I review books for a local group called the Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children’s Books. We get publisher’s runs and read them. Our reviews are published monthly into a fat little magazine – a wonderful reference for school and public librarians to use when ordering for their libraries. We get to keep many of the books for our own libraries. The opportunity to do this is really valuable. I get more than just books for my library, though; I get practice reading critically, and writing critically, about subjects which usually interest me or at the very least, my students. This is a win-win for everyone.
So what in the world does this have to do with the Corn Flake King? Strange story, that…
We’ll begin at the beginning. Where in the world is that?!? Well, it’s easy – I think.
Once upon a time, there was a young woman who was very interested in textiles (shhh- that’s me). An amazing Great Aunt gave her a lovely box of antique lace and aprons and pin-tucked shirtwaists. She was amazed and delighted by these handmade treasures, many of them hand-stitched by the Great Aunt’s half sister.
Later, the woman (still me) received some more items of the half-sister’s; letters, holiday cards, trinkets; the fascination was solidified. Over many years, the collection grew, and now a story began to emerge of this woman, half-sister never met, this character beloved of the amazing Great Aunt. A sort of obsession blossomed, and the desire to find out everything about her time period, her stomping grounds, her place in the world, erupted into focused work – building a time-line, reading historical works, peering at photographs, even shopping for the right magnifying glass to aid in deciphering the writing on old postcards. A kernel of an idea began to swell…
Stay tuned for more.
The Best of It 