Children's Books discussion

Come join us to discuss the Medal Winner,
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

and/or the Honor books:
A Fine White Dust by Cynthia Rylant
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount Saint Helens by Patricia Lauber

These all look interesting and short enough to me. I'll be reading the honors on openlibrary.org, and the winner in paper.

Finally a cover that makes sense. I was reluctant to read this when I was younger because it looked so serious & historical. But it's actually quite funny! And short. And there's plenty of adventure & suspense for a younger reader, too. I gave it four stars, and read it in one session.

Don't let the other covers set the vibe for you. Or Sis's illustrations (unless, maybe, you happen to be a fan). I guess it was considered Newbery worthy in part because the other books weren't amazing, and in part because it did sneak in a fair bit of a history lesson?

Cheryl wrote: "
Finally a cover that makes sense. I was reluctant to read this when I was younger because it looked so serious & historical. But it's actually quite funny! And sh..."

I am glad this is on Open Library. I just started and you are right it looks like fun and somehow reminds me a bit of Erich Kästner (which is high praise from me as Kästner is my favourite German children's author). Hope the rest of the novel holds up.

is a better cover than the current GR default.

I gave it four stars:

I recommend you read this short Newbery fable without knowing anything more about it than I did... which is nothing. And that I am done now and can only say 'Wow.' I've enjoyed a lot of Rylant's work, but this is a notch above.

On My Honor is even shorter. I gave it four stars:

"Tony's the only one who doesn't have to live with his decision." I agree, Dad, that Joel has been punished enough. He's probably never going to get the smell of the river out of his mind, nor ever want to swim again. Maybe be timid of everything for the rest of his four-score years.

And Tony, well, Tony would have died of doing something reckless, probably sooner rather than later. Climbing the bluffs the next day, or drinking and driving as a teen, experimenting with drugs as a young man, whatever.

We parents try to raise our kids to be brave, but not reckless. It's a pretty narrow line between the two. And at the same time remind them to be honorable & honest. It's amazing how many kids do turn out to be decent & healthy adults, actually.

Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount Saint Helens is the shortest of all, but spending time looking at the pictures and maps might add time to the experience of reading it. I sure hope you can find a copy in your library. It was ok on openlibrary.org, but would be so much better in paper. Fascinating topic. Could have been a bit more clear to read along, and a bit more engaging writing style, but still, definitely worth the read.

I remember the explosion, especially the dome growing so fast. And I remember, too, how fast life came back. It's an important part of history. Scientists are now much better at making predictions and knowing when to evacuate ppl. And we all realize the truth that nature will out (life finds a way).

Cheryl wrote: "Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount Saint Helens is the shortest of all, but spending time looking at the pictures and maps might add time to the experience of reading it. I su..."

I remember that we got ash all the way in Alberta (our patio furniture in Calgary had dust all over it and when we were running outside for PE all of us kept coughing). And the news feeds from Washington state were absolutely mind-blowing. Walla Walla and Spokane looked like during a severe blizzard but what looked like snow piles was actually volcanic ash.

I'm surprised you had outdoor PE!

Rural school and they really pushed PE outdoors