The Headless Cupid

By Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The Headless Cupid was one of my very favorite books as an elementary school student.  The four Stanley children: responsible David, chatter-box Janie, stubborn Tesser, and her twin quiet Blair have learned to live without a mother since their own mother died a few years ago.  Now their dad has married Molly who has an almost-teenage daughter named Amanda.


At first David and his siblings are excited to get a new sister, but Amanda is not at all what they expected.  She is crabby and claims to be studying witchcraft (or the "occult").


The cupid in the title is a wooden carved decoration that is part of the staircase in the old home where the family lives. The head was cut off decades and has been missing ever since. 


In this story the witchcraft is not real like it is in the Harry Potter series.  It is handled in a way that is exciting, but not too scary.  I tend to stay away from stories that feel too creepy or promote things that are not uplifting. This is a great book that I don't have to worry about any of these issues when I read it. 

Breaking Stalin's Nose

By Eugene Yelchin

Newbery Honor 2012

Breaking Stalin's Nose is an inside look at the Communist regime under Jospef Stalin. The book does not specify the year, but Stalin was in power between 1924 and his death in 1953. This is a wonderful example of historical fiction.

Stalin's tactics of instilling mistrust, suspicion and fear among the people while demanding total loyalty to him is all pointed out in this book.

The illustrations, also by the author are stunning in black & white and add a great feel to the book.

****

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gantos

Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal.

I must say that I went into this book with some hesitation. I have not been overly impressed with some of the recent Newbery picks and did not like the last book I read by this author. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by this offering.

Told by a character named Jack Gantos, we get to spend his summer with him while he is grounded in his small quirky town called Norvelt. Jack's world is filled with many eccentric neighbors from an old lady who cooks her hands and loves writing obituaries, to an old man who travels around on a gigantic tricycle to a girl who lives in the mortuary.

Told with warmth and a healthy respect for history with a lot of humor thrown in I enjoyed this story and can see what the Newbery committee was thinking.

*** 1/2

A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens

One of my very favorite Christmas traditions is reading Dickens' classic every year.

Some movie adaptations make this wonderful little gem seem more like a story of terror and ghosts more suited for Halloween than Christmas. Don't be fooled!

Dickens' classic tale in his original format is perfect for Christmas. A tale of rebirth and changing for the better, next to scriptures I consider this to be the story of the true meaning of Christmas.

A short and easy read for older readers this is a Christmas story not to be missed.

*****

Autobiography of Santa Claus

As told to Jeff Guinn

This week we've been learning about the origin of Santa Claus. One of our sources is a great book I discovered a few years ago. Reading this in December is one of my personal holiday traditions.

This is a really fun and informative book about the good Saint Nicholas born in Lycia (Modern day Turkey) about 280 A.D. and how he evolved into the jolly man we know and love today.

Rating: ***

Recommended: For fifth grade and up.