The Emperor of Absurdia - Chris Riddell

Summary: What kind of world is it  where children are in charge and fishes swim the skies?  Where dinner comes before lunch, but then lunch hatches and runs off to fetch its -- uh-oh -- big bad, mama? 

But that's nothing compared to what the Emperor discovers when he wakes up the next morning!  From a two-time winner of the most prestigious picture-book award in Britain comes an adventure in which the extraordinary is ordinary and nothing is ever quite what it seems.  (Summary from book - Image from bookeg.com)

My Review:  In this book, incredible dreams become reality for one young boy. The emperor of Absurdia wakes up to find his snuggly scarf is missing! He sets out on a quest to find it, is surprised by a tiny dragon, and ends up being chased by a very large one! How will he escape? You’ll have to read this book and see.

The Emperor of Absurdia is gorgeous! The illustrations are exceptionally detailed, whimsical, and oh-so-imaginative -- think Steven Kellogg meets Dr. Seuss. Every time my daughter and I open this book, we spend a great deal of time exploring the nuances of each captivating page. The author’s subtle use of alliteration and cadence give the words a dreamy lilt without having to make everything rhyme. What makes this book extraordinary is how the last page flips the whole story on its head. My girls love that page and spend even more time examining those illustrations.

While this book is written for the pre-K to K set, my seven-year-old still thought it was pretty cool and although we checked out several books from the library, this is the one that my five-year-old keeps “reading” time and again. It’s also nice that, as many times as I’ve read it the last few days, it hasn’t become annoying. I will definitely be adding this book to our at-home library.

My Rating: 4.25 Stars  (Would have been 5 stars if they somehow could have worked in how it was important to clean your room and not fight with your sister)
 
Sum it up: A gorgeous and magical dream scape sure to captivate your child's imagination.

These Happy Golden Years - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  Laura, not yet sixteen, takes a job teaching school in a drafty shanty twelve miles from home.  It's a terrifying job.  Most of her pupils are taller than she is -- and she has to board with a hateful, crazed lady.  Laura is miserable, but she must help to keep her blind sister Mary in school.  And every Friday, when the school week is over, Almanzo arrives in his sleigh -- come all twelve miles across the desolate icy slough to take her home to her family  for the weekend.  Could it be love?  (Summary from book - Image from openlibrary.org )

My Review:  These Happy Golden Years has a different feel than the novels that precede it. With Laura grown up, by De Smet standards, the story focuses more on her life outside of the Ingalls household -- teaching school, studying for exams, and living in the homes of strangers. A homesick Laura is delighted by fleeting weekends with her family and regular Sunday drives with Almanzo. I enjoyed Almanzo’s attention to Laura, and her bewilderment by it, but found that I missed the pleasures of daily life in the Ingalls home and wished for more detail sprinkled between the weekdays and carriage rides.

As with Little Town on the Praire, this book paid excessive attention to fashion, much to my disappointment and disinterest, but Laura’s budding relationship with Almanzo more than made up for it. My seven-year-old daughter loved it as well, which was a little disturbing, and she kept giggling each time Almanzo showed up to take Laura for a buggy ride. She was aghast at life with the Brewsters, which only served to highlight the love and warmth of Laura’s childhood home.

My youngest daughter made the occasional appearance while reading, but my eldest constantly pestered me to read “just one more!” This book ends in the expected wedding and Laura’s bittersweet journey from the Ingalls homestead to her new home with Almanzo.

We finished this book in around four days and Kaisa bolted downstairs to get the final book (or the follow-up, depending on your perspective), The First Four Years.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Sum it Up:  Laura gets a life, and love, of her own. 

Little Town on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  The long hard winter was over.  The people of De Smet, South Dakota, came outdoors and began to live again.  They held church socials, dances, and "literaries."  In the summer, Laura took a grueling job -- making shirts, through long hard hours.  She wanted the money to help send Mary to the college for the blind in Vinton, Iowa.  Suddenly, Laura was a young lady.  And who but the dashing Almanzo Wilder escorted her home in the evenings!  (Summary from book - Image from www.littlehouse.wikia )

My Review:  After the long winter, the Ingalls family moves back out onto their claim for the summer and Laura spends the time studying for her teachers certificate and working in town to help pay for Mary's education.  In the fall, a plague of blackbird plagues leads to lost crops but ample blackbird pie. 

When winter rolls around again, the claim shanty isn't ready to weather the storm, so the family moves back to town and the girls become "city girls".  Laura is growing up.  Before long, she gets invited to parties and sociables,  and even begins paying attention to fads, fashion, and (gasp) boys.  My girls were particularly interested in the reappearance of mean-spirited Nellie Oleson, and the problems with the new school teacher (who also happens to be Almanzo Wilder's sister).  My eldest thought it was hysterical that Laura got to ride in Almanzo's buggy instead of a certain snobby schoolmate who shall remain nameless.

Despite my love for this series, there were a few things that I didn't like about this book.  Because Laura is more interested in clothing and looking fashionable, there were many times that clothing was described down to the most minute detail.  Bo-ring.  My kids couldn't picture it and didn't much care.   Also, towards the end of the book, the Ingalls family attends a literary where several men paint their faces black, dress up as "darkies" and put on a show.  Definitely not the most P.C. moment in Little House history, as the word "darkies" was used a number of times.  I just substituted the word "performers" and read quickly.  My children also didn't understand the church revival at all and I think were a little distressed by all the yelling. 

My five-year-old has all but detached herself from this series now, choosing instead to look at other books while I read to her older sister.  I suppose that Laura has grown up too fast for her, but my seven-year-old still begs me to read and dissolves into giggles the moment Almanzo's name is mentioned.  When we finished this one (without her sister) she gleefully ran downstairs to get "These Happy Golden Year" proclaiming that "Laura and Almanzo are going to get married in this one."  Should I be worried?  I mean, she's seven.

My Rating: 3.75 Stars

Sum it up:  A welcome reprieve from The Long Winter, with some interesting description of town life.

The Tiger Rising - Kate DiCamillo

Summary:  The Tiger Rising is the tale of 12-year-old Rob Horton who finds a caged tiger in the woods behind the Kentucky Star Motel where he lives with his dad. The tiger is so incongruous in this setting that Rob views the apparition as some sort of magic trick. Indeed, the tiger triggers all sorts of magic in Rob's life--for one thing, it takes his mind off his recently deceased mother and the itchy red blisters on his legs that the wise motel housekeeper, Willie May, says is a manifestation of the sadness that Rob keeps "down low." Something else for Rob to think about is Sistine (as in the chapel), a new city girl with fierce black eyes who challenges him to be honest with her and himself. Spurred by the tiger, events collide to break Rob out of his silent introspection, to form a new friendship with Sistine, to develop a new understanding of his father, and most important, to lighten his heart.  (Summary from http://www.2scholastic.com/ - Image from http://www.betterworldbooks.com/  )


My Review:  It seems that Kate DiCamillo can do no wrong.  I've read (and loved) Because of Winn Dixie and we've reviewed The Tale of Despereaux and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane with positive praise.  I found The Tiger Rising at a local used book store and knew it would be good -- most National Book Award finalists are -- but I had no idea it would knock my socks off.  I mean, it's little.  Tiny.  Miniscule.  

The Tiger Rising is a stunningly expressive tale, thick with emotion and beautifully written.  While the plot itself was quite simple -- perfect for the 9-12 reader -- I feel that a child might not understand the symbolism or appreciate the elegant language and emotional nuances.  They can read it, of course, but I think that an adult might get more out of it. 

The Tiger Rising is populated with a vibrant cast of characters, but my absolute favorite was the housekeeper, Willie May.  She exuded wisdom, sass, and a fierce independence that is evident in one of my favorite lines of the book, "I ain't got to do nothing, except stay black and die."   She is by no means the only fabulous character.  Rob is one tough little kid, but eventually he'll have to open that suitcase.  His father is kind, but barely holding it together.  And Sistine?  Well, Sistine might be in denial, but she still rocks.  Several of these characters work through a spectrum of emotions in this book and, while the story and its the ending were bittersweet, it had the effect of being a very cathartic read.  I felt lighter after I'd read it.

This book is a great gymnastics/karate/dance class read.  Basically, you can read it in under an hour if you don't have kids poking you.  So drop them off, lock yourself in the car, and have at it.

My Rating:  4.5 Stars

Sum it up:  A tiny book that packs a powerful punch.

Mockingbird - Kathryn Erskine

Summary:  In Caitlin's world, everything is black and white.  Anything in between is confusing.  That's the stuff her brother, Devon, always explained.  But now Devon is dead, and her father cries a lot.  She wants to help her dad -- and herself! -- but as a ten-year-old girl with Asperger's syndrome, she doesn't know how.

She turns to textbooks and dictionaries, easy for Caitlin because they're full of facts in black and white.  After reading the definition of Closure, Caitlin knows this is just what she and her father need.  And she is determined to find it.  In her search she discovers that not everything is really black and white -- the world is full of colors, messy and beautiful.  And perhaps if she "Works At It," Caitlin and her father can have Closure and Empathy, too.  (Summary from book - Image from abebooks.com )

My Review:  Life with Asperger’s is hard and Caitlin is always Working At It. Her brother, Devon used to show her what to do, how to act, and what not to say, so that people wouldn’t laugh or stare. Only now Devon is dead, and Caitlin feels adrift, unsure how to behave without him, confused by her father’s erratic behavior, and unable to explain or even understand her own feelings. In her grief, Caitlin struggles to decipher the emotions that swirl around and inside of her, but it is through her conversations with the school counselor, an unlikely friendship, and a special project, that Caitlin discovers how to find happiness in the midst of heartbreaking loss.

I read Mockingbird from cover to cover while my youngest daughter took her morning nap. Reading a book in one sitting is a gift, in and of itself, but this book would have been beautiful even with a million interruptions. Reminiscent of The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime and written “in the hopes we may all understand each other better,” Mockingbird is a poignant glimpse into the mind of a child with Asperger’s syndrome. Erskine’s delivers a stunning and tender portrayal of grief and recovery, with a voice that is unique and brilliantly rendered. Although this book could have been completely depressing, I closed it feeling strangely uplifted -- as if Caitlin’s journey from black and white to color was somehow my own.

Perhaps as its greatest achievement, Mockingbird offers insight into the behavior, mannerisms, motivation, and thought processes of someone with Asperger’s. By the end of the book, I felt a greater understanding for how Caitlin’s mind worked and a deeper empathy for families dealing with this particular disease. I highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially those who know someone with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Go ahead. Buy it, borrow it, or check it out. You will not be disappointed.

My Rating: 5 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  Read away. 

Sum it up:  A convincing and eloquent portrayal of loss, recovery, and Asperger's Syndrome. 

Gregor the Overlander - Suzanne Collins

Also reviewed by Heather.

Summary:  When eleven-year-old Gregor follows his little sister through a grate in the laundry room of their New York apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland beneath the city.  There, humans live uneasily beside giant spiders, bats, cockroaches, and rats--but the fragile peace is about to fall apart.

Gregor wants no part of a conflict between these creepy creatures.  He just wants to find his way home.  But when he discovers that a strange prophecy foretells a role for him in the Underland's uncertain future, he realizes it might be the only way to solve the biggest mystery of his life.  Little does he know his quest will change him--and the Underland--forever.  (Summary from back of the book and image from http://images.betterworldbooks.com/)

My Review:   I feel behind the times that I'm just now reading this series. After reading Collins' trilogy, The Hunger Games, and recommending it to my students, I discovered that they already knew and loved this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first book.  Collins has a wonderful way of making her characters real and endearing.  I absolutely loved Gregor's sister Boots.  She practically made this book.  The idea that humans migrated (is that what you'd call it despite the location?) underground and created another world is fascinating.  The way they grew their food and traveled on large bats that stealthily flew in darkness, took away the impending fear of constant darkness one would normally associate with being stuck underground. However, there was still that sense of fear with the larger than life insects and rodents. 

Collins, despite having violence in all the books I've read of hers, manages to write in a way that does not glorify the violence but instills in the reader a real sense of loss.  I think despite this being a book written for a younger audience than my 8th grade students I'll still recommend the series if they enjoyed the Hunger Games.

My Rating: 5 stars--warning for parents: since this is aimed at a 5th or 6th grade reading level, I think parents should know there is death, and particularly death related to war, in this book.

Sum it up: A modern day imaginary adventure, sure to capture children's attention and entertain adults.

The Long Winter - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  On the empty winter prairie, gray clouds to the northwest meant only one thing:  a blizzard was seconds away.  The first blizzard came in October.  It snowed almost without stopping until April. The temperature dropped to forty below.  Snow reached the rooftops.  And no trains could get through with food and coal.  The townspeople began to starve.  The Ingalls family barely lived through the winter.  And Almanzo Wilder knew he would have to risk his life to save the town.  (Summary from book - Image from knowledgetreedaycareandpreschoo.com)


My Review:  The girls and I have been steadily consuming the Little House series for the past several months. At ages five and seven, they have loved reading about the Ingalls family and been very excited to read each night, even crying on nights we’ve had to skip stories. Then we hit The Long Winter and all I can say is, boy, was it.

As its title implies, this book covers an unusual and incredibly long winter the Ingalls family spends in the town of De Smet, South Dakota. After about eighty pages, winter sets in, and the story devolves into a series of three and four-day blizzards with hardly a day’s rest in between. The family’s days become a never-ending cycle of freezing snow, screaming wind, and ever increasing hunger. As an older reader, I can see the value of learning about the Ingalls family’s ability to endure hardship and their use of good, old-fashioned ingenuity and perseverance to overcome it, but my kids were just bored. While my seven year old retained some interest in the story (at least in its conclusion), and both marveled when the snow reached the rooftops, I practically had to beg my five year old to come sit down so that we could finish the book and move on to the more active Little Town on the Prairie.

I've heard The Long Winter described as one of the more exciting books of the series since it was uncertain whether the family would survive, but felt that the summary, and the continuation of the series, really put an end to that question.  Despite my children's boredom, I still liked this book and would recommend it to an older reader (9 and up) with a longer attention span.

Click a link to read our reviews of: Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, Farmer Boy, and By the Shores of Silver Lake.

My Rating: 3.75 Stars

Sum it up: A VERY long winter.

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

Summary:  Jason has a problem.  He doesn't remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip.  Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and his best friend is a guy named Leo.  They're all students at the Wilderness School, a boarding school for "bad kids," as Leo puts it.  What did Jason do to end up here?  And where is here, exactly?  Jason doesn't know anything--except that everything seems very wrong.

Piper has a secret.  Her father, a famous actor, has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble.  Piper doesn't understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn't recognize her.  When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she's going to find out, whether she wants to or not.

Leo has a way with tools.  When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home.  But there's weird stuff, too--like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who's gone missing.  Weirdest of all, his bunk mates insist that each of them --including Leo-- is related to a god.  Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts.    (Summary from book - Image from fanpop.com)

My Review:  I am a die-hard fan of those Lightning Thief books (aka the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series) and jumped at the chance to revisit Riordan’s magical world of mythology, monsters and mayhem by reading the first book in his new series, The Heroes of Olympus. I loved Riordan’s unique blend of modern with mythological and found that The Lost Hero, now with new demigods (and a few old ones), another ominous prophecy, a case of amnesia, and a treacherous quest, had a similar feel to Riordan’s previous works.

In short, I liked this book.  The Lost Hero was fun, easy to read, and I enjoyed learning more about familiar characters and being introduced to some new ones.  It's always interesting to see what powers each demigod has inherited from their parent and the full extent of what they can do.  Riordan also adds some new gods to the mix and even throws in a a few heroes or villains for good measure.  I loved the addition of the lesser known (to me) Roman mythology and all that it means for the series. 

My only real complaint is that, at first, I had some difficulty figuring out who the "bad guy" really was, or which "bad guy" was speaking to which demigod.  It took a little mental exercise and reading a little further into the story before I finally figured everything out, but it eventually all made sense. 

This is a book aimed at older children or younger young adults, and as such, isn’t overly complex or arduous. It doesn’t take long before an obstacle is faced, overcome, and replaced with another. If this book were written for an older audience, I would call this a “flaw”, but in this case, the pace kept things exciting for younger readers. Either way the story was laced with enough trademark creativity and humor that I didn’t really mind. I look forward to the next book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The Son of Neptune (releasing 10/11/11), and hope that the excitement continues.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For the sensitive reader:  Um.  I don't remember anything offensive -- unless you are offended by Cyclops.

Sum it up: A fun spin-off to a much-loved series.

Moon Over Manifest - Clare Vanderpool

This guest review comes to us from Melissa M. over a Gerbera Daisy Diaries.  She sends us some real gems from time to time and we always love to have her!

Summary:  Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.

Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”

Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

Powerful in its simplicity and rich in historical detail, Clare Vanderpool’s debut is a gripping story of loss and redemption.  (Summary from goodreads.com - Image from http://www.clarevanderpool.com/)

My Review:  Abilene Tucker is riding the rails, quite literally, into the town of Manifest, Kansas.

She’s been shipped by her father to spend the summer with Shady Howard– and man she has never met, but is trusted by her father to care for her during the summer.

There she meets up with Lettie and Ruthanne, who become her companions on a quest to determine the meaning behind a box of mementos discovered under the floorboard of her room: a map, a cork, a fishhook, a sliver dollar, a fancy key, and a tiny wooden baby doll.

Thus Abilene begins a summertime odyssey to learn the secrets of her past and of the city of Manifest.

No mincing words --  I adored this book.

Author, Clare Vanderpool, has created a vintage story that bridges two time periods – that of WWI and the Depression, with a cast of captivating & quirky characters (everything from bootleggers, and miners, to a gypsy and a nun!) and a main character, Abilene, who will run away with your heart.

I was completely transformed back in time – I felt like I was walking in stride with Abilene. Every clue she uncovered and every story she heard was as if I was learning it with her. It was also particularly endearing because much like Manifest, my ancestors were a part of a small town Manifest-like community – that this book could easily been about their lives.

The only thing I that I regret, was taking far too long to finish (so many obligations this week). This is a book that needs to be read in a day or two to fully embrace the richness of the narrative.

This was absolutely deserving of the Newbery Medal Award this year…and so far, my favorite book of 2011.

My Rating: 5 Stars - Love, love love LOVED it!

Sum it up:  A well deserved award winner that will appeal to both child and parent alike.For a clip from the author, please check out this related video:

Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  Ten years in the future, Laura Ingalls will marry Almanzo in the town of De Smet, South Dakota.  But now, Almanzo is miles away, growing up with his brother and sisters on his father's farm in New York.

Almanzo's chores get him up at dawn and keep him working till dinner -- summer and winter.  But it is fun, and it builds character.  And was there ever a boy who loved horses more?  Was there ever a boy with a bigger appetite?  (Summary from book - Image from paperbackswap.com )

My Review: Farmer Boy is the fourth book in the Little House Series and the only one that focuses on Laura’s future husband, Almanzo Wilder, as a young boy. Almanzo’s life on his family farm in New York isn’t easy, but he wants nothing more than to be a farmer, eat his weight in his mother’s delicious cooking, and, of course, help train the new colts. His family maintains a substantial farm and is far wealthier than the Ingalls family could ever hope to be. As a boy, his chores vastly differ from the Ingalls’ girls, and he spends his days helping his father prepare the fields, plant and harvest crops, shear sheep, bale hay, cut logs for firewood, and haul ice from the lake to the icehouse. It was interesting to note the disparities between the Wilder and Ingalls families. The difference in financial circumstances and the addition of the male point of view allowed my girls to see a different side of farming life in the late 1800s, and both they and I enjoyed the change in perspective.

Once again, this book offered many opportunities to discuss important life lessons with my girls. On one occasion, Almanzo’s father taught him how to spend his money wisely, and give up something good for something that required hard work, but was even better. It was a perfect way to start a conversation with my children about saving for things that are important, working hard, making smart financial decisions.

My only complaint about this book was that when Almanzo and his father were working on a project, the story morphed into an exceptionally detailed instruction manual on how to make that particular item. The only reason I think anyone would find this interesting would be if they actually wanted to make the item in question. Personally, I have no intention of ever making a bobsled. These sections were lengthy and it was difficult for my children to follow along and imagine the process. I could see my girls checking out of the story in those moments and to be honest I had a hard time not just skipping over it. Thankfully, these sections didn’t happen too often and my girls found more than enough stories to keep them occupied. They loved the town’s Independence Day celebration, the “blacking” incident, and stared at me, wide-eyed, when I read about the time Mother and Father left the children by themselves for a week while they went to visit relatives.

Overall, I’m glad that I read the book for the background about the Wilder family and the character depth it gave to Laura’s future husband. I would recommend this book to anyone reading the series, but don’t think that it is a must-read.

My Rating: 4 Stars

For the sensitive reader: There is an illustration of a naked boy as he gets into a washtub. It's a side-view, so you don’t see anything. It was no big deal unless your girls get the giggles, which mine did. There is also a story about a teacher who whips naughty children with a bullwhip that, I promise, sounds far worse than it actually is.

Sum it up: An interesting, but not essential, addition to the Little House series.

By the Shores of Silver Lake - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  The Ingalls family had fared badly in Plum Creek, Minnesota.  They were in debt.  Mary was blind now.  So Pa went West to work at a railroad camp in Dakota Territory where he could make as much as fifty dollars a month!  Then he sent for his wife and four children, and they became the first settlers in the new town of De Smet.  But the railroad brought hordes of land-hungry people from the East.  Had Pa waited too long to file his homestead claim?  (Summary from book - Image from wikipedia.org )

My Review:  By the Shores of Silver Lake starts on a sad note with the news that Mary has gone blind from scarlet fever. My daughters had barely had time to process this tragedy before the family’s beloved dog Jack died, and they did not bear the news well. There were many tears and a few declarations of “I (sob) HATE this book!” Despite the rocky start, it wasn’t long before my eldest was stumbling around the house with her eyes closed (pretending to be Mary) and they were begging me to read to them again. It helped that there was a new addition to the family, in the form of baby Grace, and that the Ingalls family soon left Plum Creek for another adventure in Dakota Territory.

In this section of the Little House series, Laura, a young lady of thirteen, moves with her family a record total of five times as they leave Plum Creek and all around the Dakota Territory, finally settling on a claim outside the town of De Smet. These environmental changes, ranging from a temporary shanty to an unfinished shop, kept the story moving and always provided a new area for my children’s imaginations. They loved reading about life in a railroad camp, thrilled at Laura’s adventures on the shores of Silver Lake, and marveled when the Ingalls family woke up in a half-finished building with a foot of snow on their beds. Throw in a few angry mobs and you’ve got a story that will captivate both young and old.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

For the sensitive reader: There were a few small paragraphs that conveyed negative stereotypes of Native Americans, but I managed to gloss over them without incident

Sum it up:  Best read within the context of the series, By the Shores of Silver Lake tells the fascinating tale of one family’s adventures as they journey from Minnesota to Dakota Territory. Each location offered a variety of new experiences that kept my young readers interested.

The Monster at the End of this Book - Jon Stone

Summary:  Many, many adults name this book as their favorite Little Golden Book. Generations of kids have interacted with lovable, furry old Grover as he begs the reader not to turn the page for fear of a monster at the end of the book. "Oh, I am so embarrassed," he says on the last page...for, of course, the monster is Grover himself!  (Summary from Toysrus.com and image from vanpartible.com)

My Review:  If your 18 month old sits through actual books with words, and not just one or two words per page, then I bow down to you and your genius baby.  Mine does not, and will not.  That is, except when it comes to this book.  The moment she sees me sit down with my older daughter and crack the cover, she comes running.  She absolutely LOVES this book and lovable, furry, old Grover.  How pleasantly surprised I was!

We received this book from my parents for Christmas.  I had given them a list of children's books we didn't own, but wanted, and this was one of them.  I remembered reading this book as a child and loved it.  There's something so endearing and sweet about Grover, his honest fear of monsters, and his relate-able embarrassment at the end of the book.  As for my 4 year old, she loves the overall story and my 18 month old loves Grover's outbursts--they are oh-so-fun to exaggerate while reading aloud.  The way the book is written it feels as if you're interacting with Grover as you turn each page.  I sometimes throw in a question to my girls before I turn a page, "Should we turn the page?"  To which they always reply with a giddy, "YES!"  I haven't tired of reading the book, which often happens with repeated readings.  That, in my mind, is a good sign.

If you haven't heard of this book and need to shake up your children's reading routine, pick up this book.

Here's a special treat.  If you click on this link, it takes you to an online, complete version of the book with illustrations.  Now you can decide for yourself if it's worth the money.  You're welcome.

Rating:  5 Stars.

Sum it up:  Engaging and fun, one of my favorite Children's books.

On the Banks of Plum Creek - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  At first the Ingalls lived in a sod house in Minnesota.  Then Pa built a clean new house beside Plum Creek, buying materials for it on credit, intending to pay for them with the fall wheat harvest.  But just before the harvest, a strange glittering cloud suddenly blocked out the sun.  Plunk!  Something dropped on Laura's head, and fell to the ground.  It was the biggest grasshopper she had ever seen.  Millions of them descended over the country side--and then there was no wheat crop.  (Summary from book - Image from harpercollins.com)



My Review: On the Banks of Plum Creek begins with the purchase of a hole in the ground. Well, pretty much. Pa and Ma Ingalls trade their wagon and oxen for a dugout (a sod home carved into a creek bank) and some land. For Mary, Laura, and not-so-baby Carrie, it is an incredible adventure. My girls sure thought so! I can’t count the number of times they told me that they wanted to live in a dugout too.

Soon afterwards, Pa Ingalls begins to till the land, and takes out a loan against the next year’s wheat harvest to build a beautiful home out of pine boards. My children were amazed at the illustrations of this new house and especially the shiny wood stove that sat in the corner, looking entirely different from our electric one. Throughout the coming year, the Ingalls family has many adventures and tribulations. Whether it was attending school for the first time or going to a town party, enduring a grasshopper plague, blinding snowstorms, or the snobbery of that despicable Nellie Olsen, my girls were hooked.

What I liked most about these books, after the exciting events and illustrations, is that they provide many opportunities to discuss sound principles with my children. We discussed the dangers of getting into debt, the importance of listening to and obeying our parents, how temptation works in our lives, and much more. When we finished this one, my children leapt off the couch and ran downstairs for the next one (By the Shores of Silver Lake). I LOVE that they love this series!

My Rating: 4.5 Stars. It’s hard to beat the first book, but this one sure tried.

For the sensitive reader: I had a hard time reading certain parts with a straight face (e.g. Laura and her Christmas…ahem…muff). I’m sorry. I wish I could be more grown up about it, but talking about how silky it was nearly made my husband and I cross-eyed trying to keep it together. There were also a few other words that mean different things now (like p***y and gay), that an older child might pick up on. Mine did not.

Sum it up: A wonderful continuation of the life of Laura Ingalls and her family.

Rapunzel's Revenge - Shannon and Dean Hale

Summary:  Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother...or the person she THOUGHT was her mother.

Every day, when the girl played in her grand villa and lush garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the ridiculously huge garden wall.  Year after year, things just seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally manged to sneak over the top of the wall and was horrified to see what lay beyond...

Newberry Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story.  Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair, along with a mysterious outlaw named Jack, gallop around the wild and Western landscape, battling creatures and outrageous villains, righting wrongs, and changing their world forever.  (Summary from cover jacket and image from  http://www.kidsmomo.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/rapunzels_revenge)

My Review:    I typically don't enjoy graphic novels.  I see the appeal for struggling readers or for those who aren't drawn to print the way we here at Reading for Sanity are.  I find the pictures, glossed over thoughts and emotions of the characters, and the way the plot is forced along--because having too much dialogue negates the purpose of a graphic novel--by action to make the book feel watered down.  That is my opinion of graphic novels in general.  I prefer not to read into every 'hmph' and 'oof' the characters use to make the pictures come alive.

That said, I actually read this graphic novel fairly quickly.  The plot, although rushed because of the format, was intriguing.  Swashbuckling is a pretty good adjective for the mood this book evokes.  I was curious to see this new world that Hale had created and elaborated from the classic tale.  I found it interesting to take the smaller town feel that the classic story had and enlarge it to a grand scale encompassing an entire country.  It made the antagonist that much more sinister.  There were other aspects I enjoyed as well: the can-do girl attitude, the shaking off the old stereotype of a damsel in distress, and throwing in a Western theme.  After reading the story I wondered if Hale had recently watched the musical Into The Woods because she combined two fairy tales to make the plot a bit more complex.  (Into The Woods combines many, but this felt similar.)

This was a fun, girl-empowering story with a great message of doing what is right, even if no one else is doing it.  It wasn't my favorite format for reading a story, but it would be great for my classroom.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Sum it up:  A new and Western take on an old classic fairy tale with an empowering girls message.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid : The Ugly Truth - Jeff Kinney

Summary:  Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up.  But is getting older really all it's cracked up to be?  Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older--all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side.  Can Greg make it through on his own?  Or will he have to face the "ugly truth"?  (Summary from back of the book and image from http://sandboxworld.com/)

My Review:  Note:  This is the fifth in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  If you aren't familiar with the series, you  might want to go back to the first review and start there.  There is a continuous story for Greg and you watch him evolve through the books.

Talk about a fast read! This book only took me 2 1/2 hours to finish--and that was around telling kids to be quiet while they were supposed to be silently reading. While it wasn't the funniest book I've ever read, I did laugh out loud five separate times, and yes, I counted. It contains the same Kinney humor--Greg's obliviousness to his own selfishness is supposed to be funny and the mix of awkward middle school social experiences. You get watch his illogical mind at work as he tries to contrive every situation to his favor.  Alas,  Greg's not a very accomplished manipulator, nor does he have the foresight to prevent some of his mishaps, which can be quite painful. It's not my typical humor, but I'm glad to say I've read it because now I know what the kids rave about. 

Just to give readers here at Reading For Sanity an idea of how popular the Wimpy Kid series is:  For my classroom I'd bought the entire first four books in May of last year.  Two books were swiped before June even arrived.  I started this year with only two books (I'm aware you can do the math, but I'm just being clear).  They were my most fought over books with male students.  This year I bought another set including the fifth book.  The minute I got them out of the Scholastic box I had boys, who normally don't like reading, clamoring over each other to check out the fifth book and take it home.  They were quite disappointed when I told them I got to read it first.  Good thing it only took me 2 1/2 hours to read.  It's already checked out.

My Rating: 3.25 Stars

Sum it up:  Continuing the painful, and sometimes funny, saga of Greg Heffley's middle school experience.

The Extra-Ordinary Princess - Carolyn Q. Ebbitt

Summary:  All seemed well in the beautiful and peaceful land of Gossling.  For Amelia, born the fourth daughter in a line of princesses, life under her parents rule was filled with the happiness of a lucky childhood.  With her imperfect schoolwork and unruly red hair, she never imagined that she--who seemed so ordinary compared to her talented and beautiful sisters--would be called upon to lead her country.

But when a plague sweeps the land, taking her parents' lives and leaving the sisters and the country under the rule of their terrifying uncle, Count Raven, only Amelia escapes.  And as Raven closes the schools, punishes the citizens, and lays waste to the fields, only Amelia, with the help of her friends and their trust in the goodness of their land, can lead the people and inspire them to overthrow Raven's forces.  (Summary from book - Image from amazon.com)

My Review: I knew, from the very first chapter, that I would like Carolyn Q. Ebbit’s first novel. I settled right into the story, with a contented sigh, and fully enjoyed the time I spent reading. The Extra-Ordinary Princess reminded me of Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, The Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson, and Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and not just in its propensity towards feathered friends as characters. If you like fairytale retellings, you will know what I mean when I say this book has the same fairytale feel to it as they do. It was full prophecies and magic, terrible evil and courageous deeds all wrapped up with a strong heroine (or several) who learns to trust her own instincts.

Amelia’s journey to save her kingdom from the evil Count Raven serves both to entertain and to teach a wonderful lesson to young girls ages 9 through 12. Amelia felt that she was just an ordinary princess and that there was nothing special about her in a family of such gifted sisters. So many girls feel that way--I know I did--and it was particularly satisfying to read a story where the heroine isn’t stunningly attractive or especially gifted, but learns her true value throughout the course of the book .

In The Extra-Ordinary Princess, Carolyn Q. Ebbit manages to tell a beautiful, uplifting story of courage and loyalty, with just the right mix of fantasy, suspense, and adventure, that will leave both young and old readers equally delighted. I look forward to reading it to my daughters when they are a little bit older and have longer attention spans.

My Rating: 4 Stars, perfect for any age.

Sum it up: An extraordinary fairytale adventure.

Heir Apparent - Vivian Vande Velde

Summary:  In the virtual reality game, Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed--and Giannine seems to be finding them all.  Unless she can:

get the magic ring,

find the stolen treasure,

answer the dwarf's dumb riddles,

impress the head-chopping statue,
charm the army of ghosts,

fend off the barbarians,

and defeat the man-eating dragon,

she'll never win.  And if she doesn't win, she will die--for real this time.  (Summary from amazon.com - Image from goodreads.com )

My Review:  My aunt recommended this book and I picked it up in the hopes of escaping from all the depressing books I’ve been forcing myself to read lately. I loved the idea of a virtual reality adventure game, primarily because I have a secret passion for PC adventure games like King’s Quest, and a virtual reality one would be amazing. Yes, I am a geek. Are you just figuring that out?

When Giannine gets a gift certificate from her father (well, his secretary anyway) to enjoy Rasmussem enterprises virtual gaming experience, she decides to make the best of a less than thoughtful birthday gift and cash it in. When a serious malfunction occurs mid-level, Giannine finds herself stuck in the game with only her wits to save her. Heir to a coveted throne, unwelcome by her siblings, and trapped in hostile territory, she must figure out whom to trust and whom to use in order to successfully complete the game, before time runs out and her real life ends.

Heir Apparent has a Groundhog Day feel to it, as Giannine must repeat the entire game with each fatal misstep. I enjoyed this particular quirk and the variations it created in the story, but it did start to wear thin towards the end. I was glad when the author began to skip certain parts so that I didn’t have to relive each detail every time Giannine had to start over. Regardless, I think that most kids would be amused by her flippant attitude, some humorous twists, the concept of virtual reality gaming, and the chance to imagine themselves in Giannine’s place.

The ending of this book flopped for me. Apparently, there is a secret way to win the game that I thought was a cop out, and the games mysterious maker was very young-adult-cliché. None of Giannine’s family issues were resolved and the story just stopped. I swear, one minute they were wrapping things up and the next minute.

(Yeah, like that. Kind of annoying, isn’t it?!)

While I enjoyed this book's creativity and think it will fare well as a fun children’s fiction novel (ages 10 and up) I was more than a little disappointed at what I felt was a lackluster finish.

My Rating: 3 Stars (for an adult). For the sensitive reader – One instance of biblical swearing and quite a bit of vague-ish head lopping.

Sum it up: An interesting premise, with humorous delivery, but lacking an adequate conclusion.

Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary:  Wolves and panthers and bears roamed the deep Wisconsin woods in the 1860's.  But Pa Ingalls preferred to live miles from his nearest neighbors.  Pa built a snug log cabin for Ma and his three daughters, Mary and Laura and Baby Carrie.  He hunted and trapped and farmed.  Ma knew how to make her own cheese and sugar.  At night the wind moaned lonesomely, but Pa played his fiddle and sang to his little girls.  (Summary from book - Image from sfgate.com)

My Review:  The Little House in the Big Woods (and the rest of the series) are historical fiction books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The characters and events of the first book in the series are based on her memories of growing up in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, but the books themselves aren't completely autobiographical.  Regardless of their authenticity, I find these books as fascinating now as I did when I was little, and my mother read them to me. 

Little House in the Big Woods isn't particularly plot driven but prefers to dwell on the everyday tasks of rural living in the late 1860s.   The story is told by a young girl, Laura, and is primarily about two sisters within a close knit family.  Consequently, my girls could easily identify with both of the girls' interests, emotions, and concerns.  Each chapters shares new details of life in the woods, so that their young minds were constantly being tickled with interesting, and previously unheard of, experiences.  From slaughtering pigs to churning butter, making maple syrup, and smoking venison, Laura describes life in her small cabin in the woods with both curiosity and innocence. Pa's stories about panthers, bears, and spooky noises, embedded within several of the chapters, only served to heighten my children's interest in the story.

Above all, I found this book to be both easy to read and wonderfully descriptive.  It is a perfect read aloud book and has simple, carefully drawn illustrations every few pages that serve to spark the imagination and pull a wandering mind back into the story (this is very helpful if you're reading to a four year old).  I love these books.  Granted, I have a sentimental attachment to them because they were an integral part of my childhood, but I can't adequately describe the satisfaction I feel, watching my children's eyes glow with the excitement of a new world discovered and the thrill of imagining a time so different from our own. 

My Rating:  5 Stars

Sum it up:  If you have young girls, you simply must read these books with them.

Read our review of Little House on the Prairie, the second book in the Little House series.

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Read our review of Little House in the Big Woods, the first book in the Little House Series.

Summary:  The Big Woods was getting too crowded.  So Pa sold the little log house and built a covered wagon.  They were moving to Indian country!  They traveled all the way from Wisconsin to Oklahoma, and there Pa built the little house on the prairie. 

All year long Ma, Pa, Mary, and Laura sank their spirits into their land and their safe little house.  But their land belonged to the Indians, and in the end the Government made them move on again.  (Summary from book - Image from amazon.com)

My Review:  Little House on the Prairie is the second book in the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  It tells the story of the Ingalls family after they depart their small home in the woods of Wisconsin. They travel by covered wagon, to a place just inside Indian territory that has been rumored to be open to white settlers. There the Ingalls family builds a quaint but comfortable log home and Pa begins to till the land, while the family enjoys the freedom and beauty of living on the prairie. However, their time in Kansas isn’t without its troubles as the family is plagued by wolves, Indians, wildfire, and sickness.

I have always loved the Little House series, but it has been a while since I’ve read Little House on the Prairie. My children were enchanted by the descriptions of how to build a log home, fight a wildfire, and of the surprise birth of a young colt named Bunny.

Because the Ingalls planted their little house smack in the middle of tribal land, tensions run high, with disastrously racist results.  Many times Indians were portrayed as stinking, violent men who scalped, robbed, and otherwise persecuted the poor innocent white man. As an adult, I completely understand that the author was writing from her perspective at such a young age, and that she was merely repeating commonly held beliefs of the time. I did my best to try to explain to my children the basics of the Indians vs. Settlers conflict, that it was mostly over land, and that neither side cared much for nor truly understood the other. Still, was difficult to explain away the phrase “The only good Indian is a dead Indian” and the constant usages of descriptive terms like savage, fierce, and wild.

For their part, I don’t think my girls noticed (much), but because this book could perpetuate negative stereotypes, it would be wise to have a conversation with any young readers about the historical context of the story. If nothing else, it provides the opportunity to teach your children about the role of perspective within a story and how something can be presented as fact, without being factual.

I still maintain that this is an excellent series, despite its tendency towards the politically incorrect. The stories have just the right amount of description to hold a young readers attention and my children are always clamoring to see the pictures. We read through this book in a few short weeks and as soon as we finished, my girls ran downstairs to get the next one (we’re skipping Farmer Boy for the time being) and we immediately began On the Banks of Plum Creek.

My Rating: 4 Stars    For the sensitive reader: This book does contain some negative racial stereotypes, but nothing that can’t be surmounted with a bit of artful conversation.

Sum it Up: They came, they built, they got kicked out. LHOTP is an interesting, but not essential, part of the Little House Series.

Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

Summary: Stargirl. She's as magical as the desert sky. As strange as her pet rat. As mysterious as her own name. And she captures Leo Borlock's heart with just one smile.

But when the students of Mica High turn on Stargirl for everything that makes her different, Leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity - and the inspiration of first love.
Summary of back of book, cover photo from barnesandnoble.com

My Review: Stargirl is the new girl at school and to say she doesn't quite fit in is a gross understatement. This girl dances completely to the beat of her own drummer never noticing that she is out of sync with those around her. She is her own person, making no effort to conform to the norms of high school. When Leo, the narrator of the story, falls in love with her it is because of her differences. What he fails to realize is that by loving her originality he also makes himself an outsider.

When the kids at school begin to shun Stargirl, and by proximity the narrator himself, suddenly Stargirl's differences are not as likable. The narrator begins to talk with Stargirl about the importance of fitting in. The change he is desiring in Stargirl is the exact thing that will tear the two apart.

This is a well-written tale of the importance of remaining true to yourself. It is a tale that will appeal to all but will have a special meaning to tweens and young teens. Stargirl begins the story as the feared unknown and ends as role model. This tale accurately protrays the typical emotions of a high school universe in which individuality contends with conformity. Spinelli allows his narrator to make a fool of himself and fall on his head a couple times as all students must do. He illustrates the highs and lows of his characters with remarkable strength. With a focus on developing character traits, this is an ideal read for the 9-12 age group.

My Rating: 5 Stars

To Sum it up: A tale carrying my favorite message...the importance of being yourself