MANSLAUGHTER PARK by Tirzah Price SPOILER ALERT After two wonderful YA books based on Jane Austen's classic novels, author Tirzah Price pulls a major switch on Manslaughter Park. In my past posts I shared about how much I enjoyed Pride and Premeditation and Sense and Second Degree Murder. I was absolutely delighted with the idea of a murder happening within a known classic while maintaining the foundation of the story. Unfortunately, Manslaughter Park does a complete 180 from that original model. In the original Mansfield Park we are introduced to Fanny Price, a young, shy girl who is born into poverty. Her relatives, the Bertrams, take her into their sprawling estate as a sort of family charity. Here she is mistreated by everyone except for the younger son, Edmund. After a series of hard events falls on the family, Fanny's value and dedication is very apparent to most of the family. She and Edmund, whom she has loved for a long time, marry and live happily ever after. Forgive the very short overview of an amazing, classic work. In Tirzah Price's Manslaughter Park we do see the appearance of all the main characters. Lord Bertram is a famous art dealer who ends up murdered. The family mistreatment of Fanny is very evident, and Fanny fancies herself in love with Edmund. However, before long we discover that a guest in the home , Mary Crawford, begins to catch her eye. Confused about her feelings, but then arriving at the point where they can no longer be denied, the book shares several passionate kissing scenes between the two women. And what about Edmund? He ends up being the murderer! Definitely a neat and tidy way to remove him from the picture.

RIVER by Elisha Cooper Good picture books are for all ages and this one is no exception. In fact, I'm going to tell you that this book is especially for mommas. River by author/illustrator Elisha Cooper is the story of a mother's journey, on her own, down the Hudson River in a canoe. Beginning in the water of Lake Tear of the Clouds in Adirondack Park and paddling 315 miles to New York City, this is a book of endurance, overcoming, and completion. You can love canoes or not love canoes. You can love nature or not love nature. This book is about setting out with a goal and seeing it through, even when there is difficulty. Every momma can relate to that! Cooper's artwork is wonderful. Blues, grays, and greens give us the feeling of open, endless waterways. White fills the sky with puffy clouds, but also brings to life rapids on the water to navigate. Be sure to see all the notes in the back of the book! Very well done!

THE BLACK BOOK OF COLOURS by Menena Cottin. Illustrated by Rosana Faria I wanted to give my kids a glimpse of what it means to be blind. We take for granted the ability to see and the colors of a beautiful world so easily. Author Menena Cottin and illustrator Rosana Faria give us as close to a glimpse as possible in their amazing "picture" book, The Black Book of Colors. Prepare to let your fingers do the majority of the work. Yes, there is text for you to read, but the words describe what a color sounds like. For example, yellow "tastes like mustard, but is as soft as a baby chick's feathers." The words are embossed on the page in braille so you can run your fingers over them and feel them. The accompanying picture is also embossed for finger feel. If you hold it in the light the images are shiny, but if turned away from the light the images fade into inky blackness. This can be a very moving experience with your child when you realize what it means to be blind. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- This would be a wonderful opportunity to pair a biography about Louis Braille or Helen Keller with this book. Margaret Davidson wrote a wonderful one about each- Louis Braille: The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind and a book simply titled Helen Keller. With a "fat" needle or pin and a piece of cardstock have your children practice writing their names, a sentence, Bible verse, etc in braille.

SENSE AND SECOND-DEGREE MURDER Author Tirzah Price is back with another great murder adaptation of a classic Jane Austen story. Sense and Second-Degree Murder is a fun, mysterious YA rendition of the well-known book Sense and Sensibility. Let's talk YA for a moment. YA literature can be very difficult to navigate with its rebellious, try anything mentality. After all, it is directed to teens through early twenties young people who are in the process of "spreading their wings." There are some who consider YA a genre in itself, and I don't really subscribe to that idea. It is directed to a particular age, just like middle grade readers, easy readers, etc. Even though oftentimes it is controversial and morally corrupt, that isn't true of all volumes, and we are seeing more infiltration of that same mindset into middle grade readers. Just like Pride and Premeditation, Sense and Second-Degree Murder is a witty retelling with all of the beloved (and not so beloved) characters of Sense and Sensibility. Beginning in the home of the wonderful Dashwood family, a mystery unfolds with the murder of Mr. Dashwood, owner and head investigator of Norland and Co. The book quickly follows a similar path of its predecessor. Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters are not included in the will and are turned out due to their stepson/half-brother and his money grubbing little wife. A home in Cheapside is quickly secured and a new way of life unfolds for the women. However, Elinor and Marianne cannot let go of the unsolved murder of their father. On top of that, opium seems to be popping up everywhere they turn. Of course our book would not be complete without the characters of Willoughby, Brandon, and Edward. Tirzah Price does not disappoint in keeping the true spirit of each character. HEADS UP- Two minor things to report on this one. There is a semi-intense kissing scene between Marianne and Willoughby. It only includes passionate kissing, but it does promote body tingles. Also the word "Bastard" is used once. -LATER UPDATE - I really liked Pride and Premeditation and Sense and Second-Degree Murder in this series. However, Manslaughter Park had a lot of "HEADS UP" issues. Each book is a stand alone

THE SILVER CHAIR by C.S. Lewis I recently finished the fourth book in C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, The Silver Chair, with my 10-year-old. We are slowly making our way through the series interspersed with lots of other reads. Narnia was one of those series that for me as a child became my go-to books, and I dearly love revisiting them with my children. The Silver Chair takes on a little different start than the previous books. After all, this is the first book, if you follow the original order, where a Pevensie child is not involved. We do have some familiar faces, however, with Eustace Scrubb (that is just one of the best names ever to fit a character!) and some quick appearances of a very aged King Caspian. But what really shines in this book is the journey that unfolds that we can all relate to! Each of our lives is created for a purpose. When we yield our lives to the Lord a path is revealed waiting for each of us! That path will test our character, our endurance, and will help us to grow in ways we never could on our own. That is what you see in the journey of Eustace, Jill Pole, and Puddleglum as they try and recover a prince from Narnia who disappeared many years ago. The rough terrain and weather exposes selfishness, laziness, and bickering in Eustace and Jill that must be overcome. Puddleglum is the steady hand that tries to keep them pointed in the right direction. This journey goes much deeper though. This is an expedition of redemption for the lost prince. Aslan has not forgotten him just like God does not forget us. Just like the Good Shepherd who searches for his lost sheep, we are sought after, released from our bonds, and restored to our place as a rightful heir as we see played out in the rescue of Prince Rilian. Lewis masterfully tells this in a way that young and old can understand.

MAKE WAY: THE STORY OF ROBERT McCLOSKEY, NANCY SCHON, AND SOME VERY FAMOUS DUCKLINGS by Angela Burke Kunkel. Illustrated by Claire Keane. I was so excited to find this picture book! There's nothing quite so satisfying as loving a book for years and then one day being granted the wish of knowing just a bit more about the story! Most of you are familiar with Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings, but recently Angela Burke Kunkel wrote Make Way: The Story of Robert McCloskey, Nancy Schon, and Some Very Famous Ducklings. It is priceless! (I think I heard several of you gasp and the keys start clacking as you pull up Amazon!) In the book initially we follow two threads, the life of McCloskey and how Make Way for Ducklings came to be in existence today, and the life of Nancy Schon who sculpted the famous bronze ducks that reside in the Boston Public Garden. Both encountered road blocks in their journeys that took time to overcome. Eventually the two threads come together and the result is an endearing line of Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack following their mother to their island home that more than 3 million people visit and play around every year. Reading stories like this is so important, because it helps us realize that an author or artist didn't just make a decision, and the project was done. It took time and dedication to see these treasures through! Make Way (the back story) is illustrated by Claire Keane. It is printed in color, but very muted colors. She uses a lot of browns and bronzes as what I would guess is a tribute to the original work. It is well done! The book is brimming with action as two people work steadily to see their dreams become reality! Just a side note! I did a little extra reading on McCloskey and he originally hoped to illustrate Make Way for Ducklings in watercolor. Massee declined due to the high cost, so it was printed in the sepia color we all love today. To accomplish this he had to draw every print backward in zinc lithographic plates. Can you imagine? https://www.mfa.org/news/make-way-for-ducklings HEADS UP- 1 minor item to note. There is a lot of great info in the Author's Notes. Two thirds of the way down the page, however, it shows the ducks dressed up in rainbow colors for PRIDE. In the text it shares how they are dressed for holidays and "political statements" including BLM, PRIDE, Border protest, etc. You can include or skip this area as you see fit. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Lots of extras you can do on this! Note on a map the different places mentioned in the book. If you are able to go and see the ducklings at Boston Public Garden it is a delightful place. (Along with many other things in Boston!) Find a place locally where you can observe ducks. Parks are a good place and here in Ohio we have a wonderful, historical ice cream parlor Velvet Ice Cream  that has ducks you can watch and feed. Ducks have such wonderful personalities! We typically keep a few around on our acreage, because I just love watching and hearing them!

BOOKS WITHOUT WORDS Sometimes we set the writing curriculum aside and try a little different angle in our house. Sometimes I want to know what thoughts, ideas, and imaginations are brewing naturally beneath the surface of all the eyes that are staring at me when I teach. A couple of years ago I came across a fascinating book by Emily Winfield Martin entitled The Imaginaries: Little Scraps of Larger Stories. Martin's book is full of illustrations with a single sentence designed to set a mind on the path of creating a story. I wanted to incorporate a similar idea this year, so while at the bookstore I asked if they were familiar with any books similar to this. Of course, they were! They always come through! This year I will be using The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. (I will include a picture from each book in the comments so you can have an idea of the layout.) How do I use these books? I talk as little as possible. There are no rules, no expectations except that you must come up with some type of story/explanation as to what is happening in the picture. Sometimes an entire story spills out. Sometimes multiple possibilities of scenarios are shared with no ending. Either is fine. Which one do you choose? Martin's book feels more fairy talish with softer colors in the illustrations. Van Allsburg's book has more of an adventurous feel to it. One minor "heads up"- Martin's book has 1 picture with a quote about the future that shows a young lady walking out of a curtained area with playing cards around her. It definitely gives a vibe of fortune telling.

HAZEL BLY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Ashley Herring Blake I recently wrote a post about not panicking if your child opens a book, begins reading, and stumbles upon content that does not fit your worldview and how to then take that book and use it as a springboard to conversation. I just had another prime example. Recently, I took my 10-year-old daughter to the library. I packed my extra-large tote bag (you know the kind I'm talking about - reinforced canvas style with the metal frame that I could about crawl into myself and fit) and let her scour the shelves. She had a couple of books she was looking for, and I tossed in a couple that piqued my interest as we browsed, but it truly became a pulling of a book off the shelf, examine the cover, read the title, looks interesting in the bag it goes or looks boring back to the shelf it goes for her. (Here is where we all unanimously chant "You never judge a book by its cover!) She's old enough now so we've been going over what makes a good book and red flags speech recently. That is how this book ended up on my lap the other night with her commenting, "I'm pretty sure this girl has two moms." I thanked her for bringing it to my attention and told her I'd check it out. She was correct, and what was throwing her off a bit is that one was from England, so her name was "Mum." I'm going to admit that I didn't completely read this book. I scan read parts of it and deep read sections of it and was able to get a pretty good idea of what was going on. Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake is a story filled with intense tragedy. Hazel's family consisted of Mum, Mama, a little sister "Peach," and herself. Notice I wrote consisted (past tense) because Mum and Hazel were involved in a kayak accident that left Hazel with a very noticeable scar on her face and Mum dead. Since then, Mama has been moving them from place to place, and Hazel is living with crippling guilt and fear. No one is really able to heal or move on with life. Then a chance encounter happens. While living in a beach house in Maine, their neighbor turns out to be Hazel's Mom's best friend, Claire, from elementary school that moved away. They haven't seen each other in years. We learn that they were each other's first love and first kiss. You can quickly see where this is going. Hazel doesn't want a new mom. She wants to go home. Add in the fact that she's dealing with her own attraction to a girl her own age who uses the pronouns they and them. (It took me a minute to realize that we were talking about 1 person.) When she can no longer handle the situation, Hazel jumps into a boat and rows out into the ocean. She decides to attempt what a local legend says happened to a girl named Rosemary Lee (who Hazel bears an uncanny resemblance to) whose family drowned. Rosemary Lee was unable to handle the loss of her family and one day walked into the sea. Not long after stories start occuring of a mermaid who looks like Rosemary Lee. Back to Hazel. As she slips into the water she hopes to feel flukes behind her, to find she has changed into a mermaid. Of course that doesn't happen, she panics, and her loved ones flash before her eyes, and then Rosemary Lee is there (whether real or imagined) and she helps get her up to safety where Hazel is rescued. From there the book tries to work towards closure and some sort of moving forward. New relationships are started, a new home is secured, and a mermaid club is started, but this is a lot of heaviness for me (let alone a middle grader) that doesn't leave when you close the book. It's not just YA books that are angsty anymore! Reading books like this make you feel like the innocence of childhood is a thing of the past.

OVER AND UNDER THE WAVES by Kate Messner. Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. Heading out to the beach soon or do you have a child who loves ocean animals? Kate Messner's Over and Under the Waves is a perfect look into this amazing world! Looking through the eyes of a child as she kayaks with her parents, Messner easily captures the joy and wonder of discovery around this sweet, little girl. The creatures featured are amazing and Messner is not an author that leaves us wondering about how they live. There is lots of extra information about each one in the end notes. Before long, though, it's time to leave this watery world and return to normal life. The reality of spaghetti and chocolate chip cookies before snuggling down into bed to dream is just about as perfect a touch of complete satisfaction as possible! Illustrator Christopher Silas Neal brings the book to life for us! I would tell you on this hot, Ohio day the temperature dropped by 10 degrees when staring at these ocean pictures. The blues and greens are so cool and inviting. The splashes of red remind us that the day is still hot outside of this inviting oasis. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Visit the ocean, or visit an aquarium if possible.This book is set in Monterey Bay, California. Find it on the map. Research animals that live in the bay. Need a chapter book to go along with this? Check out Odder by Katherine Applegate. (You can read the review if you put it in the search bar.) Not possible to do any of those things? How about good old fashioned cooling down in water? Run through a sprinkler, go swimming, spray each other with water guns. Have fun!

THE RADIUM GIRLS: THE DARK STORY OF AMERICA'S SHINING WOMEN by Kate Moore There is a YA edition of this book for high school age. My daughter read the adult version in upper high school, and it was very tragic but doable for her. Radium Girls by Kate Moore is a hard, nonfiction book to read, not because of the dense text, but because of the mental images that form as you read the story. As one of my older daughters recently told me, she could not read the book at night due to the descriptions of physical deformities and death that happened to these innocent girls. So what exactly happened? Radium was the new rage! Touted as a health tonic and prized for its illuminating properties, these poor girls never dreamed in a million years that they were subjecting themselves to a very painful death by working with it. In fact, quite the opposite! It was a privilege to be one of the few girls chosen to be a dial painter. A dial painter took a very fine paintbrush and painstakingly painted the numbers on watches. The result was numbers that glowed. These girls were paid very well for their work. They could afford to dress in the top fashions and light up the town literally! They would paint their skin, their lips, etc with the radium, and their clothes glowed from the dust that would settle on them. The most horrific thing they did? In between their brush strokes they would lick their paintbrushes to form them back into the finest points for the best results of painting over the watchface numbers. They never imagined they were killing themselves in the process. Radium equaled good health, remember? It did until their teeth started falling out, and sores that wouldn't heal formed in their mouths, and their jaws started fracturing in pieces, and they could spit the pieces out in their hands. Next came hemorrhaging and cancers, and bones that were disintegrating in their legs and hips. What did their company do for them? They let them go. They denied what was happening even when it happened over and over. This book is their story. HEADS UP- This book is squeaky clean! Just be prepared for intense descriptions of the breakdown of these girls' bodies due to the poisoning that was going on. There is also a section of photographs. Most of the photos are pictures of the real people in this story. However, there are a few showing the deformities that occured.

WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS by Catherine Newman I haven't had to quit a book for a while. Unfortunately We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman didn't make it. The idea, the premise, of this book is a good one. In this case our storyteller "Ash" is a middle aged woman who is sharing the story of watching her lifelong best friend, Edi, battle ovarian cancer. She can't fix it. It's heartbreaking. Edi's young son can't handle seeing his mother lose the battle, and it's time hospice takes over. Ash finds a hospice home that's quite a distance from where Edi lives, but it seems to be the best solution instead of dying at home. So Edi says her earthly goodbyes to her husband and son and travels with Ash to stay in the home. What ensues is two friends remembering the past and making a few last memories together. The idea cuts you to the quick, as most of us can relate whether in a small way or a big way to the journey. So what's my problem with this book? It's Ash's life that I don't want to read about anymore about. Separated from her husband, yet still having a unique relationship with him, Ash in 45 pages has had an ongoing sexual relationship with Edi's brother and with a doctor. The latest romp with Edi's brother happens while her teenage daughter is at home who walks in on them. Her daughter's response? One of the multiple times she uses the f-word. Ash later explains to her gynecologist at her check up that she is basically whoring. The doctor's response? Are you being safe? I have to speculate here going forward, because I haven't read the book. I believe this behavior is more common than we like to admit. Remember the title? We All Want Impossible Things. Families are in crisis, relationships are in crisis, people are in crisis, and all they know how to do is try and stop the emotional pain anyway they can. Binge eating, binge shopping, binge sex. Feel good for the moment, pay the consequences later. (Can I just say there is no such thing as safe sex? There is "less risk" sex but not safe sex.) I hurt when I read books like this. You know why? There's a person behind the writing!! There's an author, and somehow through her own imagination or listening to conversation around her, she has written this story! Life is painful at times. I can attest to that! In the words of a recent popular song, "I have won. I have lost. I got it right sometimes, but sometimes I did not." However, life doesn't have to end with what happens here. Life is fleeting. James 4:14 tells us that it is a vapor, but that doesn't have to be the end of the story. Those of us who have Christ are never alone. We have hope on the promised righting of wrongs in the future. No death, no tears. No loss. I truly hope this post finds you resting in that hope and not the endless pursuit of trying to live each day relieving that internal pain on your own!

BIG TRUCK LITTLE ISLAND by Chris Van Dusen Chris Van Dusen is an excellent author/illustrator. Most of us are familiar with his illustrations in Kate Dicamillo's fun series Mercy Watson. Circus Ship is a fantastic book that he wrote and illustrated. (If you haven't read it yet, grab it as well!) Today, however, I want to introduce you to Big Truck Little Island. I'm going to start with the illustrations. Remember the old Campbell Soup Kids with their round, rosy, shiny cheeks? That's what your going to see in the adults and kids in this book. The story is set in Maine, so think lots of blues, greens, and spots of sunny yellow. The pictures are inviting giving off the vibe of what a great looking place to live! The story itself is spectacular! It is based on a true story with a few adjustments, and it is told in rhyming verse. A large semi is carrying a huge load on a small island in Maine. It ends up stuck, blocking traffic both ways. People have places to go, things to do, but they are unable to move. After a little while, the kids exit the cars, group together, and come up with a solution. It is so great when you remember that this actually happened in today's world! After you finish the story be sure and check out the Author's Notes for the real experience. You won't want to miss it! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Find Vinalhaven on the map. Take a few minutes to do something nice for a neighbor or someone you know. Write a note and send it in the mail. Bake something and deliver it. Invite someone over for supper or pie on the front porch one evening. Be a blessing!