Here at the Quill and Crayon, we raise a cup of English Breakfast tea and a sippy cup of milk to our latest books of the moment, THE REMARKABLE LIFE AND TIMES OF ELIZA ROSE by Mary Hooper, and the artist board book series by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober, published by Chronicle books.
I don't pretend to be a book reviewer, but I do want to share books on my blog that I have read or read to Little Scribe that particularly peaked my interest or that I greatly enjoyed. These are two of the latest in what I hope becomes a regular addition to this humble "cottage"of a blog.
Set in the mid-seventeenth century, THE REMARKABLE LIFE AND TIMES OF ELIZA ROSE is my most recent middle grade read, and one that I could not put down.
Eliza Rose begins her story locked in Clink prison, a place where most middle grade novels are never set. (Squalor is such a refreshing change!) Eliza has been kicked out of the house by her stepmother, and she travels to London to search for her father to tell him of the ordeal, only to be arrested when hunger forces her to steal a pasty from a vendor. After surviving for a time there, Eliza is released into the custody of Old Ma Gwyn, a local brothel owner and the mother of real-life actress Nelly Gwyn. After a stint playing a mermaid for Ma Gwyn as payment for her release, Eliza is taken away by Nelly and begins a new life as her companion and maid. She finds friendship in Nelly and becomes fascinated with life in the theatre as well as in the king's court when Nelly becomes Royal Mistress to King Charles II. A surprise ending explains the true events of Eliza's birth, the knowledge of which changes her life forever.
A few years ago, I read Mary Hooper's AT THE SIGN OF THE SUGARED PLUM, and loved it, so I had a feeling that her newest novel wouldn't disappoint. Her writing style flows easily, her descriptions are rich with detail, and she has a good sense of the language of the period. I especially like Hooper's setting descriptions, like this example of Eliza experiencing Clink prison for the first time.
"She now felt it safe to open her eyes. When she did so, however, the view before her was so disturbing that she immediately shut them again. In that instant she'd seen a long, low-ceilinged space, poorly lit by tallow candles, and some bedraggled and filthy creatures sitting around its walls, all of whom looked to be in a state of utter despair and dejection...
Eliza's eyelids flickered open again. To the left, not many inches from where she was lying, was a shallow channel which had been dug out from the hardened earth. There were neither windows nor ventilation in the room, and the stench from the channel- which was no more than an open sewer conveying filth and human waste, she realized- hung chokingly on the air of the room. Which wasn't a room at all, but a cell.
She was in prison."
Reading that certainly makes me happy to be sitting next to my wood-burning stove, wrapped in a sweater, all cozy and warm!
I really want to read PETALS IN THE ASHES, the book Hooper wrote right before this one, set in the seventeenth century during the Great London Fire. I'm hoping her writing style carries over to that novel as well.
Little Scribe's picks are a set of board books by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober, each about a different artist, and each a delight in its own way. So far, we have in our collection SUNDAY WITH SEURAT, SHARING WITH RENOIR, IN THE GARDEN WITH VAN GOGH, DANCING WITH DEGAS, A PICNIC WITH MONET, and A MAGICAL DAY WITH MATISSE. The books follow a poetic format, with each stanza describing a painting. Here is an excerpt from A PICNIC WITH MONET (picture each stanza next to a Monet painting):
"Cross a magical bridge to a place beyond,
where water lilies float on a purple pond.
Then find the way to a shimmering bay
where sailboats race the day away."
The poems are lyrical and really bring the paintings to life. Good, unforced rhyme, as well. Little Scribe loves these stories and wants me to read them over and over. It also helps to read them before going to an art museum, because then Little Scribe is used to seeing the art and can point out bridges, flowers, boats, etc, as we walk around together. (I also use the "find the kitties and puppies" method to get through art museums. It never fails!)
Hopefully you'll be able to check out some of these titles and add them to the piles next to your beds, too.
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