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A Book Review: Ella, or Turning a New Leaf

William Simonds wrote seven books in a series called The Aimwell Stories, so called for the reason that he wrote the series under the psudonym of Walter Aimwell. Plus, (at least in Ella :) ) the main character "aims well" to do something. In this case, Ella is trying to (and succeeds, I might add. :) )Turn a New Leaf.

Ella, or Turning a New Leaf is the third in the series. Though I have not read the first two (Oscar, or The Boy Who Had His Own Way and Clinton, or Boy Life in the Country), I found that Ella was very easily a stand-alone book.

The author did a very good job of filling you in with what led up to this book, without making it seem like it. The story is of how a girl who teases her brothers, is lazy in housework, dislikes writting composition, and other things "turns a new leaf.

Some events in this book include Ella's mother and older sister going to a relative's for a visit, while her aunt comes in their place. Her aunt helps her with her compositions, tells her brother and herself stories - about fairies, spiders, and other things (not all in the same story! :) ). Her family also has a party with some of their friends, with a picture of a maze and instuctions for a game or two that they play in the book.

There are many subjects covered in this book. For instance, everything is told from a Biblical perspective. Ella couldn't have been able to succeed in her effort to turn a new leaf without God's help. Writing is also covered, with the author giving a critique of a couple compositions which, in the story, Ella and her brother Ralph write as a contest that their Aunt Fanny gives.

The prize was the picture below, which was one of the many illustrations in the book.

When Aunt Fanny finds George "torturing" flies by feeding them to a spider, she tells Ella and him about flies and spiders - how flies can land on ceilings, how spiders spin webs, and a few other facts.

I could easily go more in depth about this book, but what would be the fun in you reading it then? :)

So, 'til next time,

Heather

How the Presbyterian Board of Publication looked in 1895

Many of Martha Finley's books were published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication located at 1334 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, PA. You can find three more pictures HERE. I don't know if that building is still there or still occupied by them. That photo is from 1895, thirty years after the publication of Brookside Farmhouse.

Elsie To Sign Record Deal

I thought that this was 'interesting.' ;) From - http://www.christianlogic.com/chrisalexion/archives/satire/index.html

Elsie To Sign Record Deal

September 17, 2005

NEW ORLEANS, LA--Plantation queen Elsie Dinsmore is about to become a pop diva, Reuters reports. Dinsmore, in a press conference held at her Viamede estate, announced that she and RCA Records are working out the final details of a contract that would include a record to be released next January.

Tim McAleny of RCA expressed enthusiasm over the project. "I mean, Elsie's got everything. She's rich, famous, and gorgeous. A record deal only makes sense," he said. Dinsmore's debut album is expected to draw deeply on her experience, and deal with such issues as tough parents, men who only want her money, and slavery. "Elsie's got a wealth--no pun intended--of experience, and she brings this to the microphone in powerful, deeply moving songs," said McAleny.

Particularly prominent in Dinsmore's music is the theme of broken love and people who make up aliases in order to steal girls' money. "This happens to everybody," said Dinsmore. "I'm just giving angst-ridden young people a new voice." Dinsmore's album is expected to evoke comparisons to singers like Alannis Morrisette, Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch, and Kelly Clarkson, who Dinsmore says is a childhood friend. "Kelly and I are very close," she said. "We get together to sew all the time."

Dinsmore first attracted attention with her electrifying live performances for friends at Viamede and on select concert venues, where her meek and quiet voice really made listeners pay attention. "Elsie's been pampered, but that's what makes her so different," said Jon Carpenter of Rolling Stone. Fans also appreciated Dinsmore's nuanced and skillful covers of well-known songs. "Could you look me in the eye and tell me that you're happy now, ooh ooh ooh ooh? / Could you tell it to my face, or have I been erased?" she sang at a recent performance, where she dedicated the song to Tom Jackson, alias Bromley Egerton.

McAleny says that Dinsmore's real appeal stems from her publicity. "I mean, she's famous," he said. "Not only do girls know about her, but even guys with a sister or two know way more than they want to."

A book review: The Wide, Wide World

Susan Warner's The Wide, Wide World, written in 1850 (the first American best-seller and published under pseudonym Elizabeth Wetherell), is the story of Ellen Montgomery who doubts that God will really take care of her as she is taken to her hard-working aunt while her father takes her dying mother to Europe.

Thanks to several friends who help, teach, and guide her along the way, Ellen eventually learns to trust in God in everything, and is able to endure trials, many of them her aunt's making.

Originally published in a two-part edition, it is well over five hundred pages all together. It takes Ellen from childhood to Christian womanhood and is definitely worth the read. HERE is a link to a free edition, complete with the original pictures.

I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as I did.

'Til next time,
Heather

Martha Farquharson

She is now more commonly known as Martha Finley, the author of Elsie Dinsmore and it's companion books. There were 35 books relating to Elsie, the 28 of her series and the 7 of the Mildred Keith series. Mildred was a cousin of Elsie's.

Although probably her most well-known books, those formed less than a third of her works. I have - so far - read nearly fifty of Martha's books. My favorite of these is Brookside Farmhouse, or From January to December for the Little Folks, published under her pseudonym Martha Farquharson.

This book consists of twelve chapters, each one being a day or so in each month of the year. Brookside Farmhouse is the home of the Neff family consisting of nine family members. In this book, you read how the Neff children learn and grow in Christ during a year and help others along the way.

'Til next time,

Heather