Annemarie lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 1943. Her best friend, Ellen Rosen, is Jewish. This is a beautifully told story appropriate for fourth graders. It is sweet in it’s own way, and pulse-poundingly adventurous, though not in a way I’d ever want to experience for myself. It is a deadly serious look at how […]
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George, 1959, Book Review
“I left New York in May. I had a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, and $40, which I had saved from selling magazine subscriptions. I also had some flint and steel which I had bought at a Chinese store in the city.” And with that, Sam Gribley left his city apartment filled with […]
The Black Cauldron (Chronicles of Prydain, 2) by Lloyd Alexander, 1965
The wonderful group of companions that overcame danger and evil in book one of the Chronicles of Prydain return for a second bold adventure in The Black Cauldron. This time, Taran is called away by Prince Gwydion on a quest to seize the cauldron that belongs to the evil Lord Arawn. Within this vessel the […]
Knee-Knock Rise, by Natalie Babbitt, 1970, Book Review
In a land of flat plains there sits a ridge of hill, and on the very top one, the one always embraced by a cloak of mist, there dwells a beast. The people of Instep, the town closest to Kneeknock Rise, hold a fair each autumn, when the weather turns surly and the Megrimum atop […]
Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm, 2010, Book Review
Turtle in Paradise is just the kind of book I love to read best. Sweet and clean, well-crafted, beautiful, with a host of characters I wish I knew, and an open-armed family at the end. It claimed Newbery honors last year. Turtle grew up in New Jersey with her single mother. She’s the steady one in […]
Newbery Honor Books, 1990-1999
Here’s another batch of Newbery Honor books and links to where to find them as well as to my reviews. Asterics indicate books I’ve read but not reviewed. How many have you read? 1999 A Long Way From Chicago, by Richard Peck. * 1998 Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine. * Lily’s Crossing, by Patricia Reilly Giff. […]
Savvy, by Ingrid Law, 2009, Book Review
Savvy is a uniquely styled book that won Newbery honors last year. Its most outstanding feature is the rhythmic nonsense words that flood the prose, creating a style all its own “Fibertygibbity,” “a fizz and a zing,” “jump and jive,” “razzmatazz,” “bumping, jumping,” “stumbled and tumbled,” “gewgaws,” and “…loosening his lip-lock.” Ms. Law has a very […]
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Patterson, 1977, Book Review
Katherine Patterson is one of only five authors to twice win the Newbery medal. She delivers powerful, thought-provoking stories, beautifully written with a depth of emotion and meaning. The kind of stories I love, yet I wouldn’t count either of her Newbery winners among my favorites. Personal preference, I suppose. Yet there is much I […]
Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt, 2011, Book Review (Kind of)
I have one word for you: A.m.a.z.i.n.g. Gary Schmidt has long been one of my favorite authors. In fact, I’ve kind of made him my very own personal back-pocket author. Years ago, when I was freshly out of college and toying with a writing hobby, I discovered his book, Anson’s Way. I finished the last […]
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 […]