Cheaters

I've heard about a group that claims to be a charity but really isn't. They put out blue bins labeled "Books for Charity" and do give a small percentage of the books to charities, but most of the ones they collect are either resold online or recycled. The bins are showing up all over the West Coast and may spread to other parts of the country soon. Donations of books to local libraries and real charities are down wherever they appear. In my opinion what they are doing is wrong.

Here are some links to stories about them:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/05/book_bins_for_charity_open_up_a_story_of_blurry_relationships_between.html

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/may/30/donated-books-becoming-a-sought-after-commodity/

> http://www.wiredvc.com/thrift-recycling-435management-secures-8-5m-growth-equity-investment/

Meghan Rose Takes the Cake

The early reader, Meghan Rose Takes the Cake, is one in a series by author Lori Z. Scott. It's about a girl whose school is having a contest to see which class can collect the most pennies to help feed the hungry.

I enjoyed the amusing plays on words used by the main character and the whole book is cute. It also teaches kids an important lesson about the importance of giving to others.

The one thing I disliked about the book is that Meghan Rose tattles on another student. I think it would have worked better for the misdeed to be discovered by the authorities in another way. But except for that factor, I liked this book, which has a strong, Christian message.

The reading level is comfortable for kids in early grades and young readers will certainly identify with the school setting and characters. Girls should especially enjoy it.

Heidi

Heidi by Johanna Spyri was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Since it was one of only a few that I owned I read it many times back then, but hadn't opened it for years. Yesterday I re-read it and was surprised to see that it violates some of the rules writers are told we must follow today.

It's a Middle Grade novel, but the protagonist is only five years old when the story starts and, while the time span isn't specific, she only ages a year or two by the end of the book.

One of the basic requirements for a plotline is supposed to be that the main character wants something badly, makes several failed attempts to get it, and finally achieves the goal - unless the book is a tragedy. But in the beginning of this book Heidi wants to be loved and have a happy home. She gets that right away, looses it again, and regains it long before the end of the book. She develops and achieves several other goals as the book progresses.

Several things in the book are unrealistic, like children going from learning the alphabet to fluently reading complex material in a matter of days. And, although food is frequently described, nobody ever ate any fruits or vegetables.

So, why did I enjoy reading this book so much when I was a child? And why did it become a classic?

It completely carried me away into an unfamiliar world, the characters were believable and likable, and it had a happy ending. Probably what I liked best was the cozy, safe feeling it gave me.

Prejudice

Prejudice means assuming all members of a group are alike. Bigotry is a negative prejudice against a group of human beings.

Back in the 1960s and 70s a lot of people in America worked hard, trying to eliminate bigotry against minority races and, while it wasn't completely eliminated, the amount of bigotry was certainly reduced. Many in our society realized it was also wrong to be prejudiced against others because of their national origin, religion, or sex.

But today it seems leaders in the major American political parties are doing everything they can to create and encourage bigotry against each other. That makes it more and more difficult for our country to be governed fairly and justly.

How can we eliminate that problem?

Extended Family

I'm thankful to have lots of relatives and to see many of them at least every year or so. But my husband didn't come from that kind of family and when we first married he was confused about what to call some of those people.

Of course there are words for parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, etc. It's slightly more awkward to refer to second cousins, great uncles, and in-laws, but that's not really a problem.

However there aren't any simple terms in the English language for relationships like my cousins' cousin's granddaughter, my second cousin's cousin, someone's significant other, or a son-in-law's sister and I consider all those people part of my family even though the way they are related to me may be complicated. If I see them at family gatherings they're family to me.

Eventually my husband came up with a term that applies to all of those and any other convoluted relationships. He called them "step-neighbors-in-law" and now I do, too.

Do you have any step-neighbors-in-law?

First to Read

When I was a kid my mother was widowed so we were poor. I would only get two new books a year, one for my birthday and one for Christmas. But as I got older I shelved books in our local library after school while I waited for my mother to pick me up when she got off work. As a reward, the librarian always let me be the first one to check out new children's books when they arrived. What a thrill!

Maybe that's why I still feel honored to be one of the first people to read a book.

When I first joined a critique group I was afraid I'd be jealous if other members got their books published before I did. Instead, I was thrilled!

Just as a mother is proud of her children's achievements, I glowed with pride at the success of the other members and was pleased to know that some of my comments and suggestions may have helped to make those books a success.

And I'd gotten to read those books before they were even published!

Moving

Lots of people are moving lately so I thought some things I've learned from experience might be helpful to others.

Moving is one of the hardest jobs in the world because you can't go home from it and rest. It's a good idea to pack a special box of things needed to set up an area where you can turn your back on the mess in the new home and relax. Comfortable chairs, a small table, snacks, music and something to read can provide breaks from the constant unpacking. That box needs to be one of the first things to unload.

Last time we moved we packed things ourselves and labeled each box with a code showing the priority of how soon it needed to be unpacked. For example, boxes containing basic necessities for survival like bedding, towels, and frequently used dishes and cooking equipment might have been labeled as top priority with a star. Seasonal things like Christmas decorations, and sentimental items like children's drawings were labeled as lowest priority, perhaps with a zero. And other symbols were used for medium levels of priority.

Each box was also labeled with the initials or name of the room where the contents would belong. The labels were written on all sides and the tops of the boxes so they were easy to see.

Last time we moved we were able to enter our new home before the movers arrived and put removable tape on the floors showing where major pieces of furniture should go and areas where the boxes of each priority should be placed. That made the movers' job so much easier they charged us quite a bit less than the estimate.

The worst move we ever made was to a new home only a few blocks from the previous one. We were able to drive everything from one location to the other ourselves, but failed to pack things as carefully as we'd done for longer distance moves and several items were lost or damaged. That certainly taught us a lesson.