I didn't feel that I had a broader understanding of the human (or feline) soul after finishing it, but it was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, and the idea that these are cats wrestling with clan boundaries and ancient propecies and mystical sleep journeys gave extra spice to the time. I won't chase down all these books for myself, but I'd be delighted to see elementary age kids chewing their way through a few dozen of them.