I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with this book. It took me a week to really give it a chance. I thought the writing style rather rough, with awkward word choices and excessive adjectives and adverbs. But as I moved into the heart of the adventure, I became hooked. Once I really started, I finished it […]
Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary, Book Review
Dear Mr. Henshaw is Beverly Cleary’s highest award-winner, capturing the Newbery and Christopher Awards in the early 80’s, yet it is one of my least favorites. Written as a series of letters and journal entries, with absolutely no narration, Mrs. Cleary somehow, miraculously, weaves together a plot, a central-California setting and a well-rounded character. This accomplishment […]
Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog, by Eileen Beha, 2009, Book Review
Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog is a cute story that will appeal to dog lovers. Tango is a Yorkshire terrier accustomed to the good life. But when he’s swept off his yacht and washed ashore on Prince Edward Island, he finds himself in need of a friend. Fortunately, he finds lots of them. Miss […]
The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite deAngeli, 1949, Book Review
I love a story with a wealth of meaning behind its words. This one is exemplary. Within, young Robyn’s father has left for the Scottish wars, his mother has gone to wait on the ailing queen, and Robyn awaits John-the-Fletcher who will escort him to the manor of Sir Peter where Robyn will serve as squire. […]
Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus, 2010, Book Review
A storm, a shipwreck, and five stranded Japanese fishermen picked up by an American whaler. The problem? They can never go home. Because of Japan’s strict isolationist policy and fear of outsiders, those who leave Japan can never return. The year is 1841. Young Manjiro, like the other fishermen, is suspicious of his blue-eyed rescuers. […]
Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool, 2010, Book Review
I loved, loved, LOVED this book! Recommended to me by a sixth grade literature teacher, I gobbled it up in a two sittings. A few days later, I learned it won this year’s Newbery. Well-earned, I say! Following an illness, twelve-year-old Abilene’s father, Gideon, sends her away to friends in Manifest, Kansas, a town that […]
Ramona and her Father, by Beverly Cleary, 1977, Book Review
Ramona and Her Father is another installment in the life of the Quimbys. Within, Mrs. Cleary maintains her characteristic anecdotal style, but she’s tied her chapters more fully together to give us a glimpse inside the mind of this precocious child. And to our surprise, we find a regular girl with logical reasons for her outlandish behavior. Ramona is […]
The Accidental Hero (A Jack Blank Adventure), by Matt Myklusch, 2011, Book Review by Erik, Age 9
Jack Blank and The Imagine Nation A.K.A. The Accidental Hero A.K.A. A Jack Blank Adventure By Matt Myklusch Published in 2010 by Aladdin 480 pages –Ages 9-12 Jack Blank And the Imagine Nation – The Accidental Hero – A Jack Blank Adventure: Call it what you want, it’s an awesome book! 12-year-old Jack Blank doesn’t […]
Ramona Quimby, Age 8, by Beverly Cleary, 1981, Book Review
Meet the Quimby’s. In Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Mrs. Cleary details for us this ideal American family. The Quimby’s aren’t perfect, and they can hardly make ends meet, but they tolerate each other’s idiosyncrasies with love and understanding. A generation of kids grew up feeling a part of Ramona’s world, and it’s still a safe, happy place […]
The Door in the Forest, by Roderick Townley, 2011, Book Review
The best words I can think of to describe The Door in the Forest, by Roderick Townley, are “unique” and “vague.” Unique because Townley takes everyday themes like death, war and rebellion and weaves around them a tale unlike anything I’ve ever read before. With a little magic, the focus suddenly leaves the commonplace and […]