Classics Notable Books from the Past

Estes, Eleanor. The Moffats. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1941. Print.

Annotation: Each day brings another adventure for members of the Moffat Family.

    Jane Moffat, age nine, lives in the yellow house on New Dollar Street.  Her siblings are Sylvie, Joey and Rufus.  Mama provides for this endearing family by sewing for the ladies of the town.  Drop in on the "everyday" of these lively characters.  Right away you will recognize people that you know even though the story is set almost 100 years ago. Visit their hometown.  You'll find a hitching post in front of the house and the Doctor makes house calls. 
    With each chapter, expect new adventure and, gently, we experience the ups and downs of their lives. This is a series, so, follow them to enjoy Moffat love, loyalty and determination.
    Reading aloud is a great experience,you might also try The Pendericks by Jeanne Birdsall

Great audiobook

Listen to this one.  It will change the way you see the world.

Bibliography:  http://animoto.com/play/GaQ7Lk1O96HlOX32BJ8LfA

Rogers, Angela Jayne, narr.  Mockingbird: (mok’ing-burd).  By Kathryn Erskine.  Recorded Books, 2010.  CD. 

Annotation:

     Caitlin suffers when her big brother, Devon, dies.  Her father, students and teachers, the town suffers too.  Two words - school shooting.  Notably, the novel, Mockingbird: (mok’ing-burd) received the 2010 National Book Award, Young People’s Literature, with nominations for the 2012-2013 Iowa Children’s Choice Award and 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults. 

Comments:

     Caitlin receives the world with a kind of filter.  She tells the truth, always and tells it until it hurts. Too much sound and movement bother her.  She loves words and the dictionary and draws her pictures, always in black and white.  Friendships do not exist for her, yet, except the one she had with her brother, Devon.  Somehow, Devon got her.  He could see her way.  With their special bond, Caitlin listened to his advice on how not to be a “weirdo”.  She understood that it helped when she dressed more like the other kids do.  She learned that “… you can’t moan or scream or shake your hands over and over in public.”  “… Because that’s not normal…”

     Devon helped her fit in just a little better.  With the shooting, with Devon’s death, she and her father must learn to live again.  That hole that comes to each of us, the hole that we just have to live with when we lose a loved–one, is huge for Caitlin.  Caitlin’s hole is literal.  It is the hole through Devon’s chest and heart made by a bullitt.

     Have I given you enough clues?  Do you recognize behaviors typical of a person with Asperger’s syndrome?  Caitlin uses all of her hard won strategies to find closure and she helps herself as well as all those around her.   

Notable Books

Award Winner that I just read and if you haven't started it yet --  borrow a copy today! Better late than never

Gaiman, Neil. The Graveyard Book.  New York: Harper Collins., 2008. Print.
Annotation: Nobody (Bod) Owens, orphaned after his family is murdered, finds a new home in the nearby graveyard.  His narrow escape brings him a life of adventure and learning with his ghostly parents, a supernatural guardian and helpful neighbors, albeit dead neighbors.  It takes a village.  Keeping up with Bod is a full time job.  The murderous Jack waits and searches for him on the outside and with time, fate brings them together, again.
Comments: Have your read this novel?  Listen to the 1'st line -- "THERE WAS A HAND IN the darkness, and it held a knife." Well after a line like this there is nothing to do but to dive right in.
Winner of 2009 Newbery Medal Award, Hugo Award for Best Novel, and Carnegie Medal 2010, as you read you will find yourself calling out loud to the characters to "duck, run, lookout" or maybe all three.  It is terrific fun.
If you want to read along with the author, Gaiman, click this link!

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