Kid Lit Mini Reviews: Charlotte's Web, The Emerald City of Oz and The Penderwicks

Charlotte’s Web

by E.B. White

★★★★★

Bittersweet and incredibly powerful, this tale of friendship on a farm is a classic for a reason. The first time I read this book I was so young and though I loved it, I’m sure I didn’t catch all the wisdom, re-reading it as an adult is a different experience.

A young girl named Fern saves the runt of a litter of pigs from death. She names him Wilber and he forms an unlikely bond with a spider named Charlotte. I adore their sweet relationship and all of the eccentric animals who populate the story.

BOTTOM LINE: An absolute must in every child’s library. Read it to your kids or nieces and nephews, then re-read it for you. It is a book for children, but it doesn’t shy away from the reality of the world.

The Emerald City of Oz
by L. Frank Baum

★★★☆

Oz is under attack. The Nome King Roquat the Red wants his magic belt, which was taken by Dorothy and is now with Ozma in the Emerald City. He rallies all of the evil entities in the kingdom to join his quest to conquer Oz.

It reminded me a bit of the end of The Hobbit with the Battle of the Five Armies, but without the battle. The Phanfasms (a ghostly people led by The First and Foremost), Whimsies (stupid people), and the Growleywogs (a strong race) join together, but none of them truly have loyalty to the others.

"All of these allies are dangerous people, and they may demand more than you have promised them. It might have been better to have conquered Oz without any outside assistance."

At the same time, Dorothy moves permanently to Oz and bring her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em along with her because they’ve lost their farm in Kansas. For the first time they are able to see all the characters she’s told them so much about and they finally believe her stories.

They travel through the kingdom meeting half a dozen interesting groups. The Cuttenclips are a community made up of paper dolls; even a sneeze is dangerous to them. Then there is a group made up of pastry people in Bunbury. In an Alice in Wonderland style section Dorothy is shrunk to the size of a rabbit to visit the rabbits in Bunnybury. The world of Utensia is made up of utensils. There’s a spoon brigade and a limit opportunity for fantastic puns!

"I'm a lawyer," said the corkscrew, proudly. "I am accustomed to appear at the bar."
"But you're crooked," retorted the King, "and that debars you.

BOTTOM LINE: I wish I’d read this when I was little. How wonderful to be able to visit all of those creative worlds with innocent eyes. I even had fun reading them as an adult!

“People often do a good deed without hope of reward, but for an evil deed they always demand payment.”

"It's the thing we don't expect, Billina that usually happens."

**From the way the book ended it felt like the final book in the series. I wonder if Baum planned on stopping the series here but then had to write future books for some reason, maybe financial?

 

The Penderwicks

by Jeanne Birdsall

★★★★

Four sisters and their father rent a summer home for their vacation. Along with their dog Hound, the Penderwick family settles into Arundel, a big drafty house in rural Massachusetts.

The four girls have vastly different temperaments. Rosalind is the eldest at 12 and she’s responsible and sweet, trying to make up for the loss of their mother a few years before. Skye, 11, is a loud-mouthed, contentious tomboy. Jane, at only 10, has decided she is an author and lets her romantic imagination get the better of her occasionally. Battie is the youngest, a four-year-old who never leaves the house without a pair of wings on her back.

Their landlady is a snobby woman named Mrs. Tifton. The girls become fast friends with her son Jeffrey. He wants to become a musician, much to the chagrin of his mother, who has planned out a life in the military for him.

The girls run into one problem after another and the episodic style of the book works well. There’s a great supporting cast of characters including their father, who randomly spouts advice in Latin and Churchy, the friendly housekeeper who works for Mrs. Tifton.

BOTTOM LINE: A sweet coming-of-age story featuring sisters, one I would recommend for kids around 8 to 12 years old. It would also be a particularly good one to enjoy during summer vacation.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

**If you haven’t read this book, just skip this review. I tried to avoid spoilers, but there is just too much to talk about.**

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

The fourth book marks a drastic changing point in the series. Until this installment the seriousness of the situation with Voldemort wasn’t clear. Instead of opening the Goblet of Fire with Harry, Rowling chose to start with a much darker scene featuring Voldemort and the death of a muggle. We also learn about the three unforgiveable curses, find out Snape used to be a Death Eater and discover the fate of Neville’s parents. Death reaches the world of Hogwarts and the sense of foreboding at the end of the book is undeniable.

One thing that really stood out to me was the absence of parental figures for Harry. From the beginning of the book that’s a strong theme. Harry’s scar hurts and he wishes he had someone who could give him advice about it. Luckily he has Sirius now, but it’s not like they can chat casually every day. Dumbledore definitely fills a father-figure role for Harry on occasion, but again, there’s a distance between them.

In another scene the Triwizard Tournament champions are sent to a room to greet their families and Harry is shocked to discover Mrs. Weasley and Ron’s brother Bill have come as his “family” to support him. Imagine being a 14-year-old kid and not knowing if there’s anyone in the world who will show up on your family day at school. He’s lucky to have the Weasleys, but it’s still not quite the same. The theme of father/son relationships is continued through Barty Crouch and his father and Voldemort and his muggle father. Both of those characters are deeply affected by their relationship (or lack thereof) with their father.

A few things I'd forgotten about the fourth book:

1) Peeves was completely removed from the movies, but he makes an appearance in every single book.

2) Those awful Blast-Ended Skrewts. I can’t really imagine a worse creature to have to take care of.

3) I’d forgotten all about Ludo Bagman, his gambling problem and his shady past. It’s a great example of how “innocent” people can get involved with the wrong side. Imagine how many people did something like that with the Nazi party.

4) Hermione’s S.P.E.W. efforts, though well-meaning, become tiresome quickly. I definitely understand why they were cut from the movie. I do love the parts with Dobby though.

5) Sirius was corresponding with Dumbledore the whole time he was in hiding. Harry was so surprised to discover that, but it makes sense.

I really loved learning more about Dumbledore in this book. There’s one part in the book where he allows Harry to ask him questions and it’s such a great scene. It shows that he respects Harry and doesn’t just see him as a little kid. He also refuses to answer some things, but he does it in such a tactful way. He is wise enough to know who he can and can’t trust, but strong enough in his beliefs to maintain that trust even when others question it. We also saw his powerful side for the first time. Until now he was almost docile from Harry’s point of view. It was so important for him to understand that Dumbledore has incredible strength and power, he just chooses not to use it for evil.

“At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon Dumbledore’s face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined. There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore’s face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.”

Read for the Harry Potter Challenge hosted here.

Inkdeath

Inkdeath (Book 3)
by Cornelia Funke
★★★★

** There are NO spoilers of Inkdeath, but I’m assuming you’ve read the first 2 books in the series.

This is the final book in the Inkheart trilogy. This book’s title was particularly fitting because this installments deals with the thin line between life and death within the fictional Inkworld. In the first two novels Meggie and her parents, Resa and Mo (Bluejay) are introduced to and then transported into a book, Inkheart, and must live in the land of Umbra, created by the author, Fenoglio, who is also stranded within the book.

The world their trapped in is a mess. The evil Adderhead and his brother-in-law, the Milksop, are still terrorizing all of Umbra. The local children are in danger and all Resa wants is to return to the “real” world with Mo and Meggie.

Fenoglio has grown leery of his power as an author and refuses to write anything else. Orpheus, on the other hand, is exploiting his writing ability. He is adding to and changing Fenoglio’s world for his own gain.

I really missed Dustfinger in this story. He’s taken away by the white women at the end of Book 2 and his faithful friend Farid is still trying to find a way to bring him back from the dead. I wish we’d had more from the fire eater in this final book.

I loved this trilogy as a whole. It’s not really for kids, but I think it’s appropriate for young adult and older. Funke does a wonderful job exploring the question of fate vs. predestination and reality vs. fiction. Imagine being able to live within the worlds of your favorite books, what an amazing premise! Then imagine the problems that you could cause by disturbing those worlds and how your presence might alter the story lines. There are elements that reminded me of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series.

I would highly recommend Inkheart and then, if you really love that one, read the rest of the trilogy. The final book isn’t the best of the lot, but it gives a satisfying conclusion to the series and gives readers closure for their favorite characters.

Book Reviews: Percy Jackson Series 4 and 5

***There are no spoilers for Book 4 or 5, but my reviews assume you’ve read the first 3 books.

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book 4)
by Rick Riordan
★★★★

As the fourth book opens, Kronos is still out to destroy Mt. Olympus with the help of the half-blood Luke. Percy and his friends, Grover, Annabeth and Tyson, go on a quest to find the inventor Daedelus in the infamous Labyrinth.

This book felt longer and more creative than the rest of the series. I think that’s because it touched on so many different locations and plots. Percy spends time on Calypso’s island, Camp Half-Blood and Mount St. Helena. He struggles with his feelings for both Annabeth and the Rachel, a human who like his mom, can see through the “mist.” We also see Daedelus’ history unfold through Percy’s dreams.

The book wraps up many of the open plots. Grover’s search for the lost god Pan reaches its conclusion. Nico, Hades son, must come to terms with his sister’s death and decide which side he will fight on. This is a solid addition to the series, adding just as many complications as it eliminates.


The Last Olympian (Book 5)
by Rick Riordan
★★★★

As with all of the books in the series, we’re thrown into the midst of the action in the first chapter. The Olympians and Camp Half-Blood residents are at war with the Titans and danger is everywhere. When characters are dying, no matter if it’s friend or foe, it lends a somber tone to the story.

Percy really embraces his role as a leader in this book. The half-bloods must band together if they want to save Olympia and the gods. Percy takes and reigns and tries to organize the ranks. He also makes a trip to the Underworld in order to increase their chances.

A lot happens in this final installment and the action is nonstop. I was glad Percy finally got a chance to see his father’s (Poseidon) kingdom. My favorite part about this book was learning more about Luke’s character. I loved that Percy is forced to see his opponent as a fellow half-blood with his own struggles and not just as the enemy. I also loved that Riordan fleshed out the subplot of the gods claiming or not claiming their half-blood children. To me that was the real heart of the series. The kids, whether they are half-bloods or not, just want to be acknowledged and loved by their parents. The lack of attention from the gods was the source for much of the strife throughout the books.

A Few Things I Don’t Love About the Series

1) All of the books are more action driven than character driven. When this is the case it’s hard for me to become attached to the characters.

2) A lot of characters, a little depth. This is a similar complaint to #1. There are so many people/creatures introduced in each book, but very few are given solid back stories. I don’t expect that for every character, but I feel like we could have had a bit more with the main few.

3) Almost a whole year passes between each book. The plots take place mainly over the summer, while the school year passes unseen between books. That seems strange to me, because the characters barely change. Each book feels like a week has past, not nine months or so. The characters show some increase in maturity, but the difference between age 12 and 16 is huge and I don’t think that was shown. I feel like the entire series could have taken place over the course of 1 or 2 years.

A Few of My Favorite Things About the Series

1) The chapter titles, they never fail to make me laugh. They’re always absurd summaries of what is about to happen. For example “I accidentally vaporized my pre-algebra teacher” and “I Drive My Dog Into a Tree.”

2) Percy’s mom, she’s not a central character, but I still love her. She’s supportive and kind and was even willing to marry a truly awful man in order to protect her son. I was happy that she seemed to have ended up with a good guy in the end (we learn this in the 4th book).

3) Being re-educated in Greek mythology in a really fun way. I’ve also been fascinated by the Greek gods and all of the legends that surround them. In college I was one class away from earning a minor in Classical Studies (but really, what would I have done with that?). These books have been a great refresher course, a Who’s Who of Greek mythology.

All-in-all I think this is the perfect series for teenage boys. The action, occasional references to crushes, desire undertake quests and emphasis on loyalty and friendship are all reasons for that conclusion. If you know a 10 to 15-year-old looking for a new book, this is a great choice. Even though I liked some of the books more than others, I rated them all 4 stars. They are solid books, but predictable, fun reads, but nothing I would feel compelled to revisit.