Elise Pitz's Book Review on Families

Families are an important topic in the classroom because every child in a classroom has some sort of family whether it be friends, grandma, mom and dad, mom and mom or aunt and uncle. There were many books to choose from but I tried to find a variety of families so every child could feel included.

The Berenstain Bears Get In A Fight was a personal favorite from childhood. This book can bring up great discussion for the classroom, the most obvious being arguments between your siblings. Brother and Sister Bear get into a fight and in the end they realize, they don’t even know what they are fighting about. At that age, children usually do fight about something that doesn’t make sense. The children can find humor in this book when they see the Brother and Sister Bear don’t even know why they are fighting, are realize how silly fighting can be. The illustrations are all outlines in black, a very basic “old” illustration. The bears all wear the same outfits the whole time so the main pictures don’t change much.

The Worm Family is a great way to be proud of your family. The worms have to find a home that will accept them and not judge them for being worms until they finally realize they just need each other and they love to be worms. This could be used in a classroom so that children will know that everyone can be proud of a family-even if you are worms! Sometimes children are embarrassed when they aren’t a “normal” family and this will help them realize that anyone can be proud. It does thrown in some facts about worms such as no spine and no chin, so that will inform children as well. This has basic background, just a color usually. The worms all have the same facial expression the whole book except for their mouths, which make a face depending on the situation (smiling, frowning, “Oh” for an excited face). 

In Our Mothers’ House covers all the bases! This is a book about three children adopted by their lesbian mothers. Their whole neighborhood loves them but one neighbor does not agree with their sexuality. This book would be hard to describe to children because I don’t know how much they understand sexuality and why people wouldn’t accept it. I would probably make it more simple by just describing a house with two moms instead of a mom and a dad and not go too much into the conflict of the book. The book brings up other great topics such as biracial families since the three children are all from different countries. This book talks about the different cultures and what they stereotypically cook (Italians=pasta). Death is another difficult topic brought up in this book but it is a good way to realize that family tradition can always live on if you want it to. This book also talks about the set up of a house, where the family plays, where they read, where they meet for family meeting. This is what most of the illustrations are about, showing the different activities in different rooms. The illustrations are sketch-like and colors are dull but they are still very descriptive. This book is great because it covers SO many topics and you could create so many activities for children based on just this book. The first activity I would create would be to have the children draw their house and tell me where they play or eat or read.

My Mom is Trying to Ruin My Life is now one of my favorite children’s books! I found myself giggling out loud while reading it as a 21 year old. The little girl talks about all the reasons her mom and dad are ruining her life (not letting her eat snacks, making her do homework) and she wants them to go to jail, until she realizes she won’t have anyone to cook or tell her that her scary dreams aren’t true. This is a great way for children to realize how important their parents are to their life and how all the things they complain about are really just silly. I think this would be a great book to read before we create our crafts for mothers day. The pages have multiple illustrations of different scenes on a page. The pictures are very descriptive of the words and go along very well with the book. This book is also sketch-like using the same outfits throughout the entire book.

The Family Book is an easier read but it covers many topics. This could be the book that is a read alone because it still talks about the set up of a family, death, adoption and different living situations. The illustrations are very basic using only the primary colors and everything is made out of shapes stacked on top of each other. The great aspect of this book is that it talks about similarities of all families too, no matter how different they are. The similarities can make children realize that no matter how different the set up of their family is or how different their houses are every family can be strong together or celebrate together. 

                                                            Works Cited

Berenstain, Stan, and Jan Berenstain. The Berenstain Bears Get In A Fight. New York: Random House, 1982. Print.

Feiffer, Kate, and Diane Goode. My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2009. Print.

Johnston, Tony, and Stacy Innerst. The Worm Family. Orlando: Harcourt, 2004. Print.

Parr, Todd. The Family Book. New York: Little, Brown, 2003. Print.

Polacco, Patricia. In Our Mothers' House. New York: Philomel, 2009. Print.

Danny Frank Second Book Review

Howe, Deborah, James Howe, and Alan Daniel. Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery. New
York: Anthem, 1979. Print.

Similarly like my first book review, I decided to revisit one of my favorite books growing up as a child for Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery, was one of my favorite stories growing up as a child. In this story the Monroe family discovers a rabbit in a movie theater, while watching the film Dracula. After bringing the rabbit home, the families two pets, Chester a cat, and Harold a dog, become suspicious of this rabbit and believe the it has some vampire-like characteristics. This book is narrated from Harold’s point of view as he and the rest of the Monroe family soon observe some bizarre occurrences around the house like vegetables mysteriously turning all white throughout the night, which sends Chester into a frantic search to prove that Bunnicula is indeed a vegetable sucking vampire bunny.

Upon briefly mentioning this book in class last week, it sparked my interest in picking the book up once again. Although this would be my first time actually “reading” the story. Although, I am not the biggest audiobook fan, I did have a couple of books on tape that I would often listen to as I fell asleep growing up. Somewhere between the ages of ten and twelve I believe I listened to the book for the first time. Now re-reading the book I can vividly remember the voices of the characters in the book, and it’s interesting that in my mind while reading is exactly how I would imagine them if they were truly real, because of all the times listening to the story falling asleep. My audio book copy was narrated by Lou Jacobi, who I think does an excellent job in bringing the characters to life.

I also believe that due to my expose to these suspense and thrilling stories (like the Bunnicula series and Goosebumps) growing up, has led me to be very adventuresome and always seeking out new thrills. These type of books that constantly want you to turn the page have seemed to be some of the few books that can keep my interest. I feel that the reason this book has continued to stay popular throughout the years is not only because you want to continue reading, but also because it's easily relatable for kids and it introduces an interesting concept in the theme of vampires.

Although the book is obviously fantastical, and we have cats and dogs talking to each other and reading books, I feel that it is fun as a child to read stories from animal's point of view. Adding in the aspect of a rabbit, which has been referenced in being the most tame and shy mammal, having "vampiristic" powers adds to the comedic theme of the book. A couple other funny parts throughout the book is when Chester shouts, "Today vegetables! Tomorrow the world!" referencing to the fact that Bunnicula has the potential ability to take over the world. Another comical part is when Chester misunderstands that he should drive a stake through a vampire's heart and believes that he needs to use a steak to do so.


Overall the suspense combined with the good sense of humor and vampire elements that are not to scary for children make this an excellent book. This book is the first in the many series. Multiple sequels have been written and consist of "Howliday Inn" and "The Celery Stalks at Midnight" as the second and third books, respectively.

Paula Harting's 2nd book review!

Dahl, R. (1980). The Twits. New York, New York: Penguin Putnam Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Twit are a nasty couple who are cruel to each other and everyone else. They constantly pull awful tricks on each other and are generally disgusting people.
I first had this book read to me when I was seven or eight years old. My brothers and I were thoroughly grossed out and thought it was the best story ever. I have read it since and still find it quite amusing.
This book is well suited for 4th-6th grade, but older children and adults will enjoy it as well. The short chapters, lively illustrations, and entertaining story make it as easy read, even for struggling readers. This book could be a good teaching tool for creative writing and I would definitely recommend it for independent reading.

Dahl's in-depth study of his characters and his curiosity about certain subjects (see the chapter entitled "Hairy Faces") contains some social commentary as well. The plight of the ill-treated monkeys Mr. Twit keeps in his backyard may be an allusion to slavery, unfair labor laws or, more obviously, animal cruelty. The illustrations by Quentin Blake are also very memorable and contribute to the story.

Some better-known books by Roald Dahl include: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda.

Second Book Review

Schwartz, Amy. Bea and Mr. Jones. Orlando: Harcourt, 2006. Print.

Bea & Mr. Jones, written and illustrated by Amy Schwartz

Bea Jones and her father switch places for the day, with Bea going to work at the ad agency and her father going to kindergarten.

I remember enjoying this book as a child, so I decided to revisit it.  I found it very enjoyable as an adult and it is definitely a book I would recommend.  The idea of a child and parent switching places for the day is fun for kids to think about.  I greatly appreciated that this book did not have a “grass is greener on the other side” ending, but that Bea and her father each “[find] their proper niche in the world” (Schwartz 24). 

The illustrations are black and white, but very detailed.  They definitely are an important part of the story, as they help convey the characters’ attitudes and body language.  I especially liked the illustration of the kindergarten teacher, Miss Seymour sighing and swooning at Mr. Jones as he rescues a child from a tree. 

This book could spark discussions on future career possibilities and what each student thinks their niche in the world will be.  This book could probably best be used in the classroom with younger grades, probably 2^nd grade or younger, although students of any age would find the story humorous. 

Wiesner, David. June 29, 1999. New York: Clarion, 1992. Print.

June 29, 1999, written and illustrated by David Wiesner

Holly Evans sends vegetable seedling into the sky on May 11^th.  When giant vegetables reach Earth on June 29^th, Holly wonders how it happened.

I chose this book after seeing Tuesday by David Wiesner passed around in class.  Unlike Tuesday or Flotsam, also by David Wiesner, June 29, 1999 has text accompanying the illustrations.  The illustrations are still the major focus of the book though, and they are beautiful and imaginative. 

The story is creative and definitely reminiscent of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett.  It is very imaginative and discussions about the students’ thoughts on extraterrestrial life could accompany this book well.  They could draw pictures or write stories about what else they think the space aliens’ life is like. 

Wiesner, David. Flotsam. New York: Clarion, 2006. Print.

Flotsam, written by David Wiesner

Told only through illustrations, a boy finds an underwater camera that washes up on the beach. 

This is another book by David Wiesner that I chose to read.  I was really interested in the fact that it has no text, but the story is told only through illustrations.  I ended up loving this book; it is one that I would definitely buy for myself or classroom or to give as a gift. 

Since there is no text, students who are not reading yet for any reason would enjoy it.  I think children who are ELL would especially like this book.  It would be a great accompaniment to a science or biology lesson about the beach (although it does get a little imaginative with the activities of the fish). 

DePaola, Tomie. Stagestruck. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005. Print.

Stagestruck, written and illustrated by Tomie DePaola

Tommy wants to play Peter Rabbit in the spring play.  Even though he gets a small role instead, he still steals the show.

I chose this book because I have always liked Tomie DePaola’s style.  His illustrations are always excellent, just as they are in this book, and they definitely contribute to the story.  Honestly, I did not really enjoy this book as much as some of Tomie DePaola’s other books.  I found that Tommy did not really feel sorry for stealing the show, even though he apologizes to his classmates and teacher.  Some kids though, who enjoy attention and being on stage could definitely relate to Tommy.

This book would be great to introduce children to acting.  This book could be read before having your students perform their own play.  They could even read Peter Rabbit and make it into a play to perform in the classroom.

Hest, Amy, and Amy Schwartz. The Purple Coat. New York: Four Winds, 1986. Print.

The Purple Coat, written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Amy Schwartz

Even though Gabrielle always gets a navy blue coat, she wants a purple coat this year.  She still needs to convince Mama, who wants to stick with tradition.

This is another great book illustrated by Amy Schwartz.  I like that it introduces the concept of going to a tailor, in this case Gabrielle’s grandfather, to buy clothes, instead of buying them ready-made at a store.  There are also other elements in this book that children may not be familiar with, such as riding subways.

I think this book would work well to start discussions on compromising with others during disagreements.  Kids could think of ways that they could compromise situations through acting out different scenarios.

Theo B.- Second Book Review

Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny. New York: Scholastic, 2005. Print.

Little Trixie and her father go to do laundry at the local laundry mat, but after Trixie leaves she realizes that she left her knuffle bunny behind.

                This book was a Caldecott honor book which we learned in class was awarded to the most outstanding children’s illustrations in a children’s book. I selected five picture books that received either the Caldecott Award or the Caldecott Honor. This book was the newest one I selected; it only won an honor even though the artist did something that I felt was rather original. He seemed to have drawn cartoon characters, like Trixie and her father, but then he placed them in real backgrounds like the Laundromat and the apartment building. I felt like this was a very unique and artistic idea, something that I have not seen very often.  The artist was able to blend the real world together with the cartoon world and it makes the simplistic story much more interesting. The cartoon characters are brought to life through the real world backgrounds, and it really made me want to stop reading the text and just study the pictures because it was something that I had never seen before.   

Pilkey, Dav. The Paperboy. New York: Orchard Books, 2004. Print.

This book is all about the work of a child who works as a paperboy for extra money, he must wake up early and deliver the newspaper to the rest of the community, and when they finally wake up, he's falling back to sleep.

This book was a Caldecott Honor Award and what I loved so much about this book was the illustrator's ability to effectively convey to his audience the weather and time of the story. The pictures made me think about the times that I have had to get out of bed before the sun rises and how cold it is, but you still must awake, get ready, and walk out of the house in the freezing night air to accomplish a certain task.  In other words, the illustrations found in this book really add to the story and it makes the reader put themself in that situation. Then by the end of the paperboy's route, when the sun is finally rising, the illustrations almost make you smell the morning dew on the grass and feel the warming sun as it strikes your cold body and slowly warms you. One of the certain pictures really stood out to me as my favorite, when the little boy is on his bike and you can barely see him because the whole picture is taken up by the buildings of the entire city, it really makes it seem like the artist is trying to remind his audience how small we are in the grand scheme of things but how effective we can be if we work together.

Rohmann, Eric. My Friend Rabbit. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Print.

This book is about a rabbit that means well, but every time he helps his fellow creatures, trouble ends up not too far behind.

This book won the Caldecott Award in 2003, it is a picture book with almost no text, but I am sure that children love the wonderful illustrations of all the different animals.  By the end of the book, a rabbit and mouse end up riding on an airplane together but they end up getting stuck in a tree.  I thought of a fun activity that could be done with a class after reading this book, especially in an early primary classroom. Each child could color and cut out a mask of their favorite animal and could wear them around for all the other children in the class to see. Then one kid could make a mask of a rabbit that wants to help all the other animals, this could build good teamwork and social skills among the students. The teacher could even build an airplane for the rest of the students and get it stuck somewhere in the room and the children, with their masks on of course, would have to find the hidden airplane and the winner would get a small prize or a treat. I think there are a lot of different activities that could go along with this book, it has great illustrations and I believe children would really love it. 

Shannon, David. No, David. New York: Scholastic, 1998. Print.

This picture book is about a child named David who is always getting told not to do certain things or activities, not until he finds the right one.

I thought this book would be a perfect one to read to early primary students because they probably feel like every time they do something at home their mom and dad are always telling them not to do it, they're doing it wrong, or they're not doing it fast enough. This picture book would let the students know that they're not the only kids in the world that are being told no by their parents. This book has wonderful illustrations that would really help a student be able to put themselves in the same situations that David gets into, like: reaching for the cookies on the top shelf, tracking in mud from outside, playing with their food instead of eating it, chewing with their mouth open, or jumping on their bed. This book was a Caldecott Honor Award book and even though it didn't win the award, it contains beautiful illustrations that really capture the eye. The artist did a wonderful job of drawing David with very mischievous-looking qualities that indicate to the reader that this child is ready to cause problems, but at the very end when he gives his mother a huge hug, he looks like the most well behaved boy. 

Keats, Ezra. The Snowy Day. New York: Viking Press, 1962. Print.

This last book is about a little boy who greatly enjoys playing outside with his friends when it snows, but after his dream, he is not really sure if it is actually snowing outside or not.

This book won the Caldecott Award in 1963, it is nearly 40 years older than the other four books that I decided to review. I thought it would be interesting to compare an award winner from the 1960's to an award winner in the late 1990's or even the 2000's. Out of the other four books that I reviewed only one actually won the Caldecott award but all were at least nominated for the award. But in my opinion all four of those books had a lot better illustrations than the ones found in the award winner for 1963, it really showed me how far children's picture books, and more specifically illustrations, have come in the last couple decades. Back in the 1960's picture books were not nearly as popular as they are in today's classroom, they are a great way to teach children not only how to read but also to develop in themselves a love for reading. The pictures in this last book were so simplistic and easy, they did not really add to the story like the illustrations in the other picture books and they did not make me want to stop and study them. If we have made this much progress over the last couple decades, I am very curious to see what will happen over the next forty years. 

Sara McRoberts: Second Book Review

Bunting, Eve. Little Bear's Little Boat. New York City: Clarion Books, 2003. Print.

This book by Eve Bunting is about a once little bear who grew too big for the boat he loved. He listened to his mama bear's advice and passed the boat along to another little bear.

Littles Bear's Little Boat makes for a great, simple read for young children. The author made the story line short and simple, therefore making it easy for early readers to follow along. Another perk this book had that adds to it simplistic reading is the author's strategy to only having one sentence on each page. Doing so makes it easy for the message of the book to flow easily. This book could open up a discussion with students as to what favorite objects of theirs they grow out of and possibly pass on to others. A silly art project could as well be incorporated into this discussion. Whatever objects the students chose, they could draw a picture of that object and then draw themselves being way to big for the object. This type of activity would have the students relating to little bear, and even bring about some giggles to the funny drawings made.

Suen, Anastasia. Subway. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. N. pag. Print.

Subway is about some of the crazy actions that happen throughout one's ride on the fun, colorful subway.

This book was full of coloful illustrations. The age group of children reading this book would definitely not turn a head away from all the shapes and colors that cover every page. Along with the illustrations that had character, the use of repetition of the verbs made the book a fun read. If this book were to be presented in the form of a read-along, students would get involved in the repeating of words because they know what to expect on the pages to come. To make this book even more interactive, when verbs are being said/repeated, the students could use their bodies to demonstrate how they would do this verb on the subway.

Luciana, Brigitte, and Eve Tharlet. How Will We Get to the Beach? New York: North-South Books, 2000. N. pag. Print.

This book is about a women who has five things she wants to bring to the beach, but is struggling to find a way to take all five items.

This book by Brigittes is an interavtive guessing-game story. This book really gets childrens' minds thinking and involving themselves into the book. The author gave scenrios in which children had to decide which item of Roxanne's would have to be left behind in order to get to the beach. For this book, the teacher could split the students into small groups have each student within the groups come up with some other modes of transportation that would require an item to be left behind. The studetns qould tehn share their ideas to the members in their group and have the others guess which item they think would not be able to be transported to the beach via the chosen mode of transportation.

Rockwell, Anne. Whoo! Whoo! Goes the Train. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. N. pag. Print.

Whoo! Whoo! Goes the Train is about a young boy who strongly loves trains and one day is taken on a memorable first train ride.

The illustrator of this book did a wonderful job with color, shapes, and overall pictures. From front to back cover, this book was emersed with eye-catching drawings. Because of the descriptive drawings of each scene written by the author, I believe an drawing activity could come about from this book. The young boy in this book goes passes/sees multiple things on his train ride. Each student could be assigned a site that this boy Allan sees on his train ride. In the end, to show comprehension and sequence of events from the book, each site drawn by the students would then have to be placed in order, ultimatley showing Allan's train ride.

Crew, Gary. Pig on the Titanic. New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2005. N. page. Print.

This book by Gary Crew is about a musical pig who soothes the fear of passengers on the Titanic.

Pig on the Titainc would most likely be a readin for some middle elementary grade readers. The amount of history and little fiction would not necessarily suit the demands for early childhood readeing. However, this book did spice up the story of the Titanic by adding in a musical pig to the mix.  To draw discussion during this book reading, I would say the teacher could just have the students think to themselves, if put into this situation, what would they bring that could calm them and others down. And second, if that object could sing, what song would you chose for it. This little amount of discussion can help turn this "dry" book into a more involving read for the students; really get those creative juices flowing.

Crackerjack Halfback By Matt Christopher Review done by Joe Shalek

Christopher, Matt, and Karen Meyer. Crackerjack Halfback. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1996. Print.

Freddie Chase is a good football player with one major flaw: He's afraid to tackle. He tries hard to cover up his fear, but soon Coach Sears and the other Sandpipers know all about it. The team is fighting to finish the season at the top of the league, but how can they hope to succeed when one of their players lets the opposition run right by him? Coach Sears has no choice but to take Freddie out of the lineup. Now it's up to Freddie to earn his way back onto the starting team. But can he overcome his fear?

Review

This stroy is great for students who are scared of playing sports. In my physical education class I would use this book as a lesson before an adventure education unit. Many students are affraid of the ropes course or the climbing wall. When students are able to empathize with a character like Freddie they may be able to face their fears a little more. I think that I would have my students write a story similar to a situation they have encountered similar to Freddie's. I would ask my students to explain how overcoming fears in all aspects of life can be different. I think in the middle school years fear of many things is evident. Fear of being rejected by peer groups, failure in sports, or fear of what the future will bring are all common fears for students of this age group. I would hope to have a great class discussion on how simply talking about your fears can help ease them, especially when you learn that your peers have some of the same fears as you. I read the older version of this novel so the cover was "old school" I think modernizing the cover and adding pictures would enhance the chance of kids wanting to read it right off the shelf. Matt Christopher has written a plethora of novels that are sports related. When I was growing up I could not stop reading his books. In my mind his stories have passed the test of time. I think students in today's classroom who enjoy sports and physical activities will like these novels.

Kristyn Malanowski-book review 2

Holder, Nancy, and Debbie Viguie. Witch. 2002. Ney York: Simon and 

               Schuster Children's Publishing Division, 2002. Print. Wicked 1.

Witch is the first book in the Wicked series.  This series is about an intergenerational feud between two magical families.  The main character, Holly, is thrown into the world if witches and warlocks after her parents are killed in a terrible accident.  She is flown to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Seattle.  Until the accident, Holly never even knew she had an aunt.  Eventually, Holly and her two cousins learn about their magical past and the intergenerational feud between her family, the Cahors (what is now Cathers), and a warlock family, the Deveraux.  Holly, Nicole, and Amanda must stick together and attempt to fulfill their shared destiny.  The first book is more of a lead in to the rest of the series.  The characters discover their past and learn about the other family who is trying to kill them. 

This book series has recently become my favorite of all time!  I recently picked up the special edition of Wicked, which contains both books one and two, and then I bought the other three books to the series within a week.  I am a fantasy freak and these books kept me on the edge of my seat.  I could not even put them down after I bought them.  Even though they are the stereotypical good versus evil, the way the story is told is just thrilling.  I was very depressed when I read the last book! I wanted there to be more to the series and was even a little disappointed in how it ended.  I love anything to do with witches and warlocks.  I loved how there are flashbacks to different centuries and how they allowed you to “see”, or get to know, different generations of Cahors witches.  Holly and Jer are possessed, in a way, by their ancestors, Jean and Isabeau, who have been traveling throughout time trying to kill each other.  Throughout each book, we are taken back in time and are told how the feud came about and why Isabeau and Jean are trying to destroy each other.  It is nice to have a book with a spin on it. 

The Wicked series is definitely for young adults.  Younger children would have a hard time following the books because of different time eras and how there a multiple leaps between the eras.  Sometimes you could be reading about one generation and a page later it could be one hundred years into the future or past.  The books also deal with a lot of violence and death.  It is possible that younger children, of the elementary age, could be given nightmares due to the descriptive deaths and violence.  I personally didn’t have a problem with the blood and guts, but I am also a college student and pretty much expected it. 

The storyline is based on two families, the Cahors and Deveraux, who are involved in an intergenerational feud.  We associate the Cahors (Cathers) with good and the Deveraux with evil.  We are convinced that the Deveraux are evil because they worship the Horned God, or the devil, and that the Cahors are good because they worship the Goddess.  In this book, we don’t really understand that both families started out evil.  Later on in the series, we learn that both families were evil to begin with and that they both wanted to destroy each other.  In the first book, we only get to see that the Deveraux want to kill the Cahors (Cathers) and thus they have to fight back to save their lives.  This book seems as if it is going to be the typical good versus evil story.  The further into the series you get, the more you learn about their family history and how they were equally bad to begin with.  We want the Cahors to be good because they are the ones being attacked, but you almost have to hate their ancestors as well because they were just as evil.  It is very confusing for a while, but all in all you have to side with the Cahors because they save the world from being destroyed and maintain the balance between good and evil.

I would associate this book with the love story of Romeo and Juliet.  Basically, you have these two feuding houses and a boy and a girl fall in love.  At first, their love is forced because their parents want to obtain the secret to the black fire.  The only way that the black fire can be conjured is by a Deveraux and a Cahors joining together.  The plan was for the two to marry and then there would be an invasion to destroy the opposing family members.  It just so happened that the mom put a curse on her daughter and if she didn’t kill her husband, they would travel through space and time and not move on until the deed was done.  The sad thing being that the couple actually fell in love and thus didn’t want to hurt each other. Therefore, you have two spirits traveling through time trying to kill each other so they can move on.  The spirits, Isabeau and Jean, eventually possess Holly and Jer who have also fallen into a forbidden love.  Neither couple wants to kill one another and yet is forced to try because of the feud.  You get the whole “we cannot trust him because he is a Deveraux” thing and Holly even references Romeo and Juliet because of the situation.  Don’t worry though, because in the end, the two lovers end up together.   Eventually you learn that the two families were forced into a feud long before Isabeau and Jer. These higher beings found that when a Deveraux and a Cahors joined together, there would be no power stronger than theirs.  Thus, there was a forced feud to keep the families from ever wanting to join powers.  I guess the moral would be to follow your heart no matter what others think...oh...and don't play with fire..because you will get burned!