Barb Middleton

Barb Middleton rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (The League of Princes, #1)
by Christopher Healy (Goodreads Author)

read in December, 2012

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Looney Tunes meets the League of Princes Charming (and that isn't a typo). This book reminded me of the cartoons I grew up with the slapstick characters, distinct voices, and nonstop gags. This fractured fairy tale begins with a bang painting the cha...more

Barb Middleton made a comment on her review of We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March

"Thanks Lisa! You are kind!"

Barb Middleton rated a book 5 of 5 stars

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
by Cynthia Levinson

read in May, 2013

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When the Red River crested in 1997 the water was filling up the streets like a bathtub and moving so fast I couldn't get sandbags piled around our house quick enough. My husband was working and I was chiseling ice off the grass so the water wouldn't...more When the Red River crested in 1997 the water was filling up the streets like a bathtub and moving so fast I couldn't get sandbags piled around our house quick enough. My husband was working and I was chiseling ice off the grass so the water wouldn't seep under the sandbags. I knew it was a losing battle and plugged desperately away lugging 40 pound bags in a semicircle as the water inched closer. When a college student popped around the house saying loudly, "Hey, you need some help?" I thought an angel had dropped from the sky. Then another angel showed up. And another. And another. They didn't stop coming and before I knew it more kids than I could count were whipping up a sandbag wall. Exhaustion and gratitude made me just about sit on a sandbag and cry. The three local colleges released students that day and told them to help residents in one of the worst floods of the century. Students had a choice. They could have enjoyed a free day or they could help the others. They chose to give and the students not only saved my house, they saved many other homes and businesses from flooding. It was an amazing experience for adults and students. Kids make a difference and it might mean saving a town from a natural disaster or in the case of the Birmingham Children's March portrayed in this book, forcing desegregation and influencing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that outlawed acts of discrimination.

Birmingham, Alabama was one of the most racially divided cities in the country. The government and police force were corrupt with supremacists and many blacks were murdered or abused; fear oozed in the town making everyone victims of oppression. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) wanted to change the subhuman treatment of blacks and integrate public places. They first staged boycotts and later sit-ins, but the police brutality made it difficult for them to get enough numbers to be effective. Their goal was to use nonviolent direct action protests to draw national media attention, shut down the city, and fill up the jails with more people than it could contain. Even with the help of Martin Luther King Jr. the adults couldn't not get enough recruits to implement the plan and their civil rights movement looked like it would stall.

When a 24-year-old preacher joined their cause, he came up with the idea of using children to fill the Birmingham jails since there were not enough adult volunteers. Students went to mass meetings and workshops that simulated not retaliating when someone was jeering or hurting them. The nonfiction narrative is told through the voices of Audrey, Wash, James, and Arnetta. The four represent different economic statuses that gives a well-rounded retelling of this time period from different perspectives. The wealthy black's experience was not quite the same as the one living in poverty.

The courage it took for thousands of kids to demonstrate against a corrupt government and racist people is nothing short of amazing. The police were brutal. The kids knew this. They knew they were risking their lives and injury by marching on the town in protest of segregation, but they did it anyway. They did it for freedom. For a future. They succeeded but not without deaths and injury. The first march had the police releasing dogs on the kids and hitting them with water from fire hoses. The water pressure was great enough to throw kids and adults in the air tumbling them into buildings and other objects. The next march was met with police resistance where they doubled the fire hose power and the force was so powerful it sheared the hair off the side of one kid's head when it hit her. But the kids succeeded in their goal. They got national attention and the city desegregated. It was ugly and didn't happen overnight, but it eventually came to pass.

The black and white photos mirror the black and white attitudes with the facts on the side enriching the text. The photos added to the setting and showed the violence but not in a disturbingly graphic way. The photo of the black girl holding the sign, "Can a man love God and hate his brother," while a white policeman confiscates it is particularly powerful. My favorite subtext of facts is on the first page that explains derogatory names blacks were called by whites and the history of how black people referred to themselves and why today they settled on African American. My Taiwanese-born library assistants like to call kids, "boy or girl." I had to explain that they can't get students attention by saying, "Hey boy," because of it's derogatory meaning that started with white slave owners putting down blacks to keep them in servitude and bondage.

The start of this story is wrought with tension that doesn't let up through its entire 150 pages. Audrey is 9 years old and announces to her parents, "'I want to go to jail.' ...Since Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick's thought that was a good idea, they helped her get ready." What a great lead to pull the reader into the story. Black history tends to be tense with the emotionally charged injustices that happen, but the tension was even more heightened for me because these were children and I'm not sure they all understood what they were actually going up against. James point of view shows just that - he didn't think jail would be as bad and inhumane as it was in reality. The writing is well-done and I particularly liked the author's articulation of civil disobedience and prejudices: "People breathe in the prejudices in their culture without any understanding of what they're taking in," "there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression [Martin Luther King Jr.]" and "Sobered by racism. Angry about violence. Determined to gain civil rights." These children protestors had to face a "mighty enemy" with no fear and their courage is an inspiration for all.(less)

Barb Middleton recommended We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March to Lawrence

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
by Cynthia Levinson

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Barb Middleton made a comment on her review of The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity

"That happens to me too. It's good to take a break once in a while."

Barb Middleton made a comment on Chandra's review of Larklight (Larklight, #1)

"I do! And I find there are not oodles of sci-fi books in our library so it will be good to add another author to the list. Thank you!!"

Barb Middleton rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Mighty Mars Rovers by Elizabeth Rusch

The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity
by Elizabeth Rusch

read in May, 2013

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My husband talked me into taking a geology class while attending University. I lasted two weeks. I say this because I really liked the first part of this book and the focus on robotics, but I lost interest when it shifted toward the study of rocks on...more My husband talked me into taking a geology class while attending University. I lasted two weeks. I say this because I really liked the first part of this book and the focus on robotics, but I lost interest when it shifted toward the study of rocks on Mars. I'm a tech geek. I love the guts of metal contraptions moreso than silica and pyllosilicates. See why I dropped my class? Rock names like that can lull or tangle a brain in minutes. While I thought this book was well researched and well-written, I needed more variety with the alternating narratives of the rovers when they were exploring Mars. The narrative pattern of something mechanical breaking on the rovers, the scientists waiting anxiously as they tried to fix it followed by the rovers recovering got a bit repetitive. Overall, the story is engaging and full of interesting facts and data.

Steve Squyres dreamed of sending a geologist to Mars, but when he approached NASA they were not interested. The climate was too harsh. It was too far away. A person needed too much equipment. And on and on. Squyres was determined and instead came up with the idea of sending rovers to Mars. He drew up a proposal and sent it to NASA who said, "Nada" again, but like a squirrel foraging for acorns, Squyres didn't give up. He spent eight years trying to convince NASA that his idea was valid and worth exploring. NASA decided to give it a go when Mars orbited to a spot that made it closer to Earth than it had been in 60,000 years. The program to build two exploration rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, to go to Mars was launched in the year 2000 with the objective of studying rocks and soils to see if they hold clues to past water activity on Mars. Opportunity and Spirit took three years to build and were launched in 2003. Scientists were hoping they would last three months, but they have exceeded expectations and Opportunity is still tooling around Mars today while Spirit is resting in peace in a sand trap, its communication ceasing in 2011 with scientists.

The informational text is a narrative with subtexts explaining information. While the narrative is engaging and the subtexts are visually attractive, some subtexts didn't fit smoothly in with the narrative text - at least for my random reading habits. Oftentimes, I read the subtext before the narrative and it would give away a point. Once I realized this, I made sure I read the narrative first and then the subtext. I thought the photos were beautiful and the layout attractive.

I would have liked Steve developed more as a person. I think that if his personality had been rounded out more I might have had a greater emotional investment in the tension of whether or not the rovers would survive the challenges faced on Mars. It might have countered my lack of interest in rocks too. As portrayed I didn't really care after the third malfunction or obstacle that needed to be resolved and found myself skimming. Others who like geology should not feel this way. No author can expect everyone to like his or her book and there is an element of personal taste or aesthetics that makes an individual like or dislike a book; hence, I don't particularly like the subject but I do recognize that this is an excellent expository text.

The ending talks about sending Curiosity to Mars, a new and better robot. That perked my antennae and made me go searching NASA's website to see what this new rover was up to. I also went on Wikipedia and looked up the guts of the machine. As I'm reading about the computerized mother boards on the rovers I'm thinking that someone could easily argue with me, "computer processing units and million instructions per second are not more interesting than silica and pyllosilicates." So now that I've worked myself into a hole and am basically saying that calling a book "boring" is not a good argument, I feel I should rewrite my review and get rid of my interfering personal taste comments. But I'm not going to. I'll leave it as a reminder to not take "boring-route-review" highway. A good nonfiction book for your library. I can't argue the craftmanship.(less)

Barb Middleton liked Eugene's review of A Taste of Colored Water:

A Taste of Colored Water by Matt Faulkner

" I like this book very much. I thought it was funny that they thought "colored water" meant that the water was colored. But I also thought that it was mean to that a fire truck and splash water on African american just because you don't like their... " Read more of this review »

Barb Middleton liked Chandra's review of Larklight (Larklight, #1):

" This book has been languishing on my to-read pile for over FOUR years! The description is just TOO wild and, although I was intrigued, I wasn't entirely convinced. Since I have unofficially dubbed this the 'year of languishing books' I knew it was... " Read more of this review »

Barb Middleton rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Water Castle
by Megan Frazer Blakemore

read in May, 2013

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Hey folks, meet Ephraim Appledore-Smith, your average kid. I repeat, average. He used to think he was pretty smart until moving to Crystal Springs, Maine. Here everyone is a genius and most live longer than the average Joe Schmo. Ephraim goes from fi...more Hey folks, meet Ephraim Appledore-Smith, your average kid. I repeat, average. He used to think he was pretty smart until moving to Crystal Springs, Maine. Here everyone is a genius and most live longer than the average Joe Schmo. Ephraim goes from first to worst at school and it is not easy on his ego. Then he starts to wonder what the heck is going on. The town residents, teachers, and students are not normal with their sky-high IQ's. Even his smart sister and athletic brother have gone off the charts since moving there; unfortunately, this strange phenomena eludes him. When he hears the story of people coming to Crystal Springs in the past because of the healing waters, he wonders if that's the reason people are so smart and if it will cure his dad who has had a devastating stroke. The family has inherited the Crystal Springs castle that is now their home with the hope that their mom's mentor doctor-friend can rehabilitate their dad. History of the castle reveals that the healing water was bottled by relatives and sold to people all over the country before the hotel spa burnt to the ground. The bottled water business gave the Appledore family its fortune and the castle its name, "The Water Castle." Ephraim decides to dig into the castle's past and discovers his ancestor was looking for the Fountain of Youth and he takes up the same quest in an effort to heal his father.

Ephraim, his younger sister, Brynn, and older brother, Price, notice the loud humming the house makes and the strange blue glow at night and wonder about it. Ephraim thinks it is related to the healing waters and initially gets assistance from Brynn searching for it, but he soon realizes that he needs more specific help. He forms an unlikely friendship with classmates Will, who is brilliant at science, and Mallory, a black girl with in-depth knowledge of the castle because her family served the water castle owners for generations. Will's relatives have nursed their hatred for Ephraim's family's success for years, convinced that Ephraim's relative stole their idea of bottling the magical waters. Will desperately wants to erase this bitterness in his father and change him from one is jealous of others to one who is content. Mallory's parents are in the middle of a divorce and she wishes they could be a family like in the past. The two are drawn to Ephraim's quest and adventure to find magical waters that will heal his dad, not realizing that they all need healing too.

The characters internal struggles give this story a richness and depth that pulled me into it. Some might feel the start is too slow and be turned off by Ephraim's initial attitude and stupidity, but he changes as the story progresses and his clumsy attempts at socializing make for an authentic character. Teenage years are wrought with awkwardness and Ephraim fluctuates between being a kid who believes in magic and listens to his parents, to one believes in science and facts, and who talks back to his parents in an effort to grow up. Throw in Ephraim's anger and you have a complex personality who is grappling with loss and major life changes. I was discussing this novel with a colleague and she suggested that perhaps Ephraim represents the difficult transition from elementary to middle school. In elementary school, classes are small and students can feel smart. In middle school, students get lumped in classes with everyone else and the discovery that they are a "number" and "ordinary" can be a difficult maturation process. Ephraim also has the middle child syndrome where he is trying to find his place in the family hierarchy. Price is filling in for their father, trying to support their mother and Brynn, while Brynn is the baby who loves those around her. Ephraim, on the other hand, struggles with his identity and lashes out at his mother and siblings.

Not only does this novel deal with three sixth graders transitioning from childhood to adulthood, it tackles the hefty question of living for eternity; thus, creating a magical realism that mixes science fiction with reality. I've only read, "Tuck Everlasting," by Natalie Babbitt that attempts exploring this theme in children's literature. The subplot of Nora and Harry ties in with this theme and while I liked how Blakemore intertwines the story, she had some contradictions and left some plot elements hanging. I like that the ending is open to interpretation, but I didn't like some of the loose ends not wrapped up such as the bottle in the ground with the contradictory message in conjunction with what Mallory's parents discuss on page 179. (I'm being vague here on purpose - I don't give spoil a plot twist.) I also didn't understand in the subplot how Nora could be so highly educated (she knew French and Latin) and why the Jim Crow laws prevalent during the 1900s that disadvantaged African Americans economically, educationally, and socially were never reflected with Nora's situation. She doesn't face racism or discrimination in her story. I wondered, too, the connection between Ephraim's high radiation reading and how it prevented the healing waters from working in him. Perhaps there will be a sequel.

The author's mix of science, history, magic, and realism is well-done and marvelous. Creation stories evolved from humans trying to explain natural phenomenas. Science usurped these stories with their explanations over the years and the three characters use the scientific method to explore the healing properties of the water through the study of radiation, electricity, and genetics. The explanation of the Fountain of Youth in scientific terms is quite creative. The subplot reinforces this theme and Orlando's formal way of speaking helps set the tone of a time past. The writing is nothing short of terrific.

Ephraim was a fresh breeze in my recent profusion of book reading that has been laden with genius protagonists. I love that Ephraim is normal. No Mr. Genius. No superpowers. Just a kid who discovers that he is normal and that's okay. I hope if there is a sequel Ephraim does not become a genius. I like him just the way he is.

A great book club book.(less)

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Barb Middleton rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (The League of Princes, #1) by Christopher Healy (Goodreads Author) read in December, 2012	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Looney Tunes meets the League of Princes Charming (and that isn't a typo). This book reminded me of the cartoons I grew up with the slapstick characters, distinct voices, and nonstop gags. This fractured fairy tale begins with a bang painting the cha...more
15 hours, 11 min ago · see review
Barb Middleton made a comment on her review of We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March "Thanks Lisa! You are kind!"
May 22, 2013 10:46pm · see review
Barb Middleton rated a book 5 of 5 stars We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When the Red River crested in 1997 the water was filling up the streets like a bathtub and moving so fast I couldn't get sandbags piled around our house quick enough. My husband was working and I was chiseling ice off the grass so the water wouldn't...more
May 22, 2013 10:42pm · see review
Barb Middleton recommended We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March to Lawrence We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 22, 2013 10:25pm · like
Barb Middleton made a comment on her review of The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity "That happens to me too. It's good to take a break once in a while."
May 22, 2013 05:37pm · see review
Barb Middleton made a comment on Chandra's review of Larklight (Larklight, #1) "I do! And I find there are not oodles of sci-fi books in our library so it will be good to add another author to the list. Thank you!!"
May 21, 2013 06:26pm · see review
Barb Middleton rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
My husband talked me into taking a geology class while attending University. I lasted two weeks. I say this because I really liked the first part of this book and the focus on robotics, but I lost interest when it shifted toward the study of rocks on...more
May 21, 2013 05:35pm · see review
Barb Middleton liked Eugene's review of A Taste of Colored Water: " I like this book very much. I thought it was funny that they thought "colored water" meant that the water was colored. But I also thought that it was mean to that a fire truck and splash water on African american just because you don't like their... " Read more of this review »
May 21, 2013 03:22am · see review
Barb Middleton liked Chandra's review of Larklight (Larklight, #1): " This book has been languishing on my to-read pile for over FOUR years! The description is just TOO wild and, although I was intrigued, I wasn't entirely convinced. Since I have unofficially dubbed this the 'year of languishing books' I knew it was... " Read more of this review »
May 21, 2013 03:14am · see review
Barb Middleton rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Hey folks, meet Ephraim Appledore-Smith, your average kid. I repeat, average. He used to think he was pretty smart until moving to Crystal Springs, Maine. Here everyone is a genius and most live longer than the average Joe Schmo. Ephraim goes from fi...more
May 20, 2013 10:53pm · see review

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