SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL by Patricia MacLachlan Callie and I are reading through the Sarah, Plain and Tall series by Patricia MacLachlan. We are currently in Caleb's Story, so I will probably do a follow up post when we have finished as to which book was Callie's favorite. Callie is in 4th grade, so our setup on this series is to read each book independently and then get together for a discussion at the end of that book. Sarah, Plain and Tall is the beautiful story of a father, Jacob, and his two children, Caleb and Anna who live on the prairie.Told from Anna's viewpoint a few years after their mother died in childbirth, there is a huge hole left in their lives, and their father decides to place an ad in a newspaper looking for a wife. Sarah, who lives in Maine, responds to the ad and comes for a trial visit. However, it is clear that the golden browns of the prairie are a lot different than the greens and blues of Maine, and Sarah is homesick. Sarah, Plain and Tall is not a fast paced book. The problems that typically happen on the prairie are ones that are not easily solved over night. They are worked on in the same way that the crops are planted, slow and steady with time. Books following Sarah, Plain and Tall -Skylark -Caleb's Story -More Perfect Than the Moon -Grandfather's Dance Alongside Activity- There are 3 movies that follow the Sarah, Plain and Tall series produced by Hallmark:Sarah, Plain and Tall, Skylark, and Winter's End. Glenn Close and Christopher Walken play Sarah and Jacob.

ESCAPE GOAT by Ann Patchett. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser Oh my! Escape Goat by Ann Patchett is fun in so many ways! The Farmer family owns a little goat who decides to check out the world on the other side of the fence. Now all kinds of mishaps are happening around the farm, but are they all the little goat's fault? This picture book is great for all ages. It teaches an important lesson on blaming. It also (in a tongue-in-cheek way)teaches us the meaning of the word scapegoat. Robin Preiss Glasser illustrates Escape Goat in ink and watercolors. If you are a fan of Fancy Nancy you will recognize her delightful, flowery work right away.

9/11 RESOURCES 9-11 is quickly approaching. A time for quiet remembering but also a time of answering the questions of our children as to what happened and why. A moment to remember all the dads, moms, sons, daughters, uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, friends that never came home. A moment to remember the ones who bravely died so others didn't have to on Flight 93. A moment to remember all the first responders who courageously ran to the scenes when others were running away. Remember. Two books to help you remember. What Were the Twin Towers by Jim O'Conner- if you need a resource to share with your children, this is a good one. A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner is a novel set in 2 time periods, Sept. 1911 on Ellis Island and Sept. 2011. Be prepared to experience tragedy, loss, and the ability to love again connected by a scarf of marigolds.

FALL RESOURCES

ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS by Ronald H. Balson Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson was a recommendation from one of you! World War II is a huge theme in literature right now. It has been for a few years, and it appears to still be going strong. Once We Were Brothers falls into this category of historical fiction, but it comes with an unexpected take. Ben Solomon is an elderly, quiet Jewish man living in Chicago, Illinois. One day, out of character for him, he buys a ticket to a fund-raising social event, packs a gun, and proceeds to accuse a wealthy, well-known philanthropist named Elliot Rosenzweig of being a Nazi by the name of Otto Piatek. How is this even possible when Rosenzweig bears a numbered prisoner tattoo from a concentration camp on his arm? Still Solomon insists it is him, and he tells his lawyer the story of his childhood where his Jewish family, who lived in Poland, took in a German boy who was starving to raise as their own. The boy's name was Otto Piatek. When the Nazis occupied Poland, Otto is given a chance to join them and advance through the ranks. Now it is up to Ben's lawyer, Catherine Lockhart, to find the evidence that this generous benefactor, Rosenzweig, could possibly be the monster of Ben's story. The result is a gripping and heart wrenching John Grisham meets Alan Gratz tale. HEADS UP- This book contains some language including 4-5 F-bombs. There are several hard situations to read about, but it is not gory. At one point in the book some of the Jewish girls are chosen to go to a brothel. There is some coarse language.

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY by Judith Viorst. Illustrated by Ray Cruz Callie and I were cuddling up on the chair this morning reading. I told her to grab a picture book if she wanted to, and she brought Judith Viorst's classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. On a day filled with rain (which I actually love), I thought this may be a fitting book for some! We all have days where it seems that everything is going wrong, and if we could escape to somewhere else all our troubles would disappear. In this humerous book, Alexander is having one of those days. His constant refrain of, " I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" punctuates everything that happens to him. His solution? To move to Australia. His mother comes through with some wise advice in the end that we all can take to heart. Delightful black and white drawings perfectly accent the simple lines of the straight forward text.

THE MYSTERY OF THE MONARCHS by Barb Rosenstock. Illustrated by Erika Meza I always love watching the monarchs during this time of year. It's not uncommon for me to stop along our neighbor's field when driving home from errands to look over the milkweed. The numbers are definitely down, but I am so thankful to be seeing some activity. So, when I saw that Barb Rosenstock had written a new book about monarchs, I had to check it out! Rosenstock takes a little different approach to her books when she writes. She is a former teacher, and she loves to find some unique piece of information or question about her subject and research it out. In her newest book, The Mystery of the Monarchs, her subject is Fred Urquhart. He always loved insects, but his favorite was the monarch butterfly. He wondered where they went. This is a beautiful story about the discovery of monarch migration. It is absolutely breathtaking when you think about being the one to discover where they went and walking into those deep, secret places. Illustrator Erika Meza does an amazing job on the pages of this book. She was born in the area of Mexico that the monarchs go to migrate, and you can see her knowledge and love in her pictures. She uses a myriad of mediums on the pages: acrylic gouache, watercolor, ink, pastel pencils, and my favorite - coffee splashes! (Wonder if those were on purpose, or if something beautiful came out of a mishap!) Alongside Activities- There are so many possibilities! First off, check out the author and illustrator information pages at the back of the book. There is a lot suggestions on how you can get involved! -Watch for monarchs! Carefully look over milkweed and see if you can spot caterpillars, chrysalises, etc. Be very gentle! -I was listening to the local radio station about a month ago and happened to hear an interview with our local master gardeners. This year at the fair they will have milkweed seeds to give away at their booth. Consider stopping by and planting some! -Consider planting flowers that butterflies enjoy. I frequently have 2 monarch visitors at my zinnias. Next year I'm going to enlarge that area. - Find the areas in Mexico that the butterflies migrate to. Roughly figure how far it is from your state to their migration destination. Note the terrain they have to go over from your location to their winter home!

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson Wow- this is a tough one to write about. I am all about discussing difficult topics with my kids at age appropriate times, but Wintergirls is really deep. So let's start this post off talking about the author, and then we'll step into the book itself. This is the third book I've read by Laurie Halse Anderson. Her books deal with very difficult subjects facing today's youth. The first two I read deal with party rape and sexual abuse/suicide. The books are deep and moving and sometimes written from Anderson's personal experiences. I read them with my girls and we had great discussions about safety and situations they may encounter with others in life. But this one...this one is not Anderson's story, but it is born out of letters she has received from teens. Wintergirls is the story of two friends, Lia and Cassie, who make a devastating oath to each other at a young age, to each be skinnier than the other. Lia is anorexic and Cassie is bulimic. When Cassie ends up dying, Lia sees her "ghost" everywhere. Whether this is due to the guilt, mental illness, hallucinations from the lack of nutrition that Lia is suffering from or she truly is seeing her friend is never completely answered. Both Lia and Cassie come from homes that from the outside look very successful. Parents are well respected and hold impressive jobs. However, behind the closed doors is a lot of brokenness that definitely plays into the pact that is made. This book is heartbreaking. If you decide to use it, because unfortunately this is very real in our world, I would highly recommend reading it alongside your teen. The dialogue, internally and externally, is just devastating which is what makes this book so rough. You would definitely want to keep an open conversation going with your teen. So what is a Wintergirl? A Wintergirl is a term that Anderson coined, and it is a girl who suffers from an eating disorder. She is not dead yet, but is frozen in her body suspended between life and death. I graduated high school in 1994, and I went to school with a girl who was bulimic. HEADS UP - There is a little bit of language with 1 F-bomb. The truth of what happened to Cassie when she died is a little rough.

THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND by Julia Kelly England, gardens, and a book set in 3 different time periods - what could be better right? The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly fits that bill completely. (There are a couple of blips, so be sure to check out the HEADS UP section.) I do enjoy books set in multiple time periods. I love to watch how the threads of time crisscross each other. I love when the modern time period is trying to figure out the "why" of something affecting it from the past time period. The Last Garden does that beautifully. There are 3 time periods represented in the story: 1907 when the gardens are created at Highbury House, 1944 when Highbury House is a convalescent home for WWII soldiers, and present day when the gardens have been left to go wild and uncared for and Highbury House's new owners want to restore them to their former glory. But in that restoration questions must be answered and long kept secrets from the past brought to light. (Think of this as a Secret Garden for adults, as there is one garden that is locked, and no one knows why.) After reading this book, I need to stay away from the seed and bulb catalogs, because we would seriously go broke. The gardens sound breathtaking! HEADS UP- There is a small amount of language. You know that in 1 time period a sexual relationship is going on, but it isn't detailed.

LA PRINCESA AND THE PEA by Susan Middleton Elya. Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal La Princesa and the Pea, Susan Middleton Elya's take on the Princess and the Pea is a hoot to read and it rhymes! This classic fairy tale is remade in Peruvian style, and it is a definite win. Starting out in the typical Princess and the Pea fashion, the queen mother is on the hunt for a suitable bride for her son. (Her sour expressions and her mirror-image cat are to die for!) However, the prince has other ideas when a certain young lady appears on the scene who may not pass his mother's test. He just may lend a little aid! Lots of Spanish words are included in the text with a glossary at the beginning of the book. The illustrations in this book are fantastic! Juana Martinez-Neal uses a combination of acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite on handmade textured paper. Make sure and see her note at the end of the book as to how she wove the Peruvian culture into her art. Also notice all the adorable guinea pigs in almost every picture. Tons of fun! Alongside Activity- Find Peru on the map. Google pictures of the people especially pictures of the Huilloc and Colca Canyon areas. Google their methods of dyeing, spinning, weaving, embroidery, etc.

SOLIMAR: THE SWORD OF THE MONARCHS by Pam Munoz Ryan In honor of monarch butterflies, I picked up Pam Munoz Ryan's (author of Newberry winner Echo) new book, Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs. Set in Mexico in a kingdom bordering the oyamel forest where the Monarchs go to migrate, Solimar is the story of a soon-to-be crowned princess named Solimar. Solimar loves to visit the forest and see the butterflies, but this time when she comes something magical happens. She makes a promise to always protect the monarchs and holds out her rebozo (her wrap) and the weak and straggling butterflies land on it. Suddenly, she is surrounded by a swarm of butterflies flying around her and she hears chanting. The weak butterflies turn into a sort of shimmery sparkle and embed themselves into her rebozo. It is now Solimar's job to protect them until they are strong enough to join the other monarchs. With this responsibility comes an amazing gift that will be a blessing and a curse. While all this is happening, a neighboring king is wanting to buy some of the oyamel forest to harvest the wood. Solimar's father refuses to sell any, but while he is away on a kingly mission the neighboring king comes in and takes the royal family hostage. Solimar escapes, and it is now up to her to save the kingdom and the monarchs. HEADS UP - There is some magic in this book and talk of monarch ancestors. I didn't find it over bearing. It reminded me of Disney's Mulan in amount in the story.

NATURE RESOURCES Not just fall oriented, but the weather is gorgeous and it's time to get out in nature and enjoy it! I pulled a few of my nature books that can help you start adventuring if you need it! Three of these books are set up by months or seasons, so you have specific things to look for. One is on basic outdoor adventuring. -Usborne's Outdoor Book is the basic book on outdoor adventuring. It gives basic topics to look for and activities to do. -Crinkleroot's Nature Almanac is set up by seasons -Nature Connection is set up by months -Woods Walk is set up by seasons Even if you don't find these exact books, check out your library or local bookstore for outdoor adventure books if you need some help getting started!