Tricksters Choice by Tamora Pierce

Trickster's Choice: Aly is the daughter of a master spy with the talents of one too. She is taken captive by pirates and brought to the Copper Isles, hundreds of islands one the edge of civil war between the raka, the first inhabitants and the luarin, the white people who invaded over three hundred years ago. Aly is to protect the daughters of her master's first wife for a summer. The eldest, Sarai, has a double claim to the throne. When the prince comes no one suspects that he will murder the duke. When Aly's father finds her she realizes how much she likes it in the Isles and stays.

I'm happy with Aly because she has faults; she does things wrong. In the Lioness series(the Lioness is her mother) Alanna does everything right. The plot is very good too. I liked the excerpts from Aly's letters and books a lot.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Out of the Dust is a Newberry Medal winning series of poems that tell about Billy Jo Kelby and life in dustbowl Oklahoma during the Depression. After an accident in which her mother and newborn brother Franklin die and her hands are burned really bad, she can't play piano like before and is treated like an outcast. She feels like she doesn't belong and heads west on a train. Halfway there she turns back. The doctor says to keep playing piano, and her father marries again. Billie Jo the cripple did belong.

This is a good, sad story. I definately reccomend it.
Thanks to Grammy for lending Out of the Dust to me.

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

The Once and Future King is a story about King Arthur. Arthur is raised by Sir Ector and has a tutor called Merlyn who turns him into animals. As a teenager he pulls the sword out of the stone and is made King of England. The King spends the next fiveish years civilizing England. He sets up the Round table, marries Guenever, has a son(not by Guenever) named Mordred and fights wars. The Round Table is set up to channel might into right in a good way. Soon though, there isn't anything to fight and the Table is useless. During this time a knight, Sir Lancelot, falls in love with the Queen and she with him. Mordred and one of Arthur's nephews find them out and tell the King. Lancelot is exiled and Guenever sentenced to burn at the stake. The knight rescues her and they both go to one of his castles in France. War is waged upon them and Arthur comes, leaving Mordred as 'Lord Protector'. Guenever is sent back across to England, where Modred marries her. When Arthur finds out he goes and sets war against Mordred. The King dies before Mordred is killed.

I love knight stories, but this was a little much. Believe it or not, my two favorite parts are before he pulls the sword out when Merlin changes him into things and when he sees King Pellinore and Sir Grummore fighting. This is a pretty good book

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

A quick summary of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Harry is rescued from the Dursleys by Albus Dumbledore and is taken to Hogwarts. He is told that he will have special lessons from Dumbledore. The usual things happen: Harry falls in love again, classes are as hard as ever.... But something awful happens, something not ordinary, and suddenly Professor Snape isn't as trustworthy as most thought he was.

#6 is the best Harry Potter so far. J.K. Rowling put just the right amount of humor, anger, revenge and love to make it all seem so real. I've tried to do a really brief report so I won't spoil it for you guys

For Kirk and Covenant by Douglas Wilson

For Kirk and Covenant is a biography about John Knox. It is divided into three parts: The Life of John Knox, The Character of John Knox, and The Legacy of John Knox. Part One is about how he came to be a reformer, what he did as one, the rivalries he caused against the Roman Catholics, and his ministry up unto his death. Part Two is the charactaristics of love, revenge, courage, mercy, balance, tenderness, humility, adversaries, study, humor, obediance, churchman, patience, tradition, patriot, theologian, fraternity, vision, zeal, provocation, clarity, family, virtue, hatred, orator, prophet, integrity, faults,death, and greatness. Part Three is how Knox influenced the reformation of Scotland and what followed after his death.

I thought that For Kirk and Covenant was a good book. I liked that Mr. Wilson included a chapter on John Knox's faults. Many authors would just include his good points and leave it at that. I liked that he told of what happened before the Reformation so that you understood why it was in such bad need of it, and that he told of what happened after the Reformation.

Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques

Castaways of the Flying Dutchman: Neb has run away from home in 1620 and is taken aboard the Flying Duchman as a cook's helper. He is mistreated because he is a mute and locked up each time the ship lands. He finds a half starved Labrador and keeps it under the table away from sight. The Dutchman's captain, Vanderdecken, sails them to Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn. The third time they were driven back, Vanderdecken went mad. The light of St. Elmo's fire showed an angel coming down. The ship was swallowed by the ocean and there were only two survivors.
Neb and Den are washed up on the coast and found by a shepherd. They find out that they(Neb and Den) can mindspeak. After three years the angel tells them to leave and find somewhere to help people.
1896. Neb and Den(now Ben and Ned) find Chapelvale and meet the 'owner of Chapelvale and realize that they're here to help the town not to be demolished for cement. They find a clue to Mrs. Winn's ownership, which leads to three more. Finally, on the night of the day before Chapelvale's destruction, they find the deeds. The angel comes to them again and tells them to leave at the sound of a churchbell. That toll sounds and they leave to find somewhere else.

I thought that this book was funny, sad, happy, and made you want to keep reading.
Ned made it funny, it was sad that Ben was treated like that on the Dutchman, happy when they saved Chapelvale, all made it a good book. There's also a picture on each first page of each chapter(in my copy, a hardback from Philomel Books, anyways) that are nice. On the first chapter there's a steering wheel, eighth a dog(Ned?), etc.

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

In The Blue Sword, Harry Crew(a girl!)is an orphan who is sent to live with an old couple on the border of Home. After three months she is kidnapped by the Hill king because of a vision. She learns the Hill ways and is made a King's Rider. The king, Corlath, goes to meet with diplomats from Home about joining him to fight the Northerners. They say no, and Harry warns him of a small pass through which Northerners could get through into Home. Because the Homelanders turned him down, Corlath ignores her. She and a few friends go tell the Homelanders abot the pass. The colonel is one of her friends from her three months on the border, and believes her. Now, with about a hundred fighters, they hold the pass for a day. The next morning, Harry goes to the top of one of the mountains. Her sword goes blue and the mountain falls down on the Northerners(yes, it sounds silly, but if you read the book it makes sense). Corlath forgives her for running away and they live happily ever after.

I thought the Blue Sword was very imaginative in most things. Calling Harry's homeland Home is not. I didn't like that Harry and Corlath married(happily ever after!), because it ruined a perfectly good storyline, but he is a king and has to have an heir, so I guess it made sense.

A Chance to Die -The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elizabeth Elliot

This is a book report.
A Chance to Die is the life of Amy Carmichael, or Amma. She was born on December 16, 1867 off the north coast of Ireland. She grew up in a Presbyterian home and, after her father died in 1885, was adopted with her mother's permission by a Quaker, Robert Wilson, who was a superintendent of a Baptist school and later attended the Angelican Church. He began her missionary training. After two years living with Mr. Wilson, God said, GO. She went to Japan. then China. Then Sri Lanka. Then India. after a couple years the Starry Cluster was formed, going around India telling people about God. Then they got their first temple child, Preena, and more followed. They couldn't travel anymore and built Dohnahvur. Amy became 'Amma', their mother. Amma broke her leg and twisted her spine by falling into a hole. Then she broke her arm. her hands were seizing up. On January 18, 1951, Amma died.

I thought that this book was wonderful. Also sad, interesting and happy. I'd heard of Amy Carmichael before, but only short three page stories, never a book. If anyone else wants to borrow it, it's on our shelf.