Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Bradley - ESSENTIAL

Bradley, Kimberly Jefferson’s Sons, 360 pgs.  The Penguin Group, 2011.  $17.99.  Language: G (no swears); Mature Content G; Violence G

Thomas Jefferson had seven children by one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, who was two years younger than his oldest child.  Even though Jefferson’s wife had died, a romantic slaveholder/slave relationship was considered unacceptable.   These children of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings were strictly forbidden to acknowledge Jefferson as their father. 

Throughout the course of this book, the children struggle with the concept that their father penned the Declaration of Independence which states:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” yet still held 130 slaves. 

I found myself empathetic to the plight of these children who were too black to white, and too white to be black. EL/MS –ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer: Rebekkah Ward

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle - ADVISABLE

Carle, Eric  The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse  Philomel Books, 2011. $17.99  PICTURE BOOK Content-G.  Beautiful paintings of animals in different colors than they are normally painted; for example, a blue horse, a yellow cow, a polka dotted donkey.  This book conveys the freedom and creativity that an artist can enjoy.  There are around four to five words per page, so it concentrates on the pictures.  This could be used in the art classroom, to show how great artists sometimes go against the norm.  I wish it was also available in a board book.  EL, MS, HS -ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.

The Game of Triumphs by Laura Powell - ADVISABLE

Powell, Laura The Game of Triumphs, 265pgs. Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. $16.99. Language: PG    (6 swears, 0 “F”); Mature Content- PG-13; Violence: PG-13

15-year-old Cat is a loner and prefers it that way. She is able to negotiate the streets of London in a way that allows her to observe, but remain invisible. This holds true until the day she finds herself unwittingly pulled into a complex game that will lead her into another reality unlike anything she knows. As she discovers more about the game she learns more about her past and realizes that what she thought was real may in fact be a sham. Playing Tarot has never had such fantastic rewards or dire consequences.  Powell wastes no time in starting the action of this book. From the first page the reader is immediately draw into the “game” alongside Cat. The book is well written with teenage characters that are portrayed as intelligent and free of the usual stereotypes that plague most young adult literature. My only hesitation with this book is the complexity of the tarot game the characters are involved in. Many times I had to reread passages and use the reference pages to attempt to understand how the game worked and what this meant to the plot and characters.

HS—ADVISABLE. AEB, Social Studies Teacher

Hodge Podge - Volume 55

I see Volume 55 and I thinkof the speed limit I have all the way to work down Hwy 22.  Joyce has come up with some great questions again this week and if you want to play along head over to Joyce's blog and join in.  Once you have finished head back and post your responses.  It is a lot of fun and a great way to get to know each other.

1. Do you send Christmas cards? If so, about how many will you send this year? How do you display the cards you receive? Or don't you? (gasp!)

I do send cards.  I usually send out around 100 since I have a huge family and Frank is the pastor of Rock Mills UMC.  I love cards.  I love sending them and receiving them.  This years cards I am making myself so I can't wait to get them done and sent.  They should go out sometime the first of next week.  I display the cards different ways.  I have a precious Santa card holder my friend Mary bought for us a couple of years ago.  I think this year I am doing a card tree I found on Pinterest.  That way I can do some Pintervention.  :-)

2. When do kids become adults?   Legally at 21.  My daughter was an adult when she was 10. She has always been an old soul in a young woman's body.

3. Does your 'beauty regimen' change with the seasons?  I am one of the people who can answer this question with the phrase-"Beauty regimen? What beauty regimen?" I slather on lotion more during the winter.  I don't wear makeup...probably should....so there is not a whole lot of beautifying for me.

4. What's something you like to eat that might cause another person to turn up their nose?

I am a picky eater per say.  There are more things I don't eat than do.  I guess the fact that I like ketchup on potato chips would be my gross eating habit....I love ketchup.  It is my condiment of choice.....and no...I don't eat it on everything....Frank thinks I do....but I don't eat it on eggs, or mashed potatoes.

5. Gloves or Mittens?

Definitely gloves.  Mittens hinder my use of my fingers.
6. What's the longest queue you've ever been in? Was it worth it? Queue=line but doesn't queue sound so much nicer?  I am going to borrow this answer from Joyce because it is my answer.  I stood in line at the Vatican and Sistine Chapel for more than 2 hours.  I don't do lines....but it was worth every minute and I met a lot of neat people there from all over the world. 

7. Besides Christmas, what is one thing you are looking forward to this December?  Are you ready?   Where do I begin?  Let's see....we have my cousin Quinn's wedding on the 17th, the Children's program at church on the 11th, the Churches joint dinner (with the Baptist Church next door) on the 11th, Amanda's annual Open House on the 10th, singing with Amanda at church on the 18th, and Winter Extreme with the Youth in Gatlinburg on the 27th-29th.  I love December!

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Do you know what Chrismon ornaments are?  Does your church have a Chrismon Tree?  For my readers who don't know.....Chrismons are a type of Christmas Tree decoration used in many churches and often in the homes of Christians. The symbols used represent a variety of biblical and theological concepts that are well known among most believers. Often, if the ornaments on a Christmas tree are comprised mostly of Christian symbols, the tree is known as a "Chrismon Tree." Chrismons are white with gold decorations of beads, ribbon, glitter, etc. It is common, however, to see these ancient Christian designs in other colors than white and gold. These would not be Chrismons, however, but simply Christian symbols -- and there's nothing wrong with that!  Ours does and last Sunday night we celebrated the beginning of the Advent Season with the Hanging of the Greens.  It is one of my favorite times of year.  Everyone is in such a good mood as we drag out the boxes of decorations and decorate the sanctuary for the holidays. The tree is filled with handmade Chrismon ornaments and gold balls.  It is breathtaking.   I will love it even more when the poinsettias are in the church.

Why I Don't Do Elf on a Shelf

I don’t like when dolls appear like they are staring at me.

It weirds me out to the point where I turn them around so they face the wall.

Or I cover them with a blanket.

Sometimes they’ve been known to get lost in the garage.

This is why I do not do Elf on a Shelf.

Elf on a Shelf, for those who don’t know, is this thing:

It’s supposed to watch your kids and make them behave. Or something. And then it reports back to Santa.

The parent is supposed to change the elf position daily.

First of all, I’d forget to do this. I have enough to do this holiday season than worry about an elf.

Second of all, can we say creepy? Look at those eyes! (Hello, Chucky!)

I wouldn’t want those eyes staring at me. (Hello, clown from IT!)

And those eyes are supposed to REPORT BACK TO SANTA. (Hello, evil doll that haunted an entire family on a show on the SyFy channel!)

Third, my kids would mock the elf. They wouldn’t buy the story. I’d find the poor elf in an awful place like the toilet. Or…shudders…MY BED!

So no, thank you.

I’ll continue to use my old threat that continues to hold up to this day:

“I know Santa’s phone number and I’ll call him if you’re naughty and then, well, no presents for you.”

Lost! A Dog Called Bear by Wendy Orr- ADVISABLE

Orr, Wendy.  LOST!  A Dog Called Bear, 112 pgs.  Henry Holt and Co., 2011.  $15.99.  Inside cover: Logan is moving from the farm to the city.  He’ll miss all the things he’s leaving behind, but at least he has Bear.  He loves Bear more than anything else in the world- because Bear is his dog.  Hannah lives in the city.  What she wants more than anything else in the world, is a dog of her own.  At the Rainbow Street Shelter, Logan and Hannah find a talking parrot, an old black Labrador, a three-legged goat, a puppy that looks like a peanut- and a surprise that just might be the best thing in the world.” I liked this book because the illustrations were good.  The story was interesting and exciting.  I liked how the book ended.  EL.  ADIVSABLE.  Student Reviewer: JL- age 9. 

Jumping off Swings by Jo Knowles - PUBLIC

Knowles, Jo Jumping off Swings, 230 p. Candlewick, 2009, 2011.  Content: R.  One of my favorite books ever is now available in paperback.  Here is what I wrote about it in my original post:

For all of its harsh language, there is something very beautiful about this book. Knowles shows so many sides of complicated teen thoughts on sex and love and blends them skillfully. We see the girl who thinks that sex will bring her love, the callous boys who see girls as trophies, but we also see the sensitive boy who realizes that he shouldn’t have treated a girl that way. There is nothing idyllic about the outcome of this book, no fairy tale ending. But it is a very honest look at the intricate dance of human emotions. I wish I could say yes, but I will have to leave this to public libraries or for brave parents. I had my daughter read it right away, but there is no way I could keep this in my school library without know that I would get challenged right away. PUBLIC. Cindy, Library-Teacher.

I still love this book - I share it with lots of young people; my middle school is just too young for the presentation of the material.

--Cindy