Farmer Boy

Farmer Boy

Laura Ingalls Wilder (1933/1971)

I have a soft spot for the Little House books; I received the set for my 8th birthday (still one of the top 3 birthdays of my life -- these books and a baseball glove & bat, all of which I still have around. Sentimental or Pathetic?) and read along with my teacher when she read them aloud to the class, plus my mom probably read them when she was growing up as well.

Anyway, I only have one son left to pass the treasured stories on to, the first 2 have rejected them soundly (without really giving the books a chance, I believe) due to lack of lasers, monsters, or appearance of any magic wands. Their loss.

I love this book in part for the food: pies, breads, ice cream, turkey, sausage, ribs, fresh berries... Almanzo is a hard-working growing frontier boy, and he appreciates his meals! I wonder if my boys have noticed I've stepped up their chores and duties since reading of the dawn to dusk work it takes to run a farm...

Frindle

Frindle

Andrew Clements (1996)

A smart-aleck kid defies authority and causes chaos at an elementary school... oh, wait, a creative student leads his classmates in thinking outside the box and expressing their inventive talents.

King of the Wind

King of the Wind

by Marguerite Henry

Newbery Medal 1949

The story of a mute Moroccan boy and his horse traveling across Europe as their fortunes go down, up, down, up again, down further, slightly up, down and out, and finally up again for a happy ending. Especially for the horse, who becomes a very popular stud.

More of an animal story than a boy story, we never get to know too much of the boy or see him grow/change, except through the fortunes of the horse. But quick pace, some humor, and the underdogs come out on top in the end.

connections: ?

Diamond Bookshelf

love the Graphic Novels (As long as they're not too... graphic.)

William Blake's Inn

A Visit to William Blake's Inn

Nancy Willard

Newbery Medal 1982

I am a big William Blake fan, painting and writing, but not a big poetry fan. This is one of those "It won the Newbery? Really?" I liked the art (Caldecott Honor) and the ideas behind the poems better than the poems themselves.