Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

Has is really been a whole month? Yikes.

Here's a looooong overdue review....

Life on the Refrigerator Door: Notes Between a Mother and Daughter by Alice Kuipers.

Review by Heather Walker of Life, Lessons, and Laughs

This is a delightful book. I was looking for an inspirational, thoughtful, and easy to read book, and I found it.

The book tells the story of the mother who is a single mom and an obstetrician, and the daughter, Claire, who is a young high school student. They rarely connect in person and instead heavily rely on notes on the refrigerator to communicate to each other. The notes unfold a journey that the mother and daughter go through. We see their struggles and their joys through the refrigerator.

While I didn't feel this book was incredibly original, the prose and notes are beautifully written and the characters come out through and shine. The book really is about the relationship, and this relationship is most poignant part of the story. I wanted Claire and her mother to get along, and when they had struggles, I felt for them. Whenever they fought, I felt for both sides of the argument.

While a bit sad, this book is definitely worthwhile. At the beginning, there is the poem "This Is Just to Say," by William Carlos Williams. That poem is a note on the refrigerator door that was found and determined to be poetry. This book has the same sort of quality to it--poetry is found in the notes on the refrigerator, and it is a beautiful story.

Recommended especially for girls in high school and mothers, though anyone can read it and be delighted.

Ages 10-12 and up.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

DISCLAIMER: I decided to review this book here since all the other books in the series are reviewed on Deliciously Clean Reads. However, I do not consider Breaking Dawn a Clean Read. It's full of vampire sex and talk about sex. Every family, of course, must make their own decisions about what books to read, but since a find myself a bit of an advisor when it comes to what is clean...I don't think this book is appropriate for anyone younger than 18. That is my personal opinion.
For the purpose of this site, I have set strict guidelines on what is clean and what is not. Breaking Dawn would not make this cut, but I wanted to discuss it here since I was such a huge fan of the saga until this book and I know many others who were as well.

So, let's be casual here for a minute. What did you think about Breaking Dawn, the latest installment in the Twilight Saga? Did you read it?

There will be spoilers here, so you know, GO AWAY if you don't want to see them. Consider yourself warned.

Let me first remind you that I am one of Stephenie Meyer's biggest fans. I obsessed over Twilight which is reviewed here. I thoroughly enjoyed New Moon, reading it almost as obsessively...although I truly felt the torture Bella was going through being separated from Edward for so long. Eclipse wasn't quite clean read material, but kept me going on the series.

I was one of the thousands of people at Borders on the night of August 1st. I waited in line for nearly three hours before finally holding my very own copy of Breaking Dawn.

And...I enjoyed it...but I'll be the first to admit it was out-there and a bit too wacky at times. I didn't read it obsessively. I claimed that I was trying to be a normal human and not lock myself up for three days, but the truth is, I didn't find it as compelling as the others.

The first three Twilight books drew me in with their promise of passionate, forbidden love. In Breaking Dawn, love is no longer forbidden. It comes easily for Edward and Bella.

Of course, that doesn't mean Stephenie Meyer wrote a 750 page book without conflict. Plenty happens. It just isn't pulling Edward and Bella's epic love apart.

(Big spoiler here...) The whole pregnant thing was so weird. Maybe because I am pregnant and that is just not how pregnancy works. Then, as if it couldn't get weirder, Jacob imprinted on the baby! I think I screamed out loud when I read that part.

Finally, Meyer built up for the greatest battle scene yet in the Twilight books and then just let it fizzle out without an ounce of vamp action. I admit, though I'm into the series for the mushiness, I was disappointed not to see a battle.

Anyway, I know there are a lot of mixed reactions on-line. Maybe we have built the series up so much in our hearts that nothing would satisfy.

I liked the book. I'd still recommend the series to upper YA and adults. As for being clean read material, Breaking Dawn does include a honeymoon. It gets a bit steamy as it has before, but it certainly doesn't go into detail. I wouldn't recommend this book to young teens, though. It's just too mature.

Let me know what you think. On Goodreads, I gave Twilight 5 stars, New Moon and Eclipse got 4, and Breaking Dawn will have 3.

One Voice, Please: Favorite Read-Aloud Stories by Sam McBratney

McBratney, Sam. 2008. One Voice, Please: Favorite Read-Aloud Stories.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.
Becky's Book Reviews
Young Readers
Reading with Becky




One Voice, Please is a delightful gathering of stories--some familiar, some not-so-much--perfect for reading aloud to children of all ages. Family-friendly reading, if you will, that while kid-friendly is not unappealing to adults. Most stories are two to three pages, and could easily be read in a few minutes. This is a good thing. Perfect reading to fill in those gaps during the day when you don't quite have enough time to get settled into a longer book--like a novel or even a traditional picture book.





Originally published in Great Britain in 2005, the collection has recently been published in the U.S. With over fifty stories, there is sure to be something that is just right for your mood. The book would be a great edition to the classroom as well. My personal favorite was "Many Littles Make A Lot."

Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

Park, Linda Sue. 2008. Keeping Score.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor

Becky's Book Reviews

Becky's Christian Reviews
Young Readers

Reading with Becky

I have read most of Linda Sue Park's novels, and I've enjoyed all of them. Some more than others, but I've enjoyed them all. (It's just a matter of degree.) I liked--really liked--this one. I didn't know quite what to expect. It is about baseball. Not about playing baseball necessarily, but about being a fan of the sport. About being a fan of the game, the players, the teams. Our narrator, our heroine, is Maggie, or "Maggie-O" as her father likes to call her. She's a Dodger's fan, a Brooklyn Dodgers fan. The novel is set in the early to mid fifties. (1951-1955). Her mother and brother are Dodgers fans as well. But her father is a Yankees fan. (Hence her name "Maggie-O" and his son, Joseph Michael.) Her father was a fireman. But after a serious injury (all occurring before the novel's start) he now has a desk job. Maggie, however, still visits the fire house, the firemen regularly. Not a week goes by when she doesn't go to hang out with her father's friends, her father's coworkers. She loves to listen to the baseball games on the radio with them. One of the men is new. His name is Jim. He's different from the others--he's a Giants fan. But oddly enough, though he's a fan of the wrong team, it's him that Maggie is most drawn to. He teaches her how to keep score, how to follow the game play by play on paper keeping precise records. Their friendship is real though sports-based. So the news that he has been drafted into the army effects her quite deeply.
Maggie has led a sheltered life. But Jim being sent to Korea opens her eyes a bit to the world around her. Not all at once. But slowly and surely, she is growing and changing and coming of age.
Baseball. War. Friendship. Family. This novel has a little bit of everything to offer readers. It is deeper than I thought it would be. The first half of the novel is just a sports novel. But the second half, it's about so much more. Anyway, I think Keeping Score has something for everyone. Even if you're not a big sports fan.

The Moffats by Eleanor Estes

The Moffats by Eleanor Estes.

Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.

Becky's Book Reviews: http://blbooks.blogspot.com/
Becky's Christian Reviews: http://stand-firm-then.blogspot.com/
Young Readers: http://zero-to-eight.blogspot.com/
Reading With Becky: http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/

The Moffats may not be the most exciting, thrilling, page-turning book I've ever read, but it is enjoyable none the less in its quiet, subtle, gentle way. The book focuses on the Moffat family. A mother raising her kids alone. The family is not rich--as you can imagine--but there is a loving, caring atmosphere that makes for a very happy home. The book is episodic. The narrator or main character changes from chapter to chapter. And there is no one connecting plot that threads them altogether. (Well, maybe that isn't quite true. If there is such a plot it would be that their landlord has put their house up for sale. This occurs in the first or second chapter. And the house is sold and the Moffats have to move in the last chapter.) Each chapter is a story of sorts about what life is like--daily life around the house, around school, around town, etc. The stories are mostly lighthearted and fun. But there are some serious moments as well, some moments that border on being a lesson in morality. For readers looking for family-oriented, family-friendly reading material, The Moffats is sure to satisfy.

Gentle's Holler by Kerry Madden

Gentle’s Holler by Kerry Madden.

Review by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Author Historical Fiction
HEALING WATER (Spring 2008)
BLUE (2006)-See the review here.
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER (1995)


Twelve year-old Livy Two lives a hardscrabble yet gentle existence. It’s gentle, because her large mostly happy family lives in slow-paced, beautiful Maggie Valley, NC. It’s hard, because Daddy doesn’t work a regular job. Daddy is a musician with a song in his pocket, a banjo in hand, and a plan to make it big one day. Since Livy Two writes lyrics also, she believes in her daddy’s dreams. And she has dreams of her own.

“…I want to see the world beyond the Smokies and I aim to bring my guitar with me when I do.

One day, I’d like to stroll along the Great Wall of China, ride me a camel in Egypt , swim in the Ganges River way over in India , and sip a cup of tea with the queen of England .”

Livy also dreams of helping her sister Gentle (whose eyes don’t work right) to learn Braille. Otherwise they might send Gentle to the school for the blind over in Raleigh . So with the help of the lady from the lending library truck, Livy Two gets a Braille book and begins to learn. Keeping the family together is a high priority for her!

But Daddy comes and goes on his quest to make it big. Mama is weary of his search for fame. She just wants him to feed his family. Grandma Horace with her glass eye (actually, a collection of them in different colors which she wears according to her mood) moves in to help out. And she’s is not the kind of grandmother who makes you feel better because she has arrived.

To make things worse Livy’s brother, Emmett gets fed up with daddy’s dreams and takes off for Ghost Town in the Sky to earn some money. Then tragedy strikes at another level, rearranging the family’s future even more dramatically.

And also leaving room for a sequel.

Fortunately, Gentle’s Holler (2005) is just the first in a trilogy that takes place during the 1960’s. Louisiana’s Song (2007) and Jessie’s Mountain (2008) continue the Weem’s family story. Author Kerry Madden infuses her stories with love of family and an at-home feeling for the Smoky Mountains . These books are populated with distinctive and quirky characters, unforgettable names, and much warmth. They are wholesome, funny, and heartwarming!

Visit Kerry on the web at http://www.kerrymadden.com/

THE WONDER KID by George Harrar

The Wonder Kid by George Harrar

Review by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

http://www.joycemoyerhostetter.com/


The Wonder Kid is one that I like to recommend when I speak to school groups about polio. It’s a lovely little book. Such a great size and so kid friendly with its comic strip feel. It is the story of Jesse MacLean who faced some serious life changing things one summer. As Jesse puts it:

Summer is when you’re supposed to have all sorts of fun, like one long recess…
Well, 1954, when Gramps moved in with us, was the summer of no fun—and it was all because of polio.

1954 was also the year that Jonas Salk conducted his field trial for the polio vaccine and one year later he announced the vaccine’s success. Meanwhile parents were deathly afraid for their children’s health and Jesse’s mom was no exception. So she kept him in the house as much as possible – no swimming whatsoever and only one trip alone to the picture show. Jesse spent his time drawing, visiting with his Gramps, and imagining himself strong like Charles Atlas.

Then grief strikes Jesse and polio does too. He feels weaker than ever. But in some ways he is just finding his own strength.

This story is about much more than polio. It is about relationships and how they carry us through difficult times, how the smallest things we say have a lasting impact on others, and how people who seem really tough on the outside may actually feel as vulnerable as we do on the inside.

Jesse shares this story in first person. His voice is “easy listening” – not in the relaxing sense of the word; there are some disturbing things in his story. But he shares them with humor and honesty and the reader cares about him right away.

The author note at the end is a really good overview of polio history.

Oh, and I loved this word of wisdom from Jesse MacLean:

Sometimes when a mean thought goes through your head, it’s better to zip your mouth closed.

TRUDY by Jessica Lee Anderson

TRUDY by Jessica Lee Anderson

Review by Allana, regular contributor.

Gertrude "Trudy" White is a sixth grade girl who was a miracle baby. Her mother or to Trudy "Ma" had her at 53. What originally was thought to be a cancer scare, turned out to be Trudy herself. Now in Trudy's sixth grade year, people are beginning to think that Trudy's parents are her grandparents instead. Even though Trudy is extremely gifted in Language Arts, she is struggling to keep her math grade up. Then she meet's Roshonda nicknamed "Tower" and they hit it off quickly. But at the same time that Trudy and Roshanda become friends, Trudy's father who is also known as "Pop" starts to act strangely. After several unusual instances occur, Pop is finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

This is the story of how one family is affected by the disease and how they deal with it. This book makes you think about what it would be like to be just moments away from losing a loved one. This book is a must read for all ages and I loved it! I hope you will too!

Recommended Age Group: Tween-Adult