March Wrap-up

 

 

 

 

The Best of March 2014 – Kid Stuff

 

Ninja Librarians Recon Team

This week’s assignment for the Ninja Librarians Recon Team?  List the top ten items (OK – I listed 11!) that I would take from books and what I would want to do with them.  Hmm…  is it fair to take all of them from the Harry Potter books?

1.        Invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter – Seriously, the ability to be invisible would be nice once and awhile.  No one can interrupt my reading if they can’t see me…
2.        Broomstick from Harry Potter – Shortened commute times, no frustrating traffic, no icy roads, and so fun – like flying!
3.        The ability to apparate from Harry Potter – Even faster and easier, especially on rainy or snowy days when I don’t feel like taking the broom…
4.        Wand from Harry Potter – Housework will bother me no more!  Or grocery shopping!
5.        Hermione’s Time Turner from Harry Potter ­– Seriously, who doesn’t need more time?!
6.        Mary Poppins’s bag – OK, I could have used Hermione’s bag, but I’m trying to branch out here!  Either way, a bottomless bag would make lugging all my stuff around a lot easier, and I would always have a good book with me!
7.        Lightsaber from Star Wars – Preferably a purple one, because every girl should be able to protect herself in style, and I’ll have plenty of room in my bottomless bag…
8.        Treehouse from The Magic Treehouse series – I love treehouses, and one that travels through time?  That’s pretty cool.
9.        Tardis from Dr. Who series – And then there’s the ability to travel through time AND space…  and it has a gigantic library!
10.    Wardrobe from Chronicles of Narnia – Or you could walk through a doorway into a new and magical world.
11.    Hogwart’s Library from Harry Potter – I know, I know – I thought I was done with Harry Potter too, but I REALLY want that library!

What items would you want to take from books?  And what would you use them for?   Be sure to comment below!

Check back next week for more fun stuff from the Ninja Librarians Recon Team!

One-Way Bridge

In Mattagash, Maine there is a one-way bridge over the Mattagash River.  This is the Maine of wilderness and the moose, not the Maine of lobster and the seashore.  There are unhappy housewives, cantankerous Vietnam Vet widowers, an equally cantankerous mailman about to retire, loggers, dope dealers, and other small town characters.

I grew up in a small town and live in one now.  I’m pretty familiar with small-town faults and their quirky inhabitants.  I find them interesting and amusing, relatable and human.  But unfortunately, I didn’t find this story to be any of those things.  I believe the characters were supposed to be quirky, but they seemed stereotypical, one-dimensional, and honestly – a little boring.  I kept waiting for the story to go somewhere, to amuse me or make me sad or make me angry, but it never did.  It wasn’t awful, it was just dull.  Dull enough that I put my copy in the used book sale at the library when I was done, it’s not a book I’ll recommend to friends or family, and I’m already out of space on my bookshelves.

This is the first time I have read a book by Cathie Pelletier, and maybe fans of her books, particularly those set in Mattagash, found this a welcome return to a familiar place.  Perhaps her previous books were more engaging.  But personally, I was disappointed – I really liked the cover – but you know what they say…

 

Title: The One-Way Bridge
Author: Cathie Pelletier
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 384
Publication: Sourcebooks Landmark, October 2013

Wednesday WWW

WWW is hosted by Should Be Reading