Plumfield Moms

A Tale of Two Cities

Reviewed by Sara Masarik
If David Copperfield is the story of how a man makes his life because of the choices he makes with regard to friends and marriage, and A Christmas Carol is the story of how a man makes heaven or hell of his life because of the choices he makes with regard to the guardedness of his heart, A Tale of Two Cities is a story of how a man (or in this one, several people) make their souls ripe for salvation through their submission to substantial sacrifice. It seems to me that most of Dickens’s writing is a morality tale of some kind or another, and that has a certain appeal to me. This one is among my favorites because it painfully and beautifully follows the journey of souls moving out of darkness and into light. Read the full review

Thank You, Mr. Falker

Reviewed by Sara Masarik
In my review of Patrica Polacco’s The Art of Miss Chew, I mentioned that Polacco has lived a very storied life. A life marked by suffering and hardship, but one also seasoned with stories and good people who cared fiercely for her. All of her life, Polacco loved stories and longed to read. But by the time she was fourteen, she was resigned to the fact that she was “dumb” and that somehow she lacked something in her brain necessary for decoding books. Reading was agony, and she just couldn’t do it. Mr. Falker, however, was not like other teachers. When her classmates snickered and teased her, he shot them down with a stern caution. Whenever he walked behind her and saw what she was drawing, he leaned in and told her how brilliant she was. Read the full review

That Book Woman

Reviewed by Diane Pendergraft
"Cal and his family “live way up as up can get” in the mountains of Kentucky, “the onliest school a jillion miles back down the creek.” There is plenty of work to do, and Cal has no use for reading, though his sister Lark would have her nose between the pages of a book all day if their mother would let her. One day, a woman wearing britches rides up to the house with a saddlebag full of books. Lark acts like it’s a bag full of treasure. Call refuses to be impressed. " Until the Book Woman comes during a snow storm. What makes her risk getting sick, or worse? Read the full review