Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...
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Book Review: Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail

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Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail is a book I bought through ThriftBooks.com in my quest to reread my way through my childhood. I didn't remember much about the Horse Crazy book series except that it was about a sleep away camp specializing in riding horses and that it made me want to go to this particular camp when I was a kid. As I read this third installment of this series, bits and pieces of the book started coming back to me.

Campers at Webster's Country Horse Camp are preparing for their upcoming field day with the campers from Long Branch. The girls from Webster's desperately want to make this year the first time they beat the boys from the rival Long Branch in more than just the horseback riding and mounted events, but everything starts to fall apart when Rachel Orbison, the Thoroughbred's camp counselor, comes down with a stomach virus or the flu and can't coach the Fillies and Thoroughbreds in softball and volleyball.

The major theme in Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) is teamwork, which is a great lesson to teach in a book, even to young readers because people have to work as a team in so many facets of their lives including their career. The minor theme is kindness, and I love how this particular theme plays out in the story. I can't say more than that or I'll ruin the sub-plot. 

I'd have to say that so far, I liked this installment just as much as the first installment Horseback Summer (Horse Crazy, #1). While reading it, the book made me desperately want to eat s'mores because they were mentioned quite a bit in the story. It made me think back to my middle school years and how the stores carried ready made s'mores that you could just pop in the microwave and eat. I know . . . I know . . . it's not the same as making them around a campfire, but boy were they good! It also brought back memories of my time spent at Girl Scout camp, and much like the Horse Crazy book series, we had to help prepare the food, set the table, and help with the clean up after each meal.

All in all, Good Sports (Horse Crazy, #3) by Virginia Vail lived up to my expectations and was just as great as I remembered as a kid! I give it five out of five stars. 


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