Friday, September 30, 2011

The Jolly Postman

The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters By: Janet & Allan Ahlberg

The Jolly Postman travels around fairy tale land and delivers mail to the different fairy tale characters.  He drops them off and then is off to the next place, always doing his best to get the letters to the people and animals they belong to.

Why I love this book. I remember reading this  book as a child and loving it, and as an adult it is no different. This book comes with letters in envelopes to each of the characters, the Wicked Witch, the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella.  I love taking the letters out and reading each one, because they all have such character. This is definitely also a great book to teach about letter writing and filling out an envelope correctly, as many children do not write letters using "snail mail" anymore.

A great book for every library.

I have had this book for so long I do not know when or where I purchased it!!
ISBN:0-316-12644-6

Saturday, September 24, 2011

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette     By: Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks are back and this time they are going their separate ways. This installment of the Penderwicks life finds, Mr. Penderwick and his new wife off on their honeymoon, Rosalind is off to the beach with her friend, and the rest of the Penderwick family off to Point Mouette together. This is hard for all of them as they have never been away from each other for so long, but many adventures prevail.  Skye is now the OAP, or oldest available Penderwick, and a few surprising visitors and new friends at Point Mouette make this yet another Penderwick adventure.

I loved this book just as I have loved the others in the series. This is a great family adventure and is a great read for anyone 6th grade and up.  I love how the characters are being developed at the series continues. I suggest you start with the other two in the series first… The Penderwicks  and  The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

I got this book at the public library.
ISBN: 978-0-375-85851-2

Friday, September 23, 2011

Chalk

Chalk  By: Bill Thomson

Three children walk to the park in the rain and find a bag of chalk hanging from one of the toys. They pick up the bag and begin to draw with the chalk.  To their amazement the items they draw come to life!  The boy decides to dry a dinosaur and a chase begins.  They all hide and the boy draws a rain cloud, the dinosaur melts away.

This is one of my favorite books.  It has no words, but the pictures are some of the best I have ever seen.  It is a beautiful book!  My children love to look through this book and tell the story over and over again.

I purchased this book from the Scholastic Book Club.
ISBN: 978-0-545-39982-3

Monday, September 19, 2011

Princess of the Midnight Ball


 Princess of the Midnight Ball By: Jessica Day George
Rose and her sisters are always disappearing and wearing out their dancing slippers.  Their father is beside himself wondering where they have gone to and what they are doing.  He even has guards and maids outside their doors at night and cannot solve the mystery of where they are going.  Galen is a young soldier back from the war living with his aunt and uncle and tending to the palace gardens.  When Rose and her sisters fall ill that is the last straw for their father and he sends word that any noble man who can solve the mystery can have Rose’s hand in marriage. None of the potential suitors can figure it out and they all meet a mysterious end when they leave the palace. Out of a beginning concern for Rose and her sisters Galen decides to give it a try. Not for her hand in marriage but because he cares for them all.  With the help of some magical powers can Galen save Rose and her sisters soon enough or will the dancing continue?

I enjoyed this book, and was reminded of the other similar book that I blogged about (Entwined).  I liked that this while it had mystery also had the story told from both Galen and Rose’s point of view.  I thought that it was a typical ending to the story that I knew was going to happen but the way it got there was a good surprise. I would say that this would be a good book for any 6th grade reader and up.  

I got this at the public library.
ISBN: 978-1-53330-455-9

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraodinaire

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraodinaire By: Polly Horvath
                You are now entering a strange time where foxes kidnap humans and humans must rely on bunnies to help them solve the case.   There is nothing that Madeline wants more than to be normal.  She takes the ferry every day from the island that she lives on to the nearest school so that she can learn and be like other children, instead of like her hippy parents who think that school is not important. And she really wants to attend her graduation, but is held back by her parent’s resistance.  Then the unthinkable happens. She comes home to find a note that says her parents are being held captive until they take their kidnapers to visit her secret agent uncle.  What else can she do but to try to get to her uncle and figure out what is going on.  The only clue is a label for the Fox Canning Company.  Her uncle is to sick to help her and Madeline feels desperate and alone.  Who will help her? Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny! What talking bunnies!!  Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Bunny come to the rescue, along with some other animal friends.  But can they find the foxes that took her parents in time? And can Madeline make it to her graduation, with the correct color shoes?
                I thought that they story line of this book was very creative and fun. I think that any reader about 3rd grade and up would like the basis of the story.  The language in the book, however, was to me a little confusing for younger readers and would be more appropriate for 5th to 6th grade readers. I also thought that at times the story line was sort of confusing to the reader. All in all I think that this book shows promise of being a great story.
I reviewed this book from NetGalley.com
ISBN: 9780375867552

The Sweetest Thing

The Sweetest Thing By: Christina Mandelski

                Sheridan, otherwise known as the Cake Girl, love to make cakes. It makes her feel closer to her mother who left her long ago. But when her dad tells her that he has been given the chance of a lifetime, his own television show and they may move to New York City, Sheridan feels like her world is going to fall apart.  She does not want to go to New York because she is hopeful that her mother might come back to see her.  Every year on her birthday she gets a letter that says that mom will come soon.  Sheridan is also being pursued by the most popular boy at school and can’t help but to begin to fall for him even if it doesn’t feel just right.  All this is upsetting to her best friend Jack, who just might have feelings for Sheridan.  Can Sheridan sort out what is happening in her life? Will her mom really come back for her?             

   I really liked this book. It was a quick read great for any teenage or older reader. I loved that it was so easy to read and had great characters.   I felt for Sheridan as she was trying to sort out the everyday problems of being a teenager and trying to find who she really was.  I think that the story also shows teens that things do not always turn out the way that you think they should, but that is not a bad thing.

I reviewed this book from Netgalley.com  
ISBN: 9781606841297

Friday, September 16, 2011

If Only I Had a Green Nose

If Only I Had a Green Nose By: Max Lucado Illustrated By: Sergio Martinez

  Lucia and Punchinello were wondering what all the fuss was about as they looked out their window. All their fellow Wemmicks, or wooden people, were standing in line together.   When the people were done in line they all had green noses! Lucia and Punchinello did not understand why they were all getting green noses, but they sure did want them because everyone else had them. So Punchinello finally gave in and got his nose painted green. Well one day a man walked by with a red nose, and then that became all the rage, now everyone stood in line to change the color of their nose again.  Every time a new color became popular Punchinello and his friends would change the color of their noses, and they did not know what they even looked like before. This made them feel sad and they went to visit Eli, the man that created them, to ask for his advice. He told them that everyone was made special and that being yourself is what counts, He carefully fixed all their noses to the way he made them originally.

  I love this book for the message it tells kids.  It is okay to be who you are and not to change for other people. The things that are popular now are not always going to be popular and so changing yourself for other will not last. It also teaches kids to be accepting  others for who they are.

I bought this from the Scholastic Book Order.

ISBN: 0-439-56245-7

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Entwined

Entwined  Heather Dixon
                Azalea is a princess who loves to dance.  Her and her sisters, she has 10, love to sneak and watch the adults dance whenever possible. But on this the night of her first Yuletide ball she is nervous for many reasons. Her mother is very ill and pregnant with her twelfth child, and she is in charge of the ball and wants it to go smoothly.   But alas, her mother dies that night, and also gives birth to another baby girl. Azalea’s family is sent into mourning and her father the King is at a loss for what to do.   Azalea is forced to become the parent to her eleven sisters and is frustrated with the distance that the King puts between them all. Azalea and her sisters are forced not to dance, until they find a secret passageway that leads them to the Keeper, who in his magical place allows them to dance the night away.     But the Keeper does have a price to pay, and he likes to keep things.  While they dance the night away the King has decided to find a husband for Azalea during the day, and she has many young men coming to seek her hand. Will she find the one she loves?
                This was a fantastic book for any young adult to adult reader. It was full of magic and adventure.  The castle they live in has magic items, secret passageways, and a history of an  evil king that kept peoples souls.  I loved the characters in this book for their adventurous spirit, and for their relationships. It truly showed how a family that is grieving can come together and work to save each other. And of course it has love in it, for it truly is a love story in the end.  I loved this book.

 I got this book at the public library.
ISBN: 978-0-06-200103-0

The Frontiersman's Daughter

The Frontiersman's Daughter  By: Laura Frantz
  
Lael Click is the daughter of a man who was captured and then released by the Shawnee Indians.  Her father is well known and even has a fort named after him. But as Lael gets older the Shawnee return and want to see this daughter. One young Shawnee warrior leaves presents for her, and her family fears that they want to take her away. While Lael is trying to figure out what is happening, she is also painfully aware of her family’s secrets and truly wants to marry the man she feels she is in love with.  Her parents decide to send her away hoping that the men will forget about her. When her father dies 5 years later Lael returns to live on her own at her family’s homestead and meets the Scottish doctor. Can Lael figure out who she is supposed to love, and can she stay safe being a woman livening alone?

This was a great book about courage and love. It was a page turner also with many adventurous parts to it as well. Lael’s family had many secrets they were holding on to and you just knew that they wanted to come out. The relationships in this book were developed wonderfully and made you feel like you were a part of the story. I would recommend this book to any adult reader. 

I purchased this book on Amazon the Kindle Edition
ISBN: 978-0800733391

Friday, September 9, 2011

Diary of a Worm

Diary of a Worm By: Doreen Cronin Pictures By: Harry Bliss
                Worm is telling his story. He is important to the Earth, he helps make Earth breathe.  He has a friend named Spider, they cannot do the same things but they can still be friends.  He is afraid of things like hopscotch, and fishing season! Worm also wants to e a Secret Service Agent!

                I love this book!  It is laid out in a diary format that is hysterical to read alone and read aloud to others.  Kids of all ages enjoy this book, from my two year old to the students I have had in my class that are in high school now! The pictures help to make this book so fun to read. They are full of detail that makes them come alive.  My favorite part is when worm says that they were doing the hokey pokey and all they can do is the part where you put your head in and your head out!

                If you like this book there is also Diary of a Fly and Diary of a Spider.

                I purchased this book at the Scholastic Book Fair
                ISBN: 0-439-67774-2

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Link for Young Adult Books

Here is a nice link that shows the BEST series for young adults!!  If you are like me and enjoy young adult books or if you have a young adult in your life Check it out!
http://childrensbooksguide.com/20-best-book-series-for-young-adults 

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

One Day


One Day  By: David Nicholls
                Emma and Dexter met July 15, 1988 and have an instant connection. They love life and themselves, well, most of the time. They go their separate ways but always keep in touch because there is just something about them that they cannot stay apart. This book follows them on July 15th every few years through their twenties until their forties, chronicling their lives together and apart. Whether they are in an up time or a down time in their lives, they just can’t seem to figure out if the other is the one for them. Through failed relationships and jobs they always fall back on each other.
                I liked this book because it showed that sometimes people just cannot figure out who they love. It showed two people who desperately wanted something more but couldn’t figure out how to get it. It was hard to watch certain points in their lives when you wanted to just scream at them to pay attention to the one person you can count on, or not.  I have not heard if the movie of the book is good but would be interested to see it. I love to see if the books follow the movie. This read is definitely not for younger readers, it is an adult book!
I got this book at the public library.
ISBN: 978-0-307-47471-1

Dishonored


Dishonored By: J. R. Reardon
                This is the  sequel to Confidential Communications and does not disappoint. It follows the life of Rebecca eight years later, as she is now a Federal Court Judge. She is also married to Joshua Tameron and has two lovely children. In this installment Rebecca is tormented by  a fellow judge that is missing and cannot be found. She is placed under high security and it seems that every little thing is someone out to get her.  Also in the picture is Jessica Cohen who just cannot stand Rebecca and would love for her to disappear!  One thing leads to another and Rebecca’s finds herself in a huge mess when she is arrested for the disappearance of her friend. Can she figure out the plot against her, and can they find that missing judge.
                I really enjoyed finding more out about Rebecca in this book. I like her character a lot and think that the mysteries that are in the book are so much fun to read.  The book really goes fast as you are trying to find out and figure out what is really going on.  Great job on a sequel.
                I bought this Kindle version from Amazon.com

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Belated Picture Perfect Don't Call Me Pig

Sorry this is Late!!  My week was so busy I didn't have time to post yesterday!!  Without further ado!! Here is a great book for all ages!

Don't Call Me Pig A Javelina Story By: Conrad J Storad Illustrated By: Beth Neely and Don Rantz

Javelina is really upset! People keep calling him a pig!  No body likes to be called a pig, especially if you are not one!!  Javelina is a collared peccary and he lives in the Southwestern deserts!  He has bad eyesight and travels in herds!  He hates that people call him pig!

This book is a great book with a ton of information about javelinas! It teaches you all about what they are, how they live, what they look like, and how they act.  I love the book for the pictures! It has a javelina with a shirt on that has a pig crossed out!  I also love it for the information it shares. Here in Tucson we have many javelina around and my family calls them the mean pigs, because they are aggressive sometimes and hard to rid of when they knock over our trash to have dinner!  So this javelina would be angry with us for his nickname!

This is really a book for all ages! It even has javelina facts in the end!

I purchased this book from Bookman's a local used book store.
ISBN: 1-891795-01-5