So I decided that it was high time that I actually read the book.  And I must admit that there was no way that I could read the book without the movies influencing me.  I was constantly comparing them to each other and taking note of how both movies adapted the book to screen.  So I feel like I have now come full circle and finally discovered the words that inspired both movies.

Do I even need to summarize?  The infamous Willy Wonka hasn’t shown his face in years and is opening his factory to five lucky children for a tour and a promise of something grand and wonderful to one of them.  Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and Charlie Bucket (how could you forget those names?) all get more than they bargained for in Wonka’s wild and crazy factory.

I found Charlie and the Chocolate Factory delightful.  Dahl is a master storyteller and the book was fun to read.  I did find that although the book was short, I found myself unable to read it straight through.  Not sure why I needed little breaks from the narration.   It’s a perfect book to read-a-loud as a family or one-on-one with younger kids.  It’s fast paced and funny.  A story for everybody of all ages to enjoy.

As soon as I finished, I had to put in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp version) movie and and have it playing now.  This review is taking me forever because I keep watching the movie instead.  I’m not going to go into a movie critique  at all.  Suffice it to say that there are noticeable differences in both movies from the book which I think make both stories better.  It’s fun to see which dialogue they’ve changed and what they’ve kept especially has I have the book fresh in my mind.

And to prove just how influential this story is in our household, check out these family photos from about three years ago:

Can I just mention that I sewed that vest?  Because I don’t sew.  So I was  impressed with myself.  And for those who will ask (because they always do) – yes, that is my husband’s real  hair.

I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl as part of Banned Books Week.  In 1988, a Colorado librarian placed the book in a locked vault because she thought that it espoused a poor philosophy of life.  I would highly recommend reading this essay entitled Charlie and the Political Correctness Factory which I found very enlightening about how Dahl changed some of his text after it was printed and the changes made in the movie.

Links of interest:  Roald Dahl website.  Other Maw Books reviews: James and the Giant Peach (which I reviewed last year for Banned Books Week),  The Witches and yesterday’s post about the Mike Teavee song lyrics (where I ask which movie you liked better).
Genre:  Juvenile Fiction.  Approx ages 9-12.
Publisher:   Puffin.  June 1998.  Originally published 1964.
Paperback, 176 pages.  ISBN 0141301155
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Although it’s already come out, I can’t help but mention Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! I loved it!  As long as one doesn’t nitpick it with the book, it was the best of the entire series.  I wish there was a huge battle at the end but like I said, nitpicking . . . . So good!

Another one that is already out but deserves mention, My Sister’s Keeper. I heard Jodi Picoult talk about her reaction to the movie when she came to Salt Lake City including her feelings about changing the end of the movie from the book.  This book has been in my house forever and I refuse to watch the movie until I read the book.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I haven’t read the book but the movie trailer really makes me want to. It just came out yesterday.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I have had this book on my shelf for probably a year and a half with good intentions to read it. Here’s hoping the movie release will push it to the top of the TBR. Releases August 14, 2009.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. My husband claims he never knew this upcoming movie was a book.  To which I’m incredulous.  Everybody knows about this book.  Right?  If not, shame.   Looks good and releases September 18, 2009.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Who doesn’t love this book?  Like many of us, I grew up with Where the Wild Things Are and have more than one copy in the house.  Maurice Sendak couldn’t be more pleased with the film, so now I’m even more excited.  Husband is also really excited.  He saw seven movies of the film at Comic-Con and he said it was amazing.  Releases October 16, 2009. Movie site.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I had no idea that this was being made into a movie but man, it looks fantastic!  Releases October 16, 2009.

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Road Dahl. I read and reviewed Fantastic Mr. Fox when my book club had a book to movie theme month.  I can’t wait to see this movie!  Comes out November 13, 2009 and features George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and a billion more.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. Need I say more?  Many will be fighting the crowds to see this one on November 20th.  I must admit that I’m a bit disappointed that they still didn’t throw money into the special effects.  We shall see . . .

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. SO looking forward to this movie!!!!  I read the book pre-blog when it was first released.  So good.  Releases December 11, 2009.

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. The movie trailer isn’t officially released to the public yet but in a phone chat with Donna during our book club, she gave us a secret link and trust me, you want to see this movie. In a recent press release that I received from Donna she needs readers help to make sure that the movie makes it to a movie theater near you.  PLEASE read this statement from Donna and then make your voice heard.  In addition, you have a couple more weeks to purchase the book and get your name entered to be flown to the movie premiere.  Details on that.

Alice in Wonderland!!!! I got all giddy when I watched the trailer for Alice in Wonderland simply because it makes me excited for my husband.  He’s almost crazy with anticipation.  The book holds a special place in my husband’s heart as he has probably collected at least a dozen different versions of the story and he’s done multiple sketches of the characters.  Plus putting Johnny Depp and Tim Burton into the mix and he’s just beside himself.  He’s refused to watch the trailer.   He was at Comi-Con and was super bummed not to get into their panel.  It’s going to be a long wait until March 5, 2010.

So what movie based on a book are you most excited about watching this summer and fall? Did I miss any?  Let me know in the comments and I’ll include the trailer in the comments.

There are so many different plot points of Pope Joan as it covers a period of at least forty years so I won’t go into too much detail, otherwise I could go on forever.  While we were explaining the plot to a couple of people in our book club, it took us like twenty minutes to go through the entire time line and not leave out anything important.  Not that it’s a confusing book because by all means it’s not.  I highly enjoyed it and found myself always wanting to pick it up to read and thinking about it when I wasn’t able to.

I’m not Catholic nor am I familiar with Catholic history but Pope Joan is about the rise and stardom of a female Pope during the ninth century, which I imagine is a topic of hot debate among historians, so I appreciated the author’s note “Was There a Pope Joan?”  I fully admit that I haven’t researched further into the subject as it’s part of history that completely intimidates me, but Pope Joan is an excellent book to breach the subject and act as a springing board if one wants to further explore or discover this part of history.  I fully appreciated the details in the book about how people lived during the ninth century, especially how women were treated.  Besides the fact that a female was able to rise to Pope under the guise of a man, I probably found this the most fascinating aspect of the book.

Joan was never at peace because born a female in the ninth century meant that she was viewed as inferior to men and was never allowed full access to education.  She was smart and eager to learn and begged her older brother to teach her how to read and write in secret.  A kind priest recognizes her talent and against the wishes of everybody around her, particularly her father, insists on educating her.  This is unheard of.

After her older brother dies and her younger brother is later killed in a horrible viking attack, Joan assumes his identity and enters a monastery as John Anglicus.  Under this deception, she becomes one of the most talented and wise priests and learns the art of healing.  She eventually makes her way to Rome where she becomes entwined with the politics of the papal seat and in time rises to its very throne.

Joan fears that her secret will be found out at any moment and I loved the tension that this underlying current created.  If discovered, there would understandably be an uproar among the people and death for herself.  There is a fantastic love story as well.  Hmm . . . I just tried to explain it but it comes out all jumbled and funny.  Let it suffice to say that I thought the love story was . . . well, fantastic!

Pope Joan is a novel that at it’s theme is the empowerment of women.  How they were viewed as less than human, built to be incapable of even thinking or acting like a man.  Almost as cattle simply to give birth.  They were undervalued and underappreciated.  It is this huge prejudice that Joan fights against her whole life and even as John must endure the men’s way of thinking as she has immersed herself into their world.  As Pope she tries to change this but comes up against much prejudice.  But yet, what is so sad is that 1200 years later and this way of thinking in many parts of the world has not changed.  It felt so barbaric in the ninth century but yet one could see so many parallels between then and today.

The best part about reading Pope Joan was having the author Donna Woolfolk Cross call in to our book club and chat with us for over an hour! I really wish I had transcribed everything that we discussed but I was too busy enjoying myself (and going in and out of the room because of course that’s the one time I have to bring my two kids with me!).   The hot topic of discussion was research and what was based on fact and what was fictional.  What characters were real and which ones had no counterpart in history.  My favorite part of the call was talking about how cruel and savage this time period was in the treatment of women and how in some cases we have gained so much but yet so little.

We also discussed the movie.  Because, yes, there will be a movie!!  Donna even gave us a “secret” link (sorry folks, wish I could share) to the movie trailer and it looks SO good.  I can’t wait to watch it.  But you want to know the best part?

*Donna has a fabulous promotion going on right now and YOU have the chance to be flown out to the US movie premiere and walk the red carpet!*

How do you ask?

All the details and exactly how to enter is on the author’s website where she says:

Simply buy a new, Three Rivers Press/Crown Publishing paperback edition of Pope Joan by August 9 and send me the original receipt. In August, I’ll pick randomly from the pile of receipts to select someone and their guest to join me at the U.S. movie premiere in the fall (exact date still to be determined).

Includes two tickets to the movie premiere, plus round trip airfare for two from any location in the continental United States or Canada,
and one night hotel accommodation for you to share with your guest.

To tell you the truth, your odds right now are pretty good and after visiting with Donna I would love to win and hang out with her, so not only is Pope Joan worthy to add to my library anyways but this extra incentive has me returning my library copy and buying a new copy in a heartbeat.

Check out these movie stills:

(Image copyright:  Summit Entertainment)

I hope the movie just as good as it looks, but it looks great!

So seriously, go buy the book.  You’ll want to read (and watch) this one!

Links of interest:  Pope Joan website and promotion details.  Details on how you can have Donna at your book club! Trish at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? is giving away a copy of the book (which you’re buying anways, right?).
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Publisher:  Three Rivers Press, June 9, 2009.  (Original hardcover published by Crown September 1996)
Paperback, 432 pages.  ISBN:  0307452360
Pope Joan is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Miracle’s Boys is a beautiful exploration of what happens when parents die, leaving their children behind to cope in their absence.  Ty’ree, the oldest, gives up college to care for his two younger brothers.  Charlie has was just been released from Rahway Home for Boys for armed robbery and twelve-year old Lafayette is just trying to make it through each day.

Although this is a story about each brother in the aftermath of such a loss, it is Lafayette’s story and he is our narrator.  Lafayette is full of guilt.  Why did his father die?  Why did his mother die?  Why must Ty’ree sacrifice for him?  Why is Charlie so different after coming home?  Could he have done something different?  What did he do in the past?  Could he have changed it?  Will his family be taken away from him?  Will Ty’ree be able to keep them together?  Will Charlie mess everything up?  On top of all of that, Ty’ree lives with the guilt and the secret that he thinks he caused his mother’s death.

On Jacqueline Woodson on Miracle’s Boys (from her website):

I wanted to write a story that had no girls in it. I also wanted to write about how hard it is to be poor sometimes. I also wanted to write about how hard it is to lose someone you love—in this case, both parents—and how that pain starts shaping itself into other things sometimes like anger and isolation. Most of all, I wanted to write about three brothers who are funny, handsome, searching, and caring of one another.

Loved it.  Plain and simple.  You will too.

And because I can:

Links of interest:  Maw Books reviews of  Jacqueline Woodson titles, including Feathers, If You Come Softly, Behind You, Show Way, Locomotion, Peace Locomotion.   Jacqueline Woodson website.
Genre:  Fiction, approx ages 9-12.  A great book for boys.
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile.  December 31, 2001.
Paperback, 192 pages.  ISBN: 0698119169
Miracle’s Boys is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

But Hollis finally makes a home for herself with the wonderful Regan family and for once she’s thinking of not running.  She is beginning to relax and can see herself finally shedding away her tough exterior.  But when an accident occurs, Hollis feels that she has no choice but to run again.  Her new family begs her to come back but betraying her own wants and desires she moves on.  This time she’s placed with an elderly woman, Josie, who unbeknownst to the foster care system is in the beginning stages of dementia.  Hollis likes  her a lot, because she used to be an art teacher and Hollis loves art more than anything.  When the system finally catches on to her situation and arranges Hollis to be transferred again, she knows that she must make a decision that will affect everybody around her.

The story is told in two alternating time lines, the time with Josie and the one with the Regan family.  We know of her past feelings of living with the family but are gradually given details on why she felt like she had to give it all up.  I loved Hollis.  I particularly enjoyed the thought process that she went through as she deals with the agony of being in the foster care system, feeling unloved, and how she begins to soften only to have it taken away all over again.

She’s the type of character that does frustrate you a little only because as a reader you know more than she does, you want to sit her down and say, “Now look here, what in the world are you doing?!  You can be happy if only you do this and this . . . “  And that’s why Pictures of Hollis Woods is a wonderful story because we want all of Hollis’ dreams to come true and we can’t put the book down until we find out if she has or not.

Pictures of Hollis Woods has been made into a Disney movie.  Here is the first bit of the film:

Has anybody seen the movie?  I think I’ll try to track it down.

Links of interest:  Maw Books review of Lily’s Crossing also by Patrica Reilly Giff.
Genre:  Juvenile Fiction.  Approx. ages 9-12
Published by Wendy Lamb Books.  September 10, 2002
Hardcover, 176 pages.  ISBN: 0385326556.
Pictures of Hollis Woods is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

To say that life is difficult for the slaves is a most horrific understatement.  They are treated as property in the truest sense.  You would think that you would take care of your property.  Right?  Not Master Waller.  He’s brutal – a whipping, kicking, beating, spitting kind of man who thinks the only way slaves can be motivated is through fear and intimidation.

I’d like to have somebody show me a meaner antagonist than Master Waller.  He is the worse that I have ever read about.  He is pure evil and if there is a hell for fictional characters I’m sure he’s there.  But what makes this story all the more horrifying is the imprint before the book “Except for variations in time and character identification and placement, the events written in this story are true and actually happened.”

John, known as Nightjohn, arrives at the plantation in shackles, a rope around his neck and stark naked.  From the scars on his back everybody knows that he’s a runner and a difficult one.  Sarny discovers that John knows his letters and numbers and that he’s willing to teach her.  He had once escaped to the North but came back to secretly teach slaves how to read.  To both teach and learn reading is a huge risk and those who are caught risk dismemberment of their toes, feet, fingers or hands.

Mammy talking to John:

“Why does it matter? Mammy leaned against the wall.  She had one hand on the logs, one on her cheek.  Tired.  “Why do that to these young ones?  To Sarny here.  If they learn to read -”

“And write.”

“And write, it’s just grief for them.  Longtime grief.  They find what they don’t have, can’t have.  It aint good to know that.  It eats at you then – to know it and not have it.”

“They have to be able to write,” John said.  Voice pushing.  He stood and reached out one hand with long fingers and touched mammy on the forehead.  It was almost like he be kissing her with his fingers.  Soft.  Touch like black cotton in the dark. “They have to read and write.  We all have to read and write so we can write about this – what they doing to us.  It has to be written.”

Mammy she turned and went back to her mat on the floor.  Moving quiet, not looking back.  She settled next to the young ones and John he turned to me and he say:

“Next is C.”

A very powerful book, gut-wrenching at times.  An awesome testament to the importance of literacy and the great lengths and dangers that many went through to obtain it.  One that I will not soon forget.  Highly recommended.

Nightjohn is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month: Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Links of interest:  An excellent teacher’s guide on using Nightjohn in the classroom and Gary Paulsen’s website.  My friend Cari and her sister Holly also have a great discussion about Nightjohn over at Book Scoops.  More book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher:  Delecorte Books for Young Readers.  January 1, 1993.
Hardcover, 96 pages.  ISBN:  0385308388
Nightjohn is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

From the publisher:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse — Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends — one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena — Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Fun book.  And a very creative way to teach Greek mythology.  If I had tried to learn how all the gods were related to each other by reading this book, rather than studying charts I probably would have had a lot more interest in the Greek mythology unit in school.  The story was very fast moving.  There was never a lack of adventure, nor humor in The Lightning Thief.  A great series for all ages.

I’m sure I’ll pick up the other books in the series at some point, although I admit that I need a little break from Greek gods for just a moment.  I’m looking forward to the movie that is coming out early 2010 directed by Chris Columbus.

Listen to the first chapter of The Lightening Thief as read by Rick Riordan.  Visit Rick Riordan’s website and blog. The other books in the series are The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and book five coming out in May of this year is The Last Olympian.

From the book jacket:

Every evening as soon as it got dark, Mr. Fox would say to Mrs. Fox, “Well, my darling, what shall it be this time?  A plump chicken from Boggis? A duck or a goose from Bunce?  Or a nice turkey from Bean?”  And when Mrs. Fox had told him what she wanted, Mr. Fox would creep down into the valley in the darkness of the night and help himself.

Boggis and Bunce and Bean knew very well what was going on, and it made them wild with rage.  They were not men who liked to give anything away.  Less still did they like anything to be stolen from them.  So every night each of them would take his shotgun and hide on his own farm, hoping to catch the robber.

But Mr. Fox was too clever for them.

The three farmers are true villains that decide that anything must be done to catch Mr. Fox, this includes digging out the entire hillside in search of him. The other animals aren’t pleased with Mr. Fox though.  His escapades and the farmers stakeout are hurting their way of life.  Will Mr. Fox be sly enough to come up with a clever plan to please his friends and keep the farmers at bay?

Fantastic Mr. Fox was a fun, cute story told in Roald Dahl’s classic irreverent humor.  I enjoyed this quick read and it would be a perfect book to read-a-loud with younger readers.

Set during the 1800’s on the praire, two children, Anna and Caleb are motherless.  Papa no longer sings like he used to and the house no longer has any happiness.  Papa puts an ad in the paper for a new wife, and Sarah from Maine comes to live with them for a month to see if it will work out.  She misses the ocean but learns how to work on the farm.  The children fear that when the month is over, Sarah will return to Maine and leave them motherless once again.

So, I’m not really sure what to say about Sarah, Plain and Tall It was fine.  It was sweet.  I liked that it introduced the idea of mail order brides to children who don’t know that such a practice existed and of life on the prairie.  It did feel flat the whole time.  Nothing really happened.  They needed a mother, papa sent for one, and she came.  Sarah, Plain and Tall explores death, loss, abandonment and love.

I have put the Hallmark movie on hold at the library and am really looking forward to watching it.  I have a feeling it will be better than the book.  The book (and movie) is a series and if I came across the others I would probably read them, just to say that I have.

Our young hero (who remains nameless) loves his Grandmother who tells him stories about the dangers of witches especially  how to tell the difference between a witch and a normal lady.  It’s really hard because “Real witches dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women.  They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs.”  But what makes witches especially formidable and dangerous is that “A real witch hates children with a red-hot sizzling hatred that is more sizzling and read hot that any hatred you could possibly imagine . . .  Her passion is to do away with them, one by one.  It is all she thinks about the whole day long.”

Thank goodness the boy’s grandmother is a retired witch hunter and explains that witches are always certain to be wearing gloves to cover their thin curvy claws, wear wigs to cover their bald heads, but have a itchy scalp as a result, large nose holes to smell children out with, and they don’t have any toes instead they are square ends which they try to hide with small, pointed shoes, and they have blue spit.

The boy’s parents die and he is sent to live with the grandmother that he loves so much.  When vacationing together at a hotel he finds himself locked in an entire room full of  members of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruely to Children.  Imagine his fear when he soon discoveres all the tell-tale signs of witches. He isn’t able to escape the danger and the adventure that follows will keep you turning the pages for more and laughing out loud.

Roald Dahl is a gifted storyteller and I enjoyed The Witches more than I did James and the Giant Peach.  The Witches was a fun read that I look forward to reading with my kids when they are older.

Roald Dahl website.