Author Archives: Margriet Ruurs

Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan.

I just finished reading this book and very much enjoyed it. 
Right off the bat I had to get over two things: I thought it would be a southern tale since Ida B, the main character says “Yes ma’am” to her mother and her teacher. And since “Ida B” sounds so lovely southern… But it’s not. It takes place in Wisconsin even though, to me, it did not feel like a Wisconsin story.

Secondly: I did not feel that the voice was authentic for a kid. Even for a well read, home schooled kid. I loved Ida B’s voice, yet the writing felt like the voice of an adult who wanted to sound like a perky kid. The word choices and metaphors were just not truly a 4th grader. The writing reminds me of the Clementine books (by Sara Pennypacker), same wonderful spunky character except Clementine is a first or second grader and Ida B is a bit older.

HOWEVER – I loved Ida B’s attitude. The voices in her head, her stubbornness, her talking to the trees – were all wonderful. I could just see myself at that age, when I knew I could fly and soared over the neighborhood. I can just see my grandson Nico talking to the brook and the trees when he is that age.

Lovely story about the inner struggles and growth of a young girl. Highly recommended. Especially to read aloud at bedtime together! 

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye

Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye

This is my choice for the first day of a new year: a book filled with the hope for peace.

Fourteen-year-old Liyana Abboud loves to hear her father call her habibi – Arabic for “darling”. But she’s not prepared for her family’s decision to move from St. Louis to Jerusalem. This provocative novel from the acclaimed poet builds a bridge to the Arab world, introduces a family readers won’t soon forget, and offers a hope for peace.
I so enjoyed traveling with Liyana and seeing Palestine through her eyes. I especially loved the grandmother in the story – a character larger than life and so real.

Author website where you can listen to poems and interviews: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/174

Lesson Plans: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/young-adult-literature-about-1136.html

Go and Come Back

Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove

One of the reasons I love being part of a YA book group, is that it sometimes makes me read a book I would not necessarily choose myself. Go and Come Back is the perfect example. The cover is dark and unattractive. I don’t think I would have picked it up. But when my wonderful YA book group in Eugene, Oregon decided to read it, I bought a copy. I have treasured it ever since.

In this multi-award-winning novel, two female American anthropologists come to stay in a jungle village near the Amazon. The villagers are initially skeptical, especially teenaged Alicia. But as the months go on, Alicia finds herself drawn in, even becoming friends with one of the women.

Oddly, this is not a YA novel I would easily recommend to any child. But as a writer I am fascinated with how well it is written. The voice of a child in Peru is totally authentic. The book gives a glimpse into a foreign culture, which includes daily and social habits with which I was not at all familiar. I found it an intriguing story, well written and captivating.

Goodreads.com has this information about the author:

Joan Abelove is an American writer of young adult novels. She attended Barnard College and has a Ph.D in cultural anthropology from the City University of New York. She spent two years in the jungles of Peru as part of her doctoral research and used the experience as background for her first novel, Go and Come Back (1998). Go and Come Back earned numerous awards and citations, including a “Best Books for Young Adults” selection of the American Library Association and “Book Prize Finalist” selection of the Los Angeles Times. she also wrote Saying it Out Loud. She is also in a critique group with Gail Carson Levine, writer of “Ella Enchanted” and “Writing Magic”, a guide for child authors who wish to make their stories better. Joan Abelove now lives in New York city with her husband and son.

ISBN: 0141306947 (ISBN13: 9780141306940)

Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman

Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman

Here’s rare review of an adult book. I generally prefer kids’ books but this is one of my all time favourite travel reads.

“I move throughout the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.” —From the Preface

Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an extraordinary existence. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world.
She sold her possessions and became a nomad, first living in a Zapotec village in Mexico. Then sharing life with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.

I especially like how she ‘simply’ followed her heart and lived by chance encounters.

The second book is ‘Female Nomad and Friends’ – an anthology of stories and recipes from around the world. Royalties benefit  women’s education in India.

Now if only I can find my copy of the book back! If you borrowed it, please return it!
Check out these related websites:

http://www.letsgetglobal.org/

http://ritagoldengelman.com/home.html (the author even offers to mail you an autographed book for 15.- no postage!)

The Freedom of Jenny by Julie Burtinshaw

The Freedom of Jenny by Julie Burtinshaw

When I first read this book, I was entralled. Not only by the story of an African American family who buy their own freedom and travel west on the pioneer trail. But specifically by the fact that Jenny ultimately settles on the Gulf Island where I now live.

Jenny Estes shares her father’s dream of freedom. But for Jenny, who was born into slavery in Missouri in the 1840’s, freedom seems an impossible dream. She toils alongside her mother in the steaming kitchen of the Leopold plantation, trying her best to be humble and obedient so that Mrs. Leopold won’t sell her to a slave-trader. But when she’s not drying dishes or mixing biscuits, Jenny finds time to practice her reading, a skill that ultimately helps the family plan their migration and realize their dream.

The Estes family faces a formidable journey: a grueling passage from Missouri to Saltspring Island, Canada. Along the way, Jenny’s family faces scarlet fever, racial persecution, the arduous Oregon Trail, warring native Haidas, and finally, the challenges of homesteading. Jenny’s spirit and fortitude in the face of many adversities make her a heroine all young readers can look up to.

Based on a true story, this tale is a gripping account of one young girl’s coming-of-age in troubling and unsettling times.
Once I moved to Salt Spring Island, I saw historical photos of the family on which this story is based. I have met their ancestors. I am fascinated by this well written book and a history so close to home.

Raincoast, ISBN 1551928396

Lone Wolf by Kristine L. Franklin

This book was published by Scholastic in 1997 but I had not read it earlier. Picked it up this week and couldn’t put it down.
Lone Wolf is one of those wonderfully written stories that draw you in and invite you to stay.
Perry is caught between divorced parents. His father does not share feelings nor talk much. Perry and his dad become lone wolves in the northern woods of Minnesota. A new neighbor family, bustling with kids, love and art, make Perry realize what he is missing.
The story flows naturally and is a great read for both boys and girls, nature lovers and kids dealing with divorce.
Highly recommended.

Lone Wolf by Kristine L. Franklin
Scholastic, 1997, ISBN 0-590-55105-1

Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester

Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

This is my favorite picture book about bullying. Great to use with students of all ages.
Poor Rodney Rat can’t pronounce his R’s and the other rodents tease him mercilessly. Wodney is shy and mostly hides inside his jacket.
But when Camilla Capybara joins Rodney’s class and announces that she is bigger, meaner, and smarter than any of the other rodents, everyone is afraid. It seems she really is bigger, meaner, and smarter than all of the rest of them.
Until Wodney Wat, catches Camilla out in a game of Simon Says. Read along with Wodney as he surprises himself and his classmates by single-handedly saving the whole class from the big bad bully. Children will delight as shy Rodney Rat triumphs over all and his tiny voice decides the day.
Paperback, 32 pages, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt ISBN
061821612X (ISBN13: 9780618216123)

Lesson Plan: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/hooway-wodney-wat-lesson-plan

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I am in awe of the fact that a writer, Gail Carson Levine, can take a well known, ancient fairy tale, and give it a life of its own. Who knew that Cinderella, the shallow character from a short story, could have and would have such depth, such an amazing tale to tell!

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the “gift” of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been burdened by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: “Instead of making me docile, Lucinda’s curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally.”
When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella’s life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and spunky nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you’ll ever read.

“Gail Carson Levine’s examination of traditional female roles in fairy tales takes some satisfying twists and deviations from the original. Ella is bound by obedience against her will, and takes matters in her own hands with ambition and verve. Her relationship with the prince is balanced and based on humor and mutual respect; in fact, it is she who ultimately rescues him. Ella Enchanted has won many well-deserved awards, including a Newbery Honor.”

Paperback, 240 pages, Scholastic Books
ISBN 0590920685 (ISBN13: 9780590920681)

Discussion Guide for Gr 3-5 and Gr 6-8: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/ella-enchanted-discussion-guide