“You know perfectly well whom you are addressing!” said Alice.
“Where is he then?”
Alice groaned. “Mr. Dodgson said that I should make the announcement and that’s why I’m here.”
Caterpillar blew smoky rings into the air. His eyes grew droopy. “No one knows this Mr. Dodgson fellow anymore.”
“Mr. Dodgson? Alright then — Lewis Carroll.” Alice’s mounting irritation became plain as she opened and closed her fists.
“Let me introduce you and then you tell them? Agree?” murmured Caterpillar.
“I suppose,” said Alice.
“For all those listening, this is Alice Liddell from Oxford. She has news to share.”
Alice drew a long breath. “It is my privilege and honor to announce that my recent set of adventures underground with my American friends, Ben & Kyle, and also Mr. Dodgson ( I mean– Lewis Carroll) has been set to paper by author Ellis Nelson. The book entitled, Down the Treacle Well, will be published by Tuxtails Publishing and made available this fall. Everyone in Wonderland is terribly excited about the impending release.”
Caterpillar raised an eyebrow. “Everyone?”
“Well, probably not everyone. The Red Queen for one is likely to be quite upset.”
The Mysterious Door: The Adventures of Ollie and Emma
By Maighread Mackay
After a difficult day at school, Emma arrives home to find Mom occupied with a Zoom call. Parental help with teasing at school will have to wait. With things still churning inside her, Emma heads out with her brother into the woods. The two stumble upon a previously unknown doorway and, like all curious kids, they can’t resist temptation. The mysterious door becomes a portal to a unique world where the author introduces a very different world from the one Emma and Ollie know. There is delight here but also danger. Emma and Ollie are exposed to different levels of reality and abilities which certainly stretch their minds and challenge boundaries. Here the author offers an enchanting world of delightful sensory detail. Emma is promised answers to her problems but at the same time, sinister forces are working against them. A great set-up for fabulous adventures to come.
Below are some of the holiday trees decorated to celebrate children’s books at my local library. Books are a great gift at Christmas and help to keep kids reading throughout the year. Consider buying books for the young people in your life.
Evolutionary Astrology is where the past becomes a steppingstone, not a millstone.
So, what is it exactly?
Many seekers over millennia have sought out and used the tools of astrology. In modern times, a birth chart reading provides insight into the personality or psychology of the individual. But behind that chart lies another chart, hidden from all but the most ardent of explorers. This is what evolutionary astrology endeavors to parse, the blending of the psychological with the metaphysical to produce a kind of elevated psychology. Perhaps this could be viewed as a sacred level of psychology–the psychology of our evolving consciousness.
Whether as a literal reality or metaphor, evolutionary astrology uses the idea that we have all lived before. Through those lives, we faced lessons and challenges. We learned and grew, and we continue to confront challenges in this incarnation. This is an astrology that honors the individual and…
“Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father’s approval.
But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon’s closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher’s innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.
In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.”
AMAH FARAWAY by Margaret Chiu Greanias
Picture Book
“Kylie is nervous about visiting her grandmother-her Amah-who lives SO FAR AWAY. When she and Mama finally go to Taipei, Kylie is shy with Amah. Even though they have spent time together in video chats, those aren’t the same as real life. And in Taiwan, Kylie is at first uncomfortable with the less-familiar language, customs, culture, and food. However, after she is invited by Amah-Lái kàn kàn! Come see!-to play and splash in the hot springs (which aren’t that different from the pools at home), Kylie begins to see this place through her grandmother’s eyes and sees a new side of the things that used to scare her. Soon, Kylie is leading her Amah-Come see! Lái kàn kàn!-back through all her favorite parts of this place and having SO MUCH FUN! And when it is time to go home, the video chats will be extra special until they can visit faraway again.”
OPERATION DO-OVER by Gordon Korman
Middle-Grade Fiction
“Mason and Ty were once the very best of friends, like two nerdy sides of the same coin . . . until seventh grade, when Ava Petrakis came along. Now Mason can trace everything bad in his life to that terrible fight they had over the new girl. The one thing he’d give anything for is a do-over. But that can’t happen in real life—can it?
As a science kid, Mason knows do-overs are impossible, so he can’t believe it when he wakes up from a freak accident and finds himself magically transported back to seventh grade. His parents aren’t yet divorced and his beloved sheepdog is still alive. Best of all, he and Ty haven’t had their falling-out yet.
It makes no logical sense, but Mason is determined to use this second chance to not only save his friendship (and his dog!) but do other things differently—like trying out for the football team and giving new friends a chance. There’s just one person he’ll be avoiding at all costs: Ava. But despite his best efforts, will he be able to stop the chain of events that made his previous life implode?”
The face of the Dutch girl glared back at her with dark eyes and a mouth twisted in a cruel grimace. From the hall came a sinister laugh.
After a family trip to Amsterdam, 14-year-old Lydia finds herself closer to the past than she could have imagined. During her stay, a bizarre series of events that seem to defy all logic is set in motion. When Lydia’s life is threatened, she is forced to solve a centuries’ old mystery and uncover the truth about Annika, the angry ghost of a little Dutch girl, her story, and how their past and present connect them. Lydia finds herself closer to the past than she has ever been. But what can Lydia possibly do to help someone who died over 400 years ago?
A recent trip to the Denver Zoo with my grandchildren produced an interesting result. My oldest granddaughter (age 3 ½) bypassed the monkeys, elephants and, to my horror (my fav) tigers- to fixate on the Komodo dragon in the reptile house! She even wanted to return there before we left the zoo. We bought her a stuffed toy Komodo dragon (glad they had that), and I went online to buy a suitable science book to follow up with.
I was also happy to come across this picture book based on a true story. Joan Proctor was born in 1897 and, as a child, became fascinated with reptiles. Being sickly and missing a lot of school allowed her time for self study and she quickly became an expert in this area. Eventually, she became the assistant to the curator of fish and reptiles at the National History Museum in London. Four years later, she became the curator distinguishing herself for her research and her ability to create lifelike habitats for the animals in her care. In 1923, she became curator of reptiles at the London Zoo.
Shortly after, Joan received the first two live Komodo dragons to reach Europe. Komodo dragons had only been discovered in 1910 and very little was known about them. Joan nursed Sumba and Sumbawa back to health after a rough journey. She created a suitable enclosure and did much to further scientific knowledge of the new species. Much gentler than their reputation, she was known for walking Sumbawa through the reptile house steering him with his tail.
The author has created a delightful tale about a little girl who pursued her passion and eventually contributed in her own special way. This is a book about following your interests and talents, especially motivating for little girls who are often easily molded on how to fit in and often lose their unique spark. So, this is a book for all the little Joans- whether they like lizards or not!
ELLIS NELSON BOOKS 