Fiona MacDonald (1958–)

Charles Dickens, A Very Peculiar History with No Added Gruel is a small format book (4 inch by 6 inch pages, to be precise) with an amusing title, but this by no means indicates that the contents are insignificant or that they are laughable. Indeed, this little book is a marvelous overview of a well-known 19th century author and his exceedingly popular works, and that overview is presented in a highly readable and interesting manner. What are just a few of the facts that one can discover in show more Macdonald's mini-biography of Charles Dickens?

How often did he move about, and where and when did he live in various parts of England?
Where and when did he live abroad?
What siblings did he have and what became of them?
Why was his father imprisoned? What became of his mother?
Thinking of his first “attempt at authorship” (his words), Sketches by Boz, who was the real Boz and how was that name derived? What is the disagreement over its pronunciation?
How many children did he father? Did he have an illegitimate son who died soon after birth in France?
What became of his wife, Catherine Hogarth? Was he really just “friends” with actress Nelly Ternan?
How was the manuscript of the novel Our Mutual Friend almost lost and how is that related to Nelly?
How was each of his novels received by his contemporaries? What was the essence of each? What was the background of each, its inspiration?
What was his opinion of the United States following his visits and presentations there?
Is he buried where he wished to be?

In this 187 page (191 if we count the index) book, Fiona Macdonald has created a factual biography of Dickens, including a succinct summary of his published works, that is informative, to the point, instructive, and an absolute pleasure to read – and biography is not usually among my favorite genres. I recommend this little book most highly to all who have any sort of curiosity about the man who became one of the most widely recognized and widely read authors in the English language but who do not wish to commit themselves to struggling through a long “literary” biography. Macdonald's book will answer questions about Dickens that you didn't even think to ask while entertaining you in the process.

The ultimate question that one can ask about any book (or about any other reading material for that matter) is whether it was worth the time from one's finite lifespan that was expended in its reading. In the case of Macdonald's “very peculiar history” of Dickens, I say, “Yes.” show less

This appealing work of Non-Fiction will have kids saying "aargh" in no time. Unlike many non-fiction books for kids, "Top 10 Worst Nasty Pirates You Wouldn't Want to Meet" doesn't sugar-coat the past. Pirates are described as what they were -- bloodthirsty, violent criminals leading lives of adventure and danger. The book is divided into short sections, each highlighting a different famous pirate. Blackbeard, Captain Kidd, the Barlarossa Brothers, and SIr Henry Morgan are profiled, along show more with others, after a brief introduction to pirating and the different "kinds" of pirates. Also included is short excerpts on pirate punishments, pirate weapons, and pirate flags. Each infamous pirate is given a 2-page spread in the book, counting down from the 10th most "nasty" pirate down to number one. On one side of the page, a brief bio of the pirate is given, while the other side is titled "Be Prepared! Always Expect the Worst" and contains facts and stories relating to the specialties of that particular pirate.

The book is also well-illustrated with large, full color cartoon illustrations splashed across the pages. Most of the illustrations are humorous, offsetting the rather dark subject matter and keeping the information from becoming too frightening for children. In all likelihood, however, young kids (especially boys) will be fascinated rather than disturbed by the wealth of information provided in the book. This book would be an excellent choice for reluctant older elementary school readers who do not want to commit to reading an entire chapter book. Pirates are VERY high interest these days. I would recommend this book for kids in grades 2-5. show less

From the British series of children's books that introduce unsavory history such as Salem witches and Irish famine ships, this title focuses on the grave robbers of Edinburgh who supplied corpses to surgeons for the purpose of teaching anatomy before dissection was legal. Much of the book covers the infamous Burke and Hare case. The illustrations are what I'd call cartoonishly scary and perfect for the darkly humorous text, which includes such questionable information as, "Some people say show more that you are unlikely to catch nasty diseases from people who handle dead bodies, but do you really want to take the chance?" and an illustrated step-by-step explanation as to how Burke and Hare were able to kill their victims without leaving marks on the bodies comes with a preface that says " So even if a dissected body was traced back to them, no one could prove it was murder." show less

Humorous treatment of a ghastly subject...this is our first encounter with the You Wouldn't Want To... Series. You Wouldn't Want to be an Aztec Sacrifice: Gruesome Things You'd Rather Not Know is an over the top cartoonish, yet factual and upfront look at the history of Aztec sacrifice told as if YOU were there...the one being sacrificed to the Gods! This wonderful book has an introduction that gives some basic background on the Rise of the Aztec civilization, including an inset map showing show more the location (handy for young readers) and then a progression of chapters starting with how you would have lived (being an Aztec noble), paying tribute, being captured in a "flower battle" (nothing to do with actual flowers, heh), the long walk through the desert to the Aztec capital, how sacrifices were chosen, and goes into exactly what happens as the day of sacrifice approaches. This is a ghastly subject that is given a humorous spin, yet still manages to tell the whole story, loaded with interesting facts and tidbits about life in Mesoamerica! Each two page spread features a main narrative in addition to a set of "photo" illustrations along the bottom or side with additional information and in the top right hand corner, each has a "handy hint" to help you along the way...these hints include advice like "make an offering to the city's guardian god - he might protect you from the Aztecs" (offered on the page where the Aztecs are coming for the tribute payments or "Always keep plenty of obsidian (volcanic glass) for weapon blades. If danger threatens you won't have time to climb the volcano to get more!"

Overall, I love the format and humor used to deal with a subject that might otherwise be hard to effectively teach to kids without it becoming really depressing and/or for those subjects that never seem PC, but still really, really need to be taught. I give it five stars and recommend it as part of a larger reading set on the Aztec, after your child(ren) reads some other books on the culture and history of these Mesoamericans!! Excellent text, lots of humor, and the illustrations really bring the message home and include their own humor...they really make the story! show less