Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan
Set in the early 1900's, this story tells of the adventures of Rachel Sheridan. Her parents, missionary doctor/ teacher in the East African village of Tumaini, fall victim to a raging influenza, as does the daughter of the nearby family, the Pritchards. The challenges do not stop there for orphaned Rachel. She is quickly "taken in" by the Pritchards, who masquerade her as their own daughter, sending her off to England to befriend "her grandfather" and try and get the Pritchard family back into his good graces (and his will). The intensity of the plot and the endurance of Rachel's character is set against the beautiful and expansive backdrop of the African countryside. This book was a perfect traveling companion while in Kenya in June 2009 on a missions trip, especially on our overnight safari in Masai Mara:
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Sunrise on Safari |
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Lion cubs playing with their dad |
Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters
Lesley M.M. Blume
Cornelia Street Englehart hides herself in a world of words. Its easier to live within those safe walls of ink than deal with being the daughter of a world-famous pianist and artist. Things stay the same for lonely Cornelia until she meets a mysterious dog named Mr. Kenyatta and his glamourous elderly owner, Virginia Somerset, Cornelia's new neighbor. Virginia opens Cornelia's eyes to the wonders of the world through her stories, chronicling the adventures of her and her three sisters traveling around the world.
A huge joy of this book came from the detailed setting descriptions from Greenwich Village and my trip to New York last march. After being entranced by the book, I decided to "track" it through The Village and I found several of Cornelia's favorite places:
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Magnolia Bakery-- smelled heavenly in there! |
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| Westville: Home of the mother of all grilled cheese sandwiches! :-) |
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| Cornelia's favorite neighborhood bookstore: Instead of Biography, now called BookBook |
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| Melissa's favorite bookstore, Books of Wonder. Glorious Narnian window display... coming, Aslan! |
Turtle in Paradise
By Jennifer L. Holm
One of this year's Newbery Honors, Turtle in Paradise is set primarily in the southernmost islands of Florida, Key West, during the Great Depression. The spunk of eleven year old Turtle's character in this story is unique and wonderful. When her mother is employed as a maid by someone who doesn't like children, Turtle is forced to leave her mother in New Jersey and live with cousins in Key West, where things are a little... different. People hang fruit on trees, boys work for candy taking care of babies in an exclusive group called the Diaper Gang. Filled with spirit and adventure, this book was a great short beach read... a witty joy, from beginning to end. Here are a few pictures of my trip to Key West:
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| Posing with a dancing Santa in Kino's, a shop that makes great sandals |
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| Southernmost tip of the U.S. and farthest south on Key West |
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| Okay, not Key West, but the perfect sunrise on my last day in Miami... couldn't resist! |
The Thief Lord
By Cornelia Funke
Ever since I fell into this magical story of Bo and Prosper, I have been drawn to Venice and wanted to go there. Of course, seeing the movie The Tourist (highly recommended) and hearing a well-traveled lady on my flight back home from Florida say, "Hurry, it will be underwater in ten years!" has made the desire to go to Italy even stronger! Sigh... anyway... back to the story. Orphaned Bo and Prosper run off to their mother's favorite city when their cruel aunt and uncle wish to split them up, adopting only the youngest of the two. The boys' mean relations hire Victor Getz, a kindhearted detective who chases them around the city with the intentions of catching them. Bo and Prosper are befriended by a young band of thieves, live with them in an abandoned theater and join their ranks, led by the mysterious masked Thief Lord. Full of adventure, excitement, and just enough magic, Funke's wonderful book is not to be missed!
