The Window Seat

Suggestions Welcome!

2010-12-31T11:43:00.001-05:00

Is there a book that you would like me to review? Do you have a favorite you'd like to share? Please feel free to leave a comment on this post and tell me! I welcome all suggestions!

Dear Whiskers by Ann Whitehead Nagda

2010-06-09T10:20:00.003-04:00

Dear Sameera,
I am a mouse.
I live in your desk.

When Jenny's fourth grade class is assigned to write letters to second graders, Jenny's a little excited about it.

But then she picks a funny name for her pen pal: Sameera. What kind of a name is Sameera? Jenny's best friend Richard had picked a boy named Eric. Smart, fussy Susan had a pen pal named Daniel. Really nice ordinary names.

Worse, the fourth graders are supposed to pretend to be mice writing the letters. What do mice write letters about? What do mice do? Jenny really hates this part of the project.

And, worst of all, Sameera never writes back! Doesn't she like Jenny's letters? Maybe she thinks "Whiskers" is a dumb name for a mouse. Or maybe she hates Jenny.

Jenny has two choices: try talking to her pen pal, or trade her in for a different second grader. But there's something Jenny doesn't know yet about Sameera...

Father and Son Read-Aloud Stories retold by Robert Gould

2010-05-26T12:07:00.001-04:00

This collection of well-loved tales (Puss in Boots, The Lion and the Mouse, Jack and the Beanstalk, and more) are perfectly adapted for sharing between the men of the family. Though the core stories remain the same, certain details have been adjusted for the intended readers - for example, when a blonde-haired visitor breaks Baby Bear's chair, he can still look forward to an afternoon in the workshop with Papa Bear, making a new one.

Lara Gurin's artwork appears to be based on photographs, creating a combination of fantasy and reality that perfectly balances the stories they illustrate.

The Postman Always Brings Mice by Holm & Hamel

2010-05-20T10:22:00.004-04:00

You are a sophisticated cat of the world. In fact, you are James Edward Bristlefur, a cat of honor and breeding who has helped to bring down the most cunning criminals in the world, thwart thefts of precious jewels, and who curls up each night on a comfortable pillow with a large dish of cream.

At least, you used to be.

But that was before Sir Archibald, the Director of MI9, Britain's most secret counterspy agency, and your human ever since you were a young kitten, was foully poisoned before your very eyes.

Now, a mix-up in customs and baggage claims dumps you, not in Norway on the trail of the vile villain who did the deed, but in an animal shelter - in New Jersey! To be adopted by an American family and misnamed "Mr. Stink."

The indignity!

And yet, in the midst of your plans to resume your quest, you discover that not everything is as it seems. Not even in a quiet little American neighborhood...

Harvey Moon, Museum Boy by Pat Cummings

2010-05-05T11:56:00.001-04:00

For fans of the original Harvey Moon story (Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon!), as well as those who enjoyed the recent Night in a Museum movies...

What do you get when you mix one mischevious kid, one frightened lizard, and a museum full of amazing things?

A story that you've got to read to believe, and a punchline that will have you groaning and laughing!

April Wild! Book Club

2010-04-24T13:08:00.000-04:00

Well, the weather was so nice that no one came for the book club this month. Unless we get a whole flood of friends for the May 22 get-together, we might have to let this program go and find a different way to enjoy and share stories.

Who Were They Really? by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2010-04-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

Do you enjoy Winnie-the-Pooh's stories? How about Peter Pan, Little Women, or the Little House on the Prairie books?

Have you ever wondered how Peter Rabbit got his name, or how Alice had so many adventures in Wonderland?

Ms. Pfeffer has collected the true stories behind these favorite characters, including pictures both of their authors and of their subjects. (Did you know that the real Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends are in New York City? They live at the Donnell Library.) You might be surprised at where some of the stories have come from, and the lives of the people who inspired them.

Otto Runs for President by Rosemary Wells

2010-03-31T16:33:00.003-04:00

Barkadelphia School is holding its yearly election for school president, and Otto's class is really excited. All of Tiffany's friends are sure she'll win - she's pretty, smart, and popular. And Charles seems to be a definite contender - he's a star athlete and the captain of all the sports teams.

Otto, on the other hand, is just a really good listener. While Tiffany and Charles are putting up banners and bumper stickers, Otto asks the kindergarteners about blankets. In the middle of pep rallies and pancake breakfasts, Otto quietly passes out homemade cookies.

It looks like a real close race heading into election day - Otto and his best friend Melanie have their fingers and toes crossed. Who do you think will win?

---

Our book kit includes a CD with the story narrated by Diana Canova. She has a great range of voices, making each character stand out. And the pep band background music definitely completes the story! There's two versions on the CD - one with page turn signals and one without. Great for sharing as a family, or for a young reader to practice on his or her own!

March Wild! Book Club

2010-03-27T13:29:00.001-04:00

Well, we were a little short on Wild! today - no one came to hang out and talk about books!

Our next get-together is Saturday, April 24 at 1 pm. Remember, everyone in grades 2-6 is welcome to spend some time relaxing and chatting about stories with other book-lovers!

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

2010-03-24T15:06:00.002-04:00

This is one of my very favorite picture books - not only is it fun to read and share, it's also a delight to act out!

One day, a peddler who sells caps - gray caps and brown caps and blue caps and red caps - goes out into the country to take a nap. He sits down under a big tree, falls asleep, and when he wakes up - all of his caps have disappeared!

Who could have took them? And how will he get them back?

---

If you enjoy this story, you'll like the sequel: Circus Caps for Sale. It's an equally fun romp, though I much prefer the original!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

2010-03-17T12:53:00.003-04:00

Get ready to laugh out loud as 14 talented artists take on the age-old question: Why did the chicken cross the road? Warning: egg-cellent jokes abound!

Two page spreads illustrate each artist's answer to the old joke, each one different from the next. (I won't tell you those answers; it would ruin the surprise!)

Some best-known artists include Mo Willems (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus; Knuffle Bunny; the Elephant and Piggy books), Tedd Arnold (the Fly Guy! books), David Shannon (No, David!; How I Became a Pirate), Jerry Pinkney (The Little Red Hen; The Lion and the Mouse), Harry Bliss (Diary of a Spider; Diary of a Worm), Lynn Munsinger (What Mommies Do Best / What Daddies do Best), and Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones).

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen

2010-03-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

Imagine if mice had their own civilization. Towns of mice living in the trunks of trees; guardian mice protecting travelers from such enemies as snakes, wolves, and weasels; blacksmith mice and weaver mice. What would it be like?

Imagine a world of swords and spears, honor and treachery, heroes and villains. Imagine four mouse guards - Lieam, Kenzie, Saxon, and Sadie - who each find pieces of the puzzle. A forbidden map, a shadowy meeting, a mouse who claims to be a hero of legend. A war coming, mouse against mouse rather than against their natural predators.

This vibrantly-colored comic book story tells a tale of bravery and sacrifice, friendship and suspicion. It's probably better for older readers because of the subject matter.

The Master Spy Handbook by Rain Newcomb

2010-03-03T15:08:00.002-05:00

You don't know me, and I can't tell you my name. Just call me Agent O - that's what my contacts at the Network call me.

I'm on a mission at the moment: the Network wants me to find out what criminal mastermind extraordinaire Felicia wants with a whole shipment of Spy Wars video games. Not too tricky for a trained spy like me, but if my teachers at the Spy Academy found out what I was doing, I'd be put in detention. If I'm lucky.

Fortunately, I've got a lot of experience doing this, and I don't like to brag but I'm pretty good. Felicia - and the Academy - won't suspect a thing until the Network arrests her!

Well, I suppose if you wanted to tag along I could show you a few tricks of the trade, give you a few tips, things like that. Okay, okay, sure - I'll tell you how to do everything I do on this mission, all right? Just remember - be careful, and don't let my notebook fall into the wrong hands, got it?

February Wild! Book Club

2010-02-27T13:46:00.007-05:00

We had a special guest today - Miss Liz, who is going to school to become a children's librarian, came to the Book Club! She said she'll be here next month too.

We had a small group - Sasha, Miss Liz, and Miss Jennie. But that's okay - we had a lot of fun!

Sasha read Geronimo Stilton and the Gold Medal Mystery by Geronimo Stilton. She really liked the pages that showed the flags of all the countries that participated in the Olympics. Geronimo is her favorite character in the book so far - she hasn't quite finished, but she's really looking forward to it.

Miss Liz read Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. She said Elijah was her favorite character - he's a young boy, the first one born in a little village formed by freed and runaway slaves. One of the men is trying to save money to bring his family up from the South, but someone else in the village steals it. So it's up to Elijah and a friend to find that person and bring the money home! The book is pretty exciting, and it's written by a Michigan author!

Miss Jennie brought two books: Bones and the Dinosaur Mystery by David Adler and The Master Spy Handbook by Rain Newcomb. Both of them are about detectives! Miss Jennie particularly liked the illustrations in the book about Bones, as well as Bones' friend Miss Sally. And the spy handbook was really useful - there were all sorts of tips on secret codes, disguises, and spy tools. Plus, there was a mystery to solve along the way.

Remember, everyone in grades 2-6 is welcome to join us for next month's meeting: March 27 at 1 pm. See you then!

Bones and the Dinosaur Mystery by David A. Adler

2010-02-17T10:20:00.003-05:00

Detective Jeffrey Bones is very good at solving mysteries. He has a detective's backpack full of useful things like walkie-talkies, notepads, and magnifying glasses. He always keeps it with him in case a mystery pops up.

Which is a good thing, because mysteries can appear in the strangest places - like in the museum Bones and Grandpa are visiting. Grandpa's friend Sally is with them, and Sally and Bones buy some neat dinosaur things at the gift shop. Bones really likes his blue plastic T-Rex.

But an hour later, after snacks and walking through the outer space exhibit, the T-Rex is gone! Detective Bones is on the case, and this time it's personal.

New Youth Book Club: Wild!

2010-02-05T13:09:00.004-05:00

Are you wild about books? Do you read books that are wild, crazy, or just plain fun? Come on in once a month and swap tales of your favorite books with others who enjoy reading.

You can read whatever you’d like: fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, manga, audiobooks, or magazines.

Just come on in, bring your favorite book you've read in the past few weeks, and tell us all about it!

The Wild! Book Club meets once a month and welcomes book lovers in grades 2-6. Our next meeting dates are Saturdays February 27 and March 27, both at 1 pm.

For more details or if you're interested but not able to make it to the meetings, leave a comment with your contact info and I'll get back to you, or call the library at (586) 598-4900.

The Fledgling by Jane Langton

2010-02-03T17:04:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wanted to fly?

Have you ever known that, if you could just find the right time or the right place or the right mindset, you could soar up over the trees, over your house, be and explore like a real true bird?

Georgie has. She's not only dreamed of being able to fly, she's done so. First on the back of the largest goose in the nearby flock - the Goose Prince - and then on her own, round and round in lazy circles above Walden Pond. Night after night, in the fresh crisp fall air, seeing the world like toys below her while the Goose Prince drifts right beside her, fingertip to wingtip.

It seems like a dream; cool calm nights of the most wondrous experiences with a noble and intelligent companion. But it's not a dream, Georgie knows. It's real, truly real and wonderful.

But not everyone can believe it. Her family worries about her, the neighbor lady - who is the only one who's ever seen Georgie fly - thinks she's either a saint or a moonchild. And creepy Mr. Preek is determined to protect Georgie from the 'giant wild attack bird' whether Georgie wants him to or not.

January Wild! Book Club

2010-01-30T14:07:00.002-05:00

This was the very first meeting of our new book club for grades 2-6. We took the official vote to name the book club, and the winner was: Wild! Book Club. We're wild about books around here!

Sasha brought A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid. Sasha loves dogs and other wild animals, so this book was perfect for her.

Keean read The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. He enjoyed the adventure after Jemmy and the prince ran away from the palace, and the fact that they learned to be friends.

Miss Jennie brought two books this month, a historical fiction and a fun adventure. The Robber and Me by Joseph Holub was originally written in German and was translated into English. It's a neat story about a boy who moves to a little German village, the friends he makes, and the robber who lives in the forest. Agent Boo by Alex de Campi and Edo Fuijkschot is a great book that's half comic book, half chapter book. The story moves in and out of the illustrations, bringing it to life!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-01-15T13:29:00.006-05:00

Melinda Sordino is a high school freshman with a terrible secret, no friends, and a newly acquired habit of remaining mute whenever possible. She is ostracized by her classmates for calling the police to break up a summer party. Gradually, readers will realize the events of that party are the catalyst that sent her spiraling out of control. Will she find her voice in time to save herself?

Anderson does an excellent job of writing realistic teen dialog and creating believable settings and scenarios for her characters to interact. Date rape, which is the trauma Melinda experiences, is thinly veiled and easily predicted; however, there is still interesting build-up to the final scene.

The conclusion of the book may be considered a bit too perfect for more mature readers but, overall, Speak navigates the inner mind of a traumatized teenager with impressive insight. Melinda's use of art to express herself, her parents' detached attitudes, and her utter sense of despair will have readers rooting for her.

The Robber and Me by Josef Holub; translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford

2010-01-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

When Boniface woke up in a warm soft featherbed, he thought at first that he was in heaven. The last thing he knew, he'd been lost in the middle of the woods on a freezing-cold night. But if he was safe and warm now, with no memory of getting from the forest to this bed, did that mean that it had all been a dream? His father's death, the year with his aunt, the horrid cart-ride with the man who stank to high heaven? And what about the man Boniface thought he remembered - the one with the big black hat who picked him up and carried him out of the forest?

It hadn't been a dream - except maybe the man with the big black hat; no one is sure about that. But Boniface is indeed in the tiny village of Graab (in Germany, you understand), in the house of his uncle, the mayor, and life is about to be very interesting.

His uncle is strict, and the schoolmaster even more so. There's Christian Knapp, who is the son of the local robber and so is always in trouble, but he stands up for Boniface against a bully. And then there's Frederika, his uncle's maid, who is tall and stout and has a loud voice, but Boniface suspects she's actually a very kind person.

But when Boniface learns about several holdups in the area committed by a man in a big black hat, he has a difficult decision to make. Does he help the man who probably rescued him from the forest, and tell his uncle what he knows? Or does he keep quiet and not risk this new family he's found?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

2009-12-22T14:57:00.003-05:00

You know Scrooge and Marley, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim, and the ghosts of Past, Present, and Future - but do you know them in their original tale?

A Christmas Carol was written over a century ago, in 1843, and it still lives on in plays and movies, with real live actors or with cartoon characters. But I think that its true spirit is in reading the original words as Charles Dickens wrote them. As beautiful as the movie banquets and balls are, it's hard to take in all the details of the wonder shown there, the way you can with the rich descriptions Dickens provides of tables piled high with treats or of the people who move in and out of Scrooge's life.

As author Karen Hesse writes in the foreword of the 1999 paperback edition, A Christmas Carol is "as funny and optimistic as it is frightening. It brims with the sounds, smells, and sights of nineteenth-century England; it crackles with characters as fresh and alive today as they were when Dickens first created them."

This Christmas season, curl up with a copy of A Christmas Carol and transport yourself into another time, another place... shiver with Scrooge in the presence of the ghosts, laugh with Mr. Fezziwig, and echo with Tiny Tim, "God bless us, every one."

Mostly Monty by Johanna Hurwitz

2009-12-09T19:17:00.004-05:00

Monty has asthma. That means that sometimes it's hard for him to breathe, especially if there is a lot of dust or if there is a dog or a cat in the room. It also means that he can't go camping, or join Little League, or run around as much as the other kids in his neighborhood.

But there are a lot of things Monty can do. He's a terrific reader - he's only in first grade, but his teacher says he reads as well as a fourth grader. He's also very observant; he finds a lot of lost things at school and makes sure that they get to the Lost and Found lady. Now, that doesn't mean that Monty doesn't make mistakes sometimes, but at least he always tries his best - and has fun along the way!

For young readers who are looking for something adventuresome and challenging to read, Monty is here to lend a hand!

Agent Boo by Alex de Campi and Edo Fuijkschot

2009-11-18T15:26:00.003-05:00

Move over, Kim Possible! There's a new agent in town!

Fourth-grader Boo is more surprised than anyone when Agent's companion Pumpkin chooses her instead of any of the graduating seniors to replace a fallen Agent. Every kid in Space City has grown up on the stories of the Agents - how they built Space City, how they protect the Multiverse from the evils of Queen Misery, all of their heroes. The Agents are smart, strong, and brave - all the things Boo isn't!

But when one of Queen Misery's tricks leaves the Agents' Aerie empty, Boo has to figure out a way to save the day without help from anyone but herself!

This chapter book is chock-full of illustrations and comic-style pages which bring the story to full and exciting life!

Two Bear Cubs: A Miwok Legend from California's Yosemite Valley by Robert San Souci

2009-11-05T18:22:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time, before the world was what it is today, two bear cubs wandered away from Oo-hoo'-mah-tee, Mother Grizzly Bear, and fell asleep on a sun-warmed rock. They were so tired from playing and splashing in the river that they slept for many days and many nights, not realizing that the rock they were sleeping on was growing taller, and bigger, and taller...

When Mother Grizzly Bear goes in search of her two small cubs, it will take the effort of several of her friends - and one unusual hero - to get Older Brother and Little Brother back down on solid earth.

This origin tale of the El Capitan landmark in Yosemite Valley is full of beautiful paintings by Daniel San Souci and details of Miwok life from many years ago.

The Funeral Director's Son by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

2009-10-28T19:21:00.009-04:00

I hear dead people.

No, seriously! You probably think I'm like the kid in that movie, what was it, something about the senses... but I'm not. I just hear dead people, sometimes.

Sometimes. Not all the time. Just... sometimes there's something someone needs to say, or have done, or something like that, before they're ready to catch the big ship in the sky. It's like an anchor, you know, something heavy tying them to the world.

Okay, yeah, I sound crazy. But I'm not. This is just one of my jobs.

Yup, Christopher "Kip" Campbell, messenger for the dead. Also, Christopher "Kip" Campbell, Outdoor Guy for Campbell and Sons Funeral Home. You're welcome anytime. Any day that ends in y. Morning, noon, or night. It's a family business, serving you and your family.

And sometimes I just want to get far away from it all.

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming

2009-10-21T13:22:00.010-04:00

I had another book I was going to talk about this week - a chapter book that I've been holding onto for more than a week itself and am looking forward to reviewing. But I picked this one up by happenstance and it touched me so much that I had to write about it right now right now right now.

Boxes for Katje is a story of two little girls - one in Olst, Holland, and the other in Mayfield, Indiana, USofA. It is 1945, and World War II has just ended. Everyone in Europe is making do and going without after the ravages of the great war: they patch and repatch old clothing, save worn shoes for the cold months, and go without soap, milk, meat, or sugar.

And then one day Katje Van Stegeran recieves a box in the mail - a box from a girl named Rosie in America! Inside is a bar of soap, a thick pair of wool socks, and a treasure - a chocolate bar!

When Katje writes Rosie to thank her for the gifts, she begins an exchange that becomes the support the village of Olst needs to survive the horrible, harsh winter in store. And at the end of winter, Katje is able to send Rosie a beautiful gift of her own.

One of the very best things about this story is that it is based on a true one: the author's mother did send a box of useful things to a little girl named Katje in Holland, and that small box became many large ones of coats and food and shoes from her whole community by the time the winter ended. This is the kind of story that makes you cry a little because of the good in the world, and is an excellent resource for discussions of volunteering, the world wars, and the ways we can help each other out in difficult times. Stacey Dressen-McQueen's pictures are vibrant, charming, and folksy, and will have you lingering over each page even as the story draws you on.

The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop

2009-10-14T18:12:00.004-04:00

In the Narcisse Snake Dens, 130 kilometers north of Winnipeg, Canada, approximately 60,000 garter snakes gather every year to sleep out the cold winter months.

And in spring, snake scientist Bob Mason and his team of scientists and volunteers gather to study these thousands of amazing and interesting creatures. They measure them, weigh them, check their temperature, and ask them to do experiments so that maybe, one fact at a time, we can learn the answers to questions like: How do snakes hibernate? How do snakes recognize each other? How do they travel from the dens to the marshes and back every year? Where do baby snakes spend the winters?

Nic Bishop's vibrant photographs bring you face-to-face and nose-to-tongue with these fascinating critters: snakes!

The Hockey Sweater by Roch Carrier

2009-10-01T16:43:00.006-04:00

Here in Michigan, home of Hockeytown, we take our hockey seriously. That is why we can relate so well to The Hockey Sweater. Roch, a schoolboy in Quebec, idolizes and wears the same red, white, and blue hockey sweater as his hero, Montreal Canadiens star player Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, as do all the other boys in the village. When he outgrows his beloved Montreal Canadiens sweater and his mother orders a new one, he is horrified when he receives a blue and white sweater of the despised Toronto Maple Leafs. Feeling left out and snubbed by everyone in the village, he loses his temper and is advised to go to church and ask for forgiveness. Read The Hockey Sweater and find out what Roch asks for at church. You are guaranteed to smile.

Surviving Brick Johnson by Laurie Myers

2009-09-30T14:29:00.008-04:00

It was a perfectly innocent mistake. In fact, Alex didn't realize it was a mistake until after he'd made it.

See, the guys at the lunch table were doing impressions - Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, that kind of thing. Alex was never quite sure what made him do it, but he did an impression of Brick Johnson, the new transfer student in his class. And everybody laughed.

Everybody except Brick Johnson, that is. Big and mean looking (bigger than skinny Alex, that's for sure!), Brick leaned over the table and said, "At my other school a boy did an imitation of me and..."

And what?!? Alex doesn't know, because a teacher interrupted them right then. And I punched him? And they never saw him again? And I gave him a big hug and a lollipop? (Alex is pretty sure it's not that last one.)

Whatever it might be, Alex is making sure to stay well out of Brick's way - which is tough when it seems that every time he turns around, Brick's in the area. Great! Not even two weeks into his fifth grade year and Alex is already starting to worry that he won't live to be one hundred.

But even while he's running away from Brick, Alex is learning some things about himself and about the other guy that could change the way he thinks about a few things...

Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace by Donald J. Sobol

2009-09-16T15:12:00.000-04:00

Criminals young and old, experienced or not, know to stay out of Idaville. You can't pull off a crime large or small without getting caught. And nobody knows why.

Well... a few people know. Like Bugs Meany - he keeps getting caught whenever he pulls something sneaky. Sally Kimball knows; she's a ten-year-old girl who's quick with her fists and her wits. And so does Police Chief Brown - and a select handful of his son's friends!

Yes, ten-year-old Encylopedia Brown (only his parents call him Leroy) is the best crimebuster Idaville has ever known. No case is too small - or too big - for Encyclopedia's keen eye and encyclopedic knowledge. It's the smallest clues that often turn a case, and Encyclopedia is a wiz at discovering them.

And you can too! There are ten cases per book, with the answers listed at the end of the book. See how many you can solve before Encyclopedia Brown does!

Green Boy by Susan Cooper

2009-09-09T15:51:00.007-04:00

Long Pond Cay has always been a special spot for twelve-year-old Trey and his brother Lou. Its white sand beaches are always changing, with some new treasure to discover every visit, and there's even a small cave that the brothers have claimed as their own. Lou, who has never spoken in all his seven years, seems to have an affinity with the ospreys - large white birds - who live on the cay.

But the cay is threatened by a group of foreign businessmen who want to build a large hotel and resort there. They're planning to reshape the sea floor and the surrounding cays to create space for tennis courts, restaurants, and even a golf course! They've promised to bring in work and money for the local people, but they're only going to end up destroying the ecosystem of plants and animals that live in the shallow warm waters around the cays.

Trey and Lou's grandfather works hard to fight to save the cay, but the boys have their own fight ahead of them, spurred by a discovery they make on Long Pond Cay. In the time between the changing tides, a doorway opens to a strange land - one full of concrete and noise, fast vehicles and strange rules. And a prophecy that Lou is meant to bring about destruction and rebirth - a prophecy the Government wants to stop and the Underworlders work to make happen...

Cages by Peg Kehret

2009-09-03T15:48:00.003-04:00

It was so easy. Kit had already been examining the bracelet for several minutes, and everyone else was focused on Marcia - braggy, annoying Marcia, who had gotten the lead in the class play when Kit wanted it, who had a father who was willing to buy her expensive jewelry, who had everything Kit wanted in the world.

Kit slipped the bracelet into her pocket, turned away... and her life changed forever.

She had come to the mall to escape her alcoholic step-father and her too-forgiving mother, to escape her disappointment at not getting a role in the play - but when a heavy hand falls on her shoulder, Kit discovers that she's locked herself into a worse cage.

The police are called, and so is her mother. She has to pay a fine and appear before a court committee. It's the most frightening thing that has ever happened to Kit. Now she's lying to her best friend and to everyone else she knows, scared silly that someone is going to find out what happened, and sure that she's lost every chance at the scholarship she needs to go to college.

But there is a bright side as well - like the hours she spends at the Humane Society petting and playing with the dogs, and the friend she makes there, who teaches her that cages aren't always made of chain links and metal poles... and that sometimes you are the one with the key.

Strudel Stories by Joanne Rocklin

2009-08-27T10:59:00.006-04:00

Mix the dough and spread it thin over the tablecloth, thin enough to see the cloth through it. Then add walnuts and honey, thin sliced apples and warm melted butter, and roll it up carefully. Put it in the oven and let it bake until it is golden and crispy...

...and the whole time, tell stories. Tell about the boy who danced with ghosts and lived. Tell about the girl who found her courage at Ellis Island. Tell about apples that turn to gold, and the greatest moment in baseball. Tell the stories of your family, because as long as you tell them, they will always be a part of you.

When Lori's favorite grandfather dies, it seems like Lori will never smile again. But then her older sister starts making strudel from the recipe Grandpa Willy taught them, and telling the stories just like Grandpa Willy did. And Lori remembers what else Grandpa Willy always told them while he baked: it's the stories that make the strudel sweet, and as long as you tell those stories, your loved ones will never leave you.

Includes two recipes for yummy apple strudel.

Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate Dicamillo

2009-08-19T16:46:00.002-04:00

Mr. Watson is dreaming about driving a really fast car.

Mrs. Watson is dreaming about buttering toast, lots and lots of toast.

And Mercy Watson is dreaming about eating lots and lots of buttered toast.

Which means that when they wake up to a loud Boom! and a loud Crack! - none of them know what is going on.

Mr. Watson thinks they should call the fire department.

Mrs. Watson thinks it's an earthquake.

Mercy Watson thinks she should go check the kitchen for hot buttered toast. And if she can't find any there, maybe she'll go check with the Lincoln sisters next door...

In a series of silly coincidences, Mercy Watson, the darling of her parents' eye, rousts out the firemen, saves the day, and gets to eat a great deal of hot buttered toast. A fun set of simple stories for those just beginning to read chapter books.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

2009-08-12T18:11:00.003-04:00

First off, I should point out that I am indeed a librarian.

But I’m not one of those evil ones Alcatraz is fighting.

At least I don’t think I am.

Maybe I just haven’t been inducted yet?

…

Okay, enough with the self-identity philosophy stuff. Back to the point then, yes?

In an effort to prove to you that I am not one of those evil Librarians, I would like to introduce you to this book, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians.

Of course, if I were one of those evil Librarians, I might be handing you this book in order to see how you reacted to it. Then if you seemed interested, I might have to… Cough, cough, ahem. Sorry. Was I saying something?

Back to the point. (Again.) The first thing you should know is: Everything you think you know is wrong.

Okay. Not everything. But most of it is.

For instance, there are three continents out there that you never knew existed, one of them quite large and smack-dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. How’s that, eh? Guns and elevators are actually quite primitive – swords and stairs are much more advanced inventions. Glass is the most important substance in the world – you can use it to shoot fire, track people, and even create expanding houses. Special things like Talents and Ocular abilities might seem like magic, but are really quite commonplace and can be very powerful if used correctly.

Oh, and dinosaurs are still alive. They’re British, and quite a bit smaller than the museums make them out to be. Librarian trickery, you know.

Oh, that’s right, you don’t know. Well, Librarians rule the world. (At least the evil ones do; I don’t have anything to do with that, unfortunately.) They have all the power, because they control all the information. At least they do in the Hushlands, which is where you and I live. That’s why Alcatraz Smedry is publishing his autobiography under the pseudonym Brandon Sanderson. It’s so people like you will read it and understand how the world truly is, while the Librarians will think you’re simply reading Fantasy.

Oh, are you going to read it? Oh good, I’m glad to hear that. Hmm? What am I doing? Oh, just pulling out my horn-rimmed glasses, that’s all…

((Highly recommended for older readers, due to the high volume of Truths in this story.))

Stinky and Successful: The Riot Brothers Never Stop by Mary Amato

2009-08-05T11:02:00.003-04:00

Riot Brothers Rule #1 is: Make something exciting happen every day. That rule is #1 because it is the most important - and third-graders Wilbur and Orville Riot make sure never to break it.

They have a Secret Riot Brother Mission Book where they write down their daily missions (that’s rule #16: You have to write down your mission of the day, because of rule #5: You can’t change your mission in the middle of the day). From rescuing a damsel, to winning the yearly April Fool’s Day contest with their mom, to becoming mad scientists, the Riot Brothers never stop finding creative ways to add laughter and fun to the most ordinary situations.

Remember: The world would be a better place if all children had a roof over their head, food in their stomach, a smile in their heart, and a fake rat in their pocket. –Wilbur and Orville Riot

The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean by Alexander McCall Smith

2009-07-22T18:55:00.003-04:00

Harriet Bean has always known her father was a little absent-minded. Okay, a lot absent-minded. But that seems to just go with the territory when your father is an inventor, doesn't it? And over the years, Harriet Bean has found ways to deal with her father's cloudy thoughts.

But despite all of her experience, Harriet Bean still finds it hard to believe that her father can have forgotten to tell her about her aunts - her father's five sisters!

It takes some coaxing, several days, and an entire plate of scones, but Harriet eventually learns about Veronica, who was incredibly strong; Japonica and Thessalonika, the twins who could read minds; Majolica, who was alway very bossy; and Harmonica, who sang as sweetly as a nightingale and was a ventriloquist to boot.

Now as you can probably imagine, such exciting descriptions made Harriet Bean determined to meet her aunts (finally!). There's just one problem - her father doesn't know where any of them are! He only has the address for Veronica, and that's 10 years old.

But Harriet Bean isn't going to let that stop her - well, would you?

Vampire Island by Adele Griffin

2009-07-08T14:30:00.005-04:00

Lexie, Hudson, and Maddy all have the same kind of troubles that you and I do.

Lexie has a deep and near-hopeless crush on Dylan Easterby, the cutest boy in her seventh-grade class. But with her too-long fingers and her love of poetry, she's afraid he'll never like her back.

Nine-year-old Hudson cares about the environment. He cares a lot about the environment. But his attempts to educate his fourth-grade class backfire in a way that gets them all recycling but but doesn't make them very friendly.

And eleven-year-old Maddy is convinced that there is something very strange going on in the house across the street. She's sure the von Kriks are up to something shady; she just hasn't figured out how to prove it yet.

But the three siblings are also different from you and I. Lexie is extremely strong, fast, and agile. Hudson understands what animals are saying, and he can transform into a bat at night. And Maddy is having a hard time sticking to the all-fruit, all-veggie diet her family has been on for the past four years...

Jack and the Night Visitors by Pat Schories

2009-07-01T16:42:00.008-04:00

An absolutely delightful book, Jack and the Night Visitors is a wordless picture book by Pat Schories. In it, a dog named Jack and his young master receive a visit from some of the friendliest looking aliens you can imagine. Jack’s master is so taken by one of the little aliens he’d like to keep him. Luckily Jack inadvertently frees the little alien and he is able to join the rest of his group to get away in their spaceship.

If you find this book as charming as I did, you will also want to check out Jack wants a Snack, Jack and the Missing Piece, and Breakfast for Jack.

Ms. Schories also illustrates Alyssa Capucilli's easy reader book series featuring the dog Biscuit.

Honus & Me by Dan Gutman

2009-06-24T19:25:00.008-04:00

For a long while, Joe Stoshack has known there was something special about baseball cards. There's a sort of tingle in his fingers whenever he touches one. It doesn't happen with football cards or basketball cards, or plain old pieces of cardboard - he's checked. Nope, there's something special about baseball cards.

And he just found out what it is.

When old Miss Young - she's over a hundred, but she lives all alone in the house next to Joe and his mom - hires Joe to clean out her attic for $5, she tells him to just throw everything out. He tries not to groan about how much stuff there is as he lugs it all out to the curb - until suddenly one of the boxes breaks and Joe comes face to face with one of the most priceless baseball cards in history - that of Honus "Hans" Wagner.

Suddenly, Joe's got a big dilemma on his hands. He could give the card back to Miss Young - who did tell him to throw everything out and who did say she had no use for money... Or he could keep it, sell it, get $500,000 for it, and bring his family back together. If his parents don't have to fight about money anymore, they don't have to be divorced anymore, do they?

Things only get more complicated when Joe wakes up to find Honus sitting beside his bed, ready to tell him about honesty, being the only ballplayer in 1909 who refused to have his card printed because he thought smoking was bad for kids, and most importantly, baseball.

A Dog on His Own by Mary Jane Auch

2009-06-17T18:50:00.000-04:00

Humans can't be trusted.

They just can't. They'll let you down every time.

Like this morning, when K-10 is just minding his own business and two guys trick him, trap him, and take him to the animal shelter.

Which, okay. Isn't entirely all that bad. When you're in, you get two squares a day and a comfy place to sleep where no one can sneak up on you. And K-10 has his own patented technique for getting adopted right quick - he's never spent more than one night at a shelter in his life.

But there's something different about this shelter stay. It all starts with Tucker, the old dog in the cage next to K-10. Now, K-10 himself would rather spend as little time as possible with humans, but some dogs aren't like that. Some dogs actually like living with people. Tucker's one of those kind of dogs - and his time at the shelter is nearly up. K-10 might not have any use for humans, but dogs have got to stick together, so he helps Tucker get adopted by, even K-10 has to admit, a pretty nice old guy.

And then there's Pearl, a tough old lady of a black Lab with an escape plan and a sharp tongue. And Peppy, a high-pitched, high-energy Chihuahua who thinks he's bigger than he is. K-10's a loner, a tough guy, a need-nobody, but... he can't leave those two on their own. They'll get eaten alive out there in the world!

Zucchini Out West by Barbara Dana

2009-06-03T10:35:00.006-04:00

Zucchini loves living with Billy.

Billy is a quiet, shy boy who loves animals. He has a list next to his bed of all of the endangered and threatened animal species in the world. He told Zucchini he wants to help shorten that list, to help save the lives of all of those animals, but he isn't sure yet how to do it.

Right now, Billy has two problems. One is his shyness. He never quite gets the courage to ask people questions, and sometimes he'll talk himself out of doing things because he thinks he'll be stupid.

The other problem is Zucchini. Now, Zucchini is Billy's best friend, but he's also a ferret. He's a small tan ferret with a cold nose, a black mask, and black feet, which is where the problem really starts. There are three different kinds of ferrets in the world, and one of them is endangered: the black-footed ferret. It's one of the rarest mammals in the world, and it's illegal to own one. So if Zucchini really is a black-footed ferret, he and Billy won't be able to stay together anymore.

The only way to know for certain is to ask one of the experts on ferrets. Billy has the chance, on a family vacation, to talk to the scientists who study ferrets and ask them questions about saving endangered animals, about ferrets, and about Zucchini in particular. If only he can pull his courage together...

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

2009-05-06T14:54:00.013-04:00

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon on the day after Halloween, sixteen people gather to hear the reading of the following will. Can you solve the mystery before they do?

I, Samuel W. Westing, resident of Westing County in the fair state of Wisconsin in the great and glorious United States of America, being of sound mind and memory, do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament.

First - I returned to live among my friends and my enemies. I came home to seek my heir, aware that in doing so I faced death. And so I did.
Today I have gathered together my nearest and dearest, my sixteen nieces and nephews (Sit down, Grace Windsor Wexler!) to view the body of your Uncle Sam for the last time.
Tomorrow its ashes will be scattered to the four winds.

Second - I, Samuel W. Westing, hereby swear that I did not die of natural causes. My life was taken from me - by one of you! The police are helpless. The culprit is far too cunning to be apprehended for this dastardly deed. I, alone, know the name. Now it is up to you. Cast out the sinner, let the guilty rise and confess.

Third - Who among you is worthy to be the Westing heir? Help me. My soul shall roam restlessly until that one is found.
The estate is at the crossroads. The heir who wins the windfall will be the one who finds the ...

Fourth - Hail to thee, O land of opportunity! You have made me, the son of poor immigrants, rich, powerful, and respected.
So take stock in America, my heirs, and sing in praise of this generous land. You, too, may strike it rich who dares to play the Westing game.

Fifth - Sit down, Your Honor, and read the letter this brilliant young attorney will now hand over to you.

Sixth - Before you proceed to the game room there will be one minute of silent prayer for your good old Uncle Sam.

Seventh - And now, dear friends, relatives, and enemies, the Westing game begins.
The rules are simple:

Number of players: 16, divided into 8 pairs.

Each pair will receive $10,000.

Each pair will receive one set of clues.

Forfeits: If any player drops out, the partner must leave the game. The pair must return the money. Absent pairs forfeit the $10,000; their clues will be held until the next session.

Players will be given two days' notice of the next session. Each pair may then give one answer.

Object of the game: to win.

Eighth - The heirs will now be paired. When called, go to the assigned table. Your name and position will be read as signed on the receipt.
It will be up to the other players to discover who you really are.

MADAME SUN LIN HOO, cook
JAKE WEXLER, standing or sitting when not lying down

TURTLE WEXLER, witch
FLORA BAUMBACH, dressmaker

CHRISTOS THEODORAKIS, birdwatcher
D. DENTON DEERE, intern, St. Joseph's Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery

ALEXANDER MCSOUTHERS, doorman
J. J. FORD, judge, Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court

GRACE WINDSOR WEXLER, heiress
JAMES SHIN HOO, restaurateur

BERTHE ERICA CROW, Good Salvation Soup Kitchen
OTIS AMBER, deliverer

THEO THEODORAKIS, brother
DOUG HOO, first in all-state high-school mile run

SYDELLE PULASKI, secretary to the president
ANGELA WEXLER, none

Ninth - Money! Each pair in attendance will now receive a check for the sum of $10,000. The check cannot be cashed without the signatures of both partners. Spend it wisely or go for broke. May God thy gold refine.

Tenth - Each pair in attendance will now receive an envelope containing a set of clues. No two sets of clues are alike. It is not what you have, it's what you don't have that counts.

Eleventh - Senseless, you say? Death is senseless yet makes way for the living. Life, too, is senseless unless you know who you are, what you want, and which way the wind blows.
So on with the game. The solution is simple if you know whom you are looking for. But heirs, beware! Be aware!
Some are not who they say they are, and some are not who they seem to be. Whoever you are, it's time to go home.
God bless you all and remember this:
Buy Westing Paper Products!

Escape to West Berlin by Maurine Dahlberg

2009-04-29T15:34:00.000-04:00

It’s July of 1961, and Heidi Klenk is about to have the worst summer of her life. To start things off, she just found out that her family won’t be going to visit Opa and Oma, her grandparents, on their farm this August like they do every year. Her mom is about to have a baby, so she doesn’t want to travel, and Heidi’s parents won’t let her go alone; they say she’s too young.

Even worse, Heidi’s father is being called a traitor. You see, Heidi and her family live in Berlin, which after World War II was split into two parts – the East, which is Soviet, and the West, which is not. Heidi’s family lives in East Berlin, but her father works in the West, and has since long before the division of the city. Some people in the East think that border-crossers like Heidi’s dad are betraying the East by working in the higher-paying West but receiving the health care and other benefits of the East, and recently the tension has been getting worse and worse.

Now even Heidi’s best friend Petra won’t play with her, and Heidi’s father has been told he must get a job in the East. Their landlord is threatening to evict them, and Heidi’s parents have begun whispering behind closed doors.

And that is worst of all, because above all else, Heidi wants to be treated like the responsible teen she is and not like a child. She wants to be able to ride the train out to Opa and Oma’s on her own, she wants to be able to choose her friends, and she wants to be able to help make the decisions about her family’s life.

But when everything goes wrong all at once, will Heidi be as level-headed and responsible as she thinks she is?

Cat Running by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

2009-04-15T15:33:00.001-04:00

Fast Cat Kinsley, the fastest runner at Brownwood School. She took first in the Play Day races last year, even though she was only a short skinny fifth-grader then. But she beat out all the boys, even the sixth-grade ones, from Lincoln and Elmwood too.

Cat loves running. It makes her feel free, the way her legs burn and her lungs ache and everything seems to kind of fade away. She can forget about bossy Ellen and teasing Cliff, about frail Mama and stern Father, about the fact that she won't be running in the Play Day races this year...

And that's all Father's fault, and he'd better know it. Every other girl at school will be wearing slacks for Play Day, but Cat will be stuck in a dress, because Father is too old-fashioned and too stubborn and won't pay a dime for anything Cat wants. Won't he feel guilty when Brownwood loses the games and don't get the prize money to buy new gloves and bats for the kids to play with.

But Browntown School does win, and all because of That Zane Perkins. He's a newcomer to school, one of the Okies who set up camp down by Mr. Otis' farm looking for work after the great dust storms out in Oklahoma and Texas chased them out of their homes. He wears shirts and overalls that are patched and worn and too big or too small, and he runs the Play Day races barefoot! Cat's refusing to run because she'd have to wear a dress instead of slacks, and that Zane Perkins runs it barefoot, like he doesn't know any better!

Cat hates that Zane Perkins. She'll hate him 'til the day she dies.

But she doesn't hate little Sammy Perkins. And when Sammy needs them, Cat just might have to team up with that Zane Perkins in a race against time itself...

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry

2009-04-09T14:23:00.002-04:00

Have you ever wanted anything so badly that you knew your heart would break if you didn't have it?

That's the way Paul and Maureen feel about the Phantom, one of the wild ponies on Assateague Island. She's a beautiful copper and silver pony with a white map of the United States over her shoulders. Every year, the people of Chincoteague Island hold a Pony Penning Day, rounding up the wild ponies, but every year the Phantom has escaped the round up.

This year, though, it's going to be different. Paul's old enough to help with the round up, and he's determined to bring the Phantom in. And when he does, the brother and sister are going to buy the Phantom and give her a good home - her and her little silver-gold colt, Misty.

The siblings have hard work and a lot to learn along the way: they have to save up the Phantom's hundred-dollar price, deal with the highs and lows of the Pony Penning Day, and then, if they're very lucky, win the trust and cooperation of an independent, tough, thoroughly untamed pony.

Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw

2009-03-26T13:41:00.013-04:00

This is the end. At least that's what Ellie thinks. Goodbye familiar house. Goodbye familiar school. Goodbye friends. Goodbye life. Ellie's family is moving for her dad's job, and even worse than being "the new kid" she now has to share a room with her sister Risa.

But then she finds the library, and woods to explore. School is still not so great. Teachers get her name wrong, and some of the students play "new kid bingo." How will Ellie make it change?

All fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid should definitely give Ellie McDoodle a try. Its illustrated journal format is fun to read. This book is the second in a series. See also Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

2009-03-19T10:31:00.005-04:00

Just imagine...

You are a girl, an orphan your whole life, who has gone from family to family and finally to an orphanage, helping and living, but never been part of your own family. You have red hair and freckles and are awfully thin, all of which you are sadly aware of and wish could be changed.

Just imagine...

You are taken from the orphanage on a train to a tiny little village in the countryside and told that Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert want to adopt you. But when you arrive at their house, a beautiful spot called Green Gables that just feels like home... you find out they wanted a boy, not a girl.

Just imagine...

For some reason, just for some reason, though you're never quite sure why in particular, Matthew and Marilla decide you will stay with them, in this lovely house with its white-flowered cherry trees, and its cheerful little brook, and the shining lake beneath the bridge.

Just imagine...

You make a perfect friend in Diana Barry, who lives just on the other side of the Haunted Wood, and a perfect enemy in Gilbert Blythe - which is all his fault because he pulled your hair and called you "carrots." And maybe you aren't Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald of Idlewild, but you are Anne Shirley of Green Gables, and that indeed is so ever much better than being Anne Shirley of nowhere-at-all!

Just imagine...

Rosa, Sola by Carmela Martino

2009-03-11T17:53:00.001-04:00

Rosa is very excited: her mother is going to have a little bambino, a little baby! Rosa has been an only child all her life, and she's a little jealous of her best friend AnnaMaria, who has a baby brother and two little sisters. But it's okay now, because Rosa is going to be a big sister herself now, with a baby brother or sister of her own to take care of!

On Rosa's tenth birthday, Papa and Uncle Sal rush Ma to the hospital while Rosa and Aunt Ida stay home, praying for Ma and for the baby. The next day at school seems to drag on, until Rosa comes home to find Aunt Ida crying. The baby died, Aunt Ida tells Rosa, and suddenly everything is wrong.

Ma is sick, Papa is angry, and Rosa feels guilty, because she was the one who prayed so hard for a little brother. With her family all in pieces, Rosa feels even more sola - even more alone - than she did before. There has to be something she can do to bring her family back together!

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

2009-03-05T10:37:00.005-05:00

Chester, meet New York City.

New York City, meet Chester.

Wow.

When a small black cricket hops into a picnic basket for a taste of liverwurst, he never imagines he'll end up in New York City. Let alone that he'll end up in the Times Square subway station, surrounded by more noise and movement and general danger than any poor country cricket has ever dealt with before.

Thank goodness for Mario Bellini, the newsstand boy who finds Chester the cricket and gives him a home in the Bellini family newspaper and magazine stand. Thank goodness too for Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat, a pair of unlikely friends who teach Chester everything he needs to know about living in the big city.

Of course there are rough spots to life, even with wonderful friends like these. Mama Bellini, for example, doesn't trust Chester and isn't sure she wants him to stay at the newsstand. And Chester does get himself into trouble all on his own with perfectly honest mistakes. But overall, it's an incredible adventure, especially when Chester takes New York City by storm with a talent all his own.

What do you think that talent could be?

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

2009-02-25T14:41:00.012-05:00

Clementine is having a not-so-good week. She tries to help her best friend and ends up making a big mess - okay, make that two big messes. She keeps getting sent to the principal's office for things that really were great ideas, even if they didn't work quite right. And to top it all off, she just knows that her parents are planning to get rid of her and just keep Spinach (Also known as Radish, Pea Pod, Zucchini - Well, if Clementine is named for a fruit, shouldn't her brother be named for a vegetable? It's only fair!) because he's the "easy one."

Clementine knows she really is the "hard one." Her room is never clean, her best friend is mad at her, and she talks too much and too fast and too loud. In fact, Clementine's not sure that even winning the Great Pigeon War is going to save her from being sent away. To top it all off, her parents have been having some really mysterious conversations lately...

A warm, funny story in the tradition of Amber Brown and Junie B. Jones.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2009-02-20T13:53:00.007-05:00

The sole survivor of an attack against his family, 18 month old Nobody Owens toddles his way to the graveyard at the top of a hill and finds sanctuary with the kindhearted souls who reside there. As Bod grows up, he learns many lessons from the living, the dead, and a mysterious mentor who is neither.

The Graveyard Book is part adventure, part coming of age, and all creepy fun. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Lyddie by Katherine Paterson

2009-02-19T15:14:00.007-05:00

In 1843, thirteen-year-old Lyddie is determined to keep her family's farm together until her father returns from out West. But then her mother goes to live with her aunt, taking the two babies, Agnes and Rachel, with her. Lyddie and Charles manage to eke out a winter at the farm, and have great plans for the coming year, when a letter arrives from their mother telling them that there is a debt on the farm and that she's found them jobs - Lyddie at the inn and Charles at the mill.

Actually, she's "hired them out" - their employers will feed, clothe, and house Lydia and Charles in exchange for their work and 50 cents sent to their mother each week. It's a hard, lonely life, but the money can help with the farm, so Lyddie makes friends with the cook and just concentrates on working hard.

But a misunderstanding with the mistress of the inn leaves Lyddie without a job - and free to pursue a dream she's had since she first saw a young lady in a pink silk dress travelling on the stagecoach. She's off to Lowell, Massachusetts, where working at one of the weaving mills she'll earn two whole dollars a week and even have time to study.

Even life in the weaving town isn't perfect, though. The work is hard and fast-paced, but Lyddie knew it would be. The workdays keep getting longer, though, and the pace even faster, until some of the girls are talking about petitioning for better working conditions. Lydia agrees that it would be nice to have a bit more light, and it really does get hard to breathe in the weaving rooms, with all the cloth-dust flying everywhere - some of her friends have come down sick from breathing the thick air all day - but she is afraid to lose her job. There have been threats made to the girls who talk about the petition, that they are making trouble and would lose their jobs if they keep on like that.

It's hard for Lyddie to choose - the health of herself and her friends, or her farm?

The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck

2009-02-11T17:47:00.011-05:00

Tom Trueheart’s whole family are adventurers. Ever hear of Jack the Giant-Killer? That’s his dad. Jack and the Beanstalk? His brother, also named Jack. The Frog Prince? Prince Charming? All Tom’s brothers. Oh, the names have been changed a bit, to make things more exciting, but all of the great stories you’ve ever heard come from the adventures of the Trueheart family, recorded and passed on by the Story Bureau.

The Story Bureau, you see, is responsible for the creation, writing, and publishing of all of the best stories one finds on one's bookshelves: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, the list goes on and on. The creative minds at the Story Bureau come up with ideas for stories and then someone - usually a member of the Trueheart family - lives out the adventure, solving problems, rescuing princesses, and killing monsters. Then that person tells his story, and the writers and artists at the Bureau create a book out of it to be published and sent out for everyone in the world to read.

At least... that's the way it's supposed to happen. But when all six of Tom's older brothers leave for adventures and don't come back in time for his twelfth birthday, it's up to Tom to find them and set things right.

But it’s not all his brothers’ fault, you see; there’s an evil mastermind hiding in the wings. Who is he? And what is he trying to do?

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

2009-02-06T10:57:00.004-05:00

"It happened many years ago, before the traders and missionaries first came to the South Seas, while the Polynesians were still great in numbers and fierce of heart. But even today the people of Hikueru sing this story in their chants and tell it over the evening fires. It is the story of Mafatu, the Boy Who Was Afraid."

Mafatu, whose mother was killed by the sea when he was only three years old and who nearly died at the same time. Mafatu, who ever since has been afraid of the ocean, though the sea surrounds and supports the life of his people. He is the son of the Chief, but how is he to earn his place as a man and one day his people's leader if he sits on the land and does women's work instead of going out onto the sea and fishing?

When he can no longer stand the teasing of the other boys, Mafatu goes out in one of the canoes late one night with only his dog, Uri, and the albatross Kivi for companionship. He is determined to sail out to another island and return with proof of his courage and of his conquering of the sea.

But a wild storm sees Mafatu thrown up on the shores of an uninhabited island with no canoe, no supplies, and no weapons. If he is ever to get home, he will have to find ways to create all of these things from the island and the surrounding ocean. And - is the island truly uninhabited?

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

2009-01-28T16:03:00.004-05:00

Day one: Your birthday. Money's a little tight in the family right now, and you're trying to figure out how to get the money so you can replace the wheel on your bike. Then your grandmother gives you your grandfather's old mower for a birthday present. While you're fiddling with it, someone asks you if you mow lawns, and offers you forty dollars to do theirs.

Day two: Somebody else asks you to mow their lawn. Then somebody else. Then somebody else. Then you meet Arnold. He'd like you to mow his lawn, but he can't pay you. He's a stockbroker, and he'll put the forty dollars into stocks for you instead. Is that okay? Sure, you say; why not?

Day four: You're doing three lawns a day, seven days a week, and you've still got people asking you to come and mow theirs. Enter Pasqual and Louis, who help out with the work, Louis mowing and Pasqual doing the edging and other finishing touches.

Day fourteen: You are now employing fifteen people to mow lawns all around the neighborhood. You're not even doing the mowing yourself anymore, you're so busy keeping track of the lawns mowed and the money paid. Oh, and Arthur just said, hey, remember that forty dollars I invested for you, you know, in the stocks? Well, a lot of stuff happened and... you now own fifty thousand dollars.

Fifty. Thousand. Dollars.

You can buy a whole lot of bike tires with that.

But what about all those people you're employing to mow lawns? And what about Rock and his buddies, who are threatening to take over your business? For that matter, what are you going to do about Joey Pow?

Oh, yeah. And how about this big question:

How are you going to tell your parents?

The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs

2009-01-22T11:07:00.008-05:00

Rose Rita Pottinger is about to have a horrible summer.

Her best friend, Lewis, is going away to boy scout camp, leaving Rose Rita (a girl, and thus not allowed to go along) alone all summer with nothing to do and no one to play with. Rose Rita feels betrayed and angry, but there's nothing she can do about it.

Then a friend offers an alternative to a boring summer: Mrs. Zimmerman has just gotten a letter informing her that her cousin has left her a farm up near Petoskey, and she invites Rose Rita to come with her to look over the farm, sign some papers, and then spend a few weeks driving around the Upper Peninsula.

But there's more to it than just a road trip, you see, for Mrs. Zimmerman is an honest-to-goodness witch, and her cousin has left her not only the farm but also a magic ring he discovered. Unfortunately, when Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmerman arrive at the farm, they find that it has been ransacked, practically torn to pieces, and the ring is gone.

And then strange things start happening... strange sounds, faces appearing, shadows in the night... and Mrs. Zimmerman begins to act oddly. Very oddly indeed...

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P.S. There are actually two books that take place before this one which you might want to read first: The House with a Clock in Its Walls and The Figure in the Shadows.

The Liberation of Gabriel King by K. L. Going

2009-01-21T19:39:00.007-05:00

Gabriel is scared of many things, but mostly he is scared of starting fifth grade. Fifth and sixth graders share the same cafeteria and recess time and that will not bode well for Gabriel.

When he misses his fourth grade class graduation because some fifth grade bullies tie him up, he decides he isn’t going to move up to fifth grade. What he doesn’t count on is his best friend Frita’s determination that he will start fifth grade with her in the fall.

She decides Gabriel needs to be liberated from his fears. In order for him to be liberated, he must face and overcome each of his fears. To start with, she decides he should have a pet spider in order to overcome his fear of them.

Against the backdrop of a small Georgia town in the summer of 1976, the children find out that some things, like spiders, aren’t really that scary, while some things like grown-ups can be very frightening.

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

2009-01-14T19:08:00.010-05:00

More slowly I wrote another note, one that would soon wing for miles via wire to be printed out by a teletype machine as:

LADY EUDORIA VERNET HOLMES MISSING SINCE YESTERDAY STOP PLEASE ADVISE STOP ENOLA HOLMES

I directed this wire to Mycroft Holmes, of Pall Mall, in London.

And also, the same message, to Sherlock Holmes, of Baker Street, also in London.

My brothers.

On Enola's fourteenth birthday, her mother leaves without a word or a note, only three gifts: a fully-supplied drawing kit; a book on the meanings of flowers and other things; and a small book of ciphers.

Ciphers are word puzzles; for example, Enola's name is a very simple cipher. When spelled backward, it spells 'alone,' as Enola has often found herself, quite content. Or, for another example, ALO NEK OOL NIY MSM UME HTN ASY RHC is the first cipher Enola solves to find the message: Enola, look in my chrysanthemums.

Armed with the information left in these gifts, Enola sets out to find her mother, ignoring the plans Mycroft has set out for her (a boarding school? Not on her life) and hopefully outsmarting the great detective Sherlock Holmes.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien

2009-01-08T14:01:00.004-05:00

When widowed Mrs. Frisby's youngest son Timothy comes down with pneumonia, she goes to the area herbalist, Mr. Ages, for medicine which he says will cure the sickness in three or four days. But, he adds, it will be several weeks before Timothy can go out into cold or cool air safely without falling sick again and dying.

This doesn't seem like much of a problem, does it? And it wouldn't be, for you or I. We'd be a little bored, of course, stuck in the house, bundled in blankets, a little tired and weak, but it wouldn't be that big of a thing.

But you see, Mrs. Frisby, Timothy, and the rest of her children are field mice, and even Mr. Ages is a small white mouse. They live in houses they've created on Mr. Fitzgibbon's farm. Mr. Ages lives in a hollowed-out space of a brick wall, and Mrs. Frisby lives with her four children in a concrete block - you know, one of those ones with two holes through the middle, just right to make two cozy rooms for a mouse family? - against a boulder in the middle of Mr. Fitzgibbon's big field.

Which is the biggest problem of all, for you see, every spring when Mr. Fitzgibbon begins to plow his field, Mrs. Frisby and her family have to move to a safe place in the woods. But with Timothy sick, they can't move - and the spring thaw is coming soon. Mr. Fitzgibbon has the tractor ready, with the sharp shiny plow already attached to the back.

They can't go and they can't stay, and perhaps there's only one direction Mrs. Frisby can look for help, if she can find the courage: the mysterious rats of NIMH.

Lowji Discovers America by Candace Fleming

2008-12-17T18:39:00.006-05:00

When Lowji is upset about moving all the way from India to America, his father urges him to find the silver lining. It takes some doing, but Lowji finally thinks about having a cat - and a dog - and maybe a horse! His best friend Jamshed told him that people in America ride horses all the time.

But when they arrive in America, at their little apartment house that smells so lemony-fresh, Lowji discovers there isn't as much of a silver lining as he thought there would be. He still isn't allowed to have a pet, not even a tiny little mouse, and his family's landlady, Mrs. Crisp, keeps scolding him for making more work for her. The kids he sees around town mostly ignore him, and all-in-all Lowji is a little bored - and a lot lonely.

But he's sure he can find ways to help Mrs. Crisp with her workload. And there's the mystery of the footprints in the woods behind the apartment house. And there might not actually be any horses to ride, but there is... a pig???

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

2008-12-10T17:11:00.007-05:00

"The land is no place for a Gribley," Sam's Dad always says, talking about the farm that Sam's Great-Grandfather built, plowed - and then left when he realized he truly wanted to be a sailor.

Dad had been a sailor too, but Sam isn't sure that means that all Gribleys are meant for the sea. As a matter of fact, he's determined to go out to the Catskill Mountains and find the old beech with the family name carved into it. And when he does... Well, he might as well stay out there and try living in the woods. All on his own. With only a knife, some string, and flint'n'steel in his pockets.

Join Sam as he learns about the wild animals of the forest, works out how to catch fish and trap animals, and figures out how to make clothes from deerskins he's cured. Worry with him as he tries to start a fire and makes a home, keeping it hidden from hikers and forest rangers. Learn with him as he raises Frightful, a young peregrine falcon, to be his friend and fellow hunter.

I think everyone dreams of running away from home at least once in their lives. For those of us who don't make it more than halfway down the block, here's the adventure we might have had.

100 Days and 99 Nights by Alan Madison

2008-12-03T13:30:00.003-05:00

Meet Esme. At seven years old, she's already lived in Kenya, Korea, and Germany. That's because her dad, August Aloysius McCarther the Third, is a sergeant in the United States Army. That means that Esme, her little brother Ike, and their mom and dad go to live wherever the Army tells them to, whenever they are told to. It's their duty, which Esme knows means doing something that no one in the whole entire universe really wants to do.

But on the other hand, traveling all over the world has given her the chance to collect her bedzoo: thirty-one stuffed animals running the length of the alphabet (Aardvark to Zebra, with the eXception of X, because there are no animals that start with X) that remind her of all the places she's been and all the people she loves.

Besides, their family is always together, with their everyday routines that make life so good. Like making pancakes on Saturday morning, or movie nights on Fridays. Esme's Dad always has silly words or strange sayings - what does "than you can shake a stick at" really have to do with anything? - and he is, Esme knows, the strongest, bravest person alive.

But then one Saturday Dad tells them he has to go away for a tour of duty - one hundred days and ninety-nine nights in a faraway place. And gradually Esme learns that her Dad isn't the only strong, brave person in the family.

The Secret of the Attic by Sheri Cooper Sinykin

2008-11-26T13:09:00.004-05:00

Blue-eyed Alison is the ultimate tomboy, who loves sports and playing outside. Red-haired Megan is a reader and a writer, imitating her journalist father. Keisha is African-American and loves to sing and play with animals, while dark-haired Heather is an artist who just moved into town a few months ago.

What do these four different girls have in common? Well, besides their fast friendship, they all have a secret: a magic attic that transports them to different times, places, and adventures!

The girls' plans to go sledding on Christmas Eve are interrupted when they meet Allison's next-door neighbor. Ms. Goodwin has long silver hair and eyes as blue as the heart of a flame, and always wears colorful clothing. When the girls return a golden key to her, she invites them in to explore the attic the key belongs to - just for a few minutes before they go sledding.

But the discovery of a trunk full of beautiful dresses leads the girls into a very different sort of adventure - when they look into the mirror they find themselves in a very different house, in the middle of nowhere. Why do the newspapers have headlines about President Roosevelt? How does a stranger know their names? And who is the young girl who seems so upset about her Christmas party?

Join Alison, Heather, Keisha, and Megan in this first book of the Magic Attic Club series!

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine

2008-11-19T14:36:00.003-05:00

The author of Ella Enchanted brings a unique mixture of two classic fairytales into one funny adventure!

Ellis (always called Cinderellis) lives on a farm with his two brothers. Burt and Ralph are the best of friends, but they never include Cinderellis in anything that they do. Not even when Cinderellis shows them all the amazing inventions he's perfected - growing powder to make things grow, shrinking powder to make them shrink, flying powder to make them fly, and so many more! Even when Cinderellis stops their hay from mysteriously disappearing once a year, his brothers don't pay any attention to him. He's got one last chance: the King has just announced a contest. If Cinderellis can win, his brothers will be sure to start including him!

Princess Marigold is widely known to be the sweetest, kindest, least uppity, and prettiest of princesses. Which is wonderful. Truly. But Marigold is also the lonliest of princesses. Her mother died when she was very young, and her father spends all of his time off on quests, bringing back really rather foolish things to put into the Royal Museum of Quest Souvenirs. The only good thing he ever brought back was a tiny orange-and-yellow kitten who promptly became Marigold's best and only friend. But now, the King has decided to hold a contest to find Marigold the perfect husband. Marigold is hoping that maybe - just maybe - the person who wins the contest will be funny and polite and nice to animals... but it could just as easily be: a monster?!?!

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville

2008-11-12T13:24:00.000-05:00

Aren't dragons just about the coolest things ever?

Jeremy Thatcher has always thought so. He likes to draw them, read about them, daydream about them - sometimes he even wishes that his dad's vet practice had a few dragons to take care of, instead of Fat Pete, who hisses and scratches at everybody.

Then one day, trying to escape Mary Lou Hutton (who for some reason, as the whole school knows, wants to kiss him - Yuuuuuuck!), Jeremy hides inside a store he's never seen before. A store with all sorts of magical things. A store with a grouchy old storekeeper who very reluctantly sells Jeremy the most amazing thing he's ever seen - a real, live, softly glowing dragon's egg.

But as cool as a dragon's egg is, imagine how neat it will be when it hatches! Dragons are just so much... trouble???

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PS: If you enjoy Jeremy's adventure, there are lots of other books associated with the very magic shop for you to explore.

Gypsy Rizka by Lloyd Alexander

2008-11-05T14:26:00.003-05:00

Rizka lives on her own in a vardo, or gypsy wagon, outside the town of Greater Dunista. She's skinny as a smoked herring, generous with all she has (which in truth is nothing at all), and can whistle every birdsong she's ever heard. She wears a pair of homeless breeches she rescued; boots cracked and split, hardly a memory of their former selves; and an old army coat so outnumbered by patches the original garment surrendered. She lives by her wits (and those being very quick wits, she makes rather a good living) and she unofficially manages the entire town.

After all, someone has to keep Chief Councilor Sharpnack too occupied to think of ways to increase his power or make trouble for Rizka herself. Then there's Mayor Pumpa and Merchant Podskalny, who are forever quarreling; someone has to keep their squabbles from causing trouble for the rest of the town. And if it weren't for Rizka, at least two beautiful romances in the little town would be doomed before they even began.

It's a good thing she has the able assistance of her big mustard-colored cat, Petzel; her apprentice, Sofiya; and the amiable town blacksmith, Big Franco. Dealing with General Hatvan's need for intelligence or soothing the effects of the Zipple - a yearly soft, cajoling breeze with uncomfortable effects - could easily become too big of a job for one person, even one so clever as Rizka herself.

And besides, Rizka won't stay there forever: she's half gypsy, after all. When the chiriklos birds return, so will the gypsies - and Rizka's father. And then Rizka will be able to spend the rest of her life with her true family.

The Barn by Avi

2008-10-22T14:36:00.004-04:00

It's 1855, and nine-year-old Ben is called home from school to find that his father had suffered a 'fit of palsy' as Dr. Flanagan diagnoses it. Ben isn't sure what a palsy is; all he knows is that his father - always tall and broad and strong, with a joke or a story for every minute of the day - is now lying on the bed limp and small, not moving or speaking or even seeming to recognize his children.

Ben's older sister Nettie - 15 years old and ready to marry - and brother Harrison - 13 and nearly a man himself - are almost sunk with despair. Since their mother had died several years earlier, there are only the three of them now to work their claim and care for their father. And neither of the older children are convinced that their father will long live.

Only Ben believes stubbornly that their father can and will recover - and he believes that the thing that will cure his father is building the barn Father always said he would build one day. It will be long hard work, just the three of them, but Ben is convinced that they can do it - and that they can have their father back.

The Mystery of the Yellow Hands by Jake & Luke Thoene

2008-10-15T17:39:00.005-04:00

When children are being kidnapped from their homes in London, who do you ask to solve the case? Why, Sherlock Holmes, of course! And who does Holmes ask for help when he's just the tiniest bit busy? The Baker Street Brigade!

Danny (thirteen and the leader), Peachy (an Irish redhead), and Duff (tall and cheerful) are three newspaper boys who work together for the Daily Telegraph and live together at the Waterloo Road Ragged School. They are incredibly excited to have the chance to help the great Sherlock Holmes and to be detectives - especially when a friend of theirs is the next one to be kidnapped...

The first of four books about these young detectives.

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

2008-10-09T10:00:00.006-04:00

This is one of those books that you read once, as a child or an adult - and then you keep coming back to it the rest of your life. Of course, for me that could just be because I have a sister named Katie who has the same grit, determination, and just plain stubbornness to get the job done as Katy does. But I think that's only part of it.

You see, Katy of our story is a big strong crawler tractor - a beautiful red crawler tractor - who works for the city of Geoppolis in their Highway Department. She has a bulldozer attachment for helping with road construction, and a big smooth snow plow for in the winter.

During the summer, Katy is always busy helping with the road construction and upkeep projects around the city. The bigger the task, the more she loves it and the harder she works - and she never gives up until the job is done.

But then during the winter, Katy mostly sits in her barn with her shiny snow plow and has nothing to do. The little bit of snow on the ground can be handled by the trucks - Katy's too strong for this job!

But then it begins to snow... and snow... and snow... and snow... When the whole town is snowed in and unable to move, who do you think can save the day?

Children will enjoy exploring the pen-and-ink drawings of construction equipment, town landmarks, and Katy's quest to clear the city.

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

2008-10-01T18:41:00.005-04:00

Twelve year old Heidi has lived all her life in one apartment, with her mother and their next-door neighbor, Bernie. Well, technically it's two apartments; Bernie has her own, but there's a door that connects hers to Heidi's, and it's always open.

Bernie is a big part of Heidi's life: she took care of Heidi when she was a baby, teaches her schoolwork, and in many ways is the mother that Heidi's real mother cannot be.

You see, Mama - or Precious, as Bernie calls her - has a hard time remembering things, or learning how to do them, or even talking. Bernie and Heidi keep a list and Mama has only twenty-three words that she says: things like good and hot and Heidi. But there's one word that only Mama says, and she says it often: soof.

It drives Heidi crazy, that she doesn't know what Mama's word means. It isn't in the M.B.F - Man's Best Friend, otherwise known as the big Webster's Dictionary - and neither Heidi nor Bernie have any idea what it could be. And of course, Mama can't tell them - in fact, she seems to get more and more agitated whenever Heidi asks.

But when Heidi finds an old camera in a drawer and gets the pictures developed, suddenly she has more questions - and the chance at a lot of answers.

Stuart Little by E. B. White

2008-09-24T14:09:00.007-04:00

Imagine, if you will, that you have been born to a perfectly normal family in New York, complete with a father, mother, and much bigger brother. He's much bigger, you see, because you are only about two inches tall - two inches and a quarter, at full growth. And, for some reason, you look a bit like a mouse.

What would your life be like? Would you have to climb a ladder to get to the bathroom sink, and turn it on with a hammer? Would you get into competitions with the family cat? Would you pay your bus fare in tin-foil nickels so you could go sailing on the model boats on the pond in Central Park? Maybe you'd make friends with a small beautiful bird who comes to visit, and worry about her if she disappeared one day. Perhaps you might take a journey by miniature motorcar, or discuss the Chairperson of the World with school children.

Whatever you might do, it would probably be more difficult and a great deal more exciting than doing the same thing at human size. Don't you think?

Jake Drake, Class Clown by Andrew Clements

2008-09-17T17:27:00.004-04:00

Jake Drake really likes school. In fact, he considers it his job - a full-time job, of course - and his teachers are his bosses. He's had some really great bosses over the years, and one boss who wasn't actually great really, but he learned a lot from her!

During Jake's second grade year, Miss Bruce came to teach his class. Miss Bruce was a student teacher - that means she was still in school, studying to be a teacher, and she was practicing with Jake's class. But there was one other thing that made Miss Bruce different from any of Jake's other teachers: Miss Bruce never smiled! She never smiled, she never laughed - she never even grinned!

But one day, entirely by mistake, Jake learns that Miss Bruce does smile - and even giggle! And he makes a life-changing decision: he's going to help her smile during class. And how is he going to do that? By becoming the class clown, of course!

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli

2008-09-10T17:52:00.012-04:00

Do you like stories of knights on horseback, or ladies in beautiful long gowns? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the very old days, in England during the times of ladies and knights and honor and courage?

If you have, I would like to introduce you to my young friend Robin. He is only ten years old, but he lives in those grand old times and has several adventures that are both ordinary and at the same time truly brave.

You see, Robin grew up as an ordinary young boy, the son of Sir John de Bureford, living with his mother and father and expecting that soon after he turned ten - as he is now - he would go to live with another lord of the realm as his page and learn from that lord all the skills he would need to be a brave and honorable knight - to fight, to speak, to lead people, to rule his own lands.

But not long after he turned ten, while his mother and father were away serving the King and Queen in the war, Robin fell very ill. Even when he recovered, he was too weak to walk around on his own. How on earth would he be able to serve as a page now? How would he even get to Lord Peter's castle?

With the help of Brother Luke and the minstral John-go-in-the-Wynd he will do it, but even then it's not an easy path. Robin will have to overcome challenges like learning to use crutches and dealing with robbers along the road. And even when he gets to Sir Peter's home, Robin will have one last challenge that will take every bit of skill he's learned over the past few months - but if he can overcome it, he will earn a reward befitting a truly noble knight.

Clemency Pogue: Fairy Killer by JT Petty

2008-08-27T16:10:00.010-04:00

Do you believe in fairies? And if you don't, would you ever say so out loud?

I hope you wouldn't, because you see, it isn't just Peter Pan who knows the power of belief over fairies: as Clemency Pogue discovers, indiscriminate use of those five small words - Eh? Which ones? Oh, I don't believe in - hey wait a minute! I am not going to say it! You can't make me say it. Why, saying that one little phrase could kill some poor unsuspecting fairy somewhere in Russia or Egypt or just down the street!

Not that this isn't sometimes a good thing: Clemency stumbled upon the power in the phrase as she was saving her life from the Fairy of Frequent and Painful Pointless Antagonism. But what about the Tooth Fairy? Or the Fairy of Noninvasive Surgery? Or, for love's sake, the Fairy of Love and Tenderness? Where would the world be without the fairy of Love and Tenderness? We would all be writing horridly rubbishy poetry and never actually speaking with anyone!

So what, if you have just randomly killed seven fairies, some good and some bad, do you do? Well, if you're Clemency Pogue, you set out with the help of a rather rude and crude (but rhyming!) hobgoblin to set things right. Which could mean learning the personal name (not just the job description!) of every single fairy you killed that you didn't mean to kill, or it could just mean saying "I do believe in fairies, I do!" and taking your chances. But that Fairy of Frequent and Painful Pointless Antagonism is pretty stubborn - and pretty nasty. I don't know if I myself would want to take my chances with her...

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

2008-08-21T12:07:00.008-04:00

Can you imagine if your dad brought home a penguin for a pet? How about twelve of them?

This is what Mr. Popper does, to the amazement of Mrs. Popper and his two children, Bill and Janie. This lucky family has a full dozen penguins living with them - sliding down the stairs, stealing the checkers, and startling the visitors.

But you know, penguins are very expensive to keep, especially when you live in nice warm Stillwater. You need snow for them, and ice, and fresh fish if you can get it - or canned shrimp, otherwise. And when you are only a house painter, as Mr. Popper is, well... the bills can add up quick!

How will Mr. Popper save the day? Why, by taking the penguins on the road in a variety act! But their troubles aren't over yet - how much mischief do you think twelve penguins can get into touring the major cities of the United States?

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

2008-08-14T09:55:00.012-04:00

This is a sweetheart of a book, full of just enough adventure to keep you turning the pages, just enough detail to make you fall in love with the characters, and just enough intelligence to make you feel you've read something fully worthwhile.

Despereaux is a mouse who can be summed up quite quickly in the words of his Aunt Florence: "It simply isn't done!" He is born far too small and with far too big of ears - and if that were not enough, he reads books instead of eating them and he talks to humans!

Most specifically, he speaks to the Princess Pea, in whose castle he lives, and with whom he falls deeply in love. This is, of course, another thing that Is Not Done, but how can a young mouse help himself?

And this is only the beginning of the story. There is also Chiaroscuro, a most unusual rat, and his story of living in the dungeons of the castle, and Miggery Sow, a young scullery maid who dreams of being a princess.

This is a story of dreams and realities, of bravery and perfidy, of love and hate and light and darkness. But it is, most of all, the story of a young mouse who follows his heart.

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I also highly recommend the audio version of this story, read by Graeme Malcolm. He brings each character individually to life with unique, recognizable voices, and I - who have a terrible time listening to audio books - was fully entranced the entire story.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

2008-07-30T17:27:00.016-04:00

This is probably my all-time favorite storytime book! Readers (or especially listeners!) are asked to watch over the bus while the driver is gone - oh, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Kids get a kick out of telling the adorable Pigeon "No you can't!" every time he makes a plea, demand, or suggestion for control of the wheel.

Whenever I read this book, I can't help but get into it. Willems' drawings are super-simple, but they do an amazing job of portraying all sorts of emotions - from sly to totally-innocent-I-wouldn't-do-that to totally enraged. In turn, I find myself acting out the part of the pigeon, making faces, altering my body language, and changing my voice for each panel.

This book is a true delight!