Daring Book Challenge Wrap-Up

June 15, 2008 - February 15, 2009

So, I did the relatively short version of this challenge, just 6 books. Thanks to Callista for hosting it!

1. Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery
2. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
3. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
4. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
5. Beauty by Robin McKinley
6. The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell

Favourite book: Beauty, by a long shot - a wonderfully written re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.

Overall thoughts: This challenge made me read some classics I should've read long ago, which was great. As much as I love LM Montgomery, I found that coming back to her in adulthood without the foundation of childhood love (which I have for Anne of Green Gables) was a bit tough - I couldn't give myself over to Emily as I did to Anne when I was young. I found Trixie Belden and Black Beauty really old-fashioned, especially the latter. I enjoyed The Book of Three more than I thought I would, not having been a fantasy fan as a child and not being much of one now.

Review: Beauty

Beauty: a retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
4 stars

Reasons for reading: have always meant to; Daring Book Challenge

Description (from Amazon): "This much-loved retelling of the classic French tale Beauty and the Beast elicits the familiar magical charm, but is more believable and complex than the traditional story. In this version, Beauty is not as beautiful as her older sisters, who are both lovely and kind. Here, in fact, Beauty has no confidence in her appearance but takes pride in her own intelligence, her love of learning and books, and her talent in riding. She is the most competent of the three sisters, which proves essential when they are forced to retire to the country because of their father's financial ruin. The plot follows that of the renowned legend: Beauty selflessly agrees to inhabit the Beast's castle to spare her father's life. Beauty's gradual acceptance of the Beast and the couple's deepening trust and affection are amplified in novel form. "

First line: "I was the youngest of three daughters."

My thoughts: I enjoy fairy tale re-tellings and this one is masterful. I see why it's a classic, yet it doesn't feel dated - it could have been written in the time of the Brothers Grimm or today.

I liked the added elements of the family's story - the father loses his money, as in the original story, but they're able to move to the country with the one daughter's fiance, who has a place a blacksmith. I enjoyed the story of them re-making their lives. I also liked that Beauty became beautiful over time, though I'm not sure if it was due to magic or that she simply grew into her looks.

Sadly, it was a bit hard to read about the enchanted castle without thinking of Disney's Beauty and the Beast - damn Disney. But still, I'd love to live there - candles lighting as you approach, anything you want to eat or wear appears instantly, no housekeeping, perfect gardens... And an enormous library with a wonderful twist - it contains books that haven't been written yet, like Sherlock Holmes and the poetry of Robert Browning.

Verdict: A very well-done spin on a classic tale.

Review: The Book of Three

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
3 stars

Reasons for reading: I've been meaning to because it's one of my husband's childhood faves; Daring Book Challenge and Fantasy for the Genre Challenge

Summary (from Kirkus UK): "Assistant pig-farmer, Taran craves adventure and longs to be a hero. So when magical pig, Hen Wen escapes, his desires turn to reality as he embarks upon a dangerous quest to find her. Set in the mystical country of Prydain, Taran must brave perilous lands, mysterious creatures and face the terrifying and evil Horned King. Along the way, a colourful cast of characters provide Taran with worldly wisdom and witty banter, while the "crunchings and munchings" of the adorable Gurgi will captivate everyone's hearts. Originally published in 1964, The Book of Three is the first in Alexander's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Prydain, and has won him numerous praise and awards, including the prestigious Newbery Medal. Combining traditional storytelling with the struggle of good versus evil, this is a fast-paced and entertaining fantasy adventure."

First line: "Taran wanted to make a sword; but Coll, charged with the practical side of his education, decided on horseshoes."

My thoughts: I'm not really a high fantasy girl, so at first I was a bit resistant to the medieval, pseudo-Welsh setting of Prydain. I did like that it was fast-paced and not many hundreds of pages long. But I soon came to like Taran, who wants to be a warrior and hero before he truly knows what those words mean, but does become both by the end of the book. And really, who can resist an "oracular pig"? Big, white, smiling Hen Wen the pig is a character herself. Wolfhound/humanoid thing Gurgi reminded me a lot of Gollum and I wouldn't describe him as adorable, but he eventually won me over. And chatty, chatty Eilonwy is both an irritating little girl and quite fab - I liked how she kept putting Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran in his place and ended up being much more important than she seemed at first.

Verdict: Not sure if I'll read the whole series, but I might some day. And I'm glad that I've read this fave of my husband's and that I can now recommend it to fantasy-seeking kids.

Review: The Hoboken Chicken Emergency

The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
3.5 stars

Reason for reading: Daring Book Challenge

Description: "When Arthur Bobowicz is sent out to bring home the family's Thanksgiving turkey, he returns instead with Henrietta -- a 266 pound chicken with a mind of her own. Feathers fly when this colossal clucker descends upon Hoboken, New Jersey."

First sentence: "Nobody in Arthur Bobwicz's family really liked turkey."

My thoughts: Not much to say, really, it's a really short book, but it's funny and fun. Pinkwater is always a hoot. Or perhaps a cluck, in this case. The part about Anthony DePalma, fake chicken catcher, is hilarious, particularly his top-secret method of trapping poultry. It's also a really neat example of a multicultural story that isn't going out of its way to be one - there are simply lots of immigrant families living in Hoboken and that's the way it is.

The edition I read is is a 30th-anniversary one, with new illustrations and, I think, a few changes to the text, as there's a reference to e-mail, which certainly wasn't around in 1977. But other than that, the strangeness and the good lesson of the importance of kindness are intact. I remember enjoying Pinkwater when I was a middle-grader myself, so he's Pinkwater is a classic and always a great recommendation for reluctant readers or kids looking for a laugh.

Addition: I was searching my parents' basement for childhood books and I discovered I actually own a copy of this book, whoops! But I'm still counting it because, unlike other Pinkwaters I read as a kid, I didn't have any memory of it at all.

Review: Black Beauty

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
2.5 stars

Reasons for reading: have always meant to; Daring Book Challenge

Description: "Set in Victorian London, the novel follows the shifting fortunes of a horse as he moves from owner to owner. Narrated by the noble Black Beauty himself, the tale offers an animal’s perspective of the world, and highlights the thoughtless, even cruel treatment animals endured during that period."

First line: "The first place I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow with a pond of clear water in it."

My thoughts: The 2.5 stars represents my interest level/enjoyment of the book, not the quality. I wasn't a horsey girl, which is why I hadn't read it as a child, and I'm not a horsey adult. I can see why it's a classic, although I have to say I don't know if it's aged particularly well. Maybe that's not fair, but I definitely found the references to things like the Crimean War and Victorian elections rather beyond my scope, and I'm (apparently) a grown-up. There's also a lot of instances of drunkenness in the book, which prudish 21st century me found rather shocking.

But the fact that it's narrated by Black Beauty himself definitely adds interest and charm, so I'm sure that horse-loving kids can look past the Victoriana. I also found it interesting to read about all of the different places Beauty lived and worked - I tend to think of horses having one owner their whole lives, but of course that's not often the case and I'm sure it definitely wasn't the case back then, when people needed horses for daily transportation and work. While the message of treating horses (and people, too) with kindness is an excellent one, I found it really heavy-handed - most of the chapters are just slight variations on this theme - how nice it is to have a nice master, how awful it is to have a bad master - over and over again. But apparently this was new thinking in the 19th century, so I guess it was needed. The info at the back of my copy says that the story had a real impact on people's attitudes towards their animals and made people re-think things like cruel reining techniques, so it definitely deserves kudos for that. And I did like that Beauty got a happy ending, after some hard living situations.

Verdict: Not really my bag of oats, but I'm glad to have finally read this classic.

Review: Emily of New Moon

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
3 stars

Summary (adapted from Wikipedia): Emily Starr is sent to live at New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island with her aunts Elizabeth (the stern one) and Laura (the sweet one) Murray and her "simple" Cousin Jimmy, who composes poetry. She makes friends with Ilse Burnley, Teddy Kent, and Perry Miller, the hired boy . . . Emily has a hard time getting along with Aunt Elizabeth, who doesn't understand her need to write. Ilse's father, Dr. Burnley, ignores Ilse most of the time because of a dreadful secret concerning Ilse's mother. Teddy's mother is jealous of her son's talents and friends, fearing that his love for them will eclipse his love for her . . . Perry's Aunt Tom once tries to make Emily promise to marry Perry when they grow up, threatening that unless Emily does so, she won't pay for Perry's schooling. Other unforgettable characters are Dean "Jarback" Priest, a quiet, mysterious cynic who wants something he fears is ever unattainable; and fiery Mr Carpenter, the crusty old schoolteacher who is Emily's mentor and honest critic when it comes to evaluating her stories and poems.

My thoughts: I'm still an Anne girl. I may read the other two Emily books someday, but my heart belongs first to Anne and then to Jane of Lantern Hill. I think part of the problem is that, while Emily is different in some ways from Anne, so much of her situation is much the same - bright, spirited orphan girl sent to live with a family that doesn't really want her. And it definitely has lots of that part of Montgomery's style that I like the least - pages of flowery descriptions and raptures over the beauty of a single tree.

And while I've heard Emily's writerliness is the reason some people prefer her to Anne and that it makes Emily more similar to Montgomery herself, it wasn't really for me. I guess at the time it was a curiosity to have a girl wanting to be a writer and maybe that gave it extra charm and interest, but while I admire Emily's spirit, having to read her poetry and her constant misspellings got a bit annoying. It also split the book up in an odd way for me - some of it is told by the narrator and some through Emily's letters to her deceased father.

Least favourite parts: The inklings that Emily has psychic powers - it seemed really jarring given the age and style of the story. Dean Priest - maybe I'm just too 21st century in my outlook, but it really seemed to me as though this 30-something man had some much-too-strong feelings for 12-year-old Emily.

Favourite part: There's definitely still Montgomery charm, though. I really enjoyed the chapter where Protestant-raised Emily visits a Catholic priest to try and get him to convince New Moon neighbour Lofty John not to cut down a grove of trees between the two properties. The priest is enchanted by Emily and is convinced she's a fairy, which was cute. He also helps her with advice on how to get the heroine of her epic poem out of a convent, which was a hoot.

Verdict: I definitely prefer Green Gables, but New Moon was worth a visit.

Mini review: The Secret of the Mansion

The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden, book 1) by Julie Campbell
2.5 stars

Reason for reading: Girl detective story for the Daring Book Challenge

Description: "Trixie’s summer is going to be sooo boring with her two older brothers away at camp. But then a millionaire’s daughter moves into the next-door mansion, an old miser hides a fortune in his decrepit house, and a runaway kid starts hiding out in Sleepyside!"

My thoughts: I've always wondered about Trixie Belden. I hadn't read any of the books as a kid, I wasn't really into the girl detective thing. But when Dewey's Weekly Geeks asked us to recall fave childhood books, tons of people chose Trixie. So when it came up on the Daring Books list, I thought I'd give it a go.

It was a fine book, full of spunk, friendship and adventures. It's just not really my thing, hence the 2.5 stars. I'm not sorry I read it, though, I think it's good for me to know about such an enduring children's classic. I actually thought it would be a lot more dated than it was, but it wasn't too bad, apart from things like having to call the operator to place a phone call and a few other references. I didn't dislike it, I just didn't have a really strong "wow!" reaction about it. But I can see why people would have it on their childhood faves list. And I'd put it in the hands of a kid at the library today, especially if their parents were looking for good clean reads. I guess I'm just not much of a girl detective girl.

A Daring Book Challenge

Yet another one! Callista is hosting A Daring Book Challenge based on booklists at the end of The Daring Book for Girls (which I still have to read!)

I'm choosing Track 1 - Read one book from each category from June 15/08 to February 15/09.

Here they are:

1. Girl Classics: Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery

2. Other Favorites: The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater

3. Sci Fi and Fantasy: The Book of Three (Chronicles of Prydain, book 1) by Lloyd Alexander

4. Girl and Her Horse: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

5. Fairy Tales: Beauty by Robin McKinley

6. Girl Detective: The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden series) by Julie Campbell