Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1). J. K. Rowling. Arthur A. Levine Books (1997). 309 pages. Genre:  Children's Literature, Fantasy. 

First Line: "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

Summary:  After his parents were killed in a car crash, Harry went to live with his aunt, uncle and cousin.  Mr. and Mrs. Dursley didn't approve of his parents' 'kind of people', so they try their best to ignore Harry.  They do feed him, but mostly he stays under the stairs.  One day Harry receives a letter that changes his life.  He has been accepted into Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  

When Harry arrives at Hogwart's, he finds that many teachers and children know who he is.  He has only recently discovered the truth about his parents and how they really died.  They were killed by the evil Voldemort, who also tried to kill Harry and left him with a scar. This made him a legend in the world of wizards and witches.   Nobody knows what happened to Voldemort.  As Harry traverses his first year at Hogwart's, he discovers there is still evil at work.  

My thoughts:  Harry Potter is a very relatable character.  When living with the Dursely's he is neglected and unappreciated, but he realizes there is not a lot he can do about it so tries to make the best of it. When he finally gets to Hogwart's he has to stand on his own two feet.  Even though he is a legend, he is not given special treatment.  He is expected to follow the same rules as everyone else.  But, at times he chooses not the follow the rules and there are consequences.  I appreciated that Harry was always willing to accept those consequences.  There were a couple of other characters who were always trying to get away with something and felt entitled.  They were definitely unlikeable.  

This was a great story with themes of good vs. evil, overcoming obstacles, kindness, things are not always what they seem, and found family.  

I decided to read this thinking I had never read it before.  But when I went to enter it into Goodreads, I saw that I had read it in 2014.  Some of it was familiar, but it felt like I was reading it for the first time.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I am looking forward to reading more in the series. 

Book Review: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia #2). C. S. Lewis. MacMillan Publishing Co. (1970) (First Published 1951). 216 pages. Genre: Children's literature, middle grade, fantasy. 

First Line: "Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, and it has been told in another book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe how they had a remarkable adventure."

Summary:  The Pevensie children are summoned back to Narnia by Susan's magic horn.  Prince Caspian is the rightful heir to the throne, but his uncle Miraz has declared himself king.  It is up to Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy with the help of Aslan, to bring the magic back to Narnia and put Caspian on the throne.

My thoughts:  This one is such an adventure!  As the Pevensies journey through the land, discovering talking beasts that are in hiding, they begin to change.  They become braver and more noble.  They more quickly recognize when they are being unreasonable and want to do better.  I loved this aspect of the story.

The characters are wonderful.  Trumpkin, the Red Dwarf or D.L.F (Dear Little Friend) with his silly exclamations - "Whistles and whirligigs!" or "Wraiths and wreckage".  The Bulgy Bears who would rather just have a nap.  Reepicheep, the valiant mouse.  The Giant Wimbleweather who is large, but not very wise.  

The four children play a much larger role in this one working together to put Caspian on the throne.  This is a great follow up to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

July Reading Wrap-up

July has been quite hot and humid where I live.  I read 10 books this month and did not finish one.  It appears that the majority were in the mystery genre.  Here's the break down:

Contemporary Fiction:  2

Cozy Mystery:  3

Suspense:  2

Mystery:  1

Middle Grade:  1

Non-fiction:  1

DNF:  1

Well, when broken down like this it looks a little more diverse.  As I was typing this I realized that both of my contemporary fiction reads took place in the winter.  I guess reading winter books when it is stifling hot out isn't such a bad idea.

Contemporary Fiction:

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

A story of friendship, tragedy, grief and found family in Scotland.

Beartown by Frederik Backman

A hockey town struck by tragedy and how they got there.  An out-of-my-comfort-zone read.

Cozy Mystery:

The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith

The 5th book in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  An outrageous request from Mma. Potokwani at the Orphan Farm and tracking down a husband for a wealthy woman occupy Mma. Ramotswe during this visit.

Clammed Up by Barbara Ross

The 1st Book in the Maine Clambake series.  Julia Snowden has returned to her hometown in Maine to help out with the family clambake business. But on the first day of the new season, a body is discovered on the island.  Julia and the police must solve the mystery before the family loses the business.

The Cat Who Saw Red by Lilian Jackson Braun

The 4th book in The Cat Who... series.  Qwilleran and the cats move to a new apartment in a large house where things aren't quite what they seem.

Suspense:

The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren

The 1st book in the Global Search & Rescue series.  Full of non-stop action, the story follows some climbers up Denali.

Dead End by Nancy Mehl

The 3rd book in the Kaely Quinn, Profiler series.  This is the final book in this series and was a great finish.  Lots of psychological aspects as Kaely comes face to face with her father.

Mystery:

Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky

The first in the V. I. Warshawski series.  Old school detective novel with a female heroine.  A little out of my comfort zone.

Middle Grade:

Soar by Joan Bauer

A young boy who was abandoned as a baby but adopted by the man who found him.  He and his father share a love of baseball and this is what allows them to become part of the new town they move to.  Very uplifting read.

Non-fiction:

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney

Succinct, practical, Biblical advice on being a wife and mother.

What did you read in July?

Reading Lately ~

Eau Galle Recreation Area

Last week my husband had some days off and we took a day trip to Eau Galle Recreation Area.  

"The Eau Galle Flood Control Project, with its dam, lake, recreation areas and channel improvements, was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1958 as a result of repeated flooding in the Spring Valley area. The 630- acre project was built from 1965-1968 and is located just north of Spring Valley."

The recreation area contains hiking trails, campgrounds, playgrounds, picnic shelters, a beach and a boat launch area.  We intended to do some hiking and have a picnic lunch.  We weren't sure where the best hiking trails were, so my husband asked a man who was carrying a fishing pole if he could tell us where to find the hiking trails.  He told us his favorite trail goes over the top of the dam.  He pointed us in the right direction and we set off.  The trail was a gravel path across the top of the dam.  The picture above is the view on one side.  The picture below is the view of the other side and is the town of Spring Valley.

It was an absolutely beautiful day and a gorgeous view!  After our hike we found a spot under a picnic shelter and had our lunch.

What have I been reading lately?

Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney (Non-fiction)

The subtitle is "Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother".  I really liked this one.  It was succinct and practical and Biblically based.

Soar by Joan Bauer (Middle Grade)

I have liked every book I have read by Joan Bauer.  This one is no exception.  The main character in the story is a boy who was left in a office building near a water cooler when he was a baby.  The man who discovered him, adopts him.  They share a love of baseball.  When they must move to a new town for the man's job, it is baseball that brings new friends into his life and ultimately causes major change in the town.  A very uplifting story!

The Cat Who Saw Red (Cat Who...#4) (Cozy Mystery)

Qwilleran is given a new assignment at the newspaper.  While on assignment he is introduced to Maus Haus, a large old house that is home to a collection of interesting individuals.  It just so happens that there is one apartment available and Qwilleran decides to move in.  But, something isn't quite right here.  Qwilleran, along with his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, try to discover what is going on...

The most recent book I was reading I abandoned after about 150 pages.  It was just not for me.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Story of Edith Cavell by Iris Vinton

The Story of Edith Cavell

Author:  Iris Vinton

Publisher:  Signature Books (1959)

178 pages

Genre:  Children's Biography

Edith Cavell grew up in the village of Swardeston, England.  Her father was the local vicar.  From a young age Edith was tidy, paid attention to detail and did her best to tell the truth.  These were all traits that served her well when she became a nurse.  

After graduating from school, she went to Brussels as a governess for a wealthy family.  When her father became ill, she left Brussels to return to Swardeston.  In an effort to help her mother, she volunteered to become her father's nurse while he recovered.  It was during these months that she realized she wanted to become trained as a nurse.  When her father was well, Edith went to London for nurse's training.  She carried out her tasks with swiftness and attention to detail.  The head nurse in London showed great respect for Edith and gave her more and more responsibility.  

Eventually she was asked to be a Directrice of a Clinique in Brussels that would train nurses.  World War I broke out during this time and Edith found herself assisting wounded soldiers from France and England to get well and then get out of Belgium to a safe country.  Eventually the Germans discovered what she was doing and arrested her.

This is a thrilling story well told.  The theme of honesty is woven throughout.  Edith was a woman who wasn't afraid to do what was right, even at threat of her life.  She was a woman from whom peace emanated.  When her pastor came to see her before she died, she told him,

"Standing as I do, in view of God and eternity, I realize that patriotism is not enough.  I must have no hatred and no bitterness toward anyone."

Those words were engraved on her head stone at the Cathedral of Norwich in England.  

This book was written for middle school aged children, but older children would enjoy it as well.  It was enough information for me and I felt like I learned something about Edith, the history of nursing and World War I.  It would also make a great read aloud for younger children.

I recommend this book for anyone who would like to learn more about the history of nursing or World War I, as well as anyone who likes a good story about a godly woman.

Book Review: The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

The Great Fire

Author:  Jim Murphy

Publisher:  Blackstone Audio (2003)

Narrated by Taylor Mali

3 hours (approx.)

Genre:  Juvenile Nonfiction

The Great Fire is the story of the 1871 fire that destroyed a large portion of Chicago.  Author Jim Murphy combines first hand accounts and careful research to create a narrative that is hard to forget.  We are able to follow several individuals through the course of the fire based on their first hand accounts.  The author fills in the missing details based on his research and what was learned about the fire after the fact.  

It was interesting to learn how human carelessness combined with the right conditions led to the fire being much worse than it needed to be.  But equally interesting was how people helped one another in the midst of the fire and how quickly things were rebuilt once the fire was extinguished.  

While this is considered a children's book, I found that it had just the right amount of information for me.  I think that anyone, middle school age and up would find this compelling.  I listened to the audio book version narrated by Taylor Mali.  I enjoyed his reading and use of different voices for the individuals in the story.

Book Review: The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea by Eileen Beha

The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea 

Author:  Eileen Beha

Publisher:  Beach Lane Books (2014)

288 pages

First Line:

"Once, in a fine house on a high cliff above a frozen sea, Throckmorton S. Monkey heard the frenzied barks of the family dogs announcing the approach of a stranger."

This book caught my eye as I was wandering through the children's section of my local library.  When I was a girl I owned and loved a sock monkey.  I also liked to read books told from the perspective of dolls or stuffed toys, so I thought I would give this one a try.

Throckmorton is the hand-sewn sock monkey belonging to Annaliese Easterling.  She is nine years old and has moved on from playing with dolls.  One day a letter comes to the house addressed to Throckmorton S. Monkey, so Annaliese, with the help of a maid, searches frantically for him.  Once they locate him, the letter is opened.  It is an invitation from Annaliese's Great-Grandmama requesting the presence of Throckmorton and his keeper at a party in honor of her ninetieth birthday.  Great-Grandmama made Throckmorton, in fact she made a sock monkey for each baby born in the family and has sent invitations to them all.  

The story is told from the perspective of Throckmorton mostly.  Sometimes it shifts to a narrator voice.  The story seemed delightful at the beginning, but became less so as it went on.  Many of the adults in the story are portrayed as unloving or even cruel.  Annaliese doesn't remember her mother.  She left when Annaliese was a baby, but no one will tell her why she left.  In fact, her father has forbade her from speaking about her.  Her father is portrayed as cold and even cruel.  One of the maids is referred to as "that wicked Madge" and is often cruel to Annaliese and her brothers.  Even Great-Grandmama is rather cold and uncaring, even though she orders Annaliese to her quarters to have tea.  This is a common trope in children's literature, but in stories where it works, the reader has grown to love the hero or heroine of the story.  They have been shown to be moral or selfless or loving or interesting or relatable.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel that way about Annaliese.  

This is not a bad story and I think a young middle school child would probably enjoy reading it.  However, because of the negative portrayal of adults in the story and the lack of a strong heroine, I don't know that I would recommend it.