The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin

by Carol4 Comments
The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin, illustrated by David Shannon This tale takes place long ago in a small village on the shore of Lake Ontario. In the largest wigwam set away from the others some lives an Invisible Being, a rich, powerful handsome warrior. All the young women of the village want to marry him, but it is said that he will only marry the one who can see him. In the same village lives a poor man with three daughters. The two older daughters were cruel to the youngest, forcing her to sit by the fire and feed the flames. The sparks burned her skin, face and hair, leaving her arms, hands and face scarred and rough. Her hair hung in charred tatters. You can tell this is another version of the Cinderella story. Once again, I'm surprised by how the same stories show up in entirely different cultures. The two evil sisters try to convince the Invisible Being's sister that...
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The Case of the Howling Dog by Erle Stanley Gardner

by Carol6 Comments
The Case of the Howling Dog by Erle Stanley Garnder First, an admission. I never watched the Perry Mason TV series. I know who he was and the general idea of the shows, but this book is my first true meeting with Perry Mason, and I have to say I'm impressed. As a lawyer, he's all for representing his client, even if his actions are sometimes skirting the edge of legal. Mason studied Drake stedily for several seconds, and then said, "were you going to tell me how to practice law?" "I might tell you," said Paul Drake, "how to keep out of jail. I don't know law, but I know thin ice when I see it." "A lawyer," said Perry Mason slowly, "who wouldn't skate on thin ice for a client ain't worth a damn." (pg. 99) The story starts with a client coming to Perry Mason's office to discuss a will and a complaint about a howling dog, but a seemingly simple case...
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I Am Going to Save a Panda! by Lauren Child

by Carol4 Comments
I Am Going to Save a Panda! based on characters by Lauren Child and the script by Bridget Hurst (Suggested grade level: Preschool - Second) I have to admit to adoring Charlie and Lola when Amber was in preschool. the cartoon was charming, simple and sweet. Charlie and Lola are adorable and funny, so I had to pick this book up when i saw it at the library, even though Amber's way too old now. It's Save an Animal week at Charlie and Lola's school. In the morning while walking to class, the ever patient Charlie explains to Lola and her friend Lotta what "extinct" means and why some animals need saved. After learning more about extinct animals in the school library, Lola and Lotta decide to raise money to help the pandas, but Charlie has to help Lola come up with a new plan when she gets the chicken pox. I love hos the kids interact with each other, they're nice and helpful....
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Bayou Vol 1 by Jeremy Love

by Carol11 Comments
Bayou Vol 1 by Jeremy Love I don't read many graphic novels, but after seeing reading wonderful reviews I couldn't resist this one. The heroine of the story is Lee, a young black girl living in Mississippi in the 1930's. She lives with her father a sharecropper until the day when Lee's white playmate  disappears in the Bayou. Lee's father is accused and put in jail, and it's up to Lee to find Lily and prove her father's innocence. The horrors Lee has to face are real, racism, hatred, lynchings, but they're also mythical, magical. The monsters are real, some terrifying, some helpful. This is where, if I'm honest I kind of got lost in the swamp myself. Jeremy Love says in an interview that the story leaves the real world  and "we then move to the world of Dixie. Dixie is a strange Southern neverland that exists parallel to our own. The world was formed from the blood,...
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But the wolves say

by Carol11 Comments
"But the wolves say that Man's first gift is imagination. And that is a kind of sight. They say that some of the humans have even flown with the birds of the air in their imaginations and dived with the mighty blue whale to the very depths of the deepest seas. But it is at the altar that you could find out." (pg. 341, The Sight by David Clement-Davies) I'm probably going to start this later today. Talking animals are not usually my choice, but it's for a discussion in one of my on-line reading groups, so I want to at least give it a chance. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. I...
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