One Chapter

The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark by Kate Moore

5 stars Nonfiction Middle School/YA

I have already read the adult version of this book, so when our book club decided that The Radium Girls was going to be this month’s selection, I opted to read the young readers version of the story. I was anxious to read this book as I read lots of books geared towards young readers and I hoped this one was as great as the adult version. I had hoped that they hadn’t taken this incredible story, watered it down and condensed it. Had they changed the storyline and make it more reserved for these young minds? This book really surprised me as I began reading.

This was fantastic! This book was condensed but the author had not watered it down. This was as great as the adult version only; it didn’t go into as much detail as the adult’s version. It had been a few years since I have read the adult version but it all came back to me as I began reading and I fell in love with it all over again.

Filled with hope and opportunity the girls began working at the watch dial factory. They were teenage girls, working with the “wonder element,” the miracle wonder that was treating cancer and helping with other illnesses. This “liquid sunshine” was incorporated into toothpaste, butter, and skin products as everyone wanted to benefit from its greatness yet only wealthy could afford to indulge in these. Radium, the glow-in-the-dark paint, was expensive in the late 1910’s.

Working in the factory, the girls sat and they painted. Holding watch faces, the girls manually painted the watch dials onto each one. It was delicate work that relied on a steady hand and the perfect tool. With the factory suppling the brushes, the girls took their brushes and created the perfect tool.

Lip-dip-paint. The girls did lip pointing as they painted their watch dials. Since the girls were paid based on the number of dials they painted, they needed to work quickly and efficient. By wetting the end of the brush in their mouths to make a tapered end, this technique made their jobs easier. Lip-dip-paint. There would be no rinsing of the brush between each dial, there was only a minimal amount of radium on the brush at all times while she painted, and she had been told that the radium was safe. She was set to make millions, right? It sounds right but these girls were doing this every day, all day, and the number of times that her brush touched their lips each day was high, for she painted hundreds of dials each day.

It wasn’t until years later, that things started to change for the girls and they started to realize that perhaps this “liquid sunshine” wasn’t as safe as they were led to believe. I marveled at how this book didn’t shy away from the facts. The trips to the dentist had me squirming in my chair. I’m not fond of dentists but they had to go. Their pain was so bad but their diagnose was worse than cavities. The girls had enjoyed working in the factory, they’d made lots of cash and enjoyed their new lifestyle but now, was it worth it?

As more girls were getting sick, more individuals were getting involved and it irritated me that no one was working together to solve the issues. Hired individuals, doctors, lawyers, family members, everyone was a witness but what was the cause? How can they move forward?

This book is not for the weak, as the author tells it like it was. As I thought about what these girls had to endure, it made me cringe. The pain, the frustration, and the emptiness they must have felt, had to be exhausting. It’s sad and horrific that the girls had to battle this. To have to fight for their lives and also for support. That’s so frustrating. These girls are heroes for what they went through and how they shaped our future. I’m glad that this book was written for young readers so they can read how these young women fought for others and themselves. They weren’t quitters, whinners, or looking for a handout- they did it by believing in themselves and moving forward. A great book that should be read by mature young readers (middle school).

“After her jaw was gone, an important discovery was made. Knef had always hoped that by removing a tooth or a piece of infected bone, the progress of the mysterious disease would be stopped. “

“Her mouth, emoty of teeth, empty of jawbone, empty of words, filled with red, hot blood instead. It spilled over her lips and down her stricken, shaken face.”

Humpty Dumpty by Annie Kubler

My grandson (22 months) loved this book. From reciting and watching this nursery rhyme over and over again, he loved to look at this board book and read it himself. The words match perfectly with the rhythm we all know from long ago, so there’s nothing new and the illustrations match the text.

I liked the faces on the children as they play out the story and used this to talk about feelings and reading expressions on people’s faces. My only question, what happened to Humpty’s hat when he fell?

Where’s his hat?
(the white rectangle item is our library’s scan bar)

The back of the book has the music to go with it.

So, how will you do?

I get totally wrapped up in most of the books that I read yet, my memory is not so good. I’m one of those individuals who say, “I remember reading that” or “I’ve heard of that,” but most of the time, I bet I couldn’t tell you where I heard/read it. Trivia games, ha! You don’t want me on your team.

When I saw this, I had to read it. How did I do? Not so good but, “I remember reading that…..:)” Let’s see how you do.

Even More Literary Jeopardy To Test Your Bookish Knowledge

TorCon 2021 dates

This came in my mailbox today and there are some panels that look really good! I’m going to have to check this out this year as I didn’t know anything about it last year. Living in the Midwest, authors don’t just come walking into this area very often, unless they’ re local or a major event is going on. This event to be like a great opportunity to get to hear some interesting talks. I did listen to a Saturday panel a few months ago and I loved it! I can’t wait to see what this one is all about.

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/TorCon

Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney

Does biology trump love? As I listened to this book, I kept wondering what I would do if I were placed in such a predicament. After caring for a young child for 2 years, do you think you could relinquish control because someone made a mistake? Was it a mistake or was it done on purpose? It’s not like you got the wrong car, or the wrong dog (although this would be hard too), this is a small child who has depended on you, someone that you have cared for, protected, loved and bonded with for over 700 days. How could you walk away from that? My mind couldn’t fantom how anyone was going to win in this situation.

So many questions had to be answered after they proved that an error had occurred, and it began with who? Who would commit such an act? What did they have to gain from it? I should have slowed the speed of the audio down as I felt that the book was speeding out of control or was it just the intensity of the situation. I had my suspects but I didn’t feel that their motives were solid enough. I felt an emotional connection to the children, how would they feel now and again, later in the future, knowing what happened to them? Would this mess them up, could they bounce back, or would they need counseling to figure out why they now had another mommy and daddy? Trying to correct the situation, I found myself arguing out loud, as each set of parents had their own idea on what they felt was the best plan. Miles wanted to run the show, he thinks that he has everything under control and it frustrated me how he tries to take charge. As I learned more about the children, the motive of why become clearer and the suspect list dropped to just a few individuals. It was such a great book to listen to and one that completely took over my morning. I highly recommend it.

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

I listened to this book on audio one weekend as I did projects around the house. I was hoping for something along the lines of a thriller, for that’s what the synopsis promised me but I found that, the book was more dramatic and historical in nature. Returning to Brooklyn, Sydney finds the neighborhood that she once called home changing. Although some change is expected, this modification becomes more like a revolution as the issues become deep and connected.

Sydney was trying to make a difference in her old neighborhood when she moves back to Brooklyn. Conducting research for a new job that she’s creating; she discovers what’s truly happening right before her very own eyes. I liked Sydney’s initiative and eagerness to move forward in her own life when she returns home and I liked how she steps up and starts to care for the garden area which was her grandmothers. The neighborhood of her childhood, which was once predominantly Black, is now being uprooted. The individuals behind this and why they’re allowed such behavior is what Sydney needs to uncover. She never expected to find gentrification or racism on her neighborhood block but what can she do about it? I wish I could leave the book like this but then, the ending came. I clearly was not a fan on how things came together in the final pages. I’m glad that I read the book as it deals with some of the current issues that some individuals face. 3 stars

The Only (Endling #3) by Katherine Applegate

Is this really the end? This is the third book in this series, supposedly the last book, yet I feel that the journey is far from over for some of the species in this book. It has been quite an adventure and as I read this book, the struggle became more intense and determined than it had ever been. Assigned to a mission, they knew that success was the only answer, and drawing from all sources, they gave it all they had.

I feel Byx and Tobble have come a long way from when I first met them in The Last and now, they’re responsible for gathering recruitments for the Army of Peace. The Army hopes that a peaceful agreement can be obtained amongst all the world’s species before the two most powerful groups come head-to-head and engage in war. I thought this was a lot of responsibility for these two friends to take on, considering their lack of experience and all the risk that was assigned to this task. They each had a skill but would that keep them alive?

I enjoyed this series and I would like to reread it now, that all the books have been written. I did cry reading this last book (it wasn’t when I closed the last page), it was when the two friends were with one another and their friends were close by, and that is all I am saying about that moment. This was a wonderful journey, created with great imagination and unique characters. I enjoyed the friendships that were created and how they developed. The characters encouraged one another and they believed in teamwork. I was surprised though, in this final book, at the difficult vocabulary used and the way that the author described the last scene. I thought the author used some challenging words in this book which, if you’re able to decipher words, is fine. Sometimes though, it was hard to decipher a few of those words and I had to use the dictionary. This is not a bad thing, it’s just something that caught me off guard. The final scene though, I thought it might contain too many details for some students. The confrontation that occurs gives some descripted details which to some students might be okay while to others, they would be fine with, “his xxxxx would never be the same.” A great series that I highly recommend.

“I think being brave means being afraid and still doing what you must do.”

Links to trailers for Book 1 and Book 2

BOOK 1

BOOK 2

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen

This book had a lot of themes going through it but it worked. Miriam, an 11-year-old girl is the protagonist in the story as her family moves into a rundown motel, in the hopes of creating a new future for themselves and the business. They had only planned this to be a short-term plan, hoping to save some money and then move on. Moving into a small community was different than New York City and the longer I read, the more I realized what this family was hiding internally.

As the family moves into The Jewel Motor Inn, the two children live in one of the rooms and the parents’ take-up residence in an adjoining room. As an 11-year-old, I thought that would be fun but I could understand the novelty wearing off. Maria, continues to work at the Inn, taking care of the housekeeping issues and helping the family become familiar with the motel. I loved how she helped Miriam learn Spanish and I felt that Maria was a very kind and tolerant individual. As her parents start the clean-up process, Miriam pitches in. On an errand to the diner next door, she meets Kate. Kate’s grandmother owns the diner and eventually, Miriam ends up helping out at the diner making pies.

Now that Miriam has met a friend, the two girls start hanging out together. While talking about their small town, they come up with a plan that they think will benefit everyone in it. Now, if only they don’t get caught creating their plan! An innocent plan which when you think about it, was harmless. I thought the girls were rather clever. As guests arrived to the hotel, Miriam meets Anton. This child was a gem! Anton arrived with his mother and his wheelchair. Miriam saw the wheelchair. I really think she saw the wheelchair before she saw Anton until Anton met her in the swimming pool. After that, Miriam changed how she looked at him. Anton was not the only person who tried to help Miriam with her fear of water, Uncle Mordy tried his hand at that, too. Uncle Mordy arrived to help out the family so he decided to help Miriam. Slowly, he introduced her the water, letting the water touch her upper thighs, it was a start.

The girls felt guilty for what they did for the town but they didn’t want to admit to anyone what they did. Just as the family is enjoying their new home, they discover something painful and disturbing at the motel. This event has a snowball effect on the community which all began because of emotions and the lack of accountability. I cringed to see this happened to them and I had to hope that somehow, they found find strength to fight it.

And what do you see? Just one of many that are out there.

A middle school read that packs religion, faith, friendship, disabilities, and family all in one book. I found it to be a fast read and I really enjoyed it. 4.5 stars

” They stand with their arms around each other. The man points and traces somthing in the air. The woman nods and smiles and I see tears rolls down her cheeks. “
“Is what we did good or bad? Yes, we fooled people, but if it makes them happy and gives them hope and saves the motel and the diner, is that so bad?”

Playaways

I’ve been listening to Playaways lately. I like them as they’re small and I can use my own headphones. My library has been getting more titles lately so that helps too.

Many individuals don’t know what a Playaway is, so I’m going to explain them. Our library carries them like they carry books on CD. Most of the time, a battery comes in the box, if not you’ll need a battery to put inside the unit. I usually just leave the battery rolling around in the case or in the clip for the next person.

Opening the box, you get a little rectangle box which is the book. You’ll need to put the battery in it. Plug in your headphones and you’re ready. You can also plug this into your cars audio system with a $10 cord, I found at Target.

This little system has volume control, speed control for the voice, fast forward, reverse, pause, a lock button and other timers to show you were you are in the book. I like how small they are. You can slip them into a coat pocket while taking a walk, into a shorts pocket, into jeans pockets, etc. they’re very versatile.

Back

Inside the box with Playaway at the bottom

Backside of the Playaway. Control buttons

Where you plug in headphones and box info about your car

All the Playaways I have checked out, my headphones and a Playaway

Living With Twelve Men….. a mother in training by Betty Auchard

Reading Betty’s stories are like sitting beside her and having a conversation. Betty doesn’t leave out anything as she writes about events in her life and I enjoyed the assortment of stories and her honesty. I found myself laughing many times as I read and I even thought, “no, she really didn’t do that, did she?”

Her story about the prayer chain hit home with me. When it came time for Betty’s turn to pray, I cracked up as she spoke to the group. I would have loved to be in that room and see everyone’s response as I think I would’ve started laughing. Her story about the guinea hens reminded me of the time I had turkeys. I don’t know how she kept her composure during that whole ordeal but I feel she’s a strong woman as I know I wouldn’t have been able to.

This is my second book of Betty’s that I’ve read and they’ve both been very enjoyable. Betty writes about her personal experiences which are honest and open. I read this book for book club and we had the honor this month (April 2021) of having Betty at our book club meeting via Zoom. Seeing her in person was wonderful, as she’s just like the individual, I pictured her to be. A very sweet, entertaining woman spoke with us. She answered all of our questions, talking about the stories in the book, asking us questions, and telling us about her life. We all enjoyed having her join us.