After much anticipation, my seven year old son and I saw the Two Towers on the Saturday before Christmas. My nine year old daughter watched it with my husband the night before in order to switch off with the little ones at home. A year ago I wouldn't have expected to be taking any of my children to see the movie (because of their age), but a lot has changed since then for us. John read the entire Lord of the Rings aloud to the children over the past year. Jacinta read it, again, on her own. She and Matthew have also listened to the 13 disc BBC audio drama numerous times. They also very much enjoyed the Fellowship of the Ring movie on the "small screen". The point is that they have really attained a decent grasp of the story. In addition, my son, who doesn't like loud noises much, wore earplugs (which diminishes the intensity quite a bit) and my husband and I both did a bit of editing by simply covering their eyes with our hands. This was necessary during the previews and commercials before the movie more than for the movie itself.

Two of the toughest characters to portray - Gollum and Treebeard - were absolutely amazing. Gollum is a complex character - tortured by his desire for the ring, whom you don't know whether to hate or pity. A computer graphics generated character, he was entirely believable and pathetic in the way, I think, Tolkien intended him to be imagined. Treebeard could so easily have been a silly cartoonish character. While not without humor, he's also magnificent and ...respectable in the way that one would appreciate and admire an older gentleman who's a bit eccentric.

There are several general things that I think remarkable about this phenomenal task of creating movies from Tolkien's beloved stories. (For those who really like movies, as my husband and I do, the Fellowship of the Ring DVD is interesting partly because of the extensive commentaries, interviews, photo galleries, etc. which provide details on both how the movies were made and what the movie-makers were trying to do.) Many of the people most intimately involved in the movie production have read the story countless times. Faithfulness to Tolkien was a major priority for them. They have referred to the books over and over again, not just in writing the screenplay, but in how the actors portray their parts. A great deal of attention and thought has gone into many, many details of the story. For example, recordings exist of Tolkien himself reading parts of his stories. Ian McKellan, who plays Gandalf, based his portrayal of Gandalf, in voice tone and expression, on these recordings. Christopher Lee, who plays Saruman, has read the books every year for decades. In addition to his excellent portrayal of the villain, he discussed parts of the book with the other actors to be sure that certain details weren't left out. The two artists most famous for illustrating editions of the Lord of the Rings, Alan Lee and John Howe, worked as art consultants on the sets and miniatures. Peter Jackson, the director, collaborated with hundreds of cast members, production members and Tolkien fans to fine tune the script and the ideas. We had a local news story here in Wisconsin about a man who was, as a hobby, an expert in Tolkien's fictional languages. He offered his services to Peter Jackson and was invited to play a part in the production. I've never heard of any project done in this kind of fashion and the final result is truly reflective of the incredible effort and labor of love that went into making these movies.

Jackson and crew did a great job of balancing this rather dark, middle part of the story with some enjoyable comic relief (especially found in the character of Gimli the dwarf) which flowed quite well. I thought there were a few more unnecessary plot-deviations than in the first movie (particularly a significant thread involving Aragorn), but this annoyance was rather minor. We enjoyed the movie very much and look forward to its conclusion, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, coming out in December 2003.

Canadian Summer continues the story of the Mitchell Family (this is the second book in the series) several years after World War II. Baby Catherine has joined the family. Father is back from the war and has moved to Quebec for his job. He has difficulty finding housing for the family, but finally makes arrangements and sends Mother, Granny and the children up on the train. Upon arriving, the ladies are shocked to find that accomodations consist of a remote ski cabin lacking electricity or running water. Doctors and stores are many miles away and transportation is nearly impossible. Wild animals and a big lake worry Mother, but intrigue the children. Of course they discover the pleasures and difficulties of rural life and have many interesting and humorous adventures.

Hilda Van Stockum is a gifted storyteller whose motherly (and grandmotherly) experience is evident in all of her books. The little details and stories, so grounded in the truth and reality of large loving families, are just plain wonderful. These books are highly recommended.

The Sally Books by Elizabeth Coatsworth Away Goes Sally (pgs 117), Five Bushel Farm (pgs 142), The Fair American (pgs 134), The White Horse (pgs 168), The Wonderful Day (pgs 139) In our house, we always have at least two read-alouds going: one that I read to the kids during the day and the other in the evening that Dad reads to the kids before bed. We do this year-round, so even in the summer-time we’re doing our read-alouds. My kids particularly like a series of books read to them – either books by the same author, books about the same characters or books about the same theme. Just as we finished our “regular” school year this year, we received the Sally series by Elizabeth Coatsworth. We liked this series so much, we have talked Dad into reading them again at night later this summer! Sally, an indomitable orphan growing up in the state of Maine during the 1790s with aunts and uncles, is a wonderfully drawn character whose “Pollyanna” attitude toward life never seems fake, but rather that of a girl who has a warm heart, living in a loving family. These books span just a few years but include bits of information about the French Revolution and the Barbary pirates marauding the Mediterranean. We learned so much not only about rural life “back then” but these books also set us off on rabbit trails to learn about the French Revolution, the French-Indian Wars, and the African pirates and the despotism of the sultans of the era. The first book, Away Goes Sally, sets the stage for the other books. It’s 1790 and 10-year-old Sally lives with her aunts: Nannie (the eldest and thus, in charge and very domineering), Esther (the youngest), Deborah (the quiet, shy, amenable aunt). Two uncles are also in the house: Joseph (head of the household) and Eben (lazy but lovable). The five adults, all siblings, work hard to give Sally a life full of love and faith in Massachusetts. A cousin invites the family to immigrate to the “wilds of Maine” where land is abundant and fertile. Exactly how Uncle Joseph gets Aunt Nannie to move is the plot – and did we wish we were Sally along for the ride! Five Bushel Farm starts out in Maine with Sally’s relatives, the Hallets. Cousin Ephraim has found an orphan who needs love and brings him into his house, which is anything but loving. Once Sally and her aunts and uncles get settled in Maine, they bring the orphan to their loving home as one of the aunts goes off to marry. Friendly Native Americans and building a farm are described in great detail; finding the perfect spot for their farm, and the reason behind the name of the book, create a picture of putting down roots in more ways than one. The French Revolution comes into play in the third book, The Fair American. Pierre, the son of a courtier, must flee his family estate just before villagers, fired by revolutionary fever, set it ablaze. Escape from France means boarding a ship where we finally re-meet Sally and Andrew. I loved the way Coatsworth linked the French Revolution to peace-filled America. A year after the adventures aboard the Fair American, Sally and Andrew convince Aunt Nannie to allow Sally to set sail again, this time for Italy. The White Horse opens with Sally and Andrew sailing into the Mediterranean on a seemingly easy voyage. An easy voyage until the ship is attacked by pirates, the captives taken to Morocco, and imprisoned in a sultan’s palace. How the characters co-exist with the Muslims in a sultan’s palace is the point of the novel. Sally’s love of life helps all around in these trying times and the conclusion is exciting in this, the longest book of the series. The series ends with The Wonderful Day. Sally is about 16 or so and finding it hard to be the “lady” Aunt Nannie would like her to be. Still full of love and life, Sally starts the day with great optimism which quickly turns to dismay when Sally discovers that her Uncle Joseph is in financial trouble. “Saving the day” is Sally’s job as the day and troubles compound. This book brings up an interesting idea of trust, honesty and how easy it could be to dupe those who believe everyone is as honest as they are. This series is suitable for independent readers about age 8 and up. It proved a great read-aloud series for my 6 and 10 year old boys and my 9 year old daughter. We all loved the books and they fit well with our study of American history this year, reinforcing what we learned.