Stephanie Spinner

Great retelling of the Atalanta myth. I was charmed and read it in one sitting. Atalanta is a wonderful character, a wild huntress but also an earnest girl who wants to do the right thing. Spinner does a nice job in bringing an ancient arcadia to earthy life, but still leaving it feeling mythical. I loved the unexpected but very appropriate ending. Gotta watch out for those Greek gods. They're always causing trouble.

In this retelling of the the Atlanta myth, Stephanie Spinner creates a complex and compelling heroine, whose fate we care about and whose jeopardy we feel. As an infant, Atlanta was left in the woods to die, but Artemis protected her, and when hunters found her, they knew she was favored by the goddess. Atlanta shoots better and runs faster than any mortal male and she retells her first encounter with Jason (of Argonaut fame).

Favored though she is, Atlanta is still used as a tool of show more Artemis, creating a violent and tragic first scene. As the story progresses, Atlanta visits an oracle, whose prophesies she must make sense of, and is reunited with her father, whose will she must to circumvent to remain true to the vow of chastity she made to Artemis.

This novel has an immediacy and intimacy that Greek myths often lack. The story seems very true to the myth, which may make the end of the story feel abrupt for contemporary readers. But I loved this short novel and the portrayal of the challenges Atlanta faces as a strong and capable girl in a patriarchal society. show less

I remember when [b:Alex and Me|3018307|Alex & Me How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process|Irene M. Pepperberg|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347735719s/3018307.jpg|3048873] came out in 2008. The story of the smartest bird in the world was bound to be rewritten for children and I think Stephanie Spinner has done a good job of it, especially for a 2nd to 5th grade audience and reluctant readers. With lots of show more colorful illustrations and a short, clear narrative, this story has major appeal for animal lovers and kids who only want TRUE stories. It might be interesting to compare this to [b:The One and Only Ivan|11594337|The One and Only Ivan|Katherine Applegate|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1326506063s/11594337.jpg|16536239] in terms of how animal intelligence is portrayed. Both stories really make you fall in love with the main animal character.

I took some issue with the author attributing motivations to Alex that weren't necessarily factual. For example, the author says Alex would answer incorrectly to "tease" the trainers or to "confuse" a younger bird also being trained in the lab. But I think these assertions are balanced in part by including this statement: "There were still people who doubted that Alex understood what he was saying, but Irene was sure that he did."

The sad ending and the tribute to the difference Alex made in the treatment of other African grey parrots also call to mind Ivan the gorilla. Two great books about two memorable animals! show less

I thought this book was a great starter biography for young students. The writing is clear and concise and easily describes Clara Barton’s life from start to finish. The vocabulary used is basic and if there are words that are more tier two or three, they are defined. For example, because Clara was a painfully shy girl, her mother confronted a phrenologist. This is a tier three word and is clearly defined in the book for younger readers. As a non-fiction biography, this text is organized show more chronologically and a timeline is provided in the back for reference. There are little breaks in the books that touch on important events in history that happen parallel to Clara Barton’s life. If there was anything I thought the book could do better, it would be the illustrations. Even though they are reflective of what is being discussed in the book, it would have been more interesting to have actual photographs, such as pictures of the red cross bricks placed in Clara’s honor. It was an interesting read for a person not incredibly well known in history, especially to younger people. I did enjoy the fact that the author made an emphasis on how much Clara accomplished in her time for a woman. This could be inspiring to young girls who may need someone to look up to. The message of this book was to tell of how Clara Barton overcame her circumstances as a woman to move the United States forward in education and the Red Cross. show less