A Bit of Me(Me) :: Hosted by The1stDaughter at There's a Book!

There's A Book!

I haven't participated in this meme for quite a while ... so check out my post and hop on over to There's a Book! to share a bit about yourself!!!

This week's prompt:  What are three adjectives which describe you?

Sensitive

Chronic worrier

An avid reader



Book Review Link Party #1 :: Call Me Kate Review and Giveaway!

Call Me Kate : Meeting the Molly Maguires

Written by Molly Roe

Published by Tribute Books
Copyright 2008

"Con caught me by the elbows. His blue eyes met mine. 'The coal face your father was working collapsed. His legs are pinned.  But he’s alive, Katie!'

I broke from his grasp and dashed out of the schoolhouse into the cold gray November morning, a day as bleak as Con's news."

Publisher's Summary:  Coming of age amidst the seething unrest of the Civil War era, feisty fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty infiltrates the Molly Maguires, a secret Irish organization, to rescue a lifelong friend. Under the guise of “Dominick,” a draft resister, Katie volunteers for a dangerous mission in hopes of preventing bloodshed. Katie risks job, family, and ultimately her very life to intervene. A series of tragedies challenge Katie’s strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can she balance her sense of justice with the law?

Mary Elizabeth's Musings:  Riveting, exciting, romantic, and informative, Call Me Kate is an amazing addition to the genre of young adult historical fiction!  Ms. Roe brings to life the turbulent 1860s in America through the eyes of Katie, an Irish teenage girl, who has hopes and dreams like any young person, despite her war-time circumstances. 
This novel was immediately engaging from start to finish, and Ms. Roe's gift of the written Irish brogue echoed the incredible talent of Frank McCourt.  Truly, this novel is a must-read for all fans of young adult historical fiction.

**I would like to thank Tribute Books for providing me with an unbound copy of this book, as well as inviting me to participate in my very first book blog tour!!**

To learn more about author Molly Roe, visit her blog, Conversations from the Side Porch.

**Please be sure to enter my giveaway of this fantastic book!!**

Wise Owl Wednesday #3 :: History of Censorship :: Part Three

Graphic credit :: Shabby Blogs

** Welcome to my new weekly feature, Wise Owl Wednesday, where you can butter up your brain with some children's literature facts - history, milestones, trivia ... stop by here to learn a little something about the amazing world of books for the young! **

www.ala.org/bbooks

In honor of Banned Books Week (Sept. 25 - Oct. 2, 2010), I thought I would share the history of literary censorship.  I hope you find it as interesting as I did!!

Milestones in the History of Censorship (Part Three):

1713 - Daniel Defoe was prosecuted and imprisoned by the Whigs for penning treasonable anti-Jacobite pamphlets.  In 1720, his Robinson Crusoe was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books.
1726 - Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was denounced as wicked and obscene due to its satire on courts, political parties, and statesmen.
1760 - South Carolina passed strict laws forbidding all African-Americans from being taught to read.
1762 - Jean-Jacques Rosseau's Emile was condemned and burned by Parliament of Paris.
1872 - Anthony Comstock founded the 'Society for the Suppression of Vice' in New York.  This was the first effective censorship board in the United States.

Source:  Through the Eyes of A Child: An Introduction to Children's Literature (5th Edition) by Donna E. Norton, copyright 1999 by Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Upcoming October Blog Carnival for Children's Literature

Hope to see you there!!!

Nonfiction Monday #3 :: Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree

** Nonfiction Monday is a weekly round-up of nonfiction children's literature from around the blogosphere! It is being hosted this week over at Mother Reader! **

Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree

Written by Betsy Franco

Illustrated by Shino Arihara

"Zero is ...

the shape of an egg.

Zero is a number."

Summary from the School Library Journal: "Zero is...the sound of snowflakes landing on your mitten. 0 sounds." "Zero is...the kites in the sky once the wind stops blowing. 0 kites." Using these and other evocative examples from children's everyday experiences throughout the seasons, Franco explores the concept of zero. The gouache illustrations are done in soft, muted tones and have a naive charm that will have substantial child appeal. Most of the scenes are set outdoors, clearly depicting and emphasizing the book's link to the passing seasons. While the idea is a simple one, the presentation is such that it could easily be used to encourage youngsters to think of ways they could use any of their five senses to experience having zero of something.

Mary Elizabeth's Musings:  As an elementary school teacher and a mother of four, I am always looking for books that link math and literature together ... and this book does a fabulous job of doing just that!! Zero is a concept often overlooked in traditional, elementary arithmetic, so a children's book that dicusses this concept is absolutely essential.  The simple prose in this piece of literature is breathtaking, along with its gentle, mesmerizing illustrations.  Children from ages two and up will possess a fundamental understanding of the number zero after enjoying this book.  It works as both a teaching tool and a bedtime story!