The Three Questions

Last night we had a smart and lively philosophy discussion surrounding the book, The Three Questions, by Jon J. Muth, based on a story by Leo Tolstoy.

I cannot begin to tell you how much we enjoyed this book and the discussion that followed. We used several of the questions from The Center For Philosophy For Children as a springboard:

What do you think of Nikolai’s questions? Do you think they are the most important questions in life?
Do you believe that what we think about these questions changes over time and with experience? Should it?
Are the most important questions in life the same for everyone?
How do we know the right thing to do when we are faced with a difficult decision?
What does it mean to do the right or wrong thing?

Mane is currently working out her own Three Questions. Last night she was able to articulate one of her own questions and the rationale behind it. I enjoyed seeing the conversation move from Mane simply agreeing with the questions in the book to being able to ask her own questions and think "bigger picture" about them.

It has been important to establish that I am not interested in "right" answers. I'm interested in where she gets her ideas and how she formulates them. This is different from a lot of parent-child or teacher-child conversations, since often we're asking questions to assess knowledge and correct misconceptions.

Last week we had a conversation about philosophy in general: what it is, what the word means, what philosophers study and what questions they tend to ask. We drew some connections between logic, faith, and philosophy. This week's conversation extended how those things are interrelated. We tend not to be able to answer the Important Questions in life unless we are informed by something. For us, our faith lays a foundation that helps us answer the Big Questions and make meaning out of life.

It has been interesting, also, for me to see how Mane has conceptualized faith up to this point in time, how she views the Bible and our studies of Torah. She has always been a rule-follower, and she talks about right and wrong being about following "the rules." When I inquire about "the rules," she points to scripture. I'm looking forward to investigating with her the nuances of "rules" - the "letter" vs. the "spirit" of rules and laws.

Eisenhower Observatory - Hopkins, MN

We recently visited the Eisenhower Observatory in Hopkins, MN with members of Mane' Percy Jackson book club.

Unfortunately for us, it was a cloudy night, and there wasn't much to see. Being in the dome and seeing the telescope was an experience unto itself, though, and we were inspired to look up the Observatory at the University of MN, which we hope to visit soon.

Lawrence Sauter Telescope

Book Review - Schooled

Recently, I visited the library with a friend, who was looking for good books for her nephew. The children's librarian recommended several books, and I ended up picking up two of them for myself! This was one of them:

Schooled by Gordon Korman

I enjoyed this book a great deal, though, at first, I was resistant to the stereotyped weirdo homeschooler idea. The public schooled kids were also pretty heavily stereotyped, and, in the end, I decided that the stereotyping is what makes this book so humorous and so powerful at the same time. It exaggerates to make a point.

Capricorn (Cap) is the new kid in the 8th grade because his grandmother, the only person he's ever really known in his life, breaks her hip and needs to recover in the hospital for several weeks. Because the 8th graders are in the habit of electing the the least "cool" or popular student in the school to be their class president, Cap becomes class president. The "cool" kids are ready to make fun of him all year, but they discover that it's pretty difficult to make fun of someone who doesn't understand the social rules and has been heavily indoctrinated with "hippy" values.

Book Review - Eleven

Recently, I visited the library with a friend, who was looking for good books for her nephew. The children's librarian recommended several books, and I ended up picking up two of them for myself! This was one of them:

Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff
 
A fascinating idea but not a particularly believable outcome. Sam turns eleven and discovers a newspaper clipping in the attic that seems to indicate that he's been missing, which could mean that he's somehow living with the wrong people and that his family is not really his family. Sam's endeavor to find out the truth about himself is hampered by the fact that he struggles with reading. Sam enlists the help of a new girl at school, who seems to have her nose in a book constantly. This book is the story of the friendship that develops between them as they sort out the truth about Sam. There were some very sweet and beautiful things about the story, but, on the whole, I didn't find the ending believable, and Sam seems much younger than 11 (though he has some extraordinary wood-working skills).

Book Review - The Palace of Laughter

The Palace of Laughter is the story of a homeless boy, Miles, escaped from the local orphanage, and a little angel named Little, whom Miles helped to escape from the circus. They are on a quest to find the angel, Silverpoint, whom Little followed to earth and whom she needs to find in order to get back home. They know that Silverpoint is at the "Palace of Laughter," but they don't know where or what that is.

The story is somewhat dark. The circus people are the scary kind that give people nightmares, and they are dangerous, cold, and cutthroat. Although the book's intended audience is 4-7 grades, I think I'd be inclined to stick with the older end of that spectrum in buying or recommending the book to/for kids.

Philosophically, I like the ideas Berkeley introduces about angels, though I don't know that I buy into all of them. It was hard for me to blend the elements of fantasy into this story in my mind (talking animals again!), but, I found that in the end I liked the way it all fit together. I think I'd like to read the next book to find out what happens to Miles next!

Memorable quotes: "I am a Song Angel, and every language is an echo of the One Song, even the sigh of the wind and the groan of the mountains. Everything speaks. You just have to know how to listen."

"The One Song is the music that runs at the heart of everything. It keeps the world spinning and the stars shining. Everything that exists, every insect and rock and river and flower, has a name in the One Song. Love and Sorrow, Laughter and Anger and Courage all have their places too, and they must be kept in harmony. When one of these strands is taken out from the rest, that is when bad things happen, like a rope beginning to unravel. Each Song Angel must learn a part of that song. We keep it alive and guard it, and in the end we must each add our own name to it so that the Song keeps growing and the world keeps moving along its path."

Book Review - Mossflower

I finished Mossflower by Brian Jaques last night. Here's my review:

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was well-written and I liked the theme of peace-loving creatures defending themselves in clever, rather than violent, ways. The woodland creatures have had their land, Mossflower, overtaken by the wildcats and weasels. This is the story of how they cleverly took it back.

That said, I'm not a big fan of books with animal main characters, especially if those characters basically act just like people. Various woodland creatures farming or usi...more I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was well-written and I liked the theme of peace-loving creatures defending themselves in clever, rather than violent, ways. The woodland creatures have had their land, Mossflower, overtaken by the wildcats and weasels. This is the story of how they cleverly take it back.



That said, I'm not a big fan of books with animal main characters, especially if those characters basically act just like people. Various woodland creatures farming or using slingshots and arrows just doesn't fit for me, nor do I buy into mice, badgers, moles, squirrels, hares, and beavers all living together happily under one roof, cooking great feasts and caring for each others children. The characters were sweet, and there was some nice character development. I'm afraid it just wasn't my style of book.

Book Review - The Higher Power of Lucky

I finished The Higher Power of Lucky last night and couldn't wait to get on-line to write a review! Here it is:

It's hard to know how to write a review of this book. Let me begin by saying that I thought it was absolutely wonderful! I laughed out loud in several places, and when I tried to read the amusing passages aloud to my husband, we both laughed ourselves nearly to tears.

This is the story of Lucky, a 10 year old girl who lives in a tiny desert town where there are hardly any jobs and everyone is poor. The town's greatest asset is the Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor center, wh...more It's hard to know how to write a review of this book. Let me begin by saying that I thought it was absolutely wonderful! I laughed out loud in several places, and when I tried to read the amusing passages aloud to my husband, we both laughed ourselves nearly to tears.

This is the story of Lucky, a 10 year old girl who lives in a tiny desert town where there are hardly any jobs and everyone is poor. The town's greatest asset is the Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor center, where there are a number of weekly twelve step meetings. Lucky's job is to pick-up trash around the museum, where she also eavesdrops on the twelve step meetings and becomes fascinated with the search for a Higher Power. Lucky's mother died two years ago, and she is a ward of the state being cared for by her father's French ex-wife, Brigitte. Lucky is convinced that a Higher Power would help assure that she gets to continue life in her small town, and a Higher Power would convince Brigitte to stay with her.

I find Lucky's character to be well-developed. It's hard for an author to really take on the character of a 10 year old, and Patron does this well. The other characters are viewed through Lucky's eyes, and they take on character and meaning as described by Lucky.

The book has been criticized for it's use of the word "scrotum" in the first & last chapters and for the mention of alcoholism, smoking, and drugs. As a book written for the 9-11yr old crowd, I could see how this would offend some and not bother others. I'm among those who would not be bothered. I *do* want to know what my daughter is reading, which is why I'm reading the 4th-8th grade books now (while she's going into 3rd grade), but there wasn't anything explicit in this book. "Scrotum" is in reference to a story Lucky overhears about a dog, and at the end of the book Brigitte gives a very straight-forward answer when Lucky finally asks what a scrotum is. As for the alcohol, smoking, and drugs: these are not glorified or even discussed explicitly. They're discussed in the context of twelve step meetings from the innocent perspective of a ten year old, who doesn't really understand what it's all about anyway. My 8 year old is well aware of alcohol, smoking, and drugs. These are things we've discussed since she was very small, and I'm not concerned about her reading books that mention these things. We live in an urban area where these discussions cannot be avoided. (I should also mention that she knows what a scrotum is, too. It's a very obvious part of basic human anatomy.) Overall, none of these things seem like major themes in the book. They're part of the context of a larger story.

Book Review - Tuck Everlasting

And my final review for today...

I finished Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt a few weeks ago, and I've been thinking about it ever since...

A very delightful read! This book is so well-written that I read several passages aloud simply to savor the sound of them.

This is the story of a family, who drank from a stream of enchanted water that has caused them to live forever, and an ordinary girl who discovers their secret and must make some very grown-up decisions about what to do with that secret.

I have since discovered that many teachers use this book in children's literature classes because of the excellent writing and the richness of themes.

Book Review - The Great and Terrible Quest

I loved, loved, loved The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett! It's not a very popular book. In fact, I'd never heard of it until I received it from Sonlight as a free gift for requesting their catalog.

Here's my review:

A fantastic book! This is the story of a man who lost is memory, though he knows he's supposed to be on a quest, and a young boy, who accompanies the man on his quest after escaping his abusive grandfather. The good vs. evil plot is reminiscent of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. There's a strong emphasis on being bold and brave, strong and tenacious, while also being compassionate and kind. The mystery of the quest unfolds along with the book and would keep a middle school reader guessing about the outcome. The characters are layered and complex, which keeps the story from being entirely plot-driven. I'll be on the look-out for more of Lovett's books to add to the bookshelf!

Book Review - The Door To Time

As part of my endeavor to stock the bookshelves with books I really love, rather than the twaddle so readily available for children these days, I've begun reading my way through books that are written for the 4th-8th grade set. I've decided to include my reviews here - for the benefit of others seeking great reading for their children (homeschooled or not).

So, to begin, I read...ok, I didn't finish...The Door to Time...on Tuesday this week. This is what I said about it over at my goodreads account:

"Flat characters, very predictable story line. I got halfway through the book and put it down. I have no attachment to the characters and do not care what happens to them. I guess that says it all."

I found that other goodreads users also found it lacking in substance. Some loved it, but very few give it 5 of 5 stars.