The Swiss Family Robinson

This is a review of the audio book.

(Not the Audible edition - although that is what is pictured)

Author: Johann Wyss

Reader: George Guidall

Producer: Recorded Books

Production Year: 1994

Most of the listeners will be: 5th-9th grade boys.

Listener's Advisory: For a more suspenseful book on wilderness survival try Gary Paulsen's Hatchet.

Summary:

The Robinson family, consisting of a father, mother, and four sons, ranging in age from 8 to 16 at the beginning of the book, are shipwrecked on their way to a New World colony. The rest of the crew abandons ship leaving the family without a lifeboat, but the wreckage is caught on rocks near an island. Once the weather improves, the family makes a raft from barrels and scrap wood and drifts to shore. 

With the help from supplies they slowly claim from the wreck, abundant naturalist knowledge possessed by the father an the older boys, and a can-do attitude, the family builds several dwellings within "their territory," which they name "New Switzerland." They grow crops and collect wild-growing edible plants and they also have both livestock and tamed native beasts. Their lives are good on the island, even luxurious considering their situation. If ever given the chance to return to civilization, will they take it?

My favorite passage:

The last time that the father and older sons go to the wreck to collect supplies, the father lights a fuse connected to two barrels of gun powder to blow up the ship. They watch it explode from shore, and the family is somewhat surprised because he hadn't warned them about his plan. I understood the father's thinking that if the wreck was gone they would not be tempted to visit it anymore. But I couldn't help but think that using up so much gunpowder was unwise, since for them it was a non-renewable resource (and they like their guns). I think what I do like about this passage is that blowing up a wrecked boat is a very "guy" thing to do. Boys must love this part of the book.

What I really think:

I listened to this book because Jon Scieszka mentions it in his autobiography Knucklehead. I almost turned it off. Probably this is a very good book and was even better during the time in which it was written. But as a woman of the 21st century, I had some issues. 

The gender roles are rigid and condescending. "The mother" is referred to by name maybe once. She almost never carries a weapon so at least one of the sons is always with her to protect her. She makes all their meals and washes, mends, and later makes all their clothes. 

Then there are the weapons. Although there is an abundance of food between everything they take off the ship, naturally growing edibles, and game, their approach to wildlife is "shoot first and ask questions later." They even kill penguins after they know that penguin meat doesn't taste good. And it is not that the wilderness is dangerous and they are shooting quickly to protect themselves. Sometimes they come upon a new thing slowly, identify it as best they can, and still decide to kill is, just because. 

Then there is all the wildlife itself. I am no naturalist, so perhaps an island like this exists. Or perhaps I was supposed to suspend my disbelief and accept this as a fanciful place. They meet a penguin early on, so I thought they were near South America. But then later in the book they encounter several African animals, including elephants and lions. Is there really a place where all of these things live together?

All that said, I can see why boys would probably like this book. They might not think twice about the gender roles and would love to run around with guns killing things. And they wouldn't be troubled with pesky questions about where in the ocean this island could be located. 

Gregor the Overlander

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Suzanne Collins

Reader: Paul Boehmer

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2005

Most of the listeners will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls. 

Listener's Advisory: For another book involving a quest, a hidden fantasy world, and battle scenes, listen to Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. 

Summary: 

Gregor (11) and his two-year-old sister Boots fall through a grate in their laundry room into the Underland. He discovers there not only giant bats, cockroaches, spiders, and rats, but a society of humans. His father, lost for almost three years may be in the Underland. But most interesting of all is the possibility that Gregor is the warrior promised in a cryptic prophesy. He doesn't feel like a warrior, but he could pretend to be one if the Underlanders will help him find his dad. 

My favorite passage:

When Gregor and Boots first land in the Underland they are discovered by giant cockroaches. Boots is immediately fascinated by them and calls out to them, "Big bugs!" The cockroaches also like Boots, asking "Smells what, so good, smells what?" The smell they like is emanating from Boots's diaper! The cockroaches soon decide that Boots is a princess and one carries her on his back as they travel to the human city. 

What I really think:

I have been trying to sell the Underland books to students who bemoan the fact our elementary library doesn't have The Hunger Games. Now I can report that the Underland is a difficult place to live and the first novel at least does contain some gruesome fights and death...if that's what young readers are after. However, it is tamer than The Hunger Games, so I still feel comfortable recommending it. 

I, personally, got so in to the beginning of the story that I forgot about my rule about sparing myself from books in which babies and toddlers suffer. I get very upset by this and it maybe isn't worth it. I was happily enjoying Princess Boots as a character and then Gregor takes her on a fast-moving, underground river in a boat made of skins with no life-jackets! And then they are attacked by rats! Fortunately, Boots survives this episode and isn't put in much danger during the rest of the book, so I was able to listen comfortably. 

Gregor is a very standard hero. Reluctant at first to step up to this role, but ultimately the master of his own fate. His willingness to sacrifice himself for the group in the end is an especially nice touch. 

The ending is a little unsatisfactory in that it isn't clear why no Overlander has returned to the surface before, but Gregor, Boots, and their father are flown there by bat without much trouble. Gregor begs to go home when he first arrives and it seems impossible. Maybe the currents weren't right at the time, but more explanation would have been better. 

I found Boehmer's voice for Gregor not 11-year-old-like enough. I'm not sure I can explain, but it just seemed too formal. My favorite was his voice for Rip Red, the rat that betrays his own people to help the humans on their quest. He sounds bored and sinister - love it!

It is certainly old news that Collins is a thrilling author, but I'm glad to see for myself that her early work is every bit as good as her recent hits. 

Because of Mr. Terupt

Author: Rob Buyea

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Year: 2010

Most of the readers will be: 4th-7th grade boys and girls.

Reader's Advisory: For another book told from multiple perspectives, read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger. 

Summary:

Jessica, Alexia, Peter, Luke, Danielle, Anna, and Jeffrey tell the story of their fifth-grade school year with a brand-new teacher. Mr. Terupt is fun and cool. He helps new friends come together, and ends the girl wars. But some of the most important lessons he teaches his students are learned when he isn't in the classroom. 

My favorite passage:

Peter elbowed Alexia. Then I heard him whisper a word to her.
That's not even close to a dollar, I thought.
"Fifty-three," Alexia said. "No good. Try..."
Were they crazy? They were trying out rude words and giggling the whole time. I just knew they were going to get caught.
"That's no good, either," Peter said. "Maybe..."
What a butthead! As soon as I thought it, I knew it was a word worth calculating. Sure enough, butthead equaled 81. I tacked on the s. There wasn't just one butthead but two buttheads (dollar word). I was just about to call out that I had round one when Peter beat me to it.
"I've got a word!" he yelled. "Buttocks!" He strutted to the board like he was the coolest thing since sliced bread and wrote it for the class."Buttocks," he said again. "B-U-T-T-O-C-S." Peter went on to demonstrate how the word added up to a dollar. Mr. Terupt didn't interrupt. Just as I was about to, the new girl did.
"Buttocks is spelled with a k in it, Peter," Jessica said.
Peter looked to Mr. Terupt. "Sorry, Peter. She's right. Better try again. And maybe you should choose a different type of word than the ones you've been coming up with."
Peter slunk back to his seat. No surprise to me, Mr. Terupt knew what Peter was up to the whole time.
I raised my hand. "Mr. Terupt, I've got one." I walked up to the board and wrote butthead. That was followed by a chorus of laughs. "Butthead," I said. "B-U-T-T-H-E-A-D adds up to eighty-one cents, but if we have more than one, then we get buttheads. And buttheads is a dollar word. Just ask Peter and Alexia."
Mr. Terupt snickered. "That's enough, Luke. I must say, this isn't a word I was expecting, but nonetheless, it's our fist dollar word. Congratulations." (pg 9-10)

What I really think:

***SPOILERS***

I thought I knew what happened in this book before I started reading it, so when Jessica and Mr. Terupt talked about "happy endings" I thought, "Yeah, right!" But it does have a happy ending, and thank goodness! Many of the lessons the students learn would have stuck even if Mr. Terupt had died, but it is powerful and important that he has a chance to actually forgive Peter. 

I have observed that many of my students seek out novels with heavy themes. I'm glad to have a book I can recommend that should both satisfy them, and leave them feeling uplifted. 

PIE

Author: Sarah Weeks

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Year: 2011

Most of the readers will be: 4th-7th grade girls.

Reader's Advisory: Another charming historical fiction novel that has been a Georgia Book Award Nominee is The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker.

Summary:
Alice's Aunt Polly put Ipswitch on the map with her award-winning pies. Now Polly has passed away and she left her secret-pie crust recipe to her cat, Lardo. And she left Lardo to Alice. As Alice tries to deal with the loss of her beloved Aunt and tries to convince her parents not to get rid of Lardo, she realizes that someone is trying to steal the recipe. But, even Alice doesn't know where it is. After all, how do you leave a recipe to a cat?
And for all the readers out there who are also bakers, a different pie recipe precedes each chapter.

My favorite passage:

The next stop was the parsonage, where they found Reverend Flowers in his kitchen with a dish towel tied around his waist.
"Good gravy, what happened to you?" Charlie exclaimed when he saw the Reverend's red fingertips. "Did you cut yourself or something?"
"Cherries," said the Reverend, wiggling his stained fingers to demonstrate that they were all still working. "I had no idea how much work it was going to be to pit them."
"Aunt Polly taught me a little trick about pitting cherries," said Alice. "Use a paper clip. You just unfold it, stick it in, and pull the pit right out."
"How ingenious!" cried Reverend Flowers. "I can hardly wait to try it."
"Do you mind if I offer you another piece of advice?" Alice asked politely. "You might not remember this, but Aunt Polly won the Blueberry for her cherry pie last year. As far as I know, they've never given the prize to the same kind of pie two years in a row."
Reverend Flowers smiled and put his hand on Alice's shoulder.
"I've heard that there are some folks in town who've set their sights on winning the Blueberry this year, now that Polly's not here to do it, but I'm not one of them. Your aunt was a remarkable person and I miss her dearly. I got to thinking about her today and for some reason it made me want to make a cherry pie."
Alice felt better somehow knowing that the reason Reverend Flowers was baking a pie was because he missed Aunt Polly. (pg 148-149)

What I really think:
I have a hard time getting into historical fiction sometimes and I think many of my students do, also. This book is light and fun and although the historical setting adds flavor to the story it doesn't overpower it, or require that you know too much about the time period to appreciate what is going on.
Death and grieving are a part of the story, but not the main focus. It is mostly a mystery about both what Aunt Polly has actually done with the secret recipe and whether or not someone is trying to steal the recipe (and who that person might be). The friendship between Alice and Charlie is warm and real, with both ups and downs. The issues that Alice's mother continues to have with Polly illustrate how sibling rivalry is not limited to children. These issues are resolved in a sweet and satisfying way. A lovely novel and a serious contender for a read-aloud during library class next school year.

Countdown

This is a review of the audio book.

Author: Deborah Wiles

Reader: Emma Galvin

Producer: Listening Library

Production Year: 2011

Most of the listeners will be: 4th through 7th grade girls and boys.

Listener's Advisory: Hear about the Cuban Missile Crisis from another perspective (England) in The Fire Eaters by David Almond, also recorded by Listening Library.

Summary:

What could be worse than having your best friend turn on you, your older sister disappearing, your uncle embarrassing you, and your younger brother being so saintly it makes your mistakes look even worse? The President of the United States announcing on TV that Russia is sending missiles to Cuba with the intention of possibly using them on America! Franny Chapman is 11 years old and lives in Maryland during 1962. In addition to her story, we listen to an assortment of documentary materials, including song lyrics, news clips, and biographical sketches of important figures of the time. 

My favorite passage:

Franny's younger brother, Drew is so upset by the news of the Cuban Missile Crisis that he mostly stops eating and hides in his tree house. When Franny goes to talk to him, still holding his favorite book, Our Friend the Atom, he explains that everything we know about atoms could help us get to the moon. But instead we are making atomic bombs and threatening to blow up other people, who are just made of atoms. 

What I really think:

The audio production of this book is phenomenal. There is a kind of channel changing sound between the clips that make up longer documentary sections and different voice actors. There is even some real audio of Kennedy and Khrushchev. 

Personally, I would have liked the biographical sections read by another person, as I associated Galvin's voice with Franny (the book is written in first person). Also, and this must have been a decision by the producer, none of the songs are sung. Why?

Love the story. I mean you see what Drew said about atoms. This book is for the peacemakers. 

Peter Pan

This is a review of the audio book. 

Author: J. M. Barrie

Reader: Jim Dale

Producer: Random House

Production Year: 2006

Most of the listeners will be: 2nd through 5th grade boys and girls. 

Listener's Advisory: For more on Peter, listen to Peter and the Starcatchers written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, and also read by Jim Dale. 

Summary: 

Wendy, John, and Michael Darling are lured out of their window and away to Neverland by Peter Pan, who wants Wendy to be mother to him and his band of Lost Boys. In Neverland the boys have adventures all day long and Wendy tells them stories at night and tucks them into bed. When the Darling children decide it is time to go home, and take all the Lost Boys with them, Peter sulks in his underground home. But he soon learns that Captain Hook has captured his friends and he vows to save them. 

My favorite passage:

The narrator repeatedly calls the children selfish and heartless because they have left without any care for how their parents must feel and they are sure the window will always be open so that they can return at their leisure. Every time this came up, I found myself thinking back to the Darlings getting ready to go out, and how Michael especially hugged his mother and told her how fond he was of her. It was hard, at times, to see Michael forget his parents and think Wendy was his real mother. 

What I really think:

This is another classic that I obviously can't take much issue with. And, once again, it has the Virginia seal of approval. After we listened to the first few chapters she said, "I hope Peter Pan teaches me how to fly." (Please, don't steal her away, Peter!)

But let's be real for a second. What is with the teeth? Repeatedly we hear that Peter still has his "first teeth." And this is supposed to be a charming quality. Really? I know his age is hard to pinpoint, but it seems to be more than 5 or 6 years old. So, the fact that he still has his baby teeth is creepy to me. Also, all the ladies want to be more to him than a mother. Being attracted to a kid with baby teeth? Double creepy. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Although this is an image of a print version of the book, I am reviewing the audiobook. 

Author: L. Frank Baum

Reader: Jim Weiss

Producer: Books on Tape

Production Year: 2002

Most of the listeners will be: 3rd through 5th grade girls.

Listener's Advisory: For a modern twist on wondering through a fantasy world, listen to Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu. 

Summary:

Dorothy and her dog Toto haven't quite made it to the storm cellar when a tornado picks up their Kansas home and floats them away to Oz. Dorothy is hailed as a hero by the local people, Munchkins, because her house has landed on, and killed, the Wicked Witch of the East, freeing them from bondage. The only thing Dorothy really wants is to go home, and since the country of Oz is surrounded by a desert on all sides this seems practically impossible. The Good Witch of the North, a friend of the Munchkins, advises Dorothy to ask the Wizard for help. Dorothy begins walking to the Emerald City wearing the Wicked Witch's magical silver shoes and a protective kiss on her forehead from the Good Witch. Along the way she meets companions who also wish to seek favors from the Wizard. They have many adventures on their way to the Emerald City, and beyond. 

My favorite passage:

On their way to the Emerald City, Dorothy and Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion pass through a forest that is inhabited by a particularly nasty kind of beast (whose name I won't try to spell, since I have only heard it - not seen it). They come to a fissure in the ground and wonder how to cross before they are caught by the beasts. The Scarecrow comes up with the plan that the Woodman can cut down a large tree for them to walk across, which the Woodman does. As they cross, two beasts show up and the Lion roars at them to try and hold them back. But, as the beasts continue to approach, Dorothy's friends hurry across the tree and the Scarecrow instructs the Woodman to cut through it, destroying the bridge before the beasts get them. 

What I really think:

Dorothy isn't much of a heroine. Most of the story seems to be descriptions of the outlandish places that make up the country of Oz and the character development of her companions. Dorothy does very little for herself and her biggest victories are accidental. Her house happens to land on one wicked witch and she pours water on the other without knowing the effect it will have. Nevertheless the story is entertaining, and perhaps Dorothy is just a device to hold the rest together. 

Jim Weiss did a nice job of differentiating the voices. I especially liked the king of the flying monkeys. I did find his cadence to be a little unnatural. More like reading (which it was) than talking. And all the characters spoke with a similar cadence, even though their voices sounded different. 

I had never read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz before, only seen the movie. The book is even better. I enjoyed hearing the backstory of the Scarecrow, the Woodman and the Winged Monkeys. I also got to visit new corners of the country of Oz. Perhaps the biggest endorsement, however, is that my daughter (who is 3) listened to the whole thing and continues to talk about it.