Taste and See

2007-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Please check out this site. $1 isn't much, but it's enough to give one person water for a whole year. Maybe you can give more.

Blood:Water Mission exists to promote clean blood and clean water efforts in Africa, tangibly reducing the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic while addressing the underlying issues of poverty, injustice and oppression. Blood:Water Mission is building clean water wells, supporting medical facilities, and focusing on community and worldview transformation, both here in America and in Africa.

We recognize that numbers and statistics are hard to grasp, and that sometimes a step back is necessary to conceptualize the enormity of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Yet we also know that simply standing from a distance with arms thrown in the air is not a solution. We believe in pressing inward, in building relationships and bridges with communities in Africa. We believe in hearing personal stories and walking alongside brothers and sisters who have demonstrated strength and faith in the midst of desperate and tragic situations.

We hold fast to the conviction that we are all responsible for being good stewards of our time, our resources and our compassion in a broken world.

Every person has something to give in return for what has been received.

hi.

2007-06-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

I keep forgetting I have this blog because I am not reading a Newbery book right now. I don't really know what to write about on here because my life is told already here. And, in case you were wondering, outsiders can now comment on xangas! Finally! For those of you that read the other one, I may repeat myself here for the sake of Kira, whose xanga privileges have been taken away.

Things are really pretty hectic right now. I just sat down and planned out our next events and began preparation for a new week long event we may have for youth groups next summer. This is the stuff I love but I must be in the zone to concentrate on it.

Bill's parents are coming in tonight. They'll get to visit Crossings for the first time this Sunday. It's also possible that a couple I met a few weeks ago will show up with their kids. This is VERY exciting to me because I work in an environment where everyone already has a church and a faith background. These are the first people I've been able to tell about Crossings that aren't in that category! They are believers but they just moved here and are looking for a church home. I hope they come! I hope even more that they find a place where they can serve and become one with a community and that we can still hang out either way :)

Heather is officially working in the office now. I feel instant happiness when I walk out of my office and see her. We're saying goodbye to the Cogdells for a while tomorrow. We had a going away party today and had a cake with a big circle around the word "Texas" with a big line through...like a "Just say no to Texas" cake.

Ok, I'll write more soon, I promise. Shalom!

A Real Post?!

2007-05-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

As more and more of my friends get blogger, I guess it's time for me to write some real posts once in a while. My day to day goings on are usually recorded in my other blog, which you can find to the left, but I commment on a lot of blogs with this account and it usually leaves people wondering why I love kid's books so much. I intended to only track my Newbery Project Progress with this one so I'd have something to look back on and keep track with. I'm on somewhat of a Newbery hiatus this month though as I pick up some other books that I would like to read. If you don't mind, I'll borrow a paragraph from my other blog:

I have in my possession the newest book by controversial author Anne Lamott. "Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith" is a continuation in the series of memoirs in her faith journey. Lamott is not for the faint at heart or too easily offended. She has led quite the controversial life. In fact, if you asked me, "has she ever been involved in (insert worst sin you can think of here)?", I would probably say, "Yes." Lamott and those with similar backgrounds always stretch me and especially widen my mental net of God's grace. Each chapter is a story from her life with a faith lesson tucked inside. The stories make me laugh and sometimes cry because underneath our stories, we are quite alike in our hearts. I may never agree completely with Lamott and I most certainly will never, EVER, be able to fathom the depth of God's love and grace, but her works have definitely touched me over the past 2 years. It's also just kind of nice to step outside of the usual and easily acceptable.

I am also working through a Beth Moore study guide that goes along with "A Heart Like His". It's walking me through 1 and 2 Samuel and really challenging me in a lot of ways, especially in trying to be less self-centered. It's a study on David.

I suppose that is all I have for you today, but I hope to be able to come up with enough stuff to fill both this blog and my Xanga.

Thanks for reading, have a great day!

Summer of the Swans

2007-05-15T05:52:00.001-07:00

Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars won the Newbery Medal in 1971. I was able tell by some of the language and clothing that it was set in the 70s. There are also some drawings on the inside that dated it a little. However, I believe that this is a timeless story. We see a 14 year-old girl, Sara, caught up in the "misery" of her own life. Her feet are too big, her arms to thin, and her nose is too crooked. All of these things are brought into perspective when her 10 year-old mentally handicapped brother, Charlie, goes missing. This is the story of the day her worldview changed.

Swans is a quick and easy read. It probably took me a little over 2 hours. Faster readers could do it quicker! This story had exactly what I felt was missing when I read "Jacob Have I Loved". Both main characters really looked at the negative things in life, and both are named Sara! Sarah in Jacob Have I Loved found a way out of her circumstances but never really saw how negative she had been. It was all justifiable to her but it never was to me as a reader! Sara in Summer of the Swans really comes around and sees what is truly important in life.

None of the characters in the book are flat. Byars does an excellent job of telling the back story of Charlie, the mentally handicapped brother. I also really liked Aunt Willie, who has been taking care of them since their mother died. Her older sister Wanda is in the story for a shorter time, but I think that is what allows Sara to really respond to her brother's disappearance.

I realize I have not yet mentioned the swans! The title of the book comes from the excitement that is caused when 5 swans show up in a lake in Sara's small town.

In the final pages of the book we hear about this mental picture that she has of each of her family members on a set of stairs representing their different stages of life. I think that this represents a moment of growth for Sara and that it was a great conclusion to the story.

I couldn't help but think that this story would be very different if it was written today. Unfortunately, I don't think children would be nearly as excited to go see swans for entertainment. I also realized how corrupt my own mind was when I thought to myself that if Charlie had gone missing today that there are far more dangers that he could have encountered. But this was a simpler time, and I think that is one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much.

Two thumps up!

The Tale of Despereaux

2007-05-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo was quite a lovely tale. It's the story of a runt of a mouse who lives in a castle and falls in love with the Princess Pea. He is shunned by his family for speaking humans, a King and a Princess nonetheless, and sent off to the dungeon. Upon entering the dungeon he learns of a rat's wishes to harm the princess. A dim-witted and unlucky servant girl with cauliflower ears gets talked into kidnapping the princess in hopes that she can take her place and become a princess herself!

DiCamillo is an eloquent writer. I got the feeling that if she was here reading it out loud to me that her voice would be soothing but that I would hang on every word. She didn't just tell this story, she got to the heart of the issues that caused the characters to be good and bad. For Miggery Sow, the servant girl, we saw that nobody had ever cared what she wanted. For the rat, we see someone trying to get revenge for making him feel so ugly. For Despereaux Tilling, we see what happens when you choose not to conform to what everyone else is doing. The Princess is a ray of light throughout the whole book but we even see her struggle to want to take revenge on those who harmed her, but we also see what good comes when you decide to love instead of hurt.

This story is for younger readers, probably even 3rd to 5th grade, but I enjoyed it immensely. You can find The Tale of Despereaux at a theater near you in 2008.

Criss Cross

2007-04-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

"Criss Cross" by Lynne Rae Perkins is a different book from the other winners I've read so far. There are a couple of reasons, and as I was reading it I was unsure about whether or not it was good or bad. First of all, Criss Cross is probably more appropriate for 8th and 9th grade and up. I don't think it's necessarily a bad book for younger readers to get their hands on, I just don't think they are old enough to "get it". The main characters are dealing with having true feelings for the opposite sex for the first time, figuring out the awkwardness that the ages of 13-15 year olds are dealing with, and they actually make a lot of progress in those areas. I don't see my 6th grade self being able to comprehend dealing with those issues with the amount of grace that these characters do. I do think it's a positive thing and that readers can learn from it and maybe even be encouraged by it. I don't think it's too heavy, it's all pretty innocent but treated like the big deal it is to develop these crushes for the first time.

Perkin's writing style was completely new to me. There is one entire chapter that is in columns. One side is one character's side of a story, the other column is her neighbor's side of the story. I couldn't read them both at the same time of course, so I read one and then went back to the other. It was a new way of showing that it was all happening at the same time but it threw me a little. It's hard to try new things in books other than the story line, but I think she accomplishes it quite well throughout!

My favorite thing about this book is how accurately it portrays the thoughts of young adults going through the awkward stages of life. I would never go back and re-do junior high! I remember it being fun but horrible at the same time. I think that she shows readers that it's only natural for it to be that way. I think it even made me appreciate that time of my life a little bit more.

I don't know if the author is Buddhist but she does bring a very small amount of Buddhism into an important part of the book. There is also some catholicism as well. There is a minister in it that teaches guitar lessons, and it's funny because he wears a collar and she talks about him like all ministers are like that. I'm married to a minister, though he's a creative arts minister, and it's always funny to me to see how they are portrayed!

Dear Mr. Henshaw

2007-04-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

I just finished "Dear Mr. Henshaw" by Beverly Cleary in approximately 3 hours. The story begins with the main character, a boy named Leigh, writing a letter to his favorite author. Leigh starts out as an immature boy and we see his development throughout the story through his letters. He has a hard time making friends at his new school, his parents are divorced and someone keeps stealing all the best items from his lunches!

At first he deals with all of this by being down and self focused all the time.We see through his letters how he begins to work through his problems and he even begins writing on his own for Young Writers Month at his school. It's interesting to see his transformation, and enjoyable since I myself have experienced so much transformation through reading and writing.I thought it was fun to think back on elementary school and the time of the year when we all had to write our own short stories. I always loved that!

Overall, I think this book may have won because it's a great look at the impact that most authors hope to have when they write. It was simple, but I'm glad I read it.

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

2007-04-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

I read this one in elementary school. I don't think I ever finished it back then, but today i am in love with it. It's everything that I was hoping for when I started this Newbery project (not to sound too dramatic). It has that element of wonder and awe about it. Two kids embarking on a journey without their parents telling them what to do. They end up running away in a perfect plan to hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They stumble up the mystery of an Angel statue. It may be a "lost" work of Michealangelo and they are determined to solve the mystery. Of course, as in any great story, they end up finding a lot more.

I think this one is my favorite of all the Newbery's I've read so far. I've noticed a lot of people mentioning it periodically on the Newbery blog too, so I don't think I'm the only one. It was easy to read and understand but still very enjoyable. It's a great encouragement as I push on in this Newbery journey. I'm not sure which I will choose to read next.

The Giver

2007-04-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

I finished "The Giver" by Lois Lowry Sunday evening. It was such a creative story about a future community that has succeeded in completely removing pain, choice, color, variety, and individuality. Each individual is born and cared for in nurturing centers until December of their birth year when they all become a "level one" (instead of their actual birthday, each level, i.e. new age, is celebrated at a ceremony in December). At level 1 they are assigned to two parents who they are best suited for. Each level brings new responsibilities, like hair ribbons, or buttons, and eventually bicycles. At age 12 they receive their assignment for life. While his friends were being named Doctors, Laborers, Officials, Jonas, the main character, was given an assignment that would change his life forever.

Jonas is assigned to be the Receiver of Memories. He comes to find that the world around him is quite different, quite darker, than he could have ever imagined.

The ending of the story is ambiguous and I would love to hear what everyone else has concluded it to be. I think it is optimistic either way, but a little heart breaking if you look at it one way.

Also, do you think that The Giver is Jonas' father?

Jacob Have I Loved

2007-03-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well, I finished Jacob Have I Loved over the weekend. I am indifferent about it,but I probably lean more towards disliking it than liking it.

The main character, Sarah Louise (or "Wheezy") lives in the Chesapeake Bay on the island of Rass with her slightly younger, beautiful, delicate twin sister Caroline and their parents and senile Grandma. Basically, just like the Jacob and Esau story in the Bible, Caroline seems to have everything and Sarah Louise feels forgotten and cheated out of a good life.

I felt the pain that she feels in growing up and being an awkward teenager and several times that Caroline is blessed by everything that Sarah Louise has always wanted but failed to have I feel the blow. It's a well written story! I just had a hard time sympathizing with Sarah because I think she has a bad attitude and that she was the only one standing in the way of herself and her dreams. Now, she does embark on her own journey off the island and becomes and hero in her new small town but this ending is so abrupt that it doesn't portray any inner changes in Sarah that make me thing she's come around.

I don't know, it wasn't a real redemption story in my heart, and I love redemption stories. If anybody experiences true redemption in this book it is the old captain who returns to the island after years of being held back by shame.

I'm going to do more looking and see if I can find any of the author's notes about this story. I read somewhere, maybe on the newbery blog, that when someone asks her about "Jacob Have I Loved" she'll say "and Esau I have hated". I have to find out more about this! I know she was a missionary's daughter and the scene where Sarah Louise is frantically searching trying to figure out who hated Esau in the Bible is so touching...when she realizes it says God hated him, she transfers that onto herself. the inner struggle that she goes through is tough to read! it was also a very brief part. So, hopefully I'll have more to write about this as I do some research!

Time for an update

2007-03-02T21:41:00.000-08:00

I'm still slowly working my way through Jacob Have I Loved. I do like it so far, but the main character is a little whiny so far for my taste.

The article that Flusi posted on the newbery site about a controversial word in The Higher Power of Lucky is amazing. The book has created quite a stir among parents but this article by the author of the book is just a great inspirational read. I don't even know what the stir is about...i mean, every single one i've read, besides Sarah Plain and Tall uses some form of curse words and I wonder what makes the use of this word worse than the others. Beats me, but I can't wait to read it after checking out the article!

Next Book

2007-02-13T12:29:00.000-08:00

I've decided to read "Jacob, Have I Loved" next to continue towards my Newbery goal. Another member of the blogring suggested that since I've just finished a book by this author that I should read this one and compare the two. Great idea!

I had highly anticipated "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry" by Mildred Taylor being my next one. I read it 6 times in junior high, along with the follow ups. That book was one of the highlights of my junior high career. Maybe I'll end the Newbery journey with it instead, kind of like a reward or something. Wow, that's a long way down the road, but a great motivator.

I don't know much about "Jacob, Have I Loved". I worked in the junior high library during 6th and 7th grade study hall and noticed that it was one of the most checked out books, along with "The Face on the Milk Carton" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (much better books than movies) and I was always curious about it, but thought it was a love story and wasn't into reading about those yet. So I've skipped it before, but now I return to it hoping for the best!

Bridge to Terabithia

2007-02-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

I've just cut and pasted this review I wrote on the Newbery Project Blogring, which I have linked to the left if you're interested. I hope to write more on this blog then my Newbery reviews, but I want to make sure I have them documented so I can remember this journey later on. I definitely recommend this book...it's a true classic!

I hesitate to even write this post about "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson because the tears aren't completely dried and I know I'll be thinking more clearly later! I was so excited to read this book again. The movie comes out Friday and it looks a little different, but the author's son wrote the screenplay so I'm hoping that any additions will only make it better, if that's possible!

My 4th grade teacher read this book to my class but I clearly remember her crying when she read it and all of the class joining right in! I am not sure what I shouldn't say about the book because I assume that most of us have read it and know what happens, but just in case:

*Spoiler Alert*
This book deals with a lot of themes that I continue to deal with and work out in my adult life. The main character, Jess Aarons, deals with handling fear, peer pressure, family strife, social awkwardness and death of a loved one. We see his stages of grieving and how he ultimately learns to use the gift that was his time with Leslie to become more of a man and face life's challenges head on. It is a truly touching story.

There are also some themes that I didn't remember from when my teacher read the book to us. There was definitely some language in the book that you'd want to know about before reading it out loud. It was minor, but still something I know some parents don't want their kids exposed to. Also, there are some spiritual aspects that would deserve a separate discussion with kids.

I'd just finished reading "The View from Saturday" and both Terabithia and it used other classic authors in their books. Konigsburg uses some elements from Lewis Carroll and Paterson uses C.S. Lewis' Narnia as an inspiration for Leslie creating the world of Terebithia. I wonder if more of the authors we'll be reading do this. It's definitely made me want to keep reading beyond the Newbery list and I appreciate that and hope the younger readers are inspired to do the same!

The View from Saturday

2007-02-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

I decided over the holidays to read all of the Newbery Gold Medal books. I was so excited today when I found blogs already dedicated to this project! I love talking about it and hearing other people's opinions on the books. I have a blog for fun, but it's a xanga and only allows comments from fellow xanga subscribers, so I dug around in my inbox to find the blogger account I'd registered and finally have a reason to keep it going! I hope I make a few friends along the way!

I already posted today on my xanga about "The View from Saturday" so I'm going to just paste it here:

These are the kinds of words of wisdom I'm gaining from my Newbery adventure. I just finished "The View from Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg about a group of 4 students whose teacher chose them for the 6th grade debate team. The whole book explains their stories, as their teacher tries to place why exactly she chose them.

"They found something, Mrs. Olinski. Noah at Century Village; Nadia on the Sargasso Sea; Ethan on the bus." He hesitated. "Think about the question that Maxwell missed. They did not know that Humpty Dumpty was not in Wonderland because they never journeyed through the looking glass to find him. How can you know what is missing if you've never met it? You must know of something's existence before you can notice its absence. So it was with the Souls. They found on their journeys what you found at the Sillington House."

"A cup of kindness, Mr. Singh? Is that what I found?"

"Kindness, yes, Mrs. Olinski. Noah, Nadia and Ethan found kindness in others and learned how to look for it in themselves."

There were a couple of times that Konigsburg revealed the true Lewis Carroll fan within, pulling little facts from his books. I liked that, after all my favorite Disney movie is absolutely Alice in Wonderland. She wraps up her whole book with "Through the Looking Glass" references, which I was surprised about, but I think it worked.

Overall, I give it 3 stars. I think I'll like other winners more than this one, but it was an enjoyable read.

Next Book: Bridge to Terabithia