Reviews for A Christmas List Learn And Have Fun In School and The Magic Of Wisdom

The average rating for A Christmas List Learn And Have Fun In School and The Magic Of Wisdom based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-10-10 00:00:00 FRANK HORN Surprises abound. As I thumbed through the meager offerings at the Negril Library, I stumbled on this gem, but then I had to make a choice: could I take it out? The contrast between my Brookline library and Negril's is enormous. In Brookline there's no limit to the number of books I can borrow nor is there a limit to the number of books I WANT to borrow. In Negril I needed to establish a perfect track record of taking out and returning a maximum of three books for several months before I was given the privilege of checking out six books. Six is the limit! The day I spotted Sarah Ellis's name I was particularly focused on books for my two tutoring students so I replaced The Several Lives of Orphan Jack on the shelf - longingly. Years ago Barbara Scotto introduced me to Sarah Ellis at CLNE (Children's Literature New England). From the first page of this slim novel, I felt Sarah's intelligent, thoughtful presence and her delightful sense of humor: Schoolmaster Bane of the Opportunities School for Orphans and Foundlings asks, "What is the purpose of snow?" and admonishes a student for his incorrect answer, "No, you booby-brained mutton head." (pp. 13-14) This book is charming from start to finish. Jack (known as OtherJack because there was already another orphan named Jack when he arrived at the school) has one precious possession: At Christmas each student at the Opportunities School was given a pair of socks and a present. The Christmas Otherjack was ten, the Benevolents had given him a dictionary. It was grubby and missing the first part so that it didn't have any A or B words, but from C to Z it had given Otherjack some of his happiest moments. The words were always there ready to be taken out and used or just examined. A sunrise was better when you knew the word sublime. Oatmeal for dinner was somehow not so sad when you knew the word mangy. A bashing from Edwin was not so horrible when you could secretly call him a vandal. Best of all, the other boys could not steal or spoil Otherjack's words. They were his secret hoard. (p. 22) This slim treasure is about the magical power of words and ideas. Recommended for third grade and up. Sarah Ellis is a Canadian author who deserves much more of our attention.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-04-24 00:00:00 Thomas J Hawkins Loved the language. This is an easy reader but in no way dumbed down.