A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban, for the #1970Club

Frances the Badger is best known for refusing to go to sleep (Bedtime for Frances), being unadventurous about food (Bread and Jam for Frances), disgruntled about her new sibling (A Baby Sister for Frances), exploring friendship (Best Friends for Frances) and upset that it is not her birthday (A Birthday for Frances) but in this book she deals with something familiar to at least some of us – a sneaky friend.

The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen - with particular attention to March

Title: The Year at Maple Farm
Authors: Alice and Martin Provensen
Publication: Atheneum, hardcover, 1978
Genre: Picture book

Description: This book chronicles a year on a farm, starting in January during the cold, grey days of winter, through spring and rebirth, the sense of change in the fall air, to the end of the year in December.

Something Worth Saving (Book Review)

Title: Something Worth Saving

Author: Sandi Ward

Publication: Kensington, trade paper, 2018

Genre: Fiction

Plot: A boy and his cat. It’s an unconventional friendship, but for Charlie and Lily, it works beautifully. It was Charlie who chose Lily from among all the cats in the shelter. He didn’t frown, the way other humans did, when he saw her injured back leg, the legacy of a cruel previous owner. Instead, Charlie insisted on rescuing her. Now Lily wants to do the same for Charlie.

She’s the only one who’s seen the bruises on Charlie’s body. If she knew who was hurting him, she’d scratch their eyes out. But she can’t fix this by herself. Lily needs to get the rest of the family to focus on Charlie—not easy when they’re wrapped up in their own problems. Charlie’s mother kicked his father out weeks ago and has a new boyfriend who seems charming, but is still a stranger. Oldest son Kevin misses his father desperately. Victoria, Charlie’s sister, also has someone new in her life, and Lily is decidedly suspicious. Even Charlie’s father, who Lily loves dearly, is behaving strangely.

Lily knows what it’s like to feel helpless. But she also knows that you don’t always have to be the biggest or the strongest to fight fiercely for the ones you love . . .

Audience: This is an unusual book that will appeal to animal lovers and those who just enjoy quirky fiction

Purchase Links: Barnes &Noble * IndieBound * Books-A-Million * Amazon

My Impressions: This was a fun read about a family going through a difficult time after the parents separated, and three teen siblings, Kevin, Victoria, and Charlie are coping in different ways.   The story is told from the perspective of Lily, the family cat, in a way that is surprisingly convincing.   Her determination to protect Charlie, the boy who chose her as an abused kitten, is endearing.   Lily is only an expert of what she sees – and she is vulnerable to anyone who provides a good snuggle – but she shows insight and her point of view is unexpectedly funny.    While I did not care for Mark, the character who eventually becomes one of Lily’s favorites, I enjoyed both her fierce loyalty to shy Charlie, as he deals with adolescent stress, and her relationship with the family dog, Gretel, a scary German Shepherd:

Feeling a little jealous, I run forward and push my wet nose into Mark’s leg to put my scent onto him.  I’m not surprised when he reaches down with two hands and scoops me up. 

Look, this is not a competitive thing , but – no one can pick up Gretel. She’s huge.  I’m the right size for a cuddle.

Off the Blog: It is Super Bowl Sunday so everything is Go Patriots in Boston and in my family!

Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the author and TLC Book Tours for review purposes. You can visit the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and check out other stops on the tour and read the reviews by clicking below:

Tour Schedule

Monday, January 21st: Peppermint PhD

Monday, January 21st: Read Till Dawn

Tuesday, January 22nd: A Bookish Affair

Thursday, January 24th: Jessicamap Reviews

Friday, January 25th: Ms. Nose in a Book

Monday, January 28th: Broken Teepee

Tuesday, January 29th: A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, January 30th: Instagram: @rendezvous_with_reading

Thursday, January 31st: Instagram: @books.tea.quotes

Tuesday, February 5th: Based on a True Story

Wednesday, February 6th: Books and Bindings

TBD: Instagram: @ladyofthelibrary

Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don't Do Bedtime (Book Review)

Title: Penguin & Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime
Author: Cate Berry
Illustrator: Charles Santoso
Publication: Hardcover, Balzer & Bray/Harper Collins, May 2018
Genre: Children’s Picture Book

Plot: Penguin and Tiny Shrimp DO NOT have a bedtime story to share with you.

There are no soft beds or cozy covers here. There are fireworks! And shark-infested waters!!

This book will never make you sleepy. Not at all. Not even a little. . .

Enjoy their adventures while they avoid bedtime!

Audience: Toddlers – and their bedtime story readers! Fans of my favorite, Bedtime for Frances.

My Impressions: As the aunt of eight children who never want to go to bed, I found this book very charming. It begins with Penguin in PJs and Tiny Shrimp sporting a night cap but they make it clear they are not interested in bedtime. And yet, when they say there is nothing in this book about big soft beds or super-squishy pillows . . . then they test out the bed and exclaim, “Ohhhhhh, squishy pillows.” I must say, this was my favorite line in the book – every night I procrastinate about going to bed (sometimes doing quite valid things like cleaning bathrooms) but when I slide into bed it is so delicious that I wonder why I waited until 1 am to do so!

This is a debut picture book, full of humor that will appeal to the reader and the child, from the talented duo of Berry and Santoso. The quirky illustrations perfectly complement the text. I don’t understand how the Penguin and Tiny Shrimp became friends so would have liked a little more story but maybe we’ll find out in the future - I hope this will be a series and they will have more adventures in the future. In the meantime, the book would be a great gift for a baby shower or a preschooler in your life.

Purchase Links:  HarperCollins * Barnes & Noble * IndieBound * Amazon

Author: Watch author Cate Berry read this book aloud. Visit her at www.cateberry.com to learn more about her. You can follow her on Twitter, @cberrywriter. You can also follow illustrator Charles Santoso: @minitreehouse and the publisher, @balzer+bray and @harperchildrens.

Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and TLC Book Tours for review purposes. You can visit other stops on the tour and read the reviews by clicking below:

Tour Stops

Tuesday, May 8th: Instagram: @jackiereadsbooks

Monday, May 14: Instagram: @ladyofthelibrary

Tuesday, May 15th: Wining Wife

Wednesday, May 16th: Instagram: @hollyslittlebookreviews

Thursday, May 17th: Time 2 Read

Friday, May 18th: Instagram: @thepagesinbetween

Tuesday, May 22nd: Instagram: @_literary_dreamer_

Wednesday, May 23rd: Instagram: @theliteraryllama

TBD: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews

* Image above copyright to HarperCollins

H is for Hawk (Book Review)

Title: H is for Hawk
Author: Helen Macdonald
Publication: Grove Press, 2014, Hardcover
Genre: Memoir/Nature

Plot: When Helen Macdonald unexpectedly loses her father, the only way she can endure her grief is to take on the challenge of training a goshawk, using a little known book by the author of The Once and Future King as her guide and retreating from friends and colleagues to an isolated cottage, where she can immerse herself in falconry – and where she becomes as feral as the creature she is trying to tame.

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White (Book Review)

Title: Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White
Author: Melissa Sweet with Afterword by Martha White
Publication: 2016, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Hardcover
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction

Description: This is an illustrated biography of the beloved author of Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, created by a gifted artist of mixed media. It starts with his childhood and provides a vivid depiction of young Elwyn’s, later called Andy, childhood in NYC and first exposure to Maine. His love of country life in Maine gave him deep pleasure and enabled him to craft stories about anthropomorphic characters that have entertained generations of children.

The One and Only Ivan (Book Review)

Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author: Katherine Applegate

Publication Information: Harper, hardcover, 2012 – Newbery Medal 2013

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Plot: Ivan, a Silverback gorilla, has lived for years in a cage the Exit 8 Big Top mall and video arcade. His only friends are Stella, a tired elephant; Bob, a quirky homeless dog; and Julia, whose father cleans the arcade and Ivan’s cage at night.  Ivan is mostly resigned to his lot and, encouraged by Julia, entertains himself by drawing.  When customers stop coming to the Big Top, owner Mack purchases a baby elephant, Ruby, to pull in the crowds.   When Stella realizes she can’t protect Ruby, she makes it clear to Ivan it’s up to him to make sure Ruby doesn’t die in captivity.

What I liked: I certainly don’t know what a gorilla’s voice sounds like but Applegate did an amazing job making me forget anything but Ivan’s story.  It is understated and sad, but charming at the same time.  Ivan has blotted out his memories (of a happy childhood) so as to endure captivity and has a hard time coming up with a story for the baby elephant, Ruby, but he is the type of resolute character who doesn’t let his friends down.  However, Bob, the dog named by the insightful Julia, had more personality, and I am glad he had a happy ending.  I was very aware of all the dreadful ways this book could have ended, and was grateful to be spared.  I was also struck by the way Ivan revealed his real name was Mud, and it reminded me of how slaves sometimes had their own names but their owners called them whatever they felt like.

What I disliked: I am not a big fan of animal stories, so this was not my kind of book although I did enjoy it.  I probably would have picked Wonder, which I thought was really exceptional, had I been judging the Newbery Awards.  However, I did not read all the contenders and neither one is the type of book I loved as a child or teen.

Newbery Awards: For a complete list, click here.  The Hero and the Crown (1985) and The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1968) are probably my two favorite winners.  Nowadays, Robin McKinley might be considered YA; a Printz candidate instead.  And where is that next Damar book, anyway?

Source: I bought Ivan last month for my nephews but it might be too sad for them!

(photo is of a Silverback gorilla but is not the real Ivan that the book was inspired by)