"Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile" by Kristiana Gregory

I picked this book for my 3rd-5th grade literature class at our homeschool co-op to read because I am focusing on the importance of settings this year.  I'm having the class read books set in a variety of places and times so that we can see how books expand our horizons, and how a book's setting can impact the story itself.  But I hadn't read this myself before, I'd just heard good things about this Royal Diaries series, so I had to read it first to be able to lead discussions in class.

This was a solidly entertaining and informative look at what life could have been like for Cleopatra VII when she was between the ages of 12 and 15.  She was one of several daughters of the Pharaoh, and although I knew she would eventually be the queen of Egypt, that future wasn't at all assured, according to this book.  Over the course of several years, she navigates some tricky political and social situations, including an extended visit to Rome and a burgeoning attraction to this cocky dude named Marc Antony.

This was a fast read, and I feel like I got a good taste of life in both ancient Egypt and pre-empire Rome, which was really cool.  The historical details were fascinating and very naturally woven into the texture of the story.  I was especially intrigued by Cleopatra's friendship with Theophilus, a young Jewish scholar, and how much of the Jewish religion was explored here, as well as Greek, Roman, and Egyptian religions.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for murders (including stabbings, chokings, poisonings, and snakebite), drunkenness, and descriptions of crucifixion and gladiatorial games.

"Road Trip Rescue" by Becca Wierwille

What a lovely book!  I was utterly enchanted by this middle-grade book about a girl trying to find her missing dog.

Kimmy's dog Bo disappeared two years ago.  When she finds a photo in a magazine that looks just like him, she begs her parents to take her to see if that dog in the magazine really is Bo.  Her parents can't take time away from their dairy farm, but Kimmy's Aunt Skylar decides to take Kimmy on a road trip with a stop at the place where Bo might be living.  

The road trip gets longer and longer, with various stops and adventures along the way, and with extra people joining it along the way.  Kimmy does finally find the dog from the magazine.  I won't spoil the book by telling you whether the dog is Bo or not.

Kimmy was born with one full arm and hand, and one "little arm" that ends just below her elbow.  Over the course of the book, she learns that not all strangers stare, not all people who stare are being intentionally rude, and not everyone thinks that her "little arm" makes her a freak.  Most importantly, she learns the power of the forgiveness, and that you can forgive people whether or not they apologize to you.  

This is Christian fiction of the best kind, with characters who strive to live out their faith and act according to what the Bible teaches.  They read the Bible and they attend church, too.

I plan to have my elementary literature class at our homeschool co-op read this book this year.  It's so good!

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  A good, wholesome, heartwarming story.

This has been my 18th book read from my TBR shelves for the 2024 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

"The Vanderbeekers Ever After" by Karina Yan Glaser

Well, I can now officially say I wholeheartedly love this entire series.  I'm sad that it has come to an end, but I'm happy it went out on such a beautiful, love-filled note.

This book is more serious than the previous books in the series, though some of them got plenty serious in places.  But this one is heavy in lots of different parts, and the whole story has a more serious flavor.

Not sure if this is a spoiler or not, but treat it like it is if you haven't already heard about what happens in this book.  Laney Vanderbeeker is diagnosed with leukemia early in the book, and the bulk of the story centers on her stays in a children's hospital getting treated for cancer.  As a result, Aunt Penny and Mr. B keep wanting to postpone their Christmas wedding, but Laney holds onto the promise of their wedding as something to look forward to throughout her treatments.  

While there are plenty of fun and cute and even funny moments in the book, Karina Yan Glaser never treats Laney's illness lightly.  She explores how scary a life-threatening illness is not only for the person who has it, but for every family member.  Much kindness and love is shown to Laney, but not every child at the hospital has a family like the Vanderbeekers.  And not every child at the hospital has cancer that has a high survival rate like leukemia.  Glaser never lets the book get too grim, but she keeps it realistic too.  Any reader who has watched a loved one suffer with cancer is going to feel seen here, and find understanding.

The book does end on an upbeat and hopeful note.  But I wouldn't hand this one to kids under 10 who are very sensitive or easily upset.  

Particularly Good Bits:

Laney tucked that memory into her heart, another reminder that the kindness of strangers could brighten any day (p. 60).

Love came in all forms, whether it be from hugs or words or gifts or food (p. 148).

Everyone had their own story filled with joys and hardships -- no one was spared from pain (p. 360).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-10 for some heavy topics and the off-page death of a side character.  Parents should consider whether or not their kids can handle all that before letting them read it.

This has been my 9th book read from my TBR shelves for the 2024 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.

"Big Red" by Jim Kjelgaard

You know what I love about Jim Kjelgaard's books?  The dogs in them don't die at the end.  That shouldn't be a revolutionary concept, and yet, it sure seems to be.  So many dog books broke my heart when I was a kid, and then I discovered Kjelgaard, and he became my hero.  I read every book of his that my library had on their shelves.  I asked for them for Christmas.  I bought them at yard sales.  I still buy them at used book stores.  I actually haven't looked up how many books he wrote, I just keep finding another every few years.

Big Red is his most famous book, and it's quite the delight.  A poor Canadian mountain boy (EDIT: or possibly, Pennsylvanian???) who loves dogs gets to take care of his rich neighbor's prize Irish Setter, and he grows up a lot in the process.  There's lots of stuff about how to train a dog, how to survive in the woods, and how to win a dog show, which is all very wonderful.  But the part I remember best from when I was a kid, and the part I couldn't wait to get to when I was reading this aloud to my own kids this fall, was the part where a wolverine comes down the chimney.  

I am not making this up.  A wolverine comes down the chimney and tries to kill the boy and the dog.  It's so terrifying and horrible and thrilling.  And, of course, the boy is basically unarmed and has to survive with his wits and almost no weapons of any sort.  Because that is the kind of book I loved when I was a teenage girl!

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-10 because man, that wolverine is scary!  Also, there's a smattering of mild cuss words.  Also, there's a big, mean bear.  

"Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories" by Noel Streatfeild

This is EXACTLY the sort of book I want to read at Christmastime!  Heartwarming, sweet, uplifting short stories featuring realistic people in realistic situations that are treated with humor and kindness.  

My favorite stories were:

+ "The Moss Rose," about a young skater who loses her costume and skates on the subway, but it all turns out okay.

+ "The Princess," about a princess who goes shoe-shopping and gets shanghaied into performing in a ballet incognito.

+ "The Chain," about a boy who imagines that all of his favorite fictional characters form a chain of joy that helps his sister get well enough to come home from the hospital for Christmas.

+ "Christmas at Collers," about some city kids who are forced to spend Christmas in the country with their ailing grandmother and discover that hustle and bustle are not essential elements for a merry Christmas.

I absolutely loved this collection!

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  As wholesome and uplifting as they come.

This is my 22nd book read and reviewed for my 4th Classics Club list, and my 55th book read off my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2023.

"In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord

This is such a fun, upbeat book!  It's set in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, but it's actually about a little girl from China who moves to New York City with her mom to be with her dad, who had previously come to the USA to find work.  The little girl has to choose an American name for herself, so she picks the only American-sounding name she knows and likes: Shirley Temple.

Shirley Temple Wong doesn't speak English, doesn't know how to roller skate, can't play baseball, and doesn't know the Pledge of Allegiance.  But she learns all of those things over the course of the book.  She becomes an avid baseball fan and listens devotedly to Dodgers games on the radio.  She makes new friends, tries new foods, and even takes piano lessons from their landlady.

If This was  Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for one scene where a friend of Shirley's makes her take a blood oath not to tell their parents they are looking at an anatomy book that has pictures of naked people in it.  It's not belabored or really dwelt upon, but still not something I probably wouldn't want my kids encountering when they were quite young, so some other parents might feel the same.

"Hummingbird" by Natalie Lloyd

Natalie Lloyd's books continue to enchant and delight me.  And make me cry.  This one definitely made me cry multiple times toward the end -- but not over sad things!  Like with most books (and movies), what made me cry was some really, really good stuff happening against the odds that it wouldn't.

Like, not to spoil the ending or anything, but man, it is GOOD.  

Olive has "brittle bone disease," or osteogenesis imperfecta.  Because she's had so many broken bones all through her childhood, she's always been homeschooled.  And she doesn't mind being homeschooled, but she would really like to try public school, just to know what it's like.  So, she convinces her parents to let her try it.  And she struggles to fit in.  And she makes friends.  And she pursues her dream of being an actress by trying out for the school play.  And there's heartache and happiness and joy and fear and wonder.  And magic.  

Also, this is the first Natalie Lloyd book I've read that involves going to church.  Olive and her family attend what basically sounds like a non-denominational church, and Olive talks openly about praying, believing in God, and so on.  But, yes, there's also magic in the form of a magical hummingbird that grants wishes.  You just kind of have to read it to get it.  The only thing I didn't approve of was that Olive's church has a woman pastor, which I believe is unscriptural, but that is not enough to make me stop from recommending this book.

Oh, and Natalie Lloyd herself has osteogenesis imperfecta, which gives this book another layer of poignancy.

Particularly Good Bits:

All in all, it seemed like an ordinary day.  But it wasn't.  Beginnings are sneaky like this (p. 2).

Banjo music sounds like sunshine on a string.  Like a bumblebee square dance (p. 9).

"You're not a miracle because you have brittle bones or because you use a wheelchair or walker.  You're not a miracle if you don't.  You're a miracle because you exist.  Everybody is" (p. 24).

Mama and Jupiter have always told me that one person's talent does not take away from your talent (p. 244).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  No cussing or violence.

This is my 26th book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2023.

Top Ten Tuesday: Animal Crackers

Our Top Ten Tuesday prompt from That Artsy Reader Girl for this week is "Covers with Animals On Them," and I have chosen to narrow that to junior fiction/middle grade books that feature animals on their covers.  Instead of writing up a description of them this week, I've just copied over a line from my review of that particular book that I think you might find interesting.

(All titles linked to my full reviews.)

All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling -- "Why do I love these stories so much? Because they're fun, but they've also got a lot of wisdom in them."

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley -- "It's still a rousingly good yarn of overcoming steep odds, trusting your friends, and using your skills and talents to the utmost. I still love it."

The Christmas Pig by J. K. Rowling -- "Rowling loves her mythology, and this book kept reminding me of the myth of Orpheus descending into Hades to rescue his wife Eurydice. With a little of Dante's Inferno and Toy Story mixed in."

Dragons at Crumbling Castle and Other Tales by Terry Pratchett -- "I loved how he often turned fairy tale tropes upside down."

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman -- "I liked it enough to plan on seeking out more of Gaiman's books."  (Note: I've read 4 more of his books by now...)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis -- "Is it weird that I liked this book WAY BETTER when I read it now, as an adult, than I did as a kid?"

Old Ramon by Jack Schaefer -- "This book is very short, just a hundred pages, but it packs so much wisdom and beauty into those pages!"

Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd -- "I LOVE FLYING HORSES. They aren't in nearly enough books, and I'm so glad this book has them :-)"

The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue by Karina Yan Glaser -- "Yes, the kids keep a big secret from their parents in this one. Yes, that causes a lot of problems. Yes, there are consequences."

The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick -- "I had tears in my eyes by the end of this book, it was so good."

Any books here you've read?  What did you share for TTT this week?

"The Black Stallion" by Walter Farley

For several decades, this was my favorite novel.  Although I have now admitted that there are a few other books I now love more than it, this remains in my top ten of absolute favorite books.  I read it aloud to my kids this winter and, although none of them loved it, they did enjoy it.

Alec Ramsay is on his way home to the USA from spending the summer with his uncle overseas when a storm strikes the ship he's on.  Only he and an untamed black Arabian stallion survive the shipwreck.  They both wash up on a deserted island, where they survive on seaweed and fish and form an unbreakable bond.  Eventually, they get rescued, and Alec takes The Black back home to the NYC suburbs.  He boards The Black at a stable near his house.  The stable is owned by a former jockey who recognizes The Black's racing potential.  He trains both Alec and the stallion, and they enter a race against the two fastest horses in the country.

As an adult, I can see a few flaws in this book.  Alec happens to have learned about edible seaweed the year before in school, so he knows he and The Black can eat what he finds.  Their neighbor happens to be a former jockey.  Alec's mom happens to take a trip to Chicago around the same time as the race, and happens to get tickets and be in the stands.  

You know what, though?  None of that ruins the book for me.  It's still a rousingly good yarn of overcoming steep odds, trusting your friends, and using your skills and talents to the utmost.  I still love it.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for a few scary parts when the ship sinks and when there's a big fire.

This is my second book read for #MiddleGradeMarch in 2023.

"Coraline" by Neil Gaiman

I do really enjoy Neil Gaiman's imagination.  So quirky.  Dark and murky here and there, but with hope and light filtering through always.  At least in the five books of his I've read so far.  I haven't tried his adult fiction yet.

Coraline absolutely enchanted me.  The epic quest its heroine goes on is just right for its audience, creepy without being nightmarish, desperate without being depressing, and so short you can get to the happy ending pretty quickly.  

Coraline steps through a magical door in her family's new apartment that leads to a mirror world where adults have black buttons instead of eyes, cats and dogs can talk, and little girls can save the day -- and their parents!  I'm so glad I picked it up off the shelf at an airport bookstore last week.  

Particularly Good Bits:

"There's nothing like hot chocolate and a hug for making the nightmares go away" (p. 53).

"When you're scared, but you still do it anyway, that's brave" (p. 57).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-10 because it would probably be too scary for younger kids.  Maybe not.  But I don't think my kids (or I, when I was a kid) would have been able to handle it younger than that.  There's quite a bit of creepy and evil and gross stuff going on.

This is my 13th book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2023 -- well, sorta.  I bought it at an airport and read it before I got home, so it never had a chance to sit on my TBR shelves, but it still counts.  And I'm trying to read books soon after I buy them this year, but they still count.

This is also my first book read for #MiddleGradeMarch in 2023.

"The Vanderbeekers on the Road" by Karina Yan Glaser

Hmm.  Although I still very much enjoyed this latest installment in the Vanderbeekers series, I didn't love it quite as much as the first five.

This book picks up right where The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish left off, with Mrs. Vanderbeeker and all her kids, plus their friends Mr. Beiderman and his ward Orlando, setting off in a borrowed van to pick up Mr. Vanderbeeker.  They follow the cross-country route his dad had planned to take him on twenty years earlier, stopping at places like the St. Louis Arch and the Grand Canyon and ending up in California where his grandfather had been stationed during WWII.  And all of that was absolutely lovely.  They made new friends, acquired new pets, and had lots of really sweet adventures.

However.  As usual, the Vanderbeeker kids are keeping secrets from their parents and each other, as well as making big plans without asking for permission or telling anyone about them... but, unlike in the other books, these aren't just plans to clean up a vacant lot and make a garden or secrets about health inspections that got messed up.  The kids are working against each other, and some of the kids very nearly mess up the futures for the other kids.

Also, it's really hard to keep secrets when you're on a road trip across the whole continent.  My credulity got strained a little too much by that, I'm afraid.

However, I did still really enjoy the book, over all.  I loved how excited these city-raised kids got over getting to visit a Target, stay at a farm, and sleep under the stars.  The whole family is becoming very dear to me, and I still find their parents to be some of the finest fictional parents I have ever encountered in kids fiction.  In any fiction, really!

Particularly Good Bits:

Wasn't it funny how you could feel so drawn to home and still feel the urge to explore the whole world? (p. 143).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  No objectionable content other than a few mentions of evolutionary theories and some discussion of "praying to the universe."  I did find that last thing a bit disappointing, as previous books have had the parents saying a blessing over the food or the kids saying a prayer in a non-specific way.  I liked that, because readers could feel like maybe the Vanderbeekers shared their own beliefs, but this book kind of nixed that.

This is my 6th book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2023.

"The Sign of the Beaver" by Elizabeth George Speare

I remember loving this book as a youngster.  Anything to do with American Indian life has always fascinated me, and when you add that to a story about a kid living off the land on his own, and I was destined to be a fan.

Happily, this book totally lived up to my memories of its excellence.  I read it aloud to my kids this fall, and all three of them were enthralled.  I suspect they'll be rereading it themselves now.

Twelve-year-old Matt went out into the Maine wilderness with his father and built a cabin on land the family had just bought.  Together, he and his father also cleared a field and planted corn.  Then, his father leaves to fetch the rest of the family.  He says he'll be back in six or seven weeks. Long before harvest.  He leaves Matt a rifle and ammunition, food supplies, and his own father's pocket watch.  And he trusts this adolescent kid to guard the house, tend the crops, and survive.  Alone.

Which Matt does.  He makes mistakes, he has accidents, and he gets into some fairly dangerous situations.  But the chief of a nearby American Indian village makes a bargain with Matt: if Matt will teach the chief's grandson Attean to read English, the Indians will keep Matt supplied with fresh food and help him stay safe.  Attean teaches Matt how to find his way in the forest, how to hunt with a bow and arrows, and how to make many useful tools.  Matt tries to teach Attean to read.  Together, they both learn how to be better neighbors and friends.

My perspective on this story was a little different now that I'm a parent of half-grown kids myself.  I kept imagining what his father must have felt, leaving his twelve-year-old son alone in the middle of the wilderness to take care of the new cabin and the growing crops alone.  But, mostly, I got caught up in the adventure of the story and simply enjoyed it the way I did when I was a tween myself.

Particularly Good Bits:

Day after day Matt tramped the woods alone, trying to shake the doubts that walked beside him like his own shadow (p. 91).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for some dangerous situations that would scare young children.

Top Ten Tuesday: Getting Cozy

This week's Top Ten Tuesday prompt from That Artsy Reader Girl is "Cozy Reads."  I love cozy books, so it wasn't hard to come up with ten favorites... it was hard narrowing the list down to ten!  But here they are, with a few cozy attributes for each and the titles linked to my full reviews.

1. The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery -- cottage, winter, fireside reading, cats, book lovers, nature lovers, small town, slow-burn romance

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen -- seaside, friendship, family ties, homebody, bookish discussions, second-chance romance

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows -- bookworms, letter-writing, island life, community, found family, gentle romance

4. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery -- farmhouse, found family, nature lovers, friendship, girlhood, small town, flowers

5. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim -- Italian villa, flowers and nature, self-discovery, friendship, sunshine, fresh air, vacation

6. Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery -- cottage, baking, cooking, reading, writing, family reunion, fathers and daughters, friendship, small town

7. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen -- seaside, book lovers, dancing, drawing, carriage rides, young love, old houses

8. Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright -- abandoned houses, sunshine, cousins, friendship, secrets, small town

9. The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay -- bookshop, small town, friendship, family ties, books everywhere

10. A Little Beside You by Jenni Sauer -- waffles, baking, friendship, found family, sisters, knitting, gentle romance

How about you?  What are your favorite cozy reads?

"The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish" by Karina Yan Glaser

This series continues to be a complete delight!  I probably start all my reviews for these books this way, but it's true.  I love this fictional family.

In The Vanderbeekers Make a Wish, the kids are trying to find a way to make their father's upcoming 40th birthday extra special.  They hit on the idea of recreating a road trip he was supposed to take with his own father after graduating from college, but which never happened because their grandfather died.

The only trouble is, their other grandparents have come for an unannounced, unexpected visit.  And, while the Vanderbeeker kids know they should love their grandparents, they struggle a lot with that.  Their mom's father is quiet and observant and almost never talks.  Their mom's mother is bossy, demanding, and unsatisfied with everything and everyone.  Still, the kids obey their parents' reminders to be polite and kind and respectful to their grandparents... most of the time.  They're kids, and they stumble, but they also apologize and ask for forgiveness when they do.

I loved how this particular book wove more of their mother's Chinese heritage into the story.  But mostly, I loved the utterly believable generational conflicts and conundrums.  This family feels very real, but in a light and uplifting way.  The parents are good parents, the kids are good kids, and the misunderstandings and scrapes that occur are never overblown OR underplayed.

Particularly Good Bits:

Upstairs, Mama was finishing up a batch of granola that Oliver and Papa would take with them, the musical clinking of metal bowls and wooden spoons a comforting sound that the Vanderbeeker kids had all been hearing since birth (p. 2-3).

Even though Hyacinth herself was quiet, she preferred to be around people who talked a lot.  That meant she could listen, which made her happy (p. 176).

We don't know a lot about the adults in our lives," Hyacinth said.  "They're all mysteries" (p. 223).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  Wholesome and uplifting and wonderful.

This has been the 52nd book read off my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.

"Mandy" by Julie Andrews Edwards

I read this aloud to my kids this summer, and I was surprised to discover I only remembered about a third of it, even though I thought I had read it over and over when I was a kid myself.  I think that I actually just reread my favorite parts over and over back then, which were all the parts where Mandy is planting a garden and cleaning the cottage.  I remember those parts vividly, but there were huge parts of the book that weren't familiar at all.

Mandy is a ten-year-old orphan who lives in a small orphanage in Great Britain.  She sneaks over the wall around the orphanage's grounds, wanders off, and discovers an abandoned cottage with an overgrown garden.  She claims it as her own, works in the garden until it's beautiful, cleans up the cottage, and keeps the whole thing a secret for a long time.  

But then, tragedy strikes, and Mandy falls very ill.  And then everything ends really happily.  None of which I remembered at all!

As a kid, I did not know that the Julie Edwards who wrote Mandy was actually Julie Andrews who played Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp -- my copy only has the name Julie Edwards on the cover because that was the name she published it under.  I guess she wanted her writing to be taken seriously for its own sake and not just because she was a famous actress, so she published it under her married name.  Now, though, she's published a lot of books under her full name, so modern copies have her full name of Julie Andrews Edwards on it.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate it: PG.  There are a few mild curse words and a few instances of adults taking God's name in vain.

"The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found" by Karina Yan Glaser

This series continues to delight me! I love that the kids age and mature as it progresses -- this fourth book takes place about two years after the first book.  Unfortunately, that means the adults also age, and a loss that has been hovering for a while finally occurs.  Glaser handles grief and mourning so sensitively, yet honestly -- she really, really impressed me here.

This book also involves the issues of homelessness for kids and absent parents, and how those can affect even kids like the Vanderbeekers who have a loving and stable home.  But it also shows how they can impact the life of someone who is struggling, without seeming condescending or pitying.  Again, I was impressed.

No one in this book ever says the phrase "love your neighbor as yourself," but that message is woven all through this book, and the series as a whole.  Wonderful stuff!

Also, yes, I've read a LOT of middle-grade books and manga while laid up with my broken arm.  They have been such mood lifters!!!

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for dealing with the heavier topics of death and homelessness and abandonment that might be disturbing to some very young readers.

This has been my 31st book read off my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022

"Anne of Green Gables" (Manga Classics) by L. M. Montgomery (original story), Crystal S. Chan (story adaptation), and Kuma Chan (art)

I am enchanted by this manga version of Anne of Green Gables. So enchanted that I can't wait to read more in the Manga Classics series!  And this one has definitely found a home on our shelves.

Obviously, this is an abridgement of the original text.  There are a few chapters that only get one or two pages in this, Crystal S. Chan sets forth all the really key parts in loving detail.  Anne driving through the White Way of Delight for the first time?  Check.  Anne flying into a rage when Mrs. Rachel Lynde twits her about her looks?  Check.  Anne breaking a slate over Gilbert's head?  Check.  And so on.

Kuma Chan's artwork is completely adorable.  Every few pages, I would just stop and marvel at the sweetness and cuteness.  It is every bit as charming as it ought to be.

Now that I've read it myself, I've passed it on to my kids, and my ten-year-old read the whole thing in a little over an hour this afternoon.  She also completely loved it, and she is begging me to get some Manga Classics that retell Jane Austen books.  So look for more reviews of this series to come, because you know I have a great fondness for Jane Austen!

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  G.  Absolutely clean and wholesome.

This has been my 24th book read off my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.

"What Katy Did" by Susan Coolidge

What DID Katy do?  Oh, Katy does a lot of things.  Katy and her little siblings play, and sing, and read, and make messes, and get in trouble, and get hurt, and get well again, and rip their clothes, and get scolded... in other words, Katy and her siblings have childhoods.  Full and rich childhoods.

I can't believe I'd never read this book before.  I would have loved it as a kid!  It's got exactly the sort of chummy flavor I've long valued, like the Anne books and the Ramona books.  I would have spent a lot of time imagining I was friends with Katy, like I did with Anne and Ramona, when I was a kid.  Oh well, at least I've read it now!  And I have both sequels waiting on my TBR shelves!

I've seen people compare this to Anne of Green Gables a lot, as if Katy is a sort of proto-Anne, but I think she's a proto-Pollyanna.  In fact, there's quite a lot of Pollyanna in this book, including Katy suffering a terrible accident and having to learn a lot from it about how to handle life.  She struggles with that a great deal, but realistically, and the author doesn't offer either the character or the audience any pat answers on how to endure hardship.  She shows that it takes a lot of patience, learning, and willingness to try over and over.  I was impressed.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  It's totally appropriate for all ages.  

This is my 43rd book read and reviewed for my third Classics Club list -- getting close to that goal of fifty!  It's also my 23rd book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.

"The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue" by Karina Yan Glaser

This series is quickly becoming an all-time favorite for me.  In this one, their mom is danger of losing her at-home baking business, so the kids try everything they can think of to help her keep it.  But someone keeps leaving animals on their doorstep in the middle of the night -- a box of kittens, two guinea pigs, a dog, and more.  How can they find new homes for all these critters while also helping their mom pass her kitchen inspection?

I really love how these kids and their parents interact.  They all clearly love each other and are trying to help and respect each other, but they're also all sinful human beings who make mistakes, get upset, lose their patience, and so on.  No one is too perfect, but no one is stupid or mean or neglectful either.

Yes, the kids keep a big secret from their parents in this one.  Yes, that causes a lot of problems.  Yes, there are consequences.  No one laughs this off, no one decides it doesn't matter after all, and no one pooh-poohs the fact that they should have been honest and forthright. That's a really unusual thing to find in a book for kids, especially a more modern one, and I find it very refreshing.

Particularly Good Bits:

The brownstone murmured its welcome-to-my-stairs noises--gentle creaks and sighs--as she ascended (p. 44).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: G.  Good, clean, wholesome, and heartwarming.

This has been the 14th book I've read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.

"Bed-Knob and Broomstick" by Mary Norton

I've never been a big fan of the Disney movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), though I do like the part at the end when they animate all the suits of armor and send them into battle.  I've always wondered if that inspired J. K. Rowling when she was writing the Battle for Hogwarts.  Anyway, I was kind of planning to skip reading this for the Disney Origins Bookclub, since I don't care much for the movie.  But then I saw it was written by Mary Norton, who also wrote The Borrowers, and I love those books, so I decided to give it a try.

I liked this book SO much better than the movie!  It's whimsical and sweet and fun.  It's actually two novellas combined, "The Magic Bed-Knob" and "Bonfires and Broomsticks."  I liked the latter much better than the former, mostly due to the presence of a wannabe wizard from the Middle Ages who was sweet and hapless.  

In "The Magic Bed-Knob," three children discover that a woman who lives near the aunt they're staying with for the summer... is actually a witch in training.  Sort of.  She doesn't do much magic, though she does have a really cool stuffed alligator.  But she can do some, and she enchants a knob from the end of one of their beds so that it will take them wherever and whenever they want.  The children promptly go gallivanting off on small adventures that tend to turn out rather badly... but not TOO badly.  Then they have to go home again to London after the summer is over.

"Bonfires and Broomsticks" concerns a later summer when the children actually go stay with their witchy friend for the summer, expecting more adventures, only to find she's given up trying to be a witch!  She even got rid of her stuffed alligator!  Buuuuuuuuuuuuut she didn't get rid of the bed or the bed-knob, and the children convince her more adventures would totally turn out fine.  Except, of course, they don't.  They bring a wannabe wizard back from the past, who falls in love with their witch friend, and then some rather dire things almost happen back in the middle ages, but don't.  And it all turns out reasonably well.

I really liked that the kids got into trouble when they disobeyed authority figures, but they were also clever and brave and resourceful enough to get through some pretty tense moments on their own.  The magic here is all of the obviously pretend variety, like Harry Potter or the fairy godmother in Cinderella, not teaching young readers how to do magic or anything like that.  It also is shown to be pretty dangerous stuff that really shouldn't be messed around with.

Overall, this gave me quite a few chuckles, and I wouldn't mind rereading it one day.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for some dangerous situations and tense moments, including an incident where people almost get eaten by cannibals!

This has been my 37th book read and reviewed for my third Classics Club list.