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From: Elizabeth Bluemle <ehbluemle>
Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:24:09 -0400
Whenever I think of summer reading (lazy days, sunshine, foot-pedaling a little low boat around the round lake at my grandparents' place in Indiana, with my book and a glass of sun tea nestled in the decrepit drink holder by the rudder control), I think of the Edward Eager books, particularly MAGIC OR NOT?
Also, THE ENCHANTED CASTLE, by E. Nesbit -- marble fauns on a summer evening! -- and Eleanor Estes's THE WITCH FAMILY, which heads toward Halloween but begins in summer with that oversized buzzing bumblebee, Malachi, and the two best friends happily drawing pictures of their little created world.
Someone already mentioned Elizabeth Enright's GONE-AWAY LAKE and THE FOUR-STORY MISTAKE, which are two of the world's ultimate summer books.
Basically, all the "E" authors -- Elizabeth Enright, Eleanor Estes, Edward Eager, Julie Andrews Edwards, E. Nesbit (all right, I'm stretching here) -- are the queens and king of summer for me.
I also read and re-read RUNAWAY ALICE, which was a consummate orphan-finding-home story (a la Anne of Green Gables, but less epic) with great warmth, Alice spending the summer in "dungarees," climbing trees and cutting gum squares out of tree bark. Very summery.
There are so many more. Am I wrong, or were there more sunny summer stories to be had when I was a child (1970s) than are written now (PENDERWICKS aside)?
It has to be said that summer also always meant a re-reading of the LOTR trilogy. I tended to zip past the battle scenes rather quickly, but loved the golden woods and Aragorn (my first literary crush) and the Ents and the creepy barrow wights and Merry and Pippin's misadventures and Sam, so different in my mind from the movie's Sam.
All right. Enough nostalgia for now. More of this and I will be lured back to those favorites, rather than reading and reviewing the new goodies.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
P.S. Carolyn, I loved HONESTLY, KATIE JOHN! I used to read that back to back with ISABELLE THE ITCH, PETER AND VERONICA, and A GIRL CALLED AL.
Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:24:09 -0400
Whenever I think of summer reading (lazy days, sunshine, foot-pedaling a little low boat around the round lake at my grandparents' place in Indiana, with my book and a glass of sun tea nestled in the decrepit drink holder by the rudder control), I think of the Edward Eager books, particularly MAGIC OR NOT?
Also, THE ENCHANTED CASTLE, by E. Nesbit -- marble fauns on a summer evening! -- and Eleanor Estes's THE WITCH FAMILY, which heads toward Halloween but begins in summer with that oversized buzzing bumblebee, Malachi, and the two best friends happily drawing pictures of their little created world.
Someone already mentioned Elizabeth Enright's GONE-AWAY LAKE and THE FOUR-STORY MISTAKE, which are two of the world's ultimate summer books.
Basically, all the "E" authors -- Elizabeth Enright, Eleanor Estes, Edward Eager, Julie Andrews Edwards, E. Nesbit (all right, I'm stretching here) -- are the queens and king of summer for me.
I also read and re-read RUNAWAY ALICE, which was a consummate orphan-finding-home story (a la Anne of Green Gables, but less epic) with great warmth, Alice spending the summer in "dungarees," climbing trees and cutting gum squares out of tree bark. Very summery.
There are so many more. Am I wrong, or were there more sunny summer stories to be had when I was a child (1970s) than are written now (PENDERWICKS aside)?
It has to be said that summer also always meant a re-reading of the LOTR trilogy. I tended to zip past the battle scenes rather quickly, but loved the golden woods and Aragorn (my first literary crush) and the Ents and the creepy barrow wights and Merry and Pippin's misadventures and Sam, so different in my mind from the movie's Sam.
All right. Enough nostalgia for now. More of this and I will be lured back to those favorites, rather than reading and reviewing the new goodies.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
P.S. Carolyn, I loved HONESTLY, KATIE JOHN! I used to read that back to back with ISABELLE THE ITCH, PETER AND VERONICA, and A GIRL CALLED AL.
-- Elizabeth Bluemle Bookseller, Flying Pig Bookstore www.flyingpigbooks.com Author, MY FATHER THE DOG (Candlewick, 2006) DOGS ON THE BED (Candlewick, 2007) HOW DO YOU WOKKA-WOKKA? (Candlewick, 2008) www.elizabethbluemle.comReceived on Mon 10 Jul 2006 10:24:09 AM CDT
