Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue

By Lynn D. Garthwaite

Author Website

Meet the Explorers Club, Dirkle Smat, leader of the group, his brother Quid who always appears braver on the outside than he is truly feeling on the inside, Fiddy Bublob aka snack- bearer, Bean Lumley a true inventor and Toonie Oobles who adds a touch of feminine sensibility to the troop. Each of these curious kids shows inventiveness and intelligence while solving some minor and some not so minor mysteries together.

In Inside of Mount Flatbottom the Club uses their creative inventions to spelunk a deep dark cave and stumbles on to the answer to a long held myth and make some new friends in the process.

Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue, the 2nd book in the series, takes the reader along with the kids to a magical land where they find getting home might be a little more puzzling a predicament than they bargained for.

In the third book in the series, Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield, Dirkle and his friends find a century’s old map that leads them to a great historical treasure. The treasure inspires the kids to leave a bit of their own history to unearth.

Lynne Garthwaite’s Dirkle Smat series is a fun trip to the worlds of wonder that are often right here in our own backyard. Each story shows the value of helping one another through team work, positive encouragement and planning. They display a great transitional reading level for those children just entering the chapter book stage while still giving them plenty of illustrations to keep it appealing and a length that won’t overwhelm.

This review was originally written for Armchair Interviews

Dirkle Smat Inside Mount Flatbottom

By Lynn D. Garthwaite

Author Website

Meet the Explorers Club, Dirkle Smat, leader of the group, his brother Quid who always appears braver on the outside than he is truly feeling on the inside, Fiddy Bublob aka snack- bearer, Bean Lumley a true inventor and Toonie Oobles who adds a touch of feminine sensibility to the troop. Each of these curious kids shows inventiveness and intelligence while solving some minor and some not so minor mysteries together.

In Inside of Mount Flatbottom the Club uses their creative inventions to spelunk a deep dark cave and stumbles on to the answer to a long held myth and make some new friends in the process.

Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue, the 2nd book in the series, takes the reader along with the kids to a magical land where they find getting home might be a little more puzzling a predicament than they bargained for.

In the third book in the series, Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield, Dirkle and his friends find a century’s old map that leads them to a great historical treasure. The treasure inspires the kids to leave a bit of their own history to unearth.

Lynne Garthwaite’s Dirkle Smat series is a fun trip to the worlds of wonder that are often right here in our own backyard. Each story shows the value of helping one another through team work, positive encouragement and planning. They display a great transitional reading level for those children just entering the chapter book stage while still giving them plenty of illustrations to keep it appealing and a length that won’t overwhelm.

This review was originally written for Armchair Interviews

Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield 

By Lynn D Garthwaite - Author's Website

 Craig Howarth

Meet the Explorers Club, Dirkle Smat, leader of the group, his brother Quid who always appears braver on the outside than he is truly feeling on the inside, Fiddy Bublob aka snack- bearer, Bean Lumley a true inventor and Toonie Oobles who adds a touch of feminine sensibility to the troop. Each of these curious kids shows inventiveness and intelligence while solving some minor and some not so minor mysteries together.

In Inside of Mount Flatbottom the Club uses their creative inventions to spelunk a deep dark cave and stumbles on to the answer to a long held myth and make some new friends in the process.

Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue, the 2nd book in the series, takes the reader along with the kids to a magical land where they find getting home might be a little more puzzling a predicament than they bargained for.

In the third book in the series, Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield, Dirkle and his friends find a century’s old map that leads them to a great historical treasure. The treasure inspires the kids to leave a bit of their own history to unearth.

Lynne Garthwaite’s Dirkle Smat series is a fun trip to the worlds of wonder that are often right here in our own backyard. Each story shows the value of helping one another through team work, positive encouragement and planning. They display a great transitional reading level for those children just entering the chapter book stage while still giving them plenty of illustrations to keep it appealing and a length that won’t overwhelm.

This review was originally written for Armchair Interviews

The Story of the Samson

by Kathleen Benner Duble

A young boy climbs upon his grandfather’s bed and snuggles in next to him. He eagerly awaits grandpa to tell him the story that he has heard many times before, but can never get enough of. It is the story of grandpa’s house, a house that is made from pieces of a ship that grandpa worked on during his sailing days. The ship is named Samson.

Samson is a one hundred forty-nine foot schooner whose rich historical past spans over sixty-five years. Its exploits include encounters with the Titanic, the polar explorer Admiral Byrd and the Chicago World’s Fair. Each escapade encapsulates an emotion for grandpa that does not go undetected by his young grandson.

In true historical fiction style, this book is filled with loads of information for the reader.

The author, Kathleen Benner Duble, weaves the tale back and forth from Samson’s seal-trapping history to the present retelling of the story between grandpa and child. She captures the excitement and wonderment of the young boy who so lovingly admires his aging grandfather.

This review was originally written for Armchair Interviews

The Yankee at the Seder

by Elka Weber

Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)



There is devastation all around, but young Jacob’s biggest concern is that he will never be able capture Yankees as a Rebel General now that the war is over. His family has been preparing for Passover for weeks and he sits on the porch eating some Matzoh while contemplating this disappointment. A Yankee soldier on Passover leave interrupts his thoughts and asks him for a bite. Jacob is stunned by this request, but even more so by his mother’s invitation to the stranger to share the Seder with them.

Melded into this wonderful story of a Southern families’ hospitality are the time-honored traditions of the Jewish faith. Included in the front of the book are Passover terms and in the back, historical information about the soldier the book is based on.

I found this book not only entertaining but enlightening. It is appropriately geared for the young reader. The author’s mastery of evocative words combined with Adam Gustavson’s picturesque illustrations enable the reader to gain a firm grasp of the history of this Southern family and their surroundings.

Elka Weber’s Yankee at the Seder is a skillfully-written poignant story of overcoming differences in order to celebrate humanity and freedom. This debut children’s book by Ms. Weber would make a tremendous addition to anyone’s library.

This review was originally written for Armchair Interviews