I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79, A.D. by Lauren Tarshis

 

Book Title: I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79 A.D.
Author: Lauren Tarshis
Book Series: I Survived (this one is book 10 out of 21 currently published)
Reading Level: middle-grade
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Content Rating: G (no concerns, though there are more mature themes present, such as slavery and gladiator violence mentioned)

I really love this book series! They are short (about 100 pages) historical fiction stories about kid characters who survive the various disasters. What a FANTASTIC way to introduce historical events to young readers. Home-schooling has long been a consideration for our family, and I feel like it may be coming sooner than later. I am almost positive this series will play a role in our history curriculum!

This particular book is about Marcus, a young slave boy in Pompeii. He was separated from his father, who was sold away 2 months before. In recent days, the city has been experiencing tremors and rumbling. While most simply endure the brief shakings and move on with life, believing its just the beast asleep in the mountain, Marcus has reason to believe there's more to it. When his dad miraculously arrives in the city as a Gladiator contender, his beliefs are affirmed. Now he must free his father and they must both escape before the "beast" inside Mount Vesuvius awakes.

Mario and the Stones by Katy Sloop Roberts

Book Title: Mario and the Stones
Author: Katy Sloop Roberts
Series: Luna and Fortuna
Reading Level: early middle-grade
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Content Rating: G

Superstitious Mario has broken a mirror and anticipates many years of bad luck. Mario is also grouchy and lazy, and the result is people shy away from him in every town. Hungry and bedraggled, he rests among olive trees. Thus he meets Luna, the owner of the trees; and her black cat Fortuna, who he studiously tried to avoid crossing. For trespassing, she requests he help her build a higher wall around her trees. She agrees to feed him while he works. Mario isn't very good at holding up his end of the bargain, but then, Luna and Fortuna have a few secrets too.

This is a cute and fast read, and it is full of great lessons to discuss with kids! Honesty, work ethic, integrity, choices and consequences... There are some great discussion starters here. My husband read this one a few weeks back, and he still talks to me about some of the things he found interesting in the book. 

I also love the inclusion of Italian words! What a fun way to introduce a language to young readers!

My daughter read this one and said she thought it was great!  I asked her what she learned from the book, and she said she learned being lazy doesn't pay.  She was also super excited to learn there is another book coming out all about Fortuna in April!

Mom & Me Book Club -- March 2022

 

Wow!  Where did March go?  I swear it feels like it came in like the Road Runner and went back out the same way!  It's been a busy month for sure.  Not only am I totally slacking on getting this post written, but I also slacked on developing good questions for our Mom and Me book club discussion this month.  Yikes.  We actually had an impromptu book club discussion on the way to school after I'd dropped off her younger brother and it was just the two of us in the car.  

I vow to do better for April.  But even so, March wasn't a wash.  We definitely discussed some great stuff in the short time we had, and this time my daughter even asked questions of her own!

Her questions were largely trivia questions (which gave us an opportunity to define what trivia questions are and why they are fun and important!  One of her questions was why did Captain Cook start feeling sick.  And her other question was what the names of all the baby penguins born to Captain Cook and Gerta were.

My questions were a little more general this time, but I aimed for a few thinking questions.  Here they are:

Did you like Mr. Popper's Penguins?  Her answer was yes!  And I knew it would be.  She loved this book!

What did you like so much about the book? 

Do you think the book was realistic?  Could it really have happened?

What do you think about the decisions Mr. Popper made in regards to the penguins and to his family?

I have to say, I am so excited she loved this book.  As for me...  It wasn't really my favorite.  But because she loved it so much, it bumps it up for me quite a bit.  And it's so completely innocent and perfect for young independent readers, and I really love that about it! 

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Book Title: The Wednesday Wars
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Reading Level: middle-grade and up (I'd recommend for upper-middle grade)
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG (no language or other concerns, but the content is a bit more mature as it is a coming-of-age type novel)
Tidbit: In this coming-of-age story, 7th-grader Holling Hoodhood tries to navigate his life with his work-obsessed father, his on-the-sidelines mother, his flower-child sister, and his teacher Mrs. Baker, who he is pretty sure hates him; while also figuring out life during the political unrest of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights issues in America.
Fun Quote: "I never thought being in seventh grade would mean so many death threats."

This book was nowhere on my radar until I saw a popular bookstagrammer share her top 10 most recommended books. I'm SO glad I stumbled upon that post, because this book is an absolute gem! I'm almost 100% sure it'll make my top 10 list for this year. I loved it!

This coming-of-age story follows Holling Hoodhood, a 7th grader at Camillo Junior High on Long Island. It's the Fall of 1967, and between the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, there is a lot of turmoil. But Holling's more immediate concern is how he going to survive Mrs. Baker's class on Wednesday afternoons when he is the only student who has neither Catechism nor Hebrew Class. Holling is pretty sure she hates him for that. 

Meanwhile, at home, he is trying to navigate the "perfect house," built by his architect father who can build houses but not homes; his high school sister who wants peace and not war; and a mom who watches from the sidelines. Yet in the middle of all this, Holling will learn about love, friendship, forgiveness, miracles, hope, and Shakespeare.

I can't even explain how much I loved this book. I laughed out loud so many times. And I FELT so much.  If you haven't read it, it is 100% worth your time. No content concerns, but it feels more mature in terms of understanding and relatability, so I recommend for 12 and up.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

 

Book Title: Mr. Popper's Penguins
Authors: Richard and Florence Atwater
Reading Level: Middle-Grade (all middle-grade)
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: G (no concerns)
Tidbit: When house-painter Mr. Popper receives a package from Australia containing a penguin, hilarious antics ensue!

Mr. Popper makes a living by painting houses and wall-papering walls. But his real dream has always been to travel, especially to Antarctica. Since that isn't a possibility, he instead immerses himself in books and radio shows about penguins, the Antarctic, and the explorations there of Admiral Drake. One day, Mr. Popper gets the surprise of his life when he opens a large box shipped to him from Antarctica, and life gets kind of crazy in the Popper house!

I thought this story was cute, though definitely unrealistic. But my 8 1/2 year old LOVED it.  She kept laughing while reading, and when I would tell her what part I was in, she would say,  "isn't that hilarious!?!" That alone endears the book to me a bit more. And I think it would make a super-fun family read-aloud!

There was a movie made of this book in the 2010s, I believe.  It stars Jim Carrey.  I checked it out from the library and planned to have an enjoyable movie night with my kids.  Well, we lasted about 15 minutes.  My kids weren't all that interested, and honestly, they changed the details of the book almost from the word go; with Mr. Popper being a saavy and somewhat conceited sales-man in the movie. I was bummed we couldn't enjoy it, but it may be fun for others!

Look for my Mom and Me Book Club post coming soon for this book!  (I'm just slacking a bit on it.)

Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

 

Book Title:  Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty
Author: Patrick Radden Keefe
Audiobook Performer: Patrick Radden Keefe
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Content Rating: R (for language, drug use)
Tidbit: A shocking look into the Sackler family and the drug that made them their billions (OxyContin) and helped America fall into an opioid crisis.

"Of course, Oxycontin was stronger than morphine, that was a simple fact of chemistry, but one that the company would need to carefully obscure. After all, there were only so many cancer patients... The real jackpot was non-malignant pain." 

My husband is sick of hearing me talk about this book, I'm sure. But I could not believe it. It completely blew my mind. Just this morning I was telling my dad about it. Let me go ahead and warn that my review will not do this book justice. I've been pondering this for a day and I know I won't find the right words. So check out my stories for the reviews that motivated me to read this book. 

I'm pretty naive in a lot of ways about the drug world. But even I had heard of the opioid crisis in America before this book. Well, this book takes you into the history of the Sackler family, the family who started Purdue Pharma. And Purdue Pharma produced and marketed OxyContin/Oxycodone. And that drug was largely responsible for the crisis. 

Deceit, infidelity, narcissism, greed, power, corruption (including in governmental agencies)... it's all here in the pages of this book. It kind of reminded me of another book I read about the Stock Market Crash in the 1980s called Den of Thieves. 

At 18 hours, this audiobook was a commitment... but I say this honestly: it never dragged for me. I was riveted. If you already have strong feelings against Big Pharma, this book won't give you warm fuzzies. 

"If the true personality of oxycodone was misunderstood by America's doctors, [Purdue] would not correct that misunderstanding; instead, they would exploit it."

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

 

Book Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Book Series: Tales From Alcatraz (Book 1 of 4)
Reading Level: Middle-Grade (I'd recommend for upper)
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG
Tidbit:  Twelve-year old Moose Flanagan's family has just moved to Alcatraz Island where his dad is now a prison guard and electrician.  Moose will have to come to terms with all the growing up which will come along with the move.

"Now I understand. When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else."

The Flanagan family has moved to Alcatraz Island, home (though not by choice) of the infamous Al Capone who is a resident of the prison. Moose Flanagan, whose father has taken on employment as a prison guard, is 12. He misses his old home and his old friends, and nothing about this new situation seems ideal. But it's 1935, good jobs are scarce, and Moose's parents are desperate to get his older sister Natalie (who loves lemon cake and counting things) into the Esther P. Marinoff school in San Francisco, a school that specializes in children with special needs. Though none of this is what Moose wants, he will learn that he can make new friends (even if one of them is the warden's daughter Piper, with whom Moose has a confusing relationship), and he'll learn a lot about love and what you might do for those you love. 

I love this book. I first read it when I was in library school, and the ending just gave me all the warm fuzzies. It's a beautiful coming-of-age story about a boy who comes to terms with being the younger brother of an autistic sister (though at the time the story is set, there was no term or diagnosis for Natalie's behaviors). 

We read this as a family read-aloud. My kids really enjoyed it, and I love that it gave us opportunities to talk about autism and how important it is for us to be loving and kind when others act differently. And the ending gave me just as many warm fuzzies this time as it did 15 years ago. 

That said, there are some mature themes in the book, which also led to some important conversations (like protecting our bodies and recognizing if someone is doing something wrong and what to do). And some puberty-related aspects of boyhood. I would definitely recommend parents be aware of the themes. And I would recommend for solo reading for 12+. I personally did some censoring while reading aloud to my 4 kids.

This is book 1 of the series of 4. I've read them all, but this one is my favorite.

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

 

Book Title: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Audiobook Performer: Richard Thomas
Audiobook Length: 9+ hours
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG (no real content concerns, but probably not engaging for a younger audience)

"There was little to lead one to suppose that Abraham Lincoln, nervously rambling the streets of Springfield that May morning, who scarcely had a national reputation - certainly nothing to equal any of the other three - who had served but a single term in Congress, twice lost bids for the Senate, and had no administrative experience whatsoever, would become the greatest historical figure of the 19th Century."

This book was so good. Usually, when I think of Abraham Lincoln, my thoughts are focused on his role in the emancipation of the slaves and the Civil War, or his assassination. Those are, of course, such vital aspects of him and his presidency. But I loved that this book was about so much more than that. 

To learn that Lincoln was running for the Republican nomination against men who were much more qualified and much more well-known than he was eye-opening. I had no idea. I feel like that fact alone could qualify this story to be part of a book I read last November called Seven Miracles That Saved America. 

But then, to see that each of those men whom he beat out for the nomination were men he requested to be part of his Cabinet was amazing. That, plus his response to some underhanded things done by certain members of that Cabinet, speak volumes about his character. 

And I LOVED how his friendship with Seward developed. 

I found out at the end of the audiobook that this was the abridged version.  I was somewhat disappointed, because it was so good, I think I could have listened to the whole thing!  So I am contemplating ordering the hard copy so I can read the book in its entirety one day.

Moon Over Sasova by Christopher Shaffer

 

Book Title: Moon Over Sasova: One American's Experience Teaching in Post-Cold War Slovakia
Author: Christopher Shaffer
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG-13 for a couple instances of strong language and more mature themes

This book was a happy surprise for me! I bought it for two reasons: 1. because the author is a former boss of mine, and I like to support the dreams of people I know (and people I don't know too), and 2. I've never read anything about Europe post-Cold War, and the more I read about history, the more interested I am to learn about new things. 

This memoir is a collection of brief stories of the author's experiences teaching English in Slovakia for 6 months in 1993. This was less than 5 years after the Iron Curtain came down, so there were a lot of interesting things happening, especially to the view of an American. Though the focus is on Mr. Shaffer's experiences, I appreciate how he weaved bits of history and Slovak culture into the narrative. I feel like I learned quite a few things about Slovakia during the time when the people there were trying to break free from the communism way of life they'd been living under for so long. The author notes that there have continued to be changes for good in Slovakia in the years since his teaching stint in 1993 (he returned in 2007 for a visit). 

Perhaps it is because I know the author personally and could picture the events, but I laughed quite a few times. 

Lightning Down by Tom Clavin

 

Book Title: Lightning Down: A World War II Story of Survival
Author: Tom Clavin
Audiobook Performer: George Newbern
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG-13, possibly R for concentration camp related descriptions
Tidbit: When Joe Moser's P-38 Lightning goes down behind enemy lines, he finds himself a prisoner of war and resident of Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

Joe Moser was the pilot of a P-38 Lightning, one of the best American fighting aircraft of World War 2. While flying a mission over occupied France, his plane went down. He survived by was captured by the Nazis and, though it was completely against the Geneva Convention's terms, was taken to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, rather than Prisoner of War camp as he expected. This is his story of surviving some of the most harrowing treatment of human beings during this war. 

I listened to this on audio, and for the majority of it, I was pretty committed to a 3.5 star rating. Not sure if it was just listening to it on audio that made it more "ok" to me than other WW2 books, or what. I struggled a lot on focusing with this one, but I also had trouble following when I was focused. I feel like the author brought in far too much "extra," which, while informative, I felt it detracted from Joe's story and so I felt less connected to him. For example, there was A LOT of mechanical/technical talk about the different jets being constructed for the war and by which companies at the beginning of the book. While somewhat interesting, I just didn't feel it added to Joe's story. The author also gave a lot of history about other captives in Buchenwald, such as how they got to be there. Again, interesting (and often very sad), but it took the focus away from Joe Moser's story for me. 

There was a lot I learned from this book, though. And what ultimately pushed my rating up was the end of the book. Tears came to my eyes several times hearing the descriptions of certain things. As a mother, I ached to think of what it must be like to rejoice that your son is in a POW camp because the alternative is that he is dead or missing. It broke my heart to hear that many Americans, because the concentration camps weren't widely known about, didn't believe the stories of those Allied airmen who endured Buchenwald. How upsetting that would be to one who endured such horrors. 

Despite the hard parts of the book, the end was wonderful.  I definitely think it's worth a read (or a listen!) if you are inclined toward WW2 reading.

Divine Signatures by Gerald N. Lund

 

Book: Divine Signatures: the Confirming Hand of God
Author: Gerald N. Lund
Series: Divine Guidance (Book 2 of 4)
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: G

"What we call coincidence is God's way of letting Himself be known."

There are many reasons I really enjoyed this book. It gave me so many warm fuzzy feelings. Because I 100% believe we are so loved by our Heavenly Father that He arranges blessings and circumstances in our lives to help us and show us His love. I know I've seen His divine signatures in my life... those little moments that can be dismissed as mere coincidence or luck, but I know they aren't.

This book is full of real-life examples of such divine signatures. I loved those best. Many of them gave me a happy tingly feeling. The other aspects of the book weren't as engaging, but were still good. This book was definitely a wonderful Sunday read for me.

And it was especially sweet as I turned the page today and found a scripture that has special significance to me. It was a sweet reminder that I needed today. I'm grateful to be reminded my Heavenly Father is aware of me and my little family in our tiny little corner of the universe.

Frindle by Andrew Clements

 

Book: Frindle
Author: Andrew Clements
Reading Level: Middle Grade (3rd through 5th grade would be most interested)
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: G

Fifth grader Nick Allen is a good student. At the same time, he is known for his streak of mischief. He's gifted at getting teachers side-tracked, thereby getting he and his classmates out of work. But the 5th grade Language Arts teacher has a reputation too: she knows all the tricks students try to pull, and there is no nonsense in her classroom. Nick has other plans, however, and after a class lesson about words, he decides to invent a new one and see how his teacher likes it. Then things go a little further then he had intended. 

Definitely a cute story! I chuckled out loud a couple times. A very fun premise, too!  Word origins have actually intrigued me, and I think it's funny that we have seen the creation of new words in our lifetimes, like texting and Instagram and Facebook!

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

 

Book: Charlotte's Web
Author: E. B. White
Reading Level: Middle-grade
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: G

My daughter's 3rd-grade class started reading this, and I realized I've never actually read it! I've seen the cartoon movie (was it made in the 1980s? That's when I watched it!), so I knew the story. But I'd never read the book! So I set about to remedy that.

That cartoon movie follows the book so well that I almost feel as though I HAD read the book. And while reading the book, I couldn't help but hear the movie's songs in my head:

I open up and talk! Talk talk talk talk, I can talk!

The fair is a veritable smorgasbord...

I guess what struck me most with reading this book as an adult was how it deals with the topic of death (quite a bit) for a young audience in a way they can relate to. Death is a hard and heavy subject for most people, but especially for children. I think it's handled well here.

There are other, happier themes in the book too, though. Friendship, of course, and love. I think those themes help balance the heavier topics.

Chocolate Roses by Joan Sowards

 

Title: Chocolate Roses: A Jane Eyre Parody
Author: Joan Sowards
My Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG (no concerns, but not appealing to anyone younger than 18 most likely)

I don't generally gravitate toward romance books. And I didn't buy this book for myself. A very kind lady in my church congregation gave it to me, because she knows I love to read.  I stuck it on my bookshelf and mostly forgot about it. Then I tried to be cute for Bookstagram and read a romance for Valentine's Day. And stick with my goal to only read books from my tbr or my bookshelves. And this is how I ended up reading this book.

This book, which is said to be a parody of Jane Eyre, is about a young-ish chocolatier who is pining for one of her regular customers.  As the story unfolds, we learn his life is anything but convenient, and he's definitely not available. But somehow, our main character will find herself embroiled in the troubles of her dream-beau, and her life won't be so easy and predictable anymore.

Which can't really be said for the book.  It was quite predictable, and I had to suspend all belief while reading the story.  It's definitely for a Latter-Day Saint audience, but I felt the author's use of Latter-Day Saint culture was a bit (maybe more than a bit) over the top.

On the plus side: it's a super clean story.  There aren't any content concerns, and it could definitely be considered a palate cleanser between heavy reads.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

 

Book Title: Heidi
Author: Johanna Spyri
Reading Level: Middle-Grade/YA (grade 5 through 8)
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Content Rating: G

I'm 41 years old and this is the first time I've ever read this sweet Children's Classic! This was our most recent family read aloud. I thought it was wonderful! My husband and kids enjoyed it as well (though my 6 year old son wasn't as enthralled as my girls were).

Heidi is a little orphan girl whose aunt takes her to live with her grandfather, the crotchety old man the villagers all call Alm-Uncle, high up in the Swiss Alps. But Heidi's innocence and pure love change her grandfather and all who come to know her in both the Alps and in Frankfurt where she is later taken to be a companion for a young girl who is wheelchair-bound.

There were some laugh-out-loud moments, and a lot of sweetness. And while I don't think it's an accurate depiction of real life, I still think it's a wonderful book with so much goodness. I can see why it's considered a classic.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

 

Book Title: The Mysterious Benedict Society
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Audiobook Performer: Del Roy
Series: The Mysterious Benedict Society
Reading Level: Middle-Grade (grade 5-7)
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Content Rating: G

I thoroughly enjoyed this middle-grade book!

Reynie, Kate, Constance, and Sticky are all very intelligent kids who never knew each other before they all passed Mr. Benedict's strange test - and who all happen to be orphans. But now they are the only hope to prevent the really bad thing that looms on the horizon. To fulfill their mission, they find themselves enrolled at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened in order to spy on Mr. Curtain and the curious things happening on Nomansan Island. But the mission is very dangerous, and they'll have to rely on each other if they hope to succeed.

The story was engaging and had a lot of depth. I definitely recommend! I enjoyed listening to it on audio and thought the performer did a fantastic job.

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

 

Book Title: Taste: My Life Through Food
Author:  Stanley Tucci
Audiobook Performer: Stanley Tucci
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG-13, possibly R for multiple uses of strong language
Tidbit: Stanley Tucci shares the stories of his life as it revolved around food from before his birth to almost-present day.

In this memoir, Stanley Tucci tells the stories of his life as they pertained to his culinary experiences.  The memoir is written mostly in chronological order, starting with a brief introduction of his parents and how they met and married.  The stories go right up through the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020.  

I listened on audiobook, and I liked that I recognized his voice from the movies in which I'd seen him in the past.  I did check out the hard copy for reference to the recipes he includes (which I think is a fun addition to his memoir).  

I started out really enjoying this book.  Some of his stories of his family, and the way he told the stories made me chuckle out loud.  About mid-way, though the strong language (particularly the F word) started being used quite a bit.  I may not have minded so much about that in the hard copy, since I can see it coming and skim over it.  But with an audiobook, I couldn't anticipate it, so I was stuck getting that full-force.  And he would often really emphasize and draw out the word, so that made it even less desirable for me.  And he also started coming across more snobbish and pompous as the book went on.  I wasn't expecting that, and I was kind of disappointed in it.  

So, while it was fun to hear about his life through food, it did lack some of the details I think would have been interesting, and there were a couple big things that didn't really work for me.