Review of The Little Hunchback Zia by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“And it came to pass nigh upon nineteen hundred and sixteen years ago” This begins Frances Hodgson Burnett’s little book published in 1916 about a rejected, deformed orphan boy who is sent to beg for the cruel woman who keeps him. One day, hiding in the brush near the road to Bethlehem, he watches a … Continue reading Review of The Little Hunchback Zia by Frances Hodgson Burnett →

A Summer Full of Kids’ Books

I’m back working at school and this summer is officially over tomorrow morning, so this is a good time for a round-up of what I’ve been reading during the long, lazy days of the holiday. Lately, I have been reading and writing about old books, serious books. But browsing through the library feeling the full … Continue reading A Summer Full of Kids’ Books →

Louisa May Alcott’s First Novel, The Inheritance

Written in 1849, first discovered in 1988 and published in 1997, The Inheritance, as expected, is a breath of fresh air. This is no surprise, considering the era in which it was written, when writers consistently wrote with dignity, delicacy, insight, and restraint. It is considered Alcott’s first novel, written when she was only seventeen … Continue reading Louisa May Alcott’s First Novel, The Inheritance →

I Love Old Books! (Part 3)

Happy New Year!  I wonder what books 2013 holds! I enjoy everything about old books: hunting for them, inhaling the smell of leather and studying them: their covers, publishers, inscriptions, signs of aging, and knowing that I am holding something that was on this earth in a different century. I don’t necessarily need to read … Continue reading I Love Old Books! (Part 3) →

Understanding math a la Sir Cumference

A book review of Cindy Neuschwander’s Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone Ages 8-12 Young Radius finding King Arthur’s Sword Edgecaliber Our cast of characters in this book includes Sir Cumference, his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, their son Radius, and his friend, Vertex.  From the first look at the title, through the … Continue reading Understanding math a la Sir Cumference →