Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. Y I give it one out of five hearts. I checked it out because of its cover, spectacular, but the book....When I am going to learn, you can't judge a book by its cover. The book is based on the ballad "Tam Lin" which I am very interested in studying, alas, I didn't even read it at the end of the book because I ran out of time before the book was due. The story starts out at the beginning of a girl's freshman year in college. She is going to major in English and thinks a little about a double major with Classics. What to do? (I personally didn't really care... and Biology majors were mocked! Horror of horrors.) The author is a lover of English literature and mentioned and quoted extensively, Shakespeare, Keats, Pope... If you are a lover of English literature, this is the book for you.

I was certain something would happen in the book, sometime... and it did. In like the last chapter. The book is set on a college campus in the early 70's, bleh, and I can't believe I made it all the way through! (I wouldn't recommend it.)

Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen. YYYY This book was adorable. May I loved it so much because Tam Lin was so worldly-icky. This book was a breath of fresh air. After reading just a few pages I thought that it had to have been written long ago, it was first published in 1956 I believe. The whole book just has a pure, wholesome tone. It is about a family who moves to their great-grandmas old cabin after their dad is released from a prison camp after the war. They are all hoping for a miracle that the outdoors will help bring their dad "back." They have great neighbors and spend time out of doors... it made me yearn for a small town. So, I have decided that I must act like I live in a small town. I am determined to be a better neighbor.

One part that is so cute... there is a hermit who lives alone with his goats, and when he hears that they have decided to stay for the winter he gives them two goats and eight chickens that he really needed them to take home right then because he had too many. The story is heart warming. Loved it. : )

Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage by Susanna Reich. YYY The story of a girl who dreams of being an actress, but her aunt thinks it is not appropriate to "act" in front of strangers. It was a fun, fast read. Penelope stays true to her dream and remains a nice girl despite her difficult circumstances. It made me want to be nice to my kids and try not to judge them too much. This author has a number of other books I can't wait to check out.


The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull. YYYY Susan introduced me to this book. Thank you Susan. I am always amazed by authors who come up with new ideas. In this book a group of kids fall in with some dangerous magicians who use candy to give the kids super powers. The kids have to be careful not to be outsmarted by the adults trying to use them as pawns. Good luck kids! While I was reading I couldn't wait to see how it turned out!


A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff. YYYYY I really loved this book! My favorite was the note by the author at the end of the book that this book was based on her great-grandmother Dina from Germany. As a young girl she was a bit of a spitfire, getting herself into many a scrape. She works hard as a seamstress, even though she hates sewing, she must help make a living to keep food on the table. It is a fantastic look at immigration, early US history, family and determination. Loved it!