The Turning

 

The Turning

by Gloria Whelan

Copyright 2006

Our latest read aloud has been a book by Gloria Whelan.  The audience for this book was my two daughters, ages 7 and 10.  The Turning takes place in Russia in 1991 during the country's struggle for democracy.  It is the fictional story of a ballerina, Tonya, who is planning to defect to Paris while on tour with her ballet company.

My ten year old said she enjoyed learning about the life of a ballerina and didn't realize all the necessary preparations leading up to the tour to Paris, like wearing out a pair of toe shoes every day. (I guess this really happens!)

My seven year old rushed to find another book by Gloria Whelan on our last visit to the library.  I guess that is a pretty good gauge of her engagement with the story, though she wasn't too specific about what she liked. She did say that she was a little disappointed there wasn't a wedding before the book ended.

The Turning is found in the teen section of our library but really, the content was very accessible to our younger crowd.  We had a good discussion about Russia, communism and the basics of recent changes there. I think part of the girls' interest in this topic is that their piano teacher came to the U.S. from the Ukraine at the time the Soviet Union dissolved and now they have lots of new questions for her!

We are off to read Angel on the Square (we're on a roll with this author right now). . . .

A Wrinkle in Time

 

A Wrinkle in Time

by Madeleine L'Engle

Copyright:  1962

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I remember my fourth grade teacher, Miss Ucella, reading this book aloud in the classroom.  She would read from it as we waited for the dismissal bell to ring.  I remember enjoying the suspense and looking forward to the next day when she would read it again.  Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger just like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, only this is more imaginative.  I attempted to capture the magic by reading it to my own children.  They too enjoyed the suspense and would ask for just one more chapter!  My ten year old wondered if the author had any imagination left after she wrote this book.  She also said she loved the way they traveled, and wouldn't mind twinkling back and forth through the calendar too.  My seven year old she liked how "mysterious" it was and how she never knew what was going to happen next.  She said, "I didn't want it to end."  The idea of your mind being controlled by an evil power, forcing you into a subservient zombe-like state was kind of scary for them.  The story was so surreal for them though that it didn't give them nightmares.

My ten year old was very intrigued by the description of Aunt Beast and her kind, the benevolent non-humans.  "They had four arms and far more than five fingers to each hand, and the fingers were not fingers, but long waving tentacles.  They had heads, and they had faces . . . .  Where the features would normally be there were several indentations, and in place of ears and hair were more tentacles.  They were tall . . . far taller than any man.  They had no eyes.  Just soft indentations."  She took this description and drew her own interpretation of Aunt Beast without all the fingers. 

This is a great read aloud of managable length if you haven't done it yet!

Monkey with a Tool Belt

 
Monkey with a Tool Belt
by Chris Monroe
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Copyright: 2008


Anyone who has little boys will be able to appreciate this book! My little guys, age 3 and 5 have decided this is their favorite library book of the week. The main character is a monkey named "Chico Bon Bon" - just the name bringing up giggles! Chico has a tool belt with many, many tools and they all fit on his belt. There is a diagram of Chico's belt with all the names of the tools listed. Check it out the next time you are at the library!