The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

As I looked over my blog recently, I was shocked to find that I hadn't yet posted about this book. I read it for book club last winter and it has made it onto my favorites list. It's one I will read over and over again - I'm so glad I purchased my own copy! Since I read it a year ago, there are details I've forgotten, but I'll do my best to give an accurate review.

The story begins in London, just after WWII ends. Juliet Ashton is an author writing under the name Izzy Bickerstaff, doing a series of humorous articles about the war. She writes to her editor (who is also a very close friend) to tell him that she's had enough of war stories and wants to write something new. Little does she know that an opportunity will present itself sooner rather than later.

A man by the name of Dawsey Adams, a farmer on the island of Guernsey, finds Juliet's name written in a used book by Charles Lamb and writes to her asking if she could possibly find more from the author. Before long they strike up a friendship and Juliet finds that Dawsey is part of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which was started during the German occupation of their island. Asking about the strange name, Juliet finds that it's actually a remarkable story of an eclectic group of people who created the society simply as a cover up for an illicit meal. In order to keep the Germans from becoming suspicious, they continue to meet regularly under the guise of a Literary Society.

Completely caught up in the story and the people of Guernsey, Juliet decides to write a book about them and travels to the island to gather research. It doesn't take long before she falls in love with the people and their culture. In fact, I was so enthralled with the characters that I found myself looking Guernsey up on line and wishing I could take a vacation there myself.

The entire story is told through letters and I found that to be very charming. A person can express things in a letter so much differently than they would through speaking. I think it brought a different dynamic to the story to tell it that way. I loved all of the characters for different reasons, but I think Juliet was my favorite - her sense of humor and quick wit is fantastic!

Chester's Back!

As much as we loved the first book, I think the second may be even funnier! The dialog in this book has Andrew laughing hysterically each time we read it.

This time, Chester is supposed to be the hero of a fairytale but as usual, seems to think he can tell the story better. Armed with his red marker and a feisty attitude, Chester attempts to make his voice heard.

Not one to put up with such nonsense, Melanie Watt decides to fire Chester and hold a casting call for a new Chester. You can imagine his reaction to that. Before long he's calling the shots again - but who's going to have the last word? Grab a copy and find out!

Chester

If you've been reading my blog, you must know by now what a fan I am of Melanie Watt. I'm referencing the Scaredy Squirrel books here - a must read. l just love Ms. Watt's sense of humor. She's someone I could really get along with.

But on to the story! Chester is a cat who fully believes he's in charge of his owner (Melanie) and is less than thrilled to find that she's writing a story about a mouse rather than him. So Chester does what any self-respecting cat would do; he rewrites the story using his big read marker.

Of course, Melanie isn't about to be pushed around by Chester and she makes every attempt to reclaim her story.

Filled with hilarious illustrations and clever banter between both authors, this quickly became one of Andrew's favorite books. Luckily, there are two more Chester books out there. He doesn't know about the third one yet, because I just found out about it myself. His birthday is coming up, so I think all three Chester books will be finding their way to our house very soon.

A Bad Case of Stripes

I LOVE this book. Really, I'm surprised that I don't already have a copy of it. I check it out from the library every so often and I'm amused each time I read it. The moral of the story is one that we should all take to heart: It doesn't matter what other people think of you and trying to please everyone will only cause you grief.

Camilla Cream is a sweet girl who loves lima beans. However, she's afraid to admit it because of what people might think. After all, who loves lima beans?

On the first day of school, Camilla is getting dressed and suddenly finds herself covered in muli-colored stripes. Unsure of the what to do, Camilla's mother sends her to school anyway. How embarrassing for a girl who worries so much about what others think! The problem only gets worse when Camilla breaks out in red, white and blue stripes while repeating the pledge of allegiance.

Sent home from school, Camilla spends her days inside enduring visits from all kinds of specialists who only make matters worse with each remedy they try. Eventually, word spreads about Camilla's condition and news crews begin to camp out on her lawn. Soon, a nice old lady comes to visit and claims to be able to help, but Camilla has to move past her desire to please everyone else.

I Saw a Bullfrog

This is yet another book that I judged by it's cover.  The illustrations and title caught my eye and I just knew I would love it.   I apologize for the small picture though - it was the best I could find.  I don't think it's a very popular book which is sad, because it's really great.  

Andrew and I laughed at the illustrations as well as the prose.  It's a very creative way of looking at different animals.   What if they really did look the way their names sound?  I think children can identify with this because they must imagine all sorts of things when hearing words they don't know the meaning of.  

At the end of the book there is information about each animal as well as a drawing of what they really look like.  I definitely learned a few things I didn't know before and Andrew is excited to look them all up tomorrow on Wikipedia.  Definitely a 5 star rating in my opinion.

Ira Sleeps Over

In my humble opinion, this book is a classic! It was written in 1975, so there's a good chance many of you have read it. Isn't it wonderful?

Ira, having been invited to spend the night at his best friend Reggie's house, thinks nothing of bringing his teddy bear, Tah Tah. That is, until his sister points out that only babies sleep with a stuffed animal.

Suddenly, the excitement Ira felt about the sleepover has been replaced by anxiety as he wonders how to handle the situation.

I think this book echo's a child's concerns perfectly - it's great writing. My own kids must have their stuffed animals tucked in next to them at night or there will be no sleeping in our house. So I can imagine that this issue might come up once or twice in the next few years.

Oh, Daddy!

I saw this book in the library and knew instantly that it would be coming home with me. Why? Because my little 3 year old is 100% attached to his daddy! I think it has something to do with the fact that Chris did middle-of-the-night feedings so that I could get a little extra shut-eye. Yeah...my hubby is a pretty great guy!

This silly Daddy needs help with all of the every day things - good thing he has a little guy to show him the ropes. Little hippo instructs his dad on the proper way to get dressed, to eat carrots and give hugs.

This is a great story with fun, entertaining illustrations that definitely made us laugh. Amazon has it on sale right now for $6.80 - I think I'll have to order a copy!

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room

The second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events is my favorite. Granted, I've only just started book 9, so things could change.

Book 2 begins where Book 1 left off; Violet, Klaus and Sunny have narrowly escaped Count Olaf's dastardly plan to steal their fortune and are now headed to live with another distant relative. This relative happens to be Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, their late father's cousin's wife's brother. I think I've got that right.

Uncle Monty (as he prefers to be called) is a herpetologist - one who studies snakes - and turns out to be very welcoming. In fact, I relaxed a bit, thinking that maybe the Baudelaires had found a wonderful home with someone who was kind, generous and understanding of their recent misfortune. How naive of me to think so.

While planning an expedition to Peru in order to study snakes, misfortune finds the Baudelaire orphans yet again. Uncle Monty's assistant suddenly goes missing and a man named Stephano shows up at their doorstep, claiming to be a replacement assistant. The problem is that Stephano is actually Count Olaf in disguise.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny try desperately to tell Uncle Monty about the true identity of his new assistant, but their warnings fall on deaf ears.

I thought maybe I shouldn't spoil the ending, but then I realized that if you really wanted to you could read all about it on Amazon.com because there are plenty of spoilers there. So, I might as well spill the beans and save you an extra click.

Misfortune strikes yet again and the children find themselves without a guardian. Poor Uncle Monty is found dead in the Reptile Room. Count Olaf, I mean, Stephano, claims that Uncle Monty's favorite snake - the Incredibly Deadly Viper - is to be blamed for the death. The Baudelaire orphans know that the Incredibly Deadly Viper is, in fact, completely harmless and must find a way to prove that to Mr. Poe and the authorities before Count Olaf snatches them and leaves the country.

So, why is this my favorite book? An innocent man died for crying out loud! Trust me, I wasn't happy about that part. What I did love was that for once, Violet, Klaus and Sunny had found someone who cared about them. Someone who could give them a good home and help to ease the pain of losing their parents so tragically. In a series that promises nothing good will happen, something good did happen - even if it was only for a short time.

On a side note, have you seen the movie version? It's quite different from the books because they had to pack 3 books into one movie, but I thought Jim Carrey did a fantastic job with the part of Count Olaf. My absolute favorite is his interpretation of Stephano. Really, every time I watch it I laugh so hard I can't stop, and tears stream from my eyes. You should see it - at least once.

Gullible's Troubles

Little Gullible (a guinea pig) is visiting his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin and seems to be more of a bother than anything.

When Gullible tries to help Aunt Sarah in the kitchen, he makes quite a mess. In order to get him out of the kitchen, Aunt Sarah tells him that if he eats 50 carrots as fast as he can then he'll become invisible. Cute, right? Not so much. She gives Gullible a basket of moldy carrots and sends him on his way. I'm still not sure why, but Gullible eats the carrots only to get sick and turn "a little orange."

Since the invisibility thing doesn't work out, Gullible decides to see if he can help Uncle Bernard tidy some papers. As you can imagine, he makes a mess there too. So Uncle Bernard sends him to wash a bucket of dirty coal. Interesting. Gullible does it and is surprised to find that the coal simply washes away.

After asking Cousin Lila where he get more coal, she gives him a pair of her old high heels to play with, claiming that they are actually "soccer shoes". Then she sends him to the basement for the coal, but tells him that he must walk all the way downstairs on his hands or a monster will eat him.

Eventually, all three relatives make their way into the basement - without walking on their hands - and poor Gullible thinks that they'll never come back. He wants to run home, but is afraid of the monster in the garden (another one of Cousin Lila's tales), so he runs to the kitchen, eats 50 non-moldy carrots, puts on his "soccer shoes" and now, finding himself invisible, runs home to his mother.

I thought I'd love this book since I liked The Red Wolf so much, but I found it strange. I'm sure it's meant as a comedy, but I just couldn't get past how mean Gullible's relatives were to him. Doesn't his mother have any idea of what's going on over there? Besides, I think Gullible's biggest problem is that he lacks common sense. I read mixed reviews on Amazon, so who knows? Maybe you'll find it amusing.

Millie in the Snow

Fun-loving Millie is now a Mail Cow and it's the busiest day of the year - Christmas Eve. Working quickly, she and the mailman manage to deliver all the packages on time. The mailman sends Millie home with the Christmas gifts that he has made for her and her friends, telling her that he'll stop by the farm later for some Christmas punch. The only problem is, Millie gets lost on the way home. Hey, it's not her fault that everything looks the same under a blanket of snow!

After a hilarious adventure, Millie finally makes it home and gives the presents to her friends at the farm. However, as the mailman soon finds out, they find a much more creative use for the than he'd originally intended.

I love the illustrations from this author - they're just as funny as the story itself!

Mille Waits for the Mail

I don't know about you, but the cows I've seen do nothing more than stand around in the field, grazing and swatting flies with their tails. Such boring animals. Just wait until you meet Millie; she's unlike any cow you've ever encountered.

Surprisingly, Millie's favorite thing to do each day is wait for the mailman - but not because she's waiting for a letter or even a package. Millie is mischievous, and more than anything, she loves to scare the mailman.

Coming up with all kinds of interesting hiding places, she manages to scare the poor mailman each and every day - much to the dismay of the farmer.

The mailman decides to give Millie a package of her own, in hopes that she will be more friendly towards him. The plan backfires, leaving Millie with a smashed package and the mailman with a broken bicycle. How in the world is he supposed to deliver mail now?

We just read this tonight and I loved it. Great illustrations and humor that makes me laugh out loud - it's definitely a keeper!

The Red Wolf

I just read this for the first time with the boys tonight and really liked it. I asked Andrew what he thought and he replied, "Funny." Yikes! If he's already moved into one-word answers then I can only imagine what the teenage years will bring!

But let's get back to the book...

Roselupin is a pretty, red-haired princess who has an overprotective father. So much so that he has a tower built and locks her there in order to keep her way from the wild world. I must say, I sympathized with the father on this point - doesn't every parent want to shelter their children from the awful things of the world?

Roselupin sadly watches out her tower window each night, wishing she were allowed out of the tower. On her seventh birthday, a mysterious gold box arrives with the words, "For Roselupin" written on it in jewels. At this point, my overprotectiveness kicks in and I'm thinking, "Who sent that box and should we open it? Who knows what could be inside. A bomb squad should really check that out first!" Then logic kicks in: Hold on there, sister! It is just a fairy tale after all.

Roselupin does open the box and finds it filled with yarn and an invitation to make anything she wants. Her father laughingly suggests that she make him a scarf, but Roselupin has other plans. Working through the night, she knits herself a bright red wolf suit. When she puts it on, she magically grows large enough to break out of the tower and finally experience freedom.

The story ended differently than I would have expected, but I liked it and would definitely recommend it.

There's a Monster in my House

This is an adorable lift-the-flap book about a girl named Milly who searches every room in the house looking for her monster.  Each time she thinks she's found him it turns out to be something else.  Both of my kids love this book!

Horns and Wrinkles

This is another book that I decided to read based solely on the fact that the cover looked interesting. Yeah, that's right - I judge books by their covers! I'm not ashamed to admit it. I did, however, read the synopsis on inside jacket and found the story line to be just as intriguing as the illustrations which originally caught my eye.

In Blue Wing Minnesota, just off the banks of the Mississippi, lives twelve year old Claire and her obnoxious bully of a cousin, Duke. The town may be small, but as Claire soon finds out - it's anything but ordinary.

Claire loves adventure and certainly finds a lot of it on the day that Duke dangles her (by her ankles) off a bridge. Saved from the nasty fall by an elderly woman in a rowboat, Claire begins to witness some of the river magic that townsfolk talk about.

For instance, Duke suddenly grows a rhino horn in place of his nose for refusing to do an act of kindness. Not long after, Claire finds Duke's parents mysteriously turned to stone. Relying on the help of the old lady who saved her, three river trolls and some lying crickets, Claire must face an ornery Rock Troll in order to put things back the way they were.

This is book is filled with fantastic humor and beautiful descriptions. I couldn't put it down and I would certainly suggest it to anyone - children and adults!

Are You My Mother?

I love this book because it's the first one I remember being able to read. I have a memory of climbing up on my grandpa's lap and reading the whole thing to him. I think he must have been very patient to sit through the entire thing!

When baby bird hatches from his egg, his mother in nowhere to be found. Little does he know that she's left to find a worm for him to eat. Baby bird leaves the nest in search of his mother and, unsure who she is or what she looks like, asks everyone he meets the same question - "Are you my mother?"

It's a cute book and will always be a favorite of mine.

The Magic Treehouse Series

I debated quite a bit on posting about each of these books individually, but since there are over 40 books in the series - all of which follow the same format - I decided to save myself some time and write about them collectively.

Andrew and I love these books. And I mean LOVE them. I remembered shelving all of these while working at Waldenbooks and at the time, it was a chore - there were so many of them! However, I knew that they were popular and always wondered what they were like.

When Andrew was in preschool, he started bringing home scholastic book orders and they had the first 12 in a set - I bought them immediately. What can I say? I just had a hunch that we'd like them.

I was right. We devoured those books and couldn't wait to bring home more from the library. Every night when I read them to Andrew he would say, "Just one more chapter, please! I just want to find out what happens!" I, myself was dying to know what would happen, so I usually gave in. I'm such a pushover!

The beginning of the series introduces us to Jack and Annie who are brother and sister. On their way home from school one day, they discover a treehouse in the woods that is filled with books. Just FYI, I was hooked right then and there. I've always wanted a treehouse and I love books! What's not to love about this series? Anyway, Jack and Annie find - accidentally - that if they point to a book and say, "I wish I could go there!", that the treehouse will actually take them to that place.

In each place they travel to there is a task to complete. Sometimes they need to help someone and other times they need to solve a puzzle. Jack is a thinker and always consults his books before making a move. Annie is the exact opposite - she's impulsive and thinks with her heart first. Together, they make a good team and always complete their task just in the nick of time.

I love the values that are taught in these stories. Teamwork, kindness, selflessness, service, problem solving, perseverance - I'm sure I could go on. Mary Pope Osborne is also very careful about her research and weaves each story around facts that she herself has researched. I just can say enough good things about the series. Read them! I know you'll love them!

Dinosaur Train

My 3 year old loves trains, so it stands to reason that he would love this book. I, on the other hand, did not enjoy this book.

It's a simple story of a boy who loves trains and dinosaurs, and one night he finds himself on a train with dinosaurs. I didn't think there was much substance to the book, but my train-loving son was enthralled. I guess that's what really matters. At least, that's what I told myself as I read this story over and over and over again.

I am wondering if this book gave someone at PBS the idea for their show Dinosaur Train. I like to think it did, because it gives me a reason to like the book.

Cold Sassy Tree

This was another book club pick and I enjoyed it immensely! I read it in high school, but had forgotten many of the details, so it was a lot of fun to read it a second time.

The story takes place in Cold Sassy, Georgia, 1906 and is told from fourteen year old Will Tweedy's point of view. His grandfather, after being a widower for only three weeks, elopes with a woman half his age. As if that weren't bad enough, she's an outsider - a Yankee - and the whole town goes into an uproar.

The characters in this book are so well written, it felt like the town came to life as I was reading. I've heard some people say they didn't like the book, but I thought it was a great portrait of small town life. It was a very humorous and touching story. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

Surprise Island

In the second book of "The Boxcar Children" series, the Alden children have reunited with their grandfather and discovered that he's not so bad as they thought. In fact, he is a kind and gentle man who adores them.

Mr. Alden, a wealthy man, owns a small island not far from where they live. He surprises the children by telling them that they will be spending their summer break on the island. He let them buy all the supplies they would need, including dishes! I personally thought this was very cool.

Can you imagine? Spending your summer on an island with only minimal adult supervision - setting up a little house, cooking your own meals and exploring to your heart's content. When I was a child, this sounded glorious! It's possible that I had a small obsession with having a home of my own...

Of course, there is a small mystery that needs solving, but it seems that mysteries are what the Alden children love best.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

I started reading this series years ago, when I worked at a bookstore and was aware of every new book to hit the shelves. I read the back cover and was immediately intrigued.

Lemony Snickett warns readers not to read the book, but to put it down right away because the story of the three Baudelaire children is a miserable one. I thought it must be some kind of joke, so of course I decided to read it.

As it turns out, Mr. Snickett wasn't joking. There really isn't anything happy in the story of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Tragically, their parents die and they are sent to live with a distant relative, Count Olaf. Nothing could have prepared them for the misfortunes they would encounter while under the care of this cunning and repulsive man.

Perhaps I should have given heed to the warning on the back cover of this book, but it's too late for that now. I'm immersed in the story and I must find out what happens to these brilliant, yet unfortunate children. I may as well mention that my 5 year old son is very much engrossed in this 'Series of Unfortunate Events', and thankfully, has not suffered any ill effects from the sad tales found therein.

Princess of the Midnight Ball

I have to admit, this book caught my eye with two things: the word "Princess" and picture of a girl in a beautiful dress. Had I grown up in the era of Disney Princesses, I would have been convinced I was one of them. I love the stories, the idea of living in a castle and of course, the beautiful clothes.

As you might imagine, when I picked up this book it wasn't for an intellectual challenge - it was for pure enjoyment and that's exactly what I found. It's a retelling of the fairy tale "Twelve Dancing Princesses" and just like all fairy tales, it's an easy read with a very predictable story line. I loved it! I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Miss Nelson is Missing

I absolutely love James Marshall's sense of humor! All of his books are great. This one has been a favorite since childhood.

Miss Nelson has an...unruly class. What is sweet, patient Miss Nelson to do with a room full of obnoxious, spit ball throwing kids? She takes a little vacation. Enter Miss Viola Swap, the scariest, meanest, ugliest substitute teacher - ever! After several days grueling days with Miss Swap, the kids in Room 207 fear that Miss Nelson will never return.

If you haven't read this book, then you need to run - not walk - to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy. You could check it out from the library, of course - but wouldn't you rather have your own personal copy on your shelf so that you can read it whenever the mood strikes you?

The Boxcar Children

This is the beginning of a series of books about the four Alden children. Their parents have died and they are afraid to go live with a grandfather that they know almost nothing about. In fact, they think he doesn't like children at all. They run away from home and find an old, abandoned box car which they turn into a home.

I remember reading this in elementary school and I loved how resourceful Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny were. They found old dishes and knew how to cook for themselves. They even built their own swimming pool! I'm pretty sure I imagined doing all those things on my own. Not that I wanted to leave my family, but when you're a kid, taking care of yourself seems like a dream come true.

I've been reading this series to Andrew and he really looks forward to them. He says his favorite characters are Henry and Jessie, but for no particular reason.

I'm not quite sure how many books Ms. Warner wrote, but it's going to take awhile to get through this series! Not that we mind; who doesn't love a good mystery?

The Tale of Despereaux

I read this book a few months ago and thought it was a beautifully written story. I was a little surprised to find how different the movie was from the actual book, but then again, why should I be? Isn't that the way it always goes?

Despereaux Tilling believes in courage and bravery. How many other mice could say the same? It's because of these beliefs and his love for a princess that Despereaux is banished to the dungeon - a place where only rats survive.

A few of the characters were much more sinister in the book than they were in the movie, but I suppose they had to soften things up a bit for the kids. My 5 year old, who is currently obsessed with sword fighting, will love this book!