eleison
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"Childrens" NovelsMore often than not, growing up, I would end up buying the books if I liked them enough. I am strange and have always liked owning things for some odd reason... probably one of my bigger vices.
Anyway, as such, I have a lot of books that happen to be targeted at fourth through sixth graders. Mostly fantasy novels, with a few other genres mixed in.
As a college student, I am finding less and less time to really dedicate myself to reading new material at my true reading level. Last semester I only read one new book for pleasure- and I value my pleasure reading very highly. So, this semester, I have decided to reread some of these elementary school level novels and find out how many of these books are as "timeless" in their appeal as I originally thought them to be. As I finish them I will review them here including and up to five asterix rating.
Here is what I am planning on rereading:
"So You Want To Be A Wizard" by Diane Duane
"Starring Sally J. Fredman As Herself" by Judy Blume
"The Wind In The Door" by Madeline L'Engle
"Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh
"Animorphs: The Invasion" by K. A. Applegate
"Dear America: Voyage On The Great Titanic" by Ellen Emerson White
"Nancy Drew: Clue Of The Tapping Heels" by Carolyn Keene
"The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatly Snyder
"The BFG" by Roald Dahl
"The Book Of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
"Alanna" by Tamora Pierce
"Redwall" by Brian Jaques
"Little Sister" by Kara Dalkey
"Bridge To Terabithia" by Katherine Patterson
"Forever Angels: An Angel For Molly" by Suzanne Weyn
The first review will be up in a few days! (I've already finished rereading "So You Want To Be A Wizard") If I manage to get through this stack of books I have more to go through, so this could become a sort of regular feature. Maybe.
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Intricate_Icicle2197
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I think I read the first of "So You Want To Be A Wizard". But I don't really remember it. ^^; I also read "Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself" and I do remember liking that one. :D I also read some of Tamora Pierce's books, and I'm pretty sure they were the books that I liked. XD I have a horrible memory, but I'm pretty sure she had a good style. And our teacher read us "Bridge to Terabithia" back in fourth grade, but I can't remember that far back. XD
Anyway, I know that this totally didn't help at all but enjoy the "Children's" books. ^^
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AmbrMerlinus
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I could never get into "The Egypt Game." I think I managed to actually sit down and read the whole thing when I was older, but I don't remember a thing about it so I conclude it was not that great.
That said, "A Wind in the Door" and "Redwall" are totally awesome.
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eleison
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Book: Diane Duane’s “So You Want to Be a Wizard”
Timeless Rating: ***** (unbelievably timeless)
First Encounter/Nostalgia:
For awhile I was horribly addicted to books on tape for when I was cleaning my room, so my first exposure to this book was through audio. Only something was horribly wrong with the tape player’s volume so I ended up rewinding and listening to the first bit multiple times before giving up and tracking down the book. As such, the first memory that comes to mind whenever I pick up this book is its first line:
Part of the problem, Nita thought as she tore desperately down Rose Avenue, is that I can't keep my mouth shut.
Review:
Two weeks ago my mother got a part-time job at an elementary school library and she asked me if there were any books out there I would highly recommend to fourth graders who liked fantasy and science fiction- and this was the first book that came into my head. Then my mother proceeded to ask for my copy to read to which I shrieked “BUT I JUST REMEMBERED IT EXISTED! I MUST READ REREAD IT RIGHT NOW!!!”
And I did.
This book is very special to me and I admit that I still follow the “Young Wizards” series to which it is the first book. And it is still my favorite book in the whole entire going-on-nine-books-long series. (Book nine comes out in the fall of this year, in case you’re wondering.) It is worth noting that I reread this book last year as well, and several times through out high school.
What makes it so great? I mean, let’s face it, the title does not do much to recommend itself to the non-fourth grade and convinced that you actually can become a wizard crowd.
For me the joy comes from how smart this book is and how smart it expects its readers to be. Magic is explained almost like a science instead of being mere “wand waving and silly incantations”- and it has a purpose. The job of a wizard, you see, is to slow down the death of the universe and other universes. It involves doing such unmagical things as turning off light switches when you leave a room and planting trees, in addition to the usual fantasy book stuff.
And the spells always reminded me of chemical equations, perhaps linking it with ‘good ole alchemy’, which, while some what cliché, is a lot nicer then just saying “it’s magic” and never explaining it further.
Another charm, of course, is the characters.
The two main characters, Nita and Kit, both seem rather cliché at first. Both are bullied, which is part of why they were drawn to magic in the first place. When rereading, this bothered me slightly at first, but then I remembered the opening line:
I can't keep my mouth shut.
Paired with the later explanation that “Wizards love words”, I started to see the fights Nita got into as the improper use of words. As the story unfolds and she masters language more, the less conflict she gets into. Kit is a secondary main character, but he mentions being teased for his accent, which also ties back to language.
Which ties back to the believability- if magic is words, gosh darn, I can be a wizard too! And really, by the end of the book, even if it was not an exact “how to” guide to wizardry, I feel I could realistically live as a modern wizard myself. That feeling, my friends, is why this book is timeless.
(Besides, how many other childrens’ books feature talking white holes?!)
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