What I Read in August 2016 Part II . . .

What I Read in August 2016 Part II . . .

Dolls Of Hope by Shirley Parenteau--Middle Grades Historical Fiction

Chiyo Tamura is a farmer's daughter from the hills of Japan. She's incensed that an old man wants to marry her beloved older sister and her parents won't do anything to stop it. When Chiyo meets her potential future brother-in-law, she is surprised by his kindness. She is ashamed of her feelings and vows to bring honor to her family. That's not so easy to do when her brother-in-law sends her far away to school in Tsuchiura, where wealthy girls who are daughters of important men go. She's told to model herself after Hoshi Miyamoto, a famous general's daughter, but after only a few minutes at the school, Chiyo knows that won't be easy. When Chiyo learns about the friendship dolls being sent from American school children to Japanese schools, she is eager to see them and welcome them. A trip to Tokyo to welcome the dolls brings unexpected surprises- and consequences. Chiyo longs to be the traditional, humble Japanese girl her family wants her to be but how can she stand by and watch something she loves be destroyed? Japan is changing and maybe Chiyo has to change too.

I really enjoyed this story. While I know a lot about Japan and Japanese culture, this time period is new to me. I was surprised at how behind the rest of the world Japan was and how they were already mobilizing for war- to expand their territory and conquer weaker nations. The central theme of the story is change. The 1920s represent a period of change for women and for Japan. Women were entering public roles and becoming more independent and free, just as Japan was becoming more modern. I liked the juxtaposition of the American vs. Japanese cultures and how both Lexie and Chiyo represent a new generation of women struggling to find their role in a changing society, perhaps rebelling against traditional gender roles.

Sweet little Chiyo captured my heart just as she captures the nation in the story. Her devotion to Emily Grace and her love for the doll really resonated with me. As a doll collector, I understood her fierce need to protect her beloved Emily Grace. I liked following Emily Grace's journey after she left Lexie but it isn't necessary to have read Ship of Dolls first. I also really liked Chiyo's friend Hana and how she helps Chiyo. The one character I could have done without is Hoshi. Her plot is the typical mean girl story. She turns out to be complete psycho which was a surprise, instead of the two girls becoming friends in the end, which saves the book from being too overly cloying for an adult reader.

I think this story would be best enjoyed by girls 8-12 and doll lovers around the world.

Sweet Home Alaska by Carole Estby Dagg--Middle Grades Historical Fiction

Terpsichore (Terp-sick-oh-ree) Johnson is devastated to learn her best friend's family is going to settle in Matanuska Colony Alaska- part of a New Deal plan where families will learn to become self-reliant farmers. Terpsichore vows to do anything she can to make sure her family goes too. When her plans go awry, she finds herself stuck in the middle of nowhere living in a tent with her parents, precocious twin sisters and baby brother. The only kid she knows is an annoying boy with a cat-scaring dog and an obsession with bugs. She thought it would be a fun adventure like Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy, her two favorite books. The first day of school brings torment but also a new friend and a plan to get herself recognized for a special talent. As she falls in love with Alaska, she fears her mother will vote to return to Madison, Wisconsin and civilization (and a strict grandmother). Terpsichore plans a special surprise that will be sure to win over her mother. As the only unmusical Johnson, she has to find a way to use her gifts and make a new home for herself and become known as a kid who did something special.

This story is a cute homage to Laura Ingalls Wilder's novels. I think Terpsicore will really appreciate The Long Winter once it's published! Living in the Alaskan wilderness and learning to manage the land is very similar to what the Ingalls family experienced living on the prairie in South Dakota. However, the Johnsons and fellow colonists do have some resources the Ingalls family didn't have but that only makes the story more exciting, not less. I had a hard time putting down the book. I couldn't wait to find out what Terpsichore would do next and of course if they would stay. The story is chock full of period details including how to use a wood stove, how to cook strange foods in tasty ways, how to wash diapers (no disposable diapers yet in 1934-35), pop culture (the school puts on a Wizard of Oz musical play several years before the Judy Garland classic) and of course, farming. I expected the farming details to be boring but I liked what Terpsichore figured out how to do. Her special project was very sweet and I found it fascinating. I think the real life Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder would be proud.

Terpsichore is a great character. She's a normal kid who believes in her ability to do anything she puts her mind to and works at. She feels overshadowed by her precocious and talented twin sisters (eight year old Shirley Temple wannabes) and feels undervalued by most adults. I like how she comes up with practical solutions and how she learned the value of true friendship. Her struggles her very real and what happens isn't too much of a fantasy. It felt plausible but maybe not all for one kid. I also liked her friends Gloria, the girly girl drama queen and Mendel, the nerdy scientist. Gloria reminded me a lot of Ruthie in the Kit stories (American Girl).

I found Terpsichore's sisters a little annoying. Their double Shirley Temple twin act was way over the top cutesy. I did like their character development though and how the sisters came to rely on one another and help each other out. The only character I didn't really like was Mrs. Johnson. At first her calling her husband Mr. Johnson creeped me out, thinking she would be a subservient housewife but that turned out not to be the case. She actually plays a large role in the family and has the final say in whether they stay or go. She comes across as really snobby at first, looking at the fellow colonists as backwoods bumpkins and even dismissing her husband's farming background as primitive and uncivilized. Like Ma Ingalls, she feels a church and a school make for a civilized town. I felt like her husband should say to her "Would you rather starve to death in civilization or have food and fresh air for your family here in the wilderness?" Her character development is a bit abrupt and I felt needed a little more slow growth.

I really enjoyed this novel and I think readers old enough to read without pictures on up to adult will enjoy this book. It would make a good read aloud for younger kids as well. The only thing sensitive readers might have a problem with is the brief mention of the deaths of two children. Other than that, there's no violence (except for mentions of hunting), no bad language, no bratty children- just good fun.


Remarkable Women of Rhode Island by Frank L. Grzyb--Non-Fiction 

This book contains brief biographies of notable women with Rhode Island ties, from Weetamoo, Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer all the way to Viola Davis, an Emmy winning actress; and Elizabeth Beisel, three-time Olympian and silver medal-winning swimmer. Being the archivist for the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame and a women's historian, I was aware of nearly every single one of these women. There weren't any surprises, just some obscure omissions and some notable ones too. What about Lucy Truman Aldrich and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller for the most notable? There are several others I can think of. The biographical profiles are concise and easy to read, however they sometimes contain superfluous information. I don't care about Doris Duke's relationships; tell me more about her achievements.

The book An ornament and honor to their sex: New England women from Valley Forge to Fenway Park by Jane Lancaster goes more in depth.

What I Read in July 2016 Part III

What I Read in July 2016 Part III. . . 

Ship of Dolls by Shirley Parenteau--Middle Grades Historical Fiction

Eleven-year-old Lexie has been living with her grandparents since her Papa was tragically killed in a car accident and Mama married Toby, a jazz musician. Toby and Mama perform at nightclubs and Theo doesn't think a kid should live with people who sleep all day and work all night. Lexie misses her Mama terribly. Grandma has strict ideas about what girls should and shouldn't do and resents Lexie's Mama for wanting the shiny, new motorcar that caused Papa's death. Lexie dreams of returning to her Mama, if only she can find a way. When she learns her class is participating in a friendship doll exchange with Japan. Each girl will write a letter to the children of Japan to accompany the doll. The best letter writer will get to attend the farewell party in San Francisco. Lexie is uninterested at first until she discovers Mama will be singing at the party! Suddenly, she wants more than anything to go- to be with Mama again like they used to be. If only she could hold the doll, Emily Grace, and get an idea of what Emily Grace is like and what she wants to say, then Lexie knows she could win the contest.

This book is for younger readers ages 8-12. Adults might find it interesting if they don't know about the friendship doll exchange but I did. I know a lot about Japan and Japanese culture, so this book didn't really appeal to me as much as it would have otherwise. The plot is fairly predictable and contains the usual elements of a novel for this age group. There's a problem that has to be overcome, strict grandparents who seem uncaring, a flighty Mama and a mean girl.

How I hated Louise! I wanted Lexie to behave in an unladylike manner towards that girl. When Louise is given a backstory, she becomes like all the other mean girls in all the other stories for this age group. I felt a little sorry for her but not too much. Lexie is a more complicated character. I wasn't sure what decisions she would make or whether they were the right ones. She's not your typical super good little girl. She's herself- as she puts it- and Mama thinks she's the "bee's knees" just the way she is. I think kids will relate to Lexie because she's not perfect. She's very normal for a child her age. I liked Lexie's friend Jack and how he was a true friend to her.

The adults in the story are more than cardboard figures, which I appreciated. Lexie's grandparents remind me of Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert in their parenting approach. I liked how Grandma had complicated emotions and feelings but she seemed to change moods very quickly and I found her unsympathetic to the feelings of a lonely little girl missing her mother. It wasn't ladylike for Grandma to badmouth Lexie's mother in her hearing. Grandpa is a lot like Matthew but not shy. He knows when and how to put his oar in.

The introduction of Japanese culture into the novel is very nice. I have never heard of the song "The Blue Eyed Doll" so I learned a little something, even if I was already familiar with Hinamatsuri and the friendship doll exchange. I love the concept and I think we need to do it again and send dolls all over the world. If everyone took the time out to play dolls, the world would be a happier place! It breaks my heart that despite the best efforts of the children in the 1920s, the U.S. and Japan went to war anyway. I'm terribly sad so many of the dolls have been destroyed or lost. I hope more come to light soon!


Seacrow Island by Astrid Lindgren--Middle Grades Historical Fiction

I'm marking this historical fiction though it was contemporary when it was written in the 1960s.

The Mekerson family has rented a cottage on Seacrow Island for the summer. Their planned holiday doesn't quite go as expected at first: the island is only accessible by boat, they arrived in the pouring rain to a freezing cold, damp house with a leaky roof and the only children are girls! Once the sun comes out, however, the Melkersons discover just how charming Seacrow Island is. From the old beyond her years little Tjorven and her dog to tomboyish girls always ready for adventure, the Melkerson boys have a magical summer. It's only the eldest, Malin, age 19, who wonders when her time for a romantic adventure will come.

This story was really slow to start off with and I had a hard time getting into it. It didn't pick up for me until the last third when there was a cohesive plot to glue the story together and keep me reading. The Melkersons are not all that interesting or memorable, but the people they meet and the adventures they have are both interesting and enjoyable. With the island setting this story could have been set in Maritime Canada or New England. It felt like Maine to me.

I felt very sorry for Malin having to assume a motherly caregiver role at such a young age. Between Pelle's dependency and the older boys' teasing, she had no chance at a personal life. Pelle is the character I can relate to the most. I identified with his need for an animal companion and felt his emotions right along with him. I liked little Tjorven and her beloved pets. When I was that age I would have loved to be a part of their adventure with Moses and probably would have acted the same way. I also loved her rivalry with Stina and Stina's firm belief in fairy tales. That part was very funny. I wasn't crazy about Mr. Melkerson. He's like a big child and relies on Malin as much as the boys do- if not more. He was so absent-minded and lost to anything practical. His attempts to make the house more convenient for Malin were amusing but mostly I found him annoying. The ending is a little unrealistic but charming and just right for a children's book written in the mid-20th century.