Book+Reviews+for+Children

=Mrs. Helen Davis' Book Reviews:=

[|Sleight] by [|Jennifer Sommersby] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] This book surprisingly gave me a similar feeling to when I first read Twilight. I was quite disappointed when I got to the end and found that I wanted to read the next book, which apparently hasn't been written yet.

Gemma Flannery is a "circus kid" who has just lost her mother. Her circus family decides that the circus will remain in Eaglefern until Gemma, Junie, and Ash complete their senior year in the local public high school. There, Gemma meets Henry Dmitri whose father runs just about everything in the area, including financing the circus. From there, we begin a rollercoaster ride involving shades (aka ghosts), magic, good vs. evil, and first love. It is not a peaceful ride, and the ending is something of a cliffhanger. I hope that this series will continue.

= = =[|The Dream-Maker's Magic] by [|Sharon Shinn]= =[|My review] rating: 4 of 5 stars I very much enjoyed this story of a girl whose mother thinks that she gave birth to a boy and so dresses and treats her daughter as a boy. Kellen is finally allowed to go to school, and there she meets Gryffin, a boy whose legs are damaged so that he must walk with canes. They truly become best friends and Kellen helps Gryffin with his walking, while he helps her with her school work. Kellen develops into a very independent young lady, largely due to having been raised as a boy, but as she becomes a teenager, she begins to want to dress as a girl. The story continues to follow Gryffin and Kellen as they grow and experience both tragedies and triumphs. This book could be appropriate for middle school and high school, and possibly upper elementary. This was my first experience with Sharon Shinn, but I will definitely be reading more of her work. =

T[|he Runaway Dolls**] by [|**Ann M. Martin**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars At the beginning of this story, the Doll family and the Funcraft family are looking forward to two weeks of freedom as the Palmer's are going on vacation for two weeks. Tiffany, who was downstairs when it arrived, tells Annabelle about a package that was delivered just before the Palmers left. Annabelle and Tiffany decide to go investigate the package and when they get to it they discover that it contains a doll. Annabelle is certain that the doll is the long lost baby sister that was supposed to come with the Doll family when it was first delivered over one hundred years ago. Tiffany and Annabelle tell their families about their discovery, but their parents insist that they cannot let the doll out of the package because they wouldn't be able to return the package to its original state before the Palmers came home. But Annabelle and Tiffany decide to disobey their parents and let the baby doll out of the package. They then decide to runaway and there begins a series of adventures that you will have to read to believe! Brian Selznick's illustrations help tell the story.

[|**The Meanest Doll in the World**] by [|**Ann M. Martin**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars In this sequel to The Doll People, Annabelle and Tiffany find themselves in Kate's bookbag and go to school with her. They decide to explore school and then plan to climb back into Kate's bookbag and return to the Palmer's. After several adventures in a kindergarten room, they are almost late, but manage to climb up the coats and drop into the bookbag. Later they discover that they are the wrong bookbag and now in the wrong house and this house is the home of the meanest doll in the world. Read this to find all about Annabelle's and Tiffany's adventures and whether or not they are able to find their way back home to the Palmer's house and Kate's room.

[|**The Doll People**] by [|**Ann M. Martin**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Annabelle lives in the doll house with Mama Doll, Papa Doll, Bobby Doll, Uncle Doll, Nanny, and Baby Betsy. Unknown to their owners the Palmer family, the Doll family comes to life and moves about their doll house at night and whenever the Palmers are not at home. Their biggest problem is that the Palmers' cat, Captain, is frequently watching and often peers in the windows of the dollhouse. Annabelle's Auntie Sarah has been missing for 45 years and one night, Annabelle finds a journal that Auntie Sarah had been writing in when she disappeared. Annabelle is determined to solve the mystery of Auntie Sarah's disappearance and to find her and bring her home to the doll house. Read this story to find if she is successful in her quest.

[|**Inkheart**] by [|**Cornelia Funke**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars I suppose that after reading Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke, I had an idea that this book was also about dragons, but it certainly was not. Meggie is a little girl who lives with her father, Mortimer, who is a book mender who repairs and recovers books. Their house is filled with books and they both spend as much time as they can reading. One stormy night, Meggie sees a stranger standing outside their house staring up at it and runs to get her father. Her father lets the stranger in and sends Meggie back to bed, but Meggie is too curious to learn why the strange man is here. She hears enough to know that the reason for his visit is a book, and there begins a series of adventures that start with a long drive to her mother's Aunt Elinor's house. Meggie's father is taken from Elinor's house along with the book and Meggie and Elinor set off to try to get him back. Their adventures and misadventures keep you turning the pages until the end. I especially enjoyed the references to other books in this one and plan on reading the sequel, Inkspell, as soon as I can.

[|**Many Waters**] by [|**Madeleine L'Engle**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a continuation of Madeleine L'Engle's Time Trilogy, but in this book the action is focused on Sandy and Dennys, the twins who have always been the "normal" ones in their family. They come home one winter's day and enter their parent's lab, not noticing the note on the door to stay out. While looking for the dutch cocoa to make themselves a hot drink, they decide to play around with the new computer in the lab and type in a message about wanting to be in a warm place that is sparsely populated. The next thing they know, Sandy and Dennys are on a desert being approached by a strangely small man. Their adventures trying to stay alive and find a way to go back home include unicorns, mammoths, seraphim, nephilim, manticores, and names they have heard before only in Bible stories - Noah and Enoch and Japheth. Have they traveled through time or taken a quantum leap? Read this story to find out.

[|**A Song for Harlem: Scraps of Time 3**] by [|**Patricia C. McKissack**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Lilly Belle is in New York City staying with her aunt Odessa because she won a place in a young writer's workshop with her poems. It is 1928 and the change from rural Tennessee to busy New York City is hard to adjust to. This story follows Lilly Belle as she learns and grows through this experience. It gives a look at the culture of the times and the life of an African American in Harlem. It was a good example of historical fiction

[|**Molly Moon, Micky Minus, & the Mind Machine**] by [|**Georgia Byng**]

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars Molly Moon is able to time travel and use hypnosis to control people. She has discovered that she was born a twin and that her brother was taken from the hospital where they were born and all evidence of his existence had been erased, except from the minds of her parents. She makes up her mind to find her twin brother and try to bring him back to their parents. This adventure involves time-travel, time-freezing, hypnosis, and much courage on Molly's part, especially when she travels to the future and finds what seems to be an evil young girl who wants to rule the world. Read this story to find out if Molly is able to find her brother and return with him to their parents or if she becomes trapped in time.

[|**Al Capone Does My Shirts**] by [|**Gennifer Choldenko**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars When Moose, whose real name is Michael, and his family go to live on Alcatraz, Moose thinks he will never have friends or play ball again. Then he meets Piper, Theresa, Annie, Jimmie, and Scout and discovers that all of the laundry on the island is done by the convicts. This means that Moose can truthfully say that "Al Capone does my shirts." The biggest problem is Moose's sister, Nat, who is "special" and then Moose's mother takes a job teaching piano, which means that Moose must watch his sister. Read this story to find how Moose deals with this problem and if he makes any true friends.

[|**Diary of a Would-be Princess**] by [|**Jessica Green**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Jillian James is a student in Fifth year (fifth grade) in Australia and is having trouble fitting in. She loves reading and writing, but does poorly in maths (mathematics). The story is told in the form of her daily school journal in which Jillian talks about the problems she is having. Her teacher, Mrs. Bright, reads the students' journals every week and adds comments and encouragement. It was interesting to see how Jillian changed as the school year went along. I really enjoyed this book, even though there were a few Australian terms that I didn't quite understand. It was a lovely surprise at the end of the book to find a glossary which defined these "Australianisms". I will definitely add this to my order list for my school's library.

[|**Tales from Shakespeare: Children's Classics**] by [|**Charles Lamb**]

My review
I have never read any of Shakespeare's plays, and after reading Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, I got this to learn more about his plays. Rafe Esquith said in his book that you really can't get a feeling for the plays from just reading the plays and that this book is a good source for the stories that the plays tell. I will try it and see how long I can stick with it. I have read all twenty of the stories in this volume and was very interested to read the stories of Shakespeare's plays. The language was a little complex, but easy enough to understand if read carefully. I think this is an excellent introduction to Shakespeare's plays and that it would make a good addition to school libraries, even at the elementary level. Many of the stories seemed familiar since so much of Shakespeare's work has become part of our culture.

[|**The Battle of the Labyrinth**] by [|**Rick Riordan**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This fourth installment in the Percy Jackson series was just as action-filled as the other three. Percy is attending freshman orientation at yet another private school when he is confronted by what appear to be cheerleaders, but which turn out to be much more dangerous. This begins a summer of dangerous adventures for Percy and his friends as they try to prevent the evil Titan Kronos from coming into their camp and destroying Olympus. I will need to order this one for our school library - the fourth and fifth graders will be clamoring for more of this series. [|**Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key**] by [|**Jack Gantos**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was a really quick read. Joey is a boy who in his own words is "wired wrong". He is on medication for attention deficit, but it doesn't seem to be working and Joey keeps making bad decisions when he starts to feel wound up. Finally, Joey gets in so much trouble that he has to go to a special school for six weeks. At first that seems terrible to Joey, but it turns into a good thing when they begin to find the right medicine and the best methods to help Joey get along in the world. Joey is a lovable and endearing character and I can't wait to read more about him. [|**Igraine The Brave**] by [|**Cornelia Funke**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a story about a girl who wants to become a knight. She is eleven years old, almost twelve, and her parents and brother are magicians with singing magic books. But Igraine is not particularly interested in magic. She wants to be a famous knight and spends all of her spare time practicing to be a knight. Then her parents make a mistake in one of their spells and the nephew of the baroness next door comes to try to capture their castle and steal away the magic books. Igraine and her brother Albert must find a way to reverse their parents' magical mistake and defend the castle at the same time. If you enjoy adventure and fantasy, this is a book for you. [|**The True Meaning of Smekday**] by [|**Adam Rex**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Gratuity Tucci is a twelve-year-old girl who has an assignment to write a five page essay on "The True Meaning of Smekday" for a National Time Capsule contest. She isn't sure how to get started, but then her mother suddenly develops a mole on the back of her neck, which seems to be sending messages. Aliens have taken over the Earth and all humans in America are being sent to Florida. Then,on Christmas Eve, Gratuity's mother is abducted by aliens and Gratuity decides to try to find her. Gratuity's adventures in this story are funny and exciting as she learns more about the aliens after making friends with one. Read to find out what happens to Gratuity and her mother as well as the whole human race. [|**] [|**The Prophet of Yonwood**] by [|**Jeanne Duprau**]

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars While this book is listed as the third Book of Ember, it is actually a prequel of sorts to The City of Ember and The People of Sparks. The main character in this story is Nickie, a girl of twelve, who is going with her aunt Crystal to help get her great-grandfather's house, Greenhaven, cleaned out and ready to sell. This house is in the small town of Yonwood. One of Yonwood's citizens, Althea Tower, has had a vision of the cataclysmic end of the world, and after falling into a coma-like state becomes known as the Prophet, whom the citizens believe is giving them instructions on how to avoid the end of the world that she has seen. Nickie has three goals when she gets to Yonwood: to convince her aunt to keep Greenhaven, to fall in love, and to help the world. To find out if she achieves her goals, read this fantasy adventure story.

[|**The People of Sparks**] by [|**Jeanne Duprau**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This sequel to The City of Ember continues the adventures of Lina and Doon who lead the people of Ember out of the underground and out into the world. They walk for many hours and come upon the city of Sparks, where they hope to find food and shelter. The people of Sparks are alarmed by such a large number of people since they have only just begun to produce enough for their own townspeople. Will they agree to help the people of Ember or cast them out into the "Empty Lands"? At first the people of Sparks agree to help, but after a time they grow resentful of the drain on their resources and the people of Ember grow resentful from the difficult conditions and scarcity of food. If you read The City of Ember, you will want to read this continuation of the story.

[|**The City of Ember**] by [|**Jeanne Duprau**]

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars I want to start this review by saying "WOW!". I really had trouble putting this one down. Lina is a twelve-year-old girl living in the city of Ember. It is her last day of school when she and her classmates will receive their jobs that they will work at for the next three years. Lina hopes to work in the greenhouses or be a messenger, but when she chooses her job from the bag held by the mayor, it says "pipeworker", which means that she will be working in the pipeworks below the city where all of the water comes from. She is disappointed. Her friend Doon receives the job of messenger and offers to trade jobs with her because he wants to do a job that will save the city of Ember. The city is in trouble, because the generator that provides the only light in the city has begun to break down causing blackouts. Lina and Doon must find a way to help the city, but how. I read this book so quickly that I feel that I need to reread to catch all of the details I might have missed, but I am too anxious to read the next book. I will definitely order this one for my school library!

[|**The Wright 3**] by [|**Blue Balliett**]

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a sequel to Chasing Vermeer. Calder and Petra are joined by Calder's old friend Tommy who has returned to Chicago at the end of the school year. They learn that the Robie House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is about to be cut up into pieces and sent to several museums around the world. Calder and Petra are joined by Tommy to form the Wright 3 as they work to solve the mysteries surrounding the house and the accidents that have been happening around it. This mystery was difficult to put down and I would recommend it for anyone who likes a good mystery or who enjoys learning about art and architecture. It was especially interesting trying to read the code that the Wright 3 used to write about their discoveries.

[|**The Wish List**] by [|**Eoin Colfer**]

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars The Wish List is the story of Meg Finn, a teenager who is left with an abusive stepfather after her mother dies. She has been a troublemaker, but then she falls in with Belch who gets her involved in a robbery attempt of an elderly man, Lowrie McCall. Things go wrong and Meg and Belch are killed in a gas explosion, but it is not the end for either of them. Meg has a chance to go back and right some wrongs in order to earn her way to heaven, and Belch is recruited to try to stop her. Meg finds herself helping Lowrie McCall complete his "wish list" of things he wants to do before he dies. Will she be able to help him and what will Belch do to stop her? This story was a very interesting afterlife adventure, probably more suited to middle school and older students. [|The Rope Trick] by [|Lloyd Alexander]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Lidi is a traveling magician with amazing skills in sleight of hand and many other fascinating magic tricks, but the one she wants to know, the rope trick, is apparently known only by the famous magician Ferramondo. Lidi sets out find Ferramondo and learn the rope trick, but along the way she finds many other adventures. She meets Daniella, a little girl who seems to be able to see the future, and Julian, a young man on the run from the authorities who has a mission of his own. Read this fast-moving story to find out if Lidi learns to do the rope trick and what happens along the way. [|**The Gawgon and the Boy**] by [|**Lloyd Alexander**]

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars David has been very sick, and the doctor recommends that he not go back to school for awhile. His elderly Aunt Annie says that she will take him for few hours each day to help keep up with his education. This to David who sees Aunt Annie as a gorgon and develops a secret name for her: The Gawgon. After a short time, he changes his mind about her and together they begin a journey that will change David forever. I really enjoyed this story. It moved fairly quickly, and jumped back and forth between the story and the stories David was making up in his mind.

[|**101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher**] by [|**Lee Wardlaw**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars In this book Sneeze, whose real name is Steve, is in middle school. He has a reputation at school from a book he wrote and sold the previous year at school called 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents. He is an inventor with a problem: inventor's block. We meet his friends Hiccup, Hayley, Goldie, Ace, Pierre, and many other interesting characters. While Sneeze is trying to figure out what to do about his inventor's block, his parents spring the news that they have arranged for him to skip 8th Grade and go straight to high school. But what will he do without his friends? Then, suddenly his two best friends, Hayley and Hiccup, are not speaking to him: Hayley because she is angry with him and Hiccup because he seems to developed a terminal case of hiccups. And to top it off, his parents have yet another surprise for him. This is an entertaining story, probably more of interest to middle schoolers than elementary students. It is surprising to find that the author used to be an elementary school teacher. It seems she has gone over to the "dark side". [|**Anne of Windy Poplars**] by [|**Lucy Maud Montgomery**]

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars Anne of Windy Poplars takes Anne from her college years at Redmond to the principalship of Summerside High. These are the years that Gilbert, her fiance, is going to medical school so much of the story is told through Anne's letters to him describing events in her life. There were many heart-warming incidents in this story and Anne seems to be responsible for the happiness of many people she meets. I would recommend these stories to anyone who enjoys an old-fashioned romantic story about real people who lived a long time ago. [|**Anne of the Island**] by [|**Lucy Maud Montgomery**]

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a sequel to Anne of Avonlea in which we follow Anne through her college years at Redmond. Some friends from Prince Edward Island are also attending and Anne is growing up and learning to be independent. Anne and three girlfriends decide to rent a house together rather than staying in boarding houses and find the perfect place in Patty's Place, a charming house on the same street with mansions of millionaires. This story has slightly more adult themes than the last, including the death of a friend and the marriage of several friends. It seemed more romantic than Anne of Avonlea, and I had trouble putting it down.

[|Anne of Avonlea] by [|Lucy Maud Montgomery]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars I never read these books when I was young, so I thought I would try one now and see what I think. Anne of Avonlea was a charming story of a girl of seventeen who is becoming a woman. She serves as the schoolmarm of Avonlea school and continues to live with Marilla, who brought her through the past few years. The descriptions of Anne, her friends and pupils, and of Avonlea were detailed and beautiful. Although the vocabulary in this story is pretty advanced, the storyline itself is unobjectionable. I think that students, particularly girls, who want to be teachers might quite enjoy this story. I think that I may go back and read Anne of Green Gables now that I have read this. ==[|Here Lies the Librarian] by [|Richard Peck]==

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars In this Richard Peck story, we meet Jake and Peewee McGrath when a tornado rips through their community tearing up part of "Beulahland"(the cemetery) on its way. While viewing the damage, which includes several unearthed coffins and their contents flung about, Peewee sees the still intact headstone for the former librarian of their community. Jake and Peewee try to make a living at selling gas and fixing flats at their "garage" by the side of the rutted dirt road. It is the beginning of the automotive age and a paved road will soon be coming along. Next, we see Peewee trying to get out of 8th grade graduation by getting thrown in jail. The only problem is that Peewee's real name is Eleanor. This is an entertaining story about small town life and the beginning of automobile racing, with a sideline in libraries and librarians as well as women's rights.

===Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques **This was the story of Rakkety Tam, a squirrel warrior engaged in a battle against a wolverine, Gulo the Savage, who is seeking his brother and the Walking Stone. The story involves many battles between "goodbeasts" and "vermin", and many lives are lost along the way. We get to know several of these animals, both good and bad. If you enjoy Brian Jacques Redwall books, you will probably enjoy this one as well. I found that it moved rather slowly and it took me some time to complete the book, but I am not a fan of battle scenes and find them difficult to read about. There was not any real graphic violence in this story, so it does have its place in an elementary library. I just need to find a way to sell it to potential readers.** ===

===Peter and the Starcatchers** by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson **** In this fast-moving adventure, we learn about Peter, an orphan from London, and his friends who are put aboard a ship, the Neverland, to become servants to an evil king on a faraway island.Once he is aboard the ship, he meets Molly, a girl about his own age, who befriends him.This book takes Peter and his friends from London to a desert island far out at sea.Along the way, we find pirates, thieves, shipwrecks, mermaids, savages, a crocodile, and a treasure chest.These adventures serve as a prequel to J. M. Barrie’s **// Peter Pan //** and show us how Peter and the “lost boys” come to be on their island.This was an action-filled story that was hard to put down. **===

===The High King ** by Lloyd Alexander **** Taran Wanderer becomes Taran Warrior in this last of the Chronicles of Prydain.Taran and his companions go to try to reclaim the sword Dyrnwyn from the hands of Arawn Death-Lord before all of Prydain is destroyed.Taran and Prince Gwydion raise an army to march against Arawn and recover the sword even if they must go to the gates of Annuvin, a place of death.In this story, Taran fully becomes a man and shows what he is made of.Read this heroic tale to discover what becomes of Taran’s love for Eilonwy and whether or not good can truly triumph over evil. **===

===Taran Wanderer** by Lloyd Alexander **** In this episode of The Chronicles of Prydain, Taran is on a quest to find himself.He wants to find out who his parents were and hopefully if he is of noble birth.He sets off with his faithful companion, Gurgi, and travels first to the Marshes of Morva to find out if the three enchantresses who live there can tell him who his parents were.He then travels throughout many realms of Prydain in search for his identity and has many adventures.He hopes to find the Mirror of Llunet, which may give him the answer he seeks.Does Taran find his identity?Is he of noble birth and thus worthy of the Princess Eilonwy?Will he survive this adventure?Read this exciting adventure to find out! **===

===The Castle of Llyr ** by Lloyd Alexander **** Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, and his companions return in another adventure in The Chronicles of Prydain.This time Taran and Gurgi escort Eilonwy to the Isle of Mona, where she will be trained as a proper princess by King Rhuddlum and Queen Teleria.On the ship to Mona, they meet Prince Rhun, the cheerful but inept son of the king and queen.Once on Mona, Taran finds his old friend Fflewddur Fflam, and meets again Prince Gwydion disguised as a shoemaker.It seems that Gwydion has discovered that the evil enchantress Achren is hunting for Eilonwy.Once again, the companions are called on to fight against evil.Read this episode to find out what happens to Taran and Eilonwy. **===

===The Black Cauldron **by Lloyd Alexander** ** In the second of The Chronicles of Prydain, Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, sets off on another quest to help Gwydion and other warriors to steal the black cauldron from Arawn and destroy it before Arawn can use it to create more invincible Cauldron-born warriors.He is joined again by the dwarf, Doli, the princess Eilonwy, Gurgi, and the bard Fflewddur Fflam.In this story, Taran has the opportunity to wear his first sword.He dreams of showing his mettle and being a hero, but once again things do not go as planned.He meets Ellidyr, the young prince with a thirst for fame, and Adaon, a valiant warrior who is both gentle and brave.If you enjoyed //The Book of Three//, you will enjoy this continuation of Taran’s adventures. **===

===The Book of Three** by Lloyd Alexander **** This is the first book in The Chronicles of Prydain.We meet Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper, who wishes to learn the arts of sword-making and fighting instead of his daily chores of looking after the pig Hen-Wen and assisting with daily chores such as hoeing the garden and feeding the animals.Taran has dreams of being a great hero, but one day when Hen-Wen runs away and he chases after her, he finds that being out in the world on his own is not all that he thought.He meets a rough-looking, ragged man and is surprised to learn that this man is Gwydion, a great war hero.In his adventures as he tries to recover Hen-Wen, Taran meets the Horned King, a part man part beast named Gurgi, Eilonwy, dwarfs, and many other strange and mysterious creatures.He knows that he must return home to Caer Dallben to warn them of the approach of warriors from Annuvin.If you enjoy fantasy and adventure, this is a book for you.There are 4 other books in The Chronicles of Prydain. **===

===Party Shoes **by Noel Streatfeild** ** In another "shoe" book by Noel Streatfeild, we meet Selina and her cousins. Selina has received a gift of a party dress and shoes from her godmother in America.It is near the end of the Second World War in England and there are very few excuses for a girl to wear a party dress.So, Selina and her cousins create a reason: a pageant which she and her cousins will write and produce.As time goes by, the pageant becomes even bigger than originally planned.How will the cousins find costumes for the pageant with rationing still in effect?When the nearby American camp gets involved matters escalate even further.In the meantime, Selina is thinking about her mother and father who are prisoners in Hong Kong, and worrying that she will outgrow the dress and shoes before she has an opportunity to wear them.Read this story to find out how everything works out. **===

===Ballet Shoes** by Noel Streatfeild In this book, we meet Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, three orphans who have been adopted by Great Uncle Matthew and placed under the care of his great niece, Sylvia. The girls decide on the last name of Fossil for themselves, since that is what Great Uncle Matthew collected. Unfortunately, Great Uncle Matthew, or GUM as he was known by the girls, left on another expedition and was gone so long that the money he left began to run out. How was Sylvia going to find the money to keep the house and the girls? How was their education to be paid for? The answers can be found in this charming story about three orphan girls growing up and finding their way in the world. **===

===Eragon ** by Christopher Paolini ** **We first meet Eragon as a poor farm boy on a hunting expedition to provide meat for his family. He finds an unusual blue stone on his way and is gratified to realize that it should be worth enough to buy supplies for the family. The butcher in his village will not accept it in payment, so he takes it home where he later discovers that it is not a stone at all but an egg. He determines to keep the dragon that hatches from the egg a secret from his family and forges a close relationship with the dragon, Saphira. The book details the tragedy and adventure that follow as Eragon reaches maturity and realizes that he is fated to be a Dragon Rider. If you enjoy fantasy, dragons, and magic, you will like this exciting story. It is interesting that it was written by Christopher Paolini after he graduated from high school at the age of fifteen after being home-schooled for his entire life. The story continues in //Eldest//.** //Fowl// by Eoin Colfer ===

===Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer **Artemis Fowl is a twelve-year boy who has developed a plan to rebuild his family's fortunes with fairy gold. His first step is to obtain a copy of the "Book" which reveals all fairy secrets. Then he must find a way to read the obscure language used in the book. His plan involves kidnapping a fairy, then ransoming her for a ton of fairy gold. But this is no "sugar plum" fairy, she is armed and dangerous. In this story of humans against fairy people, we meet all manner of magical people, including goblins, elves, trolls, dwarfs, and centaurs. Will Artemis Fowl succeed in his quest for fairy gold? Read this book to find out.** ===

===Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett; illustrated by Brett Helquist **Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay are two rather unusual children who become involved in an art theft and find themselves working together to solve the case and save the priceless painting from destruction. The painting is A Lady Writing by Johannes Vermeer and is stolen from a museum by someone who claims to want the world to know about Vermeer and that many paintings attributed to him are actually forgeries. Calder and Petra find themselves drawn deep into the conspiracy when it seems that the thief will destroy the painting if his demands are not met. If you like puzzles and mysteries, you will love this book!** ===

===The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane **By Kate DiCamillo; Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline** **This was a beautiful, touching story of a china rabbit that learns how to love. At the beginning of the story, Edward Tulane is the cherished toy of a little girl named** **Abilene****. His only adventures at the beginning of the story consist of being grabbed by the neighbor’s dog and misplaced by a new maid. All this changes when** **Abilene** **and her family board the Queen Mary for a trip across the ocean to** **London** **and Edward is accidentally thrown overboard. Check out this book if you would like to find what happens next.**===

===The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of 5th Grade **By Ken Derby** **This book documents the antics of a 5th Grade boy named Anthony Madison (also known as Tony Baloney and TB) as he tries to find his way onto The Late Show with David Letterman. His attempts include “stupid human tricks”, “stupid pet tricks”, and a run-in with a biker gang in** **New York City****. If you want to find out how much trouble TB gets into with his teacher, Mr. Gore (Gorilla) and his principal Mrs. Hernandez (the Terminator) as he and his two best friends Anna and Mo try to get on the Letterman show, pick up this non-stop adventure story.**===

===The Charm Bracelet **By Emily Rodda; Illustrated by Raoul Vitale** **In this first book of the Fairy Realm series, we meet Jessie, a little girl who discovers that her grandmother’s secret garden has more secrets than she had realized. Jessie is worried about her grandmother, who has fallen and sprained her wrist. Jessie is also worried about the charm bracelet that her grandmother always wore which is now missing. In her search, Jessie stumbles into a magical land. If you would like to find out what happens to Jessie, her mother, her grandmother, and the charm bracelet, pick up this book. If you enjoy this story, there are several other books in the Fairy Realm series that continue the story of Jessie’s adventures.**===

===Dragon Rider **By Cornelia Funke** **What happens to dragons when humans begin to encroach on their homes? In this book, the dragon Firedrake sets out to find a new home for himself and the other dragons in his group. He is searching for the Rim of Heaven, the legendary home of dragons. But first, he must find out where it is. A brownie girl named Sorrel goes with him and along the way they meet a human boy, talking rats, dwarfs, a djinn, elves, and a monstrous creature called Nettlebrand and his armour cleaner Twigleg. Will Firedrake find the Rim of Heaven and what will happen to him and Sorrel on their journey? Read this wonderful fantasy adventure to find out.**===

===//The Frog Princess// **By E.D. Baker** **In this twist on the Frog Prince story, Princess Emeralda kisses a frog who claims to be an enchanted prince, only to turn into a frog herself. Why did this happen? Can Emeralda and Eadric, the prince frog, reverse the spell and turn themselves back into humans? Read about their adventures as they encounter witches, bats, snakes, toads, and dogs. Find out if there is really a happy ever after by reading this fairy tale adventure.**===

===Cold in Summer **By Tracy Barrett** **Ariadne’s family has moved to** **Tennessee** **from** **Florida** **and she is determined not to like this new place. Then Ariadne meets May** **Butler****, who seems to understand how she feels. Ariadne notices that May dresses in old-fashioned clothing and that May seems to almost disappear into the trees when she leaves. When Ariadne meets Caroline and Ashley, two other girls from her new town, she asks them about May.** **They tell her that they have never heard of her. Who is May and why does she seem to always be there when Ariadne needs her? To find out, read this mystery about a town in** **Tennessee** **that is covered with a lake.**===

===A Bear Named Trouble **By Marion Dane Bauer** **Jonathan is a ten-year old boy who has moved to** **Anchorage****,** **Alaska** **with his dad, a zookeeper. His mother and younger sister are finishing out the school year in** **Duluth****,** **Minnesota** **before joining Jonathan and his dad in** **Alaska****. Jonathan loves to visit the zoo and pretend that he is inside different animals. He plays a game with his sister in which he describes how it feels to be a certain animal. He is particularly fond of a large white goose at the zoo that he calls "Mama Goose". We also meet a lonely, hurt, and confused young brown bear who wanders into the zoo from the wild. Find out what happens to Jonathan, the goose, and the bear when you read this story of their adventures which is based on an actual incident.**===

===Granny Torrelli Makes Soup **By Sharon Creech; drawings by Chris Raschka** **Rosie is very mad at her best friend Bailey. Her Granny Torrelli comes over to make soup, and in the process, manages to get Rosie to tell her why she is angry. Then she tells Rosie a story from her own childhood that helps Rosie to understand what Bailey did that made her angry. This story is told in Rosie’s voice, almost like entries in a diary. Read it to find out more about Rosie, Bailey, Granny Torrelli, and their families and friends.**===

===Stranded in Boringsville **By Catherine Bateson** **Rain May is moving to a small country town in** **Australia** **with her mother Maggie and she is not happy about it. They move into her grandmother’s old house, and one of the first things that Maggie unpacks is the fridge poetry set. This is a set of magnetic words that stick to the refrigerator which Rain May and Maggie use to create poems for each other. Then Rain meets the boy next door, Daniel. Will they become friends? What will school be like in this new place? Where is Rain’s father? To find out the answers to these and other questions, read this touching story about relationships.**===

===Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye **By Geronimo Stilton** **Geronimo Stilton is the editor of** //**The Rodent's Gazette**// **in New Mouse City, the capital city of** **Mouse Island****. When Geronimo's sister, Thea, discovers a map to the lost treasure of the Emerald Eye, she persuades Geronimo to set off on an adventure to find the treasure. They are joined by their cousin, Trap, and unexpectedly by Geronimo's favorite nephew Benjamin. Together they set sail on a ship to find the treasure. If you want to know if they find the treasure and what the treasure is, read Geronimo's tale of his adventures.**===

===a cool moonlight **By Angela Johnson** **Lila is almost nine years old and can never go out in the sun. She lives with her mother and father and older sister, Monk. Lila is only allowed to play outside at night. When she goes anywhere other than home, she must wear long sleeves and a hat with sunglasses even when it is dark. She has a rare allergy to the sun. Read this story to find out how Lila deals with her restrictions and manages to enjoy life in the process.**===

===The Ghost of Cutler Creek **By Cynthia DeFelice** **Allie Nichols communicates with ghosts. Her friend, Dub, calls her a “ghost magnet”. At the beginning of this story, Allie has a dream where she hears someone or something crying for help. The next day, a new boy, L.J., begins school in her sixth-grade class. Who is L.J. and why does he start a new school on the next-to-the-last day of school? Who or what is the ghost and why does it need her help? Join Allie and Dub as they search for the answers and solve the mystery of the ghost of Cutler Creek.**===

===Bartleby of the Big Bad Bayou **By Phyllis Shalant** **Bartleby is a red-eared turtle who has traveled all the way from** **New York** **with his friend Seezer, an alligator to find Seezer’s home bayou. Seezer hopes to reunite with his brothers and sisters, and Bartleby wants to get to know other red-eared turtles. Bartleby and Seezer must first learn how to survive in this new environment where some of the inhabitants are not as friendly and welcoming as they would like. We meet Old Stump, Lucky Gal, Quickfoot, Grub, and many others as Bartleby finds a place that is truly home. This is a sequel to** //Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi//**. If you like stories about animals, you will enjoy this story of Bartleby’s and Seezer’s adventures.**===

===counting on grace **By Elizabeth Winthrop** **Grace Forcier is a twelve-year-old girl attending a one-room school in a mill town in** **Vermont** **in the early 1900s. She has trouble sitting still, and she is left-handed, even though her teacher, Miss Lesley, makes her write with her right hand. Both her parents and her older sister, Delia, work in the mill. When Grace’s friend, Arthur, is pulled from school to begin work in the mill, Grace goes to work in the mill as well. Grace learns that Miss Lesley thinks she is smart enough to become a teacher. How will she get out of mill work to continue learning enough to become a teacher? What about Arthur? Will he continue to work in the mill or will he run away as he wants to do? This is a fiction story, but it is based on real-life events of the time. Find out what happens to Grace, her family, and Arthur by reading this historical fiction novel.**===

===indigo’s star **By Hilary McKay** **Indigo is just recovering from mononucleosis and about to return to school. He is dreading his return because of some bullies who have been bothering him. He hasn’t told his family about the bullies, but his younger sister, Rose, knows from a boy in her class who has a brother in Indigo’s class. On his first day back, he meets Tom, a new boy from** **America****, who becomes the new target of the gang. Throughout the story, we learn more about Indigo’s family, and watch as a bond forms between Indigo, Rose, and Tom. This is a companion book to** //Saffy’s Angel// **by Hillary McKay.**===

===Things Not Seen **By Andrew Clements** **Bobby Phillips wakes up to get ready for school one February morning just as he always does, but when he looks in the mirror his reflection is not there. Suddenly, Bobby is invisible. How did this happen? Can it be reversed? Bobby begins his journey to the answers to these questions by telling his parents. What will they do? What about school? Read this suspenseful story to find out.**===

===Niagara Falls//, or Does It?// **By Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver** **Hank Zipzer is late on his first day of fourth grade and has to go to the principal’s office. That is only the beginning of Hank’s problems. When he returns to class, Ms Adolf, his teacher, is announcing the assignment of a five paragraph essay on what you did over the summer. Hank is horrified, because he hates writing and spelling, even though he loves telling stories. He decides to create a “living” essay of his family’s trip to** **Niagara Falls** **instead. Read this funny, action-packed story to find out what happens when Hank presents his essay.**===

===My Father’s Dragon **By Ruth Stiles Gannett; illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett** **A little boy meets an old alley cat on his street and takes him home to get warm and have a saucer of milk. The boy’s mother hated cats, so he hid the cat in the cellar and fed him until his mother found out, whipped the boy and threw the cat out. The boy finds the cat and has a long talk with him, telling the cat about his dream of flying. The cat tells him about a flying dragon he encountered in his travels, and the cat and boy plan for the boy to journey to** **Wild** **Island** **to find and free the captive dragon. Read about the boy’s adventures as he journeys to** **Wild** **Island** **and must elude many wild animals on his way.**===

===Beyond the //Valley// //of// //Thorns// **By Patrick Carman** **In this second book in The** **Land** **of** **Elyon** **series, Alexa Daley is on a quest with the last Jocasta stone to rescue Catherine from the** **Dark** **Tower****. On the way she befriends a squirrel, a giant, a very small man named Yipes, a wolf, and a convict named John. Go with Alexa as she travels the Dark Hills, and battles ogres, wild dogs, and the evil Victor Grendall in this exciting adventure to help bring peace to the** **Land** **of** **Elyon****.**===

===The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall **By Tony Johnston** **Martha Snapdragon is a fourth-grader at** **Horace** **E.** **Bloggins** **School****. She also lives in the boiler room of the school with her father, the janitor. The meanest boy in the school, Rufus, uses his influence with the school’s principal, Dr. Klunk, to terrorize all the students, but most especially Martha. That is until Martha discovers a golden spoon sticking out of the bathroom wall. The writing on the spoon proclaims that whoever pulls the spoon out of the bathroom wall becomes King of** **Bloggins** **School****. Read this fast-moving story of destiny and kindness to find out what happens next.**===

===The Field Guide **By Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black** **In this first book of //The Spiderwick Chronicles//, we meet Mallory, Simon, and Jared Grace. They are moving into their Great-aunt Lucinda’s house with their mother after their father has left them. They hear noises in the walls and upon investigating, find a nest of sorts inside one of the kitchen wall. They also find a secret room with a book about faeries. Is there a faerie in their new house? Or is it something worse? When Mallory wakes up the next morning with her hair tied in knots to the bed and bruises on her arms, it seems the noises in the walls belong to something other than mice or squirrels. After reading this first book of the series, you will want to go immediately to the other books to find out what will happen next.**===

===Beany and the Meany **By Susan Wojciechowski; illustrated by Susanna Natti** **Beany’s day started off very, very good with discussing a sleepover at her house with her best friend Carol Ann. Then a new girl, Stacy, started in Beany’s class. Ms. Babbitt announces that the class will be taking part in a science fair and each student will work with a partner to create a project for the fair. Beany wants to team up with her best friend, Carol Ann, but Carol Ann has already asked the new girl, Stacy, to be her partner. Beany ends up with the class bully, Kevin, as her partner. She wants to stay home from school until after the science fair. Will Beany find a way to work with Kevin? Will Carol Ann still be her best friend? Who will win first prize at the science fair. Read this story to find out.**===

===Eoin Colfer’s Legend of … Captain Crow’s Teeth **By Eoin Colfer; illustrated by Glenn McCoy** **Will and his four brothers, Marty, Donnie, Bert, and Half Pint, vacation at the beach every summer in a trailer with their parents. Marty, as the oldest brother, considers it his duty to frighten and torture his younger brothers, particularly with scary stories. He tells the story of Captain Crow, a pirate, who was hit in the head with an ax by a nine-year-old cabin boy and who is said to haunt the rocks on the beach looking for the cabin boy in order to get his revenge. Of course, Will happens to be exactly 9 years old. When Marty and Will go to a dance together, Will must cross the rocks to get back to the trailer before the curfew his parents set. He tells himself that there is no such thing as a ghost pirate – or is there? Read this story to find out.**=== ===//The Tale of Despereaux// **By Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering** **This fairy-tale-like story is about a mouse, the smallest mouse in his community, who falls in love with a princess. This mouse, Despereaux, discovers the beauty of music and the written word. He reads a story about a knight in shining armor who serves and honors a beautiful princess. As the story progresses, Despereaux finds himself in a position to rescue the beautiful princess whom he loves. Along the way he meets a jailer, rats, a serving girl, a prisoner, a cook, and a king. How will such a small mouse manage to rescue the princess? Will there be a happy-ever-after ending to this story? Read it and find out.**===