I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for several days since finishing the book. The writing is worthy of 5 stars, but there were aspects of the story which I loved and certain themes that I did not, including the ending. However, it did inspire a terrific discussion with my reading buddy, Marialyce. So says The Art of Being a Princess, which Princess Imogene is supposed to be reading. But since she is neither particularly good nor all that beautiful, she skips her homework to visit the pond. There she meets a talking frog who claims to be a prince under a witch's spell. Imogene kindly kisses him to remove the spell - and gets turned into a frog instead! One other comment – Joan finishes the book with a life changing opportunity to move to England, one she claims as her destiny and causes her to reflect on her namesake Joan of Arc: it was harder for me to think of a historical character less suitable for inspiration for seeing England as a redemptive promised land of opportunity. One should be able to say of a princess ''She was as good as she was beautiful,'' according to The Art of Being a Princess (third revised edition), which the almost-thirteen-year-old Pri… More...

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow | Goodreads Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow | Goodreads

Alys, falsely accused of witchcraft, her father dead from the strain of her trial, is condemned to be sacrificed to a dragon. So she is only too eager when Selendrile, a wonderfully ambiguous Continue reading » It was hilarious and added a whole other layer of fun to the story. But the entire book plot was a riot. Frog, frogging: an ornamental loop-fastening for a coat, used with a frog-button, associated with Brandenbourgs; Frog-button, olivette: a spindle-shaped braided button to pass through frog fastenings.” A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl. Rampant classism— I mentioned this before (Miriam @ pediatrician's office) but the author seems to think that the characters needed to "earn" their story, so despite their poverty, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, etc, respectability politics and exceptionalism prop up their pain, making them "good people" or rather "good women", deserving of a better life. For a story that uses poverty and marginalization as some of the primary themes, all of the characters are exceptional, the exception to one rule or another, the absolute BEST at what they do and thus, privileged.

As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Joan begins to understand that her mother, her mother’s mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger—that the sole instrument she needs for healing is her paintbrush.

FROGGED - Definition and synonyms of frogged in the English FROGGED - Definition and synonyms of frogged in the English

The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.

So says The Art of Being a Princess , which Princess Imogene is supposed to be reading. But since she is neither particularly good nor all that beautiful, she skips her homework to visit the pond. There she meets a talking frog who claims to be a prince under a witch’s spell. Imogene kindly kisses him to remove the spell – and gets turned into a frog instead! Blank*teen year old me loved it just as much, if not more, than I would've when I was nine. It made me giggle and sent all sorts of silly daydreams into my head. The audiobook is narrated by Karen Murray and Adenrele Ojo. Two narrators give more believability to the voicing of the characters and with the constant shifting between timelines, it gives clearer distinction between the main character's voices.

BS EN 771-1 BS 3921 British Standard Specification for Clay

Also, I loved that her prologue basically chastised me for remarking on how I usually skip prologues and author's notes. Ha! Well, I assure you, while I STILL skip most author's prologues (you know, the kind that are ABOUT the book and not actually a PART of the story), I ALWAYS read Vivian Vande Velde's prologues and author's notes (and you should too. They're funny!) The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (Kindle Edition) When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day. Frog (Fastening).” Wikipedia , April 11, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frog_(fastening)&oldid=835893908 . This was just a fun take on The Frog Prince all around! Imogene was a hilarious heroine to follow, and you were rooting for her so hard to be un-frogged.Hennessy, Kathryn and Anna Fischel. Fashion: The Definitive History of Costume and Style. Edited by Susan Brown. New York: DK Publishing, 2012. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1041708396. This is an emotional story with adversity and dark topics that are hard to read or listen to. It feels chaotic through most of the story but this family puzzle does come together to confirm the strength of family, bonds between women, mothers protecting children, and neighbors helping neighbors. There is also a hopeful ending! In this Edgar Award winner set in medieval times, Anora chooses to marry the obnoxious but wealthy Farold instead of Selwyn, thus making Selwyn the chief suspect when Farold is found murdered. Continue reading » This is a soft coming-of-age story that particularly speaks to the growing pains of young adolescents (and specifically girls). It is also a fun read for entertainment that is written in a style suitable for students grades 4-8. It meets these needs well. Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book

Frogged Books - Goodreads Frogged Books - Goodreads

I don't even know how to describe this book. It's Vivian Vande Velde. I like Vivian Vande Velde. I haven't read a book she's written that I haven't liked, though some I've LOVED (but this one I liked). I recommend her to everyone because she's just that kind of author. Basically, amazing. despite there being multiple narrators, there were no distinct voices. even though there were characters that were 80 and characters that were 8, there was no difference in the way they thought or spoke or described things that happened. this added to the issue of confusion; i would find myself forgetting who was speaking because each character soundly exactly like the other three. I loved Hazel for finding a love like no other, loved Miriam for finding the strength to leave an abusive situation and redefine herself, loved August for making the choice to be there for a son she could never control rather than follow her own dreams, loved June for ignoring the noise that tried to make her stop drawing and loved Maya for never letting outside voices temper her love for her father and her family. I loved Miss Dawn for investing in Miriam’s daughters as if they were her own and loved the community that surrounded the North girls.While Imogene is at the traveling theater she makes witty and humorous remarks and gives advice to Luella who makes the mistake of following Bertie to a traveling theater. Imogene's funnier than I expected and I really enjoyed her perspective as a princess trapped in a frog's body. I kind of felt bad for frogs and their bad wraps even though I will still never get near any of them or at least not any toads *shudder*. My one complaint is the climax. It felt a little…anticlimactic. And the ending for a certain character was extremely unsatisfactory and didn’t seem in character at all. This novel will make you feel and will make you think. I recommend it for all readers of literary fiction and family drama. I look forward to seeing what’s next for this debut novelist.