Now, although I fasted from blogging and blog-reading during Lent, I did not fast from novels, nor from my little Newbery project. So, allow me to catch you up on the books I read these past six weeks. Here, in (roughly) tweet-length form, are my reviews of six Newbery winners:
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (2010).
Fast-paced and intriguing but ultimately disappointing.
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Holes by Louis Sachar (1999).
Brilliant. As a writer, I am wowed by Sachar’s ability to weave all his plot threads together in a way that is so utterly satisfying.
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Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (1936).
How children’s books have changed in the past 75 years! A delightful read, but more episodic than novelistic. (Be forewarned, though: even though Brink is trying to portray Native Americans in a positive light, some of her portrayals of native peoples will make you cringe.)
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The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (1962).
A great read anytime, but especially for Easter (and it’s still Easter, friends). A compelling story of hate, revenge, love, and forgiveness.
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Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars (1971).
Fairly predictable, but captures the angst and irritability of becoming a teen. At the risk of sounding jaded, I think it won at least in part because the heroine has a developmentally disabled brother. I imagine that was fairly new territory for kids’ books back in 1970.
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The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman (1996).
Beautiful, spare prose vividly evokes 14th century England. A coming of age story that is by turns poignant, sad, funny, and ultimately hopeful.
I am a reader (I feel about books the way some people feel about chocolate: yum), a writer (I've written a book, even: The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year), and a mother (of four). So that's what I blog about: reading, writing, and raising my kids.
