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Looking for a detailed review of COME, LLAMAS by Jennifer Morris?

Asked by Anne Frank in Books & Authors at 12:07 AM on February 06, 2009

myjunction's Answer

COME, LLAMAS by Jennifer Morris

Yearling
ISBN-10: 0440420245
ISBN-13: 9780440420248
Ages 8-12
208 pages

If you've never lived or worked on a llama ranch in Alaska, no problem. Because now you can spend some time on the Kinnaman Ranch with nine-year-old JT and his Grandad. JT has always wanted to raise his very own llama, and this spring he finally gets the chance to do so.

But as JT's Grandad says, "Things keep growing and changing on a llama ranch." And not always for the best. JT's baby llama, named Elmo, is born very small and needs special attention. JT learns why one cannot spend more than three minutes at a time caring for a new baby llama, and how to watch out for infection.

Just as Elmo is starting to grow, one of the most frightening and terrible things happens to the Kinnaman Ranch. A giant grizzly bear breaks through a fence, and the ranch loses almost half its llamas! As a result, the ranch's yearly income is seriously affected. And to make matters worse, little defenseless Elmo is missing.

They say that bad things happen all once, and this is unfortunately the case with JT and his family. Grandad gets very sick and has to be rushed to the clinic while everyone is trying to find whatever llamas are still alive. And JT, a member of his school's baseball team, may get to pitch in the season's most important game --- if the coach thinks he's good enough. But how can JT find time to practice when so many terrible things are happening?

While Grandad lies seriously ill in the clinic, JT miraculously finds Elmo, who has a broken leg. Llamas with broken legs have not survived on the Kinnaman Ranch. And although JT does get to pitch in the season's last game, Grandad is not there to cheer him on. It takes incredible hope and spirit for JT and Elmo to make it through this saddest yet most inspiring of springs.

COME, LLAMAS, Jennifer Morris's debut novel, is a most unusual and moving story.

Answered at 12:08 AM on February 06, 2009

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Review of A COOL MOONLIGHT by Angela Johnson?

Asked by Mitana Mukhe in Books & Authors at 12:05 AM on February 06, 2009

myjunction's Answer

A COOL MOONLIGHT by Angela Johnson

Dial Books
ISBN: 0803728468
Ages 8-12
133 pages

Because of a rare condition called xeroderma pigmentosum, sunshine and some artificial light have always been eight-year-old Lila's enemy. Sunlight burns her skin and can even cause her to go blind, so Lila lives in darkened rooms and is involved in many nighttime adventures. She sleeps during the day and attends school in her own dim kitchen. She waits each evening for sunset and darkness, when she can go outside to play and explore her neighborhood. Even at night, she must slather herself with sunscreen, wear sunglasses and cover up. Lila doesn't lack for companions. Monk, Lila's older sister, calls the family "shadow people and proud of it." Monk is Lila's co-adventurer, bundling her sister up at night to take her to coffee houses and on rides. After dark, Lila's dad accompanies her to the grocery store where they race shopping carts in the parking lot. David, a neighbor boy, brings Lila comic books and comradeship. Reading the comic books makes her want to be a super hero called the sun goddess/moon girl. Lila's friends, Elizabeth and Alyssa, visit her only at night; somehow no one else has met them or even seen them. Her mysterious nocturnal visitors secretly plot with Lila to find a way for her to enjoy sunlight. In fact, they promise to help fill her sun bag. When it's filled, Lila will no longer have to live only in darkness. She can't wait until she's able to go outside during the day and dance in sunshine as a true sun goddess/moon girl.

As time goes by and her ninth birthday approaches, Lila begins to wonder why no one has seen Alyssa and Elizabeth --- even when she points them out. She also puzzles over the sun bag --- how can filling it with sun pieces "fix" her?

This is an intriguing, unusual story told in a graceful, childlike voice. Although I was too aware of the lack of capitals for the first few pages, I soon realized it contributed to the smooth stream-of-consciousness narrative flow. I highly recommend A COOL MOONLIGHT for its gorgeous writing, complex mysteries and triumphant conclusion.

Answered at 12:06 AM on February 06, 2009

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Review of THE CLUE OF THE LINOLEUM LEDERHOSEN by M. T. Anderson?

Asked by Mitana Mukhe in Books & Authors at 11:59 PM on February 05, 2009

myjunction's Answer

THE CLUE OF THE LINOLEUM LEDERHOSEN - M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales #2 by M. T. Anderson and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus

Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN-10: 0152054073
ISBN-13: 9780152054076
Ages 10-up
272 pages

Katie Mulligan is sick of life in Horror Hollow: the zombies, the vampires, the horrific practical jokes her mom and dad play --- it's all getting a little bit old. So when Katie's friend Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, receives a coupon for a free dinner at the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort, Katie jumps at the opportunity for a few days away from adventure. When Jasper, Katie, and their friend Lily arrive at Moose Tongue, though, they are surprised to find that most of the guests, like Katie and Jasper themselves, are the stars of adventure novel series past and present.

There are the Cutesy Dell twins (dead ringers for the Sweet Valley High girls), the clueless but oh-so-macho Manley Boys, and Eddie Wax (whose best friend is a horse named Stumpy). All the guests are thrown into turmoil, though, when the Hooper Quints, stars of a series of 1950s adventure novels, are kidnapped and held for ransom in a remote mountain cave. Jasper and Lily join a search party, but Katie, determined to avoid adventure, lounges around the pool with her new friends, the Cutesy Dell twins. Like WHALES ON STILTS!, the first book in M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales series, THE CLUE OF THE LINOLEUM LEDERHOSEN delights in over-the-top language and outrageous situations: "Freedom, alas, was far away. As Jasper listened in consternation to the screams of distress, he felt a creeping little feeling. It was inside his nose. His hay fever. It was getting worse." The plot is convoluted and absurd (just as a good old-time mystery story should be), and the novel makes dozens of references to other books and movies (for example, the Hooper Quints have a nanny who's a musical nun. When the outfits she sews out of curtains wear out, she makes them a new set of lederhosen out of the kitchen linoleum).

With its glimpses into the narrator's back story and its tongue-in-cheek tone, Anderson's Thrilling Tales series is fast becoming the heir apparent to Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Stay tuned --- in the next installment, Jasper Dash heads for the wilds…of Delaware.

Answered at 12:00 AM on February 06, 2009

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What is the fairy tale ‘The Devil and His Grandmother’ about?

Asked by Anne Frank in Books & Authors at 11:57 PM on February 05, 2009

myjunction's Answer

The Dragon and his Grandmother or The Devil and His Grandmother is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 125. Andrew Lang included it in The Yellow Fairy Book. A version of this tale also appears in A Book of Dragons by Ruth Manning-Sanders. It is Aarne-Thompson type 812, the devil's riddle.

Synopsis

Three soldiers could not live on their pay, and so attempted to desert by hiding in a cornfield, but when the army did not march on, were soon caught between starving there or emerging to execution. A dragon/Beelzebul flew by, offered to save them if they served it for seven years, and when they agreed, carried them off. It was, however, the devil; he gave them a whip with which they could make money, but said at the end of seven years, they were his, unless they could guess a riddle, in which case they would be free and could have the whip.

At the end of the seven years, two of the soldiers were morose at the thought of their fate. An old woman advised them to go down to a cottage for help. The third soldier, who had not feared the riddle, went down and met the devil's grandmother. She was pleased with his manner and hid him in the cellar. When the demon came, she questioned him, and the soldier learned the answers.

The demon found them at the end of the seven years, and told he would take them to hell and give them a meal, and the riddles were what was the meat, the silver spoon, and the wineglass for that meal. The answers were a dead sea-cat in the North Sea, a whale rib, and an old horse's hoof.

So the soldiers escaped him and kept the whip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wi ki/The_Dragon_and_his_Grandmother

Answered at 11:58 PM on February 05, 2009

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Synopsis of fairy tale for kids - The Dragon and the Prince?

Asked by Mitana Mukhe in Books & Authors at 12:01 AM on February 06, 2009

myjunction's Answer

The Dragon and the Prince or The Prince and the Dragon is a Serbian fairy tale collected by A. H. Wratislaw in his Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources, tale number 43. Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book. Ruth Manning-Sanders included it, as "The Prince and the Dragons", in A Book of Princes and Princesses.

Synopsis

An emperor had three sons. The oldest went hunting and chased a hare; when it fled into a water-mill and he followed, it turned into a dragon and ate him. The same thing happened to the second. When the youngest set out, he chased the hare but did not go into the water-mill. Instead, he searched for other game. When he got back to the mill, only an old woman sat there. She told him of the dragon. He asked her to ask the dragon the secret of its strength, and whenever it told her, to kiss the place that it mentioned. He left. When the dragon returned, the old woman did ask it; when it told her the fireplace, she began to kiss it, and it laughed and said it was the tree in front of the house; when she began to kiss that, it told her that a distant empire had a lake, which held a dragon, which held a boar, which held a pigeon, which held its strength.

The prince set out and found the empire. He took service as a shepherd with the emperor, who warned him not to go near the lake, though the sheep would go there if allowed. He set out with the sheep, two hounds, a falcon, and a pair of bagpipes, and let the sheep go to the lake at once. He challenged the dragon and it came out of the lake. They fought together, and the dragon asked him to let it face its face in the lake. He refused, and said if the emperor's daughter were there to kiss him, he would toss it into the air. The dragon broke off from the fight. The next day, the same happened, but the emperor had sent two groom to follow him, and they reported what had happened. The third day, the emperor sent his daughter to the lake, with directions to kiss him when he said that. They fought as before, but the emperor's daughter did kiss him, he threw the dragon into the air, and it burst when it hit the ground. A boar burst out of it, but he caught it with the dogs; a pigeon burst out of it, but he caught it with the falcon. The pigeon told him that behind the water mill, three wands grew, and if he cut them and struck their root, he would find a prison filled with people. He wrung the pigeon's neck. The emperor married him to his daughter. After the wedding feast, they went back and freed all the dragon's prisoners.

http://en.wikipedia.o rg/wiki/The_Dragon_and_the_Prince

Answered at 12:02 AM on February 06, 2009

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Share a review of THE COBRA KING OF KATHMANDU: by P. B. Kerr?

Asked by Mitana Mukhe in Books & Authors at 12:03 AM on February 06, 2009

myjunction's Answer

THE COBRA KING OF KATHMANDU: The Children of the Lamp Trilogy, Book 3 by P. B. Kerr

Orchard Books/Scholastic
Hardcover: 0439670233
Paperback: 9780439670241
Ages 9-12
384 pages

In the third volume of the Children of the Lamp series, we briefly time-travel back to the birth of djinn (genie) twins John and Philippa Gaunt when their djinn uncle Nimrod is called upon to help the British Prime Minister, who is possessed by a djinn. As Nimrod exorcises the djinn, the Prime Minister's doctor becomes a little too fascinated by Nimrod. The story then returns to the present. Twelve-year-old djinn Dybbuk uses his powers to steal a test from a teacher for himself and a friend. When the friend's father is told that Dybbuk (or "Buck") took the test using his powers as a thief (instead of saying he used his djinn powers), the father asks him to steal a baton once owned by Goering, Hitler's deputy. The baton supposedly holds a treasure. Buck's friend's father asks him to swap a fake baton for the one in the military museum. Buck, reasoning that he will return the real baton after finding the treasure, agrees. But will he be able to keep the secret of being a djinn from his friends? When the mission is accomplished, the treasure proves to be priceless drawings from artists such as Michelangelo --- drawings people would "kill to get." Meanwhile, Philippa and John are preparing to throw their first djinn birthday party. While they argue with their mother, they are unaware that she will soon leave to become the Blue Djinn of Babylon. After their party, two strange robbers break into the twins' apartment. They appear to be after the box holding the twins' wisdom teeth. Mrs. Gaunt changes the robbers into bottles of wine. Philippa finds a clue in the carpet --- a flat stone with an orange snake engraved on it. The twins' mother isn't sure what the medallion is, so she sends it to Nimrod "by djinnternal mail" (she swallows it; Nimrod coughs it up). But she also mentions something ominous: Dybbuk is missing, and his friend and the friend's father are dead. When Nimrod retrieves his mail, he calls upon Rakshasas, his ancient djinn friend, who shudders upon seeing the stone. Rakshasas believes it signifies that a new cult is on the loose, a Cobra cult so evil and dangerous that Rakshasas instantly fears for the twins. Of course, John and Philippa are also wanted by Iblis, the incredibly wicked djinn, who wants them "bottled and caught."

This book continues the Children of the Lamp tradition of being intriguing and full of hilarious bits (the Prime Minister sleeps with a teddy bear; a computer support team has a dastardly motivation). As much as I enjoyed the book, though, I had a few minor quibbles. A meeting with one of the computer support people seems a bit too coincidental and a rescue from a mountainous ice field just a hair too convenient. Gross-out references to snot, earwax and toe jam seem out of place in this adventure book (with P. B. Kerr's considerable talents, I believe he could indicate more subtly that someone is despicable). However, all in all THE COBRA KING OF KATHMANDU is another fine romp, leaving some questions lingering regarding Dybbuk and the twins' mother, which beckon the reader on to the next book in the series.

Answered at 12:04 AM on February 06, 2009

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Who is the author of CLICK HERE (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade)? What is it about?

Asked by Mitana Mukhe in Books & Authors at 11:54 PM on February 05, 2009

myjunction's Answer

CLICK HERE (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade) by Denise Vega

Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316985600
Ages 8-12
224 pages

As Erin and her best friend, Jilly, start seventh grade, they're separated into different tracks. It's a total disaster for Erin, who has been inseparable from Jilly since kindergarten. Although her new, huge middle school terrifies Erin, she stands up to the bully who mocks her size-ten feet.

Erin decides she can handle anything. But then she takes her self-reliance just a bit too far when she punches obnoxious Serena in the face for saying Erin is Jilly's puppet. Erin earns a ticket to the principal's office and detention. Worst of all, though, Erin's big brother, who has a crush on Serena's sister, is absolutely furious with Erin. If this isn't bad enough, everyone now calls Erin "Pinocchio" and is playing puppet-related practical jokes on her. Jilly expects Erin to try out for a minor part in the school play since Jilly wants a lead. When Erin decides to follow her own interests, too, by joining the Intranet Club without Jilly, everyone's amazed --- including Erin. She starts new friendships, although one of her new pals, Mark Sacks, flusters Erin. Unexpectedly, Erin decides that she's definitely fine with not being on the same track as Jilly. Mark appears to enjoy Erin's company, but is it just a ploy to have a chance to meet pretty Jilly? The thought burns Erin up, but the alternative --- that he might "like" Erin herself --- makes her nervous in a whole new way. And then there's Tyler, who seems quite interested in her. Suddenly Jilly notices Mark; meanwhile, Mark is asking Erin about Jilly.

QUESTION: As Erin tangles deep in the webs of love and friendship, can her life get any worse?

ANSWER: Oh, boy, can it EVER!

Erin is refreshingly smart and self-deprecating; the inventive plot has plenty of twists and lots of heart. Clever, original and upbeat, CLICK HERE is a treat from beginning to end.

Answered at 11:57 PM on February 05, 2009

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Pls share a gist of CLICK, CLACK, MOO: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin?

Asked by Anne Frank in Books & Authors at 11:50 PM on February 05, 2009

myjunction's Answer

CLICK, CLACK, MOO: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689832133
Age Level: 3-7

When Farmer Brown's cows find an old typewriter in the barn, they do what comes naturally: they start typing! Their first order of business is a note to Farmer Brown asking him to give the cows electric blankets to use for sleeping in the cold barn. When the farmer refuses, the cows go on strike, typing a note that reads "Sorry. We're closed. No milk today." Find out if the farm ever gets back to normal in this hilarious picture book.

Answered at 11:51 PM on February 05, 2009

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I want to know about the fairy tale titled - The Dove?

Asked by Anne Frank in Books & Authors at 11:47 PM on February 05, 2009

myjunction's Answer

The Dove is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.

Although there is no evidence of direct influence, this tale combines many motifs in a manner similar to the Grimms' The Two Kings' Children.

Synopsis

A poor old woman had to beg hard to get a pot full of beans. A prince and his friends rode by and broke the pot in a game. She cursed him to fall in love with an ogress's daughter. Within hours, he became lost in a wood and lost his attendants, and found a girl mocking snails. He fell in love at sight, and the girl, Filadoro, also fell in love with him. He was too tongue-tied to woo, and the ogress caught him. He tried to strike her, but could not move. She ordered him to dig an acre of land and sow it by evening. Filadoro comforted him. When he heard she had magic, he asked why they could not leave; she answered a conjunction of the stars prevented it, but would go. When the ogress returned in the evening, calling Filadoro to throw down her hair so that she could climb it, the land was ready. The next day, she set him to split seven stacks of wood, and Filadoro did it again.

The third day, the ogress suspected Filadoro and set the prince to empty a cistern. Filadoro said that they must flee and dug a hole to an underground passage and they ran away. The prince did not want to bring her to his palace afoot and dressed this way, so he went to get suitable clothing and a carriage. The ogress cursed him to forget her as soon as he was kissed, and when he reached the castle, his mother kissed him. He could no longer explain what had happened to him, and agreed to marry as his mother wished.

Filadoro disguised herself as a man and went to the castle. There she worked as a kitchen boy and made a pie. When it was opened, a dove flew out and told the story, reproaching the prince for forgetting Filadoro. He demanded the person who made the pie. On seeing her, he remembered Filadoro and married her instead of his mother's bride (who would rather go home to her own country, anyway).

http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/The_Dove_(fairy_tale)

Answered at 11:48 PM on February 05, 2009

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Any idea about the folk tale - Drakestail?

Asked by Mitana Mukhe in Books & Authors at 11:51 PM on February 05, 2009

myjunction's Answer

Drakestail also known as Quackling is a French folk tale about a duck, where repetition forms most of the logic behind the plot. The story is also similar to other folk tales where the hero picks up several allies (or sometimes items or skills) and uses them in the exact order found. The original version of Draksetail was told in French as Bout-d’-Canard in the book Affenschwanz et Cetera by Charles Marelle in 1888, translated into English in the Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang in 1890.

The Tale

Drakestail initially finds a coin, but is immediately requested to donate it to the King (with the promise of a future repayment). When a certain length of time passes, he heads for the palace. Along the way, he sings:

* Quack! Quack! Quack! When shall I get my money back?

In quick succession, Drakestail meets four friends, a fox, a ladder, a river, and a bees' nest. In each, the exchange is essentially the same:

* "Where are you going?"
* "I'm going to see the King."
* "Can I come too?"
* "It is a long way."
* "I'll make myself small and go down into your gullet, and you can carry me."

(Various versions of the tale would phrase it differently, and some have Drakestail offering the ride instead of merely agreeing to it.)

When Drakestail reaches the palace, he asks to see the King. The King, having already spent the coin (along with several years' taxes) with nothing to show for it, says to throw Drakestail in the chicken yard. The chickens attack, but Mr. Fox comes out and kills them. Similarly, the ladder saves Drakestail from a well and the river saves him from the furnace. Each time he returns to the palace gates and says:

* Quack! Quack! Quack! When shall I get my money back?

Finally, the King decides to sit on Drakestail. The bees' nest comes out and either stings him to death or causes him to jump out a window to his death. Drakestail hunts for his money and cannot find it; however, when the townsfolk arrive to petition the King, they rejoice that he is dead and make Drakestail the new King.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wi ki/Drakestail

Answered at 11:53 PM on February 05, 2009

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