More Diana Wynne Jones and a Bunch of Gail Carson Levine

First off, Hexwood, by Jones, was bizarre. It's fairly non-linear, especially (deliberately) in the beginning. Kenyon couldn't have stomached it. The main character turns out to be someone completely different than she appears at first, medieval legends like Merlin and Arthur are resurrected (literally), and it's all set in a little British village in the 90's. ODD. Kinda got it in the end, though.

I was thinking about Hale's revamped fairy tales and remembered Gail Carson Levine, whose main schtick is exactly that. So, I checked out nearly every book she's written and have been picking them off over the last week or two. Her books are for children and so even easier to swallow than the YA stuff I've been downing. I've got a problem putting a book down once I'm into it - I like experiencing it in one piece, plus I'm all about the instant gratification apparently. And it always takes rereading a sentence or two to get back into it. Since I have to read in stolen minutes these days, this is a big problem when I try to read Steinbeck or Faulkner, but not a big deal with Levine's The Princess Tales series. They take me about an hour total, so Allison could probably finish one in about 15 minutes. :) They're sweet little bites of fluff, silly and absurd but cute, and they were especially nice while the kids were sick with a stomach virus. I'm reading The Princess Test, based on the Princess and the Pea, to Clara out loud, and she seems to be enjoying it for the most part.

I also read GCL's Dave at Night, which was about a young Jewish boy who's orphaned in the 20s. It reminded me of, or rather about, My Name is Asher Lev, which is a fantastic book by Chaim Potok and is also about a Jewish boy who aspires to become an artist. Overall, Dave at Night was OK, but not as good as Ella Enchanted, which I first read when working in a fifth grade classroom and reread this week. It has a lot more depth than some of the author's other works, while maintaining the whimsy. It has very little in common with the terrible movie adaptation, in case you were wondering. I recommend it. Updated 3-26-09: Kenyon read Ella Enchanted and liked it so well he bought a copy and is loaning it to coworkers. His imperious command when I mentioned I was going to the library (or mentioned a book I was reading or something): "Bring me more books like Ella." Ha! Seriously, it's good.