It's now over mid March 2016, but I originally wrote this post near the end of 2015 (yes, that's what happens to some of the posts; I start them but don't finish, and time passes! Ugh.) I'm finally posting it because I adore these books and we just did a podcast episode on them (mostly Carry On), AND we're currently running a GIVEAWAY for hardcover copies of Carry On and Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, plus a hardcover copy of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (because it's mentioned in Fangirl)! The prize also includes two mint Aero bars and a sour cherry scone mix! If you've read Carry On, then you know the significance of those foods. ;). (Mint Aero bars are also mentioned in Fangirl.) So stop on over to Fiction Kitchen Podcast and listen to the episode and enter the giveaway (Ends 3/31/16)!
So here we go with my initial reactions to these books.
Let's talk about Fangirl first.
FANGIRL (2013) A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan... But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?
I hardly ever read contemporary fiction, but because I wanted to read Rainbow Rowell's Carry On I decided to start with Fangirl as it's where Carry On originates as a fictional book series in the world of Fangirl akin to Harry Potter in ours (though Harry Potter is mentioned in Fangirl which kinda threw me off). Oh my goodness I was wonderfully surprised by how easy Fangirl is to slide into! The writing is the style I love; concise, no filler or frills, conveys the point perfectly, great pacing, no dragging, genuine and interesting characters with flowing, no-nonsense dialogue (this is really the strong suit of Rowell; the dialogue).
I love that the chapters are interspersed with appropriate bits of fantasy story (Simon Snow, which is what Carry On is). Of Fangirl Rainbow Rowel said it is her "love letter to fandom and fanfiction and fiction". The book places the fictional fiction ;) Simon Snow into the role and immersive phenomenon of Harry Potter that was the childhood and growin-up years of so many. It had and still has such pull and sway in the media world and in the personal lives of people all over the world. It's just incredible to think of, impossible to fathom, and Fangirl touches on just a little part of this with the main character. It is an intriguing exploration of what it means to be a fan, and a creator–a writer in this –and how fandom influences that. It's all woven together with family issues, first love, the opening of self, and letting go, or letting evolve perhaps is better to say.
AND I want to mention the cover artist Noelle Stevenson, the creator of the award-winning graphic novel Nimona & co-creator of the also award-winning comic series Lumberjanes. The artwork lends its own flavor to the story, especially if you're familiar with Noelle's Nimona characters ;).
And now on to Carry On! *squee!*
CARRY ON (2015) Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen. That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up. Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.
It's really difficult to get over Carry On. I mean it's that good and I think it may have ruined me for all other books. That's exaggerating of course, but I think I have yet to really come off of it; that the Carry On reading experience is shading my other reading experiences. What I mean to say is that the story is so well crafted that the other books I've picked up since finishing it are feeling so much...less. *sigh* It was all I could do not to flip the pages back to the front of Carry On and start reading it again once I got to the end. *sigh, sigh, sigh*
The characters are just—wow. The story is compiled of alternating sections of first person perspective and it really drives the story forward in an interesting way and gives secondary, and sometimes tertiary, characters their say, plus depth. At times it somewhat glosses over situations in which I want to read more depth, but it serves it's purpose well. It does get the reader to put more of themselves into it to imagine the situation and feelings of the characters. It's actually kind of ingenious; making the readers more connected to the story. And the romance is adorable (that's not really the right adjective...sweet?). It definitely does not feel pushed or forced or strained; it feels natural, and not trashy. I just wish there was more snogging (or more detailed snogging. Oop. Did I just say that? ;), more description of the characters feelings during those tender moments. I also appreciate the way in which the main threat (one of the main threats...) is dealt with. There's a lot of under-meaning wrapped in this book and it weaves in well. I want to read this book again to really get everything and because the world and characters are so good!
Edit: It's been several days since I finished Carry On and I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!! And I made sour cherry scones :). This recipe uses canned sour cherries, but stay-tuned for my recipe using dried sour cherries. I just need to post it! Edit Edit: Well, it's been several months now, AND I STILL THINK ABOUT IT OFTEN! (And I made bacon butties!)
I did read it again (in preparation for the Fiction Kitchen Podcast episode) and loved it just as much, if not more. I felt like I grasped more of the story and emotions this time around, and gained a greater understanding of the characters. This book is highly re-readable, that's for sure ;). And the story is still happening technically. The bulk of the events took place in the Fall and especially December of 2015, but Baz is currently still finishing up the school year at Watford so...the dancing ending scene hasn't happened yet! I'm assuming sometime in June... ((eeeee!))
I recently started a youth book club in my community, and this past weekend we had a party for The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands! TBK was my first read of 2016 (published Sept. 2015) and I absolutely loved it (you can read my Goodreads review here). It's a historical fiction that tastes like fantasy and is full of interesting characters, meaningful relationships, mystery, murder, secret codes, near escapes, and science! Alchemy to be precise. The main character is an apothecary's apprentice and his best friend is a baker's boy. They are awesome together. And the science and history in the story seem well researched, but are woven so well into the engaging narrative that they in no way feel like an info. dump. Generally I'm not interested in non-fantasy, historical fiction, but I'm so glad I gave in to this one (the cover and summary were so intriguing!). Now I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.
For eats for the party I made apple pie, orange blossom water ice cream, cookies with alchemy symbols, and edible rolling pins! We also had rye bread and various cheeses, as well as honey/sticky buns. All of these foods related to the book, either being mentioned specifically or being inspired by the story.While we ate we watched the book trailer for The Blackthorn Key as well as Kevin Sands' several behind-the-scenes videos about the book.
For activities (aside from eating ;) ), each club member found an envelope under a chair that contained a piece of paper drawn on in lemon juice. We held the papers carefully(!) up to a torch (or you could use a candle, or better yet; an iron!) to heat (oxidize) the juice and reveal the symbol, and then the kids found the matching symbol drawn on another envelope somewhere in the room. Inside the second envelope was a message encoded in the Caesar, or shift cipher (a type of substitution cipher), identical to the one found in the book (where M is 08 and you read to the right and down). There were also a few alchemy symbols mixed in with the cipher. To decode the message, they looked in The Blackthorn Key to see how the main character did it (they found both the Caesar cipher and the alchemy symbols, used in two different scenes in the book). The message revealed a list of ingredients for two separate recipes; one to make vapor rub using coconut oil, peppermint oil, and eucalyptus oil (the apothecary part; to help one breathe easier), and the other for gooey slime using glue, water, and borax (the alchemy part – well, chemistry; chaining together the molecules to create a polymer). There was a lot of happy, messy experimenting ;).
Members also each received a bookplate autographed by author Kevin Sands (thank you again, Kevin!), along with a TBK bookmark and magnet.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments. If you're considering starting a youth book club, or already have one and are looking for ideas, I hope this post is helpful! We had a lot of fun and I can't wait for our next meeting! Stay tuned!
I just finished reading Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery for the first time, and I bawled like a child. It took me a lot longer to get through than I anticipated, I didn't realize it was so long and full, and it was descriptively tedious in a slight few places when I wanted to get on with what Anne was up to, but it completely won me over near the beginning and I loved the characters like they were close friends. Part of the pull on me was remembering being a child growing up on the Farm way out in the country and the sights and smells and peace there and making me miss it and wanting to spirit away there that very instant. What a good book this would be to read up in the barn loft on a Spring or near Autumn day! Now I understand the popularity and timelessness of this classic and I am looking forward to the day when my daughter reads and experiences it. I'll have to make sure she has plenty of Farm time before then ;).
Now I'm going into the kitchen to make something from Avonlea. Stay tuned for a recipe or two and a Fiction Kitchen Podcast episode.
"I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does."
–Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
We're still new to this whole podcasting thing and are giggly at times and sometimes forget what we want to say, etc., etc, but it's been a ton of fun nerding out with Carrie, talking about works of fiction we like and FOOD, of course. I hope you'll give an episode a listen and enjoy!
Got another recipe and giveaway for ya! A couple years ago I posted about Kathleen Duey's award-winning YA novel Skin Hunger, first in the trilogy A Resurrection of Magic. Since then I've also read the second book, Sacred Scars, and was absorbed in it, but book three is still being written. The series features several different foods, all significant in their own way, and I chose one that appears a few times in both Skin Hunger and Sacred Scars. I imagine it'll be mentioned in book three as well. The dish is fish stew from a secondary character named Gerrard, along with baked and buttered yams that were introduced in book two as a side to the stew. Click the image below for the recipe.
To go along with the recipe I'm giving away an autographed paperback copy of Skin Hunger! The giveaway is open to US residents and will go until Monday, Nov. 17th until 11:59 PM PST. You can enter by clicking the image above or clicking here. Just scroll down and fill in the Rafflecopter form!
Enter to win an autographed, hardcover* copy of Drink, Slay, Love plus a Drink, Slay, Love bookmark, along with a set of bookmarks for three of Sarah's other books, Ice, Enchanted Ivy, and Vessel, each signed by Sarah. To enter, click on the image above (you'll be taken to the original post with a Rafflecopter form at the end). This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on 11/3/14 at 11:59 PM PST. The link in the image above (and below) not only takes you to the giveaway form, it also takes you to a recipe for Pearl's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream "Blood"! If you've read the book then you know what I'm talking about. For my thoughts on Drink, Slay, Love, please click here.
*The hardcover book is a former library book with a clean archival cover around the dust jacket and is in great condition. There is a call number sticker on the spine, a library stamp on the back end paper, and a "withdrawn" stamp on the top page edges (visible when the book is closed). There are no markings or torn/bent pages.
Click on the image above for more info on the lovely, desert-full picture book The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline Ogburn with illustrations by Marjorie Priceman. I've even made the "ghost-pleasing chocolate cake" found at the end of the book! (The post is also about the short film based on the book.)
I'm also doing another giveaway! Click the image above to go to the rafflecopter form to win a paperback copy of The Bake Shop Ghost autographed by the author Jacqueline Ogburn!
T. A. Barron, author of the Heartlight trilogy and the epic Merlin Saga, among many other books for youth, now explores the origins of the mythic isle of Atlantis in a new trilogy beginning with Atlantis Rising, the paperback of which releases this Thursday (9/25/14). Book 2, Atlantis in Peril, is due out Spring 2015. Mr. Barron is also the founder of "The Barron Prize for Young Heroes", a national award to promote and honor heroic qualities in young people.
From T. A. Barron's website: In a magical land called Ellegandia, a young boy named Promi scrapes by, stealing pies, cakes and sweets to survive. But little does he know that his country is a pawn in an ages-old war between good and evil, battled both in the spirit realm and in the human world. Harboring secrets of his own, Promi teams up with a courageous girl named Atlanta and the two vow to save their land—and each other—no matter the cost. But their vow has greater repercussions than they ever could imagine—in fact, it may just bring about the creation of Atlantis, an island cut off from the rest of the world, where magic reigns supreme. With his trademark action, adventure, and poignancy, master of fantasy, T.A. Barron explores a new mythology—the origin of the legendary isle of Atlantis.
Atlantis Rising is an immersive fantasy that takes place in a varied and magical land, three sides ocean and one side high, nearly impassable mountains bordered on the opposite side by Africa. It is unlike any place in the known world, or rather all parts somewhat similar to many places in the world, but jumbled up and dispersed like a handful of flower petals. The same goes for the inhabitants of the realm, human, plant, animal, and otherwise. The main protagonist of the story is a clever thief boy named Promi who is as good with a dagger as he is at consuming tasty sweets–which is to say, incredibly adept. The other prominent character, bordering on co-main, is the nature magic girl Atlanta who spent a great deal of her life in the Great Forrest, communing with its inhabitants and developing her earth magic. The story is told in the third-person omniscient and focuses mostly on Promi, but also on Atlanta, and far less often on the main antagonist, the power hungry priest Grukarr (who has his own prequel, "Never Again: The Origins of Grukarr", available at the end of the Atlantis Rising paperback or as a free ebook available here).
The prose of Atlantis Rising is very descriptive. Beautiful, but sometimes leaning on superfluous and can sometimes do more telling than showing, or may do both in a bit of redundancy, causing one to feel underestimated in their ability to understand what's going on. I've noticed this in many middle-grade (for ages 9-12 ) novels though so I assume it's simply an assumed necessity for the target audience. The story still moves along at a good pace and is cinematic and action oriented with many interesting concepts, creatures, and locals. The fact that the series deals with the origins of Atlantis is always in the back of one's mind and looms in a strange way while reading, making the story all the more intriguing, trying to fill in the gaps, or see into the future, guessing how Mr. Barron will piece it all together, between this original, beginnings story and the common mythos of Atlantis. The ending is a pleasant package and seems to set things up nicely for a sequel, moving into a new phase for the magical land and its characters.
For a chance to win one of the new paperback copies of Atlantis Rising, autographed by Mr. Barron, please enter via the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on Sept. 29th at 11:59 PM PST. For another chance at an autographed paperback, enter Mr. Barron's "Desert to Die For" Instagram giveaway which ends this Thursday (9/25/14) at 5 PM EST. Details can be found here. a Rafflecopter giveaway
To celebrate the release of "The Maze Runner" movie in theaters (US, 9/19/2014) I made some purty cool maze cookies using the Play-doh 'Fun Factory' extruder! Click here for the recipe (or on the image above). "The Maze Runner" is based on the young adult novel of the same name by James Dashner. There are two sequels to the novel, The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure, and one prequel, The Kill Order.
I've also got a GIVEAWAY going on for two (2) James Dashner prize packs! The first pack contains an autographed paperback of The Maze Runner, a large specialty sticker for Infinity Ring (a series James wrote two books for), and a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix to get you started on making your own maze cookies. The second pack includes an autographed proof of James' book Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time, an Infinity Ring poster signed by James and fellow Infinity Ring author Jennifer Nielsen, the Infinity Ring sticker, and a Maze Runner five chapter (38 pages) sampler. Check out the picture above to see the prizes. The giveaway is open to US residents only and will end 9/22/14 at 11:59 PM PST. To enter, go to my cookie post and fill in the Rafflecopter form at the end. Good luck!
Hi, all! Hope your summer has been awesome, or at least somewhat enjoyable, and you've gotten some good reads in. As some of you may recall I love Ally Condie's Matched books (and Ally Condie herself!) and the pie from the first book (Matched), the one Cassia's grandfather chose for his Final Banquet *sniff*, has been on my fiction food list for A WHILE. Like, a long while. This summer I ended up making, I don't know, like five or six cherry pies (because cherry is what I imagined the pie to be, perhaps for personal sentimental reasons–Ally clarified yesterday that it's berry pie). I made so many, spaced out a little bit (we can only eat one pie at a time!), in order to get the recipe just right as well as attempting to make a pie that would look all right for photos. I made fresh sweet cherry pies as well as canned sour cherry pies. You can find the recipes on my fiction food blog here or click the images below.
Along with my recipe post I've got a new giveaway happening! Enter to win an autographed hardcover of Matched, an autographed ARC of Crossed (Matched trilogy book 2), + a signed double-sided promo poster! The giveaway is open to US residents only and will end 9/8/14 at 11:59 PM PST. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway
There's also a giveaway going on to win one of Maggie's special Raven Boys bookplates featuring her artwork, autographed by her, as well as an autographed bookmark for her novels Shiver and Linger (it's two-sided) along with a 3 oz. pouch of my special Raven Boys inspired tea blend from Adagio Teas with disposable tea bags! Giveaway is open to US residents only. Ends 5/19/14 11:59 PM PST. Good luck!
A little while ago I read Elizabeth Goudge's light fantasy novel The Little White Horse (published London 1946) and I absolutely loved it. If the essence of the story were tangible I bet it would shimmer beautiful little subdued rainbows if held up to the sunlight. And that sunlight would be streaming nicely through the window of a cozy room with a little couch perfect to lounge on to read a book. It's that kind of feeling. The story is filled with quaint and glossy descriptions that are almost-but-not-quite too much at times and lend to a sense of all around niceness, and even in some sense achievement to be reading something so prettily gilded. I really did enjoy it, it's simply a product of the time for the youth audience I think, the language and uplift of it all. A special bit of trivia about The Little White Horse, if you love the Harry Potter series, is that J. K. Rowling has adored it since childhood and I imagine she has drawn much inspiration from it; inspiration perhaps particularly found in her food scenes. In The Little White Horse so much scrumptious food described! I couldn't help making a couple of the foods mentioned (for the recipes, click the images below).
In 2008 The Little White Horse was adapted into a movie called "The Secret of Moonacre". This is actually how I became interested in reading the book; after watching the movie on Netflix. The movie of course has its differences, but it's a beautiful film that stayed in my mind for a long time afterwards, and after reading the book I realize that they share the same tone and feeling of subtle magic and mystery that linger with you. If you haven't read The Little White Horse I do recommend it. It takes place in the late 1800s in a beautiful little valley near the sea with an interesting cast of characters that you'll wish were your neighbors. There is a touch of romance and a lot of inquisitive, youthful spirit. And did I mention the food? Yes, there's that too (There could be a little cookbook companion to this novel! I should get on that).
Click the image below to read my review of The Redwall Cookbook (pub. 2005), written by Brian Jacques and illustrated by Christopher Denise. I also made several foods from the book and had my own little Springtide Sunfeast. I've included the recipes in the post so you can have a feast too! 'Cause Redwall is pretty much synonymous with food.
EDIT (6/23/14): I made another mini Redwall feast for Summertime! Click the image below for recipes!
Today is the 90th birthday of author Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007), well known for his incredible high fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain (which includes the books The Black Cauldron and the Newbery Award winning The High King). In 2012 I wrote a post about Alexander and the exhibits on BYU campus celebrating his life as well as the beautiful documentary film "Lloyd Alexander" created by Jared Crossley. In honor of Alexander's birthday, the cost of the film (DVD) has been decreased to only $10! Forever! This film is filled with interviews and photos and narration about Alexander's life, and is scored with beautiful music. It's perfect for schools, libraries, and for every fan of Lloyd Alexander's books. Seriously. I totally recommend this film. I own a copy and I love it. It's very heartfelt—you can feel the love, respect, and admiration that those interviewed and those behind the scenes have for Alexander and his work. You can view several clips from the documentary here: Lloyd Alexander Documentary Channel. (photo above left: from E. P. Dutton, about 1971)
(From Richard Ungar's website) The high-octane sequel to Time Snatchers... Caleb thought he'd escaped Uncle's clutches and could have a normal life in 1968, but no such luck. After being forcibly returned to Timeless Treasures and his old job of stealing valuable objects from the past, he learns that things have gotten even more sinister. Training the new kidnapped recruits doesn't seem very important to Frank, Uncle's evil lackey, even though a few of these kids have amazing thieving skills and genius for new technology. But then Caleb figures out it's because Frank doesn't plan on keeping them around very long - or keeping them alive. Stakes are high for all of the time snatchers. If only Caleb can convince the new ones to stop having fun with the technology and use it to save their own lives.
Richard Ungar said:
"I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of time travel and I wanted to write about it. In its earliest stages, Time Snatchers started as a writing exercise in one of Peter Carver’s writing classes. The exercise was to write a story based on one of the images in Chris Van Allsburg’s picture book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. I chose the picture called 'Another Place, Another Time' showing children riding a sail-propelled handcar along a railway track that seemed to go on forever. For whatever reason, that picture screamed 'Time Travel' to me.
"I did quite a bit of historical research for both my middle grade books which was a lot of fun. In researching Time Snatchers I learned a lot about ancient China, including how to fire porcelain in a kiln. For Time Trapped, a trip to Scotland in 2012, taught me much about Scottish history, people and customs that I wove into my novel."
Richard's research is very evident in Time Trapped. From a trick Houdini did in New York 1912 to Robert the Bruce in Scotland to the first coke at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA. One particular scene concerned the Scottish Stone of Destiny which brought the movie "Stone of Destiny", based on the same real events, to mind. Something in a future scene towards the end of the book made me think of "Back to the Future 3", but I'm not going to spoil it!
Time Trapped is told in first person, present tense which lends itself nicely to the action scenes. The book starts off about 5 months after Time Snatchers. The first part of the book is a little slow but it picks up towards the middle when the stakes are raised and Caleb, the main character, is sent on several time snatching missions with his new team. There are a few characters that annoy me (which might be their role), but they redeem themselves toward the end and pull their weight. There are several scenes in the middle and end of the book that I ate up because of the immediacy and action and because of Caleb's first person narration. By the end of the book I was left with several questions, but I don't think they are something the target audience (middle grade readers) would care about. All in all I enjoyed Time Trapped as a sequel and as a conclusion to Caleb's story, but I wonder if there will be more in the Time Snatchers series (hmm? Huh? I want more time travel action!).
For a chance to win advanced reader copies of Time Snatchers and Time Trapped, plus a Time Snatchers bookmark, please enter via the Rafflecopter form below. US residents only. Ends 1/15/14 11:59 PM.
I posted about Sarah Beth Durst's wonderful young adult fantasy novel Ice a while ago (see post here), but I recently came up with a recipe for the favorite food of the main character, Cassie! It's wine soaked chicken. I also created a wine cream sauce for it (because I love creamy, and I thought it went well with the snowy/icy setting). There's also a non-alcoholic version of the recipe (because alcohol doesn't completely cook off, you know). I hope you enjoy it! Please click the image below for the recipe.
I've posted about these two foods in the past, but have recently revisited the recipes. Especially during this holiday time, I think anything Narnia related is fitting (it all goes back to the perpetual winter in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). Please click the images below to go their respective recipe pages. FYI: The Scotch eggs are from The Official Narnia Cookbook which is now available in eBook format!
In celebration of this weekend's release of "Catching Fire", the second movie in the "Hunger Games" series based on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, I give you an awesome recipe for Katniss' favorite, Peeta Mellark cheese buns! There's also an easy cheese biscuit recipe in case you don't have time to deal with yeast and rising dough and all (but let it be known that they were cheese BUNS in the book and buns require yeast. Just FYI). Click the image below to go to the recipe.
In 2008 The Little White Horse was adapted into a movie called "The Secret of Moonacre". This is actually how I became interested in reading the book; after watching the movie on Netflix. The movie of course has its differences, but it's a beautiful film that stayed in my mind for a long time afterwards, and after reading the book I realize that they share the same tone and feeling of subtle magic and mystery that linger with you. If you haven't read The Little White Horse I do recommend it. It takes place in the late 1800s in a beautiful little valley near the sea with an interesting cast of characters that you'll wish were your neighbors. There is a touch of romance and a lot of inquisitive, youthful spirit. And did I mention the food? Yes, there's that too (There could be a little cookbook companion to this novel! I should get on that).
Today is the 90th birthday of author Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007), well known for his incredible high fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain (which includes the books The Black Cauldron and the Newbery Award winning The High King). In 2012 I wrote a post about Alexander and the exhibits on BYU campus celebrating his life as well as the beautiful documentary film "Lloyd Alexander" created by Jared Crossley. In honor of Alexander's birthday, the cost of the film (DVD) has been decreased to only $10! Forever! This film is filled with interviews and photos and narration about Alexander's life, and is scored with beautiful music. It's perfect for schools, libraries, and for every fan of Lloyd Alexander's books. Seriously. I totally recommend this film. I own a copy and I love it. It's very heartfelt—you can feel the love, respect, and admiration that those interviewed and those behind the scenes have for Alexander and his work. You can view several clips from the documentary here: Lloyd Alexander Documentary Channel.
(From Richard Ungar's website)
