The Wednesday Sisters

by Meg Waite Clayton

Two Thumbs Up (I could really use a few more thumbs for this one--it's that good.)

The story takes place in a San Francisco Bay area suburb, in the years beginning with 1967.  Frankie tells the story of her friendship with Linda, Kath, Brett, and Ally.  Each woman has her own family, worries, heartaches and secret dreams.  The story is told in such a way that the reader feels a part of the evolving friendship these women share.

After meeting weekly at the playground long enough that they begin to feel comfortable with each other, a couple of the friends decide they'd like to use their time together to do some writing.  Some of the women are less interested, but they are good sports about it.  Soon what started out as a playdate for the kids becomes a writing date for the moms.

As the story continues, the readers are drawn along as these women pursue their writing goals.  But within this primary story, we learn of the secret burdens the various women bear.  We rejoice with them as they learn to trust each other; we share with them as they celebrate the good and mourn the heartache in each other's lives; and we see them grow and change throughout the years. 

Interspersed within the story is the societal growing pains the country is experiencing.  The story touches on the women's lib issue, the peace movement, and racial tensions. The women themselves strive to understand these issues.  Each woman brings a different background and personality as she reacts to and assimilates into her person the various social changes.  Ms Clayton accomplishes this very adeptly.  Her characters and their friendships are never simplistic or artificial; they way they interact and the degree to which each embraces the changing cultures is richly developed.

The book will also be helpful for an aspiring author, as the women work through various books on writing, such as E.M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel.   Each woman has a "model" story against which she compares her own work and to which she turns for inspiration.  A couple of the women are very adept at pulling quotations from books and calling to mind the characters and plots.  And on one occasion the couples get together for a costume party with a "famous couple from literature" theme.  All these snippets offer readers a constant sampling from a literary smorgasbord. 

The author has included a nice appendix in which she offers a paragraph or two on each of women's model books and also reading lists of the others works cited.  I know I'm going to keep our librarian busy with requests from this list, such as The Great Gatsby, Middlemarch, and Breakfast at Tiffany's; I'll also have to try something by Somerset Maugham and Sylvia Plath; and the list goes on and on.

The Nanny Diaries

by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus


Uffda!  Thumbs Down.


The book is a downer.  The Nanny Diaries is the kind of book that wraps the reader up in the characters and their lives and then uses those well developed characters to spin a completely depressing plot.  Technically the book is well written and the plot moves along.  But the plot itself is very sad.


While Nan is finishing her degree, she gets a part time nanny job for an ultra rich Manhattan couple.  Which turns into a nearly full time (but only paid for part time) nanny job caring for Grayer.  It becomes apparent very early on that Nan's care is the only love that little Grayer ever gets.  In short order, as would happen to any decent human being, Nan gives her heart to this little person and, in order to make Grayer's life a little better, puts herself at the beck and call of Grayer's self absorbed mother.


This drives Nan nuts over time.  But the father's overly confident mistress drives her even nutser.  Nan moralizes over the decision of whether or not to "tell on him".  If she does, she has good reason to believe she will be dismissed, which will only hurt Grayer.  But is she wrong to hide something of such import from her employer.


During play dates and various lessons and other scheduled activities, Nan gets to know and even is befriended by other cooks, house cleaners and nannies.  Several of these employees are dismissed by their employers during the course of the book, all for little or no reason, on a whim of a wealthy, self-centered parent.


Readers are given a glimpse into the competition of upper income private school admissions.  The small children are pushed and educated and forced into violin, Latin, French, piano, music, art  and music history seemingly from the time they are born, all by way of the time and energies of the nannies.  All this, so that by the time they have their interviews for Kindergarten, they can get one of the few slots in the school of their parents' choice.  

The four-year-olds in the book are carried and strolled around New York.  They are dressed and spoon fed (a very strict diet designed for ultimate brain growth) and pampered.  They are incapable of independent activity.


Yes, I do understand this is fiction.  But on the back cover it did claim to be true-to-life.  It also said hilarious.  The only way this book could be hilarious is if it couldn't ever be true.  Frightening and depressing would be my preferred words.


Apparently I'm somewhat alone in my opinion, however, because I see it's been made into a comedic movie starring Scarlett Johansson as Nan.

Write, Slide and Learn: Phonics

Edited by Kate Cuthbert

Thumbs up.

This is a really neat book with a variety of phonics activities.  The range of activities is quite large, with just a few pages at each level, so this could be a deterrent for some users.

Perhaps the most useful lessons are found in the first few pages.  The book begins with a really nice section on choosing the correct short vowel to match the pictures.  Since many kids have trouble hearing the difference between some short vowel sounds, particularly, a, e, and i, these lessons give fun reinforcement when first learning those distinctions.

There is a section on long vowel sounds with a silent e.  This section could be used to introduce the "first vowel says its name, second vowel is silent" rule. 

After that, the progression of the book becomes slightly more arbitrary.  The lessons continue with an extensive long vowel section, less suitable for a beginning reader, then back to some consonant practice that a beginner could do.

The long vowel sections could be useful for those practicing spelling lessons with various long vowel combinations or for review of the above.  It includes a few pages of practice for each of the long vowel sounds in which the child chooses which vowel combination is the correct one for a given picture.  For instance, on the long o page, the student must choose between o, oa, ow, and o+e, to complete the words  "n__s__"  or  "t__ __d"  and there is a corresponding photo for each.

The book includes lessons on choosing whether the vowel sound is long or short; ending and beginning consonants, and general consonants; ending and beginning blends; digraphs; and review pages.

The book is a write on/wipe off style book that is actually easy for the kids to wipe off.  That is a big plus for me, since it seems like so many reusable books of this sort take a parent to do the wiping.  It comes with its own marker.  It has an enclosed spiral binding, in which my daughter kept handy a paper towel for wiping the pages clean.

The lessons are of two sorts, every other page is a practice page of four rows with four pictures in each, and a place below to fill in the correct letter or letter combo.  There is a neat sliding mechanism that allows the child to check each row after filling in the answers.  As the child pulls the slide, the pictures are hidden and are replaced with the correct entire word, and below it the particular letter or letter combo that the child ought to have filled in.

The alternate pages have just a few colorful photos and blanks, which reinforce the lesson.  These pages have no answers included.

The pages and binding seem durable.  The photos throughout are engaging and colorful.  Most pictures are easily identifiable, but a few were difficult for my preschooler to determine.  I'm sure an older user could more readily identify the photos.  The book was originally published in Australia, so there are occasional words that have different English usages in American English, such as a light "globe" instead of "bulb".

Over all the book is very nice.  It could make a nice addition to a homeschool collection, or a summer review or a classroom learner.

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book

by Nat Hentoff

Thumbs mostly up.

More than telling a story, Mr. Hentoff uses this book as a platform from which to introduce, in a manner interesting to middle through high school aged kids, the idea of censorship and book banning.  The setting is a somewhat generic Anywhere, USA, town high school, aptly named, George Mason High School.  The cast of characters includes students: Barnaby, the high school newspaper editor of Jewish descent; Gordon, an African American young man; Kate, an aspiring feminist; and several other minor characters: students, teachers, the principle, a past and present librarian, and various townspeople.

The basic story line begins with a history teacher, Mrs. Baines, juxtaposing Huckleberry Finn with readings from Alexis de Tocqueville in order to introduce her 19th century American history class.  Gordon, the African American student, is frustrated, seething would be more accurate, over the racial slurs and constant use of the "n-word" in Huckleberry Finn.  After his father demands the principle remove this book from the school entirely, Mr. Moore, the smooth talking principle tries to deal with the situation discretely.  He encounters resistance, however, from both Mrs. Baines and the new librarian, Miss Fitzgerald.  They demand the principle follow official procedure.

This leads to the school board appointing a review committee which will hold community hearings.  The committee will then approve a recommendation by vote and present it to the school board for guidance.  The school board must then hold its own open meetings and cast a vote.  Throughout this process the faculty, student body, and entire community becomes involved.  Eventually the situation ends up on national news.

Mr. Hentoff does a fairly good job of trying to portray all the various sides of the issue of censorship within a school setting.  He addresses the ideas of students being a captive audience, of schools being houses of learning, and the debate over at what age and in what way students ought to be introduced to analyzing ideas different than their own.  He addresses the idea of a restricted book shelf and students opting out of certain class materials.  He addresses teachers having autonomy within their classes.  He is a little weak, in my opinion, on parental authority and rights.

I think Mr. Hentoff did a pretty good job of spinning a compelling plot out of a civics lesson.

The characters are somewhat unevenly drawn.  The adults are developed very well.  They are often quite comical in their idiosyncrasies.  The kids are not very well developed except to tell us one or two things that might be important to them.  The author takes a couple of chapters to introduce the students, but it seemed a bit rushed.

There is one somewhat blaring irony that I can't decide if the author stuck in intentionally. I think I've decided it was an oversight, since it was mentioned, but it's irony never brought out.   At one point the kids are trying to think of an example of a book nobody could disapprove.  Kate, the budding feminist, who has jumped on the anti-Huck Finn bandwagon for it's portrayal of women's place in society, suggests Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as a book about which nobody could complain.  Since so many of the issues in Pride and Prejudice revolve around what we might consider very restrictive roles for women in society, it somewhat surprised me.  It was either done intentionally, in order to show the blunders any strongly opinionated person might sometimes stumble into, or it was sloppy work on the part of the author and editor.

Another interesting point of view is portrayed in a conversation about a new class offering the content of which is aimed at teaching different sides of cultural issues.  The stated goal is to pacify parents who might worry that teachers are too liberal on social issues.  The list of typical issues with which conservatives might be concerned:  flat earth, forced sterilization of the poor, and the use of military might against Russia.  (This was written in 1982).  I found it interesting that forced sterilization is portrayed as a conservative issue, since in its heyday, it was quite obviously a progressive issue. I also, even as an active Conservative, don't know too may people (read: any) who believe the earth is flat.

All in all this book could be useful for teaching about political activism, the role of community and parental involvement in schools, and the obvious topic of censorship and banning of books.  But I would say that a parent would want to read this book along with a child, because of the many shades of opinion portrayed.  The book also leads to a conclusion with which all parents may not totally agree.

I myself mostly agree with the solution, but there are things within the book I would have discussed further with a student.  I didn't like the way some of the opinions were presented and the slant that was taken toward some viewpoints.

Culture Keeping: White Mothers, International Adoption, and the Negotiation of Family Difference

by Heather Jacobson

Thumbs up-------not because it's an especially great read, but because it gets you thinking. This isn't a breezy, cutesy book for white, middle-class adoptive moms to get fun ideas from for embracing your internationally adopted child's birth culture. It's a scholarly book which reads like a master's thesis. It provides the results of the author's research into the subject of how white mothers view their responsibility to help their cross-cultural adopted children identify themselves--as Americans and as members of their birth culture.

She interviewed mothers of adopted children from China and Russia and was able to present insight as to how race, culture and societal pressure affects their parenting differences.

The tone of the book left me wondering if she wasn't anti-cross-cultural adoption, but she never came right out and expressed an opinion either way--remember it's supposed to be a scholarly book just reporting the results of her survey. As an adoptive parent, I grimaced at some sections where it seems she is belittling the "adoption industry" for forcing adoptive parents into spending money to promote the culture of their adoptive children.

However, it was fascinating to hear the responses of some of these women to these questions--some so obviously out-of-touch. Especially interesting was the difference between parenting attitudes about race and culture between the two groups: one which had white children (who could blend into society unnoticed), and one which had children of a notably different racial background. She discussed parenting in African American communities and compared that to parenting a child of another culture/race and that discussion was especially thought-provoking, as none of the traditional adoption literature has included information about how minorities in this country parent. As an adoptive parent myself, I definitely could identify with the issues brought up, and found it a very interesting read.

1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

Edited by Julia Eccleshare. Preface and frontispiece artwork by Quentin Blake.

Thumbs Up.

This is such a great book. Many thanks to my librarian for recommending it. I generally would not read a book with a title such as this. I know there are any number of books out there with reading recommendations for families. But personally, I just don't need the guilt that might come with perusing such lists. "Oh, no, I haven't gotten to this one. Or this one. Look here's another..."

But this book is a pleasure from beginning to end. There is way too much material to enjoy in a mere three week library loan time. But an indulgent pleasure none the less.

The book is arranged by age range. F0r each title, it lists title, author, illustrator and other publisher information and a brief review of the book. Reviewers also note any awards the books have received and might include a note on any special significance the book had, such as it's literary, artistic, or social import. Often a well known quote is included. For many titles is also included a little box with further books in the series, other books by the author, or titles of similar style and genre.

I especially like that most books are portrayed with their original cover, many of whose titles therefore appear in the original in foreign language. On the picture, then, Little Brown Bear shows Petit Ours Brun est grognon. Not really earth shattering, but fun to see.

My kids of all ages have enjoyed paging through it. They sit two or three together and point out all the ones they know and talk about the ones they don't. For the several who don't read independently, this is based solely on the cover images.

I would say one drawback might be that the book is heavy and although hard covered, the spine is very flexible. I am not sure how well it would hold up to constant use by little hands. It just feels like it might not hold up to the wear and tear.

I had no idea there were so many wonderful children's books in the world and will certainly be requesting some of them. I will also eventually try to purchase my own copy of this, because I would like to mark off the books we've read and have a resource to consult when I want to request another title or two. But until then, the book is available at my library. I know where to find it. I just have to share.

The Duggars: 20 and Counting:

Raising One of America's Largest Families- How They do It

by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar

Thumb up, thumb down.

A very quick read, this book tells how the Duggar family, profiled by TLC and Discovery Health Channel, live their lives as a family with 18 children (when this book was written- they now are expecting number 19).  Having seen their show a handful of times, I was very curious about not only how they day-to-day handle their large crew, but also how their personal faith shapes their values and behavior.

The writing is very down-to-earth, written in first person from either Michelle or Jim Bob's point of view.  It begins more as a history of the couple and how they started their family and businesses.  It chronicles their many moves and describes their parenting methods and homeschooling curriculum and techniques.  There are little boxes every few pages which have a frequently asked question (via e-mail), with a member of the family answering it.  But mostly, it is sharing their philosphy of servant-leadership and aiming to inspire others to find peace and meaning in their families through that same faith.

What interested me the most was their explanation of their particular branch of Christianity.  I accept many of their choices: homeschooling, no televisions, modest clothing, lack of family planning techniques, delegation of duties including chores for even young children, daily family devotions and scripture memory work.  However, the scripture-based explanations they provide for many of these things confound me.  They choose to follow many Old Testament rituals, even though they describe themselves as New Testament Christians.  In addition to homeschooling, they also have home church.  Their lack of television and the fact that their internet is limited to 70 or so educational or faith-based websites leaves the impression that these children have little outside-family influence.  They do attend a homeschooling conference once (sometimes twice) a year, and their social circle seems to be comprised of friends met at those conferences or family members.

The discussions on their views on letting God choose the size of your family and their commitment to never borrow money but allow God to meet their needs with the resources and opportunities He gives them in His timing are very different from anything you will hear in the secular world, and are worth consideration.  They quote many resources that they have used over the years that have shaped their views, so it is possible to further study the background of their beliefs.

The book is worthwhile to those who would like to have further insight into the specifics of what devout faith-based parenting can be.  For me, it was an eye-opener as to how law-oriented families operate compared to Gospel-oriented ones.  These little ones are taught at an early age how to serve, be kind, be thrifty, be generous, be humble, etc.  They read a chapter of Proverbs each day and try to live out the teachings of that Proverb.   It was hard to read this book without constantly and consciously separating the difference in theologies between my family and the Duggars.  It left me praying that each and every one of these children grow up not only knowing how God expects US to act toward Himself and others, but also how HE has acted on our behalf, and through His grace saves us from sin and loves us whatever our shortcomings.