Module 8: Down the Rabbit Hole

Module 8: Down the Rabbit Hole

Book Summary:

Ingrid Levin-Hill has The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes by her bed and enjoys reading all about the mysteries solved by her favorite detective but she never intended to get mixed in her small town's confounding murder mystery. By chance, her soccer cleats end up in the apartment of the murdered woman and getting them back with giving the police the wrong idea is hard enough, but she is trying to keep up with soccer practice, her starring role in the community play as Alice, and her parent's expectations too. Everything in her town seems to be as topsy-turvy as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and when strange things start happening, Ingrid is determined to put things right in her town, clear her name, and stay one step ahead of a murderer. This proves more difficult than expected and Ingrid ends up in some rather dangerous situations, but just manages to keep herself and solve the mystery too!

APA Reference of Book:

Abrahams, P. (2005). Down the rabbit hole: An Echo Falls mystery. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books.

Impressions:

This book is a lot of fun to read, mostly because of the main character. Ingrid, 13 years old, is a character that most tweens are going to be able to relate to because not only is this a mystery novel, but there is a pretty heavy dose of realistic fiction mixed in. Ingrid has problems with her parents, she is trying to balance school as well as her extracurricular activities, and she is trying to solve a mystery and clear her name on top of it all. Ingrid is not perfect: she makes mistakes, she struggles in school, and she hurts her friends' feelings and has to apologize, among other things. However, these things are what kids can relate to, because they have felt the same way and knowing that they are not the only one is one reason they read, to find these friends and allies, even if they are fictional.

What I really enjoyed in this novel was the mixture of different popular culture references. Not only does the main character idolize and reference Sherlock Holmes, quoting from his different cases, but she also lands the main role of Alice in the community play and Ingrid's town of Echo Falls begins to resemble Wonderland as things become strange and unknown to her. Novels like this that mix in multiple popular culture references and have a relatable main character are very attractive to readers because there are so many things they relate to and picking two of the most popular characters around right now is a very smart move. There are multiple adaptations and spin-offs in all media forms for both Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes. It's fun for readers to see the new variations each author brings to their own re-imagining.

Professional Review:

KIRKUS REVIEW

Impatient with mother for being late for her ride to soccer, Ingrid Levin-Hill, eighth-grade Sherlock Holmes fan and amateur actress, makes an impulsive decision to walk, inadvertently becoming a witness in the murder case of Cracked-up Katie, the weird lady in the rundown house on the wrong side of town. Ingrid is afraid to come forward with her first-hand knowledge, fearing her parents’ reprimand for leaving the neighborhood. Landing the lead role as Alice in the town’s playhouse production of “Alice in Wonderland,” she becomes more curious about the playhouse’s past performers and a possible connection to Katie’s youth. As the police investigation gets further away from the truth and the wrong suspects are arrested, Ingrid takes increasingly daring risks to solve the case herself and eliminate the evidence she left behind indicating her own suspicious involvement. Abrahams has crafted a suspenseful page-turning drama complete with misleading clues and gutsy midnight escapades that make for thrilling intrigue right up to the culminating drowning-in-the-river scene. Ingrid’s plucky, if not foolhardy, behavior will have readers both rooting and worrying for her simultaneously as she continues, like Alice, to fall deeper and deeper into the mystery’s unfolding. Harrowingly absorbing. (Fiction. YA)

Down the Rabbit Hole. (2010). [Review of the book Down the rabbit hole by P. Abrahams]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Add to a suggested reading list for young adults interested in Sherlock Holmes spin-offs.

Module 8: The Stranger Next Door

Module 8: The Stranger Next Door

Book Summary:

Alex is not very happy in his family's new home. They are one of the first in the new development, there are no others kids around to play with, and the bullies at school torment him because his house is where they used to ride their dirt bikes. It seems that Alex only has one friend and that is his cat, Pete. Unbeknownst to Alex, Pete is brilliant and can understand English even if he can't talk back. Alex is excited when a boy his age moves next door, but the boy wants nothing to do with him. Soon after the new arrival, local street signs are destroyed and arson fires damage local homes. When there are suspects everywhere, it takes teamwork and a little bit of trust for Alex and his new friend to help catch the criminals and try to stay out of harm's way. Pete the Cat acts as both narrator and detective, adding quite a bit of humor to this story.

APA Reference of Book:

Kehret, P. (2002). The stranger next door. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

Impressions:

This book is a fast paced read and great for readers with short attention spans. There is always something happening and the constant additions to the text from Pete the cat keep things lively and fun. There is a wide variety of subject material in the book and there was more going on with the plot than I ascertained from reading the summary on the book. The evasive young boy who moves in next door is actually trying to deal with being in the Witness Protection Program because his mother is testifying in a major drug trial. I think the author does a good job portraying the mixed feelings and difficulty in adjusting that a boy this age would have with the whole situation. He doesn't just passively accept his life being turned upside down, he is mad about it!

Most of the mystery element in this book revolves around Pete the cat. The reader can see Pete's thoughts and understand his "words" and follows his actions when Pete is not with Alex. Pete turns out to be the main investigator in this book: he watches the different suspects in the neighborhood, finds clues and leads the human investigators to them, and saves Alex when he is trapped in a house fire by alerting the neighbors. It is a lot of fun to watch Pete's brand of mystery-solving where he is literally sniffing out clues and using scents to identify criminals. This is humor, mystery and realistic fiction all bound up into one fast compelling little read.

Professional Review:

KIRKUS REVIEW

Fans of Kehret (Saving Lily, 2001, etc.)—and fans of cats—will appreciate this suspenseful novel about two boys who discover friendship after facing peril. This is thanks in no small part to the author’s resourceful feline, Pete the Cat, who “cowrote” the novel (his contributions to Kehret’s narrative are explained in the amusing prologue and are italicized throughout). Said feline also wrote a juicy role for himself within the storyline so that he figures in the solution to the mystery. Happily for readers, while Pete’s “speech” sounds like plain old meow to his unknowing owners, his writing is perfectly comprehensible as English. Twelve-year-old Alex Kendrill has moved to a new housing development in Seattle with his parents, six-year-old brother, and pet cat. Friendless at school and picked on by some bullies, Alex’s spirits pick up when he learns a new family is moving in next door. Believing he might make a new friend at last, Alex’s hopes are dashed when the boy, Rocky Morris, in fact shuns contact and is evasive about himself and his past. Kehret keeps her story exciting and dangerous. There are vandals afoot, not to mention a mysterious arsonist who attempts to murder Alex in a terrifying episode in which Alex is trapped in a house that the arsonist has set ablaze. Add to this Rocky’s constant fear that his family’s closely guarded secret will be found out: they are in the Witness Protection Program because Rocky’s mom’s testimony before Congress will bring down a major drug kingpin. All these ingredients add up to a satisfying, fast-paced read. Readers will be caught up in the action even as they are amused by Pete’s astute observations and adroit detective work. (Fiction. 10-12)

The Stranger Next Door. (2010). [Review of the book The stranger next door by P. Kehret]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Hold a writing contest for upper elementary students. Using this book as an example, challenge them to re-write a favorite book scene from the point of view of a pet.

Add to a suggested reading list of comedic mystery novels for older elementary students.

Module 7: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Module 7: Miss Moore Thought Otherwise

Book Summary:

In bright colors and picture book format, readers are introduced to Anne Carroll Moore who helped to pioneer children's libraries. Miss Moore grew up in a time when children were not allowed inside libraries and girls still married quite young. However, she decided to follow in her father's footsteps and become a lawyer. After some time dealing with family issues, Miss Moore moved to New York to attend library school. She began work at Pratt Free Library and helped with plans for a new library room, just for children. She would read to the children in the evenings, just like her father had read to her. Miss Moore was then asked to be in charge of children's sections at all 36 New York public library branches! From there, the movement picked up more and more speed until many libraries were opening or adding special rooms just for children to their branches and not only in the United States, but other countries were copying this model as well.

APA Reference of Book:

Pinborough, J. (2013). Miss Moore thought otherwise. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Impressions:

The story itself is wonderfully clever with the little catchphrase "Miss Moore thought otherwise" being used throughout the book. Every time Miss Moore was about to shake up some traditions, they would use this little catchphrase as an indicator. It is fun to see how Anne Carroll Moore took little and big steps to advance libraries for children. Not only did she become a librarian when women were just beginning to enter the field, but she quickly became head of the New York Public Libraries'  Children's Section. She made great strides in children's librarianship and programming; she never let anything slow her down or traditional stand in the way of advances for children's librarianship.

The illustrator used wonderful colors and illustrations in this book that really help to draw the reader into the story. Sometimes it felt like the text had to be fit into the illustration itself because it was so bold and bright. There are so many wonderful details if you look close, but you can also get the main idea at a glance. The illustrations really helped illustrate and emphasize the text. Everything was so vivid emphasizing that everything in this book: the subject matter, the text and the illustrations were all for the children.

Professional Review:

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise:

How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

by Jan Pinborough; 
illus. by Debby Atwell

Primary    Houghton    40 pp.

3/13    978-0-547-47105-1    $16.99

Nowadays, Anne Carroll Moore is remembered as the fiercest of the library ladies whose influence on children’s library service and publishing was both inspirational and — sometimes — intractable. But this easygoing picture-book biography forgoes coverage of the more formidable aspects of Moore’s personality, giving us instead a simple narrative of Moore’s Maine childhood and early love of books on through to her career at the New York Public Library, where she created the innovative Central Children’s Room for the library’s new main building in 1911. With sun-dappled acrylic paintings of, first, rural Maine and, later, triumphantly, the light-filled interiors of the new Children’s Room, the tone here is one of uncomplicated optimism, reflecting Moore’s practical idealism. A bird’s-eye view of Miss Moore setting off on her “retirement” travels spreading the gospel of children’s librarianship across the land clearly places this apostle in the company of her (fictional) Maine sister, Miss Rumphius. “More about Miss Moore” and a list of sources are appended.

Sutton, R. (2013). [Review of the book Miss Moore thought otherwise, by J. Pinborough]. Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/category/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/

Library Uses:

Include in a display in the children's section about books, libraries, and librarians.

Module 7: The Day-Glo Brothers

Module 7: The Day-Glo Brothers

Book Summary:                             

This picture book tells the story of Bob and Joe Switzer, brothers who were different in almost every way. Bob was a hard worker who wanted to be a doctor and Joe was a dreamer who wanted to go into show-business. At age 19, Bob has a work accident and has to spend months recovering from a head injury in a darkened basement. At the same time Joe was experimenting with making things glow in the dark for his magic act. Together they built an ultraviolet lamp and noticed that some things in their father's pharmacy glowed. They began making paints that would glow under ultraviolet light, but these paints wouldn't work in the daylight. The brothers continued experimenting which led them to mix hot alcohol with the fluorescent colors which created colors that would glow even during the day. During World War II, many uses were found for these Day-Glo paints and after the war, the paints became popular for all manner of things in everyday life: for art, safety, and advertisements.

APA Reference of Book:

Barton, C. (2009). The Day-Glo brothers. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.

Impressions:

What struck me immediately about this book was the art style and illustrations. The artist used a retro-comic style illustration that reminded me of the Power Puff Girl cartoon from when I was younger. I think using this style really helped to emphasize to the reader the time the story was set in and the reader can go back in time a little with the story. The illustrator also uses color to great advantage in the story starting out illustrating only in black and white and gradually introducing the fluorescent/Day-Glo colors. This helps the reader really understand the evolution of the Day-Glo colors from an experiment to a really useful item for many different people in the world.

The author does a great job of interspersing biographical elements within the story of how Day-Glo paints were created. Either element on its own wouldn’t be nearly as interesting or compelling. The story of the Day-Glo paint would be interesting but the information about the brothers makes it compelling and something that more children are able to relate to. On the other hand, the biographical parts would make a good story but the author is able to sneak in a little science information to unsuspecting children at the same time. Add to the mix the interesting illustrations and ever increasing art palette and this book is a recipe for a great time and learning experience all-in-one.

Professional Review:

The Switzer brothers were complete opposites. Older brother Bob was hardworking and practical, while younger brother Joe was carefree and full of creative, wacky ideas. However, when an unexpected injury forced Bob to spend months recovering in a darkened basement, the two brothers happened upon an illuminating adventure—the discovery of Day-Glo colors. These glowing paints were used to send signals in World War II, help airplanes land safely at night and are now found worldwide in art and advertisements (not to mention the entire decade of 1980s fashion). Through extensive research, including Switzer family interviews and Bob’s own handwritten account of events, debut author Barton brings two unknown inventors into the brilliant light they deserve. Persiani, in his picture-book debut as well, first limits the palette to grayscale, then gradually increases the use of color as the brothers’ experiments progress. The final pages explode in Day-Glo radiance. Rendered in 1950s-cartoon style, with bold lines and stretched perspectives, these two putty-limbed brothers shine even more brightly than the paints and dyes they created. (author’s note, endnotes) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

The Day-Glo Brothers. (2010). [Review of the book The Day-Glo brothers by C. Barton]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Add to a suggested reading list of accidental scientists for elementary readers.

Use for a story time and have the craft utilize Day-Glo paint.

Module 6: The Midwife's Apprentice

Module 6: The Midwife's Apprentice

Book Summary:

An orphaned girl is taken in by the village midwife. She begins as a basic drudge: doing chores, carrying supplies, and running errands. As she goes along, she begins to acquire some skills by watching the midwife at her craft and a name: Alyce. One day, Alyce is called for instead of the midwife, but is unable to help the mother deliver the baby and when the midwife steps in, Alyce flees the village. She finds work at an inn where she resides and works happily until her calling comes to her in the form of a pregnant woman staying at the inn who needs her help. After helping deliver the baby, Alyce realizes she is still a midwife's apprentice and returns to her true calling.

APA Reference of Book:

Cushman, K. (1995). The midwife's apprentice. New York, NY: Harper Collins Children's Books.

Impressions:

The novel provided an excellent view of what life may have been like for an orphaned girl growing up in medieval times and trying to find an occupation. Since the majority of people did not go to school, becoming an apprentice was how a person learned an occupation in order to have a livelihood. In the back of the novel, an author's note relates a brief history of midwives. From this note, it seems the author did an excellent job of relating some of both the successes and failures of medieval midwives. Alyce's point of view simplifies the understanding of midwifery for an elementary age reader, but also presents a number of issues that are more complex than just a baby appearing from nowhere. Not only did we learn about Alyce becoming a midwife, but we see what a typical diet would be like, what few conveniences that people did have and an overall understanding of what daily life would have been like.

The author utilized each chapter of the story to provide a different snippet of Alyce's day-to-day life. For me at least, this was a great way to provide information in portions so that I was able to take it in. Each chapter built on the previous one and all the pertinent was neatly packaged together. The reader can see Alyce's knowledge and understanding of the world around her growing in leaps and bounds. As the end of the novel draws near, Alyce grows confident in her abilities and makes a decision to pursue a livelihood that she has an aptitude for. This is definitely a book showcasing the growth of a female main character and while it is historical fiction, I think there are a lot of issues in the book that present day girls can relate to.

Professional Review:

The Midwife's Apprentice

Karen Cushman

122 pp. Clarion/Houghton 3/95 ISBN 0-395-69929-6 10.95

In a sharply realistic novel of medieval England by the author of Catherine, Called Birdy (Clarion), a homeless, hungry orphan girl called Beetle is discovered trying to keep warm in a pile of dung by the village midwife. The midwife, Jane Sharp, takes Beetle in to work as a servant for little food, barely adequate shelter, and cutting words. To Beetle, however, it is a step upward. The midwife is far from compassionate, but she is, for her times, a good midwife. Beetle becomes interested in the work and watches Jane covertly as she goes about her business. Beetle also adopts a scraggly cat that she has saved from the village boys' cruel mistreatment, and she feeds it from her own inadequate meals. As Beetle grows and learns, she begins to gain some hard-won self-esteem, and renames herself Alyce. She becomes more accepted by the villagers and is sometimes asked for advice. On one occasion she employs her common sense and compassion to successfully manage a difficult delivery when Jane Sharp is called away. Jane is far from pleased; she wants no rivals and is angered when a woman in labor asks specifically for Alyce. But Alyce finds she knows less than she thought, and Jane must be called in to save the mother. Alyce, in despair and humiliation, takes her cat and runs away. She spends some time working at an inn, where she learns a good deal more about herself and the world. At last she admits to herself that what she wants most is to become a midwife, and she returns to Jane. The brisk and satisfying conclusion conveys the hope that the self-reliant and finally self-respecting Alyce will find her place in life. The graphic and convincing portrayals of medieval life and especially the villagers given to superstition, casual cruelty, and duplicity — afford a fascinating view of a far distant time.

Flowers, A. A. (1995). [Review of the book The midwife's apprentice, by K. Cushman]. Horn Book Magazine, 71(4), 465. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/horn-book-magazine-2/

Library Uses:

Add to a list of suggested titles for middle school teachers to incorporate as part of their lessons when covering history and what it might have been like as a child to grow up and find an occupation.

Module 6: Dandelions

Module 6: Dandelions

Book Summary:

Dandelions is a historical fiction picture book depicting one family's journey to their new homestead in the Nebraska territory. The story shows how pioneers helped settle the westward frontier of America. A little girl named Zoe traveling west relates her journey by covered wagon: sleeping under the stars and crossing rivers with the oxen, coming to their claim and building a house, and clearing and planting land. She is excited for a trip into town with her father to pick up necessary supplies and on the trip, she is surprised by the amount of people and things appearing on the western frontier. On the way back, she spots a clump of dandelions that they transport back to their homestead and plant on the sod roof with the hope that their bright yellow color will always show the way home.

APA Reference of Book:

Bunting, E. (1995). Dandelions. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Impressions:

Dandelions is an excellent portrayal of the challenges and successes faced by the pioneers settling the expanding westward frontier. Told from a child's point of view, the story is candid and does not just gloss over the issues and problems but instead relates them in terms a child can understand and empathize with. For example, Zoe says "sometimes a river was easy to cross and sometimes hard" , river crossings could be incredibly dangerous but Zoe doesn't say it in a way meant to scare children, but she does relate in a way that lets the reader know that river crossings could cause problems. Zoe overhears her father one night explaining to her mother that he can make a much better life for his family here than he could have back in Illinois. Zoe mentions that she feels sorry for her father, who seems to be pleading with her mother. Life on the frontier was difficult and lonely and for women especially, it was difficult to leave family, friends and comforts behind to move into the unknown.

However, there are moments of hope, happiness, and triumph. Going into town provided Zoe with a plethora of sights, sounds, and smells which were so different from the lonely quiet of their land. She is excited to relate everything to her little sister and mother who stayed behind. Finding the dandelions is a pivotal moment for Zoe who sees herself in the clump of dandelions adrift in the flat lands of Nebraska. Taking the dandelions back to their homestead to plant on their sod roof, Zoe has hope that her mother will never worry about her being lost again. The last illustration of the book is a home tucked among the fields with a brilliantly yellow roof, covered with the transplanted dandelions that took root there. This is meant to reflect Zoe's family's success in being transplanted and putting down roots. This was a very clever way to incorporate the issues of loneliness and perseverance that pioneers faced and triumphed over in a way children could easily empathize with.

Professional Review:

It would be hard to come up with a tale of western settlers that's not a cliche, but Bunting (Spying on Miss Muller, p. 553, etc.) has done it. She takes a look at a pioneer woman, seen through the sympathetic eyes of her daughter, Zoe. While Zoe's father is challenged by the prospect of building a sod house on his turf, his pregnant wife is obviously homesick, and the prairie offers little solace: The view never changes, there are few neighbors, the closest town is a day's journey. In the gift of a miraculous patch of dandelions dug up from the roadside, Zoe hopes to cheer her mother (for a book for older readers, with a similar theme, see the review of Jennifer Armstrong's Black-Eyed Susan, above). Of the re-rooting of the dandelions, her mother says, "Don't expect a miracle, Zoe. It will take time." The last page shows the sod house crowned by a roof of gold. Shed (Staton Rabin's Casey Over There, 1994) creates scenes that makes this family larger-than-life; they capture the baked yellow heat of summer, and the golden weed that represents home. A memorable book, for the way its characters struggle with unhappiness, and slowly overcome it. (Picture book. 5-10)

Dandelions (2010). [Review of the book Dandelions, by E. Bunting]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Have a history themed story-time for older readers of picture books and use this book. Serve licorice sticks and for the craft, make a basic lavender sachet.

Module 5: The City of Ember

Module 5: The City of Ember

Book Summary:

Ember was built was built to be the perfect, self-sustaining city, and though it was stranded in the middle of eternal darkness, it was always kept lit by the large floodlights throughout the city and a generator beneath the city that provided the power to keep everything functioning. However, the blackouts are happening more often and for longer periods of time. Supplies are running perilously low and crops are failing. With no way to carry light and no place to go, the community of Ember seems doomed to oblivion. However when Lina finds pieces of a mysterious old message in her closet, she wonders if the words may be the key to escaping Ember and finding their way to another world. With the help of Doon who explores the pipe-works beneath the city, they decode the message and find a way to escape to a fabled place of safety and light.

APA Reference of Book:

DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of ember. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books.

Impressions:

With so many dystopias filling the young adult genre, it was nice to find one that broke away from many of the stereotypes. First of all, it started out in decay. It had once been the perfect society that many dystopias seem to have on the surface, but when the novel starts, the city of Ember that had always had plenty starts running out of the vital supplies that had once filled the storerooms to the brim. In many novels the society starts out as perfection and decays as the novel progresses, but this novel started with a society that was already scared and functioning on very little. Secondly, the novel was written with a younger reading audience in mind. The idea of the dystopia and a perfect yet not at all perfect society came across clearly but more simply and with less complex or mature themes than are usually found in high school level dystopian books. In the midst of this decaying society, we had not one protagonist but two! While many books have a main character and some secondary supporting characters, this novel had two active main characters driving the action.

As Ember was a city built to be completely self-sustaining underground and has been around for generations, it is interesting to see how things would have changed for this society. There is no understanding of the concept of a sky or a sun or what might lie beyond the darkness that permeates their community. When the generator fails, there is nothing but darkness. The author does an excellent job setting up this hypothetical community in a future where at one point it became unsafe to live on the world of the surface. This idea of moving the human population to a safe place due to environmental hazards seems to be its own sub-genre within the dystopian genre. For example, books such as Under the Never Sky by Veronica Roth and The Maze Runner by James Dashner also consider this possibility.

Professional Review:

This promising debut is set in a dying underground city. Ember, which was founded and stocked with supplies centuries ago by “The Builders,” is now desperately short of food, clothes, and electricity to keep the town illuminated. Lina and Doon find long-hidden, undecipherable instructions that send them on a perilous mission to find what they believe must exist: an exit door from their disintegrating town. In the process, they uncover secret governmental corruption and a route to the world above. Well-paced, this contains a satisfying mystery, a breathtaking escape over rooftops in darkness, a harrowing journey into the unknown and cryptic messages for readers to decipher. The setting is well-realized with the constraints of life in the city intriguingly detailed. The likable protagonists are not only courageous but also believably flawed by human pride, their weaknesses often complementing each other in interesting ways. The cliffhanger ending will leave readers clamoring for the next installment. (Fiction. 9-13)

The city of Ember. (2010). [Review of the book The city of Ember, by J. DuPrau]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from: http://www.kirkusreviews.com

Library Uses:

Have middle school students in a book club discuss other, possibly better solutions for the survival of humanity during an environmental crisis.

Add to a list of dystopian novels suitable for the younger side of young adults.

Module 5: Book of a Thousand Days

Module 5: Book of a Thousand Days

Book Summary:

After the death of her mother, Dashti leaves her home on the plains to seek work in the city. She is unexpectedly able to find work as a lady’s maid due to her knowledge of the Mucker healing songs and wide breadth of skills. She is assigned to the Lady Saren, who is soon to be shut in a tower for 7 years because she refuses to marry the man her father has chosen. Dashti voluntarily goes into seclusion with her mistress and keeps a log of their days in the tower. From temperature extremes to supply issues as well as the arrival of Saren’s suitors outside the tower, Dashti has a lot to contend with. She definitely was not planning on falling in love with one of the suitors. When the girls finally free themselves of the tower, only to find themselves in the midst of devastation, it is Dashti who was the willpower and fortitude to guide them to another land and accomplish great deeds in an effort to serve her mistress; when in the end, it is Dashti who vanquishes the tyrant who has oppressed their lands and marries the Lord who was originally courting Saren.

APA Reference:

Hale, S. (2007). Book of a thousand days. New York, NY: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books.

Impressions:

I was very impressed with the character of Dashti. I think she is an excellent role model for young girls. She may seem to be only a maid, but her thoughts are revealed through the entries in the journal. The reader can see how strong her convictions are and her constant struggle to do what is right, learning to balance her beliefs with her struggles in the world. When Lady Saren orders her to do things she is feeling scared about and/or not sure of, she attempts to be the obedient maid, but at times, she will take the necessary action to save their lives or ensure their survival. As the novel goes on, Lady Saren is revealed to be quite cowardly and has difficulty dealing with day-to-day life. Dashti attempts to bolster her mistress’ courage but instead ends up living for herself and shaping her own destiny, away from that of Lady Saren’s.

I was also impressed with Hale’s Eight Realms and her creation of Muckers and their culture. The healing songs that Dashti is so well versed in are important to key movements of the plotline but there are so many hints and anecdotes about Mucker culture throughout the novel that it is clear Hale has put a lot and effort into her world-building. When Dashti speaks to Saren’s suitor, Lord Khan Tegus, she accuses him of having skinny ankles, which is revealed to be a friendly insult among the Muckers. It is these moments in the novel where the Hale’s thoroughness in creating a culture, its traditions, its values and even its little just shines through. While the healing songs are not said to be overtly magical, Dashti’s are said by many characters, other Muckers included, to be more effective than any others they have heard before. This implies perhaps a subtle magic at work, but it is not overpowering

Professional Review:

Dashti, a poor, orphaned peasant girl with healing powers, is offered a choice on her first day as maid to Lady Saren: she can return to her life as a peasant, or she can agree to accompany Lady Saren on a seven-year imprisonment in a tower. Dazzled by the opportunity to serve one of the fabled Ancestors, Dashti chooses the tower, and the two women are walled up and left to their fate. Lady Saren's crimes include refusing to marry the vicious and foul Lord Khasar and making a clandestine engagement with Khan Tegus instead. Both men visit the tower, but Lady Saren refuses to speak to them, ordering Dashti to impersonate her. Dashti is mystified, but her conversations with Khan Tegus become too enticing to give up, and she ends up falling in love with her mistress' khan. After two years, the women manage to find a way out only to discover that Lord Khasar has laid waste to Lady Saren's city, and he is advancing on Khan Tegus'. Ever enterprising and determined despite the inexplicable passivity of her mistress, Dashti manages to get them into Khan Tegus' house as servants and eventually, through a blend of meek obedience and fatalistic courage, finds a way to defeat Lord Khasar and attain her heart's desire. Hale handily revises the Grimm brothers' "Maid Maleen" to create her own compelling story of a hard-working girl who gets what she deserves. The narrative is told through Dashti's illustrated journals, where her naïve virtue is immediately apparent and her wit, warmth, and good sense continue to charm readers as her story becomes more harrowing and suspenseful. Lord Khasar is revealed to be the stuff of nightmares, but Khan Tegus is straight 

out of a young girl's dreams, so readers will be drawn to the romance as well as the adventure.

Coats, K. (2007). [Review of the book Book of a thousand days, by S. Hale]. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 61(2), 88. Retrieved from: http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/

Library Uses:

Add to a reading list of books written in journal form that aren't part of a series.

Add to a list of novels that are based on fairy tales.