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domchurch3
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I went to Barnes and Nobel and made a list of books that looked interesting (by their covers of course  ) and just wanted to know if these books would be deemed good reads or if any of them send up red flags that I need to be aware of:
Ella Enchanted
Castle Corona
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
The Beginning of the End -Avi
The Princess Academy
Leo Lioni Books
Dr. Seuss Books (are their any that send up red flags, what do you think are his best?
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domchurch3
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Please don't feel you have to answer for each of these titles.
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Matilda
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Ella Enchanted turned out to be very different from the movie and was kind of a "dark" book if you ask me. I did not enjoy it.
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domchurch3
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I was wondering about Ella Enchanted myself because of the whole idea that her curse was to be completely obedient, or at least that's what I got from the back cover.
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CKwasniewski
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I thought Ella Enchanted was fun (ironic moments, yes)--but I wouldn't give it to anyone under twelve. Absolute obedience IS a problem (think Nazi Germany)--but that question could be fuel for discussion.
The Princess Academy was good, but again for an older child. Nothing problematic, but it's a coming of age story.
Dr. Seuss is safe. Horton Hears a Who and Horton Hatches the egg are resoundingly pro-life, pro-family. "An elephant is faithful 100%!"
I haven't read the others, though it seems the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is pretty controversial... take a look at the amazon reviews.
hth,
ck
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folklaur
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My dd really enjoyed Ella Enchanted. I'd say she was 13 or 14 when she read it.
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Martha
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Avi - I refuse to read that authors books after reading "the true confessions of Charlotte Doyle"
The books is actually somewhat decent until you get to the last chapter where after a dangerous journey on a colonial era ship where moutiny is near due to a sadist captain, 12 yr old Charlotte finally makes it to port and family -
and decides her well-off family is too stuffy and "proper" and she doesn't want to live like that after having had a taste of freedom at sea - so she runs away in the night to be with an older black man who was on the ship with her to live the life of a sailor. to make matters worse it's unclear wheather there is romance between to the two or a fatherly affection. 
If Avi had stopped with a happy return home, the book would have been so-so, but that last chapter earned it the trash can in my house. I've heard Avi highly recommended before, but I just can't bring myself to read anymore works after that first and last burn. 
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stefoodie
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Avi: Crispin I liked but only had my older child read it who can discern better (I don't remember exactly why now, IIRC it was Middle Ages, probably there was some witchcraft or something similar -- while we read about these on occasion as we study history, I would rather not dwell on those themes)... after that we've stayed away from his stuff, except for that book about silent movies.
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MaryM
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This was a past thread discussing Avi.
We enjoy Leo Lionni's books very much. A favorite is probably Swimmy. The Frederick books are cute as well.
Dr. Seuss favorites: Horton Hears a Who, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Fox in Sox, Green Eggs and Ham
I thought Ella Enchanted was pretty good.
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lapazfarm
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The only Dr Seuss I know of that is a no-no for kids is this one:The seven Lady Godivas 
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donnalynn
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I read the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane as a read aloud and all mine (4, 7, 10, 12 at the time) loved it - there are some sad parts - so I would be careful if you have all very young children. But I think it is a really beautiful book. We also loved DiCamillo's "The Tale of Despereaux". I have always wondered whether Kate DiCamillo was Catholic - I think there are wonderful themes in her books - forgiveness, sacrifice, loyalty...
We listened to Ella Enchanted on audio during a road trip - we like that one too - we were *horrified* by the movie. The curse of obedience, I think was handled very well - one character discovers "the curse" and uses it to her advantage - the book could really be used to illustrate what a gift and responsibility free will is.
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Chari
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We love Ella Enchanted here....it has been read and re-read and read aloud (I read it first and then dd read it aloud on one of our trips) and we also listen to it. It is one of maybe two modern books we can recommend.
The movie was based on this book.......but BARELY resembles it....how can authors allow this to happen?????  ...I would preview first.........it is too pop-culture-like............and lacks all of the sweetness that is found in the book.
We just lent it to the oldest girl (15yrs) of 8 from a Christian family......here is what she just emailed to me tonight:
Please thank Anne many, many times for letting me borrow Ella Enchanted; I absolutely adore that book! It is my new favorite fairytale, and probably will always be. The first time I read it, I so completely loved and enjoyed it, that I'm now reading it a second time. Thank you all for recommending it to me, and please thank Anne again for lending it to me! I know there's a movie; have you seen it? Is it good? I heard that it doesn't quite follow the book. In that case, I'm not so sure that I would want to watch it, for fear it would alter all of my lovely thoughts about the book.
Isn't she just sweet? We have been having fun recommending books to her, like Jane Austen's and watching her just eat them right up!
And, I will definitely be telling her to avoid the movie. 
I cannot help on the other books......though I have always enjoyed Leo Lionni books.......I just do not know all of them.
God bless,
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Waverley
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is one of the best books I have ever read. I give this book to everyone who has lost a loved one. Its message of "better to have loved and been hurt than to never have loved" is very powerful. There are some sad parts so maybe preread it if you have a sensitive child.
My favorite Dr. Seuss book is The Sneetches. I always revisit this book when we study WWII and the holocaust. The symbolism of the stars is very moving. The Sneetches book also contains the story of the pale green pants, another wonderful story about how we often fear the things we do not know about.
Happy Reading!
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MichelleW
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I also loved The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. It is one of those books that makes you sigh when it is over. I decided my kids were too young to enjoy it at the time (I believe they were 6,7 and 8). I don't remember thinking they shouldn't read it, just that they would get more out of it later.
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mama251ders
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I love, love, love Ella Enchanted! We have listened to it several times and both my boys have read it. They like it too!
I didn't really like Edward Tulane, something about it creeped me out, but I could never put my finger on it. Maybe it was the picture on the front of the book!
We did not really enjoy the Avi books we read, but I think my boys are still a little too young for them.
I like Leo Lioni, they are cute books.
Of course we love Dr. Seuss, my favorite is The Lorax.
Blessings,
Betsie
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Red Cardigan
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I'm the exact opposite with the Ella Enchanted thing--thought the movie was ok and mostly harmless, but that the book had some incredibly dark themes and is ultimately rather unclear from a moral perspective--not to mention laced with a strong feminist bent (even when Ella agrees to marry Char, she refuses to take the title of princess but insists on being called Court Linguist and Cook's Helper instead). Like many works of the current era, most marriages are portrayed as dysfunctional power/money relationships as opposed to Ella's "pure love" for Char which makes it possible for her to refuse to marry him--a subtle hint by the author that "pure love" may exist better outside of marriage than within it, though the main characters seem to be planning to marry in the end.
These themes are troublesome because of the frequency with which they pop up in modern young adult literature--there's a careful pandering to the teen audience which suggests that teen "relationships" are ultimately better than the cold and calculating marriages of the various adults in the fictional world. Parents may not realize how often their teen readers are being exposed to ideas of "alternative" families etc., and how the idea that marriages are boring, dysfunctional, and seldom more important than "love" is being reinforced at every turn. I definitely put "Ella Enchanted" into the category of YA books which contain some of these views.
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mama251ders
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My impression of Ella's refusal to accept Char's proposal was that she did not want to agree just because it was "an order". I thought that she really struggled with it, not because she did not want to marry him, but because she wanted to accept his proposal out of her own free will. Because she had such a strong desire for this, it allowed her the power to break the curse. I took it as a "Love Conquers All" type thing.
It is interesting to see how we all look at things in different ways.
Blessings,
Betsie
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Vanna
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I absolutely love the book "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Seuss.
Everything I needed to know about life, I learned in that book...lol ok maybe that's a slight exaggeration but it's a really great book with great life information...especially the part about everyone racing off to the Waiting Place, so very true....
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
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Chari
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wow, Red, I would never let my kids read a book like that.........which is why I almost 100% pre-read the modern stuff before they get to it.
I may need to read the book over again....I remember finding the book kind of like Betsie....and, I was please to have something modern be written that was accepatble to my tight standards.
I am going to go back and check it out.......
As for the movie, I would recommend all moms preview, if you want to know....I was bummed that I had not. Plus, I found it kind of on the level of those Disney half hour sitcoms that are full of the pop culture for teens, that we try to avoid as long as we are homeschooling anyway......
Thanks for sharing, Vanna.........and welcome to the boards!!
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