The Pastor with a Penny Whistle

Rodney B. recently gave Joe this book, Grandpa Blows His Pennywhistle Until the Angels Sing, by Susan L. Roth.  Rodney also gave Joe his first penny whistle. 

Rodney's like that.  If he sees something that reminds him of someone, he often picks it up for him or her.  When he saw a penny whistle somewhere, he recalled having heard Joe talk about wanting one.  So he bought one for Joe.

So too with this book. 

The book is a good fit.  There is a pastor, the Very Reverend Wilson, (who happens to drone on and on).  There's a Grandpa who plays his penny whistle rather than going to sit in church to listen to the droning pastor.  There's a little boy, Little Boy James, who is too busy to want to sit still during one of the Very Reverend Wilson's sermons on a hot summer day.  And there's a Mama and Papa who are ready to pull their hair out trying to control Little Boy James with all his little boy energy.  Many similar themes and characters to our life.

Little Boy James falls off the barn roof while trying to avoid getting ready for church.  He lies unconscious, but alive.  Grandpa marches to church and interrupts the Very Reverend Wilson's droning to play a sad song on the penny whistle.  This draws a choir of angels into the church.  Once the angels are assembled, Grandpa marches home, with the angel choir following, playing his penny whistle all the way like the Pied Piper of Hamlin.   Once home, the angel choir sings, and Grandpa plays, and Little Boy James wakes up just fine.

I know why Rodney got this book for Joe.  The "Pennywhistle" in the title first caught his eye.  When he saw that there was also a pastor in the story, that sealed the deal.  It's a cute little story with a happy ending, and very cool cut and torn paper collage illustrations.

But I really, really hope Rodney doesn't think Joe is a droning pastor. 

And I'm pretty certain Rodney would rather have his pastor preach the Message of Salvation through Jesus' Blood and Righteousness, and faithfully administer the Holy Sacraments, than lead an angel choir around the county with his penny whistle, healing the sick.

But it would be kind of cool if he could do both, wouldn't it.  The idea appeals to our human flesh.  We want those tangible signs of God's glory.  We seek to feel and see the glory of God outside of His Word and Sacrament. 

We must remind ourselves what Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 16, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign."  God has given us what we need.  We recall when the Rich Man was suffering the pangs of hell, and he asked Father Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead, to his brothers, so that they would believe.  Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets.  Let them hear them." (Luke 16:29).

Thank You Heavenly Father for giving us Your Written Word and the Precious Sacraments.  Those Sacraments are the signs you have given us.  The Heavenly Power in the earthly elements.  That Communion with You that we can see and feel and smell and taste. 

May we never forget the Glory and Power intrinsic in these simple elements connected with Your Word and Promise.  May we ever seek You only in those Places where and Tools within which You have promised to come to us.

Thank You for the gift of a Faithful Pastor.  A pastor who faithfully teaches us your Written Word.  And who faithfully administers your Holy Sacraments.

Even if the Very Reverend might occasionally drone a little bit.

Velma T.'s Vitamin Revitalizer

I'm really enjoying reading Moon Over Manifest, the 2011 Newbery award winner by Clare Vanderpool.  Ms Vanderpool combines a casts of colorful, loveable characters, a little history, entertaining news articles from the past, and advertisements for helpful remedies to whatever ails you.  Add several layers of mystery and a spunky protagonist, and the author hit just the right recipe for a really enjoyable book.  She also included within the book, a story within the story, and the ensuing two settings, both of which she does well enough that a reader can see and here and feel the story.  The primary story takes place in the late 1930s, the dust bowl, depression and prohibition.  The secondary story consists of flashbacks, in the form of old letters and the stories of the local diviner, which take the reader, along with the protagonist and her girlfriends, twenty years back to the days when the local boys were going off to fight in the Great War.

Considering the short, gray days of winter, and the blah feeling that often afflicts me this time of year, I'm thinking I might try to get ahold of some of this featured elixir.

Velma T's Vitamin Revitalizer
Need a pick-me-up? Try this 

chemist's solution to low 

energy and stamina. With a 

carefully tested combination 

of iron, potassium, and calcium, 

it will give you a new spring 

in your step and you'll be able 

to accomplish the many tasks 

asked of you throughout the day. 

Just one teaspoon at morning 

and night and you will have the 

wherewithal of your youth. See 

Velma T. at the high school to 

get your Vitamin Revitalizer today.

Chillin' on an Ice Road...Alex Debogorski on large families

I saw King of the Road, by Alex Debogorski at the library the other day.  The sub title is True Tales from a Legendary Ice Road Trucker.  The cover also shows a little logo thing from the History Channel that says, "As seen on Ice Road Truckers."  Had I noticed these things when I picked up the book, I might have realized that there is a History Channel show with such a name, and I could have researched it to find out ahead of time that this is a reality show that's been going on for five seasons now and features the author of this book.  But I didn't notice these things at all.  And since I'm notoriously lacking in pop cultural literacy, I didn't know about the show at all until talking with people about this cool book I was reading.

What I did notice was the cover picture of a fellow who has that "good old boy" look to him, standing next to a big rig.  I noticed the ice and snow.  And I thought of the lonely and fatalistic man-against-the-elements tales of the far north by Jack London, to which I am inexplicably drawn.

So I checked it out, brought it home, and started reading.

Well, I'm going to come right out and say that Alex Deborgorski is the polar opposite of Jack London. This book, which tells the story of Debogorski's childhood, coming of age years, and how he ended up being an ice road trucker, is a hoot.  Totally fun and off the cuff; filled from cover to cover with unbelievable yarns that Mr. Debogorski spins with the skill of the born story teller.

The book is a quick read, with plenty of breaking off points in between the anecdotes, that allow a busy mom to read a bit and then easily put it down until the next cup of coffee.

I want to share particularly the following couple of paragraphs that portray a view of family that one does not often find in today's world.  It was wonderful for me to read something like this and to know that this author is out there in the mainstream and even pop culture world, becoming a publicly recognized figure of sorts, and that he holds this rare view of children.

I know that children are a blessing from God.  I am comfortable that God gave Joe and I each of our kids, and that each one is special.  But I still sometimes feel as though I ought to feel guilty or stupid for having so many children.  Even among friends with whom I share many basic aspects of my world view, I find that most people kind of think, "Enough's enough, lady." 

So it was refreshing to me to read this.

For some reason, working class white families are having fewer and fewer kids.  What's that all about?

People will say, "We can't afford to have more than two kids."

So at what point in history could people afford to have a lot of kids?  Do you think the pioneers could afford large families?  Do you think the farmers with one little tractor and a couple of horses could afford to have a large family?  The fact is, people have never been able to afford large families.  The previous generations recognized a simple truth--kids are not a liability, they are an asset.  People have to turn their thinking upside down.

My aboriginal friend Richard Cadieux says we'd better watch out because the population of Indians is growing like crazy  and we white people are having small families.  And he's right.  The aboriginal people know that kids are a joy.  Money isn't important.  People are important.  And your family is your only true wealth in this world.

Alleluia!

The Magic Meadow

Most homeschool families are familiar with the biographical and historical picture books of Ingri and Edgar Parin D'aulaire.  Besides the historical value of the biographies of notable historical figures such as George Washington, Pocahantas, and Bemjamin Franklin, the D'aulaire's are known for their vivid lithography.  Their biography of Abraham Lincoln, for instance, won the Caldecott Medal in 1940.

But until reading about their lives in order to write this post, I didn't realize how very prolific was their body of work, and how interesting their backgrounds. 

Edgar was born in Germany, but was of Swiss citizenship.  His father was Italian, and his mother appears to have been an American who lived in Paris.  Both his parents were artists.  Edgar studied under Henri Matisse.

Ingri was Norwegian.

After they married and came to America, both pursued careers in art.  They were drawn into the world of Children's literature by the director of the New York Public Library, and worked together to produce eventually 27 picture books.

They seem to have specialized in the folk tales and historical figures from their combined cultural backgrounds, producing stories of Norwegian, Swiss, and American heritage, and also an extensive book of Greek Myths.

A few months ago, before the school year started, I took my elementary aged kids to the open house at their school.  The school librarian had placed a couple of boxes of "free" books in the hallway.  Even though I was in the thick of weeding out our home library, I simply could not pass it by without taking a peak.  And as any true bibliophile can understand, it's pretty hard for me to take a peak at a box of old books without finding at least a couple that simply need to come home with me.

One of the books I found in these boxes was The Magic Meadow by Ingri And Edgar D'alaire.  This book presents many apsects of Swiss heritage, including the story of William Tell, the freedom loving representative governmental system of the Swiss cantons, the rugged beauty of the Alps, and a snippet each of folklore and the history of tourism based economic development.  And as a constant backdrop, through it all, flows the quaintly beautiful lithograph illustrations.

I'm not sure how the D'aulaires managed to come up with a story that included so much, but somehow it all holds together.  As are most of the D'aulaire books, this one, too, tells a sweet story with lasting value at many levels.

"Candy" Reading Series for the Junior High or Highschool Reader (or even adult)

Conspiracy 365
by Gabrielle Lord

I first reviewed this series just over a year ago.  This post is a follow up of sorts, so it will make more sense if you read that one first.

I've not yet finished this entire series, even though they are very fast reads.  One book takes me maybe three or four hours.  It's been somewhat challenging remembering which one to request from the library at the right time, and then having a free evening to read it when I do finally get it.

I really recommend this series for anyone who likes adventure, suspense, heroes and a heroine, and just a hint of romance.  There is also an element of fantasy, since many of the "nick of time" escapes that protagonist, Callum Ormond, manages would never work in real life.  At least, hair breadth escapes do not generally work one after another for an entire year, constantly, as they seem to do for Callum.  But I suppose, the entire premise is a bit fantastical in the first place, as is the steady stream of dramatic dangers that Callum encounters.

I picked up August and September at the library yesterday and yes, sadly, have finished them both.  When I got to the end of September, it ended so suddenly that I kept turning the page for several tries, thinking I had missed some pages.  But alas! it was just the next cliffhanger.  I'll have to wait to get the next couple in a few more months...

So far, there is only one spot at which I think the author committed a gross inconsistency.  But even that, I'm not  sure without checking back, which I probably will never do.

To reiterate a point upon which I touched in the original review, these books are clean.  Not even any swearing.  The hint of romance is very innocent and sweet. 

For such a quick moving story line, with next to nothing besides the perpetual action, the three primary characters are well developed, and continue to develop well in each consecutive book.  They really live in the sense that when the story is done, the readers is left feeling a little lonely for those friends he has to leave behind until he picks up the next book.

I'm in the process of trying to reduce number of volumes in our home library by 1/3, but even so, if I found these second hand and cheap, I'd buy them in a heartbeat. In each volume, there always seems to be at least a few things that I would like to recheck.  It would be an especially nice collection for a reluctant young male reader.

Prejudice, Bigotry

I just finished reading Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin. In 1959, Mr. Griffin medically darkened his skin and lived among the Negro population in the deep South as part of a research project on the prevailing state of racial prejudice and race relations at the time. His premise was that he would get a true picture of the situation in no other way. The Black people at the time, he feared, would not trust a white man enough to give him a true picture of how things were; nor would a white man in most cases be able to fully give his opinions in their truest sense.

The book, Black Like Me, was published in 1960 and is a journal style narration of Mr. Griffin's experiences, some of them quite shocking and dismaying.

The edition I read includes an epilogue written in 1977, in which Mr. Griffin elaborates on how the publishing of his book changed his life, how it fit in with the path the civil rights movement ended up taking, and the state of racial relations in America at that time.

One of the things that struck me throughout his narration, and then again while reading his epilogue, is that we all hold to prejudices. But not only racial prejudices.

From Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary

prej·u·dice
2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

big·ot·ry
1 : the state of mind of a bigot
2 : acts or beliefs characteristic of a bigot

big·ot
: a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance

Some thoughts about the above definitions,
-The noun, prejudice, also, does not specifically imply a negative notion or opinion. It simply means that one holds a certain opinion toward someone or something. But it has the added connotation of having been primarily used to refer to race relations and the negative assumptions one people group makes toward another.

-The word, bigotry, however, seems to include only the negative attitudes of a person or group of people toward another.

We all hold prejudices. It is the natural aggregate of our life and societal experiences. Prejudice is not only our opinions with regard to people or races. Prejudice is not always a wrong, or evil.

We all hold certain ideas of what proper clothes or habits are, for instance. Some people would refer to this kind of prejudice as a societal construct. Adhering to societal constructs in many cases is an act of love; it is something we do out of courtesy toward our friends and acquaintances. These societal norms can sometimes be irritating or binding. On the other hand, there are times, if a societal norm goes against God's laws, when we are compelled to go against those norms. Our adherence to such norms or constructs can be prejudice. And again, this is not always bad.

Some examples from my own experience.

• The relation who said to my mother-in-law, "Oh, Joe homeschools his kids? I hope they immunize." The prejudice: no one who homeschools immunizes and those who don't immunize always homeschool.
  
• My daughter's new friend who said, "You don't look like you were homeschooled." Apparently all homeschoolers look a certain way.
  
• Myself, when I assumed that my eco-friendly brother-in-law was a vegetarian. Everyone who is strongly green is a vegetarian, right?
  
• Or how about when I got to the hospital to deliver my last baby. Nurse: And what pregnancy is this for you? Mary: It's my tenth. Nurse: You're kidding, right? Mary: Why would I joke about that? Nurse: Well, you don't look like this is your tenth pregnancy. (I'm not sure what "10-kid mom" is supposed to look like.)
  

We all do this. All the time. Unintentionally. An most of the time it is not mean-spirited.

Consider for instance women with shaved or unshaved legs and armpits. In America, we women like our legs smooth and armpits hair free. (I think most American men like women that way, too.) In fact, it can be a bit embarrassing or even seem gross to see someone with hairy legs or armpits. It is a prejudice, "Hairy armpits are gross." This is fairly innocent. Hopefully we do not judge someone's person by this standard, however. That would cross the line between one's opinion of a particular habit, and basing one's entire opinion of a person who has such a habit, upon that habit. Most of us would probably say to ourselves something like, "This is a little weird for me. It kind of grosses me out. But I must give this person a fair shake."

Now take this same idea of shaven legs in a slightly different direction. Let's pretend we know a woman from Germany who does not shave. So when we meet someone who does not shave we might assume that person is German or European. This may or may not be the case, but it is a symptom of a prejudice we carry, based on our experience, "European ladies do not shave their legs, Americans do." Not always a true situation; a prejudice. Not necessarily evil or bad, but an opinion based on a limited experience. We would not be wrong, in the sense of evil, to hold this opinion, but we might appear ignorant or small-minded in some situations if we voiced this idea.

How about another angle. "Lesbians don't shave their legs." So when you meet someone who does not shave their legs, you assume she is a lesbian. This might be a bit more troublesome. Or you find out one of your friends is a lesbian and you say something like, "But you can't be a lesbian, you shave your legs!"

You see, these are all perceptions a person may carry without meaning any harm, but based upon our experiences. They can be hurtful, when applied improperly. But they are not necessarily wrong. We can't make ourselves more experienced than we are. We can't add to our life experiences just by saying we want to.

But we can be open to learning more about others, whether people of other races, or those of our own race with different habits and traditions than ourselves. We can listen to others and judge them on who they say they are and what they like and dislike. And we ought to approach people and attitudes that are different than our own with humility. We must use kindness in our dealings with others.

Now how about those times when we must address a prejudice because it is sinful to hold such a notion. There is right and wrong in the world and increasingly some are trying to blur the line that divides right from wrong.

As a Christian, I base my morality upon God's Word, the Bible. That is the foundation from which I must examine any prejudice I am called upon to judge.

"Is it wrong for a woman to work outside the home?" "Is it wrong for a man to shave his beard?" No, no, and no.

Some lifestyle choices are closely associated with behaviors that are wrong. "Is it wrong for a woman to glue spangles on her eyelashes or a man to put gems on his teeth?" This one is often associated with prostitution and pimping. Don't assume. Not everyone fits the stereotype.

When I was in college, I always wore my cross necklace. I was somewhat adrift in those years, but that was kind of my anchor. A concrete reminder of who I was, really. I remember when one of my friends told me that crystals were affiliated with some sort of holistic healing. I don't even remember what variety of healing. Pain relief or something, maybe. So I hung one around my neck on on the chain that had my cross. When later I found out that crystals were closely associated with New Age Religion, I was really embarrassed. Here I had symbolically equated Christianity with New Age mysticism. I'm glad none of my friends judged me because of that silliness.

About 15 or 20 years ago baggy pants and baseball caps on backwards was associated with gangstas. Perhaps still is, I'm kind of out of the loop on that one. But these clothing choices became mainstream. It would be wrong of us to assume every young man who wore baggy pants and a backwards cap was selling drugs.

"Is it wrong for a woman to sleep with her boyfriend when they are not married?" "Is homosexuality wrong?" "Is murder wrong?" Yes, yes, and again, yes. those are things we can judge on. They are not societal constructs or prejudice. But, when called upon, we must engage in judgments lovingly and with humility.

How about smoking or drinking? Women wearing pants? What about hunting? Or eating meat?

The list can go on and on. Judging a person based upon our own prejudice is wrong. Judging someone according to God's laws is not.

It's interesting that much of society today attributes stereotypes and bigotry to people of faith. People of faith have a foundation upon which to base their judgments. Those who don't, can only and always base their judgments upon one or another kind of prejudice.

May we as Christians never give fodder, by sinful prejudice, to those who want to label us as bigots. I pray that we only and always base our judgments of people upon God's holy law and apply them in accordance thereof.

New Blog

Please note the list of books at right. That was really all I wanted. A list of what I'm currently reading and have read recently to show up on my blog.

I played with various gadgets and widgets and blidgets... Then Joe once again rescued me. In order to show this list, I had to start a whole new blog. Aha! Then I added a gadget that blogger calls a list. Hmm. This allows me to I show a list of recent posts I've made on one blog, on another blog. I've seen other blogs that do this and never gave a thought to how they accomplished such a feat. Now I know.

If you want to see more info about any of the books listed, please follow the links. I will try to keep it updated. I don't want to spend tons of time on it, so I'm limiting my entry to title, author, thumbs up or down. I'll include a brief review if I have time.

A Good Book

Little Pink House is the story of Susette Kelo of New London, CT, and her neighbors in their attempt to hold on to their properties against the New London Development Corporation's use of eminent domain to develop the area into privately owned facilities that would generate higher property tax.

Mr. Benedict does an excellent job telling the story from several sides. If a person reads the book without a strong belief in the importance of personal property rights, he or she could almost side with any of the various entities in this battle.

When Joe and I lived In Madison, WI, during our college years, we were blessed to have the friendship of the State Business Director, Rolf Wegenke. Through that friendship, I was introduced to the idea that communities need thriving businesses to flourish. And I understand that a state has a certain interest in helping communities developing local businesses. Also, the state sometimes has more resources to help match up a given community with a potential incoming business. So also, I can understand that the state of Connecticut had a genuine interest in helping the depressed community of New London to find incoming business. I can understand that.

I can also understand that the city of New London, having lost much of their industry and also having an inordinate proportion of non-profit and other tax free entities in their community, would willingly accept any financial and brainstorming help the state could give. I can understand that. They were kind of over a barrel.

I can also understand that concerned citizens with connections might join together in a non-profit organization in order to promote and help finance development ideas. See this is all good, right.

Wrong. In Kelo v. City of New London, there were two major areas in which this case diverged from previously held legal precedent.

1. The US Supreme Court ruled that even in an area that is not blighted, a municipality may use eminent domain to condemn private property.
2. A municipality need not require development from the recipients of such condemned property.

Interestingly, this case has been in the news again this week because of President Obama Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings. In discussing her take on this precedent setting case, Judge Sotomayor misrepresents both of these important aspects of the case. The bloggers at Volokh Conspiracy have been writing about this decision in the context of the confirmation hearings.

Legal and constitutional aspects of this case aside, after I read Little Pink House, the necessity of constitutionally protected private property became much more emotionally apparent. The facts of this case are so sad. Ms Kelo has recently purchased the home of her dreams, a little pink house with a view of the water. She invests time and money and emotion into historically sensitive remodelling. Before her undertaking is even complete, her home gets ripped away from her in a process that takes years.

The stories of the other homeowners who filed along with Ms Kelo are all compelling. These are regular people. The homes were cared for. The neighborhood was intact.

And guess what. Now, after four years the properties still sit vacant. The buildings have been razed. The rubble still sits. The site is overgrown. Now it is an eyesore. And now, no one will touch it because of the negative publicity generated by this property grab.

A Book Not Worth Reading

OK, for Erica, a book I should not have wasted my time with. In her comment a while back, Erica mentioned books that, after reading the back cover, already frustrate. I would not, however, have been frustrated after reading the back of this book. The info there includes such deeply insightful descriptions as "wonderful," "rollicking, righteous," "offbeat, hilarious," "gross, quirky,"...Not alot of information. I guess it is in keeping with the minimalist design of the front cover, which is what originally caught my eye.

But I had not read very many pages before figuring out that Hoot, by author Carl Hiaasen, is a "save the owls" lecture under the guise of a light-hearted and satiric story.

The main character seems to have a normal life and family. Mainstream and well-adjusted. But everyone else is either very strange or totally inept. The book is filled with" 'cameo appearances" of characters fitting common stereotypes such as the drunken hunter driving a snowmobile. Anyone who is mean enough to hunt is also dumb enough to drive a snowmobile while intoxicated, right?

And we meet the frightened construction foreman who investigates a noise in his bathroom with his .38 special drawn and ends up shooting his toilet when a little mouse runs out. I guess anyone who owns a gun is obviously a stupid moron who keeps keep his finger dangerously on the trigger.

The book is riddled with this kind of humor. Sometimes it is mildly funny. But as you continue through the book it gets old. The president of the pancake house corporation is corrupt; the school counselor is naive, and biased against the good guy; the former football star is married to the former lounge waitress and they scream at each other all day- if they happen to be on speaking terms; the construction foreman's wife and mother-in-law are always shopping at the outlet mall...blah, blah, blah.

The only character that seems to not fit this stereotypical world is the father of the normal, well-adjusted family. He works for the US government as a justice department investigator. That seems a little off. Most of the people I have come across who hold dear the stereotypes that fill this book would also assume that any government worker is either corrupt or a simpleton.

I did finish the book. I kept thinking it would get better. It did have redeeming qualities. It compellingly tells a story. The plot is well spun. Really well spun. Lots of twists and turns and just the right amount of ambiguity to keep the reader turning the pages and thinking ahead trying to figure out how everything is going to tie together. It is a shame the characters are so one-dimensional. A reader might then be able to overlook the underlying message that everyone is out to get the poor little owls and we are all driven by greed and selfishness.

Did I mention that Hoot was awarded a Newberry honor?

Apparently the book is well-received; I notice there is a study guide available for classroom use. Oh, and it has also been made into a movie. Must have been a winner. I remember hearing lots about it. Uh, I guess not.

For more of the same see Flush, also by Carl Hiaasen, in which he addresses "illegal dumping of raw sewage from a floating casino."

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Do you enjoy graphic novels? What about silent movies? Stories of mystery and suspense? Do you like looking at beautifully done line drawings and charcoal sketches? Are you intrigued by gears and inventions? How about emotionally touching accounts of orphans?

Brian Selznick has amazingly captured all of this and more in his 533 page book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

In this novel, Selznick creates an action packed account that revolves around two Parisian orphans living in the 1930s, who who end up thrown together to solve a mystery. Unfortunately for them, they both are prone to secrecy and have developed some other bad habits. These things combine to throw continual roadblocks in their path.

Also included within this edge-of-your-seat storyline are the historical figure, Georges Melies, a pioneer French of cinema, and references to many well known silent movies.

In The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Selznick successfully combines many unique format devices. Although the 535 pages give the impression of a lengthy tome, much of the story line is told through drawings. And many of the pages of drawings are done in such a way as to imitate the progressive frames of a silent movie. Interspersed with these pages are a few pages of prose, sometimes entire pages, sometimes just a paragraph or two.

In all, the plot keeps the reader turning the pages. The artwork and stylistic elements are very appealing. There is just the right amount of emotion and moral dilemma to connect a reader with the characters. And best of all, the book leaves a reader wanting to learn something more. My 13 year old immediately asked to do a few library searches on Melies, silent movies and other historical facets Selznick included in his story.

I would guess that this book would appeal to a wide variety of ages. A middle school child would likely breeze through it independently. Younger independent readers would also have no problems with it. It would also work well as a read aloud if one or two listeners snuggle up next to the reader and look along at the same time. But if you have a larger number of listeners, as we do in our family, this would not be a good read aloud choice since the illustrations are integral to the story line.

Out of five stars this one gets a full five.