Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers

"She knew very well that Mary Poppins never wasted time in being nice." 

Growing up, I missed an awful lot of the children's classics -- I read and loved the Narnia series, the Little House books, and the Boxcar children, but I never even read The Wizard of Oz series until I was in middle school (and I skipped the first book, assuming it was just like the movie.  I was quite wrong).  I am now officially adding Mary Poppins to the list of books I regret never reading while I was an actual child.

If you're not familiar with the plot, Mary Poppins is a mysterious, magical nanny that shows up and takes charge of the four Banks children after their Katie Nanna leaves on short notice.  She's not what you'd call warm and cuddly -- she's actually rather short and brusque with the children -- but when Mary is around, wonderful things happen.  The two elder children, Jane and Michael, have fantastic adventures with Mary, including a visit to the zoo at night when the animals are running the place; a tea party held whilst floating up near the ceiling; and a magical trip around the world.

Mary Poppins was never among my favorite Disney movies when I was a kid, and when my own children were born, I didn't enjoy it much more.  It was only after I saw Saving Mr. Banks that I had any read desire to read the book to see how it compares to the movie.  Well, it's far superior -- in fact, there's barely any resemblance to the movie at all, except the famous opening when she comes in with her carpet bag and slides up the bannister; and her evening out with Bert.  It's possible that other elements in the movie are taken from later books in the series, which I haven't read yet, but if you're a fan of the movie, you might be disappointed.  Mr. and Mrs. Banks are barely mentioned, and there are no chimney sweeps in sight.

I also did not realize that this book was revised by Travers back in 1981.  I'd been listening to the audio, and when I have a hard copy, I like to see my progress by comparing it to the print book.  So, I looked in my copy to check my place, and was VERY surprised to see that my current chapter, "Bad Tuesday" was QUITE different -- as in quite racist!

That particular chapter starts out with Michael getting out of the wrong side of bed.  Everything goes wrong all day and he's being very naughty.  They're out on a walk and spot a compass on the ground, and Mary Poppins uses it so they can travel around the world.  In the audio version, they go in all four points of the compass, and visit a polar bear, a macaw, and panda, and a dolphin, and it's quite delightful.  Apparently in the original version it's people, and the visit to Africa is particularly offensive.  But I'm glad to say that the revised version is much better.  

Though I do own a print copy of the book, I mostly listened an audio version, which I just loved.  The reader, Sophie Thompson is one of the most delightful audiobook narrators I've ever encountered.  (Yes, that's the Sophie Thompson who is the sister of Emma Thompson, who played Miss Bates in Emma and Mary Elliot in Persuasion).  She's just perfect for Mary Poppins -- Mary is very no-nonsense, the children are full of wonder, and her accents are spot-on.  I'm planning to read the entire Mary Poppins series, and when I do, I will imagine Sophie Thompson narrating all the rest of the books in my head.

I'm counting this book as my Children's Classic for the Back to the Classics Challenge.

The Lives of Christopher Chant and The Magicians of Caprona by Diana Wynne Jones

When Jenny announced she was hosting a Diana Wynne Jones week, I was so excited!  I've loved DWJ since I was a child.  Unfortunately, after I discovered one of her earliest books, Dogsbody, it was years before I found another -- my school library didn't get any of her other books, and neither did the public library.  And of course this was before Amazon and library online catalogs.  I didn't even know about ILL back then.  I didn't rediscover her works until I saw one by chance about five years ago, Howl's Moving Castle, another of my favorites.

In the past few weeks, I've been so inspired by all the postings and reviews of her other books I've read six of her books -- two standalone books, plus four from the Chrestomanci series, of which there are now seven books: six novels, plus a book of short stories.  In the interest of time, I'm going to write about two of the Chrestomanci books I've read recently:  The Lives of Christopher Chant and The Magicians of Caprona. 

The Chrestomanci books don't need to be read in order like many other series; they're not so much a linear narrative, more like  interrelated novels.  In the Chrestomanci books, our world is one of a number of parallel worlds that have split off from one another and coexist; occasionally, there are people that can travel from one world to another.  In most of these worlds, magic exists and is quite common.  Chrestomanci appears in all of the books and stories, but it isn't a person's name, it's a title -- the Chrestomanci is the most powerful magician of his time, and so he's sort of like the Minister of Magic.   Different books might have a different Chrestomanci, or even two, the current Chrestomanci and a future one.

The first book I read this summer was The Lives of Christopher Chant.  It's set in a parallel version of Edwardian England, and Christopher's parents and uncle all have magical powers.  As a young boy, he also has strong magical powers, but not everyone is aware of them.  He can control his own dreams, and while he's dreaming, he can move from one parallel world to another.  He also has multiple lives.  Christopher also realizes he can carry objects from one world to another.  When his family finally realize how powerful he is, he's sent to train with Chrestomanci.  Things get complicated when people begin to try and use Christopher's powers for personal gain.

Of the four books that I read, this was my favorite.  Christopher is a well-developed character.  He's flawed, but that makes him more endearing.   He wants to be a normal boy, yet he wants to impress his parents and make them love him.  He also wants to please his uncle, who is the first one to recognize his magical talents.  If you've read Charmed Life, the first Chrestomanci book DWJ wrote, this is the back story of the adult Chrestomanci featured in that story.  This was the second in the series that I read, but you could probably read it any order, though I'd recommend it first or second.

The second book I read was The Magicians of Caprona.  Unlike the other DWJ books, this one is set in Italy.  Again, it's a parallel world, though similar to ours, in which magic is normal.  It's about two magical families in the city-state of Caprona, the Montanas and the Petrocchis, and they're sort of like the Capulets and the Montagues, hating each other for years over something trivial that has grown out of proportion.  The main character is Tonino, a little boy in the Montana family.  Like Christopher Chant, he's having a hard time with his magical talents.  His family is famous for creating spells, but Tonino seems hopeless.  However, his magical powers come to light when an evil enchanter is trying to steal the magic from Caprona while they're under threat of war.  The rivalry between the Montanas and Petrocchis comes to a head as the enchanter must be stopped.

I had a harder time getting into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it.  It was interesting to see DWJ write about in a setting outside of England (or magical versions of England, I suppose).  Chrestomanci does make an appearance, tying this book in with the rest of the series.  I especially liked the way DWJ worked him into the story in a way I didn't expect.  This was the second book written for the series, but I think you could read it in any order.

While I was on vacation recently, I also read Witch Week and Mixed Magics, which is a collection of four stories with Chrestomanci and includes some of the other characters in the series.  I also have Conrad's Fate checked out from the library, and hope to start it soon.  I'm really enjoying the Chrestomanci series.  If you are a fan of DWJ you'll probably love it.  I think it's a good choice for anyone who enjoys Harry Potter or other children's fantasy as well.

A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Newbery Count 36/89

A couple of winners, in every sense of the word. A Year Down Yonder, the 2001 Newbery Medal winner, is the sequel to the 1999 Newbery Honor book, A Long Way from Chicago.  Each book is distinct enough to stand on its own, but together, they're even better.  Both of them made laugh out loud, and the second made me a little misty-eyed in parts.

I was mildly irked when I realized A Year Down Yonder is the second in a series, since I truly dislike starting a series in the middle -- sometimes there are spoilers, and I'm always wondering if I'm missing something important.  But I saw that the first book is pretty short, and it came highly recommended from a library employee.  It's worth every minute, and it grabs you from the first chapter. 

The setup:  A Long Way from Chicago is a first-person narrative from nine-year-old Joey Dowdel and his little sister, Mary Alice, are sent to visit their eccentric grandmother in a little town in downstate Illinois. The book is subtitled "a novel in stories," and each chapter is a funny story from a different summer in his childhood, beginning in 1929.  Joey and Mary Alice are from Chicago, which is rife with the antics of John Dillinger, so they figure a visit to Grandma will be pretty dull.  Not so -- there's always something entertaining going on.  Grandma Dowdel is cantankerous character, a bit of a trickster, so every summer is a bit of an education for Joey and Mary Alice, like the second summer, when Grandma gets even with some pranksters who think it's funny to explode her mailbox and knock down Mrs. Wilcox's privy.  There's a lot of privy humor in these books, and shotguns, and even some poaching.  Oh, and lest I forget, a little moonshine, a phantom brakeman, and a mouse in a bottle of milk.  Sometimes Grandma's actions are legally suspect, but her motives are ultimately unselfish.

Grandma Dowdel is one of the funniest characters in children's literature.  She's tough, but with a great heart, and I didn't find her quirkiness overly contrived or stereotyped, like in some other children's books I've read lately.  I think sometimes authors try too hard with the quirky factor, and it can just seem fake and annoying.  All of the characters in these books seem believable to me.  This book was so good I couldn't figure out why in the heck it didn't win the Newbery that year.  Well, that was 2001, and the winner was Holes by Louis Sacher, one of the best children's books ever, in my opinion. 

The second book, A Year Down Yonder, is a year in the life of Mary Alice.  She's about 15 and is sent to live with her grandmother during the Depression. There are more stories of Grandma Dowdel getting the best of pranksters, snobby DAR ladies, and nasty high school girls.  Again, it's really funny, but some of the content might actually be appropriate for older children or even YAs -- there are some hints about illegitimate children and a nude artist's model, so you might want to save this one for the 10 and up set. But I still really enjoyed it, and I've been reading chapters (slightly edited) to my third grader. 

Here's a quote from A Year Down Yonder that pretty much sums up Grandma's character:

"Mrs. Dowdel," said Mrs. Sheets, "I'm here to tell you that you're twice as bald-faced and brazen, and yes, I have to say shameless as the rest of us girls put together.  In the presence of these witnesses I'm on record for saying you outdo the most two-faced, two fisted shortchanger, flimflam artist, and full-time extortionist anybody ever saw working this part of the country. And all I have to say is, God bless you for your hard work.

"Mrs. Dowdel. . . . you're not everybody's cup of tea. Well, it's common knowledge, isn't it? But we girls would be proud as Punch to have you join our Auxiliary if you're a veteran's wife.  Did your late husband go to war?"

"Only with me, " Grandma said. "And he lost every time."   This book made me wish I'd had a Grandma like her.

The View From Saturday by E. L. Konigsberg

Newbery Count: 34/89

Now, this is a Newbery-worthy book.  Wow. And why did it take me so long to read it?

I was a little apprehensive reading this book.  To be honest, some of the Newberys I've been reading lately were not as impressive.  And E. L. Konigsberg is the author of one of my absolutely favorite children's books of all time, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I wanted to be just like Claudia, and run away from home and live in a museum. (I hope this isn't a spoiler, I decided it was fair because it's on the back of the book).  Anyway, there's a   gap of nearly 30 years between the publication of that book and The View from Saturday, and I was a little worried -- what if it didn't live up to my beloved favorite?

I was not disappointed.  Konigsberg created an amazingly well-crafted story about four sixth graders and their homeroom teacher, who coaches them in the academic bowl team.  Each of these characters is well developed (OK, the teacher not as much as the students).  It's told mostly in flashback, centered around the state's academic bowl championship, and various questions trigger explanations of events in the four children's lives, and how they were all chosen to be on the team.

I think Konigsberg's greatest strength in this book is creating memorable, realistic characters.  Each of the stories of the four children were so interesting and well written, I wished I could read an entire book about them.  (Seriously -- E. L., if you're reading this, please consider making this a whole series).  These kids are smart and clever and nice.  I wish all them were real so they could be friends with my children.   I loved how this book celebrates academic achievement and friendship.  It might be a tiny bit heavy-handed with the message, but it's so good I'm ignoring that.

There is one thing I did want to make note of -- three of these four children are connected, not just because they are all in the same homeroom in a school in upstate New York, but because their grandparents all live in the same retirement community in Florida.  Now, to some people, that might sound extremely unlikely and contrived, and if I'd read this years ago I would have thought the same thing.  However, my in-laws did retire to Florida about 12 years ago, to the same town where several of their friends live, and now that I think about it, it makes sense.  It's really hard to pick up and move to a new state where you don't known anyone, so it's quite possible that they all did move down there, purposely.  So, not really that unlikely and contrived.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book. This is what the Newberys are all about.

My Newbery Challenge

Recently, I've been reading a lot about the Newbery Award winners.  Yes, I did read this year's prizewinner -- Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, which I believe was absolutely deserving and embodies everything that the Newbery should be.  But I've actually been reading lots and lots about the various award winners while researching for a class project for History of Youth Services, which has inspired this new challenge.

I've read a lot of juvenile literature -- I was a voracious reader as a child (shocking, isn't it?) plus I've tried to keep up with what my own children are reading, then three classes of children's lit in library school.  I was so surprised to go through the list and discover I'd read barely a third of them, only 31 out of the 89 winners.   I am amazed that I have missed so many.  I've never read Sounder!  How did I miss Jacob Have I Loved, and Maniac Magee?  Below is the list, from most recent to earliest.  Books I've read are highlighted in bold text.  Quite a few of the early ones I've never even heard of, much less read.  So this is my new challenge.  I have 58 left to go, and there are 43 weeks left in this year.  I don't expect to get them all read by the end of the year, but they are juvenile books, so they're pretty short, and I am a fast reader.  So my goal is one per week, and if I can get through more than that, great.  I'm also planning on joining The Newbery Project.

Now all I need to do is decide the order.  I have a couple checked out already for my class project, so I'll probably tackle those first.  I also have a few unread winners floating around the house, so those should come next.  After that, I'll probably choose them randomly -- the libraries here in San Antonio have all the Newbery winners in a special section, so every week when I volunteer I could just pick whichever strikes my fancy.

I think I've read the most popular ones already (there's a great blog from Allen County (IN) Public Library -- for several years the librarians had a Newbery book group and blogged about all the books.  If you're interested you should check it out here.)  Which is your favorite?  Which should I absolutely read first?  And which ones are real duds and should be put off until the bitter end?  I'd love to hear your opinions and if we review the same books I'll be happy to add links to your blog.  Thanks!

Newbery Count: 31/89


2010 When You Reach Me  by Rebecca Stead
2009 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
2007 The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
2006 Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
2005 Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
2004 The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo 
2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
2002 A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2001 A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

2000 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

1999 Holes by Louis Sachar
1998 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
1997 The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
1996 The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
1995 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
1994 The Giver by Lois Lowry 
1993 Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
1992 Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1991 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
1990 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

1989 A Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
1987 The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
1985 The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
1984 Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
1983 Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
1982 A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
1981 Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
1980 A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos

1979 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1978 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1977 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
1976 The Grey King by Susan Cooper
1975 M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
1974 The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
1973 Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
1972 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
1971 Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
1970 Sounder by William H. Armstrong

1969 The High King by Lloyd Alexander
1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
1967 Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt

1966 I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
1965 Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
1964 It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville
1963 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
1962 The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
1961 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
1960 Onion John by Joseph Krumgold

1959 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
1958 Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
1957 Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorense
1956 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
1955 The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
1954 ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
1953 Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
1952 Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
1951 Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
1950 The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

1949 King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
1948 The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois
1947 Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1946 Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
1945 Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson 
1944 Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
1943 Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
1942 The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds
1941 Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
1940 Daniel Boone by James Daugherty

1939 Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright
1938 The White Stag by Kate Seredy
1937 Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
1936 Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935 Dobry by Monica Shannon
1934 Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs

1933 Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis
1932 Waterless Mountain by  Laura Adams Armer
1931 The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1930 Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field

1929 The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
1928 Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1927 Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James
1926 Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925 Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger
1924 The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes
1923 The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
1922 The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Every so often, I read a book that I love so much I will stop complete strangers at the library or the bookstore and beg them to read it. This is one of those books.

The beginning of this book is puzzling, but don't give up. It starts out with a cryptic prologue that doesn't make sense until you've read the entire book. Then we get to the heart of the story: eleven-year-old Miranda is a latchkey child living in New York City, the only child of a single mother. She's dealing with a lot of normal issues, like changing friendships, and first crushes, but the book also some more serious stuff -- safety in the big city, scary homeless people, racism, prejudice, and a frustrated mother in a low-paying job.

For a while this book seemed like just another realistic fiction book, albeit set in 1979, which is an interesting choice of time periods. It's so well written -- the characters are beautifully developed and the descriptions of Miranda's life in New York are so vivid, it's like I was right there in the sixth grade with her. Miranda is so real and the author has really captured what it's like to be that age. But midway through the book something happens that completely brings this book to a whole different level of wonderful. All I can say is that Miranda receives a mysterious message that changes her life forever. I'm afraid of saying too much because there is such a great twist to this story. I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I'm even going to be really vague in the tags so I don't spoil it for anyone. Also, I will warn readers: Miranda is reading the children's classic A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle, and throughout the book she explains the story to a friend. I'm sorry to say she reveals some important plot points of that book, which is my one tiny complaint about this book -- if you read this BEFORE A Wrinkle in Time, it might spoil that book for you. Or you could just go read that first and then you'd read two amazing books in a row.

This had been in my library hold queue for several weeks, and I don't even remember adding it to the list. When it arrived, I couldn't even remember why I wanted to read it, and I kept putting it off. When I finally started reading it the other day, I was completely mesmerized and read the entire thing in one sitting. I laughed and gasped and cried, and when it was done, I brought it with me to my daughter's elementary school, because I was scheduled to volunteer at the book fair. I showed it to the librarian, to the library aide, some of the teachers, and all of the other parents who were helping out. Yesterday when I went to the public library where I volunteer, I found the branch's copy and marched over to the children's librarian and handed it to her. I'm spreading the gospel of When You Reach Me. It really is that good. If it doesn't make the Newbery shortlist, I will be shocked and appalled, unless there's something even better that I haven't read yet. If there is, I'd be lucky to read two such wonderful books.