Time and Mr. Bass

Our rating: ***

Only a week before the meeting of Mycetian League (Mushroom Planet people who live on earth), Mr. Bass receives a strange phone call from one of the League leaders. Mr. Bass, David, and Chuck hurry to Wales, where the meeting is to take place, and discover that the two most prized treasures of the League have been stolen. One, the Necklace of Ta (leader of the Mushroom people on Basidium), causes trouble whenever somebody takes any of its stones. The other, The Thirteenth Scroll, is the only key to the Mycetians’ past. Mr. Bass and the others go on a search throughout England to find the missing treasures and encounter mysteries from the past about Mr. Bass’ long lost Elder Grandfather.

This is the conclusion of the Mushroom Planet series. It’s also one of the more weird ones. Digging deep into Mr. Bass’ past, and even into the ancestry of the Mycetians makes for an interesting read. I highly recommend that you read the other books that come before this one, though. I hadn’t read two that came before this one, and it was kind of a shock to hear about people that were in previous books that I hadn’t read.

The Stolen White Elephant

Our rating: **½

When the King of Siam decides to send the Queen of England a white elephant, a man in the Indian civil service is chosen to convey this present. However, not long after arriving in New York harbor, the white elephant is stolen! The man (who appears to have no name, by the way, this being written in first person) immediately goes to the police and enlists their help. Inspector Blunt takes charge and the hunt for the elephant begins.

This short story is written in typical, humorous Mark Twain style. The Inspector is very thorough and takes down all the details of the elephant’s description so that his detectives will be sure to recognize the elephant upon sighting it! I went ahead and marked this as “All Ages,” but I think older readers may enjoy it more.

Journey from Peppermint Street

Our rating: ****

Siebren is tired of baby-sitting his younger brother, Knillis. So when Siebren’s grandpa starts out on a short journey to visit a sick aunt, Siebren is very happy to be able to go along also. On the way, he buys a rather helpful ball from an ex-dike inspector, has an adventure in a scary marsh, and meets a very delightful deaf-and-dumb uncle.

A wonderful story! I really like DeJong’s style of writing. The book is written through Siebren’s eyes, but is still in the third person. The plot is simple, yet enjoyable to older readers. I strongly suggest that you read this book.

My Father’s Dragon

Our rating: ***½

Elmer always wanted a dragon, so he’s overjoyed when an alley cat tells him about a dragon imprisoned on Jungle Island. Elmer goes to the rescue, but he has to overcome the animals who live there – with very funny results!

This one is fun, but not too difficult to read. The story continues in two more books about Elmer and his dragon friend.

The Marsh Lions

Our rating: *****

A story of the Maasai Mara Reserve in Africa. The death of the pride’s biggest male sets in motion a long series of events that effect every part of the Reserve. Pride hierarchy changes, new males chase off the old, lionesses die, and cubs are born. Prides split or grow. The amount of available prey fluxuates. Everything from the hyenas and wild dogs, to the leopards and lions, live their lives in this world of change. Nefertari, the cheetah’s struggle to successfully raise a litter of cubs, the wild dogs of Aitong’s desperate fight against extinction, and the wildebeast migrations all play a part.

I feel that this book is a great example of how God made all nature to work together. It is out of print, unfortunately. It does not humanize the animals (thankfully) and when the writers don’t know a detail for sure, they tell you. It is a very true-to-life account, down to every detail, and you can learn a lot about African wildlife from it. I really enjoyed The Marsh Lions.