Spring Break Reviews #2

Spring Break ~ Day 2 (the 80-degree-weather-lay-outside-on-a-blanket-and-read day)

BOOK REVIEWS:
Today I read Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. It is all about a 16 year old girl who is attempting to "prove up" a piece of land in Montana in the 19-teens. She is homesteading all by herself since her parents died and her only uncle left her the land upon his death. The story is really well told, through some prose sections and other sections comprised of letters back and forth with a childhood friend who is in France during WWI. The book mentions the fear and propaganda which swept the nation at the time as well as the Spanish Influenza which took lives as well. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the setting as well as the fact that the book contained just the right amount of conflict and joy. I found myself getting a bit choked up at the end. It is nominated for this year's William Allen White Award (given annually in the state of Kansas to an adolescent book worthy of merit) and so far might be one of my top three votes for that prize of the eight I've read so far.

I am 2/3rds of the way through The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. I think I read this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade but could not really remember it at all. I am thinking of teaching it during 4th quarter in my Communications class. So far, I'm actually really enjoying this story! I am surprised at how gripping it is - I want to find out if the female protagonist really was kidnapped or not! This book was eventually turned into a series: What Ever Happened to Janie, The Voice on the Radio, and What Janie Saw.

FOOD REVIEW:
Ryan and I have been thinking of switching to a more vegetarian diet for various reasons, including the inhumanity of the meat processing industry. Therefore, I've spent some time in the past couple of days looking up various vegetarian recipes and wandering the grocery store for ingredient ideas and price comparisons. Tonight we tried our hand at refried bean & bell pepper tacos. We did cheat - we cooked some chicken too (but only because we still had it in the freezer!). I think that refried beans are sort of weird and bland, but when mixed with other things, really weren't too bad. In our quest for more bean recipes, I think I'd be willing to try refried beans in a layered dip as well (with some salsa, guacamole, etc...). We're also going to try and switch to buying more locally grown fruits and vegetables and whole grain pastas and rice. More updates to come.