The Silver Chair: 4 Stars
We finished listening to the Narnia series in the car. It was fun to relive those books. They're not gone for long though, I'm sure we'll be back in Narnia again in few more years. The Silver Chair - with the beautiful evil Emerald Witch, a race of dangerous and intelligent giants, an elaborate underground world, Puddleglum - the pessimistic but heroic marsh-wiggle (such a well-crafted character), a quest to save a prince, and lots of wise meaningful lessons about spiritual welfare - is C.S. Lewis at his best. Here are a few of my favorite Puddleglum quotes:
“Don't you mind," said Puddleglum. "There are no accidents. Our guide is Aslan; and he was there when the giant king caused the letters to be cut, and he knew already all things that would come of them; including this.”
“I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.”
The Last Battle: 5 Stars
This was never my favorite book in the Narnia series until I listened to the audio version narrated by Patrick Stewart. It is absolutely fantastic. He had the kids and I hanging on every word. The Last Battle is apocalyptic fiction at it's finest. Narnia faces it's enemies for the final time, but it also faces an enemy within - a false Aslan. This book spearheaded so many great conversations with the kids (the boys especially) about recognizing truth and standing for the right against all odds. Magnificent end to a wonderful children's series.
“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!”
“All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”
Chomp!: 3.5 Stars
This is a funny and strange book. It's an outlandish behind-the-scenes-of-a-crocodile-survival-show adventure. Wacky characters. High speed chases. Rollicking turns and twists of events. A crazy reality star who gets lost and thinks he's a vampire. Beware though, Chomp addresses some societal issues (reality TV, cruelty to animals, alcoholism, and abuse) that are definitely better suited for older kids.
The Invention of Wings: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this book based on the life of Sarah Grimke and her sister Angelina who, in the 1830's were the most infamous women of their day. They were not only the first female abolitionist, but among the most influential and powerful writers and speakers in America - drawing crowds of thousands, and directly inspiring Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. I am embarrassed to admit I knew nothing of the Grimke sisters before reading this but I am amazed by their story. The Invention of Wings alternates between the well-researched life of Sarah Grimke, the daughter of a prominent plantation owner in South Carolina, and the story of a fictional slave girl of about the same age named Handful. The two lives interweave beautifully with each other - culminating in a poignant ending. This book gave face, names, smells, and sounds (on both sides of the coin) to a monumental time in history, a time of changing tides and upheaval during the antislavery movement.
"History is not just facts and events. History is also a pain in the heart and we repeat history until we are able to make another's pain in the heart our own."
Twelve Mighty Orphans: 3 Stars
This was a great book to kick off football season. Especially in Texas. It's the story of a football coach during the Great Depression who, on a penny and a prayer, organizes a football program at an orphanage in Fort Worth - the end of the line of the Orphan Train. The Mighty Orphans are underdogs in every sense of the word. They are underfunded, underfed, inexperienced, and smaller - in size and in numbers - than any of the schools they're up against. Yet, despite all odds, they go undefeated season after season and become Texas state champions. The team brought hope, not just to Texas, but to the whole country at a time when people needed something to cheer for. Newspapers from all over the country covered their games. Police escorts accompanied them everywhere. And the boys themselves grew up to be (for the most part) successful in their lives and careers. It was an inspiring read. And I'm not even a sports person. The writing was very circular - confusing at times - and difficult to sort order of events, other than that I'd recommend it to anyone who loves football.
The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck: 2 Stars
This book had some good ideas as a mystery-solving adventure, but it is poorly written. I read it with Clayton and Isaac who liked solving each puzzle (via Google) before the characters in the book, but the choppy writing made for an obnoxious read aloud - ugh. I'm surprised this book made it onto Isaac's Name That Book list.
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