1 Samuel (Word Biblical Commentary Series) by Ralph W. Klein

meh

Ink on His Fingers by Louise A. Vernon

This was a pre-read for Simon. I came at it with a grudge for two reasons:

(1) I've really soured on the "historical fiction with overt Christian emphasis" sub-sub-genre lately. These books get raves in homeschooling circles, but they are generally wooden, predictable, and moralistic. Ugh.

(2) I've OD'ed on the "historical fiction with a child as apprentice to a major historical figure" sub-sub-genre, perhaps because we've done The Second Mrs. Gionconda and I, Juan de Pareja in quick succession. I get that this is an obvious was to write YAL on an historical figure, but enough already!

But to my surprise, I like this book. The wooden-ness and cheap moralizing were there, but there is a scene which is positively brilliant: the child approaches all of the wealthy people in town to get money out of them to support Gutenburg and each one has a different reason for believing that printing will never catch on.

Little Children by Tom Perrotta

Good plot, good characterization, but too vulgar.

The Speckled Monster : A Historic Tale of Battling Smallpox by Jennifer Lee Carrell

This was excellent. Recommended.

The Beduins' Gazelle by Frances Temple

A pre-read for Simon. This was a great book--recommended for kids or as a read-aloud.

Ada Blackjack : A True Story of Survival in the Arctic by Jennifer Niven

This was a good book. Had it been 100 pages shorter, it might have been a great book.

Dreams from My Father : A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

I was not expecting this to be so well-written, so interesting, so un-self-consciously non-political, so bawdy, or so racially-focused. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.