The Gold-Laced Coat

I was given a copy of The Gold-Laced Coat by Helen Fuller Orton for Christmas by my neighbors. The wrote on the inside "This book was required reading when we were in the third grade (1959)! Local history and all!" I deeply enjoy the company of my neighbors, so I was deeply excited to read this book.

The Gold-Laced Coat is set the Niagara Frontier while the French were running the fur trade from what we now call Old Fort Niagara. If you ever visit Niagara Falls, I would recommend visiting the fort, about 15 miles away too, especially if you have read this book. The story begins with Phillipe, a young French boy, arriving to stay with his father, a soldier, at Fort Niagara.

The plot of the story moves forward and provides us with explanations of how the Indians traded with the French, how the people of the frontier traveled through the region, relationships between the French, Indians, and the English. The story moves forward through history from there (I don't want to give too much away to those who are not history buffs).

I enjoyed this reading because of the people who gave it to me and because it was a great and accurate piece of historical fiction. I'm not sure that I would give it to a third grader to read; I thought the level might be a bit higher. However, I intend to pass it along to my mother who visited me in Niagara Falls this summer and went to the fort with me.

Loser/ Queen

Before I really get started, I should probably say that Jodi Lynn Anderson is probably one of my favorite young adult authors. Last spring, I read her Peaches series, and though I had a few reservations then, I have come to believe that it was a great series because there were lessons to be learned from the experiences of the three main characters. I feel the same way about Loser/ Queen.

In Loser/Queen Cammy is a major misfit. She does not have any real friends besides the exchange student from Denmark, Gerdi. Things start changing for Gerdi when she starts to text with the mysterious "White Rabbit." The White Rabbit makes her cool, unique, popular, a stand-out, a friend to the friendless, liked, desirable to boys and all the other things that teenager wants to be.

When the White Rabbit starts to ask Cammy to do things that are inappropriate or could really hurt someone, things start to go wrong.

I loved Loser/Queen not only because there are lessons to be learned from Cammy's mistakes, but because Anderson's writing is welcoming and age appropriate, just like it was in the Peaches series and Tiger Lilly.  Loser/Queen makes me appreciate how wide a subject area that Anderson is equipped to write within, From a southern trifecta of lonely teens in Peaches to a fantasy from a new point of view in Tiger Lilly to a misfit on the way to new understandings in Loser/ Queen.

Prom and Prejudice

I've recently finished reading Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg. I selected this story because I have a new affinity for a good retelling and the Jane Austen classic has and always will be one of my favorites. After reading a retelling of Jane, which I have previous blogged about, I had very high expectations for this retelling. I'm sorry to say that Prom and Prejudice fell a little short of my high expectations. The reason for this is most likely because this is more a of a middle school book and I checked it out from a high school library.

Of course, the plot is great. Darcey attends a private high school, Pemberly and Elizabeth is attends Longborn on a piano scholarship. Of course, the two do not like each other on their first meeting. Of course, Jane, Elizabeth's roommate is extremely nice but has fallen on harder times because her father was laid off. Of course, Jane's sister Lydia is completely ridiculous. Of course, Wickham is Mr. Wickham. Of course, instead of the search for a husband, this is the story of a search for a prom date.

I think I would have liked Prom and Prejudice much better if I hadn't read the retelling of Jane Eyre first and if I had checked it out from a middle school library.