We are supposed to be writing!

As you know, November is National Novel Writing Month. That means that you should not be seeing many book reviews this month. Rather, if you see anything here at all, it should be our thoughts and meanderings on the writing process and the progress of each of our novels (4  of us are participating in this house:)). Why, then, you may ask, have you seen more book reviews thus far in November than you have in six months or more?

The answer is relatively simple and I think you know what it is. PROCRASTINATION. That evil beast that comes to foil our best laid plans. It is important to note, though, that it is indeed possible to make friends with this monster. His bad rap is really rather unfair. You see, Procrastination and I are very good friends. We work together, symbiotically, to create true masterpieces, to achieve great heights. Nothing I have ever achieved in my life could have been accomplished without the help of my dear friend Procrastination. A real life example of this beautiful partnership can be seen on my parenting blog.

There are those who will be up in arms at the thought of this relationship, who will try (and fail) to tear us apart.

One of my friend's suggested that I write my novel about someone procrastinating writing a novel by blogging! Not a bad idea. My friend, Procrastination, however, can be quite bashful. He likes to reside in the shadows, meeting me in quiet, private moments. He doesn't like a crowd, though he will sometimes use one to help me achieve me goals. Right now, he is feeling the pressure of so much public exposure and has asked that I move on to another topic. I will surrender to this request respectfully and bid you all a good day and happy reading - or novelling, if that is what you are doing this November. And if you are novelling and reading this post, then I guess we share a friend:)

A Sweet Selection

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Candymakers is as delicious as it sounds. Four 12 year olds are given the opportunity to invent and make an exciting new candy in an actual candy factory. The book opens as the contestants arrive at the factory.

Logan lives at the factory, he is the candymaker's son. He feels a certain amount of pressure to prove himself and live up to his family's history of creating award-winning candy. He knows what he wants to create but lacks confidence in his technical skill.

Daisy is a bright, sunny girl whose enthusiasm and love of candy emanate from her very pores. She instantly puts everyone at ease with her warm, confident manner. Well, almost everyone.

Miles is nervous. He is full of questions about the factory and how the candies are made. He shares his thoughts on the afterlife, along with his many questions, with the others as they tour the factory. Miles also has some pretty unusual allergies.

Phillip arrives in a suit and tie. He carries a briefcase and seems incapable of smiling or showing the slightest glimmer of friendlliness. He is all business, and lets them all know at the outset that he intends to win. What is he hiding as he constantly scribbles in his notebook?

I love the way Mass shows different aspects of the characters and the story as she shifts point of view throughout the book. There are some delicious life-afirming surprises here for everyone. While the book is too difficult for my seven year old to read on his own, I think he would love the story. I think my 12 and 13 year old daughters would also enjoy it, especially the candy-crazy one!

A delightful read with just enough mystery and intrigue to tempt your palette.



View all my reviews

Trackers

Shantorian by Patrick Carman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second (and I think, final) book in the Trackers series by Patrick Carman. If you like a good puzzle, this series is it!

While our brains are working double time to unravel the mystery(ies), our consciences are brought into play. What are we doing with our lives? How are we raising the next generation - and ourselves? In short, what is the world coming to? How much do we let our children run their own lives? How much technology is too much?

We hear about technology addictions and I think Carman is right on the money with this book about a group of high tech teens who get a lot more than they bargained for while they fiddled with their geek gadgets. An education on so many levels. And, like any great book, lots of food for thought.

View all my reviews

Sir Seth Thistlehwaite and the Soothsayer's Shoes

Sir Seth Thistlethwaite and the Soothsayer's Shoes by Richard Thake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sir Seth provides a rambunctious romp through Thake's boyhood imagination. Full of alliteration and surprisingly rhyme-like prose, Sir Seth sets of on a quest to save the soothsayer's stolen shoes. In typical adventure style, he has a sideick and a horse and meets up with some unexpected allies as he battles the Enemy.

I thought it was a fun read and am definitely going to try it as a read aloud with my seven year old son. I think he'll enjoy the playful language and have fun with the characters. I hope I am right!



View all my reviews

50 Book Challenge Completed!

I am so embarrassed! I have been very delinquent in recording the journey to 50 books.

I completed the challenge last week and am currently reading book 53. My kids are making good progress but I am diverting the two eldest for the month of November. The three of us are participating in National Novel Writing  Month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. The kids are allowed to set their own word counts. My son (16) has set his at 35,000. My daughter has not yet decided - that will be tonight's task.

Since writing is so intricately tied to reading, we have negotiated a deal with respect to the book challenge. If the kids succeed in the writing challenge, they will be able to add to their books-read count. I am allowing them to add the average number of books read per month to date. Meaning that my son, who has read 23 so far, will be able to add 3 books and my daughter who has read 31, can add 4. My math is actually quite good, by the way, I am just a generous mommy:)

You will know how much procrastinating is going on by how much posting happens here. That being said, I will try to post our progress here every so often over the month.

If you catch the writing bug, you can join us at nanowrimo.org.

Happy November!

A Fairy Tale with a Twist

Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell

Falling In is something a little different from the Frances O'Roark Dowell books I have read thus far. While I enjoyed reading it, and the mystery surrounding much of the story, there was a certain unease that plagued me throughout, a niggle of dissatisfaction. The Secret Language of Girls and its successor, The Kind of Friends We Used To Be were both straight forward yet fascinating explorations of friendship and its ability to withstand the traumas of growing up. Falling In has a darker edge to it, mimicking the feel of the fairy tales with which it plays.

Isabelle Bean is a misfit if ever there was one. The story opens with Isabelle becoming entirely focussed on a buzzing sound only she seems to hear. She follows it and finds herself in an alternate reality, a reality with rules of its own. As Isabelle learns about and explores this new environment, we meet an extraordinary cast of characters. We discover a society ruled by fear, children fending for themselves as they seek to escape an evil revenge-seeking witch. Isabelle, coming in from the outside, lacks the fear and goes off in search of said witch.

Dowell creates a Grimms brothers atmosphere of apprehension. This is no simple happily ever after tale. We wonder about the witch and if she will be found and defeated; we wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Underlying the fairy tale is a story of a mother and her daughter, the story of a daughter and her mother. What happens to a mother who loses her daughter? How does a girl learn to mother when she has grown up alone? Can the wounds ever heal? Going beyond the usual scope of the fairy tale, Dowell probes these questions. Dowell gives us something to chew on, if we are so inclined.

Recommended for children 9 to 12 years old, Falling In challenges some commonly held, fairy tale derived views on witches and legend with just enough of the spooky to thrill this age group.

View all my reviews

A Mindful Story

Anything But Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. Twelve year old Jason Blake tells his own story, from his own perspective. Jason writes the story he cannot speak; he writes what he feels but cannot communicate. Through Jason's story, we gain insight and understanding into a world that is at once our own and not our own.

In grade three, Jason's quirks were diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jason has had several different therapists and aides throughout the years. He has learned what people expect of him in different situations. He knows that people like it when you look them in the eye, and that sometimes, they are waiting for an answer. Even though it is very difficult for him, he tries to follow the rules. He tries to do what people want.

There is only one place where Jason can freely express himself. The Storyboard website. This is where Jason posts his stories. This is where people read and respond to his stories. This is where people can really see Jason, because they cannot see him.

What happens when his two worlds collide shows us how our immediate perceptions can often blur the reality. We can be blinded by appearances, and are often unable to see beyond them to the human being inside.

As a parent, the relationships between Jason and his parents intrigue me the most. They love him so much. He loves them but cannot tell them, cannot show them how he feels. Seeing how hard it is for Jason, and how much harder for his parents, actually made me cry.

This window into Jason's world offers us mindful views onto a rich and beautiful landscape. It reminds us that we can never truly know what is going on inside our children's minds. It reminds us that we must always try to attune to our children, to connect with them, and to accept them for who they are.

Anything but Typical is a wonderful story for Sunday, or any day. I hope to carry its message with me in my dealings with my own children this week.

View all my reviews