Out to Canaan

Our rating: *****

Father Tim is facing retirement, but that certainly doesn’t slow him down. As usual, lots is happening in Mitford. Esther Cunningham, who has been the undisputed mayor of Mitford for many years, faces an opponent in the upcoming election, Miss Sadie’s house is beginning to fall into disrepair and Father Tim has to find a buyer for it, and they’re still trying to locate Dooley’s siblings. And to top it all off, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing!

What can I say? It’s another great Mitford. All the characters, old and new, are just as real as before. Hooray for Mitford!

Lion Hound

Our rating: ***½

When a huge mountain lion begins bringing danger to the ranchers and tourists, it’s up to Jake Kane and his young friend Johnny to catch him. With the aid of his pack of hounds, Jake sets out to bag this lion, but it’s not as easy as he thought it would be. The lion is crafty, and not prone to panic. Jake needs all the help he can get from his hounds, but even that might not be enough to succeed.

I must say, one of the plot twists is very unexpected, not to mention gloomy. In case you’re wondering, yes, even though the book is mainly about Jake and Johnny, a dog does figure prominently in it. Buck, a young hound, (one of Jake’s “Kane hounds”) plays a very important role.

Trading Jeff and His Dog

Our rating: ***

When Jeff Tarrant, a peddler, adopts a huge, scraggily stray dog, little does he know what he’s getting himself in for. Imagine his shock when he finds that the dog’s former owner was murdered, leaving behind a young son, Dan, who, sure that the killer is one of the Whitney family, is determined to hunt down and slay his father’s murderer. Convinced that such a young child shouldn’t be set on killing anyone, Jeff steps in to find the killer and hand him over to the law. Unfortunately, in trying to scare one of the Whitneys, Dan pretends that Jeff is a policeman, putting the Whitneys on the alert and creating a lot of danger for Jeff.

A very interesting book. At first it seemed a little slow, but there’s a real thrilling part toward the end of it. The ending is kind of abrupt, but I’ve noticed that in all the Jim Kjelgaard books I’ve read. (Of course, so far, that’s a whopping four books.) Don’t worry about your heart stopping with the dangerous and tense part. You’ll probably just sigh. “Ah!” you ask. “What sort of sigh?” There’s only one way to find out! Ask someone! (“No, wait. That wasn’t it. Oh, yes. Ahem.”) Read the book!

Pinky Pye

Our rating: ****

The Pye family, complete with Ginger and Gracie, were going to spend the summer on Fire Island! Once there, they find an “abandid” kitten named Pinky. The Pyes decide to keep her. They find out she has unusual talents, such as boxing with Ginger and even typing on their typewriter! Uncle Bennie came to Fire Island with them and develops an interest in crickets and grasshoppers. He starts keeping them as pets and Rachel will put them, inside their cricket and or grasshopper box, up in the eaves. But when they start disappearing… what’s up?

This is a great book. You can probably guess what’s up, so I didn’t categorize it as a mystery. Still, Pinky’s cute and I like the epilogue.

Boomerang Hunter

Our rating: ***

Balulu is an Australian aborigine hunter. His tribe is suffering from a drought, and is slowly starving. Setting out with his dingo named Warrigal, Balulu searches for a better place for his tribe to live and hunt in. But, when he finally finds the perfect place, it proves to already be inhabited by another tribe, which might have hostile intentions.

There’s a lot of neat stuff in here, although, quite honestly, Balulu’s diet is rather, shall we say, different. Anyway, it’s interesting to read about how the aborigines lived and what they did. It also makes you appreciate even something like brussel sprouts! At least they aren’t sun-dried frog skins! (Although. . . I guess that point is debatable.)