Month: January 2025
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Floating Island by Anne Parrish (1931)
A family of dolls and their dollhouse is purchased by a man who packs them up and sends them by ship to his niece. However, the ship wrecks in a storm, and the dolls and the dollhouse are washed onto an island and are separated from each other. The family goes through charming trials to reunite, including dealing with some friendly and unfriendly animals. A well done adventure story on par with The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.
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The Wonder Smith and His Son by Ella Young (1928)
A collection of fourteen connected stories about the Gubbaun Saor, a mythic figure in Irish culture, who is the titular “wonder smith,” being able to quickly build amazing buildings and sculptures. This was a quick read, but the legendary world filled with magical creatures and the story logic of mythology was more engaging than I had expected.
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Indian Captive by Lois Lenski (1942)
Molly is a 12-year-old girl who lives with her family on a farm in colonial Pennsylvania. The family is taken captive by a group of Seneca warriors, forced to march quickly over a long distance away from their home, and is eventually separated, as Molly is adopted by a Seneca family. Based on a true story, Indian Captive has an odd narrative arc that not pleasant to read.
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2025 Newbery Contenders
I chose to read through Heavy Medal‘s Newbery shortlist again this year, and I figured I’d give some brief thoughts on them. I planned ahead this time and spent a month or so over the summer reading books that were leading on the blog’s straw polls, which also means I read a few that didn’t…