Spotlight: Dancing on the Edge by Kit Bakke

Title: Dancing on the Edge
Author: Kit Bakke

Publication Date: June 3rd, 2011

Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 204

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Twelve year-old Dot is not a dancer, but after her mother’s sudden and senseless death, she finds herself dancing on the edge…of everything.  After her whole world unravels in seconds, Dot is propelled on a voyage to discover the meaning of her past, and of her mother’s greatest gift to her.

With all familiar anchors swept away, Dot’s trip becomes a struggle between finding that gift and running away from a future that feels so bleak.  Pack your bags for a memorable, powerful journey into life in the wake of profound loss.

 

from Chapter 26: Dot to the Rescue

The yelling was repeated, and it was coming from far below. Forgetting about the ladies hiking in long skirts, Dot planted her feet and leaned carefully across the top of the stone barrier to peer down the steep side of the hill. She heard the yell again, from straight down and slightly to the right. She could see a pile of rocks and some stubby, green bushes. Amongst the brown and green she saw something bright red and what looked like sprawled arms and legs. Suddenly dizzy, she turned away quickly. “Down there!” she croaked at Aunt Tab, who’d snorted herself awake.
Aunt Tab hitched herself over to where Dot was leaning with her back against the rock. “It’s okay. I’ll look,” she said, and wiped Dot’s sweaty forehead with her sleeve.
Aunt Tab peered over the rock and saw what Dot had seen. Looking more closely, the patch of red moved, and soon resolved itself into a long-sleeved shirt or jacket and the person in it appeared to be trying to wave. Aunt Tab waved back, and yelled down, “Do you need help?”
“Help!” came wavering back up the hill.
“I’ll go,” Aunt Tab said, clambering over the stone barrier in a very awkward, old lady sort of way. She immediately lost her footing and fell, tearing holes in the knees of her pants.

Dot reached for Aunt Tab’s disappearing shoulder. “You can’t do that. I’ll go.”

Aunt Tab gratefully grasped Dot’s hand and scrambled back to level ground. “Trails are one thing, downhill cross-country, something else entirely,” she apologized. “And it’s just a jacket—the red is just a jacket.”

Dot gave her aunt a crooked grin and looked at the bright blue sky above her. Fortified, she scissored her legs over the stones and prepared to make a controlled slide down the hill. “Here, take the water.” Aunt Tab tossed her the bottle as Dot dropped below the level of the path.
Dot’s free hand grabbed at branches as she traversed across the face of the steepest parts, trying not to tumble down on top of whomever was at the bottom. About half-way down she stopped to catch her breath and map out her next steps. She felt brave and scared and daring and kind. She was going to rescue someone!
She noticed that her feet gripping crosswise on the steep slope were kicking down sheets of pebbly landslides. She hoped they wouldn’t get bigger, like those helicopter snowboarders she once saw on TV, who skied right through their own avalanches as they zigzagged down vertical snowfields. It wouldn’t be good to bury the person you were trying to save.
She could hear Aunt Tab shouting directions from above—“go right” or “go left”—but she ignored them because she was switching back and forth so much anyway, and she didn’t know if Aunt Tab meant her own right or left, or Dot’s.
Signaling to Aunt Tab that she was doing fine, Dot took careful aim at a spot near but not on top of the person below. The red splotch was now clearly and safely just a jacket. She couldn’t make anything else out very well, blue jeans maybe, and possibly a green daypack off to one side. This was a game of Slip N’Slide in real life, she thought, as she got into the rhythm of moving her arms and legs from rock to branch to slippery foothold. A memory from a million years BT bubbled up—her mother laying out the plastic Slip N’Slide sheet and dousing Dot and Junie with the water hose, the water sparkling in the sunshine and cooling their summer-warmed skin. Not now, she said to herself. She didn’t want to be distracted from the present.
She waved at the red splotch below and yelled, “I’m coming!” She wished she had a walking stick to wave and point like Miss Wordsworth and Miss Wollstonecraft.

A few marginally controlled slides later and Dot was at the level of the bushes just above where the person lay. She could now see him clearly, for it was definitely a boy. Not only that, it was definitely the only boy she knew in England and not only that, it was definitely the one boy she disliked the most in the whole world.

Kit Bakke spent the last half of the 20th century as a political radical (SDS and the Weather Underground), a pediatric oncology nurse, and an information technology consultant. In the 21st century, she became a published writer. Her MISS ALCOTT'S E-MAIL has led to further writing adventures, including being a founding member of Seattle7Writers (www.seattle7writers.org) and a chapter in HOTEL ANGELINE. Her latest book, DOT TO DOT, is a story of travel, discovery and possibly magic. Young teens, if they are good readers, like it, and so do adults.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Review: The Dave Test: A Raw Look at Real Faith in Hard Times by Frederick W. Schmidt

Title: The Dave Test
Author: Frederick W. Schmidt

Publication Date: October 15th, 2013

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction

Pages: 153

Source: Paperback from Publisher

Rating:

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
What is the Dave Test? Basic, important, raw questions you can ask yourself when someone you love is suffering, in crisis, unhinged, maybe dying. Before you even think about opening your mouth and blowing chunks of platitudes, or running, or minimizing the painful, do the real work of living, of being a friend: take the Dave Test. Roughly speaking the modern American mindset revolves around this life philosophy: Minimize the painful or unwelcome. Maximize the pleasant and satisfying. If and when the painful or the unwelcome happens, run. Dispense with it as quickly as possible and get back to feeling good. But what if we learn to move past our comfort zones, transcend our own lives and connect with those who suffer? When we truly connect with others, it is all but impossible to insulate ourselves from life's harsher realities. This book is about the dangerous business of exposing our own fragile lives to the mortality of ourselves and others. The Dave Test takes the demand for honesty, plain talk, and faith seriously.”

 

The Reverend Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. is an Episcopal Priest, Director of Spiritual Formation and Anglican Studies, and Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality at Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas. Prior to his arrival at SMU, he served as Canon Educator and Director of Programs in Spirituality and Religious Education at Washington National Cathedral; as special assistant to the President and Provost of La Salle University in Philadelphia; as a Fellow of the American Council on Education; and as Dean of St. George's College, Jerusalem. 

In addition he as served as a lecturer in New Testament studies at Oxford University, and as a Tutor in New Testament studies at Keble College, Oxford. He has been a guest lecturer at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland and the Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas, Dallas. He is the author of numerous published articles and reviews, including entries in Doubleday's Anchor Bible Dictionary. 

He is author of A Still Small Voice: Women, Ordination and the Church (Syracuse University Press, 1998); The Changing Face of God (Morehouse-Continuum, 2000); When Suffering Persists (Morehouse-Continuum, 2001), in Italian translation: Sofferenza, All ricerca di una riposta (Torino: Claudiana, 2004); Conversations with Scripture: Revelation (Morehouse-Continuum, 2005); What God Wants for Your Life, Finding Answers to the Deepest Questions (HarperSanFrancisco, 2005); and Conversations with Scripture: Luke (Morehouse, 2009). 

Dr. Schmidt holds a bachelor's degree from Asbury College, the Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and the Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University.

        If you've ever had to experience the hard times in your own life or the grief of watching a loved one suffer or even pass away, then this book may prove helpful to you. Frederick W. Schmidt becomes candid in The Dave Test as he allows us to explore his journey through his brother's brain cancer. 

This isn't necessarily an easy read. It's heartbreaking and uncomfortable. But I would say that it is necessary. When I was 4 years old my father was diagnosed with cancer, and the doctors told him to go home and make arrangements. He lived for 15 more years, but he was taken home to the Lord my Freshman year of college. It's not easy stuff. I appreciate this book because I understand what the author is communicating here. We can sugar coat everything as much as we like to try and ease the pain or mask our suffering (or the suffering of those around us), but it's still there and it helps to ask the hard questions. It helps to challenge your faith, because usually this will allow it to strengthen. It's a test.

The only thing I would mention is that the author disapproves of referencing "lists" to help you get through these issues, while the majority of this book is lists. They are helpful lists, and help to organize the author's points, but the inconsistency of what he was communicating here did not work in his favor.

Although it's a hard pill to swallow, this is a great book for those struggling with questions and faith during a hard time. Or perhaps you know someone who is struggling. Try referencing this book and see if it helps you. It just might shed some light on your otherwise dark circumstances.

Review: Pretty Ugly by Barbara M. Barnes





Title: Pretty Ugly
Author: Barbara M. Barnes

Publisher: Predestined Publishing

Publication Date: April 27th, 2013
Pages: 149

Genre: Self-help
Source: Paperback from Author
Rating: 

Summary (from the Goodreads):  "Pretty Ugly - How Low Self-Esteem Almost Ruined My Life" is a biography of sorts written with dramatic,real-life reflections of the author's own life in the form of short stories. Chapter by chapter this book shares hard-core experiences and testimonies that work to inspire and encourage others that may have been or may be going through the same types of challenges Barbara Barnes went through that are largely ignored by the masses most of the time. In this book Barbara M. Barnes pours out her heart and soul as she steps into the realm of realistic transparency to share a piece of her soul with the world. The book is an easy read written with true-to-life language and it is pieced together like a literary quilt composed for readers to cover themselves with the comfort of camaraderie and the sentiment of sisterhood. "Pretty Ugly" is pretty, pretty when the comfort and encouragement it offers to real women in a real world is considered. Read this book and break free!

  

Barbara Barnes-Bey is a former New Jersey and Washington DC resident who now resides in Hampton, Va. Barbara is a inspirational speaker as well as a certified Law of Attraction practitioner. She uses techniques to help people with low or no self esteem to learn to "love" themselves, which is where it all begins. She says that one of the most powerful affirmations that one could ever use is simply to state with conviction: "I Can", or I Can Do it!" She says: "You will be surprised how your life will change with those two words. Of course there is more to it than that, but since you have to start somewhere, this is where you should start. 

Barbara uses her observations, past experiences, compassion, and knowledge to aid in helping to heal those who are willing to make a change in their lives. "There are a lot of women out there who are hurting, and have been hurt in relationships and they so desperately are in need of an advocate, an ally to uplift them and teach them how they can heal from their pain". They need someone who can relate to what they have experienced or are actually going through. And once they have been healed, it is only then that they can walk the walk of someone with high self esteem and  self confidence that is vital to every woman who has developed a healthy love for themselves."

Barbara believes that she is a "work in progress" herself and feels that what helps others helps her.

There are currently two support groups in operation in Washington, DC.

Website | Facebook

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is most definitely for the confused, lost, or hurting! Barbara M. Barnes tackles those issues we don't like to talk about. She tackles the issues that we like to pretend aren't there. She tackles the issues that so often control and regulate our lives that it's almost difficult to function normally. Barnes tackles life.

In this book you will find:

• Information the lets you know you are not alone.
• Inspiration to go on when you feel like giving up.
• Stories that prove a person can rise from the ashes of life.
• Sentiments you can relate to that will make you laugh and cry.
• A testimony of what is possible in the most impossible situations.

Pretty Ugly is a compilation of experiences that Barnes has put together not to make the read feel sorry for her, but to comfort the reader in knowing that they are not alone...and there is hope. It's almost as if you've sat down for coffee with the author and simply poured your heart out to her. You laugh and cry together, sharing in the most intimate parts of your self-esteem and faith. 

This is a great tool for those suffering from low-self esteem. It's extremely easy to read because the author writes as though having dialogue with the reader. It is also well organized with sections, heading, and bullet points that the reader can underline or mark for easy reference later. As previously stated, Barnes gives the reader a message of hope. This would be a great tool for young girls, in my opinion!

Review: Journey by Aaron Becker

Title: Journey
Author: Aaron Becker

Publication Date: August 6th, 2013

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Genre: Children's

Pages: 40

Source: B&N

Awards: Caldecott Honor 2014

Rating:

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
Follow a girl on an elaborate flight of fancy in a wondrously illustrated, wordless picture book about self-determination — and unexpected friendship.

A lonely girl draws a magic door on her bedroom wall and through it escapes into a world where wonder, adventure, and danger abound. Red marker in hand, she creates a boat, a balloon, and a flying carpet that carry her on a spectacular journey toward an uncertain destiny. When she is captured by a sinister emperor, only an act of tremendous courage and kindness can set her free. Can it also lead her home and to her heart’s desire? With supple line, luminous color, and nimble flights of fancy, author-illustrator Aaron Becker launches an ordinary child on an extraordinary journey toward her greatest and most exciting adventure of all.

 

Like many American boys born in the wake of the Apollo missions, I decided early on I would be an astronaut. My mother was an astronomy teacher at a local college in my hometown of Baltimore. She would take us along on her nighttime fieldtrips to the observatory; its musky smell relieved with the opening of its domed roof. The vastness of the starry sky was thrilling. Below, above, to the right and left – nothing but infinite space.

At some point, I surmised that a career in actual space travel required military training, and this seemed like a lot of work. So I switched gears and started drawing pictures of outer space instead. There was palpable joy in this: creating civilizations and stories filled with a cast of characters of my own design. To be sure, these worlds were reflections of places inside of me. But more importantly, drawing was an immediate path for creating something I could manage on my own terms. These worlds were mine and mine alone. With a pad of paper and a set of markers, I could pretty much do whatever I wanted. For an eight year old confined by the limitations of his material existence, this seemed like a pretty good deal.

Years ago, after working as a designer in San Francisco’s dot-com craze, I quit my job and headed to Monterey, California for a children’s book conference. At the time, I had a vague idea of why I thought it’d be fun to write and illustrate books. After presenting some hazy ideas to a guest editor from Candlewick Press, I left the conference content to wander. I traveled. I returned to art school and earned my chops. I worked in the Bay Area with some of my heroes in film design for nearly a decade. But eventually, the children’s book bug returned. This time, I had some real drawing skills and a much greater understanding of why these books might matter. After all, I had my own child by this time, and it was becoming clear to me that there’s no purer form of story-telling for an illustrator than creating their own book full of pictures. Luckily, children seem to like this kind of stuff. And publishers will go along with it as well if the idea is up to snuff. When my agent gave me the good news that my first book had a solid offer, the name of the editor sounded eerily familiar. It was none other than the same editor I’d met in Monterey nearly fifteen years before.

I now live in Amherst, Massachusetts where every day, I return to that place of being a kid again, ready to fly into outer space with a ship of my own design. I’m fortunate to have a job that lets me keep doing this, and I would imagine that even in the darkest of my creative slumps, surely this must beat astronaut boot camp.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Vimeo

        There is much to say about an author who can create a story without writing down a single word. Paying homage to Harold and the Purple Crayon, Journey is about a young girl who uses a red marker to create a door that convoys her into a magical land as an escape from her otherwise dysfunctional (and colorless) family dynamic. 

Aaron Becker creates a scintillating story through this wordless picture book. I think the colors and illustrations delightfully engaging and give a clear picture of where the story is headed. The first thing I often look at in a kid's book is either the illustrations or a catchy title. The cover of this book is extravagant, and I've considered purchasing the signed gicleé of the castle on his website. It's just stunning! But also be sure to take a look at that tree house; I wouldn't mind having that in my back yard!

   As for application, this book could be used in a few ways. Although Becker provides the general storyline, it can still be left to interpretation. This is a great tool to use either in the classroom or at home. In the classroom, you could ask kids questions about the main character's feelings or decisions. You can even allow them to render what the story is telling them on their own. If you're at home, you can change the story every time so there is always something new to experience.

In my opinion, this is not just a great book, but a great educational tool for classrooms and families alike!

Please enjoy this video, The Making of "Journey"

Cinematic Saturday Earth Day!: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Instead of having our book/movie comparison on Saturday, we thought it would be appropriate to have it on Earth Day and do a book within such a theme! I present to you...The Lorax!

Title: The Lorax
Author: Dr. Suess

Publication Date: August 12th, 1971

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Genre: Children's

Pages: 72

Source: Amazon.com

Rating:

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

He's shortish.

And oldish...

And brownish. And mossy...

And he spoke with a voice...

that was sharpish and bossy.

Long before “going green” was mainstream, Dr. Seuss’s Lorax spoke for the trees and warned of the dangers of disrespecting the environment. In this cautionary rhyming tale, we learn of the Once-ler, who came across a valley of Truffula Trees and Brown Bar-ba-loots (“frisking about in their Bar-ba-loot suits as they played in the shade and ate Truffula Fruits”), and how his harvesting of the tufted trees changed the landscape forever. With the release of the blockbuster film version, the Lorax and his classic tale have educated a new generation of young readers not only about the importance of seeing the beauty in the world around us, but also about our responsibility to protect it.

 

Dr. Seuss has many great books. 

Many great books that make me want to look. 

They have pretty colors and many clever things, 

the cute little creatures make me want to sing! 

He sometimes has a message that makes you think, 

just like in the Lorax, it will tickle you pink! 

He liked to make things educational and fun,

Fun, Fun, Fun for everyone!

Okay so that's my sad attempt at reviewing in Dr. Seussian. Hardy har har. I love The Lorax. I love Dr. Seuss. Actually, I have every intention of decorating my children's nursery in Dr. Seuss trimmings. I know a lot of people have controversy about the message he's trying to send here, but honestly, I think people can be a little overly-critical of children's picture books. Unless the information is deliberately inaccurate, just take it at face value and look at it through the eyes of a child. Sometimes the simplest lessons are the best lessons, and you just need to enjoy the ride. My children will most definitely know who Dr. Seuss is! Also, did you know they have a pop-up book, too?

Title: The Lorax

        Actors: Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White

Directors: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda

Rated: PG 

Studio: Universal

DVD Release Date: August 7th, 2012

Run Time: 86 minutes

Rating:

Synopsis (from Amazon): 

The imaginative world of Dr. Seuss comes to life like never before in this visually spectacular adventure from the creators of Despicable Me! Twelve-year-old Ted will do anything to find a real live Truffula Tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams. As he embarks on his journey, Ted discovers the incredible story of the Lorax, a grumpy but charming creature who speaks for the trees. Featuring the voice talents of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate, and Betty White, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is filled with hilarious fun for everyone!

So I really liked the movie, as cheesy as a lot of it was. However, I was glad they made Mr. Once-ler look more like a businessman rather than the Grinch's arms the whole time.

Not to mention the adorable Brown Bar-ba-loots that make you want to take them home and snuggle the marshmallows out of them. I want one. I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine.

I do wish they incorporated more of the "Dr. Seuss spirit" in the dialogue. Unfortunately, the movie was glamorized and at times overdone. Obviously they had to turn a 72 page book into an hour and a half long movie while fitting within the caliber of successful cinematics of today, so I give them snaps for trying.

Now let's tackle the real reason we're all here. Why on God's green earth didn't Zac Efron or Taylor Swift sing AT ALL in this movie? I don't even see them on the soundtrack! Apparently Hollywood thought it wise to simply pay for their names and not their talents this time around.

* * *

Also, in the spirit of Earth Day, I discovered this blog with The Lorax crafts for you and your kids to enjoy: The Classroom Creative - The gang over at Fifty Five Below also had some great ideas for games (this was actually for a birthday party, but it's just as fitting). - Enjoy!

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904.  After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising.  His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit!,  appeared in several leading American magazines.  Dr. Seuss's first children's book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, hit the market in 1937, and the world of children's literature was changed forever!  In 1957, Seuss's The Cat in the Hat became the prototype for one of Random House's best- selling series, Beginner Books.  This popular series combined engaging stories with outrageous illustrations and playful sounds to teach basic reading skills.  Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents.  In the process, he helped kids learn to read.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss was the author and illustrator of 44 children's books, some of which have been made into audiocassettes, animated television specials, and videos for children of all ages.  Even after his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children's books in the world.

Seussville | Facebook | Twitter

Lol He looks so angry.

UNLESS,