For seven days Barger traveled to seven different airports, didn’t leave the premises, ate on $20 a day, and snatched bits of sleep on benches and floors – all to observe human behavior.  Step Back from the Baggage Claim is his extended metaphor that how we treat each other and how we behave at the airport is how we behave in our day-to-day lives.  If we change the way we act at the airport we can change our lives and thus change the world.

I have to admit that the idea does sound a bit hokey when I lay it out like that but let me share with you a few passages from the book:

I’m convinced that the lessons learned from our airport experiences can point us toward more fulfilling lives and toward a more compassionate world.  If we really want to change the world, it starts with small moments in our daily interactions.  Since so many people travel by air daily, airports are the perfect locations to begin to affect change in our mobile world.  This book uses air travel experiences as a metaphor for how each one of us can impact our world.

The title Step Back from the Baggage Claim comes from the observation that we all crowd around the conveyor belt to claim our luggage.  We jostle for the best position, crowd each other out and are anxious to catch sight of our bags first.

Just imagine what the experience at the baggage claim would be like if everyone took those three steps back so everyone could see, and if everyone actually helped those around them with their bags.  not only would the spirit and environment around the conveyor belt be more positive for all, but it also would be a more efficient way for everyone to get their bags as quickly as possible.  Imagine if stepping back at the baggage claim became the norm; imagine how that inclusive spirit could impact the underlying tone of complaining that permeates other aspects of the airport.  A place commonly filled with chaos, negativity, and frustration would be changed because of the thoughtful awareness of many. Then, imagine what that same spirit could mean for the world if we carried into other areas of our lives as well.

The analogy works.  I get it.  I totally get it.  And I’m sure that I won’t be able to fly anymore without thinking about my own airport behaviors nor observing others to see how they act.  But oddly enough, I can’t relate to the initial analogy of the baggage claim.  In my experiences of flying, claiming my bags has been nothing but calm and orderly.  My only anxiety that I’ve had is when my luggage was lost upon arrival at my home and the company ended up delivering it to the apartment across the street.  The other is when I moved cross country for college and everything had to fit in three boxes.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to get the largest box off of the conveyor belt but some nice man helped me out.  I’ve yet to experience a overcrowded, impatient baggage claim area.  Perhaps, I’m not well traveled enough?  When Barger says , “Take three big steps back” I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Hmm . . . I didn’t know there was a problem there in the first place.”  Luckily, he’s not only thinking literally but metaphorically as well.  The baggage claim message is simple.  Be aware and thoughtful of those around you.  Turn chaos and negativity into order, calm and a positive experience.

For the remainder of the slim volume, Barger furthers the airport analogy and touches upon the following points:

• Gain perspective and create space for others.
• Practice stillness in this movement.
• Share compassion with those along your journey.
• Quit the comparison game and thrive where you are.
• Celebrate an ethic of creativity.
• Put a grateful spirit into action.

Barger shares stories about his airport observations, movie analogies, stories from his life working in the nonprofit sector and his ministry in his church.  Each chapter ends with a summary, a self-evaluation questioner and place to jot down notes.

For having spent seven days in an airport I had hoped for more stories about the people he met or conversations he had.  I’m sure he has some great ones.  The book is not really about his experience living in airports for seven days but more about his general observation while doing so and combining them with his life experiences and metaphorically sharing the message:  “We can change the world because each one of us has the innate ability to expand our awareness, change our focus, and alter our daily interactions.”

There were a few problems with the design of the book (large font, small margins, unclear headings – which is something that Dawn at She is Too Fond of Books picked up as well) that has me nervous that some won’t pick it up after an initial thumb through.   While I sometimes felt that the airport analogy was a bit over the top, Barger has a sound philosophy and a great message to share:

Change the world by choosing to travel gracefully, living this message not only in the airports, but throughout the path of your life.  Take time to step back and gain a new angle of vision and consider those around you.  Slow down and commit to thriving where you are in the present moment.  Embrace the creative process of living the lift you want to live and, ultimately, build relationships and share compassion with those along your journey.  Small loving actions in every facet of our lives will change the world.  Daily commitment to this spirit in all corners of our lives can’t help but allow a movement like this to take flight!

A fun video about The Step Back from the Baggage Claim movement:

Have you had any airport or travel experiences where somebody touched you by their actions?  Vice-versa any horror stories?

Links of interest:  Jason Barger website, blog,  on Twitter, and Facebook.  More book blogger reviews.
Genre: Non-fiction, inspirational.
Publisher: One Love Publishers. September 25, 2008
Paperback , 134 pages. ISBN 0615226663
Step Back from the Baggage Claim is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Her husband is out of town and as she leaves with the kidnapper her only thought is with her children who are now left home alone.  Taken to a hotel and tied to a bed for the better part of a week, Claire – as the title suggests – has time to be still.  She has time to think.  To evaluate.

Ironically, her kidnapper is kind (but she fears his boss) and they spend a lot of time talking.  As she begins to understand him and the reasons for his actions, she sympathizes with him and forms a special bond.  As the negotiations take place for her return, Claire discovers that her husband might not be who she thinks he is.  She  reevaluates her marriage, family, and motherhood.  If she makes it home, she will not be the same person that she was before.

The few reviews that I’ve read of Standing Still all mention  Claire’s irrational anxieties and now that I read the back cover, I see that it mentions it as well.  How could I have read the entire book and not put a label on Claire’s behavior as anxiety, panic attacks or acute panic disorder?  Sometimes I wonder if I’m a good reader at all.  Do you sometimes feel like this after reading a book?  That you missed the obvious and wonder how you managed that?

I thought Claire was a bit “off” but I wasn’t able to label it.  I certainly questioned some of  Claire’s behavior.  She seemed overly nervous but yet maintained an incredible degree of calm while being held hostage.  There is also a certain element of mystery as Claire alludes to a possible reason for her abduction but we don’t know the circumstances behind it.   I didn’t relate to Claire at all despite the commonality of both being mothers.  But we don’t always need to relate to the main character and this case I liked getting into the head of someone I didn’t understand.

The strength of this novel is definitely the writing and the style.  In alternating chapters between the present and the past, we gradually learn more about Claire and her past as she is coming to grip with her future.   I particularly liked the style of the chapters set in the past.  Each begins with a photograph description and Claire reminisces about the circumstances surrounding the photograph.

A taste of the writing:

Fear doesn’t always serve you in life.  It lives on your surface, visible as your skin.  People can take advantage of your weakness.  Dogs can smell it on you, and so can children.  But when  you turn it outward, and fear for the lives of the world, you can warn someone.  You can save someone.  You can see the potential for destruction around us all.  It’s what makes me certain I’m a good journalist.  But a very bad seatmate on an airplane.

A great book which kept me hooked and I’d recommend for all readers.  The writing was poetic.  Fantastic prose.  The premise and story were intriguing.  Characters were engaging.   But ultimately, I fear that it’s one that I could also easily forget.  And I hate it when that happens.

Links of interest:  More book blogger reviews, Kelly Simmons website.
Genre:  Fiction.
Publisher: Washington Square Press.  February 10, 2009  (Hardcover by Atria in Feb. 2008)
Paperback, 288 pages. ISBN 0743289730
Standing Still is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

The boy, ten-year-old Peter, is an orphan who is being cared for by a cranky old soldier who wants nothing more for him than to train to be a soldier as well.  When Peter finds a coin on the street, he visits the tent of a fortune teller.  He only has one question.  Is the sister whom he has been told died in childbirth alive?  The fortune teller’s answer is ambiguous and mysterious:  follow the elephant.

An elephant?  He’s never even seen an elephant!  The answer makes no sense whatsoever.  Imagine his surprise when a magician performing at the local opera house mistakenly conjures an elephant which falls through the roof and into the lap of Madam LaVaughn.  Now crippled, Madam LaVaughn insists that both the elephant and the magician be locked up right away.  Peter knows that the mystery of his sisters existence and the path for a new future lies with the elephant.  If he can bring about a chain of events to bring him and the elephant together, perhaps not all hope is lost.

The Magician’s Elephant is a beautiful telling.  It’s magical.  It’s mysterious.  It’s hopeful.  It’s also sad in the sense that a cloud of darkness always loomed over the story.  DicCamillo’s narrative is stunning.  Each word carefully chosen and not a single word in there that wasn’t meant to be.  I enjoyed the story and its magical elements although I wasn’t falling head over heels for it – if you know what I mean.  I really liked it but didn’t loooove it.  Even so, it’s a special book and I recommend it.

I think that this could be hit or miss with young readers to tell you the truth.  I could see them either really loving it or either hating it.  I do hope that they love it.  It’s not often that a book like this comes along.  It deserves an audience.  But it’s DiCamillo that we’re talking about here.  If you haven’t discovered her yet, it’s high time that you do.  And this is one not to be missed.

Kate DiCamillo reading the first chapter of The Magician’s Elephant:

Links of interest:  Kate DiCamillo website, more book blogger reviews,  illustrator Yoko Tanaka website.  Maw Book reviews of Because of Winn Dixie, The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Despereaux, Great Joy,and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Genre:  Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Candlewick.  September 8, 2009
Hardcover, 208 pages. ISBN 0763644102
The Magician’s Elephant is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Loved it.

Read on . . .

One of my favorite types of books to read are books that take place around World War II and the Holocaust.  There will never be a drought of stories to tell from this horrific part of history.  But I was shocked when I picked up Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf.  I had never read a book told from this particular perspective during the war.  Completely and utterly fascinating to me.  A true example of how a piece of historical fiction can open my eyes into a world that I knew nothing about.  I could not put this book down.  I carried it with me everywhere the day I read it.

Just a few short weeks after Milada’s eleventh birthday, Nazi’s storm every home in her town in Czechoslovakia and take everybody away.  Milada, her mother and grandmother are immediately separated from her father and brother and taken to a gymnasium where she undergoes a physical and doctors measure her features.  Milada and another classmate are torn again from their families, placed on a bus and sent to Poland.  When they arrive in a new girls school, Milada realizes that each girl there shares two traits in common:  blue eyes and blonde hair.  In addition, each has exactly the right size head or nose.

It is at this school that their indoctrination to Germanization begins.  She is renamed Eva and each girl is trained to forget everything about their past.  They have no past.  They only have futures of being the perfect German citizen and be raised up to be perfect German wifes.  Eva struggles with her new identity, the new language and to remain true to her upbringing and background.  She holds on to a pin from her grandmother to always remember who she is.

And then the impossible happens.  Eva can no longer remember her true name.  What did people use to call her?  Can she recall it?  She can’t remember her name.  The Germans have taken everything from her.

After the intense period of training, each girl is adopted into a German family.  With a new name, a new language, a new sister and a new mother and father, will Eva be able to remember who she really is?  Or will she be lost forever?

Stunning.  This story had me jaw dropping all over the place.

There is a seven page author’s note at the end of the book which really brought the whole thing home for me.  Inspired by the true events that took place in the town of Lidice where Hitler had a personal vendetta for a particular officer there, Hitler ordered the entire town to be emptied and razed.  The men and boys were shot immediately while the women and children spent three days in the Kladno school gym.  Their heads were measured and their eye and hair colors examined to see if they matched Aryan standards.  Children who were selected for “Germanization” and the very youngest were sent directly to orphanages where they were adopted by German citizens.  Many children in the retraining program were literally kidnapped off of the streets.  At the end of the war, these Lidice children were tracked down and returned back home to their families.   And for the smallest children who remembered nothing of their former lives were traumatized when removed from their adoptive German parents.

Someone Named Eva introduced me to this horrific aspect of World War II.  Eva’s story was beautifully told and I felt so drawn to her.  Even to the very last page, I had no idea where Eva’s story would go.  I’d love for more people to pick this book up.  It deserves a wide audience.  In fact, the more I think back on this book, the more I love it.  An excellent book and I’d highly recommend it for readers of all ages.

(And by the way, the hardcover has a terrible cover.  It’s the copy that I read.  Thank goodness they improved the paperback.)

Links of interest:  Joan M. Wolf website.  More book blogger reviews.
Genre:  Middle grade historical fiction.  Approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Clarion Books.  July 16, 2007.
Hardcover, 208 pages. ISBN 0618535799
Someone Named Eva is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Clay comes home from school one day to find a package on his porch.  Yay for packages!  How exciting.  It doesn’t say who it’s from, so he excitedly rips into it.  Inside are thirteen cassette tapes.  Weird.  Who even uses cassette tapes anymore?  After hunting a player down (harder than it would seem), he puts the first tape in.  He’s shocked to hear the voice of Hannah Baker, a girl at school who had just committed suicide.

At the beginning of the tapes, Hannah explains that each tape represents a person.  On each tape she will explain what that particular person did to help contribute to her suicide.  Having received the tapes in the first place, Clay is obviously distraught, but to consider that his actions, unknowingly to him, played a role in her suicide is simply too much.  As he listens to each tape, he learns more than he wants to know about his fellow classmates, but it’s with fear and trepidation that he knows the next tape could very well be him.

Thirteen Reasons Why is thought provoking and is the type of book that brings up a lot of discussion points.  It’s the little things that we  do that may seem like a huge deal to somebody else.  Harmless gossip is not really harmless at all.  But in the end, are we really responsible for somebody else’s actions?

Why did Hannah place the blame on others, especially when she had so many opportunities to reach out and get help?  Who’s really responsible for the suicide?  Hannah?  Or the people listed on the tapes?  I’m one to say that the suicide was ultimately Hannah’s decision.  She obviously carried it out and I don’t think that it’s fair for the others to be held responsible for an action that wasn’t theirs.  But what of the ripple effects?  The little things that one does to wound the character of another.  To so deeply affect them that they aren’t able to shake it.  And what’s worse, to  not even realize it.  Thirteen Reasons Why makes us sit back and think before we talk or act.

Thirteen Reasons Why is told from the viewpoint of Clay as he listens to the tapes and alternates with Hannah’s side of the story on the tapes.  I couldn’t help but think about the book Skeleton Creek which alternates between written text and videos that the reader watches online to get the whole story.  I wonder how Thirteen Reasons Why would be in a similar format.  The written text as Clay’s point of view and Hannah’s told not in written word, as it is now, but rather in audio.  Wouldn’t that be cool?  A book told in audio and text?  This is the type of book that I think would be perfect for such a technique and would immerse the reader further into the story.

There was one small thing that bothered me throughout the book and I don’t know why I narrow in on it so specifically.  When Clay received the tapes and realizes they are from Hannah, he wonders why she would send them to him.  He thinks something along the lines of “Oh, the girl at school who committed suicide.  Hannah and I hardly know each other.  We are just acquaintances.”  I would quote the line but I don’t have the book in my possession but this was the feeling that I got when reading it.  Later in the book, we learn that Hannah and Clay had not only made out together at a party, but had had a heart-to-heart in depth conversation, which makes it more than just a “that girl” and “we hardly know each other.”  I suppose that thinking that they didn’t know each other, I was surprised by the unfolding story where they did know each other.  Although I’m sure I’m the only reader who feels this way, I don’t think the story was set up quite right because their relationship was not as explained.

I never felt sorry for Hannah, which as the character who killed herself because she felt bullied at school, I suppose I should have.  She was not likable to me.  There were so many times that she thought, “well, if this is what people think I’m already like, there is nothing I can do about it and I might as well act the part,” which is an attitude that made me want to throw the book across the room.  But I think that’s probably the point.  As a reader, I was so frustrated with her thought process that I’m sure that the people who found themselves the topic of each tape probably felt the same way.  In  retrospect, they wish that she had acted differently, thought differently, but there was nothing that they could do about it.

Thirteen Reasons Why is a great book for teens and adults that takes a good hard look at teens bullying teens, the warning signs of suicide, and suicide itself.  As I read this book for book club it also makes for a great discussion.  While it frustrated me to no end, I do think it’s worth the read and recommend it.

Links of interest:  Jay Asher website and blog.  More blogger reviews of Thirteen Reasons Why.
Genre:  Young Adult Fiction
Publisher:  Razorbill.  October 18, 2007
Hardcover, 320 pages.  320 pages.
Thirteen Reasons Why is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powells, and Amazon.

I wanted to read That Went Well for one simple reason: it takes place in my hometown and the author is local as well.  Within the last month I have read three books that are set in Salt Lake City, this one, The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale, and The Loser’s Guide to Life and Love by A.E. Cannon (both yet to be reviewed) and I have to admit that I think it’s great fun to read books where you know all the landmarks and wonder about the yummy sounding restaurant in the book.  So that said, even though this author is a stranger to me, I felt a connection simply because of locality.  But the book could have taken place in Timbuktu and I still would have loved it.

That Went Well is Dougan’s memoir and as the title suggests is about the  adventures in caring for her little sister Irene, who was born with a brain injury.  Irene was born in 1946 which frankly was a period of time that parents of children with mental disabilities and special needs were advised to institutionalize them.  Her family didn’t want to send her away.

From a very young age Dougan had to constantly defend her sister from neighborhood kids who made fun of Irene for being so slow and as she grew into adolescence had to explain her sister to the dates at the doorway, especially when Irene would ask them to talk to her dolls.  Irene actually served as a gatekeeper and Dougan knew she had found her perfect match when her date and then later husband, didn’t flinch at all when meeting Irene.

Unable to read and write and unwelcome in the public school systems, Irene was cared for at home and her parents realized that there was no support for parents of children with special needs.  Instead of complaining, they did something about it and created a day care center.  Later, after college and Dougan’s marriage and birth of her children, her parents found it more and more difficult to take care of Irene.  Hoping to ease Irene into independent living, they sent her to live in a group home in California.  Ultimately, she was unhappy and eventually came back home (but not after a few bruised roommates and aide workers).  When Dougan’s parents passed away, she became Irene’s primary caregiver.

That Went Well is a honest and frank exploration of what it’s like to care of a sibling with disabilities.  But to say that it’s a dry and boring exploration couldn’t be further from the truth.  I was sucked into this story from the very first page.  Dougan’s voice is fantastic!  She is laugh out loud funny but yet shares such intimate inner and physical struggles that one can’t help but sympathize with her and this family.   Dougan must come to terms with how she thinks Irene should live versus how Irene wants to live.

And let’s not forget to talk about Irene!  Irene is a riot!  From taking her dolls with her everywhere, to independently riding the city bus, inviting the firemen over for barbecues and to the magnet on her fridge that says, “Normal People Worry Me” she was simply fantastic.  Temper tantrums and all.  I loved her and it’s obvious that her sister loves her too.

Watch this beautiful show of these two sisters.  I was pleased to see so many shots taken at The Kings English Bookshop, my local independent bookshop.  I wish I had known about this book earlier in the year when she did her signing.  (It was a bit wonky to get this video to embed, so the slider is not showing up.  Click in black box to start, click again to pause.  Original video source.)

A beautiful, honest, funny, and thoughtful  journey of these two sisters, I highly recommend That Went Well.  Dougan opens her heart and one can’t help but take a look inside.  It was a pure joy to read this memoir.

Links of interest:  Terrell Harris Dougan website.
Genre:  Memoir
Published by Hyperion.  January 6, 2009.
Hardcover, 224 pages.  ISBN: 1401323294
That Went Well, Adventures in Caring for My Sister available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

In The Secret Keeper, Danny Kellerman, a British journalist, four years earlier landed the story of his lifetime when sent to Sierra Leone as a war correspondent to cover the political upheaval and civil war taking place there.  Being on the front lines had always been his dream job, but what he didn’t expect was to fall in love with Maria, an American woman who ran a orphanage for ex-child soldiers.  They have a brief but passionate relationship and when the crisis elevates he has no choice but to board a plane and go back home leaving Maria behind.

Four years later, Danny is living back in London with his girlfriend and is at odds with his father.  Danny receives a letter from Maria which pleads for him to return to Sierra Leone because she’s in trouble and needs his help.  But the letter didn’t arrive in time, and Danny learns that Maria was murdered just days earlier in a roadside robbery.  Danny can’t shake the feeling that there isn’t something right and that there had to be more motive surrounding her death than just a “roadside robbery.”

Against his family and his girlfriend’s wishes, he returns to Sierra Leone to find answers.  While there is a new type of peace in Sierra Leone, it’s not the same country that he left.  Former rebel leaders now hold high offices in government and secrecy and corruption seem rampant.  And asking to many questions about Maria gets Danny further into trouble and he soons finds himself in dangerous and life threatening situations.  As he uncovers more of the mystery surrounding Maria’s death, he finds that she might not be the woman that he thought she was.

What I liked about this book was knowing that the author Paul Harris is a journalist turned novelist and that he spent time as a war correspondent in Africa covering the conflict in Sierra Leone.  I found that completely fascinating and wondered how much of his experience was pulled into the novel.  Thank goodness, I was able to ask Paul directly and you’ll be able to see some of his thoughts in my author interview which I’ll feature tomorrow.  I will be the first to admit that I’m really ignorant on the political climate of Sierra Leone and I appreciate being introduced to new places and new people through fiction.

The Secret Keeper was fast paced with lots of twists and turns that had me unable to guess how the book would end.  I liked the multiple story lines, one told in 2004 as Danny researches Maria’s death and the second in 2000 with Danny’s first trip to Sierra Leone and his falling in love with her.  I enjoyed seeing how the two stories came together and revealed their relationship together as he was uncovering her death.

What I didn’t like about the book?  Long time readers of my blog can probably guess that I am not a fan of lots of foul language.  I can stand some language but when I feel like I’m getting bogged down with it than I get very distracted.  At one point, I almost wish I had kept track of the number of times the “F-word” was used.  When the characters get into a rollicking conversation, it could be as many as 5-6  a page.  Of course, it’s not every page, but it’s just enough to make me a little hesitant to recommend it to those who like cleaner reads.  On a good note, the sex scenes were very tastefully done.  The “leave it to my imagination” kind.

I don’t think The Secret Keeper will make my top ten reads of the year, but overall, I liked it.  It had a great storyline, believable characters, and set against a volatile background of war, greed, murder, and deceit, it makes for an intriguing read.  I can also see it as a great movie.  Plus, you know me and my Africa war books.  I’m always up for anything that covers those type of issues.  Just beware the language.

The Secret Keeper will be on tour the rest of May and into June with TLC Book Tours, so do check out what other bloggers are saying.  As for me, I’m really curious to see what everybody else thinks.  But that’s not all folks!  Come back tomorrow for an interview with Paul Harris. I have to admit that this was one of my most intimidating interviews I’ve ever conducted.  What do you ask a man who has risked his life covering war stories in Africa?  You’ll find out.  And as if that’s not enough, I got my hands on a second copy of The Secret Keeper, so I’ll be doing a giveaway tomorrow as well!

Do you have any other recommendations for books set in Sierra Leone?  This is a topic that I’d love to read more about.

Links of interest:  The Secret Keeper website.  Blog stops with TLC Book Tours.
Genre:  Mystery/thriller.
Publisher:  Dutton Adult.  April 2nd, 2009
Hardcover, 336 pages.  ISBN: 0525951024
The Secret Keeper is available from your independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
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The Tales of Beedle the Bard are as stated by the introduction:

. . . a collection of stories written for young wizards and witches.  They have been popular bedtime reading for centuries, with the result that the Hopping Pot and the Fountain of Fair Fortune are as familiar to many of the students of Hogwarts as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are to Muggle (non-magical) children.

. . . it was a surprise to discover a set of notes on The Tales of Beedle the Bard among the many papers that Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives.  Whether this commentary was written for his own satisfaction or for future publication, we shall never know; however, we have been graciously granted permission by Professor Minerva McGonagall, now Headmistress of Hogwarts, to print Professor Dumbledore’s notes here, alongside a brand-new translation of the Tales by Hermione Granger.

The stories are definitely strange.  A one footed hopping pot?  A hairy heart locked away in a box?  But they kept me entertained.  My favorite was probably The Tale of Three Brothers (which if I’m not mistaken is not an original tale, I’ve heard of this before), where three brothers meet Death at a river crossing and Death gives each of them a gift of their asking.

Dumbledore’s commentary gave this book the extra something that this book needed.  Without it I don’t think it would be as fun.  Overall,  a nice read for Harry Potter fans but I really missed Harry and his gang.  Makes me want to go back and read about him instead.

Links of interest:  J.K. Rowlings website.  Harry Potter website.  All net proceeds from the sale will be donated to The Children’s Voice campaign through The Children’s High Level Group.
Genre:  Fantasy, ages 9-12
Publisher: Scholastic, December 4, 2008
Hardcover, 111 pages.  ISBN: 9780545128285
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Everything becomes even more strange to the two sisters when they discover that their so called grandmother is a detective, but not a normal detective as she’s investigating a possible house squashing by nothing other than a giant.  It doesn’t take long for the girls to realize that the Grandma Grimm and themselves are the descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who’s classic book of fairy tales is more truth than fiction.

When the giant kidnaps their grandmother, the two sisters must rely on all the magical fairy tale creatures that  live in Ferryport Landing to get her back alive.  Perhaps what I enjoyed the most about The Sisters Grimm was finding out what all my favorite characters were up to.  Prince Charming is the mayor, the three little pigs are the town’s law enforcement, Ichobad Crane is the jailer and so on.  Overall, the book was a fun, quick read which I think will make for a good read-a-loud books with parents and their kids, particularly girls.  I’m curious to know where the rest of the story takes us, but not rushing out to pick them up immediately.

Once again, my husband also read this book.  And I asked him for his book review.  It’s his first and I must say much more entertaining than mine!

Taylor’s Book Review:

I picked up The Sisters Grimm because of the title.  I am a big fan of twisted fairy tales and fairy tales reimagined.  I also liked the cover.  I read this book about a year ago.  I remember it clearly like it was my unbirthday or something.   It was sitting on the shelf at the library all alone.  And I looked at the little orange book and it looked back at me.  It was like a stranded puppy but square and bookish.  Then it magically floated into my fingertips and opened to the first page.  The pages were cut all cool and jagged like it was handmade by the Brothers Grimm themselves and buried for hundreds of years, waiting all this time for me to find it and read its pages.

I think The Sisters Grimm started out really fun.  In the middle like most books its slowed down.   The two sisters are relatives of the Brothers Grimm and solve mysteries.  They met some character that wasn’t from a fairytale so I thought that was a little strange.  I liked the premise a lot.  I was expecting a little more “pow” at the end but it was still good.  I think Harry Potter has spoiled me forever.

You know what else has spoiled me?  The Sixth Sense.  Even after watching it almost nine years ago I still compare endings to that movie.  I don’t know why I thought of that.  The Sixth Sense is nothing like the Sister’s Grimm.  Except that they . . . No, I really can’t think of how they are alike in any way.  I probably said that because its almost 2:00 am and my wife wants me to write a book review for her.  This is the worst book review I’ve ever written.  I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series and going to sleep for three hours before I getting up to start the day.  Thundercats Ho.

Links of interest:  Sisters Grimm website.
Genre:  Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy, Fairytale
Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers. August 1, 2005.
Hardcover.  192 pages.  ISBN 0810959259.
The Sisters Grimm is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

Each story is connected and flows together as the wolf is trying to desperately come up with his next meal.  This impeccably dressed wolf, just can’t seem to catch a break when he’s outwitted by the pigs, attacked by the sheep, and declothed by little red riding hood (who’s  better known as Rhonda).  Kids who are familiar with the original stories will love the new story twists and those who aren’t will fall in love with the illustrations.  In the chapter about the boy who cried wolf, I got a kick out of one of the townsfolk who came running each time the boy cried wolf in various states of getting dressed for the day.  In a towel straight out of the shower and next with a blow dryer.

There’s a Wolf at the Door is a great book to introduce young readers to the graphic novel format, fables, and the classic stories that we grew up with.  I haven’t tried reading it to my three year-old.  It is quite long with a decent amount of text.  I wouldn’t want to read the whole thing in one sitting as a bedtime story.  You’ll probably be there for awhile.  But the chapters make for good stopping points as long as you don’t wait to long to pick it back up again, or else children might not see how the stories are connected.  Overall, I enjoyed this new take on these classic tales.

R.W Alley website.