Todd Klein's Blog, page 31

Rereading: FREDDY AND THE POPINJAY by Walter R. Brooks

Illustrations by Kurt Wiese

The twelfth book in the Freddy the Pig series is full of fun ideas, great characters, and amusing adventures, though by this time the series was becoming fairly predictable. Freddy, his friend Jinx the black cat, and other talking animals on the Bean Farm in New York State create their own fun, like the jousting match seen above, and also deal with a variety of troublemakers and problems, in this case a neighbor boy who’s throwing stones at them, a wildcat who wants to be their neighbor, and a few folks in town who hate talking animals, and animals in general. The title character is a robin who gets fixed up with extra fancy feathers to become a living ladies’ hat decoration that becomes all the rage in town.

Brooks’ insights into human nature are spot on as always, even if some of them are presented in animal form. Recommended.

Freddy and the Popinjay by Walter R Brooks

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Rereading: RUSTY’S SPACE SHIP by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

This is a silly fantasy disguised as science fiction that I loved as a child. Published in 1957, Rusty is building his own space ship in the family garage out of wood, when his neighbor Susan comes by to find out what he’s up to. Rusty’s dog Cookie is happy to see Susan, while Rusty would rather have another boy to play with, but Susan will do in a pinch. They’re interrupted by a heavily disguised person who lays claim to the round metal saucer Rusty has found and used as the nose shield on his ship. Before they know it, all three (and the dog) are launching into space through the power of that flying saucer, and their kidnapper is revealed as a lizard-like alien named Tiphia from some distant world. Tiphia has been tasked by his leader Gwump to locate and retrieve the missing saucer, and he’s bringing the children and dog too. One problem is that Tiphia has suffered a memory loss on his trip, and no longer remembers where his home planet is, so the group ends up taking a tour of our solar system to find it.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this book is the wonderful illustrations by comics artist Bernard Krigstein. They really make the story much more fun, and Krigstein manages to make the author’s poor attempts at science somewhat more believable. Still a fun read and recommended.

Rusty’s Space Ship by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

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Rereading: THE RIDDLE OF THE RED WHALE by Edward Fenton

Cover art by Jo Ann Stover

This is the second of two mystery novels for young readers by Fenton, a sequel to “The Phantom of Walkaway Hill.” James is back visiting his cousins Amanda and Obie at their isolated farmhouse in the country on Walkaway Hill, and they soon meet the new owner of another house at the bottom of their hill, Mr. Vanniver, as well as Miss Button, a real estate agent who sold both houses, and who dresses flamboyantly in red, and drives a bright red car. Before long, a new mystery arises at Mr. Vanniver’s house: someone has broken in and vandalized some pieces of luggage he bought, and another person has been making nosy inquiries about him. The owner of an antique and junk shop says they’re looking for a red whale, but no one knows what that means. Could there be a Russian connection tied to a nearby Russian embassy summer retreat? A local woman thinks Mr. Vanniver is a spy, and is causing more trouble. When James finally gets an idea about the red whale and how to find it, the children are soon in serious trouble.

Recommended, though as a mystery it’s a bit frustrating, as there’s no clear trail of clues to the final reveal. The writing style of narrator James is entertaining and sometimes funny, reminding me a bit of Keith Robertson’s Henry Reed books.

The Mystery of the Red Whale by Edward Fenton

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Rereading: THE SUMMER BOOK by Tove Jansson

I love the Moomin novels and comic strip by Jansson, so when I found this novel by her at a book sale, I snatched it up. This is closer to memoir than novel, a series of episodes and events in the lives of three people who live on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland every summer: Grandmother (probably modeled on the author), her son, and her granddaughter Sophia. Most of the book is a dialogue and the adventures of Grandmother and Sophia, each stubborn and full of strong ideas, each enjoying the other’s company except when they find it infuriating. The plants, birds, and natural world around them play a large role in their activities, as does the ocean. Matters of theology and superstition are discussed and sometimes acted on, along with gardening and exploration of their island and other nearby ones. Father seldom intervenes, seeming to be busy with his own work, probably writing. Any stranger who comes to the house is sure to be thoroughly questioned and added to the adventures if possible. The writing is honest, thoughtful, and clever, while bringing plenty of humor and mystery as well as emotional resonance. The book ends with a very strong storm that threatens the three islanders in unexpected ways.

HIghly recommended.

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

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Rereading: THE SUMMER BOOK by Tove Jansson

I love the Moomin novels and comic strip by Jansson, so when I found this novel by her at a book sale, I snatched it up. This is closer to memoir than novel, a series of episodes and events in the lives of three people who live on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland every summer: Grandmother (probably modeled on the author), her son, and her granddaughter Sophia. Most of the book is a dialogue and the adventures of Grandmother and Sophia, each stubborn and full of strong ideas, each enjoying the other’s company except when they find it infuriating. The plants, birds, and natural world around them play a large role in their activities, as does the ocean. Matters of theology and superstition are discussed and sometimes acted on, along with gardening and exploration of their island and other nearby ones. Father seldom intervenes, seeming to be busy with his own work, probably writing. Any stranger who comes to the house is sure to be thoroughly questioned and added to the adventures if possible. The writing is honest, thoughtful, and clever, while bringing plenty of humor and mystery as well as emotional resonance. The book ends with a very strong storm that threatens the three islanders in unexpected ways.

HIghly recommended.

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson

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Rereading: SMOKE by William Corbin

Cover art by Jo Polseno

Chris lives on a ranch in Oregon with his mother, sister, and stepfather Cal. His father passed some years ago, but Chris still misses him, and resents the new man his mother brought into their home. When a ragged, starving nearly all-black German Shepherd shows up in the woods near Chris’s treehouse, his heart goes out to the frightened dog, and he becomes determined to help it and make friends, but the dog doesn’t help his case when he kills and eats one of Cal’s chickens. Then it becomes a secret campaign that Chris hopes to keep from Cal, but the dog’s ills are serious, and eventually a doctor has to be brought in. Cal, who has guessed Chris had a secret, then learns the truth. To Chris’s surprise, Cal is sympathetic, and helps bring the dog, who Chris names Smoke, back to health, but Chris can only keep him if an ad is put in the paper advertising the lost dog has been found. All goes well until the dog’s owner shows up to claim him. Chris can’t give Smoke up, and he and the dog run away over the mountain into rough territory that may turn out to be more than they can handle.

Well written, recommended. My only complaint is for the cover artist, who clearly did not read the description of Smoke before doing his painting, and there’s no seacoast in the book either.

Smoke by William Corbin

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Rereading: FREDDY AND MR. CAMPHOR by Walter R. Brooks

The eleventh book in the Freddy the Pig series takes the adventurous animal in a new direction for a while, but he’s soon troubled by old enemies. As always, the illustrations by Kurt Wiese are excellent.

Freddy wants to get away and have a bit of a vacation. An opportunity arises for him to act as the caretaker of the large estate of rich Mr. Camphor, where he can live on the grounds in a small houseboat, and pursue an interest in oil painting. The job begins well, with Freddy given his meals by Mr. Camphor’s cook, Mrs. Winch, but he soon finds out his old nemesis Simon the Rat and his family are living in the mansion’s attic and making a mess of the place, and they have no intention of leaving. As if that weren’t bad enough, a familiar ramshackle car arrives one day with Mrs. Winch’s husband and son, who Freddy knows well. He and the Bean Farm animals had several run-ins with the disreputable pair on their trip to Florida (the first book in the series), when Mr. Winch tried to catch and eat them. Mr. Winch is sly, and has soon ruined Freddy’s name with Mr. Camphor. How can he and his friends possibly set things right?

Recommended, great fun.

Freddy and Mr Camphor by Walter R Brooks

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Rereading: ADAM OF THE ROAD by Elizabeth Janet Gray

Winner of the Newbery Medal for 1942, this fine book is made even better by the wonderful illustrations of Robert Lawson. The story takes place in England in 1294, and follows Adam, the son of a traveling minstrel, and a minstrel-in-training himself. As the story opens, Adam has been languishing at an Abbey while his father, Roger, pursues business in Europe, but at last Roger returns, and Adam and his dog Nick join him and the company of Sir Edmund de Lisle, who Roger works for, as they take the road to London, and then to Winchester. Adam makes friends in the company, but then another minstrel, Jankin, who admires Adam’s dog, steals Nick and runs away with him. Adam goes off in pursuit, but can’t catch up to Jankin, and soon also loses his father. From there, Adam’s story is full of trouble and adventure as he continues to search for both Nick and his father, paying his way with songs and stories when he can, going hungry when he can’t. The book is not only exciting, it gives a detailed look at English life of the time, from every level of society, and Adam’s pluck and courage are often tested to the limit. Recommended.

Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray

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Rereading: TALES OF THREE HEMISPHERES by Lord Dunsany

I never saw the original 1919 version of this book, but the 1976 version from Olswick Press with illustrations by Tim Kirk is a delight. There’s a forward by H. P. Lovecraft not from the original book, but written separately as a general Dunsany overview and first published in 1944. One story here, “Idle Days on the Yann” is reprinted from another Dunsany collection because of the two sequels that follow it. Those three stories are among the best in the book, and very much in the Dunsanian fantasy realm of his early collections. The other stories have their moments, but tend to be shorter and are a mix of contemporary themes and travel stories along with some fantasy. The illustrations by Kirk really improve the reading experience, all except the cover are black and white line art. They are in the spirit but not so much the style of early Dunsany illustrator Sidney Sime, and full of charm. Recommended.

Tales of Three Hemispheres by Lord Dunsany

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Rereading: THE FISH HAWK’S NEST by Stephen W. Meader

Illustrated by Edward Shenton

Andy Corson and his family live in rural Cape May County, NJ, and the year is 1820. They farm some land, but Andy likes to go fishing whenever he can. Theirs and many farms have put up platforms for nesting Ospreys, locally called fish hawks, considering them good neighbors. When Andy’s father tells him he can visit the nearest barrier island, Seven Mile Beach, to check on the cattle they keep there in the summer, he and his dog Shep are off in their sailing skiff in no time. On the island, Andy and Shep find troubling evidence that one of their cows has been killed, cut up, and roasted in a bonfire on the beach by unknown sailors, who Andy thinks were from a foreign ship smuggling goods to someone nearby to avoid tariffs. Andy suspects an irritable neighbor, Mr. Gillen, who seems to suddenly have a lot of spending money and is often traveling to Philadelphia, but how can he prove it? Before long, clues begin to surface, and soon Andy is caught by the smugglers, who threaten to carry him off and leave him on a desert island!

A fine read, and interesting to me especially because I live in the area described, but any reader can enjoy this book. Recommended.

The Fish Hawks Nest by Stephen W Meader

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