Ellen Raskin was one of my favorite authors as a kid, so after the success of reading The Phantom Tollbooth with my kids, I was eager to share her books with them as well. The first book we read was The Mysterious Disappearence of Leon (I Mean Noel). It led to much laughter with the […]
Bridge to Terabithia
May 5, 2012 by 1 Comment
Bridge to Terabithia is one of the reasons I started this site. It’s become a childhood classic, but it’s also one that many people list among the most traumatic books they read as kids. Because I’ve been thinking a lot about depictions of death in kids books, I decided I’d better reread it, instead of […]
Hoot
May 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’d heard about Hoot before I finally got around to reading it. I was under the impression that it was about protecting wildlife from development, but it turns out that’s mostly a subplot. This is primarily a book about bullying in many forms. Roy is the new kid in town. He’s so used to being […]
The Trouble with Violet
May 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Trouble With Violet is the first book in the Sister Magic series, and it sets up the books that follow. It’s a cute story of two very different sisters. Mabel is eight, and she’s very organized. She knows how things ought to be, and prefers that everything go according to plan. Violet is five […]
Puppy Love
May 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Puppy Love is the third novel I’ve read from the Romantic Comedies from Simon Pulse. Like Dancing Queen, I think it’s definitely for older readers. It’s the story of high school senior Alana—chronic volunteer—and her friend Stella—evangelistic environmentalist—and the boys in their lives. Alana works as a dog-walker for the very wealthy in New York […]
Exile
May 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The story of Aurelia and Robert continues in Exile. After Aurelia’s younger half-sister Melony tried to have her killed and their father refused to hold Melony accountable for her treachery, Aurelia flees both to escape assassins and to see the rest of the country she still hopes to rule someday. I enjoyed this book and […]
Eleven
April 30, 2012 by 2 Comments
Eleven is a fine little novel about Winnie’s 11th year. She’s dealing with growing up in different ways than her best friend of many years. Imagination starts to give way to boys and fashion. Nothing earthshattering happens, which is kind of nice. It’s just school, friends, boys, parents, and siblings. It’s full of stuff like […]
My Very UnFairy Tale Life
April 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
In My Very UnFairy Tale Life, Jenny is an adventurer—her job is to go into the world of fairy tales and help them solve their problems. Her primary skill seems to be spouting self-described cheesy aphorisms, but the magical critters think she’s wise. She’s apparently the best adventurer they’ve had for a long time. At […]
Hapenny Magick
April 26, 2012 by 4 Comments
Hapenny Magick tells the story of Maewyn, a young Hapenny (they remind me a little of Hobbits) who lives with her cruel guardian, Gelbane. Although Hapenny aren’t supposed to be magick, it turns out that Mae is. When other Hapennies start disappearing, Mae has to figure out how best to fulfill her responsibilities—does she stay […]
George Washington’s Socks
April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I can definitely see why George Washington’s Socks was on a book list for 5th grade book reports. It contains many lessons, just under the surface of the adventure. As an English major and former literature teacher, it felt heavy handed to me, but apparently they weren’t quite so obvious to my daughter until we […]
