Top Ten Tuesday-Characters I'd Name My Children After

Thank you, lovely bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish, for hosting this weekly meme that allows me to indulge in my love of all things listy!

This week's prompt is a chance to give some character love.  When my daughter was born in 1994, my then husband and I had a deal.  If the baby was a girl, could name her, but if it was a boy, he could name him.  We each, however, reserved veto power over the other's choices.  And that is the reason my daughter Briana does not have a literary name-I was overruled on Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice), Morgaine (Mists of Avalon) or Guinevere (also Mists-I was a bit obsessed at the time).  It's probably a good thing in the last two cases that I was vetoed, but I was only 24, so I plead youth.  Now, at the more "mature" age of 41, I've read a lot more, and have many more character to choose from!

1.  Claire-This comes from both The Time Traveler's Wife and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.  Both women are  loyal, strong, and loving, which I think are good qualities to hope for in a child.

2.  Henry-From the Time Traveler's Wife.  Again, smart, loving, loyal...and we'll just leave the ultimately doomed thing behind.

3.  Hermione-Ah, if only I lived in Britain or was British myself, I could get away with this one.  Hermione is definitely the best of all of the Harry Potter characters.  Ron is sweet and Harry is noble, but Hermione was the one who ensured that things got done so Harry would still be around to fight Voldemort.

4. Lisbeth-Ok, this is mostly because I thought the name was pretty long before I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  But let's face it, Lisbeth can kick some serious butt, which is not a bad trait to have, at least metaphorically speaking.

5.  Peter-The oldest brother of the Pevensie children from the Narnia series,  Peter was brave and steadfast, unlike Edmund, the moody younger brother.

6.  Lucy-Also from Narnia.  Small but mighty, Lucy was all heart and loyalty.  Susan may have been older, but I don't think she was wiser than little Lucy.

7.  Alex-The Alex Delaware novels was one of the first mystery/thriller series I read, and I have always loved Alex's intelligence and compassion.  Plus he was completely accepting of his gay friend and police officer Milo way back before most authors were comfortable having gay characters in their books.

8.  August-I loved August Boatwright's character from The Secret Life of Bees.  Comfort-everything about her brings comfort and strength.

9.  Sam-After Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings books.  Best.Friend.Ever.

10.  Stargirl-OK, I probably would never actually have the nerve to do such a thing, but the main character of Stargirl and Love, Stargirl is everything I want my daughter to be.  Loving, idealistic, quirky, and completely comfortable with herself.

Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

What would you do to ensure the survival of the human race?  What would you sacrifice?  Your money?  Your freedom?  Your life?  Most of us probably would if we were up against it.  But what about the lives of our children?  What if the survival of the species meant giving up your children to violence, war, and possible death?

It is exactly this rather sticky ethical question that Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, takes on.  Well, that and a few others, like the morality of xenocide and government manipulation.  That's a lot for what is essentially a young adult novel, but Card manages it by creating a version of Earth that is both alien and somehow familiar.

Ender's Game is the story of Ender Wiggins, a genius among geniuses.  Bred specifically for intelligence and cunning, Ender is the last, best hope for humanity in their war against the buggers, and alien race that attacked the Earth not once, but twice, in an attempt to colonize it.  Sounds like the basic plot of just about any  science fiction novel.  The twist?  Ender is only six years old.  He is taken from his family and sent to Battle School, where he learns to fight in mock battles with other cadets.  But the real plan for Ender involves him learning to be very good at the game that the military has devised to develop his skills as a strategist.  At the age of 10 he is sent to Command School, where he trains with the person who defeated the buggers during the last invasion.  As the games become more challenging and Ender begins to collapse under the weight of everyone's expectations, the military's manipulation of him leads to devastating consequences-for the fleet, for the buggers, and ultimately for Ender.

Card's writing in Ender's Game is almost clinical, but that just adds to the "otherness" feeling that you get from the characters.  Ender and his siblings-both of whom washed out of the Battle School program-are just as brilliant as he is.  Peter, his older brother, washed out for being a ruthless little sociopath whose tendency towards violence and power was not tempered by empathy.  Valentine, his sister, washed out for the opposite reason-too much empathy, not enough ruthlessness.  The military hopes it is Ender who will present the perfect blend of these two traits-calculating and violent enough to lead a war, but empathetic enough not to kill unnecessarily.  And while you feel sorry for Ender, he is certainly not perfect.  He is violent, and emotionally distant, and ruthless when provoked.  But how much can be blamed on a child, when from birth he was trained for war.  


Given the fact that there are children all over Africa and Asia being conscripted as soldiers and made to fight right now, the premise feels more possible than a science fiction novel often does.  Ender does his job, and he does it well-but there is a price.  I will admit to being surprised to find that the final "games" were real battles.  I guess since I knew there were sequels I assumed the war continued.  Despite being manipulated into xenocide, Ender feels crushing guilt.  While an argument can be made that it wasn't his "fault", it doesn't begin to assuage the remorse he feels for that and so many other things that were kept from him during his time at the school.  And after losing his family and never being allowed to have real friends, he loses his home.  Concerned that he will be used by the various governments to defeat the other governments, he is forbidden ever to return to Earth.  And so the rest of the world blithely goes on with their politics-and Ender pays the price.

Top Ten Tuesday: Children's Books I DID Read

Thanks to the women at The Broke and the Bookish for hosting Top Ten Tuesdays.  Being a list-lover as I am, I am always excited for a new topic.

Excited, that is, until this week.  This week's topic is "books I wish I had read as a child", and the happy fact is that I can't think of one.  I've read most of the children's classics, and plenty more besides.  I even tried looking at other people's list to see if maybe I was just blocking out titles that I felt ashamed to say I'd never read, but nope...I'm actually thrilled as can be with my childhood reading selections.

But I love lists!  What's a list-loving book blogger to do? Why, chan...er....modify the topic slightly, of course.  So here, rather than book I wish I had read as a kid, I will revisit a past topic I did not get to participate in-my favorite childhood books.  There were so many I'm going to have a hard time narrowing it down to just ten. 

Bridge to Terebithia, Katherine Paterson-I love this story of Jess and Leslie and their unlikely friendship.  This is also the first time I understood that children can die.  I can't read this aloud to my classes today because I sill cry every time.

Are You There, God?  It's Me, Margaret, Judy Blume-I'm pretty sure that there are women about my age all over the country who would choose this coming of age story as one of their favorites.  I was so disappointed to read Blume's adult works later in life.  They just didn't hold a candle to her young adult books.

Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell-This was my introduction to strong female characters.  I so admires Karana and her ability to keep herself alive, and never to lose hope.  Plus, I've sort of always wanted to live on an island, though preferably not alone in a hut.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Judith Kerr-This may have been the first book I read about the Holocaust, and it started a life-long interest in the subject.  The thought that your whole life could be stolen away from you in the blink of an eye was frightening, and as I got older I appreciated how Kerr used Anna's story to introduce young readers to the idea of oppression.

Jacob, Have I Loved, Katherine Paterson-I so identified with Louise in this book.  As a quiet kid who was pretty shy, I often felt misunderstood by my peers and I understood her jealousy of the ease with which her sister lived in the world.. Louise was another strong female character that I adored.

The Narnia series, C.S. Lewis-My first fantasy series, but certainly not my last.  I had the rare and intense pleasure of watching the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe turned into the story into a movie that was EXACTLY like I had imagined reading it all those years ago.

Across Five Aprils, Irene Hunt-I've always been a fan of historical fiction, and this is probably one of the first ones I read.  It was unusual for me to find strong connections with male characters when I was a girl, but I did with this one.

The Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett-Oh, how I cried when Colin stood up and walked to his father for the first time.  And as hateful as Mary can be, you can't help but feel sorry for the poor orphan living in that cold, looming house.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betsy Smith-Francie was one of my favorite characters growing up, and I still reread this one every few years.  Historical fiction meets coming of age story-two of my favorite things all rolled into one.

Rutabaga Stories, Carl Sandburg-I checked this book out of the school library so many times the librarian offered to get me my own copy.  A collection of humorous short stories, Sandberg's gift for language and down-home sort of humor was a hit with me.

 

The Cay, Theodore Taylor-When my teacher read this aloud to us in fifth grade, I was captivated.  Living in an all white suburb of Chicago in the 70s, I had never really had any exposure to issues of race or racism.  This book opened my eyes to the absurdity of separating ourselves from each other on the basis of the melanin content of our skin.

A Summer to Die, Lois Lowry-Like many a pre-teen, I was a bit of a tragedy junkie.  This book by Lois Lowry fit the bill.  The story of a young girl whose sister gets cancer and dies is still a tearjerker.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,  Mildred Taylor-Taylor's writing is a masterpiece of historical fiction and character development.  While The Cay may have been my first exposure to racism, Taylor's works certainly helped me put what I learned into a historical perspective.

Sometimes the Hype is True!

I am not one of those people who is automatically turned off by something just because everyone else is talking about it.  So when the hype started about Room earlier this fall I was open-minded.  But when reviewer after reviewer gave it five stars and rhapsodized about how fabulous it is, I started to wonder if the publisher was passing out that special kool-aid along with the ARCs.  When my book club chose it for our January selection, I was excited to find out if all of the mayhem and foolishness was warranted.

And it was!  For anyone living under a literary rock for the past several months, Room is the story of Jack, a five year old boy who lives with his mother in Room, an 11x11 foot shed in the backyard of Old Nick, the man who kidnapped Jack's mother seven years before.  Room is the only home, and indeed the only world that Jack has ever known.  To protect him from wanting what he could not have, Jack's mother, Ma, told him that everything outside of room was "in the tv".  When he discovers the truth, he is forced to confront a world that is completely alien to everything he has ever known.

Room is a novel unlike any other I have ever read, and not just because of the five year old narrator.  Donaghue does an admirable job of taking a sensationalized headline and turning it into something multi-dimensional and very human.  As a society we were rather obsessed withe the myth of the rabid stranger collecting young girls-even before we found out that it is not always a myth.  Elizabeth Smart's ordeal seemed to put an exclamation point on all of our fears about the stranger in the parking lot, waiting to pounce.  While her experience is still much more rare than lightning strikes or shark attacks, the very fact that it happened at all lends credence to some of our darkest societal fears.  Donaghue could easily have taken this fictional kidnapping and told it from the mother's point of view, or the media's.  What she did instead makes it a much more human story.  And not just a story about violence against women.  Jack's short life and entry (I can't call it a re-entry) into the world outside of Room was a fascinating look at how children are socialized, and what makes a person part of the world. 

Adventures of Rusty & Ginger Fox by Timothy Ostermeyer

ISBN-13: 9780984504008
Publisher: Synergy Books
Published: November 2010
48 pgs
Source: Publicist

Adventures of Rusty & Ginger Fox is one of the most interesting children book I have came across lately. What makes this book such a lovely reading experience to me is aside from the cute story, author Tim Ostermeyer has captured the essence of the wildlife animals through his excellent photography skills.

Rusty and Ginger belong to the red foxes species. The story opens with them exploring the forest and they encounter all kinds of other wildlife animals (such as deers, wolves, cougars, black bears, bobcats) along their way; another thing I loved is it has a fact page of wildlife information for every animal introduced in the book so readers are able to learn a little more about them as they read along.

Rusty and Ginger then stumbled upon an island where they got to meet two little adorable girls and to explore a treasure chest. Finally, there is also a message about sharing towards the end of the story which I find all so meaningful and endearing. This is absolutely a charming book to be read by readers of all ages.

About the Author: Tim Ostermeyer has spent the last 20 years taking pictures of wildlife worldwide and winning over 250 first-place awards for his photography. Currently living in Allen, Texas, Ostermeyer works as a structural analyst for the engineering firm Raytheon and continues his passion for photography while operating his photography studio. For more information on Ostermeyer and his photography, please visit http://www.rustyandgingerfox.com/ or http://www.ostermeyer-photography.com/.

(Many thanks to the publicist for sending this book to me for review.)

My First Top Ten Tuesday!

Since I have started participating in the Literary Book Hop hosted by The Blue Bookcase, I have found so many goo d, grown-up, literary blogs I can hardly contain myself.  Apparently that is exactly what I needed to get my own blogging back on track-I'm feeling inspired.  And since I, like many of us, enjoy lists, I was especially excited to find Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This weeks Top Ten Topic is favorite holiday books.  Sadly, I know very little about holiday themed books for adults, since I find most of them incredibly cheesy.  Sentimentality for the sake of sentimentality is not really my thing.  However, I'm also a teacher, which therefore gives me an out to focus my list on children's books! (With the exception of Dickens-I mean really, it's Scrooge!)

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas-do I really need to explain?

A Christmas Carol-again, pretty self-explanatory, no?

Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins-This is one that I use with my students every year.  They love the story of the goblins, and how Herschel tricked them into lighting the menorah. 

The Polar Express-Chris Van Allsberg's trip to the North Pole is a delight! 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe-OK, not technically a holiday book, but it has Father Christmas in it, and I got the entire set for Christmas in 1981 when I was in sixth grade, so it feels like Christmas to me.  I read all seven books before going back to school in January.  If I could go back to one time in my life and relive it, it might be that week, wrapped in my quilt reading about Narnia on my bed, safe and warm with my parents in the next room.

 Little House in the Big Woods-The Christmas chapter is one of my favorites.  I'm not sure anything brought home to me at 8 how different my world was from Laura's like reading about how excited she was to get an orange for Christmas.

Well, I guess my Top Ten turned into my Top Six, but I'm alright with that.  I've gotten a peek at next week's theme, and I'll be able to make up for it then!  Happy Thanksgiving!

A Law of Attraction Book for Children: The S.T.A.R. Powered Twins by Dorothy A. Lecours

ISBN-13: 9781601310637
Publisher: Dragon Pencil
Published: 2009
88 pgs

Illustrated by: Chrisann Zaubi
Source: Author Marketing Experts, Inc.




I tend to be a little choosy when it comes to picture books. Basically, I choose them based on their story concepts, and I think having bright and colourful illustrations are essential too. The other thing I look for is the inspiration factor and how much my children will learn through the reading experience, and I am glad to say this book has met my 'requirements'.

This book mainly focus on the law of attraction as this allow your children to explore and develop their ability by using words, thoughts and actions in a more positively manner so as to enrich their life as they grow. The story features two star powered twins, named Grace and Jace, as they will guide your children to focus the beauty of gratitude, nature and words through the things they do with their family, aside from themselves as well. I find the overall experience not only educational but enriching too.

One of the concepts I love (and am practising) is "picture walk", whereby the parents will ask their children questions about the illustrations before reading. For example, who is in the picture? What is happening in the picture? What do you see? etc etc. As stated in the book, this is a powerful educational tool to ignite the children's interest in the story as well as to improve their comprehension skills.

Finally, there's a Gratitude Journal at the end of the book where your child will write some things they feel grateful for each day, as the author believes gratitude will add magic, love, and abundance into your child's life and I couldn't agree with her more on that!

Click here to learn more about the author and the book. There is also a column where you can download some fun activities for your children if you are interested.

Many thanks to Paula Krapf of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. for sending me the PDF version after noting that I have not received the review copy.

The Weight of Silence

In her examination of love, friendship, and family, Heather Gudenkauf provides the reading with a decent mystery, some suspense, and a lot of strong characters.  The Weight of Silence is a mystery wrapped in a family story, with a side of unrequited love thrown in.

While there are many characters, each given their own chapters, the story starts with Calli, a seven year old elective mute.  Her alcoholic father drags her into the woods early one morning, saying he is taking her to her "real" father's house.  Her mother, Antonia, asleep in the house, has no idea that she is gone.  Enter Martin, father of Calli's  best friend Petra, who is also missing.  They soon contact Deputy Sheriff Louis, an old flame of Antonia's and the man that her husband Griff believes is Calli's "real" father.  As the frantic search for the girls begins, the story of these adults and how their lives intersect unfolds.

As mysteries go this one is OK-I figured out who took Petra pretty early on.  There were just too many references to a seemingly tangential character for it to be coincidence.  But what kept me hooked was the backstory of the adults.  Gudenkauf revealed just enough in each of her chapters, each told from a different point of view, to keep you wanting to know more.  While Calli's elective mutism doesn't seem entirely believable, it does provide the story with some suspense, as you wait to see if and when she will speak.  All in all this was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of days.

Miracle in Sumatra: The Story of Gutsy Gus by Jeanne McNaney (and a Merry Christmas to You!)

ISBN-13: 9780981453460
Publisher: Ovation Books
Published: October 2009

Illustrated by David Cochard
32 pgs
Ages 4-8
Source: Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists

Hello, everyone! Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog! I hope you have a wonderful week! I am currently enjoying my leave off, spending time with my family and guess what, I managed to squeeze in some time for my reading! I finished reading Miracle in Sumatra yesterday and enjoyed it very much! My five-year-old daughter has been intrigued with this book ever since she saw me taking it out from the package I received two days ago and I told her I will share the story with her after I have read and review it (Many thanks to Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for sending this book to me for review!).

So what is this book about? Basically it is a story about a young orangutan named Gutsy Gus and his courageous deed of saving his parents. One day, while he is out playing, his parents are captured by an animal trapper named Hunter. Hunter does not only capture orangutans, but he also capture chimpanzees, gorillas and even bonobos. However, he is not satisfied with his finds, and he wants to capture more. He decided to leave for Asia, Sumatra where there are enough orangutans for him to catch, but what he did not know is that the jungles of Asia had a protector (an angel) named Gabriella. She is the heavenly angel who watches over the forests of Sumatra.

Before Gus' parents are captured, little Gus is playing and he met a human girl named Maya. Maya's father is the boss of men who chopped down trees and sold them for wood to build houses and boats, and during an exploration trip she met Gus and is very fascinated by him. She offers a banana to him, and soon Gus follows her through the forest, happy to have her as a new friend. At this time, his parents are captured while looking for him and it is soon after that Gus and Maya heard the cries of his parents.

Gabriella knew about the trouble and offers an advice to Gus and Maya, for both of them have to work together to save Gus' parents.

Miracle in Sumatra: The Story of Gutsy Gus is both an entertaining and an educational read as it inspire young readers to be courageous and caring (there is a scene towards the end that touches me deeply) while in addition raises awareness about the environment and love and care for the endangered species (in this case the orangutans). Besides the enchanting story, I also loved the bright and colourful illustrations by David Cochard which further made this book lively and enjoyable. Miracle in Sumatra is definitely a keeper and I have a feeling that my daughter will love it too (she was born in the Year of Monkey and in her opinion, orangutans and monkeys are all the same).

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Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! May the warmth of this holiday season fill your home with books and happiness!

The True Spirit of Christmas
by Marajo Tenderass

Lots of people
Crowds everywhere
Rushing and pushing and shoving,
Going nowhere.
It's Christmas time again
Have to get all those things done
Hustle, bustle, quickly,
We must beat the sun.
Must get this and must get that
Maybe this nic, maybe that nak
When did it happen?
When did we lose track...
It's a race, yes it is
We are running, yes we are
But lets not forget
Before we get too far-
What is really really important
Doesn't take much to figure out
Take time to love
and love from the heart.

Weekly Geeks #13 (and a Children's Book Review)

This week's Weekly Geeks:

April 2nd was International Children's Book Day. And April is National Poetry Month. In celebration, I have two lovely options for you this week:

Option A: Be a kid!
You could read a picture book (or two or three) and share what you read.
Write up a post sharing your favorite books from childhood.
Write up a post about reading together with your child(ren).

Option B: Be a poet!
Write your own poem and share with us!
Write bookish ABC poems--ABC's of favorite authors, favorite books, favorite characters, favorite book blogs, or any combination of the above. Maybe even an ABC's of a bibliophile or book addict. (A is for...B is for...etc.)(For example, ABC's of Dr. Seuss)
Review a book you've read recently in haiku. (It doesn't need to be a poetry book you're reviewing, any book will do.) See Emilyreads for an idea of what I mean.
Read a poetry book and review it.
Participate in Poetry Friday (This week's host will be Carol's Corner.)

I chose Option A (reading together with your child).

ISBN-13: 9780763624422
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: September 2004
32 pgs
Illustrator: Anita Jeram


I found this book when I was browsing my books at a bookstore yesterday. The title caught my attention, and I bought it knowing that my 5-year-old girl will appreciate it.

Every night, before the three little cubs go to sleep, their Mummy and Daddy bears will tell them that they are the most wonderful baby bears in the world. But one day, the three cubs start to wonder if this is true. After all, they can't be all the best, can they? What if Mommy or Daddy like my brother or sister more than me? One would think.

Through the lovely illustrations by Anita Jeram, she convinces her young readers how different and unique each baby bear is and why they are all so special to Mommy and Daddy. I have to say Anita's illustrations have perfectly captured each bear's sentiment, and from an adult's perspective it really warms my heart.

While reading this story to my daughter, I could tell she was totally engrossed in the story and she was very much taken in by the situation and the expressions of the three little cubs. I am sure she could relate to this story because she has a younger sister who is now 6-months-old and she will sometimes tell us that we are showing more attention to the baby than her. She does love her little sister and is very protective of her, but it is just that she feels a little insecure about it. I suppose this is a stage where each and every elder child will go through, and I am happy this book has made her understand more about the situation and brought us even closer than before.