APRIL 13, 2012
Christian the Lion by Anthony Bourke & John Rendall
Christian was introduced to the world in an emotional YouTube video and instantly touched the hearts of many people like me, who love animals and know they also feel love and attachment as equally strong for us.
The back story of the video is described in this book, as two friends, Ace and John, searching for holiday gifts in London, discover a lion cub for sale in a department store. They take him home and exercise him in the garden of a nearby church, but quickly realize their pet needs more care than they can give him. They begin looking for alternate living options for the young lion, knowing that zoos and circuses will not be considered. Running an antique store, luck was on their side when actors from the movie "Born Free" visited. They put the men in touch with a man named George Adamson, a man portrayed in the movie who worked with lions in real life. He was preparing to release a group of lions in Kenya and hoped that Christian could be released with them. Christian first needed to learn skills to prepare him for his new life, so Ace and John moved Christian to a temporary home where he met two other lions being released. They all make the trip to Kenya together when Christian is finally released into the wild. The famous video shows their reunion one year later. This book isn't written for literary merit, but is a nice, easy to read story for kids ages 8 and up who want to know more about the video. It includes photographs of Christian as a playful and loving companion. Additional information is provided at the end of the book about Kenya and other wild animals living there. Another similar book that might be of interest is "Born Free", which is mentioned in this book.
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APRIL 5, 2012
No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis
Valli lives and breathes coal. Adults mine the coal, children collect the coal. In Jharia, few children go to school. Valli can read, but doesn’t go to school. She collects coal, to earn money for her family. Children find amusement by throwing rocks and coal at the disfigured “monsters,” who lived on the other side of the tracks. Valli learns that her “family,” is not her family after all, and she is relieved. She hitches a ride on the back of a coal truck, and makes her way to Kalkata (Calcutta). Here, she enjoys the hustle and bustle of the big city, and the freedom of being on her own. She takes what she needs, and returns what she has borrowed. She has no shoes, but instead, relies on her “magic feet,” to take her anywhere she goes. Even when she climbs a barbed wire fence, she feels no pain on her feet.
One day, Valli meets Dr. Indra, a specialist in leprosy. Valli is shocked to discover that she (Valli) has leprosy. Dr. Indra wants to help cure Valli’s leprosy. Will Valli accept the treatment, or will she remain on the streets? Read to find out what this plucky heroine will do next! A glossary of Indian terms and information about leprosy are included. Recommended for grades 3-6.
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APRIL 4, 2012
Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes
Twelve year old, Joylin is a girl who loves sports.
She is comfortable in old shoes, well- worn jeans and her hair in a ponytail.
She can survive on the basketball court
along side the best of the guys.
However, what appears to be beyond her control are things happening to Joylin in her body and in her thinking.
Definitely, her emotions are changing.
With all the changes, Joylin is struggling to find out who she is becoming.
She has two friends, one a boy and one a girl.
They help Joylin discover she is really the same person she always has been.
This book is written in a poetic format but tells the story of that mysterious time in life we all go through.
It has real humor probably more so to us who look back on this time rather than those in the middle of hormonal changes.
A delightful read for reluctant readers can be found in this book and most suitable reading for those in grades 5-8.
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APRIL 4, 2012
Harry Houdini The Legend of the World's Greatest Escape Artist by Janice Weaver
Magic and illusion plus skill explain some of the acts performed by famous escape artist, Harry Houdini.
Ehrich Weiss was born in 1874 in Budapest, Hungary. As a young boy, he loved to swing from ropes, tumble and twist himself into unusually odd shapes. Due to persecution in Europe towards Jewish people, Ehrich’s father moved the family to Appleton, Wisconsin. Ehrich was from a large family of boys and eventually one sister.
Life was difficult for the Weiss family. All the children had to go to work to help support the family. After moving to America, Ehrich became Harry by name. Eventually he and his father moved to New York looking for better wages to support the family. After many small odd jobs, Harry began to get the attention of people with his tricks. Harry read the book, The Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, a world famous magician at the time. Harry developed a stage name for himself of Harry Houdini. He knew he wanted to pursue entertaining with his stunts and magic.
As Harry grew older, his tricks and stunts became more sophisticated. He had challenging magicians coming to the stage and Harry had to be able to be “the best.” Harry was known for his ability to escape chains, jails, water tanks and death defying acts. Some of his stunts are explained and some are left to our wonderment. Harry had a stunning way of twisting and shaping his body in extremely fast motions that allowed his escape in most of his stunts.
Harry died on Halloween in 1926. He had a ruptured appendix that lead to infection. As sad as it was, many felt his death on Halloween was significant. This book is loaded with great pictures and memorabilia from Houdini’s time. It is most suitable reading for those interested in grades 4-adulthood.
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