This is my very first month linking up with The Simple Woman's Book Club. Its not February any more, of course, but I did read this in February:
Title
The Chronicles of Prydain, Book One:The Book of Three
Author
Lloyd Alexander
My Personal Thoughts on this Book:
Lately, I have not been reading much that isn't for school. I chose this for the 3rd grade although I had never read it. I gave the kids a chance to make suggestions and about 85% of them suggested Harry Potter. Well, that wasn't going to happen, so I went in search of a fantasy alternative. I was not disappointed in my choice. The story centers on Taran, a young man of unknown family background who is raised by the ancient wizard, Dalben, and the aging hero, Coll. Taren is impulsive and self-centered and he longs for adventure away from his day-to-day duties as "assistant Pig-keeper" to the oracular pig, Hen Wen. One of the first things that made the book enjoyable, especially for the students, was that you don't have to wait long for the adventures to begin. Lloyd Alexander created interesting and dimensional characters in an alternate universe based on Welsh mythology. In many ways he is one of the founders of today's children's fantasy genre. The book is formal in tone, very well written and CHOCK FULL of vocabulary! Another bonus, aside from the 3rd rate Disney cartoon, by students had never heard of it. Old Miss Betty can still pick 'em!
A Favorite Quote from the book:
"Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart."
Also, here is a really great quote from Lloyd Alexander perfect for a book club:
"We don't need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They're always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.”
"Most of us are called on to perform tasks far beyond what we can do. Our capabilities seldom match our aspirations, and we are often woefully unprepared. To this extent, we are all Assistant Pig-Keepers at heart."
Also, here is a really great quote from Lloyd Alexander perfect for a book club:
"We don't need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They're always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.”
