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The Last Gasp

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The Last Gasp by Chautona Havig

Title: The Last Gasp
Author: Chautona Havig
Series: Ever After Mysteries, book 1
Major Themes: Murder, California, Movie-Making, Hollywood, Theater, Roaring 20s
Synopsis: Why are people falling down dead from gunshots around Gary and Lucinda?

Murder mysteries are not my favorite genre, by any means. I usually steer clear of them. I don’t like reading about blood and gore and people dying, and since much of my reading time is the 15 minutes just before I go to bed at night, I don’t like to read very many books that are so gripping that I dream about them all night (that’s not very conducive to a good night’s sleep!). However, if Chautona Havig writes a murder mystery, I’ll read it—I know I will enjoy it, and I won’t end up dreaming all night about the story, trying to solve the mystery. At least, most of the time I won’t. Chautona’s most recent mystery, The Last Gasp, has a few scenes that aren’t pleasant, but overall it’s a delightful story.

Gary Prinz, also known as Garrison Prince, reigns as Hollywood royalty after starring in another new film—but today he is resigning. He has made up his mind to go to Bible college and become a pastor, and Mr. Walker, the head of Imperial Studios, is not happy about it.

Lucinda is making a modest living for herself selling candy and cigarettes at the Taj Mahal Theater, and spending time during the day with her friend Gary. She thinks he is about to propose, and has determined what her answer will be. Tonight, though, she has to work, being careful, as usual, not to look at the faces of the elite she sells her wares to, even though Garrison tries to catch her attention.

When a shot rings out at intermission and an actress falls dead, and three more people end up dead before the night is out, no one can figure out a motive—much less who might have killed them. Lucinda is dumbfounded when she is arrested for the murders—why would anyone think she might have been responsible? And who was being aimed at, anyway? Was Mr. Walker really that unhappy with Garrison? Lucinda, herself, wasn’t very happy when she discovered that her Gary was actually Garrison Prince. Why had he concealed that information from her? Could she really trust him?

As I said, I don’t enjoy the bloody part of a murder mystery. I was glad that part only took up a few pages! On the other hand, though, as I’ve read before about stories like this one, it’s satisfying to see evil brought to justice. The author did a great job of concealing the real murderer until nearly the end of the story, and weaving a delightful romance through the story at the same time that the investigation is going on. She was able to weave genuine faith in God throughout the story, too, in a way that I loved. I also loved the child who comes into the story! If you enjoy gentle, clean romantic suspense, don’t miss this story. It’s good!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: People are shot in Chapters 3, 5 and 6.

Age levels:

Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Just Dance

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Just Dance by Patricia MacLachlan

Title: Just Dance
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Major Themes: Farm Life, Singing, Opera, Wyoming
Synopsis: As she spends a summer helping the sheriff by writing his column in the newspaper, Sylvie wonders if she is holding her mother back from fulfilling her dreams.

I have read a couple of books by Patricia MacLachlan before; her Sarah, Plain and Tall is very well known. I had never come across Just Dance before, though, until it was scheduled as a read-aloud in the Sonlight guide I’m using with my 6-year-old daughter. It was quite a different story than I expected.

Sylvie Bloom couldn’t understand her mother. Mother was a famous opera star before she met a man in a diner in Wyoming who swept her off her feet. She married him, lived with him on his farm, and had two children. But, Sylvie wondered, why did she do it? Did she regret her choice? Did she want to go back to the life in the limelight which she had once had? And, with her old duet partner coming to sing nearby, would that lure Mother away from the family?

Sylvie has more things to think about, too. The sheriff asked her to help write his column for the newspaper this summer. That meant riding around with him and meeting people so she could collect news to write about. She started finding her own voice—but was she holding her mother back from finding hers, at the same time? How could Sylvie find the answers she needed?

I ended up really liking Just Dance. Sylvie is learning to find beauty and poetry in everyday happenings, and to express what she sees. Little by little, she is also learning to understand the people around her. She also learns the power of love, as she sees it in the sheriff, in Tinker, and in her own parents. This is a story that can make you think deeply, and can stay with you a long time. I’m not sure how much a child will get out of it, other than the basic storyline, but adults can get a lot out of it!

No warnings!

Age levels:

Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Read Alouds
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback | Hardcover

To California by Covered Wagon

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To California by Covered Wagon by George R. Stewart

Title: To California by Covered Wagon
Author: George R. Stewart
Series: Landmark Books
Major Themes: Oregon Trail, California Trail, California, Nevada, Covered Wagons, Pioneers
Synopsis: A teenage boy journeyed from Missouri to California in the first wagon train to go all the way through, and then wrote the story later.

In 1988, when I was in my early teens, our local library discarded most of their older children’s books. As far as we were concerned, that was a bad deal for the patrons of the library—but a good deal for us, because we snapped up piles of them at 25c each! One of the one I scored was To California by Covered Wagon, a Landmark book printed in 1954. A year later, when my family went on a month-long road trip from Michigan to California, we took this book along and read it aloud. We actually drove along part of the route that is described in the book!

Mose Schallenberger was 17 years old in 1844 when he joined a wagon train that hoped to get through to California from Missouri. His older sister and her husband, who had taken him in when their parents died 11 years previous to this trip, were in the group as well. They left Council Bluffs, Iowa, in May of that year—and their first adventure involved getting across the Missouri River! Imagine trying to cross it with a lot of wagons and hundreds of oxen and other cattle. What a task! The next, also interesting, story had to do with standing guard at night…imagine two 17-year-old boys given that job and what they might think up to do to relieve their boredom.

More adventures awaited the party, and Mose, as they traveled on west. Finding buffalo, losing guns. Trying a shortcut, but running out of water. Getting information from Indians, and finding a river that disappeared. Then, they reached the Sierra Nevada mountains—and it began to snow. I think my boys found this part of the book the most interesting part; it was here that I was begged for “Just one more chapter, please!”

The author based To California by Covered Wagon very closely on Mose’s account of the journey, which he wrote down about 40 years later. He seems to have described events pretty well, and George R. Stewart did a very good job of making a very interesting adventure story from Mose’s account. Unfortunately, this book seems to be long since out of print, but if you can find a used copy it’s well worth picking it up. This is one of those wonderful 1950s books that hasn’t been dumbed down like so many modern books!

No warnings!

Age levels:

Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Read Alouds
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com

How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis & Clark

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How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis & Clark by Rosalyn Schanzer

Title: How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis & Clark
Author: Rosalyn Schanzer
Major Themes: Lewis & Clark Expedition, American West
Synopsis: Using the words of Lewis and Clark to accompany beautiful, colorful paintings, Rosalyn Schanzer tells the story of the famous expedition.

A number of years ago, I found How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis & Clark in a list of discounted books at a place from which I was buying some schoolbooks. It looked like a good book, so I added it to the order, and when I saw how lovely it was, figured out a way to fit it in to the American history course I was going through with some of the children that year or the next. Now, I have read it as part of a history course again, this time with my 6-year-old daughter. I’m not sure how much of it she understood, but she liked the pictures!

Rosalyn Schanzer has used the actual writings of Lewis and Clark as much as possible. She has corrected the spelling and chosen the most interesting portions, but the words are theirs. To go along with the passages she chose to quote, she has painted absolutely beautiful pictures! The detail and colors are spectacular. This is a beautiful book, one that can be enjoyed over and over, with new things discovered each time.

The entire story of the famous exploration is told, though briefly. There are pictures of building the boats and loading them (the list of supplies is fun to read!). Then, we see the expedition taking off from St. Louis and heading up the Missouri River. Some of the Indian tribes they met are described, along with some interesting things that happened. After spending the winter with the Indians, the men took off again (my little girl was quite interested in the bear story). We enjoyed reading about the journey across the mountains, all the way to the sea.

How We Crossed the West is wonderful for those children who love to study detailed pictures, and for those who love true stories. I like it as part of a study of American history. Rosalyn Schanzer has brought the famous expedition to life here.

No warnings!

Age levels:

Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Library Binding
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback

Tut’s Mummy Lost and Found

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Tut's Mummy Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly

Title: Tut’s Mummy Lost and Found
Author: Judy Donnelly
Series: Step Into Reading, step 4
Major Themes: Tutankhamen, Archeology, Ancient Egypt
Synopsis: The story of Tutankhamen’s death and burial, and how his tomb was found, is told with easy text and many colorful illustrations for young readers.

There are some books that get read…and read again…and reread! Tut’s Mummy Lost…and Found is one of those. I have no idea how many times over the years we’ve read this treasure. I know we have gone through it at least three times as part of Sonlight Curriculum’s history, but we have read it other times, too. Because it is an easy reader, it is very understandable for young children who love to know that a story is true, and the beautiful, full-color pictures are very attractive, too.

There are five short chapters in this book. The first chapter describes how Tutankhamen died and was buried, with a brief description of how he was mummified, what he took to the tomb with him, and what his funeral would have been like. Chapter 2 describes how, after 3,000 years, people became interested in ancient Egypt and began searching for artifacts from there. One of the illustrations in this chapter is actually a photograph.

The third, fourth and fifth chapters describe Howard Carter’s search for Tutankhamen’s tomb, how he found it and opened it, and what he found. There are pictures, both colorful paintings and a few black-and-white photographs, of the treasure.

One thing I have observed about children who are approximately 5-8 is that they want to know if a story is true or not. They often want to read or hear true stories rather than fiction. Tut’s Mummy Lost…and Found is a book that is perfect for children like that! It is written at approximately a 2nd-3rd grade reading level. Five- and six-year-olds love to hear it read aloud to them.

No warnings!

Age levels:

Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9

Links to buy this book:

Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Library Binding
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Book Depository: Paperback | Hardcover