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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Star Style
July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Note: This book is called The Bat Pack in the United States. My daughter is still enjoying the My Sister the Vampire series, although I’m finding it really hard to purchase the latest ones! We ended up ordering the 8th book, Star Style, from a British publisher. There are at least three more that I’m […]
Circles in the Stream
June 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
When I started reading Circles in the Stream, I worried that it would be too dark and scary. It begins with a rather intense scene of a large cat being viciously attacked by a dark being. When the plot settles in, there are rumors of ghosts and witches haunting the forest. However—and thankfully for most […]
The Quest of the Warrior Sheep
June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Quest of the Warrior Sheepbegs to be read aloud—sadly, I read it to myself so I had to imagine all the baaing and bad puns in my head. It may need to be our next read aloud with the kids, though. The story is about, well, the quest of the warrior sheep—a group of […]
The View from Saturday
June 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’ve been meaning to read The View from Saturday for years now, and it took me several false starts before I finally got into it. But it was worth it. It’s an unusual book, told unchronologically from multiple points of view. At its simplest, it’s the story of four sixth graders—Noah, Nadia, Ethan, and Julian, AKA […]
Lulu and the Brontosaurus
June 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Lulu and the Brontosaurus is a delightful book for younger readers. With short chapters and illustrations by the wonderful Lane Smith on every page, it’s great for kids who are transitioning from picture books to chapter books. That said, it’s likely to appeal to older kids as well because of its sense of humor. The […]
