The Windy Hill by Meigs (2 down!)

So last night before going to bed I started reading book number two: Meigs The Windy Hill.  I actually like reading on the e-reader, although I can’t tell you exactly what version of the book I am getting, but it was a free version of the story from Google books so I'm pretty sure it is legit. (Google books is an amazing resource to find texts and illustrations of written works that you can't find anywhere else.) 

Anyway, I finally feel like I am on the way to starting this project.  It’s exciting.  The biggest obstacle I see myself facing is getting a hold of some of these books, cross your fingers that they will come through soon! 

The Windy Hill by Cornelia Meigs was a pretty good read. This was one of five honor books for 1922. It was interesting reading this story about a brother and sister unraveling a family mystery. Oliver, Janet, the Beeman, Polly and Cousin Jasper are the main characters of the story.  

Cornelia Meigs has a writing style that is readable and interesting (at least more interesting than van Loon) and I enjoyed how she brought all the pieces of this story together in the end. It seems like a very realistic story for the time period and the children that would be reading it.  Meigs also wrote a Newbery winner and two other Newbery Honor books...more of those to come. 

But...like with van Loon's novel I found myself puzzling how this work could get a Newbery award. It does not seem to be a particularly groundbreaking work of children's literature...but the award was new and just coming into its own in the first few years (I'm assuming) so I will give it the benefit of the doubt for now and see how the award progresses.  

There are four more Honor books for 1922.  I have The Golden Fleece and The Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padraic Colum and am waiting on the other three books to become available to me.  More later!