Giant Slayer

I wish I were better at suspending disbelief. When Nellie and the nurses suddenly bust into singing "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right out of My Hair," it leaves me feeling...odd. A minute ago they were talking and going about their business, and I was supposed to believe that they were ACTUALLY living what they are clearly just pretending to live. But now, am I supposed to believe that they are really singing? Making up the words and music as they go? What is the reality of this moment in the context of the scene?

Calpurnia Tate bugged me because she didn't sound like her (more-or-less) contemporary Laura Ingalls. But that's stupid, of course, because who is to say exactly HOW 11-12 year-old girls sounded around the turn of the century? So Calpurnia's occasional slang may be more accurate than Laura's perfect speech, or they may both be typical. The point is that I get too hung up on the question - looking too hard for inaccuracies - and miss the bigger joys and pleasures of a good story.

So, with all that as background, illustrating my obvious flaws in this area... Um, yeah - no way in h3ll that a 11-year-old in 1955 could tell the story that Laurie Valentine tells in The Giant Slayer. I loved it - it was a wonderful story, complete with unicorns and giants and manticores. But the whole time I was reading it, this nagging voice was saying, "She can't be making this up as she goes along." I don't know if kids would have a problem with that, honestly - probably they wouldn't. They definitely wouldn't have a problem with my other dig at this book (that it too perfectly wraps around and ties a ribbon on top of itself). So I'm going to keep it in the collection. But it will still always bug me.

Now, who's got "and SEND him on his waaaaaay..." playing intercranially? You're welcome.