Lightland

Rating:
Summary: charming and tantalizing
Review: Magical dorms in England? Who needs 'em. McCutchen gives us the down-home American farmland specificity of Iowa, very firmly rooted in time and space and a jumping-off point for a fine children's fantasy that will capture adults too. Perfectly paced, Lottie and Lewis's forays into Lightland left me wanting more; perhaps in what will hopefully be Lightland's sequel(s?) we will find out: what happened when Lottie's father and Ms. d'Avignon went to Lightland as youngsters? Are the memories they created still there? Will Lottie and her father ever go there and maybe, just maybe, will Lottie get to meet her mother? And most sinister of all, is the Nightking REALLY gone? (and for the romantics among us, is Lottie going to get a new mom, one who's really cool?????)

One of the things I loved most about this book was the emphasis that memories make a person. Some cultures can recite lineages back thousands of years--in America we seem to have amnesia about who we are and the people we came from. So enjoy this book. But to really learn something from it, to carry on the spirit of it, this holiday season sit down next to that deaf old relative of yours that you usually ignore and ask them about their memories. And maybe tape them, or write them down. Why not? Then when your kids ask YOU.....you'll have memories too.

Rating:
Summary: This book is exciting
Review: My teacher read this to our class and we didn't want her to stop. It's scary but not too too scary, just exciting. And funny. I really like it.

Rating:
Summary: A legacy for generations to come...
Review: This chilly October evening I curled up in front of a roaring fire to "pre-read" a possible Christmas gift for my eleven year old niece. Never in my wildest imagination did I see myself awake at 3 a.m. pouring over every detail of a childrens fantasy novel.
McCutchen is certainly a master at her craft. She seamlessly parallels past and present... while blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Her characters, Lottie & Lewis are drawn directly from the human experience. She has penned not only a magical childrens story, but a testimony for adults as well.
As my nieces and nephews reach the age of "enchantment" each one will receive this book...and hopefully any others McCutchen cares to bestow upon us!