Stand Straight Ella Kate, Kate and M. Sarah Klise

Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant, Kate and M. Sarah Klise
ISBN: 9780803734043
Read December 2, 2013

Picture Book (SC Picture Book Award Winner for 2012-2013)

Ella Kate was perfectly normal, until she turned seven.  After that, she grew at an astonishing rate, eventually topping out at 8'4" with size 24 shoes.

Beginning at age 17, she took her unusual height and used it to make a profit, working for a Chicago museum of oddities and making $1000 in a single month (which is an INSANE amount of money for anyone in 1890, let alone a 17 year old girl).

She got a taste of the wide world outside her small-town plains homestead, and continued touring for almost 20 years before her death at age 40.

The illustrations by Sarah Klise are deceptively simple - the expressions on the faces are spot-on and the body language is likewise quite deft for the otherwise flat "naive" illustrations.  Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the endpapers, where various factoids about Ella Kate are illustrated and recorded - everything from a full-size recreation of a glove, to her shoe-size, to the height of her dresser.

The story is told straightforwardly, with no extra sentimentality or excess, which I think well-suits what we're shown of Ella Kate's actual character.  The story wisely ends with her on tour, planning to see as much of the world as possible, leaving it to the nonfiction coda (complete with an actual photograph) to tell about the end of her life.

Excellent for storytime, or for kids interested in "larger than life" folklore heroes or fairy-tale giants.

Katie and the Mustang Series, Kathleen Duey

Katie and the Mustang Series, Kathleen Duey
(individual books are untitled)

Book 1: ISBN: 9780142400906
Book 2: ISBN: 0525472738
Book 3: ISBN: 0142400920
Book 4: ISBN: 0142400939

Read October 14-18, 2013

This is the second series of early-chapter horse books I've read by Kathleen Duey.  I have to say that I like the Irish set more than these.  For some reason, the main character in this story struck me as less active and more emotionally fragile than in the previous set.  As the "girl power" themes are part of why I liked the others as much as I did, I found the lack here to be disconcerting.

I also thought that the themes and main ideas here were a little more mature and harder to grasp - Katie is escaping from an abusive home and traveling ALONE on the Oregon trail with a farm-hand she barely knows (problematic by itself), and then as the series progresses, there are issues of "ladylike behavior" and the existence of ignored or persecuted Mormon pioneers, and the presence of a traveling circus (deemed to be dangerously not respectable people).  Further, and more pertinent to the horse-mad reader, Katie refuses to attempt to tame the mustang, despite the hardships of the Oregon Trail, meaning that there are no thrilling instances of the horse being ridden, and the bond between them remains fragile and tenuous, despite the author's best intentions.  This will likely frustrate the seriously horse-crazed, and the postscript of incoming foals who aren't even included in the book will do little alleviate that frustration.

However - because I didn't find them as good as the others, doesn't mean that they're all bad.  I do think that I would prefer to read the other set aloud, and let a horse-mad reader discover these on their own.   If I had to recommend a set from this author, I'd go with the original Irish Hoofbeats Series, or perhaps the Unicorn's Secret Series, which I'll be working through shortly. 

Gratefully Yours, Jane Buchanan

Gratefully Yours, Jane Buchanan. ISBN: 0374327750

Juv Orphan-Train-setting.

Hattie is sick of everyone telling her she should be "grateful" that she didn't die in the fire like the rest of her family, "grateful" that she's healthy enough to go on the Orphan Trains, "grateful" for the charity of the church poor-box for her clothes, and "grateful" that Henry and Elizabeth have taken her in, even though Elizabeth didn't even want a child after her own losses.

What Hattie is grateful for is that Emily, her roommate and friend from the orphanage has been placed in the same town (but with a shrew who treats her like a servant and even changes her name!) and that Cloud the cat offers unconditional love and doesn't think she's a sinner or a freak because she's an orphan (even though he's just a cat, and she's kept busy with chores and school).  

Over a slim 177 pages, Hattie settles in, Elizabeth thaws, Henry shows his mettle as a great father, and eventually, Hattie realizes that despite her righteous indignation over well-meaning people and their "grateful" admonishments, it is possible to be somewhat grateful, even after tragedies.

Spoiler Alert: The cat kicks it during the climax.  If I had read this as a child, I would have been devastated.

Wagon Wheels, Barbara Brenner & Don Bolognese

Wagon Wheels, Barbara Brenner, illus Don Bolognese.  ISBN: 9780064440523
Read Sept 30, 2013

Juv "I Can Read" book, African-American pioneers, Native Americans

Really excellent summary of the adventures of the Muldie boys, who moved to Nicodemus, Kansas (a black settlement) as pioneers, and then lived alone at ages 11, 8, and 3 while their father staked out a claim about 150 miles further west.  Then, as the kicker, they're summoned by post with short directions, and travel the entire way themselves to get to their new home!!

A sub-plot near the beginning focuses on the kindness of the Native Americans to the settlement when they were starving during a harsh winter.  Another deals with prairie fires.  

Very short and direct (for beginning readers) but interesting plot and good pacing.  Compare with the Little House books or the (expurgated) Sadie Rose books.

The Courage of Sarah Noble, Alice Dalgliesh

The Courage of Sarah Noble, Alice Dalgliesh.  ISBN: 0684188309

Read Sept 30, 2013.

Juv easy reader: pioneer life and Native Americans

Sarah's father has staked a claim in the high north of the frontier, and he's taken Sarah (aged 7) along with him to be his cook and housekeeper.  The other sisters aren't interested, and Mama can't come because the baby is too young.  Father and Sarah are to start the house, and when everything is ready, then Mama and the siblings will join them.

Sarah repeatedly reminds herself of her bravery, which is a nice note.  Her and her father also build strong relationships with the local tribe of Native Americans, so much so that when Father needs to head back east to fetch the family, he asks Sarah to stay with the neighbors (the Native Americans) while he's gone.  

Excellent story, small bit of Christianity (reading from the Bible, praying before bedtime for the Indians) excellent counterpoint to stories where the Indians are the perilous unknown.