The Silver Bowl; The Cup and the Crown

 

I have been wanting to read more fantasy for the upper elementary set, and Diane Stanley's The Silver Bowl and The Cup and the Crown satisfy my requirements for and original plot and complex character quite nicely. The books concern Molly, a girl sold into service to the royal family. As she works as a scullery maid, she learns of a curse on the royal family and her own psychic powers. Determined to save the young prince Alaric, she and her friends plan his rescue and attempt to lift the curse. The book has accurate and interesting details about the goings on behind the scene of a great castle that will appeal to young historians, and positive messages about loyalty and friendship. Molly is a plucky and resourceful girl, and the interplay between elements of fantasy and historical fiction are pleasant, almost making the book into magical realism.
Like most sequels, The Cup and the Crown is less engaging, though Stanley creates wilder adventures and more outlandish characters. Now Molly has been elevated in status, and the king sends her on a quest to find a Loving Cup so that he can propose and be assured of his betrothed's love. She and her friends trace her grandfather, a silversmith, back to his land of origin, where Molly learns of her family's history. While the original characters ring true, Stanley add in so many ridiculous storylines that the charm of the first book is almost lost. The ending is hurried, so there is likely a third book in the works. While I plan to read it, I will do so hoping that Stanley regains her simply narrative style and not longer neglects the realism of character that kept the first book grounded.

Sarah's Key

 

I suppose, in my mother's way of speaking, that I'm being punished for checking out a book right under another reader's nose. I should not have read Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key. That book has left me haunted and depressed. This is not to say that the book was not good. Let me explain.
The book consists of two alternating stories. Sarah, a Jewish girl from Paris, is part of the major round-up during the Holocaust. Not understanding her situation, she leaves her four-year old brother locked in a secret cabinet in their apartment to stay safe. She holds the key and is determined to rescue him before it is too late. Julia, an American ex-pat journalist, lives in Paris with her cruel, philandering, Parisian husband and becomes interested in the round-up of thousands of Jews held in the Veldrome d'Hiver and Sarah's story. She investigates what happened to Sarah as her marriage and life in France fall apart.
This is a powerful book about innocence lost, guilt, and the end of love. But as a mother to two children under five, there are certain things I can no longer read, that now horrify me and haunt me. While I am continuing to read and enjoy de Rosnay's other books, I wish I had left this one alone. Her language twists and turns beautifully, and she has a flair for description, but the imaginary reality of Sarah's Key is too much for me to handle.

I am an unscrupulous acquirer of books.

Today I snatched a library book almost from the hands of someone else who wanted it. I've been trying to justify my actions, so that when I read the book, it won't be tainted with guilt. Here's the story of my crime.

I've been wanting to read Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key for a few months, but it's never been on the shelves. I've been checking and checking in the Fic D section, to no avail. There are other books in that area written by authors with de Something last names, so I figured that was where the book was located. Because I usually go to the library with my impatient-for-the-children's-section sons, I only have a few moments to grab books not in the YA or children's sections. Today, I made sure to check the online catalogue, and realized that my library is not consistent with how they consider de Something last names. It's under Fic Rosnay.

Feeling stupid, I took my son to the library. After we dropped off our books, I heard a woman at the circulation desk saying, "It's called Sarah's Key, and it's not on the shelf even though the catalogue says it's available." I realized immediately what mistake she was making, and hustled over to the R's with my son, plucked the book off the shelf, and quickly walked back to circulation. The patron and librarian were heading to the R's, with the librarian saying something about putting the book on hold if they couldn't find it. As the desk was now empty, I used the self check-out before any holds were created and continued to the children's section.

I felt triumphant then, but now feel a little guilty. This woman wanted the book as much as I did, but I got there about a minute earlier, and had done my searching at home. Chance? Library skills? Ruthlessness?

Has anyone else done anything slightly immoral to acquire a book?

Banned Books: Judy Blume is Awesome

Read about Judy's efforts that helped keep a book on library shelves. I suppose I'm going to have to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I'm also going to have to start reading some of the commonly banned books. It seems that if something has sparked this type of negative reaction, it's usually a good book. What were some of your favorite books growing up that were contested?