No More Dead Dogs (and More September Reads)
I’ve been on a Gordon Korman kick lately, as three of the six books I read last month were by that author, beginning with No More Dead Dogs. Read on for my impression of all half-dozen titles….
The 6 Books I read in September
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman
I finished listening to No More Dead Dogs recently, chosen without high expectations, simply because I like the author and that title’s currently free in the Audible Plus catalogue. But I ended up loving the book!
A scrupulously honest football jock named Wallace Wallace winds up in detention after writing a derogatory review criticizing his English teacher’s favorite book. Instead of going to football practice, he must report to the school auditorium. There the drama class is rehearsing a stage production adapted from the same objectionable story.
As Wallace wins more and more drama students over to his way of thinking, the English teacher begins to regret ever pushing the issue in the first place.
The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
I finished The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer last month. It has been decades since I last read it, but what a timely blessing it’s been!
Tozer writes: “It is a solemn thing and no small scandal in the kingdom, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table….
“Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the church of the living God. Without it, no church can be a New Testament church in any strict meaning of that term. But exposition can be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever….
“The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God.”
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
My daughter and I recently re-read this first book in Lloyd Alexander’s Chronicles of Prydain. This series has been one of my husband’s favorites since childhood — a love he’s passed on to the rest of the family by reading it aloud to us multiple times in the past 38 years.
The Book of Three introduces us to Taran, an assistant pig keeper who dreams of adventure. This he gets, and more besides, when the oracular pig in his charge senses impending danger and runs away away from home.
Taran’s panicked pursuit of the pig leads him and the companions he meets along the way into danger, as well. Will they find the runaway before she falls into the wrong hands?
The Chicken Doesn’t Skate by Gordon Korman
The title character in Gordon Korman’s The Chicken Doesn’t Skate is the specimen for science fair project on the food chain, but that project gets derailed when the science class begins to view the bird as their special pet.
Soon, the entire school gets involved in its care, even taking turns babysitting the fluffy little thing over long weekends.
Then, when the chicken’s presence at a hockey game reverses the team’s losing streak, it gets unofficially adopted as the team’s new mascot.
How to Thrive on One Income by Janine L. Sevy
Janine Sevy’s How to Thrive on One Income is packed with proven tips and practical advice aimed at enabling mothers to stay at home with their children.
This she herself was able to accomplish by embracing the frugal lifestyle: clever economizing, careful budgeting, and sound financial planning.
She gained far more than she gave up by doing this, and in this slim volume shares her strategies for not only surviving on a single income, but flourishing.
Many of her tips highlighted things I also practiced during our lean years. Others were completely new to me, but ideas I’m eager to try.
Unpluged by Gordon Korman
Gordon Korman’s Unpluged introduces readers to a handful of kids at a crunchy, tech-free, summer camp. One of them — a spoiled brat from an uber-wealthy family –deeply resents being sent there by his parents. But as the summer progresses, he begins to forge some unlikely friendships, both with his fellow campers and with the indigenous wildlife.
When one of the campers finds a strange looking lizard stranded in a hot spring-fed pool, the two nickname the rescued reptile “Needles” and attempt to nurse him back to health.
Since the camp has a strict no-pets rule, they keep Needles hidden in a unused utility shack. But how long will their secret be safe? Can the campers who discover what they’re doing be trusted not to spill the beans? And what secrets are the staffers simultaneously hiding?
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Thank you, Jennifer! I was astonished to see that you recommended my book! That is so sweet of you. What a nice surprise you just gave me 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, Janine, and think it will be helpful to many other young moms who find themselves in a similar position of wanting to stay home with their children but not knowing how that would ever work financially. You are living proof that, with dogged determination and God’s unending grace, it is entirely doable!