Linda LoweryRecensioni

An engaging, simple story with a slightly overhanded romance. The choices are all guided so that one can easily make all the right choices which perhaps makes the story feel more natural and less jarring, less lucky. The world certainly feels bigger and left me wanting more (in a good way). The romance plays prominently throughout the story though there is never anything questionable (butt shots, lusting, sexual tension, etc.)
The earliest I’d pull this out, is for a 2nd-3rd grade reader that is ready for some romantic themes.

The Spell of the Winter Wizard is a children's, middle grade choose-your-own-adventure stylel book that is Number 11 in the Endless Quest series. It is a Dungeons and Dragons Adventures book also, which is what caught my attention when it landed in our Little Free Library. I'm a latecomer to Dungeons and Dragons and trying to learn the basics of it, thanks to my husband. Even as an older adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventurous quest! It had all the elements of a fairy tale and oh, so much magic! The path I initially chose was pretty mellow and just turned the bad guy, the wizard of winter, into a flower and saving my stepfather, the good wizard. My character is a young girl whose stepfather good wizard has just been whisked off by the evil wizard of winter and my cat has been turned into a reindeer.

After my initial chosen adventure, I went back and read through the entire book, with all of the various outcomes. The author's imagination is vast and the book contains talking clams who sail boats and trees who bleed when their limbs are cut off, and many, many other creative and magical creatures throughout. The situations seem endless. Many end in doom and death, but hopefully you choose correctly and wind up with a happy ending!

Includes information on the celebration of the holiday.

Young Hannah has been chosen to help others and her angel friends guide her on the journey. Hannah makes new friends as she helps those that seem like they are alone in their struggle. In Mardi Gras Mix Up Hannah is led to a young boy in a wheelchair who has run away because he does not want to leave his home.

I like chapter books like this. It is a sweet short story not made too easy. It reminds me of Touched By Angel for kids. This was the first one in this series I had read. I could follow what was happening but I did feel like I would understand the reason for angels if I read the first book. Hopefully one day I will.

The only downside is that I feel the angels are not in the book as much as I thought they would be. Everything is kinda put on Hannah’s shoulders which is kinda rough for a preteen.

Hannah and the Angels is a great series for kids ages 5 and up. I would also recommend The Fairy School series by Gail Carson Levine.

I remember getting this book for Christmas, maybe in 1983 or 1984. I don't have my original copy, which had a gemstone on the spine. The cover artwork is pretty evocative, and I picked it up to read because of the winter going on around me. I remember having a pretty strong mixed reaction to it when I read it initially - I wanted these books to be about adult adventurers with full equipment and abilities, but this one is about a female adopted ward of the wizard of eternal spring, who is incapacitated with illness when he is captured by the wizard of eternal winter.

I found most of the entries and choices to have a deus ex machina type of plot, where the choices made are rather token. I suppose that all Choose Your Own Adventure types of books have this kind of issue, but this book was particularly strong.

The interior artwork is acceptable, but not great. I was surprised to find that there is an actual scene of the cover art in one of the stories - I had thought it was just bad advertising. Nevertheless, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be about.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book again, and recalling some of the pleasant memories of my youth.

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I liked this book for two reasons. First, I liked the language. I found the language of this book to be very descriptive and clear. For example, page 4 states “The flowers and leaves and corn of summer are all gone. They have died and gone back to the earth”. The wording of this is descriptive while still being easy to read for the readers. The text should be a good read for readers who are in the process of achieving fluency or close to. The second reason I liked this book was because of its illustrations. I really believe that the illustrations enhanced the story tremendously by adding some personality and action into the text. Since the text is so straight forward, having these colorful pictures really allows the story to come alive. For example, when the text talks about “The flowers and leaves and corn of summer are all gone. They have died and gone back to the earth”, the illustrations show a family holding their festivities as the leaves slowly trickle to the ground around them. This story did not have a big idea as it was mostly fact based. However, the holdiay it was discussing was the Day of the Dead which is a holiday that celebrates ancestors. If there was to be an underlying message it would proably be about the importance of honoring those who came before you.

This is a wonderful and colorful book explaining the celebration of Day of the Dead. The book explains what events happen during all three days of the celebration and what time specific events happen. The book explains Hispanic traditions on these days and why these traditions are done. The book is great for integrating another culture into the classroom. The back of the book also includes a vocabulary list with Spanish words and their English meanings.

This is a very brief biography about Wilma Mankiller, who would become the first woman chief on the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. The book traces Wilma Mankiller's childhood move to San Francisco, California, as part of a government program that promised better opportunities for Native Americans in cities. Remembering the her ancestors' history on the Trail of Tears, and noting the dramatic differences between her beloved childhood home in Mankiller Flats and the prejudice and foreign-ness of the city, Wilma resolves to return to her childhood home as an adult. 20 years later, she finally returns with her two daughters, and takes up a job with the Cherokee Nation, which would lead to her being asked to run for deputy chief. The road to this position is rocky, however, as she faces prejudice among her own people as a woman- which is surprising, since traditionally women were treated with the same respect as men in roles as healers, warriors, and council members. Wilma sees here that among the many changes white settlers had brought, one was the idea that only men made good leaders. Wilma pushes forward anyways, taking solace in the Cherokee Way, and this determination and her vision for the Cherokee Nation lead to her becoming a great leader for her people.

The writing is easy going and to the point, a good introduction for young readers. The illustrations are colorful and very expressive, helping the storytelling process nicely. There is a gap in what happened between Wilma's childhood and her move back to Oklahoma, missing her entire young adulthood experiences in San Francisco, which bothers me because I do believe that is extremely important to her story. Overall, though, I did like the book and the way it tried to depict the difficulties of reservation life and the work Wilma did for her people to children.

The Chocolate Tree a Mayan folktale written by Linda Lowery and Richard Keep and illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. It draws on the rich history of the Mayan people and is somewhat of a “tall tale” about how crops get to Mexico.

This book is a combination of colorful pictures and poetry lines. It is full of fun, dancing, and other actives that kids will find so fun to read.

This is a great easy chapter book that shares the history of El Dia de Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. The book provides in depth history and descriptions of how the holiday celebrated today. I really love how this book incorporates history, seasons changing, family traditions, and cultural information in one easy-to-read book. I think the book does a good job of placing the holiday in a context that students who were previously unfamiliar with it can understand.

INFORMATIONAL: This chapter book gives true, detailed information about a current holiday. The purpose of this book is to educate the reader about the Day of the Dead, and it does so by including illustrations, descriptions, and facts about the event.
USE: I could use this book to talk about holidays OTHER than the ones we might have already heard of (Christmas, Easter, etc.). This book would be a great introduction to Latin American culture. I could also use this book to talk about traditions, both familial and cultural.
MEDIA: Acrylics and mixed media

I hadn't heard this exact version before so that was cool to read a different one. This is a classic tale and working with a majority of Hispanic students makes this a MUST for the classroom; even having multiple version to discuss how a tale changes over time.

I enjoyed this book very much. This book was about "El Dia de los Muertos." The author gave a good overview of what "The Day of The Dead" really is and who celebrates it. I liked how the author incorporated the Spanish language into the story as well. Not only that, but there was also very important references to the Mexican culture. She stated customs and traditions that go along with that day as well. For example, "October 31: In a small town in Mexico, mothers and grandmothers are busy preparing a Day of The Dead feast...chiles, tamales, and pan de muertos." The author goes onto describe the important features of that day. For example, "at the market and in the shops, people are selling candy and toys...there are toy skeletons made of wood or paper...these skeletons are called calacas." The reader is learning about the traditions and practices of the Mexican culture and why this day is so significant. The author covers religion, Spanish explorers of 1521, and also the Aztecs. I really liked reading this book because it was very informative and I think it did a very great job in summing up what The Day of The Dead really is.

This is a very well done book. It is a informational text that reads more like a story. It covered a variety of subjects within the topic of Day of the Dead celebrations. The main message of this books is to inform people about Day of the Dead. This authors writing is very well done. there are defined sections but they all seem as thought they flow into one another, almost seamlessly. The book as written in a way that the reader felt as though they were a tourist and they were being told about the Day of the Dead. Everything was layout in a way that was very easy to follow along and easy to understand. Nothing in the book felt out of place, it all felt like information that I would need to know if I were to participate in this holiday. The way that the illustrations were made it made me feel very welcome into the little village that I was walking though on my Day of the Dead tour. There is a lot from this book that if I were to be teaching a lesson I could draw from. I could make multiple different station activities around celebration of Day of the Dead.

Simple nonfiction text explaining this holiday.

A biography of the freed slave who made her fortune in Colorado and then used her fortune to help other former slaves start their lives over again.

Biography of a rare freed black women before the civil war. Provides a new and different perspective on freedom and slavery. Highlights the separation of families as a result of slavery and the hardship that Clara faced (like walking to Colorado from St. Louis) even though she was freed. Lovely examples of how Clara helped freed slaves, and then when she needed it, how the community helped Clara. Could lead to good dialog about women running businesses or being business owners - and the associated stereotypes. Nice counterbalance to 'typical' portrayal of African American women.

this is a book show the biography of a woman, who is the first woman chief of the Cherokee Nation. The book told us how the childhood experience would affect the whole life of a person.

Summary: This book gives an overview of El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday that celebrates the dead. This book gives a brief history of the holiday, then goes into a description of the modern-day celebrations that occur over the course of three days (October 31, November 1, and November 2).

Review: I found this book both very informative and fun. Before reading this book, I did not really have an idea of what El Dia de los Muertos is, outside of its English translation ("Day of the Dead"). Now I have a general understanding of the holiday. The author covers the main points of the holiday in brief, simple language that can be understood by all, without coming across as talking down to the reader. The illustrations are beautiful as well. I really liked this book!

Central Idea of Day of the Dead: The main purpose of this book is to give the reader a general understanding of what El Dia de los Muertos is.½

The artwork is really interesting and I like how it has a bit of texture. It's not smooth. The story is sad and the gloomy colors add to that effect.

Tells the story of a woman whose husband left her and her children. Then her children goes missing and her spirit searches for her them.

Another title in the On My Own Folklore series, which presents folktales in simplified form for beginning readers, The Tale of La Llorona offers a version of the well-known Mexican folktale, as heard by the authors in Guanajuato.

The story of La Llorona (the Weeping Woman) has been told in many different ways, and this terrifying ghost - who perpetually mourns the loss of her children - has been depicted as everything from a prostitute to a naive young girl. In this version, Maria is an inn-keeper's daughter whose obsession with wealth leads her to disregard the one true blessing of her life...

Including a brief authors' note, a glossary, and a list of further reading, this title should prove both entertaining and educational, and will appeal to young readers with a taste for ghost stories.

A very good urban legend that is very popular among the Mexican populations both here in the States and in Mexico. However, many people have heard of "La Llorona" but they do not know the legend behind it. This book is good to introduce the legend to the any students who are curious. It is also a good introductory legend to begin for a Mexican who is rich in culture and legends. I have read this since it was a good start to know my culture and the journey has been endless. This could be the same for students of Mexican origins who wish to know more about their culture.

Characters: Mayans, gods, goddesses.

Setting: Outdoors in ancient Mexico

Theme: Origins of food, gods and goddesses

Genre: Traditional Literature - Folklore

Golden quote (optional):

Summary: The Chocolate tree has five sections to the story. Each section tells a portion of the entire tale of chocolate coming to Mexico. Kukulkán is a king and a god in Mexico. He rules the daytime and his brother, Night Jaguar, rules the night. Kukulkán wants to reward his loyal people and sets off on a journey to Paradise to find the right thing. He ends up asking the gods and goddesses of Paradise for a cacao tree but is denied. After everyone is asleep, he takes a tree under his arm and goes back to his people. Night Jaguar finds out and tells the gods and goddesses of Kukulkán’s misdeed. As punishment, Kukulkán can never return to Paradise. His people though, now have chocolate forever.

Audience: second through sixth grade

Curriculum ties: folklore, historical fiction, native American studies

Awards (optional):

Personal response: I was interested in this book as I have been to the Yucatán, climbed to the top of Chichén Itzá, and love Mexican hot chocolate. I can see why Kukulkán wanted to reward his people with the cacao tree. I like how the story is told in chapters. For early readers, this sets the tone for chapter books in the future. The illustrations resemble much of the art found in Mexico, bright colors and soft edges. I am not sure if I like how Kukulkán stole the tree but appreciate his drive and sacrifice for his people. This would be a good book to introduce during Hispanic-American month.

Genre: Informational, biography

Review: The author of this book creates a biography that talks about Martin Luther King's life. The story that this author tells about Martin Luther King is told of his real life. It goes from when he was a child to when when he died.

Characterization: Martin Luther King is the protagonist of the story because he is the one that the story was written about. He is also the round character because we learn a lot about him and how he decided to make a difference because of the events that went on during his life time.

Media: Not Stated