Monday, March 12, 2007

Review: Bunny Brown and his Sister Sue at a Sugar Camp by Laura Lee Hope

When I was pregnant, my mom picked up big set of 1920s Laura Lee Hope books. This was one of them. They’re in our room, and I needed a quick reading fix one day, so I started it. And no, that isn’t the proper cover, but all the Bunny Brown books in that edition have that seashore picture on the front. Which is funny, ’cause this one is set at Christmastime, and there’s loads of snow.
Laura Lee Hope (better know for The Bobbsey Twins series) was a master of the traditional story. Sure, the kids are supposed to be tiny and they’re way too well-spoken and well-behaved to be real kids, but man, did the woman know how to write an end-of-chapter hook. Also, edutainment! If you want an easy refresher course on what easy story structure looks like, while keeping it full and layered, check these out. I think you can find them online at Project Gutenburg, too.

Not much to say about the story, except I was reminded how to write an arc. And I’m gonna have to rethink chapter breaks in my books. Hook-hook-hook. I found myself reading ahead because the breaks were so great. This one does count because it’s a full-length, thick book, even if it is a kids’ book. Plus, I’m reading All The King’s Men at the same time, and the sheer fact that the chapters in that one are like, 75 pages a piece, well…yeah. This book counts toward my 50. ;-)

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