Auralia’s Colors isn’t explicitly a middle grade book, but it’s clean enough to be appropriate for precocious older tweens (i.e., the violence isn’t described in particularly graphic detail, the sex is only hinted at). It’s a great introduction to epic fantasy, with its somewhat complex story and not quite epic length. It contains metaphors that […]
The Aviary
August 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Review written by MG Wells. The Aviary is a mystery set in Maine during the late 1800’s and similar to the classical style of The Secret Garden. The protagonist, twelve-year-old Clara, lives a lonely life in a creepy, dilapidated mansion, with Ruby (the cook), her mother, Harriet (the housekeeper) and the elderly owner, Mrs. Glendoveer. […]
Cinder
August 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment
For an analysis that isn’t full of spoilers, read my review on the Broadsheet. Cinder is a futuristic fairytale, and although there are obvious connections to “Cinderella,” it’s really its own tale with nods to many other familiar stories, particularly “Snow White.” Cinder is a cyborg—after a horrific accident, parts of her body have been […]
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
August 1, 2012 by 1 Comment
Review written by Jocelyn Koehler. In The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, Christopher Healy seems to have distilled all the elements of the most entertaining Disney movies, and then carefully reassembled them into this book, which leaves the famous princesses alone (for the most part) to focus on Prince Charming—or rather Princes Charming, since […]
Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen
July 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
My nieces have really enjoyed the Sammy Keyes mystery series, so they let me borrow one of their books when they came to visit. I read Sammy Keyes And the Psycho Kitty Queen, which I think is the 9th book in the series. Although you certainly don’t need to read the books in order, there […]
Stoop of Mastodon Meadow
July 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Stoop of Mastodon Meadow is the sequel to Stout Hearts & Whizzing Biscuits. Oliver’s father is now the American Ambassador to Patria, so Oliver and his family are living in the castle with Farnsworth and Rose. Oliver and Farnsworth begin the school year at the boys’ school, Mastodon Meadow, while Rose goes to Madame Mimi’s […]
The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues
July 19, 2012 by 1 Comment
Ellen Raskin is one of my favorite authors from childhood. I think my favorite book by her is one that not a lot of other people have read, The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues. The book is broken into sections, each containing a mystery. However, the story continues throughout and must be read in order. […]
Encyclopedia Brown
July 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Like most people my age, I loved the Encyclopedia Brown books when I was young. I also adored the Two-Minute Mysteries, even if most of the clues were well above my experience (did you know that men and women have different etiquette when telling a taxi driver their destinations? I sure didn’t.). Donald J. Sobol […]
How to Be a Pirate
July 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
How to Be a Pirate is the second book in the How to Train Your Dragon series. The look and tone are pretty much the same—scrawled illustrations, vaguely rude humor, splotches in the margins, changing fonts and random capitalization, maps and lists and such that further explain parts of the story. Hiccup is still far […]
The Brixen Witch
July 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Review written by Jocelyn Koehler. The premise of The Brixen Witch is easy. It takes “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” and puts some spin on it. “The Pied Piper” packs such a lot into its story that retelling it should be no problem. It’s an utterly compelling tale, with its unhappy ending, the lonely lame […]
