The Secret Cellar
Juvenile fiction
Young mystery series fans will be delighted to learn that Sophie
and her chums have returned in Michael D. Bell's The Red Blazer
Girls: The Secret Cellar. As you can imagine by the allusion to
their attire, the girls attend a private school. When they aren't in
class, as The Red Blazer Girls Detective Agency, they solve rather
unusual mysteries.
This one starts innocently enough. With Christmas quickly
approaching the girls are making lists. Sophie buys her father a very
special fountain pen from a dead man's estate at an auction. She has
to go a little higher than she was planning to outbid the very grouchy
owner of a small bookstore. When she decides to clean the pen she
discovers a cryptic message inside that sets the girls off on an
intriguing treasure hunt involving a changed will, a kidnapped rat,
bottles of wine worth thousands of dollars, strange and challenging
clues, and the legend of a famous German World War II spy. They're on
a race against time. The book store owning villain wants to his hands
on the loot and will stop at nothing in his quest.
Mystery loving youngsters will enjoy this book and the other
four volumes in the series.
On a personal note, I certainly hope you had a good Thanksgiving. I
surely did. The clan got together at the in-laws and a good time was
had by all.
A great big shout out goes out to all members of the extended family.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Premeditated
Premeditated
YA fiction
The cover of Josin L. McQuin's Premeditated shows one blue eye
looking out through a pane of shattered glass. Beneath the title is
the sentence "cross her heart, you're going to die". The expectation
of suspense is created before you even open the book...
...which lives up to the promise of its cover quite nicely.
We're talking Alfred Hitchcock style carefully crafted character based
suspense. You see, protagonist Dinah's beloved cousin, Claire, who
should be starting high school, is in a coma, the result of a failed
suicide attempt. Dinah has the name of the boy who drove Claire to
this act of desperation. She's infiltrated his exclusive and
expensive prep school with vengeance on her mind, but not something as
simple as murder. She plans to make him sorry that he was ever born,
sorry enough to act on it.
"Do it right and their blood will be on their own hands. Just
another tragic teen suicide on the back of page three in the local
newspaper, with a memorial page in the school yearbook...Pretty words
and puffy, red-rimmed eyes from people who question why but don't look
hard enough to find out.
No matter how messy it gets, or how much blood's involved,
suicide's a clean kill."
Her target, the confident, charming, son of a very wealthy man,
is not about to go down easy. Dinah hasn't anticipated
complications. What if she falls for his spell? What of he isn't
guilty as charged?
You'll have to read the book to see what happens. This book
would make a great Christmas present for any suspense loving young
adults on your holiday gift list.
On a personal note, the Thursday before Thanksgiving I performed in
UMaine's Got Talent. Had to pass the audition to do it. It was in a
university auditorium that was way bigger and held way more people
that any of my previous venues. I went in, looked around, and said,
"YIKES!". I recited my poem, Silver Foxes, which I had committed to
memory. The minute I got out there in my silver sequin covered dress
that made moving spots of light swirling around me I owned that
stage. I got big applause. And people got the point of the poem. I
was in seventh heaven.
A great big shout goes out to the fraternity brothers who raised money
for a good cause, provided a night of live entertainment, and gave the
other performers and me a most excellent venue.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
The cover of Josin L. McQuin's Premeditated shows one blue eye
looking out through a pane of shattered glass. Beneath the title is
the sentence "cross her heart, you're going to die". The expectation
of suspense is created before you even open the book...
...which lives up to the promise of its cover quite nicely.
We're talking Alfred Hitchcock style carefully crafted character based
suspense. You see, protagonist Dinah's beloved cousin, Claire, who
should be starting high school, is in a coma, the result of a failed
suicide attempt. Dinah has the name of the boy who drove Claire to
this act of desperation. She's infiltrated his exclusive and
expensive prep school with vengeance on her mind, but not something as
simple as murder. She plans to make him sorry that he was ever born,
sorry enough to act on it.
"Do it right and their blood will be on their own hands. Just
another tragic teen suicide on the back of page three in the local
newspaper, with a memorial page in the school yearbook...Pretty words
and puffy, red-rimmed eyes from people who question why but don't look
hard enough to find out.
No matter how messy it gets, or how much blood's involved,
suicide's a clean kill."
Her target, the confident, charming, son of a very wealthy man,
is not about to go down easy. Dinah hasn't anticipated
complications. What if she falls for his spell? What of he isn't
guilty as charged?
You'll have to read the book to see what happens. This book
would make a great Christmas present for any suspense loving young
adults on your holiday gift list.
On a personal note, the Thursday before Thanksgiving I performed in
UMaine's Got Talent. Had to pass the audition to do it. It was in a
university auditorium that was way bigger and held way more people
that any of my previous venues. I went in, looked around, and said,
"YIKES!". I recited my poem, Silver Foxes, which I had committed to
memory. The minute I got out there in my silver sequin covered dress
that made moving spots of light swirling around me I owned that
stage. I got big applause. And people got the point of the poem. I
was in seventh heaven.
A great big shout goes out to the fraternity brothers who raised money
for a good cause, provided a night of live entertainment, and gave the
other performers and me a most excellent venue.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Positive
Positive
YA biography
Paige Rawl's Positive: A Memoir is a poignant coming of age
narrative. At times it is inspiring and uplifting. Some parts are
deeply disturbing. But it is a very worthwhile read with the
potential to move hearts and minds.
Rawls was born with the HIV virus. Her mother had acquired it
from her father and passed it on via pregnancy and childbirth. Her
father died when she was very young. She was only 2 1/2 when her
mother, visiting the doctor for what she thought was the flu,
discovered her HIV status. At first she only worried about leaving
her very young daughter motherless. But then she realized she might
have passed the virus on to her beloved child. Her suspicions were
confirmed right before Rawl's third birthday. There is a very
poignant description of her holding her toddler up to watch the school
buses and wondering of she would ever ride one.
Rawls did indeed live long enough. For many years she did not
know about her difference, the perception of which would tear her
world apart in middle school. Sure she took medicine daily and made
lots of hospital visits. But it was her routine, the world that she
knew. She was in fourth grade when she saw HIV+ on her dental chart.
In fifth grade she learned about HIV and AIDS in health class and
asked her mother if she was HIV positive.
In sixth grade Rawl was at a school lockdown, a school slumber
party with many fun activities. A friend told her about her mother
who had multiple sclerosis. A best friend confided worries about a
family member with psychological challenges who would be staying at
her home. To make her feel not so alone Rawl told her about her HIV
status, sure it was no different from the health problems that
complicated so many other people's lives.
In Rawl's peers' minds it wasn't. By the next morning the news
had spread through the whole gathering. People including that best
friend were ostracizing her, treating her as dangerous damaged goods.
The adults who were supposed to be there to protect her failed
spectacularly. A guidance counselor advised her to lie about having
HIV. A soccer coach even wanted to use her status to the team's
advantage. If members of other teams were afraid of touching her she
would be able to score lots of goals.
Yes, there is a lot of sadness in the book. But there is also
an abundance of courage, transcendence, and joy. It is one of the
volumes perfect for young people bored with most YA fare but not ready
to go all adult. It's also a must read for parents, teachers, school
admin, superintendents, and guidance counselors.
Finally I feel that school committee members would benefit
immensely from reading Positive. We make the policies that determine
how teachers and admin can deal with issues like bullying. To make an
analogy (which I am slightly less fond of since recently taking
Millers) policies are to teachers and admin as rules of the road are
to drivers. I very much want to be wrong, but I have the nagging
suspicion that sometimes we're guided (by lawyers) to make policies
with lawsuit prevention as a highest priority. I would also suggest
that these lawyers read the book if I had an iota of confidence that
they would.
On a personal note, I can tell you about taking Millers. I was
waiting at the bus stop to go to the University to take Millers
Analogy Test to get into grad school. Then I realized there is no
7:15 bus on Saturdays and the 8:15 would get me there too late. There
was not enough time to walk. What you have to realize is I don't run
because I get shin splints and I'm not into pain. But I decided to
run those five or so miles. It was like someone who actually knew
what she was doing had taken over my body. I was well along when I
friend saw me and gave me a ride the rest of the way! If
determination can make it happen I will so get in.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow standardized test takers.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA biography
Paige Rawl's Positive: A Memoir is a poignant coming of age
narrative. At times it is inspiring and uplifting. Some parts are
deeply disturbing. But it is a very worthwhile read with the
potential to move hearts and minds.
Rawls was born with the HIV virus. Her mother had acquired it
from her father and passed it on via pregnancy and childbirth. Her
father died when she was very young. She was only 2 1/2 when her
mother, visiting the doctor for what she thought was the flu,
discovered her HIV status. At first she only worried about leaving
her very young daughter motherless. But then she realized she might
have passed the virus on to her beloved child. Her suspicions were
confirmed right before Rawl's third birthday. There is a very
poignant description of her holding her toddler up to watch the school
buses and wondering of she would ever ride one.
Rawls did indeed live long enough. For many years she did not
know about her difference, the perception of which would tear her
world apart in middle school. Sure she took medicine daily and made
lots of hospital visits. But it was her routine, the world that she
knew. She was in fourth grade when she saw HIV+ on her dental chart.
In fifth grade she learned about HIV and AIDS in health class and
asked her mother if she was HIV positive.
In sixth grade Rawl was at a school lockdown, a school slumber
party with many fun activities. A friend told her about her mother
who had multiple sclerosis. A best friend confided worries about a
family member with psychological challenges who would be staying at
her home. To make her feel not so alone Rawl told her about her HIV
status, sure it was no different from the health problems that
complicated so many other people's lives.
In Rawl's peers' minds it wasn't. By the next morning the news
had spread through the whole gathering. People including that best
friend were ostracizing her, treating her as dangerous damaged goods.
The adults who were supposed to be there to protect her failed
spectacularly. A guidance counselor advised her to lie about having
HIV. A soccer coach even wanted to use her status to the team's
advantage. If members of other teams were afraid of touching her she
would be able to score lots of goals.
Yes, there is a lot of sadness in the book. But there is also
an abundance of courage, transcendence, and joy. It is one of the
volumes perfect for young people bored with most YA fare but not ready
to go all adult. It's also a must read for parents, teachers, school
admin, superintendents, and guidance counselors.
Finally I feel that school committee members would benefit
immensely from reading Positive. We make the policies that determine
how teachers and admin can deal with issues like bullying. To make an
analogy (which I am slightly less fond of since recently taking
Millers) policies are to teachers and admin as rules of the road are
to drivers. I very much want to be wrong, but I have the nagging
suspicion that sometimes we're guided (by lawyers) to make policies
with lawsuit prevention as a highest priority. I would also suggest
that these lawyers read the book if I had an iota of confidence that
they would.
On a personal note, I can tell you about taking Millers. I was
waiting at the bus stop to go to the University to take Millers
Analogy Test to get into grad school. Then I realized there is no
7:15 bus on Saturdays and the 8:15 would get me there too late. There
was not enough time to walk. What you have to realize is I don't run
because I get shin splints and I'm not into pain. But I decided to
run those five or so miles. It was like someone who actually knew
what she was doing had taken over my body. I was well along when I
friend saw me and gave me a ride the rest of the way! If
determination can make it happen I will so get in.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow standardized test takers.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Rebels In Dresses
Rebels In Dresses
Juvenile nonfiction
"Every girl is born with true grit."
You find these words on the back of the two Rebel in a Dress
books I snagged from the children's wing of the Orono Public Library:
Cowgirls and Adventurers, both written by Sylvia Branzei and
illustrated by Melisaa Sweet. Both volumes are eye catching,
deceptively slender, and packed with fascinating fact and legend.
Each tells the story of twelve amazing, unconventional women who made
their marks on history.
In Cowgirls, horses and frontier are a common denominator.
You've probably heard of Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. Now you can
learn about women like:
*Mary Fields who, at 63, became the first African American woman
employed by the United States Postal Service. In eight years driving
a mail stagecoach she missed only one delivery. She packed a shotgun,
scaring off any would be bandits;
*Georgie Connell Sicking, accomplished "lady cowboy" who, in later
years, turned to--ready for this?--poetry. You should read her piece,
Be Yourself, on her childhood refusal to become a proper lady;
*Charley Parkhurst, stagecoach driver, who was only discovered to be a
woman after her death...
Adventurers brings to life women of daring who blazed trails on
Earth and in water and the heavens. You probably have heard of Amelia
Earhart and Nellie Bly. Now get ready to meet
*Bessie Coleman, sharecroppers' daughter, who knew she had potential
to be more than a maid. When she couldn't attend aviation school in
the United States she went all the way to France to make her dream
come true;
*Dr. Diana Hoff who rowed, that's right, rowed, across the Atlantic
Ocean solo. Can you imagine being alone in a tiny boat on a huge
ocean for 113 days?
*Margaret Bourke-White who dropped commercial photography to take on,
"...only those photographic assignments which I felt could be done in
a creative and constructive way." As America's first woman war
photographer, she ended up taking pictures of post war Nazi
concentration camps that confirmed the world's worst fears...
These volumes would make an excellent contribution to public,
school, and classroom libraries...and just in time for the holiday
season. :)
On a personal note, I love reading about the women who inspire me. If
I wasn't blind in one eye Adam wouldn't be the only aviator in the
family. And as a journalist I try hard to follow Nellie Bly's example.
Oh, yeah, it's the day before Thanksgiving with a big storm ready to
slam into Maine any time now. I wish all my readers a safe and happy
Thanksgiving with plenty to be thankful for.
A great big shout out goes out to today's rebels in dresses.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile nonfiction
"Every girl is born with true grit."
You find these words on the back of the two Rebel in a Dress
books I snagged from the children's wing of the Orono Public Library:
Cowgirls and Adventurers, both written by Sylvia Branzei and
illustrated by Melisaa Sweet. Both volumes are eye catching,
deceptively slender, and packed with fascinating fact and legend.
Each tells the story of twelve amazing, unconventional women who made
their marks on history.
In Cowgirls, horses and frontier are a common denominator.
You've probably heard of Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. Now you can
learn about women like:
*Mary Fields who, at 63, became the first African American woman
employed by the United States Postal Service. In eight years driving
a mail stagecoach she missed only one delivery. She packed a shotgun,
scaring off any would be bandits;
*Georgie Connell Sicking, accomplished "lady cowboy" who, in later
years, turned to--ready for this?--poetry. You should read her piece,
Be Yourself, on her childhood refusal to become a proper lady;
*Charley Parkhurst, stagecoach driver, who was only discovered to be a
woman after her death...
Adventurers brings to life women of daring who blazed trails on
Earth and in water and the heavens. You probably have heard of Amelia
Earhart and Nellie Bly. Now get ready to meet
*Bessie Coleman, sharecroppers' daughter, who knew she had potential
to be more than a maid. When she couldn't attend aviation school in
the United States she went all the way to France to make her dream
come true;
*Dr. Diana Hoff who rowed, that's right, rowed, across the Atlantic
Ocean solo. Can you imagine being alone in a tiny boat on a huge
ocean for 113 days?
*Margaret Bourke-White who dropped commercial photography to take on,
"...only those photographic assignments which I felt could be done in
a creative and constructive way." As America's first woman war
photographer, she ended up taking pictures of post war Nazi
concentration camps that confirmed the world's worst fears...
These volumes would make an excellent contribution to public,
school, and classroom libraries...and just in time for the holiday
season. :)
On a personal note, I love reading about the women who inspire me. If
I wasn't blind in one eye Adam wouldn't be the only aviator in the
family. And as a journalist I try hard to follow Nellie Bly's example.
Oh, yeah, it's the day before Thanksgiving with a big storm ready to
slam into Maine any time now. I wish all my readers a safe and happy
Thanksgiving with plenty to be thankful for.
A great big shout out goes out to today's rebels in dresses.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Kinda Like Brothers
Kinda Like Brothers
Juvenile Fiction
Think back to a time your life was in limbo. Maybe it was
something as usual as impending college graduation if you weren't sure
what kind of job you'd get or even moving up to that big intimidating
looking high school. Maybe it was more traumatic like divorce or
getting fired. But if you can think of a time when you couldn't be
sure things would work out okay in your life then you will be able to
relate to Jarrett, protagonist of Coe Booth's Kinda Like Brothers.
Jarret is stuck in summer school the summer after sixth grade.
He missed a lot of days during the year due to asthma
hospitalizations. Each time he returned a little further behind. A
lot of the work is difficult. If he doesn't pass an upcoming test
he'll repeat the year, separated from all his friends and the girl he
likes. In his mind that means he'll behind forever. He's overheard
his summer school teacher tell his principal he would benefit from
repeating.
Jarrett's mother takes in foster babies as a temporary placement
until a caseworker can make more permanent arrangements. As the story
starts, a toddler arrives with a most unpleasant surprise: her older
brother, Kevon with whom Jarrett must share his room and his life. He
is to bring Kevon to the recreation center he goes after school and
introduce him as a friend of the family so the other kids won't know
the new boy is a foster kid. Jarrett feels his space has been
invaded. One day when he thinks he sees Kevon making a move on the
girl he has a crush on...
There are other uncertainties in Jarrett's life. His mother and
her boyfriend argue what his mom should be doing with her life. His
best friend comes back from a visit to his father subdued and
changed. He sees a rec center counselor, a college student, stopped
and frisked by the police and realizes that, as an inner city black
preteen, it's a matter of when, not if, this will happen to him.
Kinda Like Brothers is a gutsy, believable narrative about a boy
coming of age under very difficult and challenging circumstances.
It's a very good read for students coming up on middle school,
especially those who face their own challenges.
On a personal note, I can very much relate to Jarrett. I sometimes
wonder what I can do with my life if I can't get into graduate school
with the teaching assistantship I'll need to afford it. It's not as
if there are that many decent jobs in central Penobscot County for
people, even intelligent, talented people, unable to get that all
important valid driver's license. I've been looking for quite
awhile. I so much don't want to be doomed to retail or fast food.
But what if nothing else works out? It's really hard to have a
disability big enough to mess up my life but not big enough to warrant
accomodations.
A great big shout out goes out to all the other folks in transition.
Hang in there and try your best. That's all we can do.
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile Fiction
Think back to a time your life was in limbo. Maybe it was
something as usual as impending college graduation if you weren't sure
what kind of job you'd get or even moving up to that big intimidating
looking high school. Maybe it was more traumatic like divorce or
getting fired. But if you can think of a time when you couldn't be
sure things would work out okay in your life then you will be able to
relate to Jarrett, protagonist of Coe Booth's Kinda Like Brothers.
Jarret is stuck in summer school the summer after sixth grade.
He missed a lot of days during the year due to asthma
hospitalizations. Each time he returned a little further behind. A
lot of the work is difficult. If he doesn't pass an upcoming test
he'll repeat the year, separated from all his friends and the girl he
likes. In his mind that means he'll behind forever. He's overheard
his summer school teacher tell his principal he would benefit from
repeating.
Jarrett's mother takes in foster babies as a temporary placement
until a caseworker can make more permanent arrangements. As the story
starts, a toddler arrives with a most unpleasant surprise: her older
brother, Kevon with whom Jarrett must share his room and his life. He
is to bring Kevon to the recreation center he goes after school and
introduce him as a friend of the family so the other kids won't know
the new boy is a foster kid. Jarrett feels his space has been
invaded. One day when he thinks he sees Kevon making a move on the
girl he has a crush on...
There are other uncertainties in Jarrett's life. His mother and
her boyfriend argue what his mom should be doing with her life. His
best friend comes back from a visit to his father subdued and
changed. He sees a rec center counselor, a college student, stopped
and frisked by the police and realizes that, as an inner city black
preteen, it's a matter of when, not if, this will happen to him.
Kinda Like Brothers is a gutsy, believable narrative about a boy
coming of age under very difficult and challenging circumstances.
It's a very good read for students coming up on middle school,
especially those who face their own challenges.
On a personal note, I can very much relate to Jarrett. I sometimes
wonder what I can do with my life if I can't get into graduate school
with the teaching assistantship I'll need to afford it. It's not as
if there are that many decent jobs in central Penobscot County for
people, even intelligent, talented people, unable to get that all
important valid driver's license. I've been looking for quite
awhile. I so much don't want to be doomed to retail or fast food.
But what if nothing else works out? It's really hard to have a
disability big enough to mess up my life but not big enough to warrant
accomodations.
A great big shout out goes out to all the other folks in transition.
Hang in there and try your best. That's all we can do.
Sent from my iPod
She's Back!
She's Back!
Children's classic
It's a marriage made in literary heaven. Fans who cherish
childhood memories of Pippi Longstocking (first published in 1945)
will be delighted with a 2007 edition that combines Lindgren's
delightful child point of view with Lauren Child's lively collages.
Most kids, from time to time, are frustrated by all the rules in
their lives. If only they could do just what they want! Pippi does
exactly that whether she's setting the local school on its ear,
outsmarting local gendarmes intent on putting her in a children's home
or worfully inept burglars, or rescuing toddlers from a house fire.
Child's very unconventional art is the best possible accompaniment to
the adventures of home alone Puppi, her monkey and horse, and her
bedazzled and delighted neighbors, Tommy and Anika.
YOWZA!
On a personal note, once in college on Halloween I dressed up as Pippi
on Halloween. My advisor was furious because she was sure it would
make a very poor impression on a prospective big donor. Only he took
one look at me and expressed admiration for a college that would
encourage student imagination. The temptation to make a very Pippi
like face on my way to class was stronger than I could resist. ;)
A great big shout goes out to all adults who have not killed off their
inner Pippi.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Children's classic
It's a marriage made in literary heaven. Fans who cherish
childhood memories of Pippi Longstocking (first published in 1945)
will be delighted with a 2007 edition that combines Lindgren's
delightful child point of view with Lauren Child's lively collages.
Most kids, from time to time, are frustrated by all the rules in
their lives. If only they could do just what they want! Pippi does
exactly that whether she's setting the local school on its ear,
outsmarting local gendarmes intent on putting her in a children's home
or worfully inept burglars, or rescuing toddlers from a house fire.
Child's very unconventional art is the best possible accompaniment to
the adventures of home alone Puppi, her monkey and horse, and her
bedazzled and delighted neighbors, Tommy and Anika.
YOWZA!
On a personal note, once in college on Halloween I dressed up as Pippi
on Halloween. My advisor was furious because she was sure it would
make a very poor impression on a prospective big donor. Only he took
one look at me and expressed admiration for a college that would
encourage student imagination. The temptation to make a very Pippi
like face on my way to class was stronger than I could resist. ;)
A great big shout goes out to all adults who have not killed off their
inner Pippi.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Breaking Beautiful
Breaking Beautiful
YA fiction
"It wasn't always bad. Especially in the beginning. I remember
long walks on the beach, going off-roading in his truck down narrow
forest trails, the night Grandma died and he sat on the couch and held
me while he cried. Even now, all I can think about is what I could
have done differently. If I wasn't late all the time. If I wasn't
always messing up, or doing something to make him mad. If I had been
perfect like Mom and Hannah, maybe things would have stayed good
between me and Trip."
When we think of domestic violence, we tend to envision an
enraged guy taking out an estranged wife or girlfriend and maybe her/
their children. Jennifer Shaw Wolf's Breaking Beautiful is an
eloquent and timely reminder that cruelty and manipulation in
relationships can start quite a bit earlier.
As the story begins, Allie, Wolf's protagonist, has lost Trip,
her boyfriend. She had fallen out of his Chevy pickup right before it
went over a cliff. Now she stays in bed, unable to face the prospect
of going back to school without him. Her parents think she's
paralyzed with grief. They tell her she can't stop living because of
his death.
Not all was peachy in their relationship at the time of the
crash. Gradually hints of trouble in paradise pile up: injuries that
were followed up with expensive presents, his control over every
aspect of her life, and a deliberate isolating that has Allie
returning to a small town school where she will be the top entree on
the gossip menu desperately alone. Actually Allie herself may be in
peril. Not everyone was fooled by the facade of relationship
perfection Trip worked to hard to create. There was some evidence
that the accident was not all that accidental. Trip's best friends
have seen the abuse hidden from the rest of the town. They may feel
she should pay for what they believe to be her crime.
Trip's father, a very rich and influential businessman, a man
who is accustomed to getting his way, does not believe that his son's
death was an accident. He's pressured the police chief into bringing
in a detective to investigate. Of course he's going to insist on
talking to Allie, finding out exactly what she knows.
Breaking Beautiful is a very timely book that combines a real
cliff hanger of a suspense story with a realistic portrayal of the
roller coaster nature of a relationship in which a girl's significant
other is also her tormenter.
"At first I thought it was cool: I was the center of his world,
and he was the center of mine, and I was flattered by his jealousy.
But being the center of Trip's world was exhausting. I never knew
what kind of mood he would be in or what would set him off. Things
would be great for weeks and then I'd do something wrong and he's lose
it. I could never predict what it would be."
The story is fictional. In real life, however, too many
relationships are built around this walking on eggshells dynamic.
Breaking Beautiful is perfect for teens who find much of YA
literature to be babyish but aren't quite ready for an all adult
diet. It's also a must read for high school teachers and guidance
counselors and residential life college staff.
On a personal note, I am very impressed with the work student leaders
are doing at the University of Maine to raise awareness of
relationship violence and other related issues.
A great big shout out goes out to those bright and dedicated students
and their counterparts in other colleges and universities.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA fiction
"It wasn't always bad. Especially in the beginning. I remember
long walks on the beach, going off-roading in his truck down narrow
forest trails, the night Grandma died and he sat on the couch and held
me while he cried. Even now, all I can think about is what I could
have done differently. If I wasn't late all the time. If I wasn't
always messing up, or doing something to make him mad. If I had been
perfect like Mom and Hannah, maybe things would have stayed good
between me and Trip."
When we think of domestic violence, we tend to envision an
enraged guy taking out an estranged wife or girlfriend and maybe her/
their children. Jennifer Shaw Wolf's Breaking Beautiful is an
eloquent and timely reminder that cruelty and manipulation in
relationships can start quite a bit earlier.
As the story begins, Allie, Wolf's protagonist, has lost Trip,
her boyfriend. She had fallen out of his Chevy pickup right before it
went over a cliff. Now she stays in bed, unable to face the prospect
of going back to school without him. Her parents think she's
paralyzed with grief. They tell her she can't stop living because of
his death.
Not all was peachy in their relationship at the time of the
crash. Gradually hints of trouble in paradise pile up: injuries that
were followed up with expensive presents, his control over every
aspect of her life, and a deliberate isolating that has Allie
returning to a small town school where she will be the top entree on
the gossip menu desperately alone. Actually Allie herself may be in
peril. Not everyone was fooled by the facade of relationship
perfection Trip worked to hard to create. There was some evidence
that the accident was not all that accidental. Trip's best friends
have seen the abuse hidden from the rest of the town. They may feel
she should pay for what they believe to be her crime.
Trip's father, a very rich and influential businessman, a man
who is accustomed to getting his way, does not believe that his son's
death was an accident. He's pressured the police chief into bringing
in a detective to investigate. Of course he's going to insist on
talking to Allie, finding out exactly what she knows.
Breaking Beautiful is a very timely book that combines a real
cliff hanger of a suspense story with a realistic portrayal of the
roller coaster nature of a relationship in which a girl's significant
other is also her tormenter.
"At first I thought it was cool: I was the center of his world,
and he was the center of mine, and I was flattered by his jealousy.
But being the center of Trip's world was exhausting. I never knew
what kind of mood he would be in or what would set him off. Things
would be great for weeks and then I'd do something wrong and he's lose
it. I could never predict what it would be."
The story is fictional. In real life, however, too many
relationships are built around this walking on eggshells dynamic.
Breaking Beautiful is perfect for teens who find much of YA
literature to be babyish but aren't quite ready for an all adult
diet. It's also a must read for high school teachers and guidance
counselors and residential life college staff.
On a personal note, I am very impressed with the work student leaders
are doing at the University of Maine to raise awareness of
relationship violence and other related issues.
A great big shout out goes out to those bright and dedicated students
and their counterparts in other colleges and universities.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, November 24, 2014
Anybody Shining
Anybody Shining
Juvenile historical fiction
These days a 12-year-old girl wishing to contact a cousin she
has been prevented from meeting by family dynamics would do so simply
and quickly by using the Internet. Back in the 1920's, though, that
was so not an option. A lot of people, particularly in rural areas
lacked not only computers with Internet connections, which had not
been invented, but plain old land line phones.
Arie Mae, narrator of Frances O'Roark Dowell's Anybody Shining
is a very lonely 12-year-old girl. Her siblings have chums But there
is no one for her. In her words,
"This morning I told Mama how I might have to run away and marry
a bear if I don't find someone to call my own true friend. Those
mountains are near to spilling over with children, and none of them is
worth two cents. They are all too old or too young or just plain
disappointing."
Reading that first paragrph, you know anyone as spunky as Arie
Mae isn't about to give up. She does have some ideas. She has a city
dwelling cousin she has never met due to the estragement of her mother
and aunt. She is sure that mail correspondence will lead to visiting
and friendship. The book, in fact, is a series of letters she writes
very eloquently to this mysterious girl. Then there are some people
coming all the way from Baltimore for a month. Maybe they'll have kids.
Anybody Shining is a very luminescent novel to transport our
children back to a time before Facebook, Google, or even
television...a time when many beautiful and useful items were crafted
by artisans rather than mass produced...a time when parents and
children would eagerly anticipate a barn dance with local fiddlers.
On a personal note, a number of community gardeners still appreciate
fiddle music and square dancing, your hopefully favorite book reviewer
included.
A great big shout out goes out to all who help keep the old customs
and arts alive.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile historical fiction
These days a 12-year-old girl wishing to contact a cousin she
has been prevented from meeting by family dynamics would do so simply
and quickly by using the Internet. Back in the 1920's, though, that
was so not an option. A lot of people, particularly in rural areas
lacked not only computers with Internet connections, which had not
been invented, but plain old land line phones.
Arie Mae, narrator of Frances O'Roark Dowell's Anybody Shining
is a very lonely 12-year-old girl. Her siblings have chums But there
is no one for her. In her words,
"This morning I told Mama how I might have to run away and marry
a bear if I don't find someone to call my own true friend. Those
mountains are near to spilling over with children, and none of them is
worth two cents. They are all too old or too young or just plain
disappointing."
Reading that first paragrph, you know anyone as spunky as Arie
Mae isn't about to give up. She does have some ideas. She has a city
dwelling cousin she has never met due to the estragement of her mother
and aunt. She is sure that mail correspondence will lead to visiting
and friendship. The book, in fact, is a series of letters she writes
very eloquently to this mysterious girl. Then there are some people
coming all the way from Baltimore for a month. Maybe they'll have kids.
Anybody Shining is a very luminescent novel to transport our
children back to a time before Facebook, Google, or even
television...a time when many beautiful and useful items were crafted
by artisans rather than mass produced...a time when parents and
children would eagerly anticipate a barn dance with local fiddlers.
On a personal note, a number of community gardeners still appreciate
fiddle music and square dancing, your hopefully favorite book reviewer
included.
A great big shout out goes out to all who help keep the old customs
and arts alive.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Thursday, November 20, 2014
The Body In The Woods
The Body In The Woods
YA mystery
Young adult suspense lovers are in for a real treat. April
Henry's The Body In The Woods, through a combination of character
development and a masterfully crafted plot, draws the reader in
quickly and doesn't let go til the very surprising ending.
Alexis, Nick, and Ruby are a very unlikely trio involved in a
Search And Rescue team. Alexis has a psychologically challenged
mother who is very unpredictable when she's off her meds. SAR has the
potential to help her escape her situation via college. Nick
desperately wants to be brave like his dad who died in military action
in Iraq. Ruby is painfully aware that she does not fit in with her
peers. Maybe in SAR she will finally find friends who share her
unusual interests.
They are put together on an evening search for an adult male.
Instead they find the dead body of a teen age girl. She's been slain
by a serial killer who puts one of them on his to kill list.
Although the SAR team in the book is fictional, it is based on a
real life counterpart: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and
rescue. This youth led group engages in rescue searches and hunts for
crime scene evidence. (Principals, superintendents, teachers--can you
imagine the real life, motivated STEM experience involved?) When she
was looking for an idea for a real life mystery series, Henry learned
about this group and found the inspiration she was seeking. YOWZA!
On a personal note, tonight's the night! As Jules LaMagnifique I
compete in UMaine's Got Talent, reciting my poem, Silver Foxes. My
first time performing from memory (instead of reading) in front of
such a large audience. Wish me luck.
A great big shout out to all volunteers who spend time, often under
quite adverse conditions, finding lost folks.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
YA mystery
Young adult suspense lovers are in for a real treat. April
Henry's The Body In The Woods, through a combination of character
development and a masterfully crafted plot, draws the reader in
quickly and doesn't let go til the very surprising ending.
Alexis, Nick, and Ruby are a very unlikely trio involved in a
Search And Rescue team. Alexis has a psychologically challenged
mother who is very unpredictable when she's off her meds. SAR has the
potential to help her escape her situation via college. Nick
desperately wants to be brave like his dad who died in military action
in Iraq. Ruby is painfully aware that she does not fit in with her
peers. Maybe in SAR she will finally find friends who share her
unusual interests.
They are put together on an evening search for an adult male.
Instead they find the dead body of a teen age girl. She's been slain
by a serial killer who puts one of them on his to kill list.
Although the SAR team in the book is fictional, it is based on a
real life counterpart: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and
rescue. This youth led group engages in rescue searches and hunts for
crime scene evidence. (Principals, superintendents, teachers--can you
imagine the real life, motivated STEM experience involved?) When she
was looking for an idea for a real life mystery series, Henry learned
about this group and found the inspiration she was seeking. YOWZA!
On a personal note, tonight's the night! As Jules LaMagnifique I
compete in UMaine's Got Talent, reciting my poem, Silver Foxes. My
first time performing from memory (instead of reading) in front of
such a large audience. Wish me luck.
A great big shout out to all volunteers who spend time, often under
quite adverse conditions, finding lost folks.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Monday, November 17, 2014
The Last Best Days Of Summer
The Last Best Days Of Summer
Juvenile fiction
I've met people who are losing parents or even spouses to the
long slow fading out of Alzheimers. There may be no harder way to be
parted from a loved one. Now try to imagine being a middle school
child and, on a solo visit to a beloved grandmother, experiencing
frightening changes in her abilities, changes that put both of you in
danger. This situation is covered quite lovingly and poignantly in
Valerie Hobbs' The Last Best Days Of Summer.
For Lucy her artist grandmother's cabin in the woods where she
spends a week each August is a treasured haven. It's not only a
chance to spend one on one time with someone she adores, but an escape
from the pressures of the rest of her year life. The summer she is
twelve it is a much needed escape. Her mother seems way
overprotective, something that is especially frustrating for middle
schoolers. Her best friend, Megan has sent her off with twelve top
tips for popularity to memorize. Lucy is not sure that is the end all
and be all of middle school life. Finally there is Eddie, a boy with
Down syndrome she is sometimes paid to spend time with. He considers
her a friend. She isn't sure what place he occuppies in her life.
This summer feels different. Her grandmother seems not quite
herself. At first it's little things. But when they are stranded on
an island in the middle of a storm with only a cave for overnight
shelter they must both confront the older woman's decline and the
imminent sale of her beloved cabin.
This book would be a godsend for young people in a similar
situation. For other kids it might be a way to gain compassion for
scary looking older people they encounter in their neighborhoods and
communities.
On a personal note, Saturday night was the gardeners dinner for Orono
Community Garden volunteers. There was wonderful soup, rolls, and
desserts (all home made), lively conversation, and perfect background
music. A good time was had by all. I won the most social gardener
award again. Also for the first time I won the longest standing
volunteer award.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow gardeners for creating
memories as well as awesome veggies and to John and Shelley Jemmison
for recruiting us and making us a team to be reckoned with.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Juvenile fiction
I've met people who are losing parents or even spouses to the
long slow fading out of Alzheimers. There may be no harder way to be
parted from a loved one. Now try to imagine being a middle school
child and, on a solo visit to a beloved grandmother, experiencing
frightening changes in her abilities, changes that put both of you in
danger. This situation is covered quite lovingly and poignantly in
Valerie Hobbs' The Last Best Days Of Summer.
For Lucy her artist grandmother's cabin in the woods where she
spends a week each August is a treasured haven. It's not only a
chance to spend one on one time with someone she adores, but an escape
from the pressures of the rest of her year life. The summer she is
twelve it is a much needed escape. Her mother seems way
overprotective, something that is especially frustrating for middle
schoolers. Her best friend, Megan has sent her off with twelve top
tips for popularity to memorize. Lucy is not sure that is the end all
and be all of middle school life. Finally there is Eddie, a boy with
Down syndrome she is sometimes paid to spend time with. He considers
her a friend. She isn't sure what place he occuppies in her life.
This summer feels different. Her grandmother seems not quite
herself. At first it's little things. But when they are stranded on
an island in the middle of a storm with only a cave for overnight
shelter they must both confront the older woman's decline and the
imminent sale of her beloved cabin.
This book would be a godsend for young people in a similar
situation. For other kids it might be a way to gain compassion for
scary looking older people they encounter in their neighborhoods and
communities.
On a personal note, Saturday night was the gardeners dinner for Orono
Community Garden volunteers. There was wonderful soup, rolls, and
desserts (all home made), lively conversation, and perfect background
music. A good time was had by all. I won the most social gardener
award again. Also for the first time I won the longest standing
volunteer award.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow gardeners for creating
memories as well as awesome veggies and to John and Shelley Jemmison
for recruiting us and making us a team to be reckoned with.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Fraidyzoo
Fraidyzoo
Picture book
For me it was the basement at night. I bet when you were little
you had a place that you did NOT want to go. Maybe as a parent you
remember trying to persuade a terrified child that nothing terrifying
lurked in a certain place. That's the predicament of Little T's
family. They want very much to go to the zoo. She's afraid.
Rather than downplaying her fears, her parents and very bouncy
sister try to discover just what animal creeps Little T out. They use
household odds and ends to create a variety of animal costumes--a
whole alphabet of costumes to be exact. Kids can have fun guessing
what the various varmints are.
There's a visual treat for younger kids too. The family has a
very handsome tuxedo cat...very much like my own dear Joey. That cat
appears in the pictures, hiding in some pretty clever places.
And if one is ever hard pressed to come up with a costume on
short notice...
On a personal note, the place I am terrified of is what I call retail
hell. I don't even like to shop at first hand stores, especially of
the big box variety. The thought of being doomed to work in that
environment paralyzes me with fear. No kidding.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who will decide if I get
accepted to graduate school with a teaching assistantship. Hopefully
they will decide in the affirmative. Then I won't have to worry as
much about retail hell.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
For me it was the basement at night. I bet when you were little
you had a place that you did NOT want to go. Maybe as a parent you
remember trying to persuade a terrified child that nothing terrifying
lurked in a certain place. That's the predicament of Little T's
family. They want very much to go to the zoo. She's afraid.
Rather than downplaying her fears, her parents and very bouncy
sister try to discover just what animal creeps Little T out. They use
household odds and ends to create a variety of animal costumes--a
whole alphabet of costumes to be exact. Kids can have fun guessing
what the various varmints are.
There's a visual treat for younger kids too. The family has a
very handsome tuxedo cat...very much like my own dear Joey. That cat
appears in the pictures, hiding in some pretty clever places.
And if one is ever hard pressed to come up with a costume on
short notice...
On a personal note, the place I am terrified of is what I call retail
hell. I don't even like to shop at first hand stores, especially of
the big box variety. The thought of being doomed to work in that
environment paralyzes me with fear. No kidding.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who will decide if I get
accepted to graduate school with a teaching assistantship. Hopefully
they will decide in the affirmative. Then I won't have to worry as
much about retail hell.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Lindbergh
Lindbergh
Picture book
Not all tykes want their picture books populated by cute puppies
and talking unicorns and done up in shades of pastel. If you have a
youngster with slightly bolder tastes, Torben Kuhlman's Lindbergh:
The Tale of a Flying Mouse is a must read aloud.
Kuhlman's pint sized hero, Lindbergh, is a mouse who loved
reading human written books so much he would seclude himself for long
periods of time doing just that. One day, returning from a reading
retreat, he discovers that the other mice have vanished. A new
invention, the mouse trap, has caused them to depart. Maybe they've
gone to the fabled country across the ocean--America.
Joining them will be a lot easier said than done. Vigilent cats
guard transatlantic ships. Flight seems the only possibility. But
can a rodent build a flying machine that will get by the amber eyed
owls and manage to cross the mighty Atlantic?
Read the book and see.
On a personal note, Friday the seventh was First Friday free coffee
and bagels at the University of Maine commuter lounge. Free food and
a congenial crowd! Who can ask for more?
A great big shout out goes out to our local Tim Hortons for their
generosity.
Julia Emlly Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Not all tykes want their picture books populated by cute puppies
and talking unicorns and done up in shades of pastel. If you have a
youngster with slightly bolder tastes, Torben Kuhlman's Lindbergh:
The Tale of a Flying Mouse is a must read aloud.
Kuhlman's pint sized hero, Lindbergh, is a mouse who loved
reading human written books so much he would seclude himself for long
periods of time doing just that. One day, returning from a reading
retreat, he discovers that the other mice have vanished. A new
invention, the mouse trap, has caused them to depart. Maybe they've
gone to the fabled country across the ocean--America.
Joining them will be a lot easier said than done. Vigilent cats
guard transatlantic ships. Flight seems the only possibility. But
can a rodent build a flying machine that will get by the amber eyed
owls and manage to cross the mighty Atlantic?
Read the book and see.
On a personal note, Friday the seventh was First Friday free coffee
and bagels at the University of Maine commuter lounge. Free food and
a congenial crowd! Who can ask for more?
A great big shout out goes out to our local Tim Hortons for their
generosity.
Julia Emlly Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
What's Your Favorite Animal?
What's Your Favorite Animal?
Picture book
Wouldn't it be great if fourteen well known and loved children's
book illustrators drew and wrote about their favorite critters? Admit
it. Even if that concept had never before crossed your mind you're
agreeing with me. You're in luck. That's exactly what you get in
What's Your Favorite Animal? by Eric Carle and friends. In its very
colorful pages you see that:
*Eric Carle shares my favorite. But why in the world would a cat drop
a green bean into a shoe?
*Nick Bruel runs into interference from his seemingly autonomous Bad
Kitty when he professes a fondness for the octopus;
*Steven Kellogg has been enamoured of cows from childhood days when he
believed his morning bedhead stemmed from their nocturnal visits...
This book is a great way for parents and children to look at the
work of illustrators, possibly stumbling on a favorite or two. The
book's royalties go to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I
don't know about you, but if I can ever afford to I want to go there.
On a personal note, Friday the 7th was Orono Arts Cafe. I practiced
my Silver Foxes which I will perform at UMaine's Got Talent. I was in
the zone! YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Arts Cafe family.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Wouldn't it be great if fourteen well known and loved children's
book illustrators drew and wrote about their favorite critters? Admit
it. Even if that concept had never before crossed your mind you're
agreeing with me. You're in luck. That's exactly what you get in
What's Your Favorite Animal? by Eric Carle and friends. In its very
colorful pages you see that:
*Eric Carle shares my favorite. But why in the world would a cat drop
a green bean into a shoe?
*Nick Bruel runs into interference from his seemingly autonomous Bad
Kitty when he professes a fondness for the octopus;
*Steven Kellogg has been enamoured of cows from childhood days when he
believed his morning bedhead stemmed from their nocturnal visits...
This book is a great way for parents and children to look at the
work of illustrators, possibly stumbling on a favorite or two. The
book's royalties go to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I
don't know about you, but if I can ever afford to I want to go there.
On a personal note, Friday the 7th was Orono Arts Cafe. I practiced
my Silver Foxes which I will perform at UMaine's Got Talent. I was in
the zone! YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to my Orono Arts Cafe family.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Mary Coin
Mary Coin
Adult fiction
If you've done any studying up on the period in American history
known as the Great Depression, you've come across a famous, iconic
image--an image that in many minds sums up the desperation of the
times for the most neglected and impoverished of America's citizens.
It's a migrant farm worker, book ended by skinny children, sickly baby
in her lap, seeming to gaze off into a precarious future rather than
at the photographer. Marissa Silver saw that picture and did
something truly creative with it. She wove it into a novel told
across seven decades in three voices.
Of course one of the voices is that of the woman. She's
stranded by her broken car, waiting to see if the man travelling with
her family can get the radiator mended. The nearby field holds no
prospect of work due to an early frost that killed off the peas. Her
children are painfully hungry, down to one meal a day. The baby in
her lap is burning up with fever.
Not surprisingly another of the voices is that of the fictitious
photographer. Vera is a woman who feels plain and defective, having
survived polio as a child, only to be left with a pronounced limp and
facing the ignorance and cruelty of schoolmates. The government
contract to photograph migrant workers has been a godsend, a chance to
maybe earn enough money so she and her husband can afford a place big
enough for them and their two sons.
The third voice, that of Walker, a middle age man, starts out as
a mystery. He's a professor of cultural history, happiest when he's
in the field studying the seemingly mundane papers and objects of
other poeple's lives. He is divorced, parenting teens at a distance.
"This is all that I am: a marginally respected academic, a failed
husband, a deserter of children." In the wake of the death of his
father, he must clean out the family home, make sense of the past.
Any of the three main characters would make for a fascinating
narrative. But the braiding together of their lives makes for a story
that is far more than the sum of its pieces.
On a personal note, I learned last week that I passed my UMaine's Got
Talent audition and made the line up. So November 20 I get to recite
my poem Silver Foxes to a larger audience than I'm used to. YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to the fraternity guys who are making
this all possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult fiction
If you've done any studying up on the period in American history
known as the Great Depression, you've come across a famous, iconic
image--an image that in many minds sums up the desperation of the
times for the most neglected and impoverished of America's citizens.
It's a migrant farm worker, book ended by skinny children, sickly baby
in her lap, seeming to gaze off into a precarious future rather than
at the photographer. Marissa Silver saw that picture and did
something truly creative with it. She wove it into a novel told
across seven decades in three voices.
Of course one of the voices is that of the woman. She's
stranded by her broken car, waiting to see if the man travelling with
her family can get the radiator mended. The nearby field holds no
prospect of work due to an early frost that killed off the peas. Her
children are painfully hungry, down to one meal a day. The baby in
her lap is burning up with fever.
Not surprisingly another of the voices is that of the fictitious
photographer. Vera is a woman who feels plain and defective, having
survived polio as a child, only to be left with a pronounced limp and
facing the ignorance and cruelty of schoolmates. The government
contract to photograph migrant workers has been a godsend, a chance to
maybe earn enough money so she and her husband can afford a place big
enough for them and their two sons.
The third voice, that of Walker, a middle age man, starts out as
a mystery. He's a professor of cultural history, happiest when he's
in the field studying the seemingly mundane papers and objects of
other poeple's lives. He is divorced, parenting teens at a distance.
"This is all that I am: a marginally respected academic, a failed
husband, a deserter of children." In the wake of the death of his
father, he must clean out the family home, make sense of the past.
Any of the three main characters would make for a fascinating
narrative. But the braiding together of their lives makes for a story
that is far more than the sum of its pieces.
On a personal note, I learned last week that I passed my UMaine's Got
Talent audition and made the line up. So November 20 I get to recite
my poem Silver Foxes to a larger audience than I'm used to. YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to the fraternity guys who are making
this all possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
The Shining
The Shining
When I first made the acquaintance of Stephen King's classic The
Shining I had more in common, seemingly, with the living dead than the
living living. With a dear precious baby who had day and night mixed
up and two older girls who required tending to when the sun was up--
not to mention the cooking, dishes, and laundry that needed to be
accomplished on a regular basis and the papers I typed to bring in a
little money--sleep came in tiny fragments, never enough to refresh me
or even remove the sleepy dust from my eyes. Amber was a bright eyed,
curious first grader. The Shining was going to be shown in three
installments on television. She wanted to watch. I videotaped it and
viewed it with her. She was fine, not scared in the least. But her
teacher read me the riot act. How could I let an innocent child watch
such a terrifying movie? I felt a groggy, vague realization that not
all first graders are created equal. Or something like that.
To be fair, Amber did also enjoy The Brave Little Toaster,
American Girls, and Babysitters Club books, Goosebumps, and Scooby
Doo--offerings that teacher would have considered much more age
appropriate. But after that introduction, long after I could claim
sleep deprivation as an excuse for not just saying no, we watched,
read, and discussed the works of that distinctly Maine born master of
horror. The Shining remained one of our favorites.
Fast forward to 2014. Picture winter coming in as a lion, fangs
bared, in the first snow of the year. Wind whipping the snow
relentlessly, making the house creak eerily, seeping in through every
nook and cranny as the electricity goes out, making the furnace
useless. Then darkness falling.
Amber, now a grad student, called to see if I was okay. She
mentioned she was reading The Shining. It was the perfect time, I
realized, to ponder the drama of a family trapped by snow in a haunted
hotel, sharing space with decidedly malevolent entities. So I located
my copy and the leftover Halloween candy and started reading by
flashlight. It was the perfect ambiance for reading the book.
Although Stephen King is considered a horror story writer, I see
him more as a keen observer of the human psyche. His horror comes not
from flashy special effects and over the top gore, but from the
messiness and inconsistency of the human soul and the gap between who
one is inside and what one shows on the surface. A prime example in
The Shining comes when 5-year-old Danny is having either close
encounters of malevolent spirits kinds. His mom, Wendy, says they
have to get him out of the snow bound hotel, away from the danger.
His father, Jack, acquiesces. But in the dark he weighs dangers posed
by "closet boogeyman and jumping shadows" with the dangers of running
from his hotel caretaker job with no replacement. "...A man with his
sterling record of alcoholism, student-beating, and ghost-chasing
would undoubtedly be able to write his own ticket. Anything you
like. Custodial engineer--swamping out Greyhound buses. The
automotive industry--washing cars in a rubber suit..."
The legendary hotel the Overlook draws its horrific power from
human drama. Even in the off season it is inhabited by the dead but
not departed, caught eternally in often brutal enactments. Their
auras charge it with a lethal energy that can be unleashed by those
who have the mixed blessing of the shining--like little Danny.
No wonder, nearly 40 years after its first release, as legions
of genre mates have faded into obscurity, The Shining continues to
fascinate and scare us.
On a personal note, that storm really clobbered Maine. At one point
there were well over 100,000 homes lacking power. A friend of mine
didn't get electricity for 3 days.
A great big shout out goes out to Mr. Stephen King. Long may he write!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
When I first made the acquaintance of Stephen King's classic The
Shining I had more in common, seemingly, with the living dead than the
living living. With a dear precious baby who had day and night mixed
up and two older girls who required tending to when the sun was up--
not to mention the cooking, dishes, and laundry that needed to be
accomplished on a regular basis and the papers I typed to bring in a
little money--sleep came in tiny fragments, never enough to refresh me
or even remove the sleepy dust from my eyes. Amber was a bright eyed,
curious first grader. The Shining was going to be shown in three
installments on television. She wanted to watch. I videotaped it and
viewed it with her. She was fine, not scared in the least. But her
teacher read me the riot act. How could I let an innocent child watch
such a terrifying movie? I felt a groggy, vague realization that not
all first graders are created equal. Or something like that.
To be fair, Amber did also enjoy The Brave Little Toaster,
American Girls, and Babysitters Club books, Goosebumps, and Scooby
Doo--offerings that teacher would have considered much more age
appropriate. But after that introduction, long after I could claim
sleep deprivation as an excuse for not just saying no, we watched,
read, and discussed the works of that distinctly Maine born master of
horror. The Shining remained one of our favorites.
Fast forward to 2014. Picture winter coming in as a lion, fangs
bared, in the first snow of the year. Wind whipping the snow
relentlessly, making the house creak eerily, seeping in through every
nook and cranny as the electricity goes out, making the furnace
useless. Then darkness falling.
Amber, now a grad student, called to see if I was okay. She
mentioned she was reading The Shining. It was the perfect time, I
realized, to ponder the drama of a family trapped by snow in a haunted
hotel, sharing space with decidedly malevolent entities. So I located
my copy and the leftover Halloween candy and started reading by
flashlight. It was the perfect ambiance for reading the book.
Although Stephen King is considered a horror story writer, I see
him more as a keen observer of the human psyche. His horror comes not
from flashy special effects and over the top gore, but from the
messiness and inconsistency of the human soul and the gap between who
one is inside and what one shows on the surface. A prime example in
The Shining comes when 5-year-old Danny is having either close
encounters of malevolent spirits kinds. His mom, Wendy, says they
have to get him out of the snow bound hotel, away from the danger.
His father, Jack, acquiesces. But in the dark he weighs dangers posed
by "closet boogeyman and jumping shadows" with the dangers of running
from his hotel caretaker job with no replacement. "...A man with his
sterling record of alcoholism, student-beating, and ghost-chasing
would undoubtedly be able to write his own ticket. Anything you
like. Custodial engineer--swamping out Greyhound buses. The
automotive industry--washing cars in a rubber suit..."
The legendary hotel the Overlook draws its horrific power from
human drama. Even in the off season it is inhabited by the dead but
not departed, caught eternally in often brutal enactments. Their
auras charge it with a lethal energy that can be unleashed by those
who have the mixed blessing of the shining--like little Danny.
No wonder, nearly 40 years after its first release, as legions
of genre mates have faded into obscurity, The Shining continues to
fascinate and scare us.
On a personal note, that storm really clobbered Maine. At one point
there were well over 100,000 homes lacking power. A friend of mine
didn't get electricity for 3 days.
A great big shout out goes out to Mr. Stephen King. Long may he write!
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Everything I Need To Know About Christmas
Everything I Need To Know About Christmas
Picture Book
I grew up with plenty of Little Golden Books in my personal
library. My kids did too. I think there's a very good chance you
enjoyed at least a few of these ubiquitous gold bound, cardboard
backed books. No matter what you think of the brand, they did a lot
of good, providing reading and read aloud experiences for the children
of parents who could not afford the pricier book store offerings or
find the time for library visits.
Diane Muldrow's Everything I Need to Know About Christmas I
Learned From A Little Golden Book is a real trip down Memory Lane.
It's almost more for parents than kids. Illustrations from Little
Golden Books are coupled with a narrative of seasonal hassles and joys
ranging from amusing to touching. A tousled haired baby faces a horde
of visiting relatives, probably intent on pinching little round
cheeks. Naughty Bunny demonstrates seasonal misbehavior. Santa holds
out a list of good boys and girls. A gleeful infant waves dimpled
hands at a decorated tree with a little pink rocking horse. My all
time favorite LGB character, the Poky Little Puppy makes a list for
Santa...
Then at the end when traditions have been lovingly examined
there is a touching reminder of the reason for the celebration.
Everything I Need To Know About Christmas is a very good sanity
saver for the days when everyone seems to be running around in a rat
race of conspicuous consumption, when, in the words of Pastor Steve,
it might be hard to find Bethlehem in all the bedlam. I'm keeping my
copy on my kitchen table for all of Advent.
On a personal note, we had a weather perfect Halloween. The day
before at Orono Public Library we were able to hold the children's
party outside. Hundreds of kids were out on the back lawn painting
pumpkins, making caramel apples, eating popcorn and drinking cider,
playing games, collecting candy, voting for their favorite
scarecrows... It was impossible to tell who was having more fun: the
little kids flitting from booth to booth or the college kids staffing
the booths. Halloween itself was that rare in Maine trick or treat
where kids didn't have to wear coats or worse over costumes. The day
after the rains came. Sunday the first snow of the season was well
underway, knocking out electricity in Old Town and Orono.
A great big shout out goes out to all who made the party a grand
success, the people including my husband called out on a Sunday to
plow or restore power, and the supervisor who let my Adam get off work
early and come home safely.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture Book
I grew up with plenty of Little Golden Books in my personal
library. My kids did too. I think there's a very good chance you
enjoyed at least a few of these ubiquitous gold bound, cardboard
backed books. No matter what you think of the brand, they did a lot
of good, providing reading and read aloud experiences for the children
of parents who could not afford the pricier book store offerings or
find the time for library visits.
Diane Muldrow's Everything I Need to Know About Christmas I
Learned From A Little Golden Book is a real trip down Memory Lane.
It's almost more for parents than kids. Illustrations from Little
Golden Books are coupled with a narrative of seasonal hassles and joys
ranging from amusing to touching. A tousled haired baby faces a horde
of visiting relatives, probably intent on pinching little round
cheeks. Naughty Bunny demonstrates seasonal misbehavior. Santa holds
out a list of good boys and girls. A gleeful infant waves dimpled
hands at a decorated tree with a little pink rocking horse. My all
time favorite LGB character, the Poky Little Puppy makes a list for
Santa...
Then at the end when traditions have been lovingly examined
there is a touching reminder of the reason for the celebration.
Everything I Need To Know About Christmas is a very good sanity
saver for the days when everyone seems to be running around in a rat
race of conspicuous consumption, when, in the words of Pastor Steve,
it might be hard to find Bethlehem in all the bedlam. I'm keeping my
copy on my kitchen table for all of Advent.
On a personal note, we had a weather perfect Halloween. The day
before at Orono Public Library we were able to hold the children's
party outside. Hundreds of kids were out on the back lawn painting
pumpkins, making caramel apples, eating popcorn and drinking cider,
playing games, collecting candy, voting for their favorite
scarecrows... It was impossible to tell who was having more fun: the
little kids flitting from booth to booth or the college kids staffing
the booths. Halloween itself was that rare in Maine trick or treat
where kids didn't have to wear coats or worse over costumes. The day
after the rains came. Sunday the first snow of the season was well
underway, knocking out electricity in Old Town and Orono.
A great big shout out goes out to all who made the party a grand
success, the people including my husband called out on a Sunday to
plow or restore power, and the supervisor who let my Adam get off work
early and come home safely.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Saturday, November 1, 2014
The Mockingbird Next Door
The Mockingbird Next Door
Adult biography
"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I
first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass
grew on the sidewalks; the courthouse sagged in the square..." I don't
have to tell you where I got that quote. If you're enough of a
bibliophile to be reading a book review blog, you recognized it as
readily as you can pick your childhood home out of a picture. For
many of us it's a spiritual home to return to again and again and
always see with new eyes.
If you were to ask American readers, an increasingly small
subset of our nation's population, which amazing book disappointed
them the most when the author failed to write a second novel I have no
doubt whatsoever Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird would top the
list. If you're like me, you've wondered more than once why someone
with the talent to encode her writing into our hearts and minds, to
make a faraway time and place come vividly alive would not follow
through. Wonder no more. Marja Mills' The Mockingbird Next Door:
Life With Harper Lee holds the answers and much much more.
In 2001 Chicago selected To Kill A Mockingbird for a city wide
read. Mills, a Chicago Tribune reporter, was assigned to go to Lee's
home town and try to interview her. The very private author was not
considered to be a friend of the press. Not at all sure that she
would succeed where so many others failed, Mills knocked on the door
of the home Lee shared with her older sister, Alice. She was in for a
big surprise, a truly rare encounter without which The Mockingbird
Next Door would have seen the light of day.
For some reason the Lee sisters discerned Mills to be more
trustworthy than other would be interviewers. Alice let her into
their home. Nelle (Harper's first name) visited her at her hotel.
This was only the first in a long series of conversations that
blossomed into intimate friendship. Mills actually ended up renting
the house next door to the Lee household for a year and a half,
becoming part of the daily life of the sisters and their social
circle, meeting the people and visiting the places and reading the
books that they believed would give her a feel for a younger Nelle and
the world she grew up in.
Mills' open and gracious tone brings the reader into this world
in a most intimate and delightful way. You meet the ten-year-old who
was worried that her sister's wedding would eclipse all the rest of a
Depression era Christmas and then thrilled to receive a bicycle, the
young woman heading off to New York to make her mark on the world, the
wildly successful author, stunned by the intrusiveness of the American
public and wondering if she should have submitted the manuscript to be
published... You also get to walk the streets of that tired old town
where now SUVs dwarf the sagging courthouse.
With the holidays coming up, I do believe The Mockingbird Next
Door would be a most excellent gift for anyone who treasures To Kill A
Mockingbird.
On a personal note, one thing Harper Lee said struck a real chord with
me. She was glad To Kill A Mockingbird came out when it did. If it
was published now it would have been classified YA and never have
reached an adult audience. If I remember correctly back then YA was
not labeled as such. It's only relatively recently that it has
emerged as a level seperated from both adult and juvenile literature.
Bear with me now. This will be a valid comparison. When movie
ratings became the law of the land a lot of producers put gratuitous
sex, violence, and bad words in their flicks to avoid what they called
the curse of a P or PG rating which would presumably diminish their
appeal to an older audience. I've noticed a number of gentle,
nuanced, insightful novels go on the YA shelves while a lot of what
goes in the adult wing is too graphic for my tastes. Could YA
publishers be the ones taking some of the best stories around? Could
some writers feel a need to pimp their offerings with sex and violence
to market their offerings to grown ups? Just something to ponder.
A great big shout out goes out to all who made The Mockingbird Next
Door possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Adult biography
"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I
first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass
grew on the sidewalks; the courthouse sagged in the square..." I don't
have to tell you where I got that quote. If you're enough of a
bibliophile to be reading a book review blog, you recognized it as
readily as you can pick your childhood home out of a picture. For
many of us it's a spiritual home to return to again and again and
always see with new eyes.
If you were to ask American readers, an increasingly small
subset of our nation's population, which amazing book disappointed
them the most when the author failed to write a second novel I have no
doubt whatsoever Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird would top the
list. If you're like me, you've wondered more than once why someone
with the talent to encode her writing into our hearts and minds, to
make a faraway time and place come vividly alive would not follow
through. Wonder no more. Marja Mills' The Mockingbird Next Door:
Life With Harper Lee holds the answers and much much more.
In 2001 Chicago selected To Kill A Mockingbird for a city wide
read. Mills, a Chicago Tribune reporter, was assigned to go to Lee's
home town and try to interview her. The very private author was not
considered to be a friend of the press. Not at all sure that she
would succeed where so many others failed, Mills knocked on the door
of the home Lee shared with her older sister, Alice. She was in for a
big surprise, a truly rare encounter without which The Mockingbird
Next Door would have seen the light of day.
For some reason the Lee sisters discerned Mills to be more
trustworthy than other would be interviewers. Alice let her into
their home. Nelle (Harper's first name) visited her at her hotel.
This was only the first in a long series of conversations that
blossomed into intimate friendship. Mills actually ended up renting
the house next door to the Lee household for a year and a half,
becoming part of the daily life of the sisters and their social
circle, meeting the people and visiting the places and reading the
books that they believed would give her a feel for a younger Nelle and
the world she grew up in.
Mills' open and gracious tone brings the reader into this world
in a most intimate and delightful way. You meet the ten-year-old who
was worried that her sister's wedding would eclipse all the rest of a
Depression era Christmas and then thrilled to receive a bicycle, the
young woman heading off to New York to make her mark on the world, the
wildly successful author, stunned by the intrusiveness of the American
public and wondering if she should have submitted the manuscript to be
published... You also get to walk the streets of that tired old town
where now SUVs dwarf the sagging courthouse.
With the holidays coming up, I do believe The Mockingbird Next
Door would be a most excellent gift for anyone who treasures To Kill A
Mockingbird.
On a personal note, one thing Harper Lee said struck a real chord with
me. She was glad To Kill A Mockingbird came out when it did. If it
was published now it would have been classified YA and never have
reached an adult audience. If I remember correctly back then YA was
not labeled as such. It's only relatively recently that it has
emerged as a level seperated from both adult and juvenile literature.
Bear with me now. This will be a valid comparison. When movie
ratings became the law of the land a lot of producers put gratuitous
sex, violence, and bad words in their flicks to avoid what they called
the curse of a P or PG rating which would presumably diminish their
appeal to an older audience. I've noticed a number of gentle,
nuanced, insightful novels go on the YA shelves while a lot of what
goes in the adult wing is too graphic for my tastes. Could YA
publishers be the ones taking some of the best stories around? Could
some writers feel a need to pimp their offerings with sex and violence
to market their offerings to grown ups? Just something to ponder.
A great big shout out goes out to all who made The Mockingbird Next
Door possible.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Super Sniffers
Super Sniffers
Picture book
Lily sniffs my arm diligently, delicately. When she catches a
whiff of Joey cat, her ears perk up and she almost grins. If I'm not
feeling great she leans against me in a sympathetic cuddle. I've
thought more than once that if she could talk she'd be able to tell
her person mom, my chum Pat, where I'd been and what I'd eaten based
purely on olfactory clues. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, author of Super
Sniffers: Dog Detectives On The Job, would agree with that. In this
fascinating volume that will delight dog lovers young and old, she
sheds light on canine's amazing ability to discover and differentiate
odors and the many ways humans have enlisted these canny critters to
do tasks we'd be too slow at or less capable of accomplishing.
Take locating avalanch survivers. Humans can only probe surface
snow and take days to find a corpse. A dog can smell out a person
trapped under over 10 feet of snow in minutes. If you were that
person, which would you want?
And there are the amazing dogs that can:
*provide loyal companionship for military people as well as discover
explosive dangers that would endanger them in far away war zones;
*sniff out illicit drugs for police officers;
*find endangered species and invasive plants;
*help people monitor chronical medical conditions;
*and so much more.
The pictures alone are worth the price of the book. What a wonderful
way to help the younger generation learn to value non human animals as
intelligent and sentient beings rather than possessions. Actually
that's a lesson a lot of adults need to learn too! Remember the
celebrity fueled pocketbook dog fad?
On a personal note, I am nervous. Tomorrow I audition for UMaine Has
Talent. It's a show to raise money to fight testicular cancer. I
plan to recite my poem Silver Foxes and pick an outfit and try to stop
asking why I let myself get talked into that.
A great big shout out goes out to amazing dogs and the people who love
them.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
Lily sniffs my arm diligently, delicately. When she catches a
whiff of Joey cat, her ears perk up and she almost grins. If I'm not
feeling great she leans against me in a sympathetic cuddle. I've
thought more than once that if she could talk she'd be able to tell
her person mom, my chum Pat, where I'd been and what I'd eaten based
purely on olfactory clues. Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, author of Super
Sniffers: Dog Detectives On The Job, would agree with that. In this
fascinating volume that will delight dog lovers young and old, she
sheds light on canine's amazing ability to discover and differentiate
odors and the many ways humans have enlisted these canny critters to
do tasks we'd be too slow at or less capable of accomplishing.
Take locating avalanch survivers. Humans can only probe surface
snow and take days to find a corpse. A dog can smell out a person
trapped under over 10 feet of snow in minutes. If you were that
person, which would you want?
And there are the amazing dogs that can:
*provide loyal companionship for military people as well as discover
explosive dangers that would endanger them in far away war zones;
*sniff out illicit drugs for police officers;
*find endangered species and invasive plants;
*help people monitor chronical medical conditions;
*and so much more.
The pictures alone are worth the price of the book. What a wonderful
way to help the younger generation learn to value non human animals as
intelligent and sentient beings rather than possessions. Actually
that's a lesson a lot of adults need to learn too! Remember the
celebrity fueled pocketbook dog fad?
On a personal note, I am nervous. Tomorrow I audition for UMaine Has
Talent. It's a show to raise money to fight testicular cancer. I
plan to recite my poem Silver Foxes and pick an outfit and try to stop
asking why I let myself get talked into that.
A great big shout out goes out to amazing dogs and the people who love
them.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Handle With Care
Handle With Care
Picture book
When we think of butterfly migration we tend to imagine these
tiny, delicate, but amazingly resilient creatures winging it across
major distances, unerringly reaching places they've never been.
Tonight I learned about another mode of insect travel when I read
Lorree Griffin Burns' Handle With Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey.
Burns was inspired when she learned that the live butterflies in
a museum in Massachusetts had come all the way from an unusual farm in
Costa Rico. She and photographer Ellen Harasmowicz went on a journey
of discovery Handle With Care was the result of their quest.
I bet the special kids in your life would enjoy joining them. I
know I did.
On a personal note, last week I was the official Veazie School
Committee delegate to the state wide Maine School Management
Conference up to Augusta. I learned a lot, networked, and won a cool
door prize.
A great big shout goes out to all the folks who traveled to the
conference to work together.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
Picture book
When we think of butterfly migration we tend to imagine these
tiny, delicate, but amazingly resilient creatures winging it across
major distances, unerringly reaching places they've never been.
Tonight I learned about another mode of insect travel when I read
Lorree Griffin Burns' Handle With Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey.
Burns was inspired when she learned that the live butterflies in
a museum in Massachusetts had come all the way from an unusual farm in
Costa Rico. She and photographer Ellen Harasmowicz went on a journey
of discovery Handle With Care was the result of their quest.
I bet the special kids in your life would enjoy joining them. I
know I did.
On a personal note, last week I was the official Veazie School
Committee delegate to the state wide Maine School Management
Conference up to Augusta. I learned a lot, networked, and won a cool
door prize.
A great big shout goes out to all the folks who traveled to the
conference to work together.
Julia Emily Hathaway
Sent from my iPod
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