Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

 

Title:  Jane of Lantern Hill

Author:  L.M. Montgomery

Narrated by:  Lauren Saunders

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 1 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible

Have you reread any childhood favorite books lately?  I haven’t read Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery since my teen years, and it was a job to read it again this month as part of the What the Dickens Book Club.

Jane Stuart lives with her grandmother, aunt, and mother in a sad and cold mansion in Toronto.  She discovers that her father is alive, and he wants her to visit him for the summer in Prince Edward Island.  Her world opens and is alive in PEI.  Why did her parents separate?  Will Jane find a way to live a happy life?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved how Jane figured out how to cook, clean, and garden on her own and enjoyed doing it.  She enjoyed the small things of life and was a sensible girl.

·       This was a hopeful story that is written for younger audiences (tween and teen).

·       I loved the mystery of the parents’ (Andrew and Robin) relationship both as a kid and reading it again now as an adult.

·       Jane ages from eleven to thirteen in this book.

·       Grandma is a true villain in this book.  How lonely and sad Jane was growing up in her cold home.  I wonder if this character was based on anyone that L.M. Montgomery knew?

·       As I’ve come to expect from L.M. Montgonery the novel had beautiful descriptions of nature, the ocean, Prince Edward Island, the house.  I loved that the lantern hill house was “alive” and had “magic.”

·       It was also interesting reading the difference between Toronto (cold, dreary, etc.) and Prince Edward Island where everyone is loving.

·       This was a coming-of-age novel as Jane really grows up on the island.

·       The cats and dogs in the novel were delightful.

·       This novel was published in 1937 and was set in the 1930s, later than the Anne books.  It was interesting that cars and airplanes are mentioned.  Jane’s dad is a WWI veteran.

·       This story seems scandalous for the times that it was written with the parents being separated and talk of divorce.  Grandma and her aunt made me angry with their meddling in Jane’s parents’ marriage.  The ending is the dream of every divorced child in the vein of The Parent Trap.

·       The ending was good, but abrupt.

·       This is a stand-alone novel and was one of the first L.M. Montgomery books I read because of the movie.  I just recently rewatched the movie after I finished the book.  It strays a lot from the book but was still enjoyable.

·       I enjoyed listening to this book on audiobook and the narrator had a pleasant voice.

Overall, Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery is an inspiring and charming comfort read.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

 

Title:  The Wind in the Willows

Author:  Kenneth Grahame

Narrated by:  Callum Hale with music by Dylan Allcock

Publisher: Findaway Voices

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 8 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Hoopla

If you were represented by an animal in fiction, what would you be?  I would like to be represented by a cat.

The Wind in the Willows is the story and adventures of Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad.  Toad is incorrigible and gets into lots of scraps.  Luckily, he has friends to help him out in times of trouble.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the audiobook version.  It had a great narrator, sound effects, and music.

·       This book had a lot of songs in it, and I liked how they were sung in the audiobook.

·       This was the May selection for the Back to the Classics Book Club, although we did meet the first week of June this time.  I finished just in time!

·       We all agreed that this was a nice, mellow, and happy book.

·       Kenneth Grahame told these stories to his son while he grew up.  He didn’t write any other books after this.  I was hoping for a The Wind in the Willows book two.

·       It was strange when the animals eat a stew and list all the various creatures in it.  Aren’t you eating your friends?

·       I read that either you are a toad fan or a everything else fan.  I like the book, but I really felt the story lighted up whenever Toad entered the room with his escapades.

·       The hard cover copy illustrated by Michael Hague had beautiful pictures.

·       This book had great friendships between the animals.

·       This novel was first published in 1908.

Overall, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame is a perfect book to read to unwind, relax, and escape to another world.

 

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 

Title:  Little Women

Author:  Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by:  Anne Undeland

Publisher: Alison Larkin Presents

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 7 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Alison Larkin Presents.  Thank-you!

What book do you love that is loved by other members of your family?  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a novel that transcends time.  I grew up loving it with my sisters and mother.  I have a copy of my Grandma’s copy of this novel. 

Little Women Is the classic story of the trials and tribulations of four sisters growing up during the Civil War in Massachusetts. My thoughts on this novel:

·       I listened to this book on audiobook this reread.  Alison Larkin is one of my favorite audiobook narrators.  This version is part of her Alison Larkin presents series and it featured a new narrator, Anne Undeland. She was a pleasant narrator.

·       This was only the original Little Women and did not contain part 2, which is Good Wives.  I learned that the United States packages these books together, but they are separate in the UK.  The original novel goes one year from Christmas to Christmas and ends happily.

·       There was a nice interview between Alison Larkin and Anne Undeland at the end of the audiobook.  They went over the life of Louisa May Alcott.

·       I was struck again in this reread how Marmee struggled with her anger and had to really work on being the calm loving mother we all know.  Jo noticed her tell of tightening her lips and leaving the room when she felt anger building, especially when Aunt March was in a rant.  It was so relatable, especially now that I am a mother.

·       I loved all four sisters and their distinct personalities.

·       Meg feels teen pressure for being a governess, not having money for finery, for her family sticking to their believes, and for her family’s relationship with Mr. Lawrence.  It was relatable to anyone who has been a teen.

·       Amy was also a teen feeling pressure with her lime collection to be like all of the other girls.  The discipline from her teacher was excessive.

·       This was the March read for What the Dickens Book Club. I started it in March but finished it in April.  There was a great online discussion with this group on the book.

Overall, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is an enjoyable book that is a joy to read at all stages of life.  It’s a wonderful classic.

Do you have a favorite movie version of Little Women?  The 1994 version will always be my favorite, but I have loved every version.  I grew up watching an anime version!

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

 

Title: The Secret Garden

Author:  Frances Hodgson Burnett

Narrated by:  Alison Larkin

Publisher: Alison Larkin Presents

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 10 minutes

Source: Audiobook review copy from Alison Larkin Presents. Physical copy was purchased from one of my kid’s scholastic book orders a few years ago.

What book from childhood have you reread and enjoyed as an adult?  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was a favorite of mine when I was young, but I had not reread it as an adult until now.

Mary Lennox is a spoiled brat.  She was raised basically by a nanny in India.  After a sickness kills off her parents, she is shipped back to England to live with her uncle as Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire.  Unfortunately, he is also absent, and Mary is once again alone.  Luckily, she gets to know the people of the estate and learns to love the outdoors.  Will Mary be able to find happiness?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read The Secret Garden as the February selection for the What the Dickens Book Club on Facebook.  It prompted a good discussion.

·       I loved the theme of the healing power of nature and how it is able to bring both Mary and Colin “back to life” as happy children. I loved the descriptions of the plants, flowers, and birds – especially the robin.  It was especially wonderful with the winter weather we had in February to be reading this book full of spring.

·       The parents were very frustrating in this novel and neglected their children.  Poor Mary and Colin are both basically orphans.  Mary’s parents basically ignore her existence as they are having too much fun with their friends.  Colin’s mother has died, and his father keeps him hidden away.

·       Luckily, Mrs. Sowerby, Dickon and Martha’s mother, provides a mother figure to both Mary and Colin.

·       It was discussed in the book club that fiction written during this time period did often feature orphans or kids trying to make it on their own.  I know as a child I enjoyed stories of children being independent.

·       I enjoyed both Mary and Colin’s transformations throughout the novel through the power of nature and love.

·       I loved listening to the audiobook version of this book.  Alison Larkin is one of my favorite audiobook narrators.  She has a lovely voice that is very enjoyable to listen to.

·       I love the 1993 movie adaptation of this novel

Favorite Quote:

“Where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”

Overall, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a very enjoyable novel that brings the reader into the love and joy of nature and family.

Persuasion: A BabyLit® Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams, Art by Alison Oliver (Austenprose PR Book Tour and Giveaway)

Do you like classics that are reformatted for children?  I was a great fan of Children’s Illustrated Classics growing up.  They gave me a taste for the stories that I later read in entirety as a teen and as an adult.

When my daughter was younger, we read and enjoyed Little Miss Austen Emma: An Emotions Primer and Little Miss Austen Pride & Prejudice:  A Counting Primer both by Jennifer Adams and illustrated by Alison Oliver.  I would give her a review of the general story and how it related to the book.  She really enjoyed it. My daughter is older now, but I thought it would be fun to review Persuasion: A BabyLit® Colors Primer by Jennifer Adams, Art by Alison Oliver

Persuasion: A BabyLit® Colors Primer has beautiful illustrations and is formatted as a board book.  The illustrations and colors focus on characters and objects from the original story.  The colors are more sophisticated as compared to other children’s books about color with sage, navy, ivory, mauve, chestnut, umber, gray, scarlet, and periwinkle as the colors in this board book.  I myself learned what color umber is with this book. If I was reading this one to my child, I would definitely be telling the story of Persuasion along with the pictures and colors.

Overall, the Persuasion: A BabyLit® Colors Primer is a fun book to learn about more unique colors for your future Austen loving child.  It is also a fun book for an Austen loving adult to read as well.

Book Source:  Review copy from @babylitjen @alisonoliverdesign @babylitbooks @austenprose as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The million-copy selling Classic BabyLit® series now has a new title to add to your toddler’s bookshelf.

BabyLit ® is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Allison Oliver, these books are a must for every savvy parent’s nursery library.

Persuasion: A Colors Primer exposes little ones to the world of Jane Austen through words and artwork that offer an awareness of the Regency era and the preferred color palette of the time period: beige, olive, navy, ivory, chestnut, lavender, umber, grey, scarlet, and periwinkle.

AUTHOR BIO

Jennifer Adams is the author of more than 60 books for children. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and Parents magazine. Jennifer has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Salt Lake City, where she works weekends as a bookseller at The King's English Bookshop. Visit her website at jennifer-adams.com.

ILLUSTRATOR BIO

Alison Oliver is the author-illustrator of Moon and Sun, and the illustrator of 32 BabyLit board books. Alison lives in New York City, where she runs a creative studio called Sugar that focuses on design and illustration.

GIVEAWAY 

In celebration of the release of Persuasion: A BabyLit® Colors Primer, author Jennifer Adams, illustrator Alison Oliver, and their publisher BabyLit are generously offering a giveaway contest open to US residents.

Grand Prize Winner – 4 board books in the BabyLit series including Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, and Emma to one lucky winner.

To enter the giveaway, go to my Instagram Post at:

https://www.instagram.com/laurasreviews_1/p/DDPbNdQJ5lI/

White Bird by R. J. Palacio

 

How do you find out about new books?  My daughter Penelope and I were at the movie theatre watching “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret” where we watched a trailer for White Bird.  We thought it looked good and looked up and ordered the book when we got home.  We were both surprised to discover that it was a book from the world of Wonder, a book we had both previously enjoyed.  Penelope devoured White Bird and implored me to read it as soon as possible so we could discuss it.  I complied.

White Bird is a graphic novel.  The framing of the story is that Julian, the bully from Wonder, has a beloved Grandmother who tells him a story of her youth to help explain why she thinks it is important to always be kind to everyone.  Grandmere was a young Jewish girl growing up in France when the Nazis invaded.  Other Jewish children and her parents were taken away.  She was only able to survive because a crippled boy that the other kids disdained put his life at risk to help her.  The story is a harrowing tale of survival that shows there is always good in the world. 

This story was very engaging, and the graphics are wonderful.  It’s a heart-rending story.  My daughter gave me the book with tears running down her face . . . she also told me what was going to happen, so it wasn’t a surprise for me at the end.  It was still very sad to read.

I really liked the message of good people helping those in need, and that you should always be kind to those around you.  When you get to know other people, you can find new and wonderful friends. 

For those that want to know more, there is a great author’s note at the end that discusses the real-world inspirations for this book.  I thought it was very interesting and would be a great learning tool for those who want to learn more.  I also thought it was interesting that it noted many World War II fiction novels about the atrocities against Jewish people are told from the point of view of a non-Jewish person.  I had never thought about that before, but it is true.  I liked that this did tell the story from the Jewish child that has to go into hiding.

Overall, White Bird is a touching and meaningful book that is perfect for both kids and adults alike.  I can’t wait to see the movie based on this book!

Favorite Quote:

“Evil will only be stopped when good people decide to put an end to it.”

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com.

 

The Twits by Roald Dahl

 

What is your favorite Roald Dahl story, book, or movie?  I never read or watched anything by Roald Dahl until I was an adult.  Charlie and the Chocolate Family was a delight that I didn’t discover until I was an adult.

 For our April Rogue Book Club selection, The Twits by Roald Dahl was chosen as Dahl has been a recent source of controversy surrounding the edits to his classic works.  I thought I had not read The Twits before, but as I got into it, I realized that I had listened to it on audiobook with my kids when they were younger.  I love the dark humor of Roald Dahl as do my kids.  My son Daniel has his complete collection so I borrowed The Twits from him to read.

 I loved the pictures by Quentin Blake.  This is a short and simple story of a couple in town that no one likes because they are completely despicable.  The book is a series of stories of how Mr. Twit and Mrs. Twit play mean tricks on each other trying to one up each other.  They also keep caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, that must stand on their heads all day.  The Muggle-Wumps plan a trick of their own to finally get even with the Twits. 

 We had a good discussion about the edits to Roald Dahl books and censoring books in general.  It seems a lot of it is that parents don’t want to sit down and read with their kids to see what they are reading and have discussions with them about what they are reading.  The changes that were made to this book in particular were puzzling.  The original text has Mrs. Twit walking with a cane because it is supposed she has warts on her feet and that cane is used to beat children and small animals.  The part about warts was taken out, but the cane for beating children and small animals was left in. What is the point?  I am in favor of leaving it the way the Roald Dahl originally wrote it.

 This is a quick and humorous book.

Peter Rabbit and Other Stories by Beatrix Potter, Narrated by Alison Larkin

 

Title:  Peter Rabbit & Other Stories

Author:  Beatrix Potter

Narrated by:  Alison Larkin

Publisher: Alison Larkin Presents

Length: Approximately 3 hours and 46 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Alison Larkin Presents.  Thank-you!

 

Do you have a favorite Beatrix Potter story?

I used to read and love a treasury of Beatrix Potter stories as a child.  It was given to me by my beloved Great Grandparents.  I was excited to listen to this collection of stories again the week before Easter and I also enjoyed thumbing through my old copy and looking at the beautiful illustrations as well.  My husband and I read the tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny with our kids, but I had forgotten a lot of the other stories.

The stories included with this collection included:

he Tale of Peter Rabbi"

"The Tailor of Gloucester"

"The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"

"The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"

"The Tale of Two Bad Mice"

"The Tale of Mrs Tiggywinkle"

"The Pie and the Patty-Pan"

"The Tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher"

"The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"

"The Story of Miss Moppet"

"The Tale of Tom Kitten"

"The Tale of Jeminia Puddle-duck"

"The Roly-Poly Pudding"

"The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"

"The Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse"

"The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes"

"The Tale of Mr Tod"

"The Tale of Pigling Bland"

"Alison Larkin interviews Peter Rabbit"

"The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear

I enjoyed the entertaining interview with Peter Rabbit at the end.  I also loved the “Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies” and “The Tale of Mr. Tod”.  I didn’t remember that Peter Rabbit’s sister Flopsy marries Benjamin Bunny.  Of course, their children get into many scrapes.  The stories were fun and delightful.

It did make me laugh wondering if Peter Rabbit will be banned next after the beginning of the story has Peter’s father’s demise by Mr. McGregor and becoming his supper.  There are other items like that through the story.  I looked it up and Peter Rabbit was banned in England in the 1980s because the characters were too middle classed.  It was also banned in China because the animals were wearing clothes and acting like humans.

Alison Larkin is my favorite audiobook narrator.  She was a delight to listen to narrating this audiobook.

The Story Girl by L.M. Montgomery

 

Title:  The Story Girl

Author: L.M. Montgomery

Narrated by:  Grace Conlin

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 59 minutes

Source: Checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library through Overdrive.  Thank-you!

 What type of books do you read to relax?  Work had been pretty stressful lately, so I thought it was time to harken back to the books that help me to relax; childhood favorites such as L.M. Montgomery.  I read all of her books when I was a teenager.  Reading them again now as an adult brings me back to simpler times and happy memories. 

 In The Story Girl, Beverley (Bev) and Felix King are two brothers who come to live with their Uncle Alex and Aunt Janet on Prince Edward Island while their father travels for work.  Their father has told them many stories about the family farm, and they are delighted to finally see the farm and family members for themselves.  They spend their time with their group of friends; their cousins Dan, Felicity, Cecily and Sara, hired boy Peter Craig, neighbor Sara Ray.  Sara Stanley is known for her ability to tell grand stories and is also known as “the story girl.”  The book tells the adventures of the friends and also the stories that Sara tells.  It is an interesting mix of stories and I enjoyed it.  It’s a fun book to listen to as an audiobook.  Grace Conlin was a good narrator.

 I found the stories to be charming.  They made me think of my own childhood playing with my cousins and friends on the family farm.  I even had a few similar times in the 1980s when we thought the world was going to end and also the discovery of an old trunk of my great-grandfathers. 

 I thought it was strange how Felicity was always looking down on Peter as the “hired hand.”  It was odd to me that being poor, Peter now just worked as a hired hand and didn’t go to school.  He was allowed to play with the kids after work.  It’s interesting.  Also interesting is that I read that L.M. Montgomery based the character of Peter on Herman Leard, the great love of her life.  Her family looked down on Herman and didn’t think he was good enough for her or high enough class.

 There is a lot of talk about Methodists and Presbyterians in the novel and Peter’s confusion about the difference between the two.  I thought it was amusing that they seem to be the only two churches in the area.

 I loved the show Avonlea in the 90s.  We didn’t have the Disney channel, but my grandparents would tape it for me.  This is one of the books that the show was based on.  There are many of the same characters, but also many changes.  I really need to rewatch this series!

 L.M. Montgomery also writes fantastic cats into her fiction.  In The Story Girl, we meet Pat the cat.  He is a large and in charge type of cat until he mysteriously falls ill.  The kids are sure he has been cursed by a woman who visited that many believe is a witch.  Do you have any favorite authors that write great animal characters?

 Favorite Quotes:

“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”

 “It is always safe to dream of spring. For it is sure to come; and if it be not just as we have pictured it, it will be infinitely sweeter.”

 “I do like a road, because you can be always wondering what is at the end of it.”

 “Only a few, who remain children at heart, can ever find that fair, lost path again; and blessed are they above mortals. They, and only they, can bring us tidings from that dear country where we once sojourned and from which we must evermore be exiles. The world calls them its singers and poets and artists and story-tellers; but they are just people who have never forgotten the way to fairyland.”

 Overall, The Story Girl is a delightful mix of stories that brings back the happiness of childhood.

Little Bigfoot, Big City by Jennifer Weiner

 

Title:  Little Bigfoot, Big City

Author: Jennifer Weiner

Narrated by:  Emma Galvin, Keith Nobbs, Jen Ponton

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 43 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio.  Thank-you! 

Little Bigfoot, Big City is the wonderful follow-up novel to the Littlest Bigfoot.  Penelope and I really enjoyed the first book and were excited to read the second book. 

Alice Mayfair found at the end of the 1^st book that she is not exactly human. If she is not human, then what is she?  As Alice tries to investigate where she came from, her friend Millie, who is a little bigfoot, tries to figure out how to get on a singing show in New York City.  She uses her friend Jessica Jarvis to be her “face” while she provides the powerful singing voice.  Jeremy’s research into bigfoot has made him a target of a shadowy organization that is searching for the same thing.  Will our three heroes find their happy endings?

Penelope and I enjoyed this second book in the series.  The story is told in alternating chapters by the three different main characters.  Penelope really wanted to know more about what exactly Alice was and where she came. She said the mystery was her favorite part.  There were some satisfying answers, but the book ultimately was left with a cliffhanger.  We looked and didn’t see a book three.  NOOO!!!  I hope that a conclusion to this trilogy comes out at some point.  Penelope liked the friendship between Millie and Alice and the questions of belonging. 

My thirteen-year-old son Daniel listened with us as well.  He primarily liked Jeremy’s search for answers and the mystery.

How to Train Your Dragon Book 6: A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons by Cressida Cowell

 

Title: How to Train Your Dragon Book 6:  A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons

Author: Cressida Cowell

Read by:  David Tennant

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Length: Approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes

Source: Downloaded through Overdrive from the Kewaunee Public Library

Does your family listen to audiobooks on road trips?  What audiobooks does your family enjoy? A series that our entire family can agree on is the How to Train Your Dragon audiobook series.    David Tennant one of the best audiobook narrators with a unique voice for each character.  The sounds effects are also fantastic.  The music between each chapter is great as well.

Plot Summary from Goodreads:  It's Hiccup's birthday, but that's not going to keep him from getting into trouble. To save his dragon, Toothless, from being banished, Hiccup must sneak into the Meathead Public Library and steal the Viking's most sacred book. But the Vikings see books as a dangerous influence and keep them locked up and under heavy guard. To save his friend, Hiccup must brave the Hairy Scary Librarian and his dreadful army of Meathead Warriors and face off against the formidable Driller-Dragons. Will he make it out and live to see his next birthday?

This one was much shorter than the rest of the books which confused me.  The entire family still enjoyed it, although ten-year old Penelope did not appreciate the name of the character Big Booby Bertha.  It was a strange character.   Otherwise, we enjoyed this audiobook and can’t wait to listen to book 7 on our next road trip.

My Sister, Daisy by Adria Karlsson

My Sister, Daisy is a beautiful picture book.  Narrated by a big brother, it tells the story of how his little brother was born and they played together as children.  One day his little brother came home and said he was a girl, and his name was Daisy.  He explained he now wanted his pronouns to be she/her.   Big Brother and his parents question it, but they accept it.  “I realized that you were still the same person, and we could play the same games.  We still had fun!”  The family uses books to educate themselves and other childhood friends on being transgender. 

 The book goes through the emotions of the big brother where he has good days, but bad days where he is frustrated and called Daisy by the wrong name.  He was also jealous of the new clothes and items Daisy gets.  He expresses his frustrations to his parents, and they tell him, “Daisy is the same person.  And now we understand what to call her and who she is inside.”  The family works through it, and it ends on a happy note.

 The illustrations are beautiful, and I love the note from the author at the end describing when their daughter figured out, she was transgender.  The author couldn’t find any good books to share with her older son to understand so she wrote this book.  I love that.

 I thought this book was a great book to explain transgender to all kids.  It’s a bit young for my 10-year-old, but she has been asking questions, so we read it together.  It helped her a lot to understand what transgender means.

 Overall, My Sister, Daisy is a wonderful children’s picture book that explains a sensitive subject in a heartfelt way.