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I've joined in with some blogging friends for an online book club, and we are wrapping up this week. By the way, all our readers are invited to join in as well. Each month we'll have a theme to build our book picks around, and our August theme was Newbery Medal Books.
Since Newbery Medal Books are children's books, I thought I might get to read two or three during the month. I thought. My August turned out to be much busier than I'd anticipated, so two or three got whittled down to one book. I borrowed three of the Newbery books that interested me from the library, and decided I would read the one I was completely unfamiliar with - The Twenty-One Balloons. I also have Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH and Holes, and thought I might be able to do a quick read before returning them to the library. However, here we are at the end of the month and I haven't done that yet.
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The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene DuBois - When I started looking at the Newbery lists, this title caught my eye. I joked that perhaps it was because I like the band Twenty One Pilots. The description looked charming, and kind of reminded me of the movie Up! so I was intrigued. This was the Newbery Medal winner in 1947. The copy I read had different cover art, which disappointed me a little at first, because I really like this!
The introduction sets the stage for this story about Professor William Sherman, who wanted to live by himself floating along under a balloon, but instead briefly became a citizen of Krakatoa.
There are two kinds of travel. The usual way is to take the fastest imaginable conveyance along the shortest road. The other way is not to care particularly where you are going or how long it will take you, or whether you will get there or not.
Professor Sherman was an arithmetic teacher, and found it dull and unimaginative. He dreamed of being by himself in quiet surroundings, with nothing to do but float wherever the wind would take him. He designed a large balloon with a basket he could live in comfortably for up to a year. When he first floated up into the sky he enjoyed his adventure immensely and soon was high above the ocean.
Trouble arrived in the form of gulls that eventually punctured his balloon. As he lost altitude he employed all his ingenuity in keeping the balloon as high above the water as possible until the last possible moment. It was with great relief that he was able to land on a small island, but he was quite surprised to find that he was on Krakatoa, and that it was NOT uninhabited, as everyone thought.
The unique citizens of Krakatoa have an unusual society but they welcome Professor Sherman cordially. He learns about how they came to live on Krakatoa, about their source of wealth, and about the interesting rules of their society. But just as he is starting to get settled, the rumbling and grumbling of the volcano indicate a dangerous eruption is imminent and they must all evacuate!
The story is imaginative and humorous, full of little ironies, and a witty blend of realistic and fantastical story telling. In some places it sounds almost believable, but there's a tongue-in-cheek type of humour that keeps it light. The illustrations throughout add to the light and witty tone. I thought the ending was rather unsatisfactory, but overall a very enjoyable book that I wish I'd been able to give to my kids when they were young.
Professor William Waterman Sherman intends to fly across the Pacific Ocean. But through a twist of fate, he lands on Krakatoa, and discovers a world of unimaginable wealth, eccentric inhabitants, and incredible balloon inventions. Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal.
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I may still be able to get to these two sometime soon. Here are the blurbs:
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien - I'm pretty familiar with the story because I enjoyed the movie based on the book, and one of my co-op students wrote a literary analysis of the book last year. I don't think I've read this 1971 winner though.
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, and extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. Winner of the 1971 Newbery Medal.
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Holes by Louis Sachar - Why don't I own a copy of the 1998 Medal winner? I love this story. I loved the movie version too. My kids all loved the movie, and I think some of them read the book. Anyway, I'd love to read it again, and maybe I will!
Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn't green and doesn't have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it's character building, but this is a lie. It's up to Stanley to dig up the truth.
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Have you read any Newbery Medal books? Which do you recommend?
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