THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 107-111 I can't hardly believe it, but the end is in sight for this wonderful classic! Over the next few days I'll be posting off and on as we wrap up! This book has left us in disbelief, on the edge of our seats, and doing some good, old-fashioned self examination on how to handle when we are wronged in life and what really matters. Today's reading I'm going to entitle The Entwined Chronicles of Benedetto and Villefort, because that's what we really have. Benedetto is in The Lion's Pit, another infamous prison. As we look in on him, we don't see a nervous, remorseful, wronged, young man. No, we see someone waiting for their mysterious benefactor. Someone or something has been smiling upon him in life. Why would it stop now? He knows the signs to show in this prison thanks to Cavalcanti to keep himself safe and respected, and so he patiently waits until he is called. When he is called it isn't whom he was expecting. Bertuccio visits. Benedetto knows him, but Bertuccio is there to correct him on who his father is. It is not the Count of Monte Cristo as he thinks but Villefort. Meanwhile, Villefort has squirreled himself away in his study preparing his case against Benedetto. (He doesn't know yet that he is his son.) He is trying to deal with the death of Valentine and his knowledge that his wife is a murderess. Before heading to the courthouse he confronts her. He gives her an ultimatum. Drink the poison you have been using or face the scaffold. She will not be allowed to bring shame to his clean, virtuous, law-abiding/defending name. (Are you gagging at this point?) He bids her a final goodbye. Oh, but his time is coming. Speculation flies around the courtroom as to who is responsible for the deaths in Villefort's home. Even little Edouard is named in the gossip, and by the way, who is the heavily veiled woman in attendance? Why it's Madame Danglars. Buckle your seatbelts, folks! The show's about to start!! The judge asks Benedetto the traditional opening questions to which he either doesn't answer or changes the order. Everyone is dumbfounded. But how can he give his name? He, himself, doesn't know his true name. All he knows is the day he was born, where he was born, and his father. He doesn't care to name his mother. After all it wasn't she who buried him alive in the garden as a newborn. Villefort's countenance changes as these details are stated, and when he is named he doesn't even try to deny it. Suddenly, he is struck with the memory of what he just said to his wife. She at least acted out of the interest of her child. Villefort acted out of pure selfish protection for himself when he attempted to murder an innocent person. He hurries home hoping to save her. It is too late. He searches for his child, but the mother has poisoned him as well. He runs to his father. He must have someone to share his story, his sorrow. He finds Abbe Busoni there. (He has a knack for appearing when death has occurred.) But it's not the Abbe's voice that speaks to him. It is the count's! But it's not the count who stands before him, it is Edmond Dantes. Dantes learns of Edouard's passing and tries to save him to no avail. Meanwhile Villefort loses his mind and goes to the garden where he digs holes looking for a little body from long ago. Three down (two dead, one crazy), one to go.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 112-113 Yes! You saw that right. Only 2 chapters covered in this post. Why? It's a natural chunk. There is so much here, I couldn't add another chapter to this one. It's time for the count to leave Paris. His job there is done. He says goodbye to his true friends, Emmanuel and Julie, and they know they will never see him again. Maximilian accompanies him, because there is a promise to keep and work to be done with this young man still. I'm going to rabbit trail for a moment, because letters have been an important symbol in this book, and we have another one appear with no explanation at the count's departure. Let's reflect for a moment. We have the letter that innocent Edmond Dantes carried originally about Villefort's father Noirtier. We have the letter that Danglars/Fernand/and drunk Caderousse wrote to the crown prosecutor that alerted him to the letter that Dantes carried. Now we have a letter delivered to the "old man" (Noirtier) from the count. Something he has accepted. There is significance here. Back to our chapters. We hear Monte Cristo's farewell speech from atop a plateau to Paris. He calls Paris a Babylon. Babylon, one of the great powers from the Ancient World that is no more. What did our count do? Single handily remove 3 very powerful, evil men (and Caderousse). This begins a journey of attempted healing for Maximilian and remembrance for the count. The real man inside the count is coming out. He shares with Maximilian about his two friends that are always with him in his heart, his father and Abbe Faria. (Notice Mercedes does not reside there ) They dock in Marseille, a place they both know, and Maximilian has a flashback to his father. While Maximilian shares his memory the count sees Mercedes sending Albert off. Maximilian heads to his father's grave. The count turns to revisit his past. First stop is to Mercedes. She lives in Dantes' old house given to her by the count. He enters the place without knocking and we have a contrast to the entry, " like a friend, like a guest." Not a fiance or lover. They are friends but their relationship holds a barrier now. There is an air of strangers versus intimate companions. Mercedes blames herself for all that happened. She calls herself a coward for not waiting for Edmond and also in the death of her husband. She says that it was because of her that Fernand became who he was. The count disagrees and launches into a speech revealing his humanness, but God needed him. He had a job for him to do, and so his life was lived for other reasons besides the hopes and dreams of young, innocent Edmond Dantes. It all ends with how the count can help Mercedes. Would she accept his help? Her response is basically whatever comes her way must be of God so she would accept. The count disagrees saying that God gives us free will, but Mercedes can't handle that thought. She wants to think that she has acted on what has come along in her life's path, not decisions she has made. What do you think? Whew! One more chapter to talk about in this post. The count is questioning himself. Was it all a mistake? After all, some things happened that he had not planned on such as Edouard and Valentine's deaths. It's time to revisit it all. He returns to the Chateau d'If. Can you imagine? A guard shows him his cell and Abbe Faria's. The guard shares the rumored story of the men that lived there. The count rewards the guard for his time, and the guard admits to a leftover piece he discovered. He goes to get it as the count internally cries out to Abbe Faria to take away his doubt. The guard comes back with Abbe Faria's cloth manuscript. The first words the count sees are, " You will pull the dragon's teeth and trample the lions underfoot, said the Lord." The count has his reassurance. The chapter ends with the count retelling the story of a friend (his story) to Morrel. He is going to leave Morrel in Marseille, but on October 5 a boat will be waiting to take him to the island of Monte Cristo.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 114-117 It is quiet in the house. Everyone else is still asleep, and I am soaking in the moment of completing this epic classic. I feel as though I have just finished Thanksgiving dinner. I am leaning back in my chair having tasted all the wonderful dishes before me, and I am satisfied. Dumas has satisfied me. It is time that Danglars is dealt with. He travels to the House of Thomason and French in Rome to withdraw 5 million francs to begin a new life away from Paris. Thinking he has escaped from all his responsibility, creditors, etc, he returns to his hotel to rest, but really he has just become the fly stuck in the center of a spider's web. Peppino appears on the scene. (The shepherd who was unjustly sentenced to death that Monte Cristo paid the pope for his freedom.) He and the clerk from Thomason and French obviously know each other. It is confirmed that the withdraw has been made by Danglars, and Peppino's job is now to shadow Danglars. Danglars plans to go to Venice and Vienna to withdraw the rest of his money and settle down in Vienna. While traveling in his carriage he is ambushed. At first he thinks he is being extradited back but when he notices they are not in a city he has a recollection of Albert's run-in with a certain group of outlaws. And yes, it is Vampa and his men! Dumas is a master at setting the scene for us. As Danglars is taken into the lair of the thieves an element of death presents itself everywhere. We have the stone walls that are hollowed out to make coffins that give the appearance of a skull. His cell is deep underground emitting an air of burial. However his bed is just that, a bed. A comfort, a relief in the presence of death. How about Vampa and his reading material? He is most definitely not your common street thief. There is an air of sophistication, knowledge, and purpose that surrounds him. Danglars does 2 things - he begins to call on God and he mentally calculates what he thinks he will have to pay to get out of his situation. What follows in the next days is a constant choice presented to Danglars. You want food? You can have the best, but it will cost you an exorbitant amount. He holds off until he can no longer handle it. Finally we get to the point where his money is gone and he begs for his life. Not freedom, just his life. He experiences hallucinations where he can see an old man dying from starvation (Dantes' father). He repents to a shadowed man. It is, of course, the Count of Monte Cristo who reveals himself as Edmond Dantes. Something has happened to our count. He frees Danglars instead of killing him or driving him mad. He takes Danglars to the brink, and we know this because Danglars sees his reflection in water and his hair is snowy white from stress and terror, but he does not kill him. Dantes let's him go. His quest for revenge is over. What will he do with his life now? One more job awaits - Morrel and October 5th. Morrel arrives at the Island of Monte Cristo and we know in a short time that the sadness and melancholy has not left him. He has come to die as he says, " in the arms of a friend." Maximilian notices a light heartedness to the count he has never seen before. However, their conversation is one of death - the pain of it, is there no one he will miss, not even the count, but there is no swaying Maximilian from his intended plan. So the count prepares the poison and gives a spoonful to Maximilian, but then he prepares to take a spoonful himself. Immediately Maximilian cries out to him how wrong it would be for him to kill himself. He loves and is loved. Maximilian injests his spoonful and we go through the process of his "death " - the loss of mobility, speech, and the appearance of his love Valentine. Except Valentine is not an angel. She is alive . The count tells Valentine that she and Maximilian must never be separated, because Maximilian would leap into his grave. We also get this glimpse of the count's soul as he hope that God will "credit him" with the saving of these two lives. As Maximilian is out Haydee enters the room. The count tells her that he is restoring her father's fortune to her, and he prepares to leave. Haydee cannot believe it. They have fallen in love, but the count can hardly believe that Haydee could love him and would die without him. So, a second chance at love is given to the count. A chance to forget what he so desperately needs to forget. They sail away together. Maximilian awakens, thinks he has been tricked until his beloved Valentine explains everything. We end with a letter from the count to Maximilian. He must wait to wed Valentine until they see her grandfather. He wants to give his blessing. (remember the letter delivered to the "old man?") Maximilian wonders if they will ever see him again to which Valentine responds with the words of all human wisdom "wait and hope!" Wow, this is a long post, but I wouldn't do this book justice if I didn't reflect back for a moment on what Dumas is telling us through his novel. There are definitely the main themes of revenge/justice, and identity. I don't think you need me to add to what we already know. However, I am going to put in hope. There is a thread of hope that runs through this entire book that comes to full fruition at the end. Sometimes that hope was just putting one foot in front of the other in the next opportunity that arose without knowing what the end result would be for the count. Life application now - We all encounter wrongs and difficulties in our lives. They may not be to the depth of the count's, but each one of us will be or has been wronged. There is a price to pay when we choose revenge on our own terms. We see the count's transformation from his own control to submitting to God. (We do see glimpses of the old count pop up from time to time, but he believes he is carrying out God's plan by following the path laid before him.) Once the job is done, God doesn't leave it there. He gives the count a new chance at life and at love. We go from a life of revenge to a life that has been redeemed. It has value and purpose going forward. That is the story for each of us if we so choose. That is what I am taking away from The Count of Monte Cristo! Thank you for traveling the road of The Count of Monte Cristo with me!

THE PONY EXPRESS I can remember as a child loving the Pony Express. The ideas of danger, speed, and horses fueled my very active imagination. After wrapping up the Civil War with Callie recently, I realized we had missed this important piece in our country's history! The Pony Express was only in existence from 1860-1861 before the land was stretched with telegraph cables and train tracks. This was a time of high adventure, courage, and perseverance. It was time for us to put the history mobile of learning in reverse and pick up what we had missed. In addition, we took a little look at the prairie - what it looks like, the kind of animals we find, and what eats what. We wrapped it up with mapping and time lining. I may have completed it all by showing her some clips from The Young Riders TV drama from my high school years!

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING by Dan Santat If I say the words "junior high" to you, does your mind immediately go to uncomfortable memories? Do you think of sweaty gym classes, trying not to say dumb things, and attempting to act cool? If so, you are not alone! In Dan Santat's autobiographical graphic novel, A First Time for Everything, he shares what middle school was like for him, an absolute nightmare, until he goes on a school trip to Europe. On this trip he begins to realize the world outside of middle school. He experiences a whole lot of "firsts" (some that will really shock you that he was able to do on this trip) that open his eyes to what he really likes and dislikes. In the process of these discoveries, we, the readers, receive the benefit of watching the shoots of confidence begin to grow inside of Dan, and it takes us back to times I think we all can relate to. HEADS UP- There are a couple of situations to be aware of that happen while on this trip. First, in France the boys turn on the TV and experience pornography. The book simply shows them turning on the TV and the boys remarking about no one having clothes on. Second, in Germany the drinking age is 14 with adult supervision. Parents were allowed to sign a waiver. Dan takes a sip even though he is 3 months shy of the 14-year-old limit with his teacher looking on. He detests the taste. He encounters teens smoking and tries a puff, and it doesn't go well for him. In Dan's Author Notes at the end of the book he talks about how "shocked" he is to think back on all the things he was able to get away with on this trip. He also states that he doesn't think kids should "drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes," etc.

THE WAGER: A TALE OF SHIPWRECK, MUTINY, AND MURDER by David Grann I am really surprising myself that The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann (author of Killers of the Flower Moon) is my first TOP PICK of 2024. This nonfiction book is a true adventure with bits of Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe thrown in. In 1740 six warships and two supply ships set sail on a secret mission from England to try and find a famed Spanish vessel loaded with treasure. The story centers on the ship, The Wager that experienced lots of tragedy finalized by wrecking into the island of Patagonia. The small amount of men that survived became at odds with each other and some of the men mutinied and attempted to head home. What happens after that is really quite unbelievable, but you'll have to read the book to find out! This story is a nonstop tale of adventure, blame, and ultimately responsibility for the tragedies that occurred. HEADS UP- There are only a couple of profanities that are used in direct quotes from the sailors. Overall this is a very clean story and highly recommended if you are a nonfiction lover!

THE LOST LIBRARY by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass The powerhouse writing team of Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass is evident in The Lost Library. This is a story about a library that burned down years ago and the effect that it had on the town told from the viewpoints of three characters: a cat named Mortimer, a boy named Evan, and a ghost named AL (whose name stands for Assistant Librarian). No one talks about the fire, because it was so devastating as it claimed the lives of two librarians. In spite of all of this, the book is written with a lot of lightheartedness as someone begins the process of helping the town to heal from the tragedy. It all begins with the placing of a free lending library that contains several books from the old library. As Evan borrows some of the books he begins to find clues that put him on the path of solving what really happened to the original library many years ago. One of the elements that is really neat about this book is that it goes through the process of how to write a book, and Evan uses that process to help him solve the mystery. It is very cleverly done and would be a fun edition to a writing class. HEADS UP- This story does contain ghosts. There are no scary parts at all. In fact, the ghost play a pivotal role in the healing process.

JACK: THE (FAIRLY) TRUE TALE OF JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Liesl Shurtliff Fairy tale retellings can be a lot of fun for older kids. Liesl Shurtliff has a fun series for the middle grade group called (Fairly) True Tales. I recently read aloud Jack: The Fairly True Tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. In the beginning, Jack is quite the ornery kid. He's constantly getting into trouble with his family and the neighbors. Living in a farming community, when large quantities of crops and animals disappear, people want answers quickly. They refuse to believe in giants coming down from the sky, but Jack knows that's who's to blame. Then the giants raid again and Jack's father is taken this time. Jack can't wait any longer. He must find a way to get up to their kingdom and get his father back! This humorous tale is filled with lots of adventure, but also is the story of a boy who realizes how important his family is to him. He begins to grow up as his journey teaches him courage and responsibility.

WINTER'S NO TIME TO SLEEP: THE ADVENTURES OF SOPHIE MOUSE by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell While it's super cold and snowy I've got to share this other Sophie Mouse book I picked up. This one is called Winter's No Time to Sleep by Poppy Green, and guess what? This one has an adorable little character named Pippa who is homeschooled! Woo-Hoo! Pippa is a darling little hedgehog that gets up from hibernation, so she doesn't miss out on all the winter fun. This is the third book I have read in the Sophie Mouse series, and I plan on reading all 21 of them! They are perfect for an early to mid elementary reader or would be wonderful as a read aloud to a younger child.

THE LION OF MARS by Jennifer L. Holm The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm is a great read! It honestly sat in my pile of books for at least 6 months, and I put off reading it. I really struggled with getting excited about people living on Mars. Just not my normal wheelhouse. Finally, I bit the bullet and read it, and I am so glad I did! The year is 2091, and many countries have settlements on Mars. The problem? It's against the rules for the US Settlement to get together with any of the other settlements. So what in the world are the kids in the US Settlement supposed to do when all the adults get sick? This isn't a game. This is life and death. Speaking of death, what's all the secrets surrounding the mysterious death of one of the team members? Someone knows the answers, and they aren't telling. To navigate all of the Mars' issues one of the kids is going to have to really find their courage and become a lion. HEADS UP- This book does have some minor disobedience issues. There is more than one death. No gore at all.

SNOW FRIENDS by Margery Cuyler. Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Greetings from chilly Ohio! After bundling up and feeding the animals this morning, it was back inside, around the fireplace type of day! Glorious!! It's the perfect time for a new snowy read to share!  Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler is the delightful story of a dog that doesn't want to wait for his owner to go out and enjoy the snow. In fact, he doesn't want to stay in his own yard. He wants to go for a walk. On the way, he meets a friend, and they have some great adventures in the snow together! But..the part I love the most about this book is the illustrations! Will Hillenbrand is a master at creating absolute doggy sweetness. If your family loves dogs and their antics, get ready to grin as you check these pages out. Hillenbrand has used about everything possible in creating the artwork- pastels, watercolors, pencil, crayons, collage, and more! And guess what? He's from Ohio! So grab a fuzzy blanket, your four-legged friend ( or friends), and dive into this darling book!

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR BOOKS These are some of our favorite MLK books!