Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Recently I received a comment about the presence of several girl-centered books on the blog. "Thought these books were for your boy," the commenter stated. "Does he like it when you read books about girls?"

Well, yes. Because, you see, we read them to him.

I think we do our kids a real disservice with our preconceived notions about what boys will like or what girls will be into. We're big believers in following our kiddo's lead, but also in giving him a diverse crop of things to read and do. So we include books that feature girls as often as boys, just like we read about an equal number of books featuring characters of various ethnicities. And I hope that as he grows older, this will make him open to the idea of cracking open a book with a female protagonist.

Having said that, I know it's probably an uphill battle to expect that most boys will want to read a book titled Princess Academy, no matter how awesome it is (and with Shannon Hale as the author, you know it's going to be a good one). Heck, I'll admit that even I had reservations about this because let's be honest, that title is kind of awful. Still, it's a Newbery Honor title, and I'm on a mission to read as many Newbery medalists as I can, so I overcame my feelings about the name of this book and dove right in.

Princess Academy tells the story of Miri Larendaughter, who lives with her father and sister in the village of Mount Eskel. The villagers have been quarriers for generations, extracting linder from the mountain and trading it to lowland traders, sustaining themselves through the harsh winter months. The people of Mount Eskel are used to the idea that the lowlanders look down on them, and keep to themselves as much as possible. But then comes the proclamation that the prince's bride is to be one of the girls of Mount Eskel, and that in preparation, all girls of the right age must enter the Princess Academy to be established on the mountainous slopes.

Miri's torn about whether or not she wants to be chosen, and this struggle forms much of the narrative drive of the book. But there are other factors as well -- competition among the girls, worries about home, the completely horrible tutor Olana, and Miri's feelings for her childhood friend Peder -- that make up the complexity that is Miri's life at the Academy. I love that through it all, Miri relies on her own cleverness and the help of her friends to solve her problems. When bandits take the girls hostage, for example, it is Miri's knowledge of the villagers' "quarry speech" that allows her to summon help and save everyone from a terrible situation.

I'm so glad I read this, and it's one I'm really looking forward to reading with Sprout when he's old enough. The story is paced very well -- there's plenty of suspense to keep readers turning pages, but enough heart and soul with the characters to make them easily relatable. Add in a touch of fantasy, and just a hint of fairy-tale essence, and you have the makings of a solidly classic title that will appeal to readers of all types. Plus you can't help but admire the mighty-girl message here. Miri's anything but a damsel in distress, and really none of the other girls are helpless maidens either. The idea of a fairy tale where the heroine saves the day isn't new, but it's beautifully done in this novel. Easy to see why the Newbery committee couldn't pass it by!

Grab this one for your middle-grade girl or boy -- because once they get past the titles, readers can't help but cheer for Miri and thrill at the adventures this fantasy has to offer.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, published by Bloomsbury Children's Books
Ages 9-12
Source: Library
First lines: "Miri woke to the sleepy bleating of a goat. The world was as dark as eyes closed, but perhaps the goats could smell dawn seeping through the cracks in the house's stone walls. Though still half-asleep, she was aware of the late autumn chill hovering just outside her blanket, and she wanted to curl up tighter and sleep like a bear through frost and night and day."
Recommended

Gingerbread on the Loose!

A few months back we participated in the Cinderella Around the World roundup sponsored by the amazing Becky of Kid World Citizen. It was really interesting to see all the posts with different versions of the Cinderella tale from all around the globe. And now Becky's dreamed up a new project in the form of The Gingerbread Man Around the World.

You may not know it but the traditional story "The Gingerbread Man" is a cumulative tale, versions of which are found in many cultures. The common threads are found in each retelling: some form of runaway food that several people (or animals) pursue unsuccessfully until someone comes up with a clever solution. In the tale most are familiar with, the runaway Gingerbread Man is outfoxed, literally, by a clever fox who persuades the cookie that jumping up on the fox's head is the way to safety -- and of course the fox can't help but gobble the cookie up!

It's fun to look at all the examples of this story that come up, and how the same themes repeat themselves in new and different ways. There are a number of modern versions that present the story with interesting twists and variable settings. One of our favorites, Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, was inspired by an activity that a former teacher used to do with her new students at the beginning of the year (we still love to check this one out whenever we see it in the library). And in the process of researching this topic we read a whole lot more versions -- you might be surprised how many turn up in just a quick search!

So I consulted my resident expert, and being a three-and-a-half year-old, Sprout had very definite choices. His first pick is Jan Brett's Gingerbread Baby. This is a pretty standard rendition of the story, brought to life with Brett's signature intricate and absorbing illustrative style. In this version young Matti opens the oven too soon and an impudent little Gingerbread Baby jumps out. Of course he leads the whole village on a merry chase, but Matti's not among the pursuers - instead he's home crafting a solution to the problem that is quite a surprise to all, especially the Gingerbread Baby! It's hard not to be enchanted by one of Jan Brett's stories and this tale is no exception. If you're looking for something traditional with just a bit of a new twist, Gingerbread Baby fits the bill nicely.

On to Sprout's second favorite, The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst. This story takes up where the Gingerbread Man tale left off, with the old couple who crafted the cookie still in search of companionship. This time, they figure, they'll create a girl - now what could go wrong there? Well, as you might expect, the female cookie is no more willing to obey, and she's off and running in no time flat. But this Gingerbread Girl knows what happened to her brother, and she's out to fix the fox that got him. Sweet and spicy, with illustrations as tempting as the cookie that inspired the story, The Gingerbread Girl captures the spirit of the familiar story in a modern retelling that kids will adore. Love the rhymes in this one, too! (Now we need to check out the sequel, The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers!)

It might surprise you to learn that Mom's favorite of the Gingerbread books was Sprout's favorite too -- The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle. I'm a sucker for any book that takes place in or around a library, so naturally I had to check this one out. (Get it? Library humor!) And this was the one Sprout asked for again and again at bedtime. In this tale, our errant hero leaps out of a book living on the library shelf (call number 398.2). Though the librarian tries to catch him, she can't, and neither can all the other literary and historical characters who jump out of their own books in hot pursuit. Sprout was tickled by the setting in the library, and he loved seeing which animals or people would be the next to join the chase. The rhyme is a take on the traditional one, and the illustrations by Colleen M. Madden are jovial like the Gingerbread Man himself. And how can you not love a book with the line, "It is particularly hard to outsmart a librarian"??!?

If you want to liven up your storytime, consider a trip around the world with these or any of the other Gingerbread Man tales -- but you better run, because if there's one thing these tales have in common, it's that catching them is hard to do!

The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring {The Children's Bookshelf}

The other night, Sprout came home from preschool and over a plate of noodles and cheese, announced, "Ninja turtles have guns and they will shoot you dead."

Ohhh-kaaay.

It would appear we have entered that stage of the game, where what the oh-so-alluring older boy at preschool tells you absorbs into your consciousness fully. For the record, we aren't in favor of guns for our kiddo, play or otherwise. We're firm on that. And so this off-the-cuff ninja turtle comment elicited a response from Mama and Daddy, after a suitable period of non-commentary, where we talked with Sprout about guns and knives and how we don't feel that kind of play is appropriate, and why. It's not going to be the last conversation we have on the subject, and we aren't so naive as to think that he won't play guns and shooting and so forth. But we want to make our no-tolerance position clear from the beginning.

So it seemed fitting that a book we recently checked out move its way up to the top of the book stack. The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring is a wonderful book for many reasons: it's colorful, fun to read, and has some of Sprout's favorite things in it (knights! dragons! fire-breathing!). But what we like most is the narrative: a young boy wants to go fight dragons as he sees the grown-up knights do. He longs to swing his mighty blade and vanquish the dreaded beasts on his own.

Trouble is, Mom won't let him have a sword. Instead, she gives him -- a sunflower.

Well, what's a guy to do with that? Sure, it swishes through the air pretty fine, but fighting seems out of the question. Sighing, our little would-be knight makes his way up to Dragon Hill, making the best use he can out of his sunflower by sparring with imaginary dragons. But then, he runs into -- you guessed it -- a real dragon. Now how will a sunflower help our hero stand up to this fearsome beast?

Sperring's got an important message here, which wraps up with a satisfying conclusion. I appreciate that the conflict isn't resolved too easily - the knight doesn't warm to his mother's suggestion until he considers how it could best be used, and it works. That message, coupled with adorably snaggle-toothed dragons created by illustrator Miriam Latimer, brings the whole point home in a way that's subtle and yet powerful.

Whether you want to encourage nonviolent play or work on resolving conflicts creatively, The Sunflower Sword makes a great addition to bookshelves at home and in the classroom. [Sunflowers not included.]

The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring, published by Andersen Press
Ages 3-7
Source: Library
Sample: "Then he whooshed and swooshed it, just to see how well it whooshed and swooshed. / It whooshed and swooshed very well. 'But,' said the little knight, 'it won't be any good for fighting dragons.' 'No,' sighed his mother, 'I don't suppose it will, but keep it anyway.'"
Recommended

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Picture Book Review - The Red Thread by Grace Lin

It's hard for me to find anything not to like about a Grace Lin book. From her realistic yet adorable illustrations, to her sensitive characters and her affinity for detail (both in words and pictures), Lin just about never takes a misstep.

And there's a lot to like about Lin's picture book, The Red Thread. For one thing, this is a great way for adoptive families to share with young children the story of their own experience. Lin sets the story as a traditional fairy tale with familiar elements. The king and queen of a prosperous land have everything, but they are very sad and in great pain. After consulting a mysterious peddler, the king and queen discover there is a red thread pulling from their hearts. The more they pull away from the thread, the more it hurts. The only solution is to follow the red thread. It is an arduous journey, but at last they come to a distant land and discover what is on the other end of the thread - a beautiful baby girl who belongs to them!

In typical Lin fashion this book is gorgeous, with lots of small details that add texture to the picture. The story, too, comes to life with details - the king and queen's journey, for example, and the fact that they gradually lose their fine appearance and become tattered and ragged. I also love that the tale is bookended by a transracial family who is reading the story to their own child, presumably who herself is adopted.

Just a couple small things nag at me, however. First, I don't love the subtitle: "an adoption fairy tale". Maybe it's because of that assumption that adoption automatically equates to "happily ever after" (which it may, but it also may not), maybe it's just that the pairing of the terms feels off to me -- either way, I could do without this part. Also, the tale itself is singular in focus, very much geared toward what the prospective adoptive parents go through and with little consideration given to the child or her first family. I'm not comfortable with how readily the king and queen scoop up their baby and return to their normal lives. Adoption isn't this seamless, in most cases, nor should it be.

Granted, adoption is a complex issue, many would argue too complex for a picture book to examine fully. Also, this is presented as a fairy tale, and therefore idealized. But it's worth noting these issues so that adoptive families who might be sharing the book with their own families can be aware of them, and discuss with their kids as necessary. When I read it with Sprout, we talked about his Ethiopia family, retelling their story to him and emphasizing the centrality of their place in his life.

Overall, however, this is a great book with lots to recommend it, and an excellent addition to home, school and public libraries. Use this to start the adoption conversation with all children, no matter how they came into their family.

The Red Thread by Grace Line, published by Albert Whitman and Company
Ages 2-7
Source: Library
Sample: "And sure enough, when the queen put on the glasses, she could see a brilliant red thread coming from her heart. It ran around the room, out the castle door, and far beyond. With every move she made, the thread pulled and twisted, causing her pain."
Recommended