Alabama Moon DVD 2009

Title:   Alabama Moon
Publisher: Faulkner-McLean Entertainment Year: 2009
Media: Film
This film is for Ages:  8 and up
Rating: PG
Subjects/Themes: Self Reliance, Trust, Death, Runaways Orphans

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Moon Blake lives in the forests of Alabama with his anti-government father.  When his father is injured and dies Moon is left of his own to travel to Alaska, where his father told him to homestead.  Moon is captured by a mean spirited constable and taken to the local home for boys.  Moon quickly escapes bringing his new friends Kit and Hal along.  The boys run from the constable and begin an adventure in the woods.   The boys encounter trouble and more trouble that tests their friendship and leads Moon to a new life.

Review:  This movie was great fun for a family movie night.  Jimmy Bennett does a good job playing the role of a scared and determined and bewildered boy who is learning the truth about the world in which he lives.  The relationship between Moon and Kit is a strong one that helps explain the transformation of Moon from recluse to a ordinary boy.  While I have not read the book I hope it does a better job of establishing the relationship between Moon and Hal.  Hal does something pretty nice for Moon at the end of the movie and I was disappointed with the consequences Hal suffers as a result.  The movie is a good family movie.  It has a generous touch of  adventure and sadness but like Moon  this movie is always hopeful.

If you like this film you may also like the book Alabama Moon by Watt Key and the Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.

The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron

Title:   The Higher Power of Lucky

Author:  Susan Patron

Reader:  Cassandra Campbell

Publisher:  Listening Library (Audio unabridged)  Year: 2007

ISBN:  978-0739338797

Media:  Digital Download

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8-12

Awards:  ALA Notable, Newbery Medal

AR Points: 5.0          

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Adoption, Death, Hope, Addiction

Plot Summary:  10-year-old Lucky lives in Hard Pan California where the population is 43.  Two years ago, Lucky’s mother died in an accident.  Since then Lucky has learned to carry a survival kit. Brigitte her father’s first wife is Lucky’s guardian.  Bridgitte is homesick for Paris.   Lucky listens in to the Anonymous meetings at the center where she works.  She understands the need for a higher power but just can’t seem to find hers.   Lucky learns secrets about her friends and neighbors, secrets that can hurt people if she tells.  Sometimes Lucky’s meanness gland goes into overdrive.   Lucky is too wrapped up in her own pain to recognize the hurt in others and leads her to rock bottom.

Review:  This is a good book.  It deals with adult issues that many children have to face: the death of a parent, abandonment by a parent, feelings of isolation, and the need to find a reason for hardships of life.  Susan Patron’s characters are well developed.  Miles is a foil for Lucky, a version of her that is slowly being left behind.  He goes through the same changes she does.  Lucky searches for meaning, prayer, and tries to evaluate herself and her morals.  This is a good story.  I am not sure the major themes can be appreciated by all of  the audience for which it was written.

If you like this book you may also like: Lucky Breaks and Lucky for Good also by Susan Patron.

Egypt Game, By Zilpha Keatly Snyder

Title:   Egypt Game

Author:  Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers    Year: 2009, c 1967, 1995

ISBN:  978-1-4169-9051-2

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8-12

Awards:  Newbery Honor, ALA Notable Book

AR Points: 7.0          

Subjects/Themes: Egypt/Mystery/Make Believe

Plot Summary:  11-year-old April Hall has just moved from Hollywood to Northern California to live with her grandmother while her mother and singer Dorthea Dawn is on tour.  She meets Melanie and her younger brother, Marshall who live downstairs.  Together they start the Egypt Game, an intricate game with rituals to honor ancient Egyptian gods, in the back lot of the Professor’s A-Z Antique Shop.   Soon they are joined in the game by Elizabeth, Toby and Ken.  When a young girl is murderer from their neighborhood, April and the other children must be on guard.  Lots of people are wondering who the murderer is.  Could it be the Professor?  Soon strange things are happening in the game.  Will the police capture the murderer before another child is killed?

Review:  This book is especially good for sixth graders in California studying ancient Egypt.   April has a hard time trusting the new people in her life.  She desperately wants to believe that her mother is going to bring her back to Hollywood. But she is able to escape those concerns in the Egypt game.  The Egypt game reminds me that imagination, books, movies, television and games are all quick escapes for our daily worries.

If you like this book you may also like: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson

Goose Chase By Patrice Kindl

Title:   Goose Chase

Author:  Patrice Kindl

Publisher: Scholastic Press    Year: 2002 c2001

ISBN:  0-439-52039-8

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy/Adventure

This book is for Ages: 9-12

AR Points: 8.0          

Subjects/Themes: Orphans, Princesses, Geese,

Plot Summary:  14-year-old Alexandria Aurora Fortunata is an orphaned Goose Girl.  Happily having a tea party with her 12 geese when a hungry old hag comes along, Alexandria gives the old woman all her food, just a bit of bread and a little water.  The hag is a witch who casts a spell on Alexandria.  Alexandria is now more beautiful than the dawn.  She has enchanted golden hair complete with gold dust dandruff and her tears are diamonds.  Soon the townspeople find out.  The Prince and neighboring King both want to marry her they lock her in a tower until she decides who she will wed, but Alexandria just wants to be a goose girl.  Can her geese help her escape so she can go back home?  Alexandria embarks on a magical journey with a spectacular ending.

Review:  I enjoyed this book.  Kindl’s small and delicate stitches create a magical story with elements from Rapunzel and the Six Swans.  Alexandria is clever.   Her geese are quick and try to keep her out of trouble.  Kindl’s imaginative use of ordinary objects reminds me of the magical berries that grew in my own backyard when I was a child.  It was always amazing to see what they could do.  Kindl’s story is full of  originality and style.

If you like this book you may also like:  The Fairy’s Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep or Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.  You may also like Dealing with Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede.

 Text of video:  Welcome everyone.  Today’s video is about Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl  Where “living in a fairy tale isn’t all it’s cracked up to be”.   14-year-old Alexandria Aurora Fortunata is an orphaned Goose Girl.  She is happily having a tea party with her 12 geese.  A hungry old hag comes along so Alexandria gives the old woman all her food, which is just a bit of bread, and a little water.  The hag is really a fairy in disguise who casts an enchantment on Alexandria.  Suddenly Alexandria is more beautiful than the dawn.  She has enchanted golden hair complete with gold dust dandruff,  Alexandria’s tears turn into diamonds.  Soon everyone knows of Alexandria’s enchantment.  The wicked king from the next kingdom, who has a heart like a lump of coal wants to marry her and so does the young, handsome and but boring Prince of her kingdom.  Together they lock her in a tower until she decides which one of them she will marry, but Alexandria just wants to be a goose girl.  With the help of her geese, she manages a high flying escape right into the clutches of an Ogress.  Alexandria embarks on a magical journey full of imagination with a spectacular ending. To find out what happens read goose chase by Patrice Kindl

Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor

Title:  Shiloh

Author:  Phylllis Reynolds Naylor

Publisher:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers     Year:  2000

ISBN:  978-0-689-31614-2

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 10 - 14

Awards:  Newbery Medal

AR Points: 4.0

Series:   Shiloh

Subjects/Themes: Dogs/West Virginia/Trust/Small Towns

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Marty is out for a walk practicing shooting when a young beagle begins following him.  The beagle is so thin you can see his ribs, and he has tics.  When the beagle follows Marty home, Marty decides to call him Shiloh.  Judd Travers is Marty’s ill-tempered neighbor; he kicks his dogs and shoots deer out of season.  Shiloh is Judd’s dog.  Marty’s father makes him return Shiloh even though Marty is sure Shiloh is unhappy and abused by Travers.  When Shiloh runs away again Marty must choose between right and wrong.  Is it right to take the dog back to Judd when he thinks it is being abused?  Is it wrong to keep the dog and lie to his mama and papa?  What is Marty going to do?

Review:   Marty is a good boy.  He cares for his little sisters; he loves his mother and respects his father.  He is faced with a tough question about right and wrong when he finds Shiloh.  Judd is mean, but Naylor gives us enough of a glimpse into his life to make us wonder what abuses he has suffered. Naylor’s description of Marty’s relationship with Shiloh is pure puppy love. Shiloh will warm your heart.

If you like this book you may also like: Shiloh Season, and Saving Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor or Old Yeller by Fred Gipson.

Operation Yes by Sarah Lewis Homes

Title:  Operation YES

Author:  Sarah Lewis Holmes

Publisher: Brilliance Audio   Year:  2011

Read by:  Jessica Almasy

Media: CD Unabridged Playing Time: 6 hours

ISBN:  978-1-61106-079-9

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8 - 14

Awards:  Audie Award for Best Audio Recording for Ages 8-12 (2010)

AR Points: 7.0

Subjects/Themes: Teachers/Students/Military Families/War/Hope

Plot Summary:  Bo is sure his 6^th grade year is going to be different.  He has a new teacher, Miss Loupe, who has a tattoo and an ugly green couch.  His cousin, Gari, is coming to live with his family at the air force base.  Her mom an army nurse has been deployed.  Gari is in the sixth grade too.  Bo and Gari share a year learning to say “Yes, and  . . .” as Miss Loupe shares her ideas theater and improvisation with the 6^th graders.  When tragedy strikes, Bo, Gari and the students of Mrs. Loupe’s sixth grade class try to restore hope to Miss Loupe, the school and soldiers.

Review:   Holmes reveals the interesting life of military children.  Bo is a typical 6^th-grade-boy.  He is a little rowdy.  He likes airplanes and cars.  He struggles with the responsibility of being the base commander’s son.  His cousin Gari worries about her mom being deployed to Iraq.  The story deals with the special challenges faced by children of American soldiers.  Holmes book is happy, sad, strong and hopeful.  This book is a must read.

If you like this book you may also like:  Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, The Military Alphabet By Chris Demarest.

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

Title:   Old Yeller

Author:  Fred Gipson

Publisher: Scholastic Year:  c1956

ISBN:  0-38-439-15963-6

Genre: Fiction/Historical

This book is for Ages: 8-14

Awards: Newbery Honor Book        

 Subjects/Themes: Frontier-life/Dogs

Plot Summary:   14-year-old Travis is in charge of taking care of his family farm while Papa is on a 600-mile cattle drive to Abilene.  The day after Papa leaves a “big yeller dog” shows up at the family farm. The dog had eaten the last of the family’s meat.  Travis cannot stand the dog, but when Travis’ five-year-old brother Little Arliss meets old yeller they have an instant bond.  Travis must put up with Arliss and old yeller into mischief and making his work around the farm harder.  Travis soon learns that Old Yeller is a good hunting dog.  When Old Yeller saves Arliss from an angry mama bear Travis realizes Old Yeller will do anything to protect the family.

Review:  Old Yeller is a good story with lots of action.   Gipson describes the busy life on the farm in the Texas frontier including, hunting and chores in a captivating book you won’t want to put down.  Travis is a strong character who takes his role as provider seriously.  Old Yeller is a lovable rascal and an excellent story for dog lovers everywhere.

If you like this book you may also like:  Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls; Old Yeller (VHS or DVD) Disney; Hatchet, Gary Paulsen

Bud, Not Buddy by Christoper Paul Curtis

Title:   Bud, Not Buddy

Author:  Christopher Paul Curtis

Publisher: Scholastic Year:  2002 c

ISBN:  0-439-22188-9

Genre: Fiction/Adventure/Historical

This book is for Ages: 8-12

Awards: Newbery Medal; Coretta Scott King Award

AR Points:  8.0 

Subjects/Themes: Family, Finding Your Place in the World,

Plot Summary:  After his mother’s death, Bud Caldwell is shuffled from the orphanage to foster home after foster home.  He finally has his fill of the cruel treatment and abuse.  Bud decides to go “on the lam.”  First he decides to “ride the rails.”   When Bud decides to go to Grand Rapids to find his father he meets a strange man who might be a vampire.  Bud also gets to hear Jazz music when he gets to the club of Herman E. Calloway.  Calloway says he is not Bud’s father and wants to send him away.  Will Bud ever find his family?

Review:  This is a great story.  Bud’s rules and things to remember help him to get through the rough spots in his world.  Bud is ingenious.  His character has all the fears of a 10-year-old on the run.  Bud is courageous.  He takes his control over his life.  While Bud cannot drive a car, he finds a way to steer himself on the right path.   Christopher Paul Curtis’ detailed descriptions are as delicious as sweet potato pie with whipped cream.

If you like this book you may also like:  Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis and Esperanza Rising

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Title:   My Side of the Mountain

Author:  Jean Craighead George

Publisher: Puffin Books        Year:  2004  c1959

ISBN:  0-14-240111-0

Genre: Fiction/Adventure/Survival

This book is for Ages: 8 and up

Awards: Newbery Honor Book

AR Points:  6.0         

Subjects/Themes: Survival/Adventure/Wilderness/Self-reliance

Plot Summary:   Sam Gribley runs away from his crowded New York apartment to live on his grandfather’s land in the Catskill Mountains.  He makes his home in a tree and becomes friends with a weasel, raccoon and other animals.  His best friend Frightful, a pet falcon becomes his hunting partner.  Sam lives an exciting life in the wilderness, fishing hunting and gathering food and firewood to prepare for the cold winter.  Will Sam survive the winter?  Will the rumors of the “Wild Boy” bring the city to Sam’s mountain?

Review:  This is a great story.  Sam is a wonderful kid who just wants to live away from the crowds and the city.  He is smart and learns new things from the animals about how to survive in his new environment.  The language is beautifully descriptive.  Sam teaches us so many wonderful things about living in the forest, raising a falcon, and the value of community.

If you like this book you may also like:  The Hatchet, By Gary Paulsen, 

Dealing With Dragons, by Patricia C. Wrede

Title:    Dealing with Dragons

Author:  Patricia C. Wrede

Publisher: Magic Carpet Books         Year:  2002

ISBN:  0-15-204566-X (pbk.)

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy,

This book is for Ages: 8-14

AR Points: 8.0

Series: Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Subjects/Themes: Fantasy, Stereotypes, Being true to yourself. Parental expectations.

Plot Summary:  Cimorene is a princess.  The problem is she doesn’t want to be a proper princess.  She is interested in more than embroidery and dancing.  She tries to learn, fencing magic, cooking and Latin, but her parents tell her those things are not for a proper princess.  After her parents decide that she must marry Prince Therandil, Cimorene runs away to become a dragon’s princess. She gets the powerful Dragon Kazul to agree to let her stay and do some cooking, cleaning and organizing.  Cimorene’s life with Kazul is full of adventure.  First she must find a way to keep Prince Therandil and the other knights from trying to rescue her.  Then she needs to find and make a potion that will make her fireproof to dragon’s breath so she doesn’t accidentally get burned.  Finally when the wizards start sneaking around the dragon territory, Cimorene must figure out why and how to stop them.

Review:  Dealing with Dragons offers a twist on the traditional fairy tales where the princess is rescued by the handsome prince.  Cimorene is looking for adventure, not marriage.  She is witty and intelligent.  The dragons are not simply fire breathing monsters. It is fun to recognize the references to popular fairy tales that Wrede incorporates into the story.  An interesting and exciting plot and the variety of magical characters will make you want to read all the books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles.  I wonder if Cimorene will ever decide to get married.

If you like this book you may also like:  Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, Talking to Dragons all by Patricia C. Wrede; The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch and Michael Martchenko.

A Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida

Title:  A Jar of Dreams

Author:  Yoshiko Uchida

Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks Year: 1993

ISBN:  0-689-71672-9

Genre: Fiction

This book is for Ages: 8- 12

Awards: Japanese American Biennium Award, Japanese American Citizens League Award
AR Points: 4.0

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Japanese Americans, Prejudice

 

Plot Summary:  11-year old Rinko lives in Berkeley in 1935.  Rinko feels like an outsider in the world.  She is not proud of her Japanese heritage and wants to be like everyone else.  When Aunt Waka comes to visit for the summer, Rinko and her entire family are inspired by Aunt Waka to find the courage to confront prejudice and pursue their dreams.    

   

Review: Uchida tells a simple but touching story.  Rinko the 11-year-old narrator does not completely understand the many currents that move her world however; she navigates the rough waters and keeps a faithful log. This is an interesting book that deals with the issues of prejudice, courage and self-acceptance.  The tale of Rinko and her family expresses the firm commitment to the American Dream that many immigrants  have successfully pursued.

If you like this book you may also like:  Journey Home, by Yoshiko Uchida

Big Miracle

Title:   Big Miracle

Publisher: Universal Pictures Year: 2012

Media: Film – Based on a true story

This film is for Ages:  7-adult

Rating: PG

Subjects/Themes: California Grey Whales, Working Together, Alaska, Television News Media, 

Plot Summary:  A local Alaska news reporter discovers three California Grey Whales trapped in the quickly freezing bay.  His story makes national news uniting Greenpeace activists, oil company executives, the whaling Inupiat Tribe, the Alaska National Guard, The Soviet Navy, President Regan and President Gorbachev in a desperate fight against time to save the whales.

Review:  Everyone in the family will enjoy this movie.  The characters each have personal motivations for helping to save the whales not all of them wholly altruistic.  The film does a good job of creating realistic looking whales.  Drew Barrymore gives a solid performance as a Greenpeace activist who is more concerned with saving the whales than wearing animal tested make-up.  Ted Danson is a treat as the oil executive who finds saving the whales is more emotionally moving that he thought it would be.  I walked away feeling great.  this movie has all the feel good ingredients: people working together, man versus the elements, ingenuity, compassion, whales and the enhanced images of the Russian ice breaker hitting the ice was pretty cool too.

If you like this film you may also like:  Free Willy (PG, Whale Rider (PG 13)

Clear as Day by Scotty McCreedy

Title:   Clear as Day

Artist:  Scotty McCreery  

Publisher: Mercury Nashville/19/Interscope Records

Year: 2011

Format: CD or Digital Download

Genre: Music Country

This album is for Ages:  8-Adult

Awards: Certified Platinum  

Subjects/Themes: Innocence, Summer Romance, Small Towns.

 
Tracks: 

1.      Out of Summertime

2.      I Love You this Big

3.      Clear as Day

4.      The Trouble with Girls

5.      Water Tower Town

6.      Walk in the Country

7.      Better Than That

8.      Write my number on your hand

9.      Dirty Dishes

10.  You Make that Look Good

11.  Back on the Ground

12.  That Old King James

Review: The songs were written by well-established country songwriters for Scotty McCreery who was 17 at the time of recording.  They reflect his youth and are great for any audience.  Track Number 6 Walk in the Country is a cover of a song written by Keith Urban and was previously recorded and released by Keith.  This album is a great first country album.  The content is true to country themes of summertime, mom, first love and small town America.  The songs show off Scotty’s vocal range and deep resonant voice.  

I must admit prior to listening to the CD I had no idea who the Scotty was.  He is the Winner of the 10^th season of American Idol.  The CD was a gift from a music executive to my husband and spent the last few months unplayed.  While I enjoy country music, it is not my first choice.  When my 14-year-old niece told me her friend loves Scotty and is a huge fan.  I knew I would have to listen.  I was really pleased.  The tunes will get your toes tapping.  The lyrics are playful and the album will leave you smiling and feeling good.  

If you like this CD you may also like:  Wildflower Lauren Alaina,