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1950

Editor's Note: Many of the books are out of print. The header information will be as complete as I can make it.

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday, $13.56, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 038507283X.	The Medalist A boy in the Middle Ages loses the ability to walk but gets help from monks who teach him about life. The process turns him into a hero his royal parents love and respect. Nice look at the Middle Ages. Painless history. Good story about how each person can make a difference. Excellent lesson about the importance of learning many skills. Works with Adam of the Road and a picture book called The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup.
Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill (Vikings, fifth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book A preteen girl shows her mettle while helping her family survive in the Kentucky wilderness during the Revolutionary War. Interesting because it shows what life was like away from the fighting during the Revolutionary War. Tons of historical information about lifestyles in the wilderness, including a primer on uses of local flora.
The Blue Cat of Castle Town by Catherine Coblentz (The Countryman Press, paperback, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0-914378-05-6. Out of print	Honor Book A mysterious blue cat involves itself in the lives of craftsmen in a small New England village, turning them away from the money-grubbing spirit brought to town by a rich, heartless man. This is an unusual book, a story that works on many levels. In one sense it's an indictment of the modern world and its high-speed emphasis of quantity over quality. Coblentz makes a real plea for craftsmanship, beauty and the artistic process. The story can be viewed as an indictment of capitalism, too, and a reaction to the depersonalization of the modern world. I sure wish this wasn't out of print. This book could be used from fourth-grade to graduate school.
Kildee House by Rutherford Montgomery (Econo-Clad, $15.80, fourth-grade level). ISBN: 0785719482.	Honor Book A recluse develops friendships with animals and humans after moving to a wooden house deep in the forest near Santa Cruz. This book is dated but still is amusing. The antics of the skunks and raccoons will thrill kids, as will the interaction between a teen-age boy and girl who have a love-hate relationship.
George Washington by Genevieve Foster (Charles Scribner, fourth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book Foster produces yet another in a series of patriotic biographies, this one focused on our first president. Foster shares a few anecdotes that I find new and interesting, but most of the material is appropriate for readers in the primary grades. Side note: The illustrations are a bizarre reminder of how far children's books have progressed.
Song of the Pines: A Story of Norwegian Lumbering in Wisconsin by Walter and Marion Havighurst (John C. Winston Co., fifth-grade level). Out of print	Honor Book The pioneering gusto of a lone Norwegian boy who travels to America with other immigrants from his country is championed in this look at settlements in the upper Midwest. This book was part of a series called Land of the Free that looked at the immigrant experience from many countries. The Havighursts obviously had a warm feeling for the Norwegians they wrote about and share many details about the culture. Despite the passing of more than half a century, the writing style isn't dated. There is a Horatio Alger element to the narrative but it's not cloying. It's unlikely young readers will ever come across this book but they could learn much and be mildly entertained. In a mild aside, Walter's older brother, Robert, a chemist by profession, wrote an influential piece in the 1950s that attempted to explain adolescent stages of development. His work, Developmental Tasks and Education, had a deep influence on juvenile fiction for more than a decade.

Copyright David Ross 2003