The Ifs Return
by J.D. Pooker
This middle-grade fantasy is the second of J.D. Pooker's inventive tales of two brothers who stumble upon a pint-sized civilization and intervene to rescue it.  I read an e-pub version on my tablet.

MY REVIEW

CHARACTERS  
It took awhile to get into the characters because I had not read the first book; however, I soon caught up. Main characters, siblings Landon and Broden, are excellent role models for middle-graders by demonstrating strong values of commitment and honesty.  The boys' parents are loving, and their 'cool' mother is especially supportive.  The bad guys are just evil enough but not too scary or bloody for young readers.

Secondary characters among the Ifs kept my interest, too.  They follow conventions for fantasy yarns, with good and evil lining up against each other for a climactic finish.

NARRATIVE
The Ifs Return incorporates important values of integrity and courage as the brothers work together to save the tiny folk. Pooker presents an imaginative world of little people and creatively fleshes out the inherent joys and challenges of living small. She brings to life the particulars of such a world.  I especially enjoyed the delightful way squirrels and tree roots threaten the tiny Ifs' village life.

While well-plotted, the story would benefit from fewer lengthy passages. Narrative is often burdened with details that could be eliminated by shifting from a 'telling' mode to a 'showing' one.  

More instances of crisp interjections and dialogue would also move the story along.  Awkward phrases sometimes stand in the way of the book's full potential:
     Rage filled his eyes, red crept up his neck.
     Confusion covered his face.
     Landon and Broden felt a joyful heat rise into their faces.

The book's ending (no spoiler!) was engaging and creative. Conflict with the villain was resolved by one of the most creative interventions I've come across and is one that's sure to entertain young readers and their adult family members.

FORMAT
As with most digital books, text, font and spacing can be adjusted to suit the reader.  Since there are no illustrations beyond the cover to aid with context and significant chunks of text blocks to take in, this book is geared to confident upper-elementary readers. 

I appreciated the addendum the author inserted.  It offered children more resources to learn about a scientific subject encountered in the book.

RECOMMENDATION
Upper-elementary readers will enjoy this fantasy. The male protagonists naturally appeal to boys, but girls will also want to join the adventure.

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The Chamber of Commerce proclaims Asheville, North Carolina as the Blue Ridge Mountain city that has altitude with attitude. 

Linda, long-time time resident and supreme host at our Asheville bed and breakfast, calls the place edgy.  

I completely agree!  Snuggled off the beaten track in the Blue Ridge, all manner of art, music, food and literary wonders are tucked away in this magical place.

Asheville is an easy four-hour drive west on I-40 to from my home in the flatlands. Join me in a visit to this cosmopolitan city that’s a magnet for creative types as well as outdoor enthusiasts.

We’ll discover two amazing and very different libraries from Asheville’s literary heritage: 
* entrepreneur George Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate library 
* poet Carl Sandburg's Connemara Farm library.

19th-Century Bibliophile’s
Library Unlimited

The 178,926-square foot, 250-room  Biltmore Estate is the region’s crown jewel.  This largest private home in America is owned and operated by the Vanderbilt family.  It stretches over 8,000-acres of jaw-dropping mountain views and gardens designed by the great Frederick Law Olmstead, who also envisioned New York City’s Central Park.

(Full disclosure: I also long to visit Biltmore’s Dressing Downton exhibit to ogle costumes from my all-time fave Downton Abbey  that are lusciously displayed in 50 rooms throughout the mansion. Sorry, no photos are allowed of the exhibit, or I'd post some for you!)

While every room in Biltmore is spectacular, I fall under the spell of the grand library that houses George Vanderbilt’s personal stash of nearly 23,000 books.

The 40’ x 60’ library, accented in raging red with Michaelanagelo-like painted ceilings, confirms Vanderbilt was a true book nerd.  The room’s ladder to the second tier catwalk even has a hidden door between massive shelves, so guests could take a shortcut from their rooms to borrow books without having to haul up a ladder.  

Vanderbilt, an avid reader, kept track of books in his journal, Books I Have Read.  He even maintained a separate index of alphabetical titles along with the dates he finished them.  (An early form of Goodreads!)  

He favored Charles Dickens, who was wildly popular at the time, and also listed 4,326 French titles in his 19th-century "to-read" shelf. (Now I'm sure George had a vision about Goodreads.)

Plus, George built homes for estate workers and provided education for village children.  I like this guy!  I would so follow him on Twitter if he were around today!

A 20th-Century Poet’s Library

On a misty afternoon when mountains are hidden by clouds, I discover a different type of library, located 30 miles south of Asheville in Flat Rock, NC, at the home of  poet, journalist, and biographer, Carl Sandburg.  

Sandburg moved to Connemara, his antebellum, 245-acre farm, at the age of 65 to escape Chicago's winters.  Set in the foothills, Connemara backs to a small lake while enjoying stunning mountain views from the front porch.  In fact, the National Park Service, which preserves this historic landmark, reports Sandburg decided to buy the house after stepping on the front porch and seeing the mountains.  He never even looked inside!  

It was the right choice: the writer lived there for 22 years with his wife, Lilian, and daughters until his death in 1967.  Lilian further put her stamp on the farm by raising prize-winning goats, whose milk made regionally popular cheeses and ice creams.

Sandburg was a prolific reader and researcher, exploring everything from President Abraham Lincoln to US Civil Rights. He won the Pulitzer Prize in History for his Lincoln biography in 1940 and a Pulitzer for his poetry in 1951.  

I’m excited to learn that Sandburg wrote poems for children. In 1922, his Rutabaga Tales was published as a collection of fairy tale rhymes originally written for his two  daughters.  

Sandburg loved visiting schools and reading his poems, especially to the children of Flat Rock.  Imagine this humble literary giant doing school visits! I feel a little tug at my heart just thinking about his generosity. 

Unlike Vanderbilt, who clustered most of his books in a single great library, almost every room in Sandburg's house is a mini-library unto itself, packed to the ceilings with bookshelves containing parts of his 14k-book collection.    

As his eyesight diminished, Sandburg's daughter transcribed his notes and ideas each morning on a (GASP!) typewriter.  

My docent from the National Park Service tells me that kids visiting the home today are fascinated when she shows them this ancient writing device!

I love Sandburg’s unpretentious, welcoming home.  It's maintained as if the poet would step through the door any minute to pick up a book.  Or Lilian might pop in to offer us a sample of her goat cheese and ice cream.

Thanks for being such a fine traveling companion.  We won't have  time to explore the Thomas Wolf House in downtown Asheville that served as inspiration for his Look Homeward, Angel.   Let's at least drive past the Grove Park Inn, where F. Scott Fitzgerald spent two summers in the 1930s recovering from Tuberculosis. 

Always good to save something for a return trip, don't you think?  

PHOTOS: Cat Michaels

Join the conversation in the comment section  
Which library appeals to you? 
What awesome libraries have you visited?

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Driving Down to Dillon
A Very Short Story of Love and New Beginnings.

What could be more all-American than baseball and ballpark food on a hot summer evening?  How about leading the national anthem with a 40-person choir at the start of the game?  

That's exactly what I did on a sizzling summer night, along with my fellow singers.  Join us at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP) in Durham, NC. The heat index hovers near 100F/38C, but no worries....you'll be comfy on your virtual visit.  

Downtown Durham is experiencing a renaissance after years of struggle. The Bull's stadium nestles proud between a new performing arts center and modern businesses.  Where tobacco once was king, restaurants and retail dot spaces in the renovated American Tobacco Campus, rubbing elbows where the boys of summer play.

An hour before the game, we gather on the upper deck of the DBAP for a sound check.  Our voices bounce around in this huge space.  We're singing acapella (just voice; no instruments) and from memory.

I see your eyes rolling.  Pshaw.  Who needs music to sing the national anthem!  But it's challenging to sing "Star Spangled Banner" without music because we do a spiffed-up arrangement with multiple harmonies and jazzed rhythms.  But you're right---at least we know the words!    

Then everyone storms in on beat three, double volume, blasting that final brave chord.  Its 6-part harmony strains the high notes of our respective ranges.  No pressure!

Genial Announcer asks the fans to stand.  Our director gives the starting note, and we softly hum to get the right pitch.  He counts the downbeat.  We're off!  

This is fun!  Our voices soaring through the stadium.   Goosebumping.

Yippy!  Nerves aren't getting in the way of remembering notes.   Too soon, we're at that tricky last bar.  Yes!  Altos carry it to perfection and everyone jumps in on cue.  Sopranos crush it with their high B, and our final chord shakes the flagpole.  The crowd bursts into applause.  

It's over!  

We’re hot, sweaty, and exhilarated.  Fans cheer and cry, "Great job!" as we hustle off the field and back to the picnic area for a group supper.

There's nothing better than eating burgers and hot dogs overlooking right field after singing your heart out. Channeling Scarlett O'Hara, I will count calories, fat and carbs another day!

The sun sets.  Soft breezes make a dent in the stifling heat.   Spotlights flip on, and nighttime settles over the stadium.  The field takes on a magical glow, with players like slick gaming pieces moving in precision around the diamond.   Cheers for the home team drift into the night sky.  We’re wrapped in happy on this perfect summer night of baseball and singing.

Photos: Cat Michaels, JM,  and Durham Bulls Athletic Park
Video: Edenton Street UMC 

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What's the best part about a baseball game?

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Driving Down to Dillon:
A Very Short Story of Love and New Beginnings.

We're celebrating the nation's independence in my part of the world (North Carolina, USA) with old-fashioned Fourth of July festivities.

I love our town's fireworks display in the Symphony Lake park.  The NC Symphony supplies its traditional 1812 Overture for the grand finale. Cannon, too, at the end that can be heard from miles away.   

​Later, we watch crowds at televised celebrations from New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.  

Everybody having fun. Waving flags. Listening to stirring music.  Glad to be living in this amazing nation.

Before trees grew so large, we sat on our porch to ohhh and ahhh over the pops and fiery boomers.   We still hang out on the porch, listening to pyrotechnics and glimpsing only their highest sparkles between treetops. But even that peek is enough.
​

The Fourth is one of the few times of year I put aside my healthy eating habits  Yep.  Load up those carbs and calories for one night; I am not afraid!  

Hot dogs.  JM's famous to-die-for baked beans that are the hit at block picnics. Corn on the cob.  Pasta salad.  Banana pudding.  Our baker friends bring more tasty desserts (I cannot bake!) and join us for potluck on the porch.  

We munch and mingle. Fireworks provide the background as conversation flows on a hot Southern nigh​t.

Hey, we saved you a plate of baked beans and 'naner pudding.  Thanks a ton for dropping by.  Have a sparkling-good start to your July and plenty of happy tales!  

Your Turn
What's your fave way to celebrate ​summer's patriotic holidays?  
Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

​

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Driving Down to Dillon:
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