Skip to main content

On Viney's Mountain



On Viney's Mountain
by Joan Donaldson
Historical Fiction
227 pages
New York : Holiday House, 2009

There couldn't be two sisters more different than Lizzie and Viney! Lizzie, the oldest by a year, is well aware of her feminine charms and uses them to their utmost advantage. She is not afraid of work, but desires a man of money to take her away from their rustic and primitive mountain home. On the other hand, Viney loves the Cumberland mountains with every fiber of her being. She is a weaver and loves to create beautiful things with her hands. She too is a hard worker, but has no desire to settle down and be subservient to any man. Their lives are turned upside-down when a group of wealthy Englishmen choose their mountain to build a near-Utopian society upon. Young gentleman are sent to clear the land, build a town, and learn farming. Lizzie sees this as a fabulous opportunity to meet her dream man whereas it is nothing but a nightmare to Viney.
A wonderful historical fiction novel for pre-teen girls and older. The characters have depth and personality so as you read you can feel everything they feel, from the depths of anger to the heights of love and everything in-between.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.