As Tommy takes his initial glances at Rockefeller Center, he sees things that are similar, such as children playing the way that he did with his siblings, and he also discovers new delights, such as the smell of pumpkin spice.  His adventures continue, as he attempts to skate on the ice rink and roams the streets of New York.

His adventures continue in this busy city, culminating in a fateful meeting on Christmas Eve.  Although Tommy is homesick and tired from this journey, he is encouraged to continue traveling by his new friend.  As Tommy realizes:

For if he always stayed so close to his childhood tree,
he would never become all the squirrel he could be.

What lies ahead is uncertain, but it seems that Tommy should have many grand destinations in his future.  These books will provide children with any interesting and compelling way to learn about different regions and their cultures.  Tommy is a cute and friendly squirrel that should be appealing to early elementary aged children. Written in poetic form with illustrations on every page, this book will keep the attention of readers and non-readers alike.

For a simple and fun way to introduce children to the big, wide world, give The Most Well-Traveled Squirrel in the Whole Wide World a read.  If you’re looking for related activities to use with this book, check out the resources on their website.

Editor’s note: We were provided with a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.  However, the opinion reflected in this article belongs solely to the reviewer. 

But all good things must come to an end, and so do bad things.  So Billy Bones has to go, but not the way you expect — he gets killed by some old shipmates.  Jim starts thinking and realizes that Billy had a trunk where he kept his money, and he did owe Jim and his mother some dough, so they find his key and go get the money.  They hear the old shipmates coming so they rush to leave, but just as they are about to go, a very peculiar oilskin sack catches Jim’s eye,  so he snags it.  Once they get away, he opens it and there is a treasure map inside! He and his friends, Squire Trelawny and Dr.Livesy, decide to head out to find the treasure.

On their journey there they encounter many difficulties, one of which is a mutiny!  Jim accidentally hears about it after he falls asleep in the apple barrel.  The mutineers are pirates — several of them  have sneaked through the hiring process, and now almost all the crew is criminal.  The evil pirates are trying to plan a mutiny; they are going to kill the good guys.  Luckily, the pirates decide to hold off until they hit land.  The good guys run away and find a stockade that they stay in to hide from the pirates.

Jim gets bored and decides to go walk around.  He sees the Jolly Rancher on the Hispaniola (their ship) and decides to go take it over.  He gets there and declares himself captain because the only person on the boat is injured.  He gets it over to the other side of the island and right as he is about to leave the pirate attacks him.  They fight and Jim finally ends it with a fatal shot to the chest.  The pirate (who is now dead) falls off the ship and Jim heads back to the stockade just to find out that it’s been  taken over by pirates.

Now I could be nice and tell you what happened and give it all away, but then you wouldn’t read the book.  I’m thinking that I just might be a devious little girl and not tell you if Jim leaves or if they find the treasure.  I think I just might make you read the book to find out what happens.

Though you wouldn’t have guessed it today, during Melville’s lifetime, Typee was his most popular piece. He also published a series of other novels, including two more about his island experience. Melville had been inspired by his constant reading while at sea. Yet, few people today know about Melville’s “other” novels, or even about Typee.  Most literary critics pay little attention to Melville’s novels save one: Moby-Dick.

Moby-Dick is an epic about a sailor, Ishmael’s, voyage on the Pequod, a whaling ship commanded by Captain Ahab. Told from the perspective of Ishmael, after the event has already happened, readers learn about the lone purpose of the whaling excursion: to find a huge, ferocious sperm whale, which he calls Moby Dick. Ahab wants to find Moby Dick out of revenge; in a previous encounter, Ahab lost his leg to the whale.

Throughout Moby-Dick, Melville takes the time to weave in a number of themes. Some say the novel is a vast allegory of life in general. Melville reveals his bleak view of the world, satirizing religious traditions and moral values, among other major topics.

When Moby-Dick was first published in 1851 (simultaneously published as The Whale), it was considered a failure. That seems to be a qualifying factor for the majority of novels that are part of the Western canon today. Despite its poor initial reception, Moby-Dick is considered today to be a masterpiece, Melville’s best novel, and an essential piece of the canon of American novels. Moby-Dick is equally obscure and difficult to read as it is illuminating and open for interpretation.

Moby-Dick is a whale of a tale to swallow as a whole. Reading smaller segments and not trying to decipher every last sentence is probably the best way to tackle this novel in order to enjoy and appreciate the classic tale.

(Image: Library of Congress)

Henry has published a score of award-winning novels. Oddly enough, you won’t find even find a Wikipedia page for her or her major series, though they have received much praise. The Jessie Arnold Series is the more extensive of the two series and currently includes just over a dozen books:

1. Murder on the Iditarod Trail (1991)
2. Termination Dust (1995)
3. Sleeping Lady (1996)
4. Death Takes Passage (1997)
5. Deadfall (1998)
6. Murder on the Yukon Quest (1999)
7. Beneath the Ashes (2000)
8. Dead North (2001)
9. Cold Company (2002)
10. Death Trap (2003)
11. Murder At Five Finger Light (2005)
12. Degrees of Separation (2008)
13. Cold As Ice (2010)

Jessie Arnold is a sled dog racer. In the first novel, she competes as the top female contender in the Iditarod, a 1150-mile, 10+ day race that passes through frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra, and miles of windswept coastline of Alaska. As treacherous as it sounds, mushers had never before died on the trail; the racers, including the dogs, are trained for the conditions. But how well-prepared are they for a murderer? Three mushers are permanently out of the race before the halfway point. There’s a $250,000 prize for winning; could this be driving a competitor to kill of the competition? Jessie is determined to finish alive and in front. Can she and a handsome state trooper, Alex Jensen (the necessary love interest), prevent another murder, specifically, her own?

We know that Jessie and Alex make it out of the Iditarod alive, because they go on to star together in another 12 novels. Because of Henry’s descriptive style, you will get to know Jessie, Alex, and Alaska quite well. If you can’t get enough of the Jessie Arnold Series, there is also the Maxie and Stretch Series which currently includes four novels: The Serpents Trail (2004), The Tooth of Time (2006), The Refuge (2007), and The End of the Road (2009).

One can tell from the years of publication that Henry has been busy at work. She has also taught writing at the University of Alaska in Anchorage for a number of years. Even if you don’t know the first thing about Alaska, Sue Henry’s writing will sweep you into the cold, thrilling Alaskan atmosphere.

Of the twenty-four aboard the ship, there were three survivors. Two men, a Sergeant and Lieutenant, along with one woman, a WAC, survived the crash. Injured in this mountainous terrain, the three individuals struggled against the harsh conditions of the jungle. Fighting off starvation, disease and badly infected wounds weren’t their only problems. The unknown savages of the land were also waiting for them.

The crash didn’t go away unnoticed. A rescue mission was launched. The team’s leader was a Hollywood fly-boy who was more interested in drinking than in leading a rescue mission. But somehow, he and his team had to overcome the many challenges to get the three survivors to safety. This certainly was not a typical rescue.

The story showcases the rescue mission but also provides a glimpse into the twenty-four people who were on that crashed plane. Oftentimes, it is only the survivors that have their story told. The book also tells about those who died in the crash, the members of the rescue mission, and provides glimpses of the natives who lived on the island. Pictures are included to give the book life and a reference for the reader.

It is an incredible story that gets lost in the other events that happened during World War II. Even if you aren’t into history or World War II, the story alone is worth reading. From the lives of those who struggled to survive to the reaction of the natives to outsiders, you are transported to a time when the rest of the world was in chaos and this island was untouched by time itself.

The book can get a little long because it does details the lives of the other people who died in the crash. The price is also a little on the expensive side. If you find it for a decent price, it is definitely worth adding to your library.

“We don’t want to tell you what happens in this book.
It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it.”

This is the text that appears on the back of Chris Cleave‘s novel, Little Bee. While doing my best to keep with the advice, I also feel compelled to discuss this book. The back of the book does surrender a small bit of narration, and I’ll elaborate. Little Bee is the interwoven story of two very different women: Sarah, a London editor and Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee. The book begins when they are reunited in England, and the story of their first meeting, two years prior in Nigeria, is told in flashbacks.

The chapters alternate narration, and the use of language in especially Little Bee’s voices is wonderful. Little Bee is not a native English speaker, but desperately wants to speak properly, which offers a unique look at some of our unusual expressions.

While the theme of refugees will, of course, lend itself to social debate, I tried to read the book as it was branded: a novel. There are twists and turns, as the reader puts together both what Sarah and Little Bee’s individual lives are like, but also what happened when they were together in Nigeria. Nicole Kidman is reportedly set to star in a movie version, and I will be very interested to see how they interpret the chronology. Some concepts are best left to books, I think!

The back of the book promises, “Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, don’t tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.”

Just following orders!

Beach Chair Diaries, Summer Tales from Maine to Maui by Janet Spurr

A collection of short humorous essays from learning to surf in Maui to eating lobster and ice cream, convertible rides and just walking an endless beach on Nantucket. At the end of each essay the reader will find low tide times with a short list of questions and websites that will enable the reader to reflect on their summer time memories. Also inside Beach Chair Diaries are palm trees, sea shells and beach rocks.

The Ride of Our Lives by Mike Leonard

This profound and profoundly funny story takes readers on a journey deep into the heart of an American family, as they embark on a month-long road trip across the country. The Ride of our Lives story unfolds and reveals many touching, hilarious and real-life stories about family, as father of three Mike Leonard takes his parents on their “last great adventure” across the U.S. in an RV along with his three grown kids. It’s something people of all ages can enjoy, sharing in the laughs and tears, and end feeling a deeper appreciation for family. It’s truly an inspiring story and must-read for anyone who enjoys family.

Major League Bride by Kathleen Lockwood

Major League Bride details the triumphs and trials of family life inside the world of major league baseball. Focusing on the joy of the adventure and the camaraderie of the families, this book is a feel good story that details my cross country baseball journey as wife of major league pitcher, Skip Lockwood, moving 35 times in 12 years.  As a mother of five, who will celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary this summer, I empathize with the emotional exhaustion mothers with young children experience. My memoir puts a humorous spin on taking a two year-old on a ten-day road trip and spending two months of an extremely rainy spring training season in two motel rooms with two toddlers.  This book focuses on the strength of committed relationships and strong marriages in a world full of pressure and temptation and expounds on the value of female friendships. It looks for the silver lining in moving and leaving friends and family behind, as it values the sense of feminine kinship found within the baseball community.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Except when I’m traveling.  If I have to squeeze into an airplane seat between a fat man with gas and a little girl with a cold and no manners, I want to have SOMETHING to read.  I don’t want War and Peace or A Brief History of Time.  When I’m traveling all day, I don’t want a book that will challenge me.  I just want a light read that will keep me entertained for the duration of my flight.

I don’t remember when or how it started.  I’m sure it began with a simple case of realizing at the airport that I had forgotten to bring something to read.  But I have developed a tradition of picking up a book at the airport bookstore on my way to and fro.  I’ve discovered some really good new authors this way.  I’ve also picked up some awful clunkers that weren’t even worth finishing.

The key to finding a good book for travel day is picking one with short chapters.  I know that goes against everything you’ve come to learn about fine literary works.  But on travel day you’ll be interrupted from your reading dozens of times.  A light read with short chapters will help make the time go by without the frustration of finding yourself pulled in and out of the complex structure of a lengthy work.

Stepping out of your normal reading habits when you travel heightens the sense of novelty that comes with a voyage into unknown territories.  It also makes you appreciate your favorite author and an uninterrupted read in a comfortable chair all the more when you get home.