Classics, Nonfiction, and Children's Literature
When the titular character was first carved in the 1820s in Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field (published 1929), the world moved at a slow pace and horse and wagon was the method of transport. By the time the now-antique doll is “writing” her memoirs (in the 1920s), she can see airplanes out
The Tyranny of Printers by Jeffrey L. Palsey (University of Virginia Press, 2001) is a scholarly history of, as the subtitle says, Newspaper Politics in the Early American Republic. With an abundance of research and a readable set of examples in each chapter that focus on specific newspaper printers and situations, the book opened my
For me, Christmas isn’t Christmas without How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (published 1950s). In this perfect Christmas classic, the crabby old Grinch, with a heart three sizes too small, steals Christmas from the each unsuspecting Who down in Who-ville who likes Christmas a lot. But when he realizes that taking away the things of Christmas doesn’t
In The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018), our robotic friend from the first book has been refurbished and sent to work as a “normal” robot on a farm in a futuristic world. With all of her memories and abilities from her wild years, however, Roz is only
Pride and Perjury by Alice McVeigh (Warleigh Hall, 2024) is a compilation of Jane Austen fan fiction stories, mostly related directly to the characters from Pride and Prejudice, but also including some tie-ins with characters from Emma. Although Emma isn’t as familiar to me as my all-time favorite with Lizzie Bennett, even these Emma-related stories
The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly (published 1928) is an historical fiction novel featuring tradition, treasure, and alchemy in medieval Krakow. The Charnetski family has fled Ukraine after bandits robbed and burned their estate, and they arrive in Poland with nothing but a pumpkin in their cart. Joeseph, the young teenage son, is
With a subtle conversational tone, Electricity: Bulbs, Batteries, and Sparks by Darlene Stille (illustrated by Sheree Boyd; Picture Book Window, 2004; Amazing Science series) throughout suggests trying experiments . For example, it suggests things such as flicking switches, or rubbing socks on the floor. It also asks questions such ash as “have you ever…?” Facts
What if a robot never interacted with humans? What if a robot’s survival instincts taught it how to survive in the wild, among animals? This is the premise of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016). Rozzum Unit 7134 has crashed into a wild island, where she learns to
The Apartment: A Century of Russian History by Alexandra Litvina (illustrated by Anna Desnitskaya; Harry Abrams, 2017) illustrates 100 years of Russian history through the lives of the changing residents in a Moscow apartment and the lives they lead. With the Muromstev family as a connecting link, the reader learns of the dozens of children
Plants that Never Ever Bloom by Ruth Heller (Puffin, 1984) is an older picture book that provides examples off various fungi that grow around the world as well as evergreens, illustrating how these living organisms do not bloom as we might assume all plants do. Since it is older, the illustrations and cover have that
If your typewriter could speak, what would it say? What if your typewriter could type back everything that has ever been typed into it? This is the premise of the middle grade novel Olivetti by Ali Millington (Feiwel & Friends; March 2024). Olivetti is told from two perspectives, that of Olivetti the typewriter himself and
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (published 1939) is a difficult book in the Little House series for me, and certainly not my favorite, because it seems to be such a jump between Laura’s childhood and her maturing roll as young woma in her family. This jump is obvious from the
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