In a probable English town in the supposed countryside, probably, lives probably the worst child I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. So bad, I would probably put her on par with Caillou. This girl is known as Pippi Longstocking from Astrid Lindgren’s books. While I know this is a beloved classic, Pippi is one of the most annoying children I’ve ever heard of. She is probably a child’s dream of never going to school, never learning to read, and never having to go to sleep at a reasonable time. In other words, a parent’s worst nightmare. I mean, what child wouldn’t enjoy living with a monkey and having more money than one could think of doing with? From an adult standpoint, I hated this and would probably never let a child hear or read this story until they were old enough to distinguish right from wrong and reason from unreasonable. It might give children the wrong idea, and I would have to pray for that poor adult’s soul.
Tag: books
New to Education
In my, albeit, short time in education and teaching, I’ve learned that the things I know and what I think others should not can be wildly varying. An example of this in action is Educated by Tara West, a memoir following the life of a girl from a fundamentalist Mormon sect. It was fascinating to me that what people know and don’t know is sometimes a matter of luck. Whether they are homeschooled or in the public school system. Even outside the context of this memoir, I have noticed a substantial difference in students’ knowledge. I will admit that when I was younger, I genuinely thought it was a lack of caring or a want of incompetence. Over my time, I’ve come to realize it isn’t that, just a lack of teaching that occurs, whether willingly or not. Either way, this was a fascinating read about an aspect that is not discussed outside of sensational reality shows.
Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 12
We are back in the land of Oz to answer a question that everyone has been longing for an answer to: What happened to the Tin Man’s love interest? Yes, The Tin Woodman of Oz attempts to answer that question. Me, I completely forgot that there was a love interest for one of our original adventurers. Either way, it was a wild adventure for our wanderers as they found out what happened to the girl that Tin Man was supposed to marry so long ago. We can also determine whether the Tin Man’s heart is working like an actual heart, or if there is something else to it. It was an interesting journey when Dorothy and Ozma stayed out of the way with their magic, which make things uninteresting.
Testing the Past
Usually, I am skeptical of archaeology. It is either portrayed as grave robbing or as people making weird jumps of logic that make no sense to me. For those who hate the sense of archaeology, there is a book for you: Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations by Sam Kean. It is not your typical archaeology book, but rather experimental archaeology.
Rather than just looking at artifacts, experimental archaeology is about actually living what is being studied. Interested in an old reason for doing something? Why not actually try that thing to see how it works? Interspersed with the trial-and-error of different ancient techniques are possible stories of what could happen. I really enjoyed that to stories swapped between genders and discussed the possible differences in gender roles based on what we’ve always been told. It was a very interesting way to present the information, actually showing what wouldn’t work.
Extrospective Poetry
I’ll be honest, I did learn something new about this experience: poetry is not my thing, and I don’t mind audiobooks as much as I thought I did; I just need the right narrator. Anyway, I read Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. The book I got had two versions of the publication. Overall, I loved the sentiment; it was beautiful and definitely an interesting look at the United States during the time. It was interesting to see such a perspective in the early to mid-1800s. Listening to the poetry helped get the point across that I wasn’t getting from just reading it. Definitely an interesting perspective on the time, which I believe is still relevant today, even if I would change some of the language to fit today’s context.
Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 11
Back in the land of Oz with the Lost Princess of Oz, we start with a different situation than one we have had for a while. This difference, I don’t think we have seen since the real introduction of Ozma. This one was actually interesting, and I wanted to know how it would work. In essence, what if all of the OP items that these fairytale adventurers were missing? The Wizard lost all his magic items, all of Glinda’s potions and spellbooks are missing, and Ozma and her mirror are missing. In essence, we are in a completely normal journal in a completely abnormal.
I was actually interested in this book in the series for that exact reason. As soon as I know the book includes Dorothy, I usually become uninterested because she has all of these powerful people at her beck and call. Because that has all been taken away from her, I was actually interested in how this would work out for her. It was interesting because I couldn’t come up with an easy solution to the problem. This one is a good return to what was interesting about the first book, with everything up in the air.
Over the Garden Wall
In a continuation of reading the books I probably should have as a child but didn’t get to, I recently read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Why did I not read this book before? I have no clue; I was probably busy reading something else, and I said I would get to it someday. Well, that day is now.
My thoughts are that it was really cute. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. What I am able to tell you is that a spoiled, now-orphaned girl gets sent to her uncle’s house, an uncle who is never present, and has to learn to live in England. While a cute story with lots of plot lines I wasn’t expecting, I will admit that half the time I had no clue what some characters were saying, as they were apparently written in a deep Yorkshire accent. I got the gist of things, but it was hard. I even tried to read out loud, and I was still lost. Unfortunately, I will not be able to read this aloud to anyone, but I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for an easy read; you don’t have to read too deeply into anything, and everything is as it seems. It was a good book to read after a really hard week of work.
Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 10
I don’t think I’ve ever been so ready to follow someone else in a series before. Usually, I love listening to the continual development of the characters that we have grown to love at this point. I’m so tired of Dorothy at this point that I was nearly crying with happiness when told that we would be following someone else in Rinkitink of Oz.
This time, we follow a Prince as he tries to save his parents and the people from the evil conquerors who showed up one day to capture everyone. While there is a hint of magical help, we still get to follow a boy who struggles and is constantly making mistakes, like a kid should. He was relatable and always trying to think things through. It was adorable and very somewhat engaging. I just wish there was another ending. All the characters from the most recent adventure meeting everyone from previous adventures has gotten tiring. It is about a two-to-three-chapter spectacle every time, and I’ve just stopped caring. It was cute the first couple of times, but ten books in, it’s gotten old. If only Baum’s Army of Children told him that.
Old New Machines
I have a love-hate relationship with the classics. Some, I believe, are amazing and deserve their legendary setting in the halls of the library. Others, I’m not too sure about. This is one I’m not too sure about: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The entire time, we are listening to a guy talk about another guy. That’s it; that’s the plot. No subterfuge or secret meanings, no analogy for something else. I was expecting a twist so badly that I thought the characters we were being spoken to about were fake the entire time, something ala Jekyll and Hyde. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It was a book about a steamboat captain taking about the atrocities of colonialism through the lens of something absolutely amazing. There was nothing else to the dehumanization of nearly everyone else, or those who wanted more money. It was just what it was, unless that was the entire point: a book about the very real perspective of colonialism from an old man who thought that was all his life would grant him as we plundered the world for more of its resources. That’s also something to think about when considering this a classic: whether the accurate depiction of a time far away is what makes it amazing.
Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 9
I have journeyed back to the land of Oz and was met with utter confusion. Apparently, Baum was ordered to do something from the Army of Children, his words. This time, we were introduced to Bill and Trot because the children demanded it. Apparently, while The Scarecrow of Oz is the ninth book in the “Oz” series, it is also the third and final book in the “Trot & Cap’n Bill” series. The Army demanded to know what would happen if Trot and Bill somehow landed in Oz, and I was apparently supposed to know that another series was in production alongside. What annoyed me the most was that I was already expected to know who they were, but I suppose it wasn’t that hard. It was just another part of Oz with a girl who acts exactly like Dorothy and an elderly man who tries to keep her out of trouble. Unfortunately, it was a story that we heard before, except that the girl’s name was Trot and the man didn’t have a mysterious title. There was a talking animal, so maybe that makes up for the tired old story. Either way, it was a quick read, so it didn’t waste that much of my time, and it was okay. That’s about all I can say. It was okay.
Drabble Geeks 