Review written by Jonathan Lavallee. I’m sure most people have seen the movie and not read the book, turning this book into every one’s favourite book that they’ve never read. The Princess Bride is a story about William Goldman editing out all the boring bits of a beloved childhood book that his father had read […]
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
February 8, 2013 by 1 Comment
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette is the third book about the Penderwick Family. It assumes, as I will, that you’ve read the other two. (In fact, I accidentally picked up this one when I meant to read the second one and by the first paragraph knew I was missing part of the story—and honestly, if […]
The Candymakers
January 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
My daughter desperately wanted me to read The Candymakers—having finally gotten to it in my queue, I can see why she was so excited. It’s the book that would result if you mashed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with The Westing Game, and it was possibly the most surprising book I’ve read in years. I […]
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
January 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, the sequel to the delightful The Penderwicks, gives us some insight into what life is like for the lovely Penderwick family when they’re at home. We get more insight into Martin Penderwick (always called “Mr. Penderwick in the text, like the reader is friends with the girls and he’s very […]
Tuesdays at the Castle
December 12, 2012 by 1 Comment
In Tuesdays at the Castle, 11 year old Celie and two of her older siblings, Lilah and Rolf, must protect themselves and their magic castle from the evil adults who are plotting to take over the kingdom. Celie, the youngest, is the main character. She has a special relationship with the castle—a living thing that […]
The Willoughbys
November 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Willoughbys is “A Novel Nefariously Written & Ignominiously Illustrated“ by Lois Lowry. The plot is mostly about apathetic families trying to split themselves apart by whatever means they can, all while being as “old-fashioned” as possible. Being old-fashioned means trying to base your decisions on the tropes of old children’s classics—so we have abandoned […]
Pawn of Prophecy
November 19, 2012 by 4 Comments
Review written by Clark Valentine. Pawn of Prophecy kicks off David Eddings’s Belgariad series, which chronicles the adventures of the ancient sorcerers Belgarath and Polgara, with their young companion Garion, in a quest to save the world from the evil god Torak. It is Nope Not At All Just Like The Lord Of The Rings […]
Sunlight and Shadow
November 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Sunlight and Shadow is another fairytale retelling by Cameron Dokey. I think this is bordering on obsession for me! This one is a version of “The Magic Flute” which is a story I wasn’t familiar with. It’s essentially an origin story of how the Sun and Moon came to share precedence in the world, with […]
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
November 12, 2012 by 1 Comment
Review written by Jonathan Lavallee. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian tells the story of Arthur Junior Spirit, a fourteen year old boy who decides after his first day of high school at Wellpinit High School that he’s going to go off the reservation and go to school at the white high school. […]
Breadcrumbs
November 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Breadcrumbs—a retelling of “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen—seems very much like a middle grade novel in how it’s presented, where it’s reviewed, the illustrations that remind me a bit of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, etc. Amazon says it’s for ages 8 and up, third grade and up. Based on the […]
