2017 Summer Reads ~ Part 1

This special article is about the books that I read in the late spring and summer. I bought most of these books from garage sales around my community. I hope that I will be able to introduce you to many new books.

Books Read

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

The Summary

Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

Robbery and brutal murder aboard a luxury transport ensnares the ever-attentive Hercule Poirot in The Mystery of the Blue Train, from Queen of Mystery Agatha Christie.

When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again—for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious rubies are missing.

The prime suspect is Ruth’s estranged husband, Derek. Yet Hercule Poirot is not convinced, so he stages an eerie reenactment of the journey, complete with the murderer on board. . . .

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Black Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate best-seller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, but long enough to see her only novel become a success. With fifty million copies sold, Black Beauty is one of the best-selling books of all time. While forthrightly teaching animal welfare, it also teaches how to treat people with kindness, sympathy, and respect. Black Beauty became a forerunner to the pony book genre of children's literature.

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Note: I only read the first three books of this series.

• The Bad Beginning

Are you made fainthearted by death? Does fire unnerve you? Is a villain something that might crop up in future nightmares of yours? Are you thrilled by nefarious plots? Is cold porridge upsetting to you? Vicious threats? Hooks? Uncomfortable clothing?

It is likely that your answers will reveal A Series of Unfortunate Events to be ill-suited for your personal use. A librarian, bookseller, or acquaintance should be able to suggest books more appropriate for your fragile temperament. But to the rarest of readers we say, "Proceed, but cautiously."


• The Reptile Room

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.
In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odour.
In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy.

• The Wide Window

Dear Reader,
If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick-witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all. If you haven't got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair. I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.
                                          With all due respect,
                                                              Lemony Snicket

Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones

In 1918, caring for her family's homing pigeons while her father is away fighting in World War I, twelve-year-old Pam comes to suspect that a mysterious stranger in her small North Carolina town is a German spy.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was initially published in serial format starting in the autumn of 1910, and was first published in its entirety in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's literature.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. This first edition credited the work's fictional protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a travelogue of true incidents. It was published under the considerably longer original title The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character (whose birth name is Robinson Kreutznaer)—a castaway who spends years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers before being rescued. The story is widely perceived to have been influenced by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who lived for four years on the Pacific island called "Más a Tierra" (in 1966 its name was changed to Robinson Crusoe Island), Chile. However, other possible sources have been put forward for the text. It is possible, for example, that Defoe was inspired by the Latin or English translations of Ibn Tufail's Hayy ibn Yaqdhan, an earlier novel also set on a desert island. Another source for Defoe's novel may have been Robert Knox's account of his abduction by the King of Ceylon in 1659 in "An Historical Account of the Island Ceylon,"

Lea Clark Book Series by Lisa Yee and Kellen Hertz

• Lea Dives In

Lea Clark is ten years old and ready to explore the whole world, just like her grandmother! But first she'll start with a family trip to Brazil, where her big brother, Zac, is studying the rainforest. Lea is really excited to see the ocean and when she does, she realizes she'd rather take picture of it than swim in it. Can she overcome her fear and dive in? Then she meets a fun new friend who inspires her to embrace the thrills and beauty of Brazil. But when the fun turns to danger, Lea must find the courage to face adventure head on! Where will the next adventure take her?

• Lea Leads the Way

Lea Clark is all set for an animal-discovery adventure! She's never been to a rainforest before, and her mind is filled with exciting thoughts about the animals she'll get to see and the pictures she'll get to take deep in the jungle. During a hike with her brother through the Amazon rainforest, they discover a baby sloth that is badly injured. Lea quickly decides she must do all she can to help the little sloth survive. But as she learns more, she wonders? Is that the right thing to do?

• Lea and Camilla

For spring break, Lea has invited her friend Camila to St. Louis for a stateside adventure. They find a stray kitten and make a mysterious discovery while visiting a grand but crumbling mansion. Lea is determined to uncover the secrets of her discovery, but in her search for clues she forgets to be a good host to Camila. And when Lea's best friend, Abby, becomes fast friends with Camila, Lea feels a little left out. Can she find a way to reconnect with her friends and solve the mystery, too?

Things I Liked

Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

It's a standard Agatha Christie mystery. I think one of the only things I liked about this novel is Poirot playing matchmaker, again.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

This book has some sweet stories about horses. I read one of the stories for my homeschool and liked that particular story. That's why I read this book in the first place.

Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones

This book is a good mystery for younger readers. I love how this story was set during WWI which is sometimes forgotten in the shadow of WWII. It's a very interesting and historical story about the "hysteria" of Germans in America during those years. I definitely got a glimpse of rural living. The animals in the story like Pam's pigeons and dog were a very emotional addition to this story.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This is a great classic about how a garden of beauty changed the lives of two kids. Mary and Colin were both spoiled brats living alone. I do believe the book is somewhat symbolic. because the garden may symbolize love. Both of their character arcs were very full and well done. It's just a very positive and joyful character change.

Lea Clark Book Series by Lisa Yee and Kellen Hertz

In Lea Dives in, Lea learns a very valuable lesson of growing up and conquering her fears. In the third book, Lea and Camilla, there were so many valuable photography tips that really helped me photograph the blossoming tree in my front yard.

Things I Disliked

Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

The mystery was pretty unclear and more focused on the romantic relationships of the suspects instead of the detective. This caused the mystery to make no sense. Also, the murderer(s) were really obscure that I had to dig back through the book to figure out who they even were.

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

This is another book full of random stories. There are a lot of horse terms that I didn't know, but those were not explained. I mean, everyone knew horse terms back in 1800. I just didn't find the book really interesting.

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

I probably hated everything about this series. It didn't really have anything to do with the morbidity, but it was so monotonous. One could read the first and second book and literally get the whole plot for the rest of the book. From book to book the only thing different were the people, places, and maybe a situation or two. It's definitely not worth reading.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Colin is super annoying because he was basically whining for the first half of the book. He is a brat, so I guess that is the way it was supposed to be. The kids started a weird nature cult at the end of the book.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

The book reads like a diary talking about what he ate or did that day so it got really boring for me. It was more interesting when it spoke about the cannibals and Christianity, but otherwise I kind of trudged through his daily living routines.

Rating

Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie: NR (Not Recommended)
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell: NR (Not Recommended)
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: NR (Not Recommended)
Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones: R (Recommend)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: PR (Partially Recommend)
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: PR (Partially Recommend)
Lea Clark Book Series by Lisa Yee and Kellen Hertz: R (Recommend)

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That was today’s special article. Next week’s special article will continue this series, but until then come back on Sunday. I will be leaving for camp so the posting schedule for next week will be a little different. My weekly article will be published on Sunday, and my special article will be published on Friday.