The Twenty-One Balloons

Title: The Twenty-One Balloons

Author: William Pene du Bois

Pages: 180

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Professor William Waterman Sherman turns up in the Atlantic Ocean 21 days after leaving San Francisco in a hot air balloon. He had planned on spending a relaxing year floating over the Pacific Ocean, removed from civilization and enjoying the solitude. Instead, the world clamored to hear how he had traveled across the globe in such a short time. He refused to divulge the secrets of his journeys to anybody but the Western American Explorer's Club in San Francisco.

My Review: I loved this book when I was younger and I enjoyed reading it again. It is easy to read and enjoy and definitely a children's book. Much of the book is hardly believable, but it is the type of story that is easy to daydream along to.

Onion John

Title: Onion John

Author: Joseph Krumgold

Pages: 248

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B

Synopsis: Andy Rusch is a boy happily growing up in the small town of Serenity, New Jersey. While playing in a championship baseball game, he strikes up a conversation with Onion John as he looks for things to salvage in the town's landfill. Andy and Onion John become friends as Andy becomes the only one who can understand Onion John. After Andy introduces Onion John to his father, his father takes it upon himself to have the Rotary Club build Onion John a new house, because the one the Onion John currently lives in is lacking many of the modern conveniences.

My Review: I expected more from this book than it provided. The story took a while to get into and seemed to move along pretty slowly for most of the book. One of the main theme's of the book is that the father was trying to live vicariously through his son Andy and was making decisions for him (and Onion John) based on what he wanted and not what they wanted. I have a goal to eventually read all Newbery Medal books. By my count, I have read 19 of the 87 Newbery Winners.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Author: J. K. Rowling

Pages: 23 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Harry Potter had a horrible summer after watching Cedric Diggory die at the end of last year and seeing Voldemort's return. He soon realizes that nobody believes him or Dumbledore that Voldemort has returned, and that The Daily Prophet has been slandering his name and making him look like an attention-starved crazy person. Once Harry gets to Hogwarts, things don't get any better as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Ministry of Magic and she takes a particular dislike to Harry, banning him from quidditch and forcing him to suffer through painful detention sessions. Harry must find out a way to prove to people that Voldemort has indeed returned.

My Review: I really do enjoy listening to these books as I drive to and from work each day. The reader (Jim Dale) does a fantastic job and although this book was quite long, it was still very enjoyable. My biggest complaint though is that the climax of the book happens long before the book has ended as there are numerous loose ends to tie up before the book is complete. This is the darkest of the Harry Potter books to this point and Harry shows flashes of intense anger that are almost frightening.

The Rescue Artist

Title: The Rescue Artist

Author: Edward Dolnick

Pages: 270

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the true story of the theft of Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream from the National Museum in Norway on the same morning that the Winter Olympics were starting in Lillehammer in 1994. The theft was pulled off with disturbing ease as the painting had recently been moved from a room deep within the museum to a position next to an easily accessible second floor window. While the police had no good leads, Scotland Yard offered the use of their art recovery team - most especially the expertise of undercover detective Charley Hill, who's ingenuity and daring had recovered many previously stolen paintings.

My Review: I found this book to be an interesting look at the art underworld. While the main focus of the book is on the theft and recovery of The Scream, different chapters are dedicated to different art thefts throughout recent history. The story is interesting and the writing is good, but I didn't ever feel the book grab me and draw me in.