All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

 
   All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

   Whoa. What a book!

   Here are some excerpts from Amazon's description:

"Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, a New York Times Book Review Top Ten Book, National Book Award finalist, more than two and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list...

 [T]he stunningly beautiful [story] about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

  Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

 In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another."

   

   Almost every sentence had me asking, How? how on Earth did the author think of that? It seemed that each of the words, sentence, and punctuation was carefully crafted. Beautiful and genius writing.

   It is a fat book but a capturing story that doesn't feel long-winded. 

   Definitely some inappropriate language. 14+. 

   Now go read it.

   -Grace

Just David by Eleanor H. Porter Book Review

 Just David by Eleanor H. Porter

   From the author who wrote Pollyanna, another beautiful classic. I absolutely loved Just David! 
   Ten year old David has never known his last name or his father's name. As far back as he can remember, he has lived on the mountain in the house with his father and spent his days enjoying nature. So when his father takes him down the mountain on a journey, gives him money, and dies in a stranger's barn in the middle of the night, David is left in the care of the people of the strange town where his father died. He is taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Holly, who are hardworking, no-nonsense people.
   The whole town is astounded with the boy- the boy who doesn't know at all what money or death or hard work is, who knows Latin and French, who can identify every plant and animal in the forest, who is the best violinist they have ever heard, and plays what the world looks like to him. 
   His unheard-of ways, his talent, his determination and ability to see good in every single thing when a normal person could see none, and the mystery behind who his father is, makes him a misfit with the boys his age in the village. Despite all this, with time, his music and his kind heart touch the hardened hearts of the town. 
   I read The Good and the Beautiful version, which is completely clean, but I'm sure the normal version is as well. I thought it would be boring but it was a sweet story and super engaging. Anyone can read it, but it is probably geared toward ten or eleven year olds. Five stars from me! 
   -Grace

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray       
              

     Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is the historical fiction story of a young Lithuanian girl named Lina living during Stalin and Hitler’s reign. She was taken by the Soviet soldiers in the night, out of her home and out of her normal life, forced to get on a train with no idea where she was going and if she would live. Her mother and younger brother, Jonas, were taken too. Before the train left, she was able to get a glimpse of her father, who had been taken before them, and knew she would probably never see him again.
After six awful weeks in horrible conditions on the train, living like pigs, they arrived in Siberia, where she and her mother and Jonas are forced to work as beet farmers in a work camp. Workers were forced to sign a contract for twenty-five years of living and working there. Food was scarce and barely enough to keep the works alive. Diseases and sicknesses ravaged the camp. The workers lived in ten-by-twelve foot huts with the villagers and were forced to pay them rent, even though they had no money. Stealing was the only way to stay alive, but if they were caught the soldiers would likely shoot them. The NKVD (the Soviet soldiers) beat, starved, tortured, and killed the people without any purpose or a second’s hesitation or reprimand.
  Andrius, a boy Lina’s age, who lived in the same work camp, was able to give Lina information about her father. She learned that her father was living in a prison called Krasnoyarsk, far from where she was.
After months of living at the work camp, Lina’s group was taken to a freezing island, near the North Pole. The living conditions were even worse and many of the people died, including her mother and almost every person she knew from the train, and there she learned of her father’s death in the prison. She and her brother worked in that place for twelve years before they were released.
I loved this book. It was awesome. I loved the main character, Lina, and her mother. It was so interesting, definitely a page-turner, and really informative. Amazingly well written.
Definitely 13+. Andrius’ mother was forced into prostitution to stop the NKVD from shooting her son. This part is not detailed and leaves it very vague, but mentioned multiple times. The NKVD sexually assaulted the women in the work camps, including the main character, slightly detailed, and a worker makes a crude remark about this. There is some swearing. Also, very violent and graphic.
-Grace

A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielson

A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen

      On the morning of Barbed Wire Sunday, the people of East Berlin woke up to the sound of sirens. Investigating, they found that the government had found a way to stop them from leaving: the Berlin Wall. It was a great fence separating East Berlin from West Berlin. The two parts of Germany had been on tight terms for a while, and rumors of a third world war were plentiful.

      The one hundred yards of smooth dirt leading up to the wall was called the "Death Strip." And the fence slowly evolved over the years into a 11.8 foot cement wall. Guardtowers were set on top, where soldiers would point their guns at anyone trying to escape East Berlin.

      For twelve year-old Gerta, the rise of the Berlin Wall takes something more than freedom from her. A couple of days before Barbed Wire Sunday, her father and brother had traveled into West Berlin. The fence had split her family into two parts just like Germany.

     Gerta knows she must take her remaining family members in the East to meet her family members in the West. But escaping isn't easy, and getting caught means death.

  The German police threaten Gerta's family often, but the violence is minimal up until the end. I recommend it for 11+.

-Grace

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

The Unwanteds By Lisa McMann


      In the world of Quill, creativity is bad. It counts as an infraction, and on the day of the Purge, every thirteen year-old is put into three categories: Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds are honored, Necessaries become slaves, and Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.When Alex Stowe is sent to the Death Farm after the Purge, he discovers that being Unwanted doesn't bring death... it brings the discovery of a whole new world called Artime.

       In Artime, creativity is allowed. Even encouraged. The wild-haired leader, Mr. Today, helps each artistic Unwanted learn that they can hold their title like a badge. Because in Artime, creativity is a magical gift... and a weapon.

       It's the first book in the Unwanted Series, and I am so excited for the last one to come out in April! If you like dystopian novels and magic, then you should totally try this book out!

-Grace

The Tales of the Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

The Tales of the Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

   

     Princess Emma of Greater Greensward could never be the princess her mother wanted her to be. The way she walks, the way she laughs, and the places she goes - none of them were right for a princess.

     So when her mother tells her she has to marry Prince Jorge, she hides in the swamp, where she thinks she can hide. But when a frog hops up to her asking for a kiss, she realizes she was wrong. 

     The frog is an enchanted prince named Eadric. He convinces her to kiss him, and says that if she does, he will be released from the spell and transformed into a human again. But when the kiss backfires, Eadric is still a frog- and so is Emma! 

     8+. T I have loved this book for a long time, but just recently got it for my birthday. 

     -Grace

The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty

We read The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty as part of Family School.

I've heard many homeschoolers recommend G. A. Henty's books, because they are well-researched historical novels. This was our first experience reading one.

The Cat of Bubastes takes place in Ancient Egypt in about 1200 BC.

Amuba is the prince of the Rebu, when Egypt comes and conquers his people. His father dies in battle, and his mother poisons herself in her despair. Amuba is taken to Egypt as a slave, where he serves a kind master, Ameres, the High Priest of Osiris.

In Egypt, he becomes friends with Chebron, the boy he is assigned to serve. When Chebron accidentally kills the sacred cat of Bubastes, the boys are forced to flee.

This story is full of adventure, morals, a tiny bit of romance, and intrigue.

This book made an entertaining read-aloud, but I think kids would have a hard time getting through it on their own. Bubs (9) and Welly (7) really enjoyed it, but one chapter per day was enough. Wy (4) sometimes felt like a chapter was more than he could handle.

We learned a lot from this book...a lot about Ancient Egyptian culture. It's also a fabulous coming-of-age type story.

Our Current Reading

I'm usually a One-Book-at-a-Time kinda girl, but at the moment I'm all over the place.

As much of a reader as I've been over the last decade, I feel like my eyes are just beginning to open, and I feel this thirst for more knowledge...and it feels good.

Right now, I'm making my way through...

Non-LDS Books


The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty-There's so much to learn from his historical fiction. Wow! Makes a great read-aloud. Long at times, I admit, but it's quite the adventure. We're all enjoying it.


Les Miserables by Victor Hugo-So great when I read it, but I find myself drawn to other books first.


LDS Books


10 Critical Keys for Highly Effective Mormon Families by William Dyer and Philip Kunz-Interesting look at what successful families do.


The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister-Beautiful. Great insights.


The Temple Experience by Wendy Ulrich-Haven't read much yet, but I'm hoping that it will help me get more out of my temple experiences.



That's it at the moment. What are you reading?

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

Here's another quick recommendation. As you know, I've been a bit of a slacker on the blogging front lately.  During my recess, I have read many books. Some turned out to be unworthy of Deliciously Clean Read status. Others were forgettable.

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby
was one that stuck with me, and I wanted to make sure to mention here at Homespun Light.

Amazon has the following plot description:

Critically acclaimed author Matthew J. Kirby deftly weaves a stunning coming-of-age tale with chilling cleverness and subtle suspense that will leave readers racing breathlessly to the end.

Trapped in a hidden fortress tucked between towering mountains and a frozen sea, Solveig--along with her brother the crown prince, their older sister, and an army of restless warriors--anxiously awaits news of her father's victory at battle. But as winter stretches on, and the unending ice refuses to break, terrible acts of treachery soon make it clear that a traitor lurks in their midst. Solveig must also embark on a journey to find her own path. Yet, a malevolent air begins to seep through the fortress walls, as a smothering claustrophobia slowly turns these prisoners of winter against one another.

Those charged with protecting the king's children are all suspect, and the siblings must choose their allies wisely. But who can be trusted so far from their father's watchful eye? Can Solveig survive the long winter months and expose the traitor before he manages to destroy a kingdom?

Besides being a great page-turner, this book has some great themes. It talks about the importance of stories, what it is like to be a middle child, bravery, and selflessness.

This book kind of has a fantasy feel, but you certainly won't find any fairies or goblins in it.

I highly recommend it. If you enjoy books like The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (review here), check this one out!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern) by (the amazing, hilarious, and wonderful) Shannon Hale

Review by Welly-Bell, Age 7

Crown Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee is princess of Kildenree. She can talk to birds. She is traveling with fifty guards and the key-mistress' daughter, Selia. On the way to Bayern, Selia and most of the guards betray Ani.

They try to kill Ani, but she escapes. After a few days of wandering in the forest, Ani finds a little cottage.

Gilsa and Finn live in the cottage. Ani helps them with the chickens and goats in exchange for a bed and food. Ani goes to the city with Finn.

On market day, Ani goes to see the King. She realizes she is going to have to come back. The King gives her work in the geese pen with Conrad.

Conrad is grumpy most of the time. Enna and Razo and Beier and some others also work there.

Princess Selia tells the King that Kildenree is planning to attack Bayern.

Read the book and find out what happens to Ani. Some of the characters I really like are Enna, Gilsa, and Finn.

***Check out my interview with Shannon Hale here!

Beyond Foo, Book 1: Geth and the Return of the Lithens by Obert Skye

Beyond Foo, Book 1: Geth and the Return of the Lithens by Obert Skye

Review by Bubs, Age 9 (who is apparently picking up on Daddy's sales skills.)

Join Geth and Clover on an exciting adventure in the hidden border of Foo. 

Geth and Clover, in search of adventure discover a secret passageway to another realm. They soon learn that the realm is controlled by an evil man named Payt. Geth also discovers that his thought-to-be-dead brother is in Payt's dungeons. 

As the two set out on a rescue mission for both Geth's brother and the realm, their very lives are in fate's hands.

I liked this book because of the good humor and awesome action. Obert Skye has a great sense of creativity too, creating a wonderful story.

This book is a middle-grade fantasy.

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

I picked this one up on our last trip to the library, and I'm so glad I did. What a fun story! I'm going to add it right away to my list of clean fantasy romances for growing girls.

I don't know how I missed it until now, but the timing is right, because I just saw that a sequel is forthcoming this Fall.

Here's my Book Review: Princess Annabelle, known as Annie, is the younger sister of Gwendolyn (aka Sleeping Beauty). When the beautiful Gwendolyn pricks her finger on a spinning wheel, everyone in the castle falls asleep. Everyone except Annie, that is.

Annie isn't affected by magic. In fact, any magic near her grows increasingly weaker. The other royals despise her because their magical gifts of beauty and grace fade in her presence. Even her parents keep their distance.

Annie sets out on a quest to find Gwendolyn's true love, so she can wake her family. One adventure proceeds another as she travels through fairy tales.

Along the way, the meet a Hansel-and-Gretel-esk witch, an enchanted prince who is in the form of a bear, a swamp prince who used to be a frog, and a prince holding contests to find a bride.

Baker flips many fairy tales on their heads in this creative adventure.

I thought the witch mentioned above was kind of creepy. She was fattening up a couple children to eat them. Of course, Annie outwitted her, saving the children, and creating a pretty funny and entertaining scene.

As you can imagine, there is also quite a bit of talk about kissing. After all, it IS the only way to wake a sleeping princess.

I read this to my 8 and 6 year olds. They both loved it. We finished it a few days ago, and today my 6 year old girl, Welly, said, "I just keep thinking about The Wide-Awake Princess. I can't believe that..." Sorry. I can't tell you the rest. It would spoil the ending.  :)

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson

The first time I heard someone compare The False Prince: (Book 1 of the Ascendance Trilogy) by Jennifer A. Nielson to Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I admittedly balked a little. I mean really, Harry Potter AND The Hunger Games? But I put the hardcover in my Amazon cart anyway.

The second time I heard the comparison made, I decided to check my library system to see if I could get it sooner. All the copies in the county were checked out. And there were quite a few.

The THIRD time I heard that it was AS. GOOD. AS. HARRY POTTER. AND THE HUNGER GAMES (!), I said, I need this book now...and downloaded it to my Kindle.

So, how did it measure up?

Considering my HIGH expectations, it did well.

I can't say that it was quite the page-turner that The Hunger Games was, but I certainly didn't want to stop reading at any point either.

I enjoyed this book as well as the first few Harry Potters (BLASPHEMY! you say), but whether the series becomes a true classic remains to be seen. I mean, that 7th Harry Potter book was genius. Pure storytelling genius.

Here's a summary:

The royal family is dead but few members of the Kingdom know. One of the princes, however, was lost at sea years ago. A power-hungry regent chooses four orphans who look similar to the missing prince and begins training them. One will become Prince Jaron. The other three, knowing too much of the treacherous plan, will be killed.

Sage, an unruly boy full of spunk, is our narrator. He doesn't want to be a prince, but what choice does he have? Full of twists and turns, we watch this unique character face challenge after challenge in his unusual way.

And it is Sage's character that makes this book great. Jennifer Nielson did an excellent job crafting this boy...making him someone stubborn yet lovable. He's always fighting the system, but the more we get to know him, we see that his intentions are honorable and worthwhile. I don't know if I loved him at first, but I watched him become a man and grew to LOVE his character.

While this book has some adventure, the violence is more comparable to the first Harry Potter novels than any of The Hunger Games books. One orphan is killed early on to prove that the regent is serious about his evil plot, but it isn't graphic.

So, despite my balking (like a chicken), I consider this book a 5 star read. Adventure, a little romance, a good fairy tale...

If you want to know if Sage ranks up there with the likes of wizard boys and the tributes of district 12, you'll just have to read it and decide for yourself.

Witch Song by Amber Argyle

Witch Song
by Amber Argyle

Brusenna has always lived in hiding, deep in the forest with her mother. The townspeople know they're witches and shun them.

If only the people understood that the witches exist for the good of all...to keep the seasons, oceans, plants and climates under control.

Brusenna knows very little about being a witch. Her mother has kept her in the dark in order to keep her safe.

But long before she is ready, Brusenna finds herself alone, the only witch who has not been captured by Espen, the betrayer.

Brusenna, along with her handsome guardian who she meets along the way, set out to save the world.

Can an untrained witch fight the strongest witch on Earth? If she fails, the world will be destroyed.

I recommend this fun, clean read for teen/adult lovers of fantasy romances.

Clean Fantasy Romances for Growing Girls

For years, I waited for my kids to be old enough to appreciate Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. I would pull it off the shelf now and then and consider it for our next read-aloud, but the right time hadn't arrived.

Until recently. We just finished reading this wonderful book last week.



My patience paid off. Both Bubs (8) and Welly-Bells (6) thoroughly enjoyed it, but Welly was absolutely triumphant as the sweet little romance wrapped up. Giddy even.  :) She pranced around a lot and giggled a little...and I thought, Oh Boy! My little girl is growing up.

I told her that she comes from a long line of love. Couples that are madly in love for life and beyond.

I certainly haven't grown out of sweet little romances like The Princess Academy. I'm still a sucker for a good, clean fairy tale.

That got me thinking about all the other wonderful fantasy romances that I'll be able to share with her over the years. Can't wait!

Gail Carson Levine's:

Ella Enchanted

and Fairest

Shannon Hale's:

Book of a Thousand Days

and The Goose Girl series

Jessica Day George's:

Dragon Slippers
series

and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Robin McKinley's:

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

Julie Berry's:

The Amaranth Enchantment

and Secondhand Charm

Martine Leavitt's:

Keturah and Lord Death

E.D. Baker's:

The Wide-Awake Princess



These books vary in maturity, but I consider them all Deliciously Clean Reads. What books would you add to the list???