Samantha and I are involved in a Mother Daughter book club. The purpose of the club is to foster of love of
reading in our daughters, and to spend time discussing books together. Each month, the girls in the club choose
a book from a selection presented by the moms and then everyone in the club reads the book. At the next month's
meeting, we all discuss the chosen book, do some kind of activity related to the book, and then choose another
book for the next month.
Some of the rules that we have set up for our club are:
1. Any book introduced as a selection for the girls needs to have been read by one of the moms beforehand. Just because a book has won certain awards does not make it an appropriate selection for our club.
2. Any book may be vetoed by any mom without giving a reason. All of our daughters are different. A book that is reviewed by one mom and thought to be just fine for her daughter may have subject matter in it that will be uncomfortable or harmful to another girl. This club is supposed to be fun and there are enough wonderful books for us to read that we can skip the ones that are controversial. Mom and daughter can read those on their own apart from the club.
3. We rotate our meetings from house to house each month. The Mom/Daughter pair who are hostessing have the privilege of choosing the books from which the girls will select the next month's book. They also get to plan the activity around the current book. The hostess daughter gets to ask the first question about the current book.
This document lists the books that have been chosen by the girls in the book club since its inception as the girls were finishing second grade. During our meetings, we ask the girls to rate the book they have just read. I will try to remember to add that rating to this file so we can keep track of the girls' favorites. This file also contains book reviews that can be used for future selections. As I was reviewing books for the book club, I came across some good stories that just didn't have enough "meat" to them to make them good candidates for a group discussion. Since I didn't want to lose track of all the books, a new category of "Good Reads" was added. This also provided a good place to put books that have been vetoed.
The "books for little brothers" category was added just because I got in the habit of writing up good books as I read them and found myself sending out book reviews to my friends who have sons Christopher's age. I figured if I was going to write them up anyway, I might as well keep track of them
Please keep in mind that I am just a mom reviewing books for my kids. I am not a professional. (In other words, consider the source!)
I hope you enjoy these book reviews as much as I have enjoying reading the books and writing them up. If you have suggestions on books that you think would be good for a Mother Daughter book club discussion, please pass them along to me. I am always looking for more good books!
Claudia decided that her parents needed a lesson in Claudia-appreciation, so she decides to run away from home ... for just long enough to be appreciated when she gets home. She takes her little brother Jamie with her because he is a tightwad and has money. Since Claudia is not the type of child to rough it, she decides to run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. While there, she becomes involved in an art mystery.
On a cold Maine night in 1829, an old peddler carved a small doll out of a piece of mountain ash wood. Her name was Hitty and she was no ordinary doll. Hitty's first owner, Phoebe Preble, takes her from Boston to India. From the hands of Phoebe Preble, Hitty travels on with a snake charmer, a Civil War soldier, a river boat captain's daughter, and a former slave. Along the way she meets presidents and painters, relating each adventure in vivid detail. This is an abridgement of the 1930 Newbery Award winning Hitty book that brings the reading level down to make it more assessable for younger readers. It is one of Samantha's most favorite books ever.
This book is set in 1948 in a small Athabascan village in Alaska that is just large enough to have a one room schoolhouse. The problem is that teacher after teacher can not stand the difficult way of life in the village and they all leave. The children do not know what to make of the new teacher Miss Agnes Sutterfield. She is not like any other teacher they have had. She inspires the children to learn and they all grow to love her. The problem is that Miss Agnes is homesick for England and plans to return to her home country at the end of the school year. This is a wonderful story about the power of a good teacher, about pride in the old ways and about the way of life in Alaska.
Thanks to loving but over-protective guardian aunts, Elizabeth Ann is a fearful, self-absorbed, nine-year-old hypochondriac. Most terrible on her list of fears is "those horrid Putney, Vermont cousins" her aunts shudder at mentioning. When they are suddenly no longer able to care for her, she is, incredibly, sent to live with those very cousins. Upon arrival in Vermont, she is immediately invited by Uncle Henry to drive the carriage. Steering the fearsome horses beings her adventures in New England-and independence. Rules at the comfortable farmhouse are relaxed. Aunt Abigail serves baked beans in the kitchen. Elizabeth Ann-now Betsy-must wash her own dishes, and is expected to walk to school alone. Gradually Betsy comes to enjoy the "queer Putney ways" of her country cousins, not realizing that they are teaching her to think for herself. When the aunts write inviting her to return, Betsy must make a difficult choice.
All the grownups tell young Jonathan that there are no bears on Hemlock Mountain. And Jonathan tells himself over and over that there are no bears on Hemlock Mountain when he is sent on an errand over the mountain by his mother. But, in this exciting tale, Jonathan discovers that there ARE bears on Hemlock Mountain after all!
This is the story of young Prince Horace, whom everyone calls Prince Brat behind his back. His behavior is horrible. He is always making mischief of one kind or another, and since it is against the law to lay a hand on the prince, his whipping boy takes all of his punishments. Jemmy is an orphan plucked off the streets and takes whipping after whipping for Prince Brat and dreams of the day when he can run away. Unfortunately for Jemmy, Prince Brat decides one day to run away and take his whipping boy with him.
This is the delightful story of the "Clock" family of little people. They live behind the clock and make their living by "borrowing" things from the "Human Beans" who also live in the house. Young Arrietty does not like being cooped up inside the walls of the house and longs for the freedom of going outside. Her parents are horrified at the thought of her going out because of the constant danger of being seen. Arrietty is extremely lonesome and is willing to take risks in order to have a friend.
Four orphan children are on their own and try to establish a new home for themselves living in an abandoned boxcar. This is the original story which has subsequently been followed by a very long series of mysteries.
This is a real tear-jerker (I cried most of the way through the book). The Kelly family lives in New York City.
Their father has been dead for a year, leaving their widowed mother to care for six children. Mrs. Kelly works
as hard as she can, but the family lives in poverty and the children rarely have enough to eat. When eleven year
old Mike gets caught stealing, Mrs. Kelly decides to send the children away on the Orphan Train so that they can
live in loving homes, have decent clothes to wear, and have enough food to eat. The story is told from the perspective
of thirteen year old Frances who poses as a boy to protect her youngest brother. Through her adventures in her
new home in Missouri she comes to understand the true meaning of her mother's sacrifice. This is the first in a
series of books.
This book would definitely be a read out loud selection. This book is too intense for me to simply hand it to Samantha
and tell her to read it. We would have to read it together and discuss it as we went along.
This is the story of the author's experience with polio at the age of 12 in 1949. She was the only one in her whole town to come down with polio that year. The book chronicles her terror at waking up and not being able to move her arms and legs, and her experiences in rehab at the Sheltering Arms Hospital, where she shares a room with several other girls her own age. The girls form a friendship over their shared experiences as they each fight their individual battle against polio.
Ten and a half year old Sarah Ida is angry about spending the summer at Aunt Claudia's. She has been sent away because her parents can't cope with her. Not only that, her best friend has been caught stealing for kicks. One of the instructions that Sarah's parents gave to Aunt Claudia was that she was to receive no money. Sarah is desperate for money so she is determined to get a job out of spite. Her job as a shoeshine girl ends up teaching her a lot about responsibility, friendship and other life lessons.
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni has just moved to Florida with her father, a preacher. She misses her mother who couldn't stand being a preacher's wife and abandoned her family, and she doesn't have any friends. She runs into a stray dog one day at the Winn-Dixie grocery store and adopts him. She names the dog Winn-Dixie and he becomes her constant companion. The dog helps both Opal and her father open up and make friends and let go of the grief of their abandonment.
This is a sweet story of the friendship between two little girls Betsy and Tacy at the turn of the century. The characters are based on the author and her childhood friends. Betsy and Tacy become friends after they become aquainted at Betsy's fifth birthday party. Betsy has an active imagination and the girls spend a lot of time playing pretend.
This is the story about the virtue of generosity. The pictures in this book are wonderful. The story is pretty simple: there is a quiltmaker who makes beautiful quilts that she will not sell. She will only give them away. There is a rich and greedy king who wants to buy one of her quilts. No matter what he does, she refuses to sell one to him. Finally, she tells him that she will give him a quilt, but only if he meets her conditions.
Mrs. Steele's fourth grade class has been given an assignment to write letters to Miss Murphy's second grade class. The fourth graders are to pretend that they are a mouse living in the second grader's desk. Jenny does not like writing and struggles with her letter and then is horribly disappointed when her second grader does not write back. It turns out that Jenny's pen pal, Semeera, is a new student from Saudi Arabia who does not speak English very well. The teachers put the two students together to try to help Sameera learn English better.
This is a hilarious fractured fairy tale. In the kingdom of Couscous, the first two daughters, named Asphalt and Concrete, are very beautiful ... but their beauty is supposed to pale in comparison to the third daughter. At least that is the way it is supposed to work. Unfortunately, the third princess is a scrawny, buck-toothed, straggly haired, knock-kneed plain looking girl. Everyone likes her because she is sweet natured, but the plain and simple fact is that she is ugly. This throws the kingdom into an uproar. Meanwhile, the King has tired of wise men looking down on him for knowing more than he does and he banishes all wisdom from his kingdom. All wise men are required to stay indoors. So one wise man poses as a fool to try and sneak a little wisdom into the kingdom. When the ugly princess and the wise fool team up ... look out!
I absolutely LOVED the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books when I was a little girl. As soon as Samantha was old enough to sit and listen to a chapter book without pictures, I sat her down and read them to her. Now, when she disappears and I find her hidden away in a corner with a book, it is often one of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. This is the first book (of four) where we meet the unconventional Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle who lives in an upside down house and smells like cookies. She knows everything about children and can cure them of any problem. She introduces the mothers and fathers of the town to the "Won't Pick Up Toys Cure", the "Never Want to Go To Bedders Cure" ... and my absolute favorite of all the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books "The Radish Cure". These stories will have you laughing out loud!
After years of being strictly house cats, Marco and Polo escape into the wonderful, but dangerous outside world and are sent on three challenging adventures by a group of cats known as the Club of Mysteries.
Mandy is a ten year old orphan who lives in a stone orphanage. When out exploring one day, she discovers a deserted cottage and decides to make it her own.
This is a reportedly true, but never verified, story set in Norway in the winter of 1940. Nazi troops parachuted into a small Norwegian town. Twelve year old Peter Lundstrom and his friends love to go sledding after school. Peter's dad who is a banker and Peter's uncle who is the captain of a fishing vessel come up with a plan to keep the towns gold out of the hands of the Nazis. The children could hide the gold in their sleds and take it down to Uncle Victor's ship right under the very noses of the Nazi guards. The children would be risking their lives and their country's fortune to implement this plan. Could it work? This is an exciting book about courage and adventure!
Eleven year old Julie has been assigned a pen pal for her fifth grade writing class. Her pen pal is an elderly woman who lives in a nursing home in Kansas. Julie describes the hilarious mis-adventures that her brother dreams up and she (unfortunately) goes along with. In one of her letters, she tells her pen pal "I think I'm going to be in time-out for the rest of my life". Julie also shares her diagnosis of and struggles with Juvenile Rrheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). This book made me laugh out loud, and it made me cry. (The other parents kept looking at me funny when I was reading this during Christopher's gymnastics class with big tear drops running down my face.)
When an earthquake hits the isolated island in northern California where his family had been camping, twelve-year-old Jonathan Palmer must find a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their dog alive until help arrives.
Joey and Mary Alice live in Chicago with their parents. Starting in 1929, their parents send them to visit their Grandma Dowdel who lives in a small town in Illinois for a week every summer. The story is written from Joey's perspective, now elderly and looking back on his childhood memories. In the prologue, he states that "we could hardly see her town because of Grandma. She was so big, and the town was so small." Grandma Dowdel is a force to be reckoned with and is constantly amazing her grandchildren. The children have memorable adventures, from seeing their first corpse, to feeding the hungry, to entering pies in the annual county fair.
When I first sat down with this book, I had intended to read for a few minutes and then go get some chores done. I didn't stop until I had finished the whole book! The year is 241 in the City of Ember. The people of the city are nervous. They are running out of supplies and the electricity keeps flickering on and off, plunging the entire city into inky blackness. There is nothing beyond the borders of the city but nothingness and blackness. Twelve year olds Lina and Doon think they have discovered the secret of the mysterious Builders. Can they solve the mystery and make the adults believe them in time to save the city?
Nancy Drew is asked to help her father with the case of a swindler. During the investigation, she encounters a very strangely constructed house with a mysterious robot. Count on girl detective Nancy Drew to unravel the clues and solve the mystery.
Gilly is a foster child with a chip on her shoulder. Her heart has been broken so many times that she has decided that no one is ever going to have the opportunity to hurt her again. She does everything she can to keep everyone at a distance - and because of her behavior ends up being moved from foster home to foster home. Her dream is to be reunited with her mother, whom Gilly only vaguely remembers, but idolizes. Then, she is placed in Mrs. Trotter's home, and Gilly devises a plan to be reunited with her mother. Gilly's plan does not work out the way she planned.
Humphrey and his ghost family are cast out of the spooky home when the owners decide to renovate. They run into all kinds of ghosts and spooks and goblins who all have similar difficulties. During their travels they encounter a school boy named Rick who decides that he will set up a ghost sanctuary.
This is the story of the Doll family, Mama Doll, Papa Doll, Nanny Doll, Uncle Doll, Annabelle Doll, Bobby Doll and Baby Betsy Doll. They live in the old dollhouse in eight year old Kate's bedroom. The dolls are a hundred years old and have been handed down from mother to daughter over the generations. At night, when all the humans are asleep, the dolls come to life. Annabelle's Auntie Sarah Doll disappeared from the dollhouse forty-five years ago and no one knows where she has gone. One day, Annabelle discovers Auntie Sarah's old journal and decides that she will uncover the secret to her Aunt's disappearance. Meanwhile, Kate's little sister, Nora, receives her own dollhouse, a plastic Funcraft dollhouse for her birthday, complete with a family of dolls. Annabelle Doll and Tiffany Funcraft form a friendship and the two girls together try to discover the secret of Auntie Sarah's disappearance.
This is one of my all time favorite books. It is a classic good vs evil story. Meg Murray has trouble fitting in at school. Everyone thinks that she is dumb, just like her little brother Charles Wallace. But they aren't dumb, they are both very intelligent in their own way. They team up with Calvin O'Keefe, a boy from Meg's school. Under the tutelage of the mysterious Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, the three children set out on a quest to save Meg and Charles Wallace's father from the evil that holds him. Along the way, they must confront their fears, use their weaknesses as strengths and learn that their father is not omnipotent.
This is the story of a spoiled eleven year old girl named Lucy. Lucy lives the life of a middle class family in Ireland. Schoolwork comes easily to her and she expects to always be the one to win every competition and get anything that she wants. She has no tolerance for the wants and needs of her brother. On the eve of her eleventh birthday, Lucy's grandmother presents her with a Ruby ring. Inside the box, there is a message that indicates that the ring has the power to grant two wishes. Lucy's wish backfires and she ends up being a servant in a large Irish manor 100 years in Ireland's past ... and is unable to return to the present because she has lost the ring.
In a snit of self-pity over losing the lead part in the school play, Kit steals a bracelet from a local store - and gets caught shop-lifting. She enters the juvenile justice system and is sentenced to public service at the local animal shelter. Kit has resolved to keep the whole incident a secret, both from her friends at school and her alcoholic step-father, but keeping that secret strains her relationship with her best friend and necessitates the telling of more and more lies to cover up. The only bright spot for Kit is that she finds she truly enjoys her community service work at the Humane Society.
This clever book is told from the perspective of both the narrator and Pete the cat. It tells the story of the Kendrill family, the human family of Pete the Cat. There have been a number of break-ins in their neighborhood and sixth-grader Alex and first-grader Benjie, the children in the family are getting a little nervous. Benjie loves to play detective and is determined that he will be the one to catch the crooks.
This is the story of a wolf cub named Runt by the leader of the pack because he is the runt of the litter and not expected to survive. It is told from Runt's perspective. It is a story of survival and a story of the struggle of a son for acceptance from his father.
There are so many things I like about this book that I don't know where to start. Miri is 14 years old and has a strong desire to prove herself; this is because her father will not permit her to work in the stone quarry along with the rest of the villagers. Miri thinks it is because she is so small. One day, one of the kings messages arrives in the small village on Mount Eskel to announce that the wise men of the kingdom, as is the custom of this mythical land, have declared where the bride will come from for the soon-to-be-of-age prince. To everyone's surprise, the location is Mount Eskel. The "lowlanders" think of the mountain people as stupid and uncouth. The mountain people think the lowlanders are aloof and snobbish. The lowlanders establish a princess academy where all the girls of the village are required to attend. The villagers do not think much of this "honor" and the girls do not want to go, but the command from the king is not optional. As the girls attend the academy, they learn to read and write, and their eyes are opened up for the first time to the world outside of the stone quarry where they have lived their entire lives. Soon, the girls are caught up in the competition at the academy, and Miri struggles with the desire to be chosen by the prince, and the desire to remain with her family on Mount Eskel.. Along the way, Miri learns a great deal about herself.
It is 1941 and Mariel lives in Brooklyn with Loretta, the nurse who took care of her when she had polio as a young girl and then adopted her. She is a big Brooklyn Dodgers fan. Brick lives in Windy Hill, a small town in upstate New York, where he helps his parents with their apple orchard. After a devastating fire that destroys the orchard, Brick is sent to stay with his mother's best friend, Loretta, in Brooklyn. Together, Brick and Mariel set off on an adventure to try to save what's left of the apple trees in Windy Hill and discover the secret of Mariel's birth mother.
Eragon is a young farmboy out hunting in the woods when he discovers an unusual looking blue rock. He picks it up and takes it home and his life is forever changed, for the rock is really a dragon's egg. The land of Alagaesia where Eragon resides is currently ruled by a tyrannical dragon-riding king. All the dragon riders who were not loyal to this king were hunted down and killed. The theft of the dragon egg has not gone unnoticed, which puts Eragon in grave danger.
This story takes place in the not too distant future. Due to critical food shortages, population laws have been
passed making it illegal for any family to have more than two children. Having a third child is a crime punishable
by the death of that child. Luke is just such a third child; he and his family live in constant fear of the population
police. His parents are farmers and for the first eleven years of his life, he remained hidden on their farm, but
when the totalitarian government decides to take over the land adjacent to their farm and build a subdivision,
Luke must remain indoors away from all windows at all times. Then, one fateful day, he looks out through the vents
of the attic and notices a face in the window of one of the new houses. It is not the face of the two big boys
who live in the house. Could it be that there is another "third" living nearby?
This book is pretty intense. There is the totalitarian government with the population police that hunt down and
kill children whose only crime was being third born in their family. But, there is also a lot to discuss with this
book; we just need to make sure that our daughters are ready to read this without giving them nightmares!
Kate Gordon's father is in charge of an expedition in Baja California. They are searching for a sunken Spanish galleon that disappeared in the 16th century. He believes that on the ship there is a treasure that will prove the existence of Merlin: a mysterious drinking horn out of Authurian legend. Unfortunately, they are running out of funding and running out of time - so they go out searching in a storm and are plunged into an undersea world filled with mysterious creatures and ancienct sorcerers.
During World War II, Eleven-year-old Phillip and his mother are leaving the Dutch island of Curacao and heading back to the safety of the United States when the boat they are on is torpedoed. Phillip is left blinded by the accident and stranded on a deserted island with and old black West Indian man named Timothy. At first, Phillip does not trust Timothy, but over time Timothy not only wins Phillip's trust, but teaches him how to survive.
Who doesn't love a good mystery? Eleven-year-old classmates Petra and Calder try to find a stolen painting, a Vermeer. The thief stole the painting in their hometown of Chicago and sends mysterious clues to the newspaper for the public to decipher. Petra and Calder are convinced that they can solve the mystery. Their search for clues leads them through all kinds of mysterious circumstances. There are lots of puzzles in this book besides just the missing painting ... which makes it more fun!
This is the story of Jon, a boy from another planet who falls through a forgotten door onto the planet earth. In the fall, he takes a nasty bump to his head and cannot remember who he is or where he has come from. He has the ability to read minds and talk to animals. His presence causes danger to the family that takes him in. Can he remember how to get back to his world in time to save himself and his new friends?
This is an original fairy tale. Raphael is an arrogant, selfish, vain prince. When his father dies and leaves him the kingdom, the old king declares that Raphael may not be crowned until he marries a princess that is his equal in every way. The problem is that no one could possibly measure up to Raphael's inflated view of himself. Then, along comes Rosamund who proves herself to be better than equal and then it is Raphael's turn to try and earn her love.
This is the story of Abraham Lincoln. Using (wonderful!) pictures and text, the book describes his life from the day of his birth, up to the end of the civil war.
This is a true story about the Berlin airlift of 1948- 1949. It tells the story of seven year old Mercedes who writes a letter to an American pilot, Lt. Gail Halvorsen, after her mother reads her a story in the Berlin newspaper about how he drops candy to the children of Berlin. The author gives historical background of why the Berlin airlift was necessary before starting into the story. The pictures are wonderful. This is a good age-appropriate introduction to the cold war for third graders. It is also a good lesson on how the actions of one person can make such a difference in the lives of others.
Wanda Petronski wore the same faded-blue dress to school every day. It was always clean, but it looked as though it had never been ironed properly. One day when a classmate showed up wearing a bright new dress that was much admired. Wanda said suddenly, "I have a hundred dresses at home." That had started the teasing game of dresses, which Peggy and Maddie played with Wanda. In figuring out the riddle of the dresses, Peggy and Maddie learn an important lesson and Wanda proves herself to have a heart of gold.
This is a fictionalized account of a true event. Abbie lives on the rocky coast of Maine with her family. Her father is the keeper of a lighthouse and Abbie is his assistant. When a fierce winter storm blows up while Abbie's father is gone to get supplies, and Abbie's mother is sick in bed, young Abbie is the one who keeps the light on in the lighthouse, thus saving many ships.
This book is historical fiction set in the year 1609. Three young children, Amanda, Jemmy, and Meg live in London
with their mother who is a servant in the house of stingy, mean-tempered Mistress Trippett. Their mother is extremely
ill and Mistress Trippett expects young Amanda to do all the work that her mother would normally do. Their father
has been gone to Jamestown for three years with the plan for his family to join him as soon as they can. Young
Amanda proves herself to be quite capable as she manages to keep the family together through their many adventures.
I had to coax Samantha to finish this book. She didn't want to finish it because it starts out with so much tragedy.
Once she finished it, she did like it.
Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger is comfortable with death. This is a good thing since her family runs the funeral home in the small town of Snapfinger, Mississippi. But, when death hits close to home, Comfort has to learn to cope with her grief and find the strength to go on living - even when her best friend, Declaration, appears to be deserting her and her annoying younger cousin, Peach, won't let her out of his sight. There is a lot of humor in this book, and a lot of sadness ... and the mix works very well. I would have rated the book a 10, but the character names were just too annoying (Tidings, Comfort, Joy, Peach, Dismay, etc) This would be a great book club book because there is so much to discuss!!
Ranofar, a young boy living in ancient Egypt struggles to achieve his dream of being a goldsmith like his father. When Ranofar is orphaned, he must live with his evil half brother, Gebu. This is good historical fiction in that you learn a great deal about life in ancient Egypt while you are reading about Ranofar's struggles with Gebu.
This is the second book in the Park Pals series of books. Lexi is a squirrel who lives in Central Park in New York City. He is friends with Pee Wee, a guinea pig who also lives in Central Park in spite of his elders advice to stay away from anyone who is not a squirrel. Pee Wee is curious about a strange man that he and Lexi meet in the park. Pee Wee wants to help the homeless man, but Lexi is afraid of him. This is a sweet tale about friends helping each other out.
This is the story of a boy and his dog. It is written as a series of entries into his school journal. The teacher wants the students to learn about poetry. The boy does not want to, but learns to both appreciate and write poetry in the course of the book. I really like the fact that the author included some of the poems at the back of the book that the student referred to in his notes.
This is the story of nine year old Miguel. His parents have just divorced and he has moved with his mother and younger sister from New York City to a small town in Vermont where his mother has taken a job. Miguel's mother doesn't want the children to be home alone after school while she is working, so she invites her Tia Lola to come and visit from the Dominican Republic for a while to help out. Miguel is having a hard time adjusting to his new school where his is the only brown face in a sea of white. He is embarrassed by everything about Tia Lola. She speaks only spanish; she wears bright colors; she is warm and friendly to everyone she meets. He wants to fit in at his new school by not being different, but everything about Tia Lola is different.
This book is a hoot! The story centers around four boys: Billy and Tom, Alan and Joe. One day after Tom had
to stay in because he refused to eat a single bite of his dinner, Billy states that he would be willing to eat
a single bite of just about anything ... "even worms?" his friends want to know. Thus starts the bet.
Billy and Tom vs Alan and Joe. To win the bet, Billy must eat 15 worms in 15 days. If Billy is up to the task,
he will win $50 from Alan and Joe which is enough to buy the bike he has had his eyes on. Billy starts out barely
able to choke down the worms, but it gets easier as the days go on. Then Alan and Joe, worried that they will actually
have to pay up, start trying every trick they can think of to prevent Billy from eating the worms. You will be
guessing right up until the very end just exactly who is going to win the bet!
There is a lot of good life lessons embedded in this humorous book: duty & honor, responsibility, the consequences
of being a daredevil.
This is the story of William Tell shooting the apple off of his son's head told from the son's perspective. It tells the story of how William stood up to the Austrian tyrant, Gessler, in the marketplace which prompted the challenge of the apple. It concludes with the fight for freedom by the people of Switzerland.
This is the first book in the Molly series that introduces nine-year-old Molly McIntire who lives in America in 1944. Her father, a doctor, has gone to treat wounded soldiers far away. Her mother has taken a job. There are many changes for Molly and her family during this time of war. Meanwhile, on the home front, Molly and her older brother are having a war of their own. At the end of the book, there are historical notes about American life in 1944.
This is the second book in the Molly series. In this story, the girls in Molly's third grade class are competing against the third grade boys as well as the fourth grade girls and boys to come up with the best "Lend-A-Hand" project to aid the war effort. One of the girls in Molly's class comes up with an idea that Molly doesn't like, so Molly decides to do her own project. Worried that her classmates will out do her, she tries to spy on their efforts. In the end, she learns an important lesson. At the end of the book, there are historical notes about American school children doing projects to help the war effort.
The stories contained in the book are all real events. This is a horse story about a band of wild ponies that live on an island off the coast of Virginia and Maryland. Every year the residents of the village near the island round up some of the wild ponies on the island in order to keep it from being over-grazed. Maureen and her brother Paul live on a ranch with their grandparents. They fall in love with Phantom, a wild mare on the island that has never been captured. They decide that they absolutely MUST capture Phantom and have her for their very own. When they do capture the wild Phantom, they learn a lesson about the taming of wild things.
On June 8, 793, the abbey on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne off the coast of Great Britain was destroyed by
Viking Raiders. This story is historical fantasy based on this event. Jack is eleven years old when he and his
little sister are captured and enslaved by raiders from the north known as beserkers. They are carried off by Olaf
One-Brow, and embark on a quest that will have them encountering trolls, giant spiders, dragons, and other magical
creatures.
There is a lot to like about this book. There is a lot of action; the story moves along quickly; Jack learns to
see things from the perspective of the Northmen as well as from the perspective of a Saxon. The thing that I didn't
like about the book is that Christianity is portrayed in a negative light. Near the end of his quest, Jack comes
to the conclusion that all the different heavens from all the different religions are all different branches of
the same tree. The practitioners of magic who tap into the "life force" are portrayed as wise whereas
the characters who are Christians are portrayed in a negative light: unhappy and not too bright. Some of this is
part of the historical setting: Christianity and paganism were practiced side by side in the British Isles for
many years; however, I would want to have a discussion with my child about these issues before I handed her this
book to read similar to the discussion we had about the biblical view of sorcery before I permitted to her read
the Harry Potter books. Since this book is on the Texas Lone Star Reading List, it will be on display in all the
local public libraries and bookstores.
Caleb doesn't remember his mother who died a day after he was born, but big sister, Anna, does. She remembers happier days and wishes that her Papa wasn't so sad all the time. Papa places an ad in the newspaper for a wife and receives an answer from a woman named Sarah. When Sarah writes, she says "I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall". This is the story of how Caleb and Anna come to know Sarah and how Sarah must decide whether she is going to stay or return to her home in Maine.
Abikanile lives in a Yoa village in Africa. Her mother, Njemile, tells her that the slavers are coming. The people in the village must hide from the slavers so that they will not be captured. Njemile has an ingenious plan, if only she can get the villages to listen to her. One of the things that this story illustrates is the importance of listening to the very young and the very old.
This is an illustrated biography of Benjamin Franklin. It tells about his childhood, his apprenticeship to become a printer, his many inventions, his dangerous lightning experiment. It also tells about his political life; how he went to England to try and make peace before the Revolutionary War and how he went to France to recruit the French to help the Americans win the war and how he became the first ambassador to France.
This is the story of little Laura Ingalls traveling across the country in a covered wagon to Missouri. She describes how her Pa built their cabin and barn. She describes her first look at Indians. She describes every day life for the early settlers of the west. This is a wonderful slice of history.
Eleven year old Margaret likes to help her father as he makes his rounds as a country doctor. Her mother does not approve as she thinks that it is not proper for a girl to grow up to be a doctor. The year is 1918 and Margaret's family must adjust as her uncle goes off to fight in World War I. Then, there is a terrible flu epidemic and people all over town are dying. Papa is gone all the time helping people and it is up to Margaret to make the right choices.
It all happened one summer when Jane, one of four children, found a strange coin on the sidewalk. She picked it up. Later, she made a wish, but it only came true by half. In this enchanting story, it takes the children a little while to work out exactly how the magic works. In the meantime, they manage to get themselves into some pretty entertaining situations.
In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new home for their family.
"Keep up your courage, Sarah Noble," her mother had said, but Sarah found that it was not always easy
to feel brave inside. The dark woods were full of animals and Indians, too, and Sarah was only eight!
The true story of Sarah's journey is inspiring. And as she cares for her father and befriends her Indian neighbors,
she learns that to be afraid and to be brave is the greatest courage of all.
This is a tale from the Brothers Grimm. It is the story of a king with three sons who was so sick that everyone thought he would soon die. His sons learn that the water of life can save their father, so they each set out to find it. This is a classic good vs evil fairy tale complete with a beautiful princess, curses for those who do evil and blessings for those who are pure of heart. The pictures in the book are wonderful!
Ten year old Ann Hamilton is lonely. Her family has moved west to the frontier. Even the door of their cabin faces west. She longs for the life that she led when the family lived in Gettysburg, where she had friends her own age. This is a wonderful portrait of the hard life that was led by the pioneers through the eyes of a young girl.
This is a weaving together of several traditional Russian fairy tales. The story is of the huntsman, Alexi, who has gone out into the world to meet his fortune. He encounters a beautiful golden mare and in return for sparing her life, she agrees to serve him. He goes to work for the Tsar who is never satisfied with Alexi's work because all he wants is the golden mare, but she will only serve Alexi. The Tsar gives Alexi more and more difficult tasks to accomplish in the hopes of getting rid of him.
There are so many things I liked about this book, it is hard to know where to start. Twelve year old Rosie is upset with her best friend Bailey. He has said something that has really hurt her feelings, but she doesn't want to talk about it. Granny Torrelli is in the kitchen and has Rosie help her make soup. With wisdom that comes from life experience and her love of Rosie, Granny Torrelli helps Rosie and Bailey mend their friendship. I like the way Granny dispenses wisdom without telling Rosie what to do.
While I think of this as a good "boy book", I also think that the girls would enjoy it, too. An Indian boy who longs for adventure carves out a wooden canoe with a wooden Indian paddling it. He names the toy "Paddle to the Sea" and sets him out on his adventure by placing him in a snow bank because his teacher at school told him that the snow melt drains all the way to the ocean. This book is the story of Paddle-to-the-Sea's adventures on the way to the ocean. The pictures and maps are gorgeous (thus, the Caldecott award) and the story comes to a very satisfying end.
This book is by the same author as Paddle to the Sea, which I really loved, but I thought this book was just okay because it seems contrived; however when I was checking the book out at the library, the librarian indicated that she liked this book better than Paddle to the Sea (i.e. we all have our own opinions on books!). This book tells the story of a cottonwood tree which ends up being on the route of the Santa Fe trail. It starts out as a "medicine" or peace tree for the various Native American tribes in the area. A couple of scout/guides for the wagon trains learn of the tree's history and when the tree dies, they use the wood to make a yoke for their oxen and thus the story of the tree continues on down the Santa Fe trail.
Every night five year old Michael begs his father to tell him a story about Rainbow the hen and the wolf. Michael dictates what should happen in the story and dad plays along by making the story more and more hilarious. This book is a hoot and very fun to read.
This book is the sequel to the equally delightful A Long Way From Chicago (although you don't need to read the first one to enjoy this one). The year is 1937 and due to hard times brought on by the depression 15 year old Mary Alice must go and stay with Grandma Dowdel for an entire year. Mary Alice finds it difficult to fit in to the small town high school where she is known as that rich girl from Chicago. Life is not easy living with Grandma - they work hard to make a living, and she is drawn into Grandma Dowdel's mischievous schemes. This book offers a nostalgic look into small town life during the depression. I recommend it for both adults and children - and I expect that you will be laughing out loud at some of Grandma's Dowel's exploits!
Edwina Osgood-Eddy for short-is making things happen in her town. How does she do it? She simply types a letter to the mayor, alerting him, for example, that a public swing set is a broken mess, and within the week a new one is installed. Nothing could be easier. But of course, there's a catch. Edwina Osgood is also the name of Eddy's wealthy ninety-year-old great-grandaunt. The elder Edwina has unknowingly inspired the younger, after Eddy finds a cache of old letters her aunt wrote during her day so of community activism beginning over sixty years earlier. Eddy wants to fix things, too, but she knows the major isn't likely to listen to a kid. So why not stretch the truth just a little? After all, even if Eddy copies her aunt's signature, it's still her own name she's signing. Eddy's success with the mayor eventually has her writing letters twice a week-and always getting results. But sooner or later, a lie, no matter how small, will catch up with you, and Eddy's about to find out that the most rewarding victory is achieved through honesty.
Birdie Boyer and her family have just moved into the old Roddenberry place in the Florida backwoods. Birdie
is looking forward to making new friends. Her family is planning to raise sugar cane, oranges, and strawberries.
Unfortunately, the old Roddenberry place is situated right next to the Slater place, and the Slater family does
not take a shine to their new neighbors. How will Birdie manage to make friends if her family is feuding with the
Slater family?
One note: most of the dialogue in this book is written in phonetic dialect ... so even though the reading level
is 4.6, the girls may have some difficulty deciphering some of the dialogue (but I think they'll figure most of
it out)
This is the story of an eccentric old woman who lives down in Blackberry Bottom with her many animals. Her only human contact is her weekly visits into town to buy supplies. The adults stay away from her place because it smells so bad, and the children stay away because they are all convinced she is a witch. Then, a new family moves in near her house and the children Patsy and Jim meet and enchanted by Miss Slade before all the children in town tell them to stay away. They like her and want to be friends. This is a gentle story of friendship with subtle lessons in not judging others by their appearance, and how your appearance does matter.
This is a fairy tale about Despereaux, who happens to be a very small mouse with very large ears born in a large castle. He is a nonconformist: he likes to read books instead of eat them; he likes to stop and listen to music instead of scurrying. His nonconformity and his love of the Princess end up getting him banished to the dungeon, where he must be brave in spite of his small size if he is to save himself and the princess.
Cervantes the mouse lives in an antique bookstore behind a wall of encyclopedias. One day, he has an encounter with the bookstore cat that leads him into an adventure story. As he reads the story, he participates in the action. The book contains lots of puns and other wordplay and is a lot of fun to read.
Young Emily Bartlett has a very active imagination that sometimes gets her into trouble. She thinks that nothing exciting ever happens on her farm in a small town in Oregon. One day her cousin, who lives in the big city of Portland, writes to her telling her about all the wonderful books she has checked out from the library. Emily decides that the small town of Pitchfork needs a library ... and she sets her runaway imagination on this task with a vengeance!
Pandora the cat has chosen to be a lighthouse keeper in order to save lives because a lighthouse had once saved her. The life of a lighthouse keeper can be lonesome, but Pandora was dedicated. Then, one day, Seabold, the seafaring dog washes up on the shore of the lighthouse island. Pandora enjoys his company, but knows that he will only stay until his injuries are healed and his boat has been repaired. Seabold has always enjoyed his solitary life out at sea, but as he and Pandora spend time together, he finds that he does enjoy the company. This is a very sweet book that explores what it means to be a family.
This book tells the origins of Merlin, the magician in the King Arthur stories. The book starts with a young seven year old boy and a woman washing up on the rocky coast of Wales. He takes a good whack to the head on a rock and has no memory of his life before this point. Five years later, at the age of twelve, young Emrys, which the woman says is his name, starts to develop magical powers. He has very little control of these new powers and they terrify him. After a terrible accident, in which young Emrys' face is burned and his eyes are left sightless, he decides that he must seek out the answers to the questions of his origins. While on this quest, he encounters a great evil, which must be overcome. This is well-written classic good vs. evil story and I enjoyed it very much.
Mrs. Olinski's 6th grade team in the Academic Bowl handily beats the 7th and 8th grade teams in their school to move on to greater and great competition. Everyone keeps asking Mrs. Olinski how she chose her unlikely team: Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian. I'll have to be honest: I didn't think I would like this book based on the description of the plot. But, this book really is more than just about an academic competition. It is the story of how Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian come together to form a friendship, and come to know themselves ... which is quite an accomplishment for a 12 year old! In the process, they help Mrs. Olinksi, who has returned to teaching after a ten year's absence due to a terrible car accident.
This is heartwarming story about a Jewish family living in New York City at the turn of the century. There are five girls in the family: Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie. The family is financially poor, but very rich in family, love, and spirit. The story revolves around the day to day life of the children: their adventures in the market with their mother, their adventures going to visit the father at work, fireworks on the fourth of July, etc. I really liked the way the author described the family's observances of the Jewish holidays. From reading the reviews on the back cover, the book is a fictionalized rendition of the author's own childhood memories
This book is a tells the story of Katie Takeshima in first person narrative. Katie adores her older sister Lynn; but you know right away that something has happened to Lynn because Katie speaks of her in the past tense from the first chapter. This is not really a children's book, even though it is told from the perspective of a child. The book is depressing ... Katie's family endures poverty, prejudice, sickness, and eventually Lynn's death in Georgia in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Her parents work all the time for meager wages in the poultry industry trying to make ends meet. There is a lot of talk about forming a worker's union, which Katie's parents are against until after Lynn's death.
This is the story of ten year old Annemarie and her best friend Ellen who live in Nazi occupied Denmark with their families. Ellen's family is Jewish and Annemarie's family is Christian. At the beginning of the Jewish New Year, the rabbi at Ellen's synagogue warns everyone that the Nazis are going to round up all the Jews and take them away. What follows in the story of how Annemarie's family risk their lives to save Ellen's family. This is a fictionalized account of a true event. It is a little intense - as any true story about the Nazi holocaust must be. True heros emerge to give hope in the midst of evil.
This is a true story of events that occurred during the civil war. Fifteen year old Union Soldier, Sheldon Russell
Curtis, Say for short, was wounded in battle and left for dead somewhere in Georgia. Young Pinkus Aylee, Pink for
short, also a Union Solder with skin the color of mahogany finds Say and takes care of him and they form a friendship.
As this is a true story of war, this book is intense, and people die; however, I think that the wonderful
story that it tells makes it worth the sadness in reading it.
Garnet found a silver thimble in the sand by the river and she was sure it had magic, for the summer had proved exciting and interesting in so many different ways. There was the coming of Eric, an orphan and such a nice addition to the family; the building of a new barn with money loaned by the government; and the fair at which Garnet's carefully tended pig won a blue ribbon and three dollars and a half! Every day brought pleasure of some kind to Garnet of the flying pigtails, for she was bursting with energy and good spirits and she loved the outdoors and growing things.
This is the story of two boys, Chuck and David, who answer an advertisement in the local paper asking for children to enter a spaceship making contest. The winner will get to go on an adventure and perhaps do a good deed. The boys enter the contest and end up on the adventure of a lifetime! This book, which was originally written in the 1950's, is about space flight before manned space flight really occurred. The boys fly off to the planet Basidium where the mushroom people are in dire straights. Can the boys help the mushroom people in time?
In a series of letters to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw, sixth-grader Leigh Botts starts to work out the difficulties in his life. Leigh is struggling with his parents' divorce, being the new kid in school, and having someone at school stealing all the "good stuff" out of his lunch box. Leigh is helped along by his friendship with Mr Fridley, the school custodian, and by Mr. Henshaw's answers to his letters.
I have to admit that I am a fan of fractured fairy tales, and this is a take off on the story of Sleeping Beauty. In this story, the Princess Sonora has been given many gifts by the fairies: beauty, a loving heart, intelligence, good health, gracefulness, brilliance ... and then the one fairy who had not been invited to the baby naming ceremony gave her the curse of being pricked by a spindle to die. The last fairy modifies the curse so that Princess Sonora will only fall into a 100 year sleep instead of die. Well, in this story, Princess Sonora decides that she will determine the time for her to prick her finger instead of leaving it to chance. She hides a spindle in her room and tries to figure out when the best time will be for a one hundred year nap.
Twelve year old Jade Blossom chafes against the constraints placed on her as the daughter of an aristocrat in seventeenth century Korea. She wants to see the outside world, but the rules of her society do not permit girls or women to be seen outside of their family compounds.
Twelve year old Anand lives in poverty in Calcutta with his mother and ill sister. Because of hard times, his father took a job overseas and then disappeared without a trace, leaving the family in desperate straights. Anand has had to leave school to take a job to help his small family survive. He is a compassionate boy who likes to dream about the magical stories he used to read before poverty forced him to sell all of his books. One day, an old man appears to him requested his assistance with a dangerous journey to return a magical conch to its rightful place high in the Himalayas. The quest involves danger and self-discovery and, of course, magic. The only reason I didn't rate the book higher is that I didn't like the ending, but that ending would provide good fodder for discussion!
In 1878, Eleven year old Annabel and her parents leave their ruined farm in northern Michigan and move to a lumber camp where her father takes a job as a lumberjack and her mother takes a job as the camp cook. In the spring, when the ice breaks up, they build a floating bunk house and a wanigan to live in as they follow the logs down the river for the three months it will take to get to the sawmill. The story is told from Annabel's point of view. She starts out the trip with a very bad attitude, but slowly comes around to enjoying what life has dished out for her.
This is a fictionalized biography of Nathaniel Bowditch who grew up the son of a sea captain in the town of Salem during the Revolutionary War era. Nat's family didn't expect him to become a sailor because he was too small in stature; his grandmother was sure he'd be blown over by a gale. Nat was a mathematical genius who was forced to quit school at the age of 12 to start earning his own keep. Through dogged perseverance, Nat teaches himself nautical navigation, until he becomes a navigational genius as well. Eventually, Nat wrote The American Practical Navigator, the publishing of which made him a hero.
An affectionate, sometimes bashful pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. A prancing, playful bloke, Wilbur is devastated when he learns of the destiny that befalls all those of porcine persuasion. Determined to save her friend, Charlotte spins a web that reads "Some Pig," convincing the farmer and surrounding community that Wilbur is no ordinary animal and should be saved. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, E.B. White reminds us to open our eyes to the wonder and miracle often found in the simplest of things.
The Herdman children are absolutely horrible. They terrorize all the kids in public school. They do things like steal the weight chart from the nurses office at school and blackmail all the chubby kids. They all smoke cigars, even the girls. Their father abandoned the family and their mother works double shifts to stay away from her kids. Then, one day Charlie got mad at Leroy Herdman for stealing his dessert from his lunch box three days in a row and he bragged that he could have as much dessert as he wanted on Sunday after Sunday School. This piqued all of the Herdman children's interest in church ... and the next Sunday they all showed up in church for the first time looking for free food. Well, since it was right around Thanksgiving, there was food and the Herdmans decided to hang around ... and naturally, they all volunteered to be in the Christmas pageant. What follows is a look at the Christmas story with the fresh insight of someone who has never heard the story before.
This is a story about a homeless man named Armand who lives on the streets of Paris. Armand cherishes his solitary
life and has no desire to get a job and find a "normal" place to live. Then he runs into a recently homeless
family consisting of a mother, a dog, and three children. Armand has no use for children, but the children can
see through his gruff exterior to the true Armand who has a heart of gold.
As for reading a book about homelessness to our third graders: this is a sweet story with a happy ending. You will
probably have to answer some questions about gypsies. And I expect that this book will generate a good discussion
about the ethics of stealing.
This book is just plain fun! Eleven year old Sallie and her fifteen year old sister Maude are orphans living with their Aunt Ruthie when a stray shot from the town tavern kills their Aunt, leaving them orphaned again. When the girls are taken in by a self-serving couple more interested in how much they can work than anything else, the girls decide to cut off their hair, dress like boys and go west to look for their uncle. This is where the fun begins as the girls have the kind of adventures that Sallie is always reading about in her dime paperback novels. Trouble is that Maude keeps getting blamed for things she didn't do (like rob a bank!), so the girls are on the run.
This is a fictional account of a true event that took place in occupied France during World War II. Twenty school children have been evacuated to the French countryside where they are being taken care of by Sister Gabriel. When they are asked to take in ten Jewish orphans, the children all agree even though the know the risks. This is an exciting story of courage in the face of great danger.
This is historical fiction set in the summer of 1944 in New York. Every summer, Lily along with her father and grandmother escape the heat of New York City to spend the summer at the beach in Rockaway. Lily's mother died when she was little, so her father and grandmother are all that she has. The summer of 1944 is different. Lily's father is going into the army, and Lily's best friend at the beach moves away so that her father can work in a factory building war planes. Lily befriends Albert, a Hungarian refugee orphaned by the Nazis. Lily and Albert have both suffered losses in their young lives - and they learn from each other - and build a lasting friendship.
This is a sweet story about Miss Hickory, a doll whose body was an apple-wood twig and whose head was a hickory nut. She is left to fend for herself during the harsh New Hampshire winter when great granny Brown packs up her things and moves to the Women's City Club in Boston for the winter. Miss Hickory has adventures with her friends and neighbors: Crow, Bull Frog, Ground Hog, Squirrel (who is always eyeing her head rather greedily), and Mr. T. Willard-Brown the barn cat.
This book is based on the life of the author's grandmother's childhood in Wisconsin in 1864. Caddie would rather run wild with her brothers than help her mother in the house. Her Boston-bred mother is in despair of ever making a proper lady out of her. She makes friends with the local Indian tribe; they are fascinated with her red hair. She is big-hearted and full of mischief. I think you will be as delighted with Caddie's antics as I was!
Nothing ever changes for Princess Sylvie who has been 12 years old for more than 80 years. Every time the Reader reads the book, the story is always the same. Then, one day, Sylvie discovers that she can have new adventures by leaving the confines of the book and entering the imagination of the Reader. There she finds adventure ... and danger. This is a unique fairy tale!
This is the story of the Moffat family, Sylvie, Joey, Janey, and Rufus who live in the yellow house on New Dollar Street with their mother in Cranbury, Connecticut. They live their lives and have many adventures, like the time they used a pumpkin and a dressmakers dummy to make a ghost in the attic to scare the neighborhood bully on Halloween, or the time that they offer to show the Salvation Army man the way to his meeting and when he lets them drive the team of horses, they accidentally dump him out the back of the wagon when going uphill. The family may not have much money, but they are rich in love and caring for each other.
This is a very sweet story about the small animals that live on Rabbit Hill. There is a lot of excitement in the air because "new folks" are coming to live in the big house. The small animals speculate on whether they will plant a garden or have a large, dangerous dog. This is a great book for animal lovers. A child who craves a book with a lot of action would probably be bored with the story.
Abel has always been comfortable in mouse society. His mother gives him a generous allowance and he has never worked a day in his life. He is married to the lovely Amanda and the two of them live a life of ease. Then one hot August day, a terrible storm carries him away and he ends up stranded on an island in the middle of the river with no way to get off. Abel must learn to survive in his primitive environment using only his wits and what he can scrounge up from the land around him. While he learns to survive, he dreams of returning to his lovely Amanda.
This is historical fiction set in the summer of 1777. The story alternates between Samuel Russell, a fourteen year old Quaker "friend", and Stands Straight, a young Abenaki Indian on a scouting mission for King George. Samuel is called a coward by former friends when he and his congregation refuse to fight in the Revolutionary War. Stands Straight believes that all white Americans are his enemies because his mother and brother were killed by white men. This book tells the exciting story of how the Abenaki scouts meet up the Quaker congregation ... and it reminds us that peaceful solutions are possible even in the most volatile situations.
Taran lives in the imaginary medieval land of Prydain in a small village where he is assistant pig-keeper whose job it is to help with the animals and the vegetable garden. Like most boys, he longs for adventure. One ordinary day, adventure comes calling and although Taran does his best to save his country from evil, mostly he just muddles through with the help of others. This is the first of the Prydain chronicles books.
Bird is an outcast in the sixth grade. Her only friend is Miss Delphine who lives next door. Then, one day, a new boy comes to school. Since he is an outcast, too, Bird decides to make him her friend. In the midst of this, the teacher at school announces that there will be a spelling bee. Bird wants to enter, but there is a catch. The spelling bee competes in pairs, so everyone must have a partner, and no one wants to be Bird's partner, so she plucks up her courage and talks Harlem, the new boy, into being her spelling bee partner. Out of this partnership, a friendship grows. This is a heartwarming and uplifting book.
This is the sequel to The City of Ember. Lina and Droon have led the citizens of Ember away from their dying city outside where everything is new: trees, the sun, the sky. The refugees end up in the town of Sparks where some of the few people who survived the time of "the disaster" have finally started to prosper after years of just eking out a living. Tension mounts between the people of Sparks and the people of Ember; the food supply is not abundant, the people of Ember are pretty helpless in their new world, there are many misunderstandings, the people of Sparks aren't sure they want to help these strange outsiders.
One September evening, Gregory ties an index card with his name and address on it to the string of a silver
helium balloon. He lets the balloon go out his window, into the city sky, hoping someone somewhere will find it.
Three weeks later, an envelope arrives in the mail. Someone named Pete has found his balloon! Gregory writes back,
and the two become pen pals, exchanging mystery gifts with their letters. Gregory must use his best detective skills
to figure out what each object Pete sends is, everyone more exciting than the last.
I'm sure that the author of this book had a wonderful time dreaming up all the characters in this book. Sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been in and out of many foster homes since the disappearance of their parents. Their caseworker is at her wits end with them when from out of the blue, their grandmother asks to take them in. The girls are confused, their parents told them that their grandparents were dead. When they arrive at their grandmother's house in the town of Ferryport Landing and she starts talking about giants, fairies, pixies, talking pigs, and other fairy tale characters, they are quite sure that she is insane. It turns out that the girls are descendants of the famous Brothers Grimm, and the stories they told were not really fairy tales, but events that really happened to the "ever afters". The "ever afters" escaped persecution in Europe by coming to New York over 200 years ago and going into hiding. The immortal "ever afters" live side by side with the normal folks in the town of Ferryport Landing. When the girls arrive at their Granny Relda's house, she is hot on the trail of a marauding giant - and it is up to the Grimms to solve the riddle of who let the giant out and sending him back where he belongs.
This is the second book in the series that follows the adventures of Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. The girls have been knee deep in mystery since they arrived at their Granny Relda's house, but their caseworker shows up to insist that the girls must go to school. They are enrolled at Ferryport Landing Elementary School. Daphne is delighted to have Snow White for a teacher, but Sabrina is stuck with Mr. Grumpner - who lives up to the his name - and then ends up hanging dead from a giant spider web after Sabrina's first day of school. Once again, it is up to the Grimm family to solve the mystery.
This is the story of a young girl called Mouse set in medieval England. She doesn't have a proper name because she was abandoned at Dunston Manor as a baby. She was raised as a scullery made and treated very poorly for all her years. One day she is severely beaten for eating the leftover food on the table after the family of the Manor has eaten and she runs away. In her adventures, she encounters a puppeteer and she dreams of becoming a puppeteer herself. The gruff, unfriendly puppeteer refuses to take her in as an apprentice, but Mouse eventually convinces him.
This is a very sweet book about the events that shape who we become. It follows two small town teenagers, Debbie and Hector as they try to figure out where they fit in life. The events of every day life swirl around them and shape who they will become. The line drawings in the midst of the chapters were cute. Reading this book reminded me of my life when I was fourteen - and all the insecurities I felt.
For thirteen-year-old Ellsworth, family has always been just him and his Dad. His mother died giving birth,
so he never knew her. His Dad does not have contact with any of the rest of his family. Then, one day he receives
a request for help from a relative that he has never met. Ellsworth gets permission from his dad to go and enters
into the history and mystery of his family. Ellsworth is needed to help find the last of three treasures hidden
by a wealthy ancestor. Three treasures were originally hidden; two were found during times of great need.
There is a lot to like about this book. There is a mystery to solve. There are realistic conflicts going on between
the people in the story. In the process of learning about his family history, Ellswoth learns the importance of
family ties.
This is a true story about the Van Alstyne family. They lived outside Albany City in the British Colony of New York. The story is set in 1756 during the French and Indian war. Teunis, the father, is called away with the militia to fight leaving Gertrude behind with 10 year old Edward and 6 year old Trudy. Before Teunis leaves, Edward asks him why he always takes his musket instead of the old matchlock gun that hangs over the fireplace. So, Teunis shows Edward how to fire the old matchlock gun before he goes off with his musket. This is a story of courage and bravery.
This is the story of eleven year old Marty Preston who lives in the hills near Friendly, West Virginia. One day he finds a shy little beagle whom he suspects has been abused. He takes the dog home and falls in love with him and names him Shiloh. It turns out that the little dog belongs to Judd Travers. Nobody much likes Judd Travers because he is mean and ornery. Marty's parents make him return the dog to Judd and Marty promises Judd that if the dog runs away again he will return him. Then, Marty finds Shiloh again. He wants to keep him, but he knows he would be stealing, but he wants to protect the dog from being mistreated by Judd. In the process, he learns that it is not always easy to separate write from wrong.
This is an adventure story about Professor William Waterman Sherman who left San Francisco on August 15th, 1883 to fly solo in his single balloon craft across the Pacific Ocean. On September 8th, 1883, the same Professor was picked up in the Atlantic ocean by an ocean liner clinging to the wreckage of a platform with 20 partially deflated balloons attached to it. The whole country waits to hear is fantastic tale, which he will tell first to The Western American Explorers' Club. He tells a grand story about his flight in the balloon and how he came to land on the Pacific Island of Krakatoa and how he managed to leave the Island of Krakatoa shortly before it blew up.
This is an absolute gem of a book ... the plot sounded lame to me, but once I started reading it the world around me disappeared and I just couldn't make myself stop until the very end. The basic story line is that the school children in the little Dutch fishing village of Shora wonder why the storks do not nest in their town. The storks nest in the neighboring towns, but not theirs. The children set out to bring the storks back to Shora. Along the way, the children learn to work together; that everyone can contribute something to the common good; the value of perseverance. Moms, you will enjoy this one as much as your daughters!
This is a story based on a Polynesian legend. Mafatu is afraid of the sea because it killed his mother when he was just a young boy. All the people in his village call him a coward. When he can stand the teasing no longer, he sets out to prove to himself and the others that he is not a coward.
As Bethany approaches her 13th birthday, her parents are acting stranger and stranger and her mother cries all the time. Then, without any explanation, they drop her off with an Aunt she didn't even know she had. Bethany struggles to figure out the mystery of what is going on as her parents disappear into the night. She has no way to contact them. Then, her father calls and tells her she is in danger ... and then a strange man appears and he knows her name. This book definitely has a lot of suspense and would make a great book for discussion.
I debated whether or not to put this on the acceptable or not recommended list because of the parents of the two princesses of Bamarre. The mother died of the "grey death" when the girls were little, leaving them with just a father. The father is cowardly, aloof, mindless and lacks any redeeming qualities whatsoever. This leaves the two princesses pretty much on their own. It bothers me when parents are portrayed in such a negative way. The two princesses are complete opposites, Princess Meryl is bold and brave; Princess Addie is fearful and shy and depends upon her sister to protect her. They live in a fantasy world filled with dragons, goblins, ogres and specters. When Princess Meryl falls ill with the grey death, it is up to shy, fearful Princess Addie to save her sister. The reason that this book is on the acceptable list is that Princess Addie's quest reveals an inner strength that she didn't know she had ... and the power of love to give courage to the fearful.
This is the story of the small animals that live in a small patch of woods on Long Island. The story focuses on young Bagley Brown, Jr. who lives in the shadow of his famous father. Bagley Brown must overcome his fears and find his own way to step out of that shadow and in the process, he has quite an adventure. While I think of this as being more of a "boy book", I think that the girls would enjoy it, too. It is a very sweet, straightforward story and the book has lots of illustrations.
This is the second book in the Prydain Chronicles, after The Book of Three. Once again Taran, the assistant pig keeper of Caer Dallben, along with his faithful companions sets off on a quest to help rid the kingdom or Prydain of evil. The quest is to destroy the Black Cauldron from the evil lord Arawn. Taran has grown a little wiser in this second quest, but still has a lot to learn along the way. During the quest, he learns the meaning of sacrifice and he also learns how to deal with another hot-headed difficult teenager such as himself.
Twelve-year-old Polish orphan Rodzina is picked up off the streets of Chicago shortly after her mother dies and is put on an orphan train out west. The children on the street have told her that the orphan train children are being sent out west to be unpaid slaves for the families that adopt them. Rodzina is afraid and angry and unhappy. She is sure that no one will want her into their family because she is large and not very pretty. As the train moves westward, all of the more appealing children are adopted one by one. Rodzina is afraid that she will be the only one left. The story is told in first person narrative from Rodzina's viewpoint.
This is the story of how George, the red cross knight, slays a dragon. The story is straightforward and the illustrations are gorgeous! I sat down and read this book to Samantha and my cousin's little girl and they were both enchanted by it. This is a read aloud selection. I believe that there is a lot of value in sharing traditional fairy tales, myths and legends with our children.
There are two Arthurs in this book, the thirteen year old one narrating the story, and the legendary King Arthur, whom Arthur can see in the seeing stone given to him as a gift by none other than Merlin. Arthur recounts life as the son of a knight on the boundary between England and Wales in the year 1199. It gives a good glimpse into the harsh realities of life in that age and time. There are parallels between young Arthur's life in 1199 and young King Arthur's life as depicted in the seeing stone. This is the first book of a planned trilogy and I look forward to reading about Arthur's continuing adventures.
The Tuck family accidentally discovered a spring ... that once you drink from it, you will live forever. What are they to do when someone else discovers the secret of their longevity? This book was really good and I think that the girls would get a lot out of reading and discussing the themes: life, death, do the ends justify the means, what would it be like to live forever?
Portia and Foster go to the country to spend the summer with their Aunt and Uncle and cousin Julian. Portia and Julian discover an abandoned resort village on the shores of a lake that was drained by the construction of a dam. Living in the village are two aged, loveable eccentrics who lived at the resort when they were children. This is an enchanting tale of childhood at its best - exploring and discovering and making new friends.
Eleven-year-old Gregor lives in an apartment building in New York City with his mother, his grandmother, and
his two sisters. His father has been missing for more than two years and his grandmother is sinking into senility,
so it is Gregor's job to babysit his two year old sister during the summer while his other younger sister goes
to camp. Two-year old "Boots" crawls through a grate in the basement laundry room and Gregor goes to
retrieve her - and they both end up falling into the dark "Underland", a world that exists under the
ground. In Underland, there are six-foot talking rats, bats, cockroaches, and spiders; there is also a race of
human "underlanders". Gregor's only thought is to return home with his sister with the rest of the family,
but must complete a prophetic quest before it will be possible for him to leave.
I really liked this book. The story moves along quickly and there is a lot of action. The note on the inside back
flap said that the author got the idea for this book when she wondered what city kids would think about "Alice
in Wonderland". The Underworld that she created has some pretty memorable characters in it!
This is not the Disney version of Mary Poppins. This Mary Poppins is a little bit vain. As she takes the children on various adventures, she chides them if they should even suggest that anything out of the ordinary has happened to them. The adventures are simply magical. I read this book out loud to Samantha and she never wanted it to end. We ended up reading all of the Mary Poppins books.
This is a quirky story. It starts out with an introduction about mermaids and tree dwellers and dwarves. Then it moves into a small kingdom where the prime minister is trying to write a dictionary. The trouble starts when no one can agree on the meaning of the word "delicious". The prime minister thinks that delicious means freshly fried fish. The King thinks that delicious means a crisp juicy apple and the Queen thinks that delicious means Christmas pudding. To solve the disagreement, the prime minister sends his twelve year old son, Gaylen, out to poll all the people throughout the kingdom. The definition that gets the most votes will be the meaning of delicious in the dictionary. Unfortunately, the king's brother-in-law, Hemlock, uses the search for the meaning of delicious to cause dissent in the kingdom.
This is an adventure story of a boy who is fleeing from criminal charges. He falls in with a con man, a dwarf, and a female street urchin. Their travels eventually lead them to the court of the king who is not minding the kingdom because he is grieving the death of his daughter. Because of the king's neglect there is a lot of political upheaval in the kingdom of Westmark. Would make a good springboard for discussion of current political issues.
Eleven year old Adam loves nothing more than to travel around medieval England with his minstrel father, Roger and his faithful dog, Nick, learning to be a minstrel himself. Then, one fateful day, Nick is stolen and Adam gets separated from Roger while chasing the thief. Adam's adventures go from there while he travels all around England looking for his missing dog and his missing father. He encounters all different kinds of people. Some are kind and helpful, some are not. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end.
Ralph Mouse lives with his family behind the walls of room 215 of the Mountain View Inn. He always likes it when there are children staying in room 215, especially boys, because they can usually be counted on to leave little bits of food lying around for Ralph and his family. One day, a young boy named Keith checked in with his family. Ralph watched entranced from his mouse hole while Keith played with his toy motorcycle. As soon as Keith leaves the room, Ralph is off to check out the motorcycle. All he wants to do at first is to sit on it. This is a sweet story of how Ralph falls in love with the motorcycle and the exciting adventures that he has with it.
Sparrowhawk grows up poor in a small village in the fantasy world of Earthsea. He yearns to prove himself and gets a chance when he is apprenticed to a great wizard. Sparrowhawk's pride drives him constantly and eventually he unleashes a terrible evil upon his world. It is up to Sparrowhawk to undo the terrible evil he has done - but he may not be up to the task.
Eighth grader Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends are impressed by their classmate, Calvin Schwa's ability to be invisible right before your very eyes. With Calvin's approval, they start running experiments to figure out why people do not see him. Then, they decide to capitalize on his unusual ability; with Antsy as his agent, Calvin sneaks into the teacher's break room at school, listens in on conversations - all for a fee, of course. Their fortunes change when they accept a dare to steal a dog bowl from one of Mr. Crowley's fourteen dogs. Mr. Crowley is a grouchy, eccentric, millionaire with agoraphobia - who happens to be one of the 20% of folks who can actually see "The Schwa". To keep from getting in trouble, Calvin and Antsy are required to walk Mr. Crowley's dogs every day - and watch out for Lexie, Mr. Crowley's blind granddaughter. The three form a friendship - each learning from the other.
This is a wonderful story of the friendship between Chester the Cricket from Connecticut, Tucker mouse, and Harry Cat. Chester has accidentally fallen into a picnic basket and carried into the Times Square subway station where he is found by Mario Bellini. The Bellini family runs a struggling newsstand in the station. Crickets are supposed to bring good luck ... and Chester does bring some to the Bellini family.
This is the story of Kansan Dorothy who is magically transported to the land of oz by a cyclone. Her house lands on and kills the Wicked Witch, freeing the people of Munchkinland. When Dorothy wants to return home to Kansas, everyone tells her that she must consult with the Wizard of Oz for help. The famous movie is based on this book, but the book is (in my humble opinion) better and not nearly as scary.
It is 1893, and the Beckett family lives on a farm in rural Illinois. One day a letter arrives from Mama's wealthy, estranged sister, Aunt Euterpe. She invites the family to come and visit her in Chicago. She feels that the children need some culture, so she decided to take them to the Chicago World's Fair. The ensuing chaos turns the family upside down. The children have never been further away from home than a horse drawn cart can carry them in a day. The trip to Chicago will leave an indelible mark on them.
Fourth grader Ida B. is an only child and is home schooled by her parents. They live on and run an apple orchard in Wisconsin. Her life is described as idyllic until her mother comes down with breast cancer. Because of her mother's illness, the family must sell part of their apple orchard and Ida B. must attend public school. Ida B. has a lot of anger over all the adjustments she is forced to make. I rated this book fairly low because I thought Ida B. was awfully self-centered and I just didn't like her very much. (I find it hard to like a book when I don't like the main character in it.) However, it might be a great book for discussion purposes.
This book is based on a true event that occurred in Phippsburg, Maine in 1911 when the white residents of the town wanted to get rid of all the black and foreigh born residents of nearby Malaga Island. Thirteen year old Turner Buckminster III is the son of the new preacher in town and it takes him less than a day to learn to hate his new town. When he doesn't fit in, he makes friends with Lizzie Bright, the first negro he has ever met. In spite of the disapproval of his father and the entire town, Turner tries to stand up for the residents of Malaga. Because the story is based on true historical events, the book does not have a feel-good happy ending, but it would provide a lot of fodder for discussion.
This book tells the stories of 8 different dogs who were adopted from the animal shelter. There is a photograph of each dog included with the chapter. These are all "warm your heart" stories that will make you want to run right down to the nearest animal shelter and adopt a stray. The dogs listed all went on to win awards, save lives, enrich the lives of others.
Hitty is a doll of great charm and character. It is indeed a privilege to publish her memoirs, which, besides being full of the most thrilling adventures on land and sea, also reveal her delightful personality. One glance at her portrait will show that she is no ordinary doll. Hitty, or Mehitable was she was really named, was made in the early 1800s for Phoebe Preble, a little girl from Maine. Young Phoebe was very proud of her beautiful doll and took her everywhere, even on a long sailing trip in a whaler. This is the story of Hitty's years with Phoebe, and the many that follow in the life of a well-loved doll.
Twelve year old Moose is not happy about having to move to Alcatraz Island with his family, but it is 1935 and
the country is in a depression making jobs hard to find and Moose's father has taken a job as a prison guard. The
family moves to the island to live in the apartments with the other guards and their families. Moose's parents
hope to send his older sister, Natalie, to a special school in San Francisco. Natalie is autistic; autism was not
classified as an illness until years later, so in 1935, she is just "weird". Moose's mother takes on
a job in order to help pay for Natalie's needs - leaving Moose in charge of his sister, which he does not want
to do. Moose also has trouble with Piper, the daughter of the warden, who is always getting all of the kids into
trouble with her schemes.
Spoiler warning (don't read on if you don't want plot elements to be given away) While Moose
is in charge of Natalie, he leaves her sitting alone while he goes off in search of a baseball. When he comes back,
he finds her sitting hand-in-hand with one of the prisoners. He does not know what happened while they were together
and Natalie is not capable of telling him. At one point, Piper says "What are you so worried about? It's not
like she is pregnant or anything?" The question of whether or not Natalie was raped is never answered.
Robin is the son a knight in the middle ages in England. Plague is sweeping the country. Robin becomes ill and through his illness loses the use of his legs. All of the servants in the household either die of the plague or leave. Robin is rescued by a monk who takes him in, nurses him back to health, and tries to teach him to cope with the loss of the strength in his legs. In the end, Robin learns that he can make a contribution to society in spite of his disability.
I started out reading this book with the preconceived idea that I was not going to like it (even though it won a number of awards). The whole idea of a boy being sent to a correctional facility for something that he didn't do did not appeal to me. Anyway, I did end up liking it. It is a quirky sort of story with just a little bit of fantasy thrown in. Stanley Yelnats is convicted of stealing a pair of sneakers (that he didn't steal) and sent to "Camp Greenlake Correctional Facility for boys". The deal is that the lake dried up years ago and the boys are tasked with digging a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter every day. Once their hole is dug, they are free to relax for the rest of the day. Stanley, who starts out chubby and out of shape, had trouble at first, but soon he becomes fit from the exercise. He also makes a good friend at the camp. Together, they learn the secret of why they are digging holes - and in the process Stanley and his friend learn to value themselves
This book is of the fantasy genre. This book was first published in 1902 - the setting is that time period in the countryside of England. Five children have moved with their family from the city of London to the country. While exploring their new surroundings, they discover a Psammead, which is an ancient, ugly and irritable sand fairy. The sand fairy will grant them one wish a day, but the wish will expire at sunset. The children manage to get themselves into all kinds of trouble with their wishes - which makes for enjoyable reading!
The Volnik family of Toronto, Canada unexpectedly inherits a tumbledown castle in the Western Highlands of Scotland. Living in the castle is the Boggart an ancient, invisible, magical, mischievous spirit. The Volniks visit the castle and when they return to Toronto, they unknowingly take the Boggart with them. What ensues is the collision of modern technology and old magic which turns their lives upside down. Because the Boggart is more mischievous than evil, the story is really not scary.
This is a fantasy genre book about twelve year old Alexa. She has lived her entire life behind walls. The cities are all walled and the roads that connect them are also walled to protect the inhabitants from the dangers that lurk "outside". Alexa's father is the mayor of one of the cities and in the summer she travels to Bridwell with him where he meets with the mayors of the other cities and Alexa runs free. At the beginning of the summer, Thomas Warvold, the man who built the walls, has something that he wants to tell Alexa, but he dies before he can tell her. The death of Thomas Warvold sets into motion a series of events that has Alexa finding a tunnel under the wall where she goes outside, discovers that she can talk to the animals, and her adventures begin.
Ten year old Lucinda has been left with Miss Peters for a year while the rest of her family goes to Europe.
Lucinda is a child so full of energy and life that she just can't be still, and she never met a stranger. Miss
Peters understands that a child like Lucinda needs to burn off some energy, so she allows Lucinda to roller skate
to school, to stop and chat with Officer M'Gonegal, and to befriend Tony whose father runs a fruit stand. Lucinda
skates her way around New York City of 1890 and into the hearts of everyone she meets.
Parental (and plot-spoiler) warning: there is a murder in this book. Lucinda discovers the body of a murdered woman.
It is a short scene in the book, and it is seen from the perspective of a 10 year old.
Tree-Ear is an orphan living in 12th century Korea. He lives under a bridge with Crane-Man, who has one crippled leg. Although they are poor and live by digging through trash heaps, and gleaning the fields after the farmers have finished the harvest, they believe that begging and stealing make a man no worse than a dog. Tree-Ear has surreptitiously watched Min, the best pottery craftsman in the village for a long time. One day, when Min is not at home, Tree-Ear sneaks up for a closer look at Min's work, and accidentally breaks one of the pieces. Tree-Ear agrees to work for Min for nine days to repay him for the work that has been lost. The thing that makes this book so wonderful are the relationships between Tree-Ear and the other characters in the book.
This is the story of how Aslan created Narnia and gave the animals the gift of speech. It also tells how evil was introduced to Narnia as it was created. The story centers around young Diggory who has moved with his dying mother into the house of his aunt and uncle. He makes friends with Polly, the little girl next door. Diggory's Uncle Andrew is a selfish magician and he tricks Polly into traveling to another world with no possible way to return. He then sends Diggory to rescue her. Diggory and Polly travel to different worlds and their adventures lead them to world of Narnia just as it is being created by the voice of Aslan. This is one of those classic fantasy novels that all children should have the opportunity to read (in my humble opinion!).
This is the story of two brothers, 5 year old Bo and 12 year old Prosper. They are orphaned and their aunt wants to adopt Bo, but is not interested in adopting Prosper because he is not cute and cuddly like his brother so the two brothers run away from Hamburg and end up in Venice. Their aunt hires a private detective to look for them. It turns out that they are living with a gang of runaway children led by a boy who calls himself the Thief Lord. The private detective, when he finds the children, is not sure that he wants to turn them over to their aunt, but neither does he want to leave them on the streets of Venice. There are many twists and turns to the plot of this book.
This is the story of a little girl named Marly and her family: Mother, Father and brother Joe. Marly's father has returned from the war broken, hard, tired, and cross. The family moves into Grandma's old house in the country. With help from their neighbor, Mr. Chris, Marly begins to see miracles all around her from the sap rising in the trees to the spring, to the wildflowers in the field ... but the biggest miracle of all is the change in Marly's father.
This is the story of young Christian. He runs away from home and is found in the woods by a troll named Edric.
Christian is adamant that he will not go home, so Edric ends up raising him. Christian loves to invent things and
Edric is much more tolerant of his messes than his previous family. Once Christian has reached maturity, he goes
off into the world where he falls in love with an unhappy princess. Unfortunately, the princess is betrothed to
a rich nobleman, whom she does not want to marry. As predictable as the ending of this story was, I still very
much enjoyed it.
I almost put this book on the "Not Yet" list because I think that the girls will enjoy it when they are
a little older (like maybe 5th or 6th grade), but I left it here on the recommended list because there is nothing
in the content that I would not want Samantha to read. I just think that a lot of the story, especially the politics,
would go over her head at this age.
Three children, Hannah, Zachary, and Sarah Emily are spending the summer at the Great Aunt Mehitabel's house on the remote Lonely Island off the coast of Maine. Their mother is an author and needs to have some peace and quiet in which to finish her latest book. The children go exploring and discover a cave in which dwells a three-headed dragon. The children make friends with the dragon and each of the dragon's three heads has a story for them.
I should have known better than to start this book when I had something else that I should be doing. After all, my niece, who reads all the time, said it was her all time most favorite book. Anyway, I finished this book in 24 hours (all 534 pages of it!) - stayed up until 2:00 am, and then got up at 6:00 am the next morning to finish. This book is of the fantasy genre. Twelve year old Meggie lives with her father, who repairs and binds books. As long as Meggie can remember, they have always been on the move; she didn't realize that they were running away from danger until one day a mysterious visitor shows up at their house. She comes to learn that her father, Mo, has the ability to read characters out of books, and he learned of this ability when Meggie was just three years old and he was reading out of the book Inkheart. Some of the evil characters from the book popped out of the book; and Meggie's mother popped in. Mo does not know how to make them go back, nor does he know how to get Meggie's mother out of the book; but the sinister characters from the book have tracked him down and they have some reading that they want him to do.
Sixteen people receive a summons to the reading of the will for the very rich Samuel W. Westing. Many of them never even knew the man, so they are wondering why he included them in his will? The will turns out to be a bizarre contest challenging the heirs to figure out who murdered Westing. This is an engaging whodunit; the author gives out enough clues for the reader to figure out the mystery ... fun!
This book tells the macabre tale of the yellow fever epidemic in the city of Philadelphia in summer/autumn of 1793. Since Philadelphia was the seat of government for the brand new United States of America, the epidemic caused governmental havoc in addition to the human misery described in detail. The book ends with descriptions of how medical science discovered the cause of yellow fever in the early 20th century and details methods of fighting the disease today.
I loved this book as a child, and rereading it as an adult, I love it just as much. This is the story of 16 yeard old Katherine (Kit) Tyler. Since the death of her parents, Kit has lived with her wealthy grandfather in Barbados. After his death, she is forced to leave Barbados and seek out her only relatives in colonial Connecticut. Kit has a very difficult time fitting in to the Puritanical lifestyle in the household of her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew. She is miserable until she meets Hannah Tupper - an old woman who lives by herself down by Blackbird Pond. Hannah becomes Kit's dear friend even though Kit has been ordered by her Uncle to stay away from Hannah because most of the people in town believe that Hannah is a witch. Kit's friendship with Hannah causes her more trouble than she could have imagined!
The princess Irene is protected from the Goblins by the young miner Curdie. A wonderful fantasy
book by the author that inspired C.S. Lewis.
Because Harley the llama does not get along with other llamas, he becomes a guard llama, protecting sheep from hungry coyotes and befriending a cantankerous ram. It is a sweet story told in easy to read vocabulary for the beginning reader.
Mr. Putter has always loved goldfish. Tabby likes to watch the fish because it is exciting! So, Mr. Putter and his fine cat Tabby often go down to the pet store to watch the fish. One day Mr. Putter decides to buy some fish and bring them home, and that is when they discover that Tabby has a fish problem!
We LOVE the Mr. Putter books (all of them!). This is the first in the series. It tells the story of how old Mr. Putter who lives all by himself in a big white house is lonely. He goes to the pet store looking for someone to share his tea and listen to his stories, and he ends up with his fine cat, Tabby.
We LOVE the Mr. Putter books (all of them!). The elderly Mr. Putter lives in a house with his old cat, Tabby. His elderly neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, lives next door with her dog, Zeke. In this installment, Mr. Putter agrees to walk Zeke for Mrs. Teaberry when she hurts her foot. Mr. Putter discovers that Zeke is not so easy to walk.
This book is based on a true story. Young Anna needs a new coat because she has outgrown the old one. The war has just ended and even if her mother had money to buy a coat, there is no place to buy one. Anna and her mother gather some things that they have to trade and they go shopping. They start with the farmer who herds the sheep, and end with the tailor. This is a nice story that shows a little ingenuity on the part of Anna and her mother and also teaches the steps in the process of making clothing.
Mr. Putter is having a hard time deciding what to give Mrs. Teaberry for Christmas. Eventually, he decides to bake a Christmas cake for her. This is not an easy thing since he does not even own a cake pan! With Tabby at his side, Mr. Putter keeps at it until he finally bakes a cake to give Mrs. Teaberry for Christmas.
Poor old Mr. Putter has caught a terrible cold and doesn't feel well. Mrs. Teaberry wants to come over and take care of him, but he doesn't want her to come over because she might get sick, too. Mrs. Teaberry comes up with an ingenious way to pamper Mr. Putter while he is not feeling well.
Mr. Putter knows that he is too old to still love toys, but he does. So, one day, he and his fine cat Tabby go down to the toy store where Mr. Putter picks out a toy airplane that really flies. Tabby does not like it because it makes her nervous, but Mr. Putter loves the toy airplane. It makes him feel like a kid again.
We LOVE the Mr. Putter books (all of them!). The elderly Mr. Putter lives in a house with his old cat, Tabby. His elderly neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, lives next door with her dog, Zeke. In this installment, Mr. Putter discovers that he is too old to climb the ladder and pick the pears off his backyard pear tree (because he has "cranky legs"). Unfortunately, he really wants some pear jelly. His solution to the problem makes our whole family laugh out loud every time we read it, and I'm guessing it will have the save effect on you! This is a perfect early reader chapter book. This is my favorite Mr. Putter book.
Nicky does not want to spend the summer with his grandmother. He thinks that he will be bored. Grandma lives on the river and fills her house with sculptures and paintings of the animals that she sees in the woods around her house. One day, Nicky discovers a raft and starts floating down the river. Gradually he, too, discovers the beauty of the world around him. When the summer is over, he does not want to go home.
This is the story of eleven year old Shan, son of Lord Weldon. His evil uncle Lionel comes to his family's castle after squandering his fortune. Lord Weldon welcomes his brother even though his wife and son do not approve of their uncle's behavior. One day Lord Weldon goes hunting with his brother, Lionel, and some of Lionel's friends. He does not return and Lionel reports back a terrible hunting accident. Fearing for their lives, young Shan and his mother run away. Their lives are filled with adventure as they flee. Eventually, Shan makes a trip to Camelot to meet King Arthur. This would be a good book for a child who likes a lot of adventure.
Little Rat's parents have signed her up for sailing lessons. Little Rat is less than happy about this because
she is afraid of the water. She is afraid of falling in even with her life jacket on. When she shows up for class
the first day, her life jacket is different from everyone else and Little Rat is mortified. As Little Rat learns
more, her fears subside.
Warning: As soon as Samantha finished reading this book, she announced that she wanted to take sailing lessons.
In this installment of the Mr. Putter series, Mr. Putter and his neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry decide to go on a picnic with their pets Tabby and Zeke. It is hot, so they rent a rowboat and paddle around the lake to cool off.
Mr. Putter's neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, decides that they need to be in a band. Mr. Putter isn't so sure. He thinks he is too old to learn to play an instrument. Mrs. Teaberry assures him that old people can do anything they want ... and thus begins the search for a band and an instrument to play.
I originally got this book at the library for Christopher because it reminded me a little bit of the Alfie books (which I just adore), but then Samantha picked it up and started reading it, too. There are six chapters in this book: Dry clean only; Uncle Edward teaches Angus to jump; Flora's wedding; Tell me the story; Strawberry creams; The perfect day. Each chapter is a separate story (perfect for beginning chapter book readers!), The first story deals with how Jamie saw Angus in the department store window and begged his mom to buy it for him. Since his birthday had already passed, he finally talks her into buying Angus as a Christmas present. Then, Jamie patiently waits for the months to go by until Christmas when he can have his precious Angus. In the meantime, he uses his imagination and his crayons and paint to make a barn, a pasture, a fence, etc for his stuffed bull to play in when he gets to come down out of the closet. Unfortunately, Jamie removes the tag that says "dry clean only" from Angus' ear because it is too scratchy, so one day while Jamie is at preschool, Grandma washes Angus in the washing machine. Angus comes out a mess and Jamie is beside himself with grief. Grandma buys Jamie a new Angus, but Jamie decides that he likes the old one best. The stories are sweet and come off sounding like a real child playing with a beloved stuffed animal.
Mr. Putter decides that the porch on his house needs to be painted, so with his fine cat Tabby at his side, he starts to work. That doesn't go so well, so the next day Mrs. Teaberry and her fine dog Zeke come over to help. That doesn't work out so well either. This book always makes me chuckle!
This is the original Pooh, not the Disney version. I think most of us are familiar with the characters and the stories so no long write-up is necessary.
Ramona Quimby is just starting the third grade. Her father has just quit his job to go back to college to be a teacher. Her mother has just started working full time to support the family while dad goes to school. Ramona has a hard time with adjusting to the new family schedule and does not like going to Willa Jean's house after to school. Funny, warm, and a little crazy ... these are the exploits of Ramona Quimby, age 8!
We LOVE the Mr. Putter books (all of them!). The elderly Mr. Putter lives in a house with his old cat, Tabby. His elderly neighbor, Mrs. Teaberry, lives next door with her dog, Zeke. In this installment, Mr. Putter and Mrs. Teaberry decide to go on a train ride. After a few setbacks, they enjoy the train ride of their lives. This is Christopher's favorite Mr. Putter book.
This is the sequel to the book Sarah, Plain and Tall. Jacob and Sarah have married, and Caleb insists that they will live happily ever after, but there is a drought. Every day it seems that another neighbor's well has gone dry and they move away. Anna and Caleb are worried that Sarah will go away and return to Maine, especially when they receive letters from their Aunts talking about all the rain and how green everything is there.
This book tells the story of young Tommy Fuller who got sent home from church one Sunday for acting up during the service. Instead of going straight to him room as he was told to do, he goes out in the barn to play until his parents get home. There he discovers some slaves hidden in the hayloft. Tommy then learns first hand about the underground railroad. This book gives a very good description of the underground railroad. I also like the fact that Tommy has a discussion with his father about the importance of obeying laws and trying to change the laws that you believe are immoral.
This book is historical fiction set in New York City in the 1880's. It might be true, but is not verified as so. Abigail's father is a steamship captain that delivers goods from New Jersey to New York City daily. Abigail and her brother ride the ship to school with him in the morning and home again in the afternoon. One day, they witness a collision in the harbor and Abigail ends up taking the wheel for a harrowing trip through the busy harbor.
Nine-year-old Hannah never goes to school with her brothers and sisters because she is blind. It is 1887 and her family does not have a great deal of money. They have agreed to provide lodging for the new teacher, Miss Robbins, because they could use the money. Miss Robbins wants to have Hannah come to school. Hannah's mother does not want her to go as she does not see the point in education a blind child. This is a touching account of a young girl taking her first steps toward independence.
Judy Moody starts third grade in a bad mood because her family didn't go anywhere "great" over the
summer and she doesn't have a good t-shirt to show off on the first day of school. Her mood changes when her teachers
assigns a "me" poster; actually, as she works on the poster, she keeps forgetting that she is supposed
to be in a bad mood. This book was a hoot.
Samantha's favorite part of the book was all about Judy's little brother Stink, and his pet frog.
This is the fourth book in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. In this book, the unconventional Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has left her upside-down town house and moved to a farm in the country. Even though she no longer lives in town, she is still curing children of their bad habits. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle takes on such ailments as not telling the truth, being destructive, and be afraid.
Princess Miranda was granted the gift of being wide- awake all her waking hours by her fairy godmother. When her parents, the king and queen, die, the noblemen in charge tell her she is not qualified to be queen. Miranda decides to travel around the kingdom so that she can learn to rule. Because her eyes were open, she noticed things that previous rulers had not.
This is a sequel to Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark. In this story Anna has gone to live in town and go to school and she passes the family journal along to Caleb and tells him to write in it. He is worried that he won't have anything to write about until a stranger shows up on the farm. It turns out to be his grandfather who abandoned Jacob and his family when Jacob was younger than Caleb. Sarah urges Jacob to forgive his father, but can he ever forgive him for what he did?
This is the second book in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. I absolutely loved these books when I was a little girl, and Samantha shares my enthusiasm for them. In this book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle takes on "The Show-Off Cure", "The Crybaby Cure", "The Bully", "The Whisperer", and "The Slowpoke".
This is the third book in the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. In this book, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle takes on tattletales, bad manners, interrupters among other things.
A young girl asks her wonderful mother what she wants for her birthday. What she wants is a "high rise glorious skittle skat roarious sky pie angel food cake" just like the one her grandmother made for her on her seventh birthday. The only problem is that the little girl's great grandmother is dead and gone to heaven and nobody knows the secret recipe for the special cake.
This is the true story of sixteen year old Sybil Ludington who, on the night of April 26, 1777, rode through the countryside rallying her father's minutemen to fight against the British at Danbury, Connecticut. Her ride was dangerous as she could have been captured by the redcoats are by marauders. This is an exciting story of a heroine in our nation's history.
This is a sweet low key book. It has four stories about the Meadows family that lives in Blue Hills Virginia. One about adopting a lost dog and the relationship between the boy and his dog, one about a boy going fishing with his dad, one about the rare treat of a blizzard and being snowed in, and one about a boy trying to figure out the perfect mother's day gift for his mom.
This is part of a series of books about the mice of Brambly Hedge. The stories are sweet simple tales about the everyday lives of these very British mice. Flax and Lily had been busy making blankets for the voles in the High Hills. Mr. Apple needed to deliver the blankets before the cold weather set in and young Wilfred Toadflax wanted to go with him. He had been reading an adventure story and was convinced that there was gold in the high hills. Mr. Apple tries to convince Wilfred that he doesn't need all of his adventurer supplies for a simple trip to the High Hills and back, but Wilfred insists on bringing them ... and they end up being glad they have them. This book could go here in good reads or in books for little brother as I read it out loud to Christopher ... but Samantha also likes to read it, too.
While I may not agree with all of the theology in this book, this is such a sweet comforting book that I will definitely read it with Samantha. This is a series of short stories about folks who have died. For one reason or another, they were not ready to go to heaven. Some had not "finished their story" on earth. Some had not learned to appreciate beauty. God, because he is compassionate, provides a place for souls to go that are not quite ready for heaven ... the heavenly village. They reside in the heavenly village for as long as they need to be there until they are ready to move on.
Okay, I'm a sucker for fractured fairy tales ... that being said, I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of Aza, an unattractive girl with a beautiful voice. She lives in a land where music is revered, but doesn't like to be in the spotlight, so she learns to throw her voice. Unfortunately, she becomes the unwitting accomplice to the new queen Ivi who is as beautiful as Aza is ugly and cannot carry a tune. Even though the reader is practically knocked over the head with the "beauty is only skin deep" message, it is still a fun read and I think it would generate some interesting discussion.
Russell Crannaker is bullied at school. His parents mean well, but his mother is over protective and his father just drones on and on without ever listening to what Russell has to say. Halloween is approaching and Russell dreams of being a scary monster, scary enough to frighten the bullies at school. Then, one day, while running away from Eddie, the school bully, Russell runs into Mr. Elives' Magic shop, and Mr. Elives bullies Russell into buying a magic ring. The magic ring comes with a spell and a warning. Russell tries out the spell, and to his delight, the magic ring turns him into a scary monster ... just in time for Halloween; however, ignoring the warning does have consequences. This book will not be for everyone, but I thought it was funny, and there are some good lessons about standing up for yourself and "looking before leaping". It is the first in the Magic Shop Book series.
Poor little James in orphaned at the age of four and sent to live with his two absolutely horrible aunts. They
do not let him play with other children, and only expect him to work work work all the day through. They also beat
him regularly. In true fairy tale style, a strange little man shows up one day and gives James some magic little
"green things" with instructions to swallow them and NOT lose them. Unfortunately, James trips and falls
and the little green things burrow into the ground under the old peach tree in the garden. That is when truly strange
things begin to happen. James and his new friends, who just happen to be human-sized insects, plan to escape from
his horrid aunts via the giant peach that grows in the garden overnight. They end up having some harrowing adventures
while traveling in the giant peach.
I remember reading this book as a child and really liking it even though it was strange. Well, after reading it
as an adult, it is still strange and I probably don't like it as much as I did then. This book will not be for
everyone, but it is still a good read especially if your child is fond of the offbeat.
This is the story of three cousins who live with their Aunt Lucy while their parents, who are dancers, go on a worldwide tour. In the first book, the three girls move in with their Aunt Lucy and decide to start a cookie company. Aunt Lucy agrees, and the girls advertise and then bake and deliver homemade cookies. In this way, they make some new friends. They also decide to play matchmaker between their Aunt Lucy and one of their cookie customers. It is a very sweet story.
Second in the series, the three cousins Lily, Rosie and Tess decide to surprise their Aunt Lucy with a dollhouse replica of her flower shop.
Third in the serious, the three cousins decide to learn to sew from their elderly neighbor Mrs. White. They also prepare for a special winter solstice dinner with their Aunt Lucy and her boyfriend, Michael.
This is a sequel to The Boggart. And it is a true sequel, in that you need to have read the first book to really understand what is going on in the second one. In this story, the Volnik children return to Scotland to visit the castle their father inherited and sold. They are also anxious to visit their friend, Boggart. There is a scientific expedition set out to find the Loch Ness monster, which just happens to be a boggart, one of Castle Keep's Boggart's last remaining cousins. The children set out to rescue Nessie.
Fourth in the series, the three cousins, Lily, Rosie and Tess decide to write a newspaper about the comings and goings on Cobble Street.
This is a little golden book about the little red caboose who is unhappy because nobody waves at the caboose. They wave at engines and all the cars, but when the caboose comes, the people are turning away from the tracks. Then one day, the train has trouble on a big hill and the little red caboose comes to the rescue. Christopher loves trains, and this is one of his many beloved train stories.
This is a beautifully illustrated version of the biblical story of Noah and the ark. It tells how Noah responded to God's call to build the ark and preserve all the animals on it.
This is a beautifully illustrated folk tale set in ancient China that teaches the value in honesty. The Emperor is getting old and wants to name a successor. He loves plants and flowers, so he decides to give all the children in China a seed. After one year, all the children will return to show the Emperor what they have grown and from that he will choose who is to be the next Emperor. Young Ping is delighted and quite sure that he will do well because he has a green thumb. Everything he plants grows well. Unfortunately, no matter what he does, he can not get his seed to grow. How can he face the Emperor with an empty pot?
This is the story of Napville Police Department's Safety Officer, Officer Buckle. No one ever pay attention to his safety speeches (sometimes, there is snoring!). Then, the police department gets a new police dog name Gloria and she goes along with Officer Buckle when he does the annual safety speech. Unbeknownst to Office Buckle, Gloria is standing behind him acting out all of the things that can happen if you do not follow the safety rules. The children in the auditorium sit up and listen ... and there are fewer accidents! The pictures in this book are a hoot, especially of Gloria. Both Samantha and Christopher laugh out loud when we read this one.
The book starts out with the rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle ..." that we all know, but the problem is that the dish and the spoon don't come back. The cat, dog and cow are in a quandry, their rhyme cannot go on with the dish and the spoon, so they go looking. Their search takes them all through nursery rhyme land (and the book provides a handy map of their travels). Don't forget to look for the "fork in the road" (wearing sunglasses and a hawaiian shirt) which is hidden in some of the pictures!
In this wonderful picture book, the familiar song "Down by the Station" is given a little twist as the train goes through the zoo picking up all the baby animals. As each animals is added to the train, a new sound is added to the refrain of the song. Since Christopher loves trains, and most kids love animals, this is a good combo. There is a lot going on in the pictures so young kids do not get bored while you are reading the text. Christopher's Kindermusik teacher also used this book as part of her class.
This picture book contains the story of a New York City garbage truck (with an attitude)! It even has alphabet soup: Apple cores, Banana peels, Candy wrappers, Dirty diapers, Eggshells, etc. Christopher just loves this book, especially when his daddy reads it to him with all the funny sounds and voices.
A Collection of four previously published stories. This is one of those books that both of my children have absolutely loved. Unfortunately, since this book is out of print, the only place to get it is from a used book dealer or from the library.
In the first story, Alfie rushes ahead of his mom into the house as they are returning from the grocery store. He is excited to be the first on in the house and he promptly slams the door, leaving the door locked and the keys on the inside. Alfie can't reach the lock and mom can't open the door without the key. Mom gives instructions through the mail slot on how Alfie can get the door open, but he is too upset to listen.
In the second story, Alfie gets a new pair of rubber boots so he can go stamping about in rain puddles. You'll love the pictures of Alfie's little sister, Annie Rose, scooting about the house on her potty chair.
In the third story, Alfie goes to a birthday party. He is a little frightened to go to the party because Mom and Annie Rose aren't going, so he takes his blanket with him. Bernard, the birthday boy, has atrocious behavior, but Alfie is a big help to Bernard's mom at the party. In the end, he decides that he probably would have been better off to leave his blanket at home.
In the fourth story, Alfie's parents have gone out for a party leaving Alfie and Annie Rose in the care of Maureen, the teenager from across the street. While Alfie is in bed, he starts hearing funny noises out in the hallway; it is the sound of water dripping because a pipe has burst. Since Alfie's babysitter read him the story of Noah's ark right before bed, he is excited to think that maybe the whole street will flood and they will get to ride in an ark. Maureen calls her parents to come and help and Alfie and Annie Rose have an exciting evening.
This is the story of an old woman who has outlived all of her friends. Because she doesn't have anyone that can call her by name, she starts naming everything around her. She names her house Franklin and her car Betsy. She will only name things that will outlive her. When a shy little puppy shows up at her gate, she is reluctant to take him in because she isn't sure that she will outlive it.
This is the story of eleven year old Alanna Trebold. She and her twin brother Thom are not happy with the future
chosen for them by their father. Their mother died in childbirth, and their father buries himself in books and
remains distant and aloof from his children. Thom is to be sent off to train to be a knight ... but all he wants
to be is a sorcerer. Alanna is to be sent off to a convent to learn to be a lady .. but all she wants to be is
a knight. Since sorcery is taught in the convent, the twins decide to switch places ... Thom going to train to
be a sorcerer and Alanna cutting her hair and dressing like a boy to become Alan and going off to train to be a
knight.
I really liked this story and I think that Samantha will enjoy it when she gets a little older. There are several
things in the book that make it not quite right for an eight year old: (1) There is quite a bit of violence (2)
Alanna is terrified at the onset of mensus, not knowing what it is or what to do about it (3) The characters in
the story are all pagan - worshiping many gods and goddesses and especially the "mother goddess".
This is a great horror story. Coraline is a child who loves to explore. She has recently moved with her parents
into an old house converted into apartments. The neighbors are a little eccentric, it is summer so school is out,
and with the recent move, her parents are very busy ... too busy to entertain Coraline. She goes off exploring
and discovers a door that leads to an alternate universe. In the alternate universe lives her "other mother"
and "other father"; they want her to live with them. Coraline must keep all her wits about her in order
to escape the clutches of the evil that lives in the other universe.
This is a wonderful horror story. I really enjoyed it. It is too intense for Samantha right now, but I can see
her really enjoying a good thrill when she is a little older. This is the kind of book that makes it fun to be
a little scared.
In a future society, Jonas is given his lifetime career assignment at the ceremony of twelves. Jonas has been
chosen to be the receiver of memories for the whole community. Once he starts receiving the memories, Jonas discovers
some terrible truths about his society.
I think that this book will spark a lot of thought and discussion about societal values ... but I think that the
girls need to be quite a bit older before they are ready for this book.
This book tells the same story as Abbie Against the Storm by Marcia Vaughan and does a fine job of it. The reason that I put it on the not recommended list is that the other book is so much better than this one (in my opinion). This one is easier (at a lower reading level), but the girls in the book club can easily read the other one.
Nine year old Rowanna has always lived in a small cabin by the sea. She lives with an old fisherman who rescued
her from the forest. Despite his many warnings to stay out of the forest, she is drawn there. The old fisherman
tells her that the forest is haunted by ghouls, but Rowanne meets and befriends a tree sprite.
This was an interesting book. In it, all the trees have spirits and personalities. The only reason that I put it
on the not recommended list is that it is a little too "new-age" for me to feel comfortable handing it
to Samantha to read.
This is the story of the Hatcher family. Peter, who will soon be in the sixth grade thinks that his little brother,
Fudge, is a pest. His parents have sprung the news on him that there will soon be another baby in the family. He
is not happy that his father is taking a leave of absence from work to try and write a book. And, he is even more
unhappy about the family moving out of New York City to the suburbs. This is a sweet, funny story about how Peter
deals with the changes in his life.
I put it on the not recommended list because of the frequent use of the word "stupid"; the rather lengthy
discussion about the origin of Santa Claus; and after reading about how Peter's parents explain to Fudge exactly
where babies come from, I have a feeling that the girls will want to know exactly what it was that she told him.
There isn't anything wrong with the content of this book; it's just that it is sort of ho-hum. This is the story of Amos the Hippo who wants a Tick bird to come and pick bugs off of his back. He advertises for a tick bird and gets more than he bargained for. The tick bird takes over and even builds a nest on Amos' head ... making him the laughingstock of all the other animals. Amos can not bring himself to tell the bird to go away and therefore gets taken advantage of. Basically, this is supposed to be a story about friendship ... but I didn't really like it because Amos didn't have any backbone and let the birds take advantage of him. Being a doormat is not the model of friendship that I want Samantha to follow.
I do not recommend this book because I do not like dark comedy. There are several incidents in this book that
would upset Samantha.
Melissa, Amanda, and Pee Wee are left in the care of their Aunt Sally, who is their father's sister from Canada
while their parents go on vacation for a week. Aunt Sally fills the children in on their family history during
the whole week. Many of the stories are absolutely hilarious, and many of the stories are truly cruel and sad.
The story of the trolls has left a permanent scar on the family. The hope is that the children will learn from
the mistakes of their elders.
This book is just bizarre. One night after having an argument with her brother, Louise says out loud, just as the first stars are coming out "You are a pig". In the vein of be careful what you wish for, Louise's accidental wish comes true and her brother is turned into a pig. Louise then sets out to set things right again ... not just with her brother, the pig, but also with her missing father. And, she has to get it all done before the neighbors who claim the new pig is theirs, steal him and roast him for the Labor Day picnic.
Even though this book is funny, I did not really like it ... probably because I am not a fan of dark comedy.
I think that Samantha, with her sensitive personality, will probably not like it either.
Little Primrose Squarp is quite certain that her parents did not die at sea during a terrible storm, but all of
the other residents of Coal Harbour are. As an orphan, she is foisted upon her closest relative, Uncle Jack, who
is not too happy about the arrangement. Uncle Jack is more interested in making a quick dollar. Primrose seeks
solace in the company of Miss Bowzer, the proprietor of the local restaurant which serves everything on a waffle.
Primrose endures a series of unfortunate events while she searches for her parents and the meaning of life.
This book is about the devastating hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900. The story centers on rich 12
year old Maggie McKenna, and poor, orphaned 14-year old Felipe whom Maggie's parents have employed from the local
orphanage to do yard work. Maggie struggles with jealousy of her father's attention to Felipe because she feels
that her father has always wanted a boy instead of a girl. Maggie's mother is pregnant and having a difficult time,
so her parents go to Houston to see a medical specialist to help her mother, leaving Maggie at home. Of course,
the storm hits while they are gone. Maggie gets over her jealousy in order to team up with Felipe to try and survive
the storm. All that part is good.
While I'm sure that this book is historically accurate and portrays the horrors of the storm very well. This book
gave me nightmares. Maggie watches in helpless horror as one of her best friends is killed by flying debris. She
is forced to leave behind the elderly family maid, whom she has known all her life, to drown because she is too
old and weak to try to swim. There are other equally devastating events portrayed in the book. This book just personalizes
the grief too much for me to be willing to give it to Samantha to read. I'm sure that there must be other books
about the Galveston hurricane that would not cause nightmares.
This is a good old-fashioned ghost story. Allie is an eleven year old girl known for her vivid imagination. When she comes up with a story about the ghost of a girl her age who was murdered. No one believes her. This is pretty good, as ghost stories go, but Samantha is not ready for something this intense quite yet.
This is the story of a poor Japanese artist who is barely making enough money to buy food. His housekeeper brings home a cat and his luck begins to change. He is commissioned to paint the death of Buddha for the temple. The cat patiently watches him paint the entire thing. This sweet story is steeped in Buddhism. I think that most of it would go over the heads of the girls right now. When they are a little older, we can consider it again.
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) reading program was established in 1979 to encourage Texas children to read
more books, explore a variety of current books, develop powers of discrimination, and identify their favorite books.
The award process provides librarians, teachers, parents, and writers with insight into young students' reading
preferences. It further affords an opportunity to honor and encourage imaginative authors who create books with
high appeal to children.
The award program is a project of the Texas Library Association and is cosponsored by the Children's Round Table
and the Texas Association of School Librarians, two units within TLA. The Committee - comprised of 11 members:
the Coordinator, five members from CRT and five members from TASL with the ten representatives representing each
of the ten TLA districts - is charged with responsibility for administration of the TBA reading program. Following
recommendations made by the chair of each sponsoring unit, committee members are appointed by the president of
TLA.
The Awards were established in accord with the principles of their parent organization to salute media that
"affirm the highest values of the human spirit." In a nutshell, Christopher Award winners celebrate the
humanity of people in a positive way. Award winners encourage audiences to see the better side of human nature
and motivate artists and the general public to use their best instincts on behalf of others. To be eligible for
a Christopher Award during its year of release, a film, TV and cable program, adult and children's book must:
- exhibit exceptional artistic and technical proficiency and/or unique vision.
- be significantly positioned to impact the widest possible audience within its age-level specifications, ranging
from, but not limited to, Pre-K through adult.
- affirm the highest values of the human spirit.
The mission of the Children's Crown Gallery, the Children's Crown, and the Lamplighter Awards is to encourage elementary and junior high students to read wholesome and uplifting books by providing lists each year of the best literature.
Awarded annually since 1967, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature honor outstanding titles in three categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and Picture Book.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
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