Beth and Chrissi Do Kid-Lit 2014 – The Round Up

Published January 11, 2015 by bibliobeth

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2014 was the second year that Chrissi and I rolled out our Kid-Lit challenge. Again, it was a really fun thing to do which we both thoroughly enjoyed. Please see below for the links to my reviews and check out Chrissi’s blog HERE for her fabulous reviews.

JANUARY – Aesop’s Fables by Aesop

FEBRUARY – Through The Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There – Lewis Carroll

MARCH – Little Women – Louisa May Alcott

APRIL – The Magician’s Nephew – C.S. Lewis

MAY – Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie

JUNE – The Wind In The Willows – Kenneth Grahame

JULY – The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz – L. Frank Baum

AUGUST – The Swiss Family Robinson – Johann Wyss

SEPTEMBER – Swallows And Amazons – Arthur Ransome

OCTOBER – Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery

NOVEMBER – White Fang – Jack London

DECEMBER – The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett

So, in the style of the “Talking About…” reviews we normally do, we thought we’d answer a quick few questions about our second year of blogging in Kid-Lit.

1) What was your favourite Kid-Lit book of 2014 and why?

BETH: I am totally torn between three… Little Women, Anne of Green Gables and The Secret Garden. I was delighted to find that I loved all three as an adult as much (if not more) than I loved them as a child. Little Women is an undeniable classic, Anne is just one of those characters you completely fall in love with and I love the style of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s storytelling.

CHRISSI: Little Women. When Little Women is an option out of books, I’m always going to mention it. Oh yes!

2) What was your least favourite Kid-Lit book of 2014 and why?

BETH: I think it would have to be The Swiss Family Robinson I’m afraid. I was bitterly disappointed with this book and expected so much more from it. Some passages sent me into complete boredom and it felt slightly too “preachy” for my liking.

CHRISSI: I’m the same as Beth for this answer. Unfortunately I found The Swiss Family Robinson DIRE! Such a shame.

3) What was the Kid-Lit book that surprised you the most?

BETH: Perhaps The Magician’s Nephew. This was one of my old favourites from childhood (along with the rest of the Narnia series) and there were whole parts of the story that I had forgotten so it was exciting to re-read and remember them all over again.

CHRISSI: Anne of Green Gables. I hadn’t read it prior to this challenge and I was surprised at how charming it was.

4) Have you been inspired to read any other books from a Kid-Lit author of 2013?

BETH: Once again, the writing of Frances Hodgson Burnett has made me long to read another of her books – perhaps we can put her on the list for 2016 Chrissi? Otherwise, I think I’m definitely going to read The Making Of A Marchioness this year.

CHRISSI: Oh yes. Let’s read more of Frances Hodgson Burnett! ❤

Beth and Chrissi do Kid-Lit 2014 – MAY READ – Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Published June 1, 2014 by bibliobeth

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What’s it all about?:

Peter Pan, the book based on J.M. Barrie’s famous play, is filled with unforgettable characters: Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up; the fairy, Tinker Bell; the evil pirate, Captain Hook; and the three children–Wendy, John, and Michael–who fly off with Peter Pan to Neverland, where they meet Indians and pirates and a crocodile that ticks.

What did I think?:

I have known about the magic of Peter Pan as long as I can remember, from enjoying the book as a child to the classic Disney film that I used to watch time and time again. I remember my sister Chrissi falling in love with Tinkerbell from the minute she first saw her on screen – actually one of the first things she learned to say was fairy although she couldn’t say her f’s properly and it came out as “sairy.” She’s going to kill me for writing that! Anyway, the magical story begins with the Darling family, Mr and Mrs Darling, their children Wendy, John and Michael and the loveable Nana, their nanny who is actually a dog, but very accomplished in her role as child minder. Mrs Darling is concerned when she finds a strange object in the children’s room and on questioning Wendy, is told it is the shadow of Peter Pan, a young boy who has been visiting them but so far she has not interacted with him and pretended to be asleep. Her mother is worried at her tale but has to attend a party that night with her husband and although she does not want to leave the children, she puts the shadow in a chest and goes out with a heavy heart. Sure enough, Peter Pan visits, attempting to retrieve his shadow and Wendy talks to him for the first time. Peter is trying to fix his shadow back on with soap and sensible Wendy knows that this is impossible so she sews it back on for him, ruffling the feathers of a jealous Tinkerbell who has accompanied Peter to the house. In no time, all the children are fast friends and Peter teaches them to fly around the room, to their great delight, before suggesting they should accompany him to Neverland where they would see other wonders such as mermaids, pirates and the Lost Boys.

The rest of the story is centered in Neverland and the wonderful adventures they have there where Wendy is automatically pronounced mother, a role which she relishes and takes good care of all the Lost Boys as if they were her own children. We also hear of the dastardly deeds of the infamous Captain James Hook, an evil pirate who has taken quite a dislike to Peter Pan. You see Peter was involved in an incident where Hook lost his arm to a crocodile, and he has a hook in replacement of that arm. Luckily for Hook, the crocodile also swallowed a ticking clock so Hook can always hear the crocodile coming, until the clock winds down that is…. (I have to admit, the crocodile remains my favourite character, and I love how he is drawn in the Disney movie!). Reading this book as an adult was a bit of a different experience for me, I still enjoyed it but sadly not as much as I thought I was going to. I enjoyed the more memorable sections i.e. Peter and his shadow, the jealous Tinkerbell, the crocodile…obviously, but other parts felt slightly flat for me. It felt like there were some amazing sections, and parts that just weren’t as exciting, so a bit of a mixed bag. Don’t get me wrong, I still think this is a wonderful children’s classic, and I think kids will continue to love it for many years to come, perhaps it was reading it as an adult which zapped a bit of the magic out for me.

To see Chrissi’s fabulous review, please visit her blog HERE.

Would I recommend it?:

But of course!

Star rating (out of 5):

WWW Wednesday #43

Published May 28, 2014 by bibliobeth

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Click on the image to get to her blog!

Welcome to another WWW Wednesday, and thanks as ever to MizB for hosting.

To join in you need to answer 3 questions..

•What are you currently reading?

•What did you recently finish reading?

•What do you think you’ll read next?

Click on the book covers to take you to a link to find out more!

What are you currently reading?:

This book won the Women’s Prize for fiction last year here in the UK and I can’t believe I’m only getting round to it now. Loving it so far!

What did you recently finish reading?:

This book was part of a challenge I participate in with my sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads and was our Kid-Lit choice for the month of May. Look out for our reviews coming your way on Sunday!

What do you think you’ll read next?:

Next up is a book I’ve actually had on my TBR pile for ages but am now going to review with Chrissi Reads. It’s also part of the Richard and Judy Summer Book Club here in the UK. I can’t wait to start this one!

What are you reading this Wednesday? Please leave your link and I’ll come pay you a visit! Happy Reading Everyone!

Beth and Chrissi do Kid-Lit – the titles for 2014

Published January 9, 2014 by bibliobeth

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Beth and Chrissi do Kid-Lit is a monthly feature I began with my sister and fellow blogger Chrissi Reads last year. We both chose six books each to represent the twelve months of the year and resolved to read and review one a month. We enjoyed doing it so much last year that we wanted to carry on the challenge for 2014, so without any further ado, here are the twelve lucky titles!