Skink No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen

 Junior Fiction. Carl Hiaasen writes books for young readers that involve some sort of wildlife and the preservation of said wildlife. Sometimes that is the main focus of the book, sometimes its a small sub-plot. In Skink No Surrender there are a number of wildlife species that need protection, but it is not the main plot. Hiaasen's characters are witty and resourceful and brave. 

In this book, Richard, is concerned when his cousin, Malley, goes missing. She contacts him and assures him she just ran away, but Richard starts to assume the worst when she stops contacting him and doesn't come home. Enter Skink, a protector of sea turtles and other sorts of animal life, and an altogether mysterious figure. Richard teams up with the unlikely Skink and embarks on an adventure to find Malley and rescue her. Skink seems to possess superhero qualities and it seems many times that it will be impossible for Richard and Skink to find and rescue his cousin. However, Richard finds out that when Skink is involved he needs to expect the impossible. 

I read this book aloud to my children and the subject matter, girl being kidnapped, was disconcerting to one of them. I have enjoyed reading his others books a bit better. It's because of those things that I don't think I would recommend it to others. 

Recommend: No

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

 Junior historical fiction. Fulfills Author from Asia category in the Pioneer Book challenge. 

Linda Sue Park is one of my favorite authors. She wrote the Newbery medal winning novel, A Single Shard and A Long Walk to Water, both amazing books with great stories and lessons to be learned. Prairie Lotus is about a young half Chinese girl on the American frontier in South Dakota. Her mother has passed away and her father is looking for a new place to put down roots. She is faced with people who are leery of her heritage and question her ability to learn and work in their small town. She deals with all of this with a determination to make her mother proud and prove others wrong. 

Linda Sue Park grew up reading the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and even wished she could have been Laura's friend. This book is in tribute to those books and also deals with the difficult issues of different races during the late 1800s in growing America. It is a great insight into the difficulties of educating people about differences and making those differences a good thing. 

Recommend: Yes

Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America, by Bill Geist

 Biography. Fulfills Biography in the Pioneer Book Challenge

As part of the reading challenge I'm participating in I had to choose a biography. I checked out a few from the library and looked at a few I haven't read that I own and just couldn't get into them. Non-fiction is not my favorite genre to read and I was feeling forced to read something I didn't want to read. I went back to the library and just browsed the biography section. 

I found this book and immediately thought this would be more interesting and compelling. Brian and I had just got back from the Lake of the Ozarks for our anniversary and I was excited to learn more about the area. This is actually an autobiography or probably more a memoir than anything else. It chronicles the author's time working at a lodge during the summers in the 1960s at the Lake. At first I was glad that I recognized the names of the towns and I liked his writing style. That being said, I really didn't love the book. Most of his adventures involves a lot of alcohol and college students doing really stupid things. Hearing about people's inebriated adventures doesn't strike my funny bone as it probably does with others. 

Recommend: not really

Winter, anniversary, and the Ozarks

 We woke up to snow last Saturday and it was really beautiful.  This is our first Missouri snow experience since we were in Utah during the first storm. It rained all night and then snowed in the morning which means the roads are extremely slick under all the snow. Because of this church was cancelled on Sunday. We had church at home and then went outside to attempt to build a snowman! 

This Tuesday is our 31st anniversary and to celebrate Brian and I left on Sunday afternoon to drive to the Lake of the Ozarks. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Versailles, Missouri (pronounced Ver - Sales) which was so cute and the owner reminded me of the character Mrs. Fletcher from the tv show Murder She Wrote. The breakfast was really delicious!  

We drove further into the Ozarks the next morning and really enjoyed seeing all the sights. It's the off season right now so there weren't a lot of people, but we still got to see the beautiful Lake and even some castle ruins. 

I had to take a picture of this sign for Emma!

Our first glimpse of the lake

We have arrived in the Ozarks!

Ha Ha Tonka means laughing waters. 

This was built in the early 1900s and was huge!  It burned down in the 1940s and now all that's left of it are the stone walls

View of the Lake from the castle

I loved driving through the small Missouri towns. One was called Laurie and the tag line underneath the city sign said, "Home of the Hillbilly Fair"!  

I'm still in awe of how many trees are everywhere, so thick you can't see through them at times. And there are so many rolling hills. Besides the freeway, most roads are like mini roller coasters - up and down, up and down!  

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

 Teen realistic fiction. Fulfills "Yellow Cover" category in the Pioneer Book Challenge. 

I happened to have this book checked out from the library and it happened to have a yellow cover so I thought it was perfect to add another checklist on my book challenge chart. This is narrated from two perspectives -- Tessa and Weston. This is a fairly common way to write a teenage romance novel. Yet, although there is romance involved, it was far more than just two love sick teenagers. 

Tessa has been in an accident that robs her of her sight. Weston has also been the victim of an accident which left him a paraplegic. Weston helps Tessa through some tough days in the months after losing her eyesight and he finds it incredibly refreshing that she does not know that he does not have legs. She treats him "normally" and he revels in that. Her blindness is not permanent, however, and in the end she has to find out about Weston's permanent disability. 

Recommend: Yes. 

Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl

Children's Poetry. Fulfills Popular Published in 1982 category in the Pioneer Book Challenge.

Roald Dahl books are all a little edgy and odd, but they are fun to read and make me smile. This short book of poetry takes Fairy Tales, like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Snow White, among others, and turns them into short rhyming tales that don't end well. They do make you think about consequences of all those fairy tale characters choices and are especially fun to read aloud!

Recommend: Yes

Dragonwatch: Return of the Dragon Slayers by Brandon Mull

 Teen fantasy fiction. Fulfills "To Be Read Pile" category in the Pioneer Book Challenge

This is the 5th and final book in the Dragonwatch series which continues the story of Kendra and Seth Sorenson started in the Fablehaven series. 

I have to admit I was a little hesitant to start this book. It sat on my night stand for a month or so. I've really enjoyed the Fablehaven and Dragonwatch books and since I knew this was the final installment I really wanted it to end well wrapped up with i's dotted and t's crossed. I was not disappointed. This may be the best wrap up of a series that I've ever read. There was a perfect balance of many things being resolved and some things not. Not everything had a happy ending and that felt very real life. But despite that, the characters dealt with the hands they had with dignity and hope. It really was a beautiful ending to an enjoyable ride!

Recommend: YES!

Reading Challenge 2022

 My son, Palmer, called me at the beginning of the year to tell me about a reading challenge he is participating in from Pioneer Book, which is a used bookstore in Provo, Utah. They have produced a list of 40 types of books to be read in the year, which if you do, they will give you a $50 gift card. I thought it was a wonderful thing and decided to join him in the challenge. 

If any of you would like to join us in this challenge here is a link to the rules: Pioneer Book Reading Challenge 2022

In a nutshell you need to read a book in each of the following categories, some of which require you to purchase a book at Pioneer Book (the ones with an *), but they have a web site that I will utilize and I just might stop in the next time I'm in Utah with my kids. 

I've already finished two categories: Popular published in 1992 (The Widow's Broom) and Author you share a last initial with (As You Are). 

The Widow's Broom by Chris Van Allsburg

 Children's fiction/picture book. Fulfills Popular Published in 1992 category in the Pioneer Book Challenge

Van Allsburg is my favorite illustrator. He has produced books like The Polar Express and Jumanji and my favorite The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. As an author/illustrator he is one of the best. Someday I would like to purchase prints of some of his illustrations and hang them in my home. 

The Widow's Broom is an enchanting tale about a broom that a witch left behind. It seems a simple tale, but has so many lessons woven into the story and the pictures. 

Recommend: Yes. 

When the Ground is Hard by Malla Nunn

Teen historical fiction. Adele is a mixed race young woman growing up in the 1960s in Swaziland. She attends a boarding school funded by her white father where life is anything but easy for her and the rest of the students at the school. Her mother has sacrificed to provide a life for her much different from the life she herself experienced. 

This story drew me quickly in and showed me not only the difficult lives of the various races living in Swaziland, but also the the different ways to handle those hard lives which can make our lives better. 

Recommend: Yes. 

As You Are by Sarah M. Eden

Regency Romance. Fulfills Author You Share Last Name Initial With category in the Pioneer Book Challenge.

I've read several of Sarah Eden's romance novels and they are a quick enjoyable read. This is in her Jonquil Brothers series that follows the romantic interests of the Jonquil family. The characters are well developed and it's fun to see the other brothers appear in each story. 

Recommend: Yes