Book 22 Hatchet

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen fulfills the category “Book Set in a Country that Begins with the Letter C” for the PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge. The story takes place in the wilds of northern Canada.

This novel was my second choice for the category. I’ve had Hatchet in my To-Be-Read pile for eons. My kids read it for school, and I didn’t co-read. (Bad Mom!) But it fit the prompt and the atmosphere of 2020 nicely.

I will note the book I originally chose for the category was Fatal Grace by Louise Penny. I got through perhaps the first disc of the audiobook before I shut it down. The purpose of my blog is not to shame or rip apart any other author, or their books. That being said, I could not in good conscious finish her novel and do not plan to read any other of her titles.

On to Hatchet.

The story involved a young man whose plane crashes in northern Canada after the pilot dies from a heart attack. The boy is alone in the middle of the wilderness with little food, no shelter, and no hope of being rescued. It reminded me of My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, but Sam Gribley chose to live in the wilderness. Brian Robeson did not.

I enjoyed the story for a middle-grade read and wondered what lessons I would use if I taught this book. (Former teacher here btw) Would today’s children relate to the trials and puzzles the boy had to solve just to survive the bugs or making a fire or…? I’m not saying kids today are incapable of surviving in the wilderness, but there’s a trend in our society away from nature and how to live in it. You should see mine when I take away the wi-fi.

I also enjoyed Brian’s growth throughout the book. He took time to pout and cry, but only a little. He understood he was the key to his survival and stood up for himself. Luck was on his side, but his survival really depended on smart thinking, open-mindedness, and care.

One thing that struck home for me was feeling “A Mother’s Fear.” I try so hard not to be a helicopter mom or a snowplow, but I can’t imagine putting either of my girls on a plane to northern Canada. Ever. I’m terrified to send them alone to Tennessee to visit their grandfather, much less in a tiny plane over uninhabited forest. I’d like to read a story from Brian’s mother’s perspective of dealing with the tragedy of her son’s crash, thinking he was gone, and overcoming the heartbreak.

In the end, it was an enjoyable novel for the kiddos.

      I give Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Five little Axes.

Book 21 The King of Crows

The King of Crows by Libba Bray fulfills the category “Book Set in the 1920s” for the PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge. It is the fifth in the Diviners series and takes place in the Summer of 1927. (See the previous blog)

I love it when I do things by accident. I’d planned to read this book from the moment the title was released. The Diviners is one of my favorite YA series. Ms. Bray takes our modern world problems and plunks them down in the 1920s—or she’s great at showing how history repeats itself.

 The Diviners are a rag-tag group of young adults who have mysterious powers. Some can see the past, others walk in dreams, or alter people’s perceptions. Each diviner has a unique power to save Henry and Ling. Every character has their own story. They come together in each book to help a critical situation but also to grow, find their place in the world and contribute to the series arc—the villain, the King of Crows.

This final novel in the series combines all story arcs, past and present. It puts our Diviners on the road to stop the King of Crows from invading our world and taking over. Each character must face their past and future to foil the plans of the dream man. Story arcs set in the first book (over 1500 pages ago) complete with somewhat satisfying endings.

Ms. Bray continues to give us diverse characters not found in many novels. The Diviners represent many races, sexual orientations, socio-economic statuses, and religions. I always recommend the series for those looking for novels with wide-ranging characters.

I loved this book and the reader too, January LaVoy. (I have scoured the Libby app for other books read by her.) To be honest, the narrative was rushed. So much happened in the novel and so quick. Some stories felt shorted in the attempt to finish the series with this book. I would rather have her cut the book into tiny pieces, gave me each groups journeys as they fled New York City for the Midwest. I’m not saying this because I wanted to live in their world longer (well, maybe a little). Each character should have a full ending to their journey.

Each tale took in the history of the US beyond the city—traveling shows, the great Mississippi flood, air travel, and more. I was so glad that I read this back to back with One Summer: America, 1927. And I didn’t do it on purpose. It was interesting to hear the narrative of Memphis on the levee in Mississippi and the history from Bill Bryson. The two books were a perfect matched pair. One book gave me the historical context, the other gave me the lives and emotions of the people living it. Utter perfection.

     I give The King of Crows by Libba Bray Five Black Feathers.

Book 20 One Summer: America, 1927

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson fulfills the “Book on a Subject I Know Nothing About” for the PopSugar 2020 Reading Challenge. I felt the category called for non-fiction. I usually go to my favorite Erik Larson for historic books. But for this one, I hit up Bill Bryson and I’m so glad I did.

Thanks to the 2020 Spring Lockdown, I had plenty of time to read this long history tome. I listened to the audio as I played games on my phone and/or cross-stitched (a hobby I took up again). The book is read by the author, which can go either way. Mr. Bryson did a great job.

The volume chronicles happenings, celebrations, failures, and life in general during that summer. Mr. Bryson reports the events well with context before and after—the history, politics, pop culture, and even the weather. He covered so many topics, I may not have enough space to tell all I learned.

But here goes…

Transatlantic flight. We’ve all heard the story of Charles Lindbergh’s flight to France, but I had no idea of all the other attempts happening at the same time. Nor did I have a clue about who Lindbergh was, his past, his future with ties to politics, and the insane stamina he had to make that flight as he did. He just got in the plane, flew practically blind for forty plus hours, and then landed, like it was no biggie. The stories of the aviators were amazing.

Baseball. I’m not a baseball fan. I like the game, like seeing games in person, but I don’t seek it out. Back in 1986, I knew most of the Met’s starting roster—my dad is a huge fan. Reading about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig was so interesting. Seeing the politics and money involved in the sport. I had no idea how little some players were paid for months of service. But what a season for the Yankees in 1927. Records were smashed all over. Fun reading.

The End of the Model T. I know nothing about the birth of the automotive industry. Learning about the great transition to the Model A was very interesting. I can’t imagine a company nowadays pulling what Ford did, in how he managed his business, worked his employees, and rolled out the new model. (The company would have sunk in the twenty-first century.)

The Great Flood of the Mississippi. This event spoke to me especially. But not while I was reading it. (See next week’s blog). It was the largest river flood in the US to date with hundreds of thousands of people displaced. The amount of damage the flood caused was unimaginable, but what happened to the African-Americans who lived in the flood zone was even worse. Many people were stuck living on levees with little assistance from the government, especially if you were black. White people were rescued, fed, and coddled. African-Americans were forced to work to keep the levees safe, to plant crops, and more. Slavery was alive and well during the flood. It made me sick. Many African-Americans chose that time to move north to cities like Chicago. (This tied in nicely with the book Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff who discussed the northern migration and Jim Crow laws.)

I learned a great deal about American history from Mr. Bryson. Not all good, but not all bad.

      I give One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson Five Babe Ruths (the candy bars)