BookPikks

Madden completes her Maggie Valley Trilogy with these two books.  Livy Two’s family continues to struggle, following her daddy’s accident.  But through it all, the family is determined to stay together, and stay in their beloved Maggie Valley home.

Livy Two is a songwriter like her daddy, and one thing I loved about this trilogy were excerpts from Livy’s songs.  She writes songs about her family and the things going on around her, and they are beautiful in their simple descriptions.  Livy has a large family, yet Madden manages to make them all come to life as well-known individuals.  Although Livy herself narrates the trilogy, Madden focuses on several different family members in each book, so by the end, you feel as if you know them all well.

  Captured by Indians from her Pennsylvania farm, Mary is separated from her family and eventually adopted by a Seneca tribe.  The only thing Mary has left from her family is her mother’s last words to her: “…make the best of things and be happy if you can…It don’t matter what happens, if you’re only strong and have great courage…”  Mary took these words to heart, and made a life for herself with her Seneca family.  Based on a true story, this is a wonderful book.

A sweet story about Livy Two Weems, her mother, father and eight siblings.  Together, they’re struggling to survive in their North Carolina home.  Livy’s father, although he doesn’t earn much money, has big dreams of becoming a famous song writer.  Livy’s mother somehow manages to keep the family fed and the kids out of trouble.  And Livy, who writes songs of her own, dreams of traveling to see the world and of teaching her blind sister Gentle to read.

After reading the fabulous Dragon Slippers and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, Dragon Flight was a let down.  It was still an entertaining sequel to Dragon Slippers, but it didn’t have the magic of George’s first two books.  There were no real new characters introduced, and we didn’t learn anything new about, or see much growth in the old characters.  It kind of seemed like the same people doing more of the same thing.

After absolutely loving the first book I read by George - Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow - I had high hopes for Dragon Slippers, and I was not disappointed.  Dragon Slippers targets a slightly younger audience (late elementary/middle school), yet is such a phenomenal story that readers of all ages will enjoy it.

Creel and her brother are orphans, being reluctantly cared for by their poor aunt and uncle.  When Creel’s aunt devises a scheme to get Creel a dowry and a rich suitor, Creel feels she has no choice but to go along with the plan.  Unfortunately, the plan involves a dragon.  Creel doesn’t get either a dowry or a suitor from her dragon encounter.  What she does get is a pair of shoes, a trip out of town to seek her fortune, and a chance to save her country.  Creel is a fabulous heroine, and can proudly take her place among the great heroines of fantasy literature such as Ella,  the Goose Girl, and Miri.  I’m eagerly awaiting a chance to read the sequel, Dragon Flight, and I expect that it won’t be long before we see George’s movies appearing on the big screen.