The Art Forger

Despite no formal coursework in the area, I love art history. When a book review discusses an art topic, I usually add it to my adult reading list. Last week, that book was THE ART FORGER by B.A. Shapiro. Its main character, Claire Roth, has been wronged in some way (which is slowly revealed to the reader), and she seeks a way to gain recognition in the Boston art world. Until that time, she paints reproductions of famous works for an online company. Thus, the offer from a gallery owner to copy a Degas painting in exchange for her own show seems to be an opportunity she cannot refuse. Add to that the Isabella Stewart Gardner heist of 1990 and some incredibly detailed detective work in sketchbooks and process, and the book became one that completely engaged me.

Consistent Narrator

It amazes me how I will learn about or read one thing, and then it appears in other things soon afterward. It happened with counterfeiting this time. Having reading about the counterfeiting operations in Lincoln's Grave Robbers, I got a second exposure in Amy Timberlake's new novel One Came Home.

Twelve-year-old Georgie Burkhardt is the observant and determined narrator, telling the story of her sister Agatha's disappearance from their small Wisconsin town. Though a funeral was held for the auburn-haired young woman, Georgie is certain her sister is alive somewhere, and she sets out (after making a deal for a horse with her sister's former beau, Billy McCabe) to find the truth. Unbeknownst to her, Grandfather Burke has also made a deal with the same young man - only his plan involves having someone watch over his meddlesome granddaughter.

Intermingled with their quest are the stories about the wild pigeons and the pigeoners who follow them, the incredible accuracy of Georgie's shooting ability, the amazing library of Agatha's other suitor, and the family they encounter just when they think they are close to finding the truth about Agatha. Georgie is an unbelievably insightful young woman, often surprising me with her comments. I think these things now, but I do not believe I was so articulate at Georgie's age.

Two favorites:

"I do think there is a limit to how much a person can feel and think on one particular day." p. 155

"Living with uncertainty is like having a rock in your shoe. If you can't remove the rock, you have to figure out how to walk despite it." p. 226

Betty Bunny #3

When a character - whatever her age - expresses a love of chocolate cake, I would most likely love that character. When she proclaims, "I want to marry chocolate cake!", I recognize a rival in my love of chocolate cake. That would be Michael Kaplan's character Betty Bunny, introduced in 2011. Though I did not follow her thinking in her second book, Betty Bunny Wants Everything, I did find it humorous. Thus, I was anxious to read Betty Bunny Didn't Do It (released a month ago) to the school children.

They love that the book begins the same as the previous books: "Betty Bunny was a handful." They all laugh, knowing her definition of "a handful" is quite the opposite of theirs. That laughter continues, sometimes erupting into uncontrollable giggles and guffaws, as the young rabbit denies breaking a lamp (claiming the Tooth Fairy did it), denies lying to her mom about breaking the lamp (saying she is telling an "honest lie"), and proceeds to get herself into more trouble as the story progresses.

The time spent reading aloud is my favorite part of the day. I love children's delight in stories, their insights, their ways of relating to characters, and their laughter. I carry those giggles with me in the rest of my work.

Minnesota Bug Hunt

As much as I want to have a clean house, I admit to neglecting the chore of dusting. That said, I am always dismayed to find an insect indoors, especially things I think are centipedes. Spiders are less annoying (think about Charlotte as an explanation for my tolerance of them). Just outside the house, earwigs (with their creepy pincers) often reside in my mailbox.

Bruce Giebink's new book Minnesota Bug Hunt has been helpful in identifying some of the other insects I encounter outdoors. Organized by habitat (backyards, grassland prairies, forests, ponds, and oak trees), the book is crawling with facts about commonly seen bugs in my state. Bold type indicates insect names and defined words, making it an excellent way for readers to learn key vocabulary in context. The photographs by Bill Johnson are incredibly detailed, showing the stick-like appearance of geometrid moths (inchworms), for example, or the airy froth bubbles created by meadow spittlebugs. The author provides fabulous descriptions of the many insects and includes hints for hunting for bugs outdoors, making this a perfect addition to summer reading lists for young readers.

Book Books

The wonderfully talented writer of Sketchbook Wandering and I have been exchanging book ideas since "meeting" each other via our blogs. Recently, she sought titles for showing how positive habits are established, specifically reading and visiting the library. Many of the titles I considered were already on her list...and then others would float into my mind as I walked in the sunshine this week.

One of my favorites is BOOK! BOOK! BOOK! by Deborah Bruss. When the farm children return to school in the fall, all the animals search for something to occupy their time. They trek to town, following a sign to the library. Each volunteers in turn to enter and ask the librarian for help, but none are successful - until the hen goes indoors. Imagine a hen's sound, and you will understand how she was finally the one to communicate with the librarian effectively. The animals return to the farm with books for everyone. Only the frog is disappointed because he already "read-it".

I baked animal cookies yesterday (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/animal-cookies-recipe) using some farm cookies cutters retrieved from my great aunt's house 19 years ago. Not only are they delicious, but they will make the perfect snack for my young neighbor friends when we read BOOK! BOOK! BOOK! together tomorrow.

Discovering New Information

I love reading about things previously unknown to me. Never had I been aware that villainous men plotted to steal President Lincoln's body from his memorial in Springfield, Illinois in 1865! Author Steve Sheinkin kept me totally engaged as I read Lincoln's Grave Robbers today. It begins with equally incredible background information about other wrongdoings. Counterfeiters flooded the country with fake bills. A man like Ben Boyd, known as a coney, would painstakingly carve plates and use "pushers" to get those bills into circulation. The Secret Service was actually in charge of disrupting these operations, not in protecting the President.

When Sheinkin gets to plot thickener, these words are riveting:

"In flush times the gang (Logan County Gang) liked to brag that, thanks to them, there was more bogus than real money floating around Logan County. But business was slow now. The men were just eager for any kind of work. And it just so happened that Big Jim (Kennally) had a job for them. He wanted them to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln." p. 37

Sheinkin's writing flows easily for me. The book reads like a fictional story and is a perfect example of how the events of a situation can be shared as anecdote in a manner engaging to readers. I would love to read this one aloud to my intermediate students.

Note: the photo is of a quilt hanging at Grant's March, a quilt shop specializing in fabric designs and colors from the Civil War era.

Lucky or Fortunate

I have a talent for finding four-leaf-clovers. Sometimes I leave them in their patch, but most times I carefully bring them home, press them in waxed paper, and store them in large books. Sometimes I share them with others. But I do not think they really bring luck. A wise mentor in my life refrained from wishing others luck, believing that we make our own circumstances what they are. Still, there are times when I wonder.

Take Josie Moraine, the main character in OUT OF THE EASY, the latest book by Ruta Sepetys. The daughter of a prostitute, she grows up in New Orleans, cared for by Willie, the madame who runs her mother's brothel. She lives in a small room above a bookstore in the Quarter in exchange for working at the shop. In addition, she spends every morning cleaning at the house for Willie. Despite her circumstances, Josie has maintained excellent grades in high school and hopes to attend college. The girl has not been lucky. I cannot imagine her even using the word.

Yet she is loved deeply by Charlie, the bookstore owner, and his son Patrick, by Sadie, the mute cook at the house, by Cokie, the driver of Willie's enormous Cadillac named Mariah, by Jesse, a young man who watches out for her on the streets, and especially by Willie herself. Most of what occurs in her life is out of Josie's control. Still, she plans and works and negotiates, hoping to change the course of her life. She appreciates all the ways she has been fortunate.