The Shadow Lamp

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead is the fourth book in the Bright Empires series. I have previously read The Skin Map, The Bone House, and The Spirit Well. So far my favorite of the series is the Bone House. Just to recap,Kit, Mina, Gianni, Cass, Haven, and Giles all travel through time via Ley lines. They use Shadow Lamps to help them detect Ley lines. There is some kind of unknown cosmic link between the shadow lamps, the skin map and the spirit well. Add to the mix, the Zetetic society discovers something that could unravel everything.

I must confess, I read this book quite a while ago and I'm just now getting around to writing up the review. In general, I've liked nearly everything that Stephen R. Lawhead has written. This series confused me with the time travel and Ley lines. It had great adventure and esprit de corps, but it lacked something cohesive. The shifts in time are a little jarring. One minute you are in the Middle Ages Europe, the next, ancient Egypt and then back in modern time. As I said, I really loved the Bone House. For whatever reason, that story has stuck in my head. Large parts of the Bone House take place in one time and location. The Shadow Lamp did not stay in my memory, and so I guess it was a bit forgettable. I can't really remember what the big reveal was with the Zetetic society - I didn't get it the first time either - nor what the deal was between the shadow lamps, skin map, and spirit well.

This series was hit and miss for me. I liked Stephen R. Lawhead's other books so much better.

Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up

I've read these two books by Eleanor H. Porter a couple of times. The first book has been adapted into a few film adaptations and a musical, also adapted to film. The most well known is the Disney version starring Hayley Mills, which is actually well done.

The story is a about orphaned Pollyanna. Pollyanna grew up in humble circumstances by her minister father and mother. Her parents were very involved in helping the poor, but also were poor themselves. Pollyanna's father taught her game in which she had to find something to be glad about, especially in disappointing situations. This game gave Pollyanna a perpetually positive point of view about everything.

Pollyanna is sent to live with her spinster Aunt, a wealthy woman who does not put up with any nonsense. Over time the people that Pollyanna meets gradually soften and find things to be glad about. That is until a tragic accident tests even Pollyanna's usually sunny outlook.

In the second book, Pollyanna is grown up. She is sent to Boston where she teaches a new cast of characters about her glad game. Pollyanna also falls in love. The story is sweet and not unexpected.

Book Rating: 5 stars, these two books are great reads for girls.

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

Well wished

Young Nuria, an orphan girl, lives in a small town with a wishing well. Each resident can make one wish and sometimes those wishes go wrong. One wish, in particular, caused all the children in the town to disappear except for Nuria. Nuria wishes for a friend. Nuria's grandfather makes a wish to bring the children back, but only one does. Catty is a disabled girl that desires to walk again. Everyone must learn to be careful what you wish for because wishes sometimes don't turn out as expected.

I found Well Wished strange and hard to follow. At one point in the story the two characters Nuria and Catty switch places. I had a hard time keeping them straight. Many of the reviews on Amazon are positive. Personally, I didn't care for the book all that much. It's written with a dream-like, almost magical voice. Also difficult to follow.

Book Rating: 2 stars

Animorphs: The Invasion

Despite my previous review of Search for Senna, I picked up another K. A. Applegate book. My library has several of the Animorphs series, so I picked up volume 1 in the series to see what it was all about.

In Animorphs : The Invasion story, a group of 5 friends have an encounter with a dying alien. This alien, an Andalite, gives them the gift to morph into animals once they acquire the DNA of an animal. The alien wanted to give humans the ability to fight the Yeerks, an alien species with an "invasion of the body snatchers" mission against humanity. The leader of the Yeerks is an Andalite under the control a Yeerk, an apparently bad combination.

The story is fast paced and fun. The author does a good job describing the morphing process and how it feels to be an animal. The book is written for a junior or juvenile fiction level and it would appeal to some in that group. BUT my library has these books located in the Young Adult section, which is probably more appropriate. While there is nothing too naughty in the books, there is violence and an implied romance. Some younger kids may have difficulty with that, though to be honest it is not any worse than some cartoons (how sad is that?)

In any event, I am tempted to pick up book 2 in the series.

Book rating: 3 stars.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Doublas Wiggin, is charming juvenile fiction story. I read this book to check it off of my "must read classics." The story involved Rebecca who is sent to live with her aunts. She has a propensity to talk, get into all kinds of trouble, and be otherwise dramatic. The story follows her until some time after her graduation from high school and how the then grown-up Rebecca deals with life.

I read this book after reading Anne of Green Gables and Daddy Long Legs. There are elements in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm that I assumed had been lifted from those stories. The truth is Rebecca precedes both of those books.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is an enjoyable story, but I really do like Anne of Green Gables and Daddy Long Legs better. It is not as well written IMO, but perhaps that is ok.

Book Rating: 3 stars

Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie

Dear America is a fictional journal series written by various authors. Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie is written by Kristiana Gregory. This story traces a young girl's experience as she and her family travel along the Oregon trail.

The story is interesting and engaging. It would be great for young readers who have an interest in the old west and the Oregon trail. At the end of the book there is additional material, including photos, about the people who did travel the trail.

One thing to keep in mind, the story IS fiction. I am curious about some of the details in the story that were clearly wrong or maybe not. Some details made me pause and wonder. The author does not have much of a bibliography. Did she do very much research? What were her sources? The danger with historical fiction is that some readers (and not just young readers) may interpret the story as fact. I am not sure what to do about that. The hope is the story will lead the reader to find out more about actual events.

Despite my concerns of historical accuracy, the book is still worthy of recommendation.

Book Rating: 3 stars

Becoming Rosemary

Becoming Rosemary is a rather odd story by Frances M. Wood. Rosemary is a 12 year old girl who begins to enter an adult world. The story takes place in a mountain community in the 1790s. The story deals with religious intolerance, puberty, witch craft, and discrimination.

Rosemary's family has a minor internal conflict with Christianity versus witchcraft. The women of the family interact with the magical world, if they choose, and the family views it as perfectly normal. They keep this aspect of their lives secret from the surrounding community. Some of the family are Christian, some witches. There is no open conflict in the family. Rather there is pressure to choose one side or the other, but no recriminations for whatever one chooses.

Meanwhile, a new family moves into the community. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, the young wife is mistaken as a witch. What results is persecution by the community.

The author is very skilled at describing how a young child awakens to the world around them. Rosemary evolves from a silent observer of the world to one that chooses to interact with it. Still the odd interaction of magic/witchcraft versus religious intolerance is poorly handled. The author vilifies most of the community members who have chosen Christianity. She depicts the traveling minister as an ineffectual, evil leader. It is true, such intolerance and evil has been perpetrated by those proclaiming Christianity in history, but the author's handling of the topic is offensive.

The book is being marketed to children aged 5-7 years. IMO, that is far too young for the topics in the book. In fact, it would probably be best to skip the book all together.