Hall's Living Library

All Sail Set: A Romance of the Flying Cloud

Reviewed by Sandy Hall
At the age of 15, Enoch Thacher signs on with the first voyage of the Flying Cloud, after helping Donald McKay work on its design. The story of this voyage and its record-breaking speed is told in a manner that makes it believable, without being over-sensational. Thacher learns courage, faces an enemy on board, and earns respect as the story proceeds. Read the full review

Barkis

Reviewed by Sandy Hall
Barkis, an adorable Cocker Spaniel puppy, is gifted to James on his birthday. The puppy works his way into the family's heart and life in the story. There is some conflict between James and his sister Nell Jean because he doesn't want to share his new puppy with her. Tragedy almost strikes, and both children work out their differences and come to agreement in the end. The story is told with more text than modern picture books, but is well-written. The illustrations by the author are lovely! Soft nostalgic drawings of Barkis, the children, and the family cat are portrayed on a totally white background. Newberry began drawing cats, dogs, and other animals at a very early age, and authored and illustrated many other picture books about animals including Marshmallow, April's Kittens, and Smudge, all Caldecott winners or honor books. If you have a child who loves animals or has pets, I highly recommend her books! Read the full review

The Children of the New Forest

Reviewed by Sandy Hall
The writer’s knowledge of the political chaos of the times is well-evident and clearly explained. This provides a good value to the book for any studies of this time period. Interestingly, the main characters, the four children, are against the Cromwell side of the Civil War, which is different from most of the books of this time period that I have read. In that sense, it does provide a good balanced view. Read the full review