MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE

Oh, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. My younger childhood had three major book series loves: Ramona, Berenstain Bears and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. I still get massive enjoyment out of all of these, although Ramona will forever be my fave.

The first Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book was written in 1947, one year before my mom was born! Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic followed in 1949, and then Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm in 1954 and Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle in 1957. These would be all the books we'd get from the original author, Betty MacDonald, who died in 1958.

I remember absolutely loving these and their hilarious illustrations and wonderfully-named characters. The basic premise is that the children in the neighborhood have some rather obnoxious failings and desperate parents soon learn to call up Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for the cures. The kids all love her and hang out at her house (which is upside down) all the time.

The first book has cures that involve simple tricks and no magic whatsoever, but the second has the cures turning more magical. The third book has Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle moved to a farm at the edge of town, so the kids have to come stay with her to be cured. This is easily my least favorite of the lot and I think even the author herself realized her misstep, because the fourth book has Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle right back in town with no mention of the farm at all.

In 2007, I remember being in the Barnes & Noble on the next block over from my first NYU dorm in Brooklyn. I walked past the new releases and there was Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! I was shocked and bought it right away. The book was written by the author's daughter, working from one finished story and lots of notes left by her mother. The book makes a nice ending for the main Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series.

I can't remember how I stumbled across it, but just a few days ago, I learned about Missy Piggle-Wiggle. The original author's great-granddaughter teamed up with Ann M. Martin, most famous as the author of the Babysitters Club, and they created a new series. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has left the upside-down house and the farm, now conveniently moved to right by the house, in the care of her great-niece. In the original series, Mr. Piggle-Wiggle was clearly deceased, but in the new series, they've got Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle on a search for him. He's a pirate, so he could be anywhere, you know. Missy grew up learning magic and the cures in this book are the most magical ones yet. She also has an invisible bag and the house has become sentient (and has a bit of a vendetta against Missy). This book is also the first to make the fact that they're being cured of something more obvious to the children and even to the town itself. There was a much more subtle approach before with the cures mostly taking place at home, but now we've got them happening during school hours and everything. I didn't mind this approach, but it's a very different feel than the original stories. The town scenes also smack of Martin, because they feel pulled right from her Main Street series. There's something about Ann M Martin describing small towns, I guess!

Anyway, the first Missy Piggle-Wiggle book came out last September and the second, shown in the third picture, is coming this September.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a great series for all ages. Definitely loads of fun and even though the earlier stories are decidedly dated, they won't fail to amuse.

AMERICAN GIRL: Maryellen Mysteries

I read and reviewed Maryellen's two classic books way back in December 2015. If you go back to that review, you'll see I had pretty big issues with them. I got partway through Maryellen's first mystery, then decided to quick reread her classics as a refresher. This time around, I didn't feel the same level of animosity towards the books, although the polio issue and how poorly her friends and family treated her still rankles me a lot.

So I was in a decent frame of mind when I got back into The Finders-Keepers Rule, which is a story about sunken ships and treasure seekers. Definitely a unique topic and I liked the story quite a bit. Maryellen and Davy are the central characters, although Jerry and Joan both play larger roles, too. The story could almost be set in modern times, except I'm sure there are stricter rules about treasure finds these days.

Maryellen's second mystery, The Runaway, tackles a topic AG mysteries have already handled. Just as Maryellen on the cover is borrowing her hairstyle from Melody, she's also borrowing the dognapping theme from Kit. And Kit did it much better. Kit's story seemed much more believable in the days of the depression when people did desperate things for money. In Maryellen's book, the dogs are being stolen in broad daylight right from people's yards, and once there was even a kid right there, and they're being sold to a local pharmaceutical company. There's a climactic scene with Maryellen, Davy, Wayne, Angela and practically all the Larkins, minus Dad and Joan, crashing their way into the pharmaceutical lab and rescuing the dogs. The whole book is a combination of boring (I set it down for a couple days and forced myself to finish it tonight) and over the top.

So two thumbs up for The Finders-Keepers Rule and one thumb sorta sideways for The Runaway. Which isn't even a good title, because it's pretty quickly established that Scooter did not run away.

Still, I like Maryellen better having read these, so that's good anyway. Next up, Melody!

AMERICAN GIRL: Molly

Growing up, Molly McIntire was my favorite American Girl. I was eight in 1986 when AG debuted. I remember getting a catalog in the mail and being mesmerized by the amount of detail on the accessories. But one thing really stood out: Molly wore GLASSES. Just like me. I don't remember a lot of dolls who wore glasses from when I was young. Shy Violet had them and Plum Pudding, but I never got either of those dolls. Molly resonated with me because I identified with her, especially when it became clear that Samantha was the favorite American Girl, probably because of her wardrobe. Molly had the glasses and the braids, the less girly fancy, more functional wardrobe, the unusual gray eyes. I grew up being the smart girl in glasses, shy, not fashionable, so Molly was my type of girl.

That said, it's impossible for me to give a true review of her books, because I read them over and over when I was young and they were easily my favorites. There's a lot of nostalgia with Molly. I think her books are really fun, even though sometimes she's shallow and she doesn't have the same type of struggles as Addy or Kit. She may not have stories that are as powerful as others in the AG lineup, but that doesn't mean she wasn't important to the people that read and loved her books. I love all the characters in Molly's books. Her relationship with each family member is fun to read, except poor little Brad, who got overlooked a lot. I like both Susan and Linda, her best friends, and Emily, the girl from London who lives with Molly briefly. And the illustrations! Molly's books have the best cartoony margin illustrations. I still think BeForever really suffers from the lack of illustrations.

Molly was an important part of my childhood, so it's hard to rank her. She's #1 on the nostalgia list for sure.

AG Best to Least Best (they're too good to be called "Worst") Historical Ranking:
-Josefina/Addy
-Felicity/Molly
-Samantha
-Rebecca
-Kit
-Kaya
-Kirsten
-Marie-Grace and Cécile
-Caroline
-Maryellen

AMERICAN GIRL: Kit

Wow, the last AG reread review I did was back in August! I've finally zipped through Kit's books, so I hope to finish this project well before we get our newest historical girl, Nanea, in the fall.

Kit was honestly never a character I was super interested in. I got her book set when it came out, but I never really bonded with her, as I did with Felicity, Josefina and others. I'm really not sure why or if there's just something about her that I only fell in love with recently, but I greatly enjoyed rereading all her books.

Kit is the Great Depression character. We watch as her family adapts to the many changes it's put through. Her father loses his job, they convert their home into a boarding house, they deal with nearly being evicted, and Kit struggles to become the reporter she knows she's meant to be.

I like Kit's books because they show the growth of multiple characters, not just her own. Her father adapts to losing his job and eventually finds part-time work. Her mother gets used to running a boarding house, instead of garden club meetings. Mrs. Howard finds her usefulness and Stirling, who's possibly my fave male character in all of AG, grows from a coddled, sickly boy into a smart, capable one. Even grumpy Uncle Hendrick turns a little bit of a new leaf in one of the mysteries.

I also like that there's a core cast of characters, but also an open door for new ones with boarders that change quite a bit.

Of the main books, the only one I didn't care for was Kit Saves the Day, because Kit and Stirling getting arrested for riding the rails, Kit's escape from jail and trek over the bridge were a bit too much for me.

I liked Really Truly Ruthie a lot, because Ruthie's always looked at as a bit of a fluffbrain and this digs more into her. She's so into fairy tales and her family is still wealthy so she's not always presented as being grounded in the harsh reality of the depression. I don't think she ever comes off as unsympathetic, but there's an idealistic aspect of her that some people don't like. Her book tells the story of how Aunt Millie came to save the Kittredges from eviction. It was Ruthie who learned their deadline was earlier than they thought and Ruthie who went to Kentucky (with Charlie forcing himself along) to get the money from Aunt Millie. While Ruthie isn't my fave best friend by a long shot, she's not bad at all.

Kit's mysteries are some of my favorites, because Kit is the character that most realistically would get involved in mysteries. She's a reporter, so she's always got an eye for detail and watches everything. Danger at the Zoo and A Thief in the Theater are my favorite two. Intruders at Rivermead Manor is my least favorite, because it's a little out there and there are characters like Mr. West that never seem to be resolved. Missing Grace has a moment like that, where I really wanted Kit to blame the stupid dog-hating boarder for Grace's disappearance, but that boarder is only mentioned once after the kidnapping. She's a jerk and gets away with it and I hate things left like that, but the rest of the book is decent. The Jazzman's Trumpet is the most recent Kit offering, her only Beforever mystery. It took me awhile to get into it. Kit's mysteries are written by an array of authors, but Jazzman's Trumpet has a different voice than all the others. Kit calls Slim "dreamy," which I think is out of character for her. There's also a moment where she's taking her time spelling "Chicago" and you know she knows how to spell that. I did like it overall, but I think the others do a much better job of plopping you into history. Jazzman's Trumpet could practically be a modern story.

So where does Kit stand?

AG Best to Least Best (they're too good to be called "Worst") Historical Ranking:
-Josefina/Addy
-Felicity
-Samantha
-Rebecca
-Kit
-Kaya
-Kirsten
-Marie-Grace and Cécile
-Caroline
-Maryellen

She's actually really close to both Samantha and Rebecca, but I find their time periods and settings more interesting.

I've got Molly's story collection all ready to go, so hopefully I'll be back soon with another one of these. Then I've got Maryellen's two mysteries, Melody's two classics and mystery, and finally, Miss Julie, who's one of my faves. Her new mystery is going to finish off this very long-running reread!

Disney Princess Beginnings: Cinderella and Belle

Disney Princess Beginnings is a new chapter book series for Disney lovers in the vein of the Disney Fairies series and previous princess series.

The books are written for a slightly younger crowd than both the previous series, but they're still plenty enjoyable for adult fans.

Cinderella's book has her participating in her town's puppet show to win a gold coin so she can buy a dress. She's having trouble with her designs and meets a local girl who works with her mother on a grumpy man's farm, taking care of his animals. She's hoping to use the prize coin to buy a goat, so she and her mother can eventually buy their own farm. Cinderella teams up with Val, offering space for Val to work in exchange for Val teaching her more about sewing and puppet construction. Both girls end up putting on a great show, but who will win and can that girl enjoy the prize when she knows how badly her friend wants to win?

The book is quite cute, but also bittersweet, because Cinderella's mother is a central character, and you see how happy their little family is. Knowing what's in store for Cinderella, it's a bit sad to read. I did rather like how they made Cinderella a nickname her parents gave her, not another instrument of abuse from her steps. Her real name, predictably, is Ella. It was a good way to work in the use of the recognizable name.

Belle's book was even better than Cinderella's, I think. Belle is having trouble fitting in when she's a young girl. The triplets from the movie and another little girl in Belle's class all have dolls, so Belle finally gets one, only to carve her ears into fairy's ears, paint her purple and attach some wings to her back. The other kids make fun of Belle's doll, but she still keeps bringing her to school anyway. Belle tries to fit in with her classmates and ends up going into an old bookshop everyone thought was abandoned. There she meets the owner and becomes enchanted with the shop and with reading, even more than she already was. But Belle soon learns the shop is going to be sold. Can she figure out a way to make the town fall in love with it like she has?

Belle's story was much easier for me to read than Cinderella's, because the family situation is already like it was in the movie. Her mother passed away when she was very little, so she isn't a presence. Also, I just really love Belle.

The illustrations in these books are absolutely gorgeous, as they always are in Disney chapter books. I'm very excited for future books and disappointed this is the only time we'll get multiple books at once! Ariel's comes out in July and she and two sisters end up swept out to sea by a huge wave. I can't wait to see which two sisters it is, because I'm a huge fan of the daughters of Triton.

DEAR AMERICA: Clotee

I swear, Clotee has more images for her one book than any other Dear America! I'm trying to fit them all in here and not just have a bunch of pictures and no words!

A Picture of Freedom is one of the most well-known Dear America books. It's the story of a young slave girl who learns to read and write while fanning the master's son.

Clotee is a captivating character and she's surrounded by an equally strong cast. I love Spicy and I always wanted her to go more in depth on her own story. I would have loved for Missy to get more of a comeuppance, too. And I always felt Hince got off a little too lightly, too, considering his betrayal in the end. Clotee's smart thinking got them out of it, but he never should have done it and there should have been more words about it.

Being such a staple for the series, Clotee was of course chosen to be part of the reboot. Her new artwork is very pretty, but I prefer the picture used for the original book.













Clotee's book was one of the few used by the UK version of Dear America, called My Story. I think they could have tried a little harder at finding a title though! "Slave Girl" is just plain bad on its own, but it's exceptionally poor compared with the poignancy of "A Picture of Freedom" and how that title ties in with the story. There is a photograph cover also shown for the My Story version, but I'm not going to place it here, as it takes up too much space. It's hard to say a lot about a book as good as this and I don't like to post entries that are all pictures with no words beside.

Clotee's story was one of the ones chosen to be filmed for HBO, although I can't remember if I've seen it or not. I want to say yes, but I'm not sure. 

Clotee was also in the sadly unproduced second wave of Madame Alexander Dear America dolls. Considering her book was fourth in the series, I feel she should have gotten a space in the initial lineup in place of Margaret Ann Brady (the Titanic girl) or even my fave Caty, as both of their books came afterwards. Mem's a Mayflower girl and Abigail is Revolutionary War, but Clotee should have been there, too, instead of one of the others. 

Her doll is really cute, too, although definitely not accurate to the story. She never had that elaborate an outfit and her doll in the story was a small wooden carving. 

Clotee's book is definitely a must read for the Dear America series. 

ROYAL DIARIES: Kazunomiya

In 2004, Kathryn Lasky wrote about Kazunomiya, taking us to Japan. Japanese culture has always fascinated me, so I enjoyed reading this a lot, even though it is rather short and I feel she could have expanded on much more.

Sadly, she crafts a story that leaves one rather large loose end. She fabricates a romance between Kazunomiya and her original betrothed, only to have her marry another. This part we all saw coming, but in the epilogue, it's stated that it's unknown if she ever saw the man she actually loved again. In history, she was widowed after only a handful of years of marriage and took vows as a Buddhist nun afterward. If she had some great love from before, why not see what he's up to? Maybe that's a no no in historical Japanese culture, I dunno, but they could have at least met up again. So the crafted love story doesn't really work with her history.

Also, I think a lot of little details could have been expanded upon, too. There's a lot of court intrigue, but you don't get a really clear sense of how the Japanese imperial court works, because Kazunomiya shuns much of it, due to the poor treatment of her mother. Little things, too. She spends a lot of time talking about clothing and how you can only wear certain colors during certain seasons, but she describes colors by saying the names of things from nature instead of using color words. I don't know what color a frickin' plum blossom is. I had to look it up.

Lasky has done some excellent work for Royal Diaries, but I think this one falls in the middle. I did still enjoy it, but mostly because I like the culture it's set during, which manages to balance out the writing failures.

There are only two remaining Royal Dairies to be reviewed: Kaiulani and Anastasia. I'm always sad when I get to this point, because I love the royal series a lot. And now I'm going to be mired in the Civil War for awhile. *groan*