Wishing my family, friends and followers a MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH AND JOYFUL KWANZAA

Victor and I began celebrating by going back to our roots in NYC to see the tree in Rockefeller Center and watch the holiday show at Radio City Music Hall. Wherever you are and whatever you do, I hope that the season brings you joy and happiness and that the New Year will fulfill your fondest dreams.

And now to today’s book review…….

MIDDLE SCHOOL MANIA

Adventures in the Northwoods: Under the School Book 1

Written by Jehoshaphat Shalom

Tommy is about to embark on his first day as a sixth grader in Bemmington Middle School. His brother has filled him with dread about the terrors that await Tommy as soon as he gets off the bus. So he and his friends decide to force Tommy to smuggle candy into the school inside Tommy’s backpack. Before leaving the bus, Tommy spies a pretty eighth grader named Marcy standing at the edge of the woods and wonders what is going on with her. Almost immediately after Tommy opens the school doors and goes through screening, he is caught smuggling. To make matters worse, the most evil teacher in the school tricks him into getting caught in a phony cheating scam. Tommy lands in the principal’s office and is issued a yellow slip; he surely will be suspended on the first day of school.

There are three separate story lines in this middle grade/young adult zany adventure. The first one deals with Donnolay, a frustrated principal who is bored with his job, but pretends to love his students. Donnolay is determined to find out who has stolen the school projector. He and a seventh grade student are involved in an adventure under the school that will surprise and thrill readers. Second plot involves Marcy, a new student named Eddison, and a former now famous Bemmington alumni. Our third plot takes us on Tommy’s crazy first day at school, and his adventures with Slippery, the school prankster.

The humor is contagious, it is outlandish but hilarious and will sit well with the targeted audience. While readers of any age will enjoy this book, I particularly recommend it for the ten to fourteen year age group. Book Two continuing the fun has already been released.

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The Three Pirate City Cats

Written and illustrated by John E. Dorey

Cute picture book for students in the primary grades. I like the author’s layout using speech bubbles for the text and animation type illustrations for the animal characters. Dorey introduces his readers to three abandoned cat siblings, Grace, Sam and Charlie. Left to fend for themselves they observe a human watching a TV show about pirates. The siblings are frightened by a dog, who turns out to be a friend. He leads them to a storage locker that will provide them with the props they need to create their own pirate adventure.

This forty two page book has visual and story-line appeal for early readers. My only criticism of the book is that it does not provide a conclusion, but rather invites the reader to create their own story. While I certainly do not object to an interactive story, some readers may be disappointed that there is no definite denouement to the plot. That is my reason for not giving the book a five star rating.

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Yay! The most wonderful time of the year is almost here. Fun, food, family and friends on the plus side, but hustle, bustle, shopping and holiday bills on the down side. Want a chance to win $500 cash to lessen the impact of those holiday expenses, not to mention a chance to get to know some wonderful authors and add some great books to your family bookshelf?

How do you get in on the action?

The event runs from November 15 through December 15, 2016. There are 58 ways to earn you a chance in the raffle. You can spend an hour or so completing the steps or click on a few each day to increase your chances of winning. This contest is coordinated  by C.L. Murphy and Cat Michaels, but sponsored by the community of children’s authors listed below with their websites. So whether you win the grand prize or not, you have the opportunity to get to know them and share their stories with your family.

HERE IS THE LIST OF PARTICIPATING AUTHORS:

C.L. Murphy
Cat Michaels
Melinda Kinsman
Rhonda Paglia
Kristen Lamb
Stacie Theis
Jim Milson
Lisé Chase
Kimberly Sentek
Barbara Mojica
Tracy Bryan
Peggy McAloon
M.L. Barnes
Meg Dendler
Jill Cofsky
Kate Larkinson
Rosie Russell
Sondra Rymer
E.J. Gore
Dynomike Books
Rebecca Lyndsey
Joyce Mitchell
Sarah Hill
Sharon Powers
Nelson Suit
Bonnie Dani
Subhash Kommuru
D.A. Hawes
Laura Lee Scott

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…..

I would personally love to meet many new friends and keep in touch after the holidays. Please take a second to subscribe to my newsletter by emailing Barbara@littlemisshistory.com in which I share the latest news about Little Miss HISTORY as well as her past and future adventures. No spam, just information and resources that will enlighten and amuse your family. Hope to talk with you soon.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER BELOW FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

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Albatrosses: Amazing Animal Facts

Written by Rita Terry

Contrary to the widely known expression from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “an albatross around your neck,” the albatross has nothing to do with bad luck. These beautiful animals are the world’s largest seabirds. Levy enlightens readers about the twenty-two varieties, their distinctive appearance, size and weight, diet, habitat, breeding habits, courtship, enemies, and environmental threats.

Most readers probably know little about these birds. I found it interesting that they live for long periods of time on one island, mate with one partner for life, and do not leave their parents until they master the intricate courtship dance to attract their life partner. The fact that the Wandering Albatross can soar without moving its wings for days at a time is amazing. It is sad that so many of these birds are killed when they dive down deep for fish bait and then drown before they can return to the surface.

This book is targeted for readers ages five to eighteen. Photographs are beautiful; the book will probably be most interesting to readers eight and older, who will be better able to master the text. This book contains a lot of information in less than fifty pages, and is well written with the exception of a typo in the spelling of Antarctica. Young animal lovers or children looking for an interesting research project will find the book a valuable nonfiction resource.

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Morris the Moose Goes to School

Written and Illustrated by Bernard Wiseman

This classic was one of my favorite books to read to my own children or to students in my classroom at the beginning of the school year. Originally published as Morris Goes to School in hardcover in 1970, Scholastic reprinted it as a paperback in 1978 under the title, Morris the Moose Goes to School.

Morris never thought about attending school until he visited a candy store one day and was unable to count out his pennies to pay for the candy he wanted to buy. A kindly storekeeper brings Morris to the local school where Miss Fine, the teacher, warmly welcomes Morris. Poor Morris can’t fit into the desk and picks the wrong bathroom because he fails to understand the concept of letters. He can’t comprehend what a song is and does not have fingers to help him count to ten. Morris is unprepared; he doesn’t have lunch so he eats the grass outside on the lawn. Miss Fine is the epitome of a kind, patient teacher who never loses her patience and finds numerous concrete examples to elucidate and get her lessons across to Morris. At the end of the day, Morris learns his counting skills and is able to revisit the candy store.

I love the clever way Wiseman brings the plot full circle to its logical conclusion. Children proceed step by step along the story line and learn multiple lessons along the way. Wiseman uses only three colors, brown, white and blue in each of the simple but expressive illustrations peppering each page of text. The current version is marketed as an I Can Read Step 1 book, perfect for the preschool through grade three student audience. Also a good choice for parents to include in their back to school reading list. The book is still available on Amazon in multiple formats.

About the author: Bernard Wiseman wrote many books on the Morris theme. He was active from 1958 through 1995. He kept a low profile. Little biographical information is available. Amazon provides only a list of his books.

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Guardian:Where a Dream is Challenged “An World War II Plane Who Decides To Never Give Up”

Written by Greer Alexis Bacon

Guardian is a WWII plane who is relating her story in first person. She goes back in time to tell how she met her pilot and together they valiantly fought. One day her fuel tank leaks; Guardian succeeds in getting her pilot down alive. Now that the war is over, she finds herself in a scrap metal junkyard and wonders what became of her pilot. While the rest of the planes are resigned to their fate, Guardian hopes that she will one day fly again, but day after day planes disappear from the yard to be sold for scrap metal.

One day the gate opens to a new owner. The planes will be repaired and sent to various museums. Guardian rejoices that her optimism has proven true, but what has happened to that soldier who once flew and loved her?

Targeted for audiences five and older, this approximately twenty-five page book is really a beginning reader chapter book. There are a few simple, but attractive, illustrations. This book is a well-written sweet story embedding elements of history. While I enjoyed the plot, I noted typos and editing errors on the cover and inside the kindle text edition. If not for these, I would have given the book five stars. I would still recommend it, especially for children who are early readers interested in planes or history.

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The Days of Holly Hobbie: A Cricket Book

Illustrated by Holly Hobbie

Published by Platt & Munk, NY 1977

I picked this book up for my young daughter at a tag sale near my home. My daughter and I loved the pastel watercolors, the calico clothing and the over-sized bonnet this character wore. I had toyed with the idea of naming my daughter Holly as she was due near Christmas, but changed my mind at the last minute. Maybe that is why I was originally drawn to it.

Holly traces a typical day in her simple life. Her activities might include picking flowers, watering plants, caring for pets, stomping in rain puddles, exploring the attic, baking muffins, listening to the birds or swinging beneath the trees. Echoes of a childhood past that moved much more slowly. This 9 X 12 hardcover book is still available on amazon. Mine is well worn and  bears the inscription of its original purchaser.

Who is Holly Hobbie? She is a real person. Holly Hobbie was born Holly Ulinskas in 1944. Holly is an American writer and illustrator who named the fictional character based on herself. She is also the author of the Toot and Puddle book series. In the late 1960’s this Holly Hobbie character wearing a rag dress and dressed in her huge bonnet, usually accompanied by her pet cat, sold to American Greetings.

The artist, Bob Childers, insisted that she become a doll. He hand stitched a prototype and gave it to Hallmark’s Rex Connors. Conners sold the idea to Knickerbocker Toys who licensed the character in 1974; the character came to life and delighted many little girls like my daughter, Heather. Later in 2006, Hollie Hobbie and Friends became a spin-off and regained popularity. Music, lyrics and a TV movie were produced as a result. Holly remains a charming and nostalgic reminder of a favorite vintage book that I enjoyed reading with my daughter.

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 The History Major: A Novella
Written by Michael Phillip Cash

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest non-biased review.

Hung over college student Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm to an unsettling situation. She vaguely remembers a fight the night before with her boyfriend, Patrick, and partying with her two best girlfriends who don’t like him. But her room is at once familiar and strangely different; her roommate is someone she has never met. Finding her classroom schedule on the bed, Amanda is distressed to see a history class on it; Amanda hates history. She rushes to the Registrar building to drop the class, but the administrators tell her she must take the course. Amanda walks through the campus, which seems oddly different. Buildings appear and disappear, and she has the feeling of being stalked.

Resigned to her fate, Amanda is drawn to the history lecture, where she meets Nick and her professor who is dressed like Aristotle. His lecture is even stranger. He drolls on about Joan of Arc, Pope Alexander VI, Lucretia Borgia and other historical characters, but as he does so Amanda is drawn back into history interacting with and sometimes being attacked by them. Nick tells her, “They all hear what they have to hear.” Amanda’s thoughts drift back and forth between the past and her own reality. She has flashbacks of her grandmother, mother, and abusive stepbrother, Wayne. How can there be a connection? Amanda hears the words, “People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.”

What is real, what is fantasy, and how will Amanda deal with integrating both within her present life?

Elements of a thriller, paranormal, history and a psychological study combine to make this novella a compelling read. The first couple of chapters confused me, and I definitely disliked Amanda. As I got into the plot, I could not stop reading. Lots of interesting dialogue and colorful language engage the reader. Plenty of twists and turns keep the reader on edge; the ending caught me off guard. Recommended for teen and adult audiences as a thought provoking afternoon read.

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 About the Book
After a vicious fight with her boyfriend followed by a night of heavy partying, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm room to find things are not the same as they were yesterday. She can’t quite put her finger on it. She’s sharing her room with a peculiar stranger. Amanda discovers she’s registered for classes she would never choose with people that are oddly familiar. An ominous shadow is stalking her. Uncomfortable memories are bubbling dangerously close to her fracturing world, propelling her to an inevitable collision between fantasy and reality. Is this the mother of all hangovers or is something bigger happening?

Praise
“Cash intermingles beauty and violence …It’s smartly ambiguous and open
to interpretation, and some may delight in a second (or third) read.” – Kirkus Reviews

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