I have heard rumors that there may be more books in the Mysterious Benedict Society coming... I sure hope so!
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Book Series: Edward Eager's Half Magic
The Half Magic series by Edward Eager is totally one of my favorites, and I can't wait to read it with Philip (or have The Hubby read it with him, so that they both get to experience it!!)
Half Magic
Magic By the Lake
Magic or Not?
The Well Wishers
Knight's Castle
The Time Garden
Seven Day Magic
Half Magic
Magic By the Lake
Magic or Not?
The Well Wishers
Knight's Castle
The Time Garden
Seven Day Magic
Book Series: Little House Series
I thought it might be nice to gather together some of our favorite series, in easy to find posts.
The Little House Series was a HUGE hit.
Little House in the Big Woods
Farmer Boy
Little House on the Prairie
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
** We chose not to read The First Four Years at this time
The Little House Series was a HUGE hit.
Little House in the Big Woods
Farmer Boy
Little House on the Prairie
On the Banks of Plum Creek
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Long Winter
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy Golden Years
** We chose not to read The First Four Years at this time
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Surviving the Applewhites
My dear friend Lisa, of Explayration, brought a bag of books for the kids a while back. She was particularly excited to read Surviving the Applewhites, one of her childhood favorites. I can see why she liked it so much!
The Story: Jake Semple has been kicked out of every school he has ever been in, and is suspected of burning down one of them. His last chance before juvenile hall is the unorthodox unschooling at Wit's End, the domain of the Applewhite family. The Applewhites are, as a whole, a very artistic and free-spirited family. They are comprised of a famous author, a poet, modern furniture makers, a dancer, a theatre director, an inquisitive little boy, a mysterious and rarely seen teenaged hermit, and... E.D, the grounded, organized, and more conventional one. She is saddled with Jake, because everyone else is doing their own thing, and they are not in the least able to handle an unruly teenaged boy. E.D. isn't really, either, but at least her schooling is more structured than any of the others, and he certainly isn't able to be left to himself yet. She is not happy about this responsibility, but begrudgingly takes it on. He is no happier, but he figures it is better than juvie. Slowly, something begins to happen to Jake. He begins to care. He gets a part in Randolph Applewhite's grandiose production of The Sound of Music. He is basically adopted by both the family's Bassett hound, and the youngest, non-stop talking youngest Applewhite, Destiny. When the production of The Sound of Music is moved to the Applewhite estate, the whole family bands together to make it happen, with E.D. as the ever capable stage manager. They pull off what no one thought was possible - a multi-cultural rendition of The Sound of Music, in a barn at Wit's End, accompanied by an accordion playing over-zealous would be television producer who has moved in with the Applewhites, along with the "kitchen guru," Gavindaswami, who makes refreshments for the whole clan, whilst imparting wisdom along with his spicy curries. The other impossible thing they pull off is that Jake Semple becomes more than the teenaged delinquent ne'rdowell that everyone assumed him to be.
The Good: The chapters rotate perspective between Jake and E.D. and it is very well done. The characters are believable, and you find yourself rooting for Jake's transformation. Evalina and I particularly enjoyed her search for the great spangled fritillary, the last butterfly needed to finish her self-imposed butterfly curriculum, along with Jake's hatching of black swallowtails, partially for Destiny's benefit. The growth seen in Jake doesn't seem forced, but very organic and natural. I wish that I could have seen their production of The Sound of Music!
The Bad: Some of the things Jake says and does (especially at the beginning of the book) may be a bit shocking.. but it's worth it to see where he ends up. The Applewhites are a scattered bunch, and they often leave Jake or E.D. in charge of the 4-year old Destiny, which is a bit disconcerting!
The Verdict: Absolutely worth a read. It didn't win the Newberry Prize for nothing! It is recommended for grades 5-8, but as a read-along, it was fine for Evalina, who is in 3rd grade. It was funny and touching and exciting and just all around a great book. I had never heard of it before, so I am very grateful to Lisa for bringing it to my attention! And now, I'm bringing it to your attention... so don't miss it!
The Story: Jake Semple has been kicked out of every school he has ever been in, and is suspected of burning down one of them. His last chance before juvenile hall is the unorthodox unschooling at Wit's End, the domain of the Applewhite family. The Applewhites are, as a whole, a very artistic and free-spirited family. They are comprised of a famous author, a poet, modern furniture makers, a dancer, a theatre director, an inquisitive little boy, a mysterious and rarely seen teenaged hermit, and... E.D, the grounded, organized, and more conventional one. She is saddled with Jake, because everyone else is doing their own thing, and they are not in the least able to handle an unruly teenaged boy. E.D. isn't really, either, but at least her schooling is more structured than any of the others, and he certainly isn't able to be left to himself yet. She is not happy about this responsibility, but begrudgingly takes it on. He is no happier, but he figures it is better than juvie. Slowly, something begins to happen to Jake. He begins to care. He gets a part in Randolph Applewhite's grandiose production of The Sound of Music. He is basically adopted by both the family's Bassett hound, and the youngest, non-stop talking youngest Applewhite, Destiny. When the production of The Sound of Music is moved to the Applewhite estate, the whole family bands together to make it happen, with E.D. as the ever capable stage manager. They pull off what no one thought was possible - a multi-cultural rendition of The Sound of Music, in a barn at Wit's End, accompanied by an accordion playing over-zealous would be television producer who has moved in with the Applewhites, along with the "kitchen guru," Gavindaswami, who makes refreshments for the whole clan, whilst imparting wisdom along with his spicy curries. The other impossible thing they pull off is that Jake Semple becomes more than the teenaged delinquent ne'rdowell that everyone assumed him to be.
The Good: The chapters rotate perspective between Jake and E.D. and it is very well done. The characters are believable, and you find yourself rooting for Jake's transformation. Evalina and I particularly enjoyed her search for the great spangled fritillary, the last butterfly needed to finish her self-imposed butterfly curriculum, along with Jake's hatching of black swallowtails, partially for Destiny's benefit. The growth seen in Jake doesn't seem forced, but very organic and natural. I wish that I could have seen their production of The Sound of Music!
The Bad: Some of the things Jake says and does (especially at the beginning of the book) may be a bit shocking.. but it's worth it to see where he ends up. The Applewhites are a scattered bunch, and they often leave Jake or E.D. in charge of the 4-year old Destiny, which is a bit disconcerting!
The Verdict: Absolutely worth a read. It didn't win the Newberry Prize for nothing! It is recommended for grades 5-8, but as a read-along, it was fine for Evalina, who is in 3rd grade. It was funny and touching and exciting and just all around a great book. I had never heard of it before, so I am very grateful to Lisa for bringing it to my attention! And now, I'm bringing it to your attention... so don't miss it!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Book of Three
When I was a child, I had seen The Black Cauldron in my brother's bookshelf. I thought I had read it. I don't think I ever did. I definitely wanted to read it with Evalina, and when I decided to find it, I realized it was a series! I am a bad geek, because I didn't know that. Oops. So - first things first, this is the first book in the series, and it's (somewhat ironically) called The Book of Three.
The Story: Taran is an assistant pig keeper, caring for a prophetic pig, Hen Wen. When Hen Wen escapes, and Taran goes after her, a whole new adventure enters his life in ways that he didn't expect. He meets Gwydion, a fabled hero, who doesn't quite live up to his expectations on first meeting. Evil forces, led by the menacing Horned King, are gathering to overtake the neighboring kingdom, and from there the entire kingdom. When he and Gwydion are captured, Taran meets a strange young girl named Eilonwy, a curious creature named Gurgi, and a host of others, who join on the quest to save the realm.
The Good: Taran is a realistically flawed hero. He doesn't set out to be a savior. He wants a little more excitement than he gets in his normal pig-keeper life, but he certainly doesn't plan on the kind of adventure he gets. He is a kind and true friend. Evalina's favorite part of the whole book was Gurgi. Though he starts out as less than admirable, he grows wonderfully throughout the story, and he has a different way of speaking, which Evalina loved. The characters in the book are really appealing and I can't wait to find out more about them with Evalina.
The Bad: Some of the names are ridiculously hard to pronounce, seemingly for no reason except to make them hard to pronounce. Tripping over my tongue is not fun when reading aloud. There are some moments of real suspense, and The Horned King is really terrifying, along with the Cauldron Born warriors. This just makes for good story telling, for the most part, though. The names are the only thing I can think of that are really bad about this book.
The Verdict: This would not be really easy for Evalina to read by herself, though Amazon lists it for 8 and up. She really loved it, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series with her! I can absolutely recommend it.
The Story: Taran is an assistant pig keeper, caring for a prophetic pig, Hen Wen. When Hen Wen escapes, and Taran goes after her, a whole new adventure enters his life in ways that he didn't expect. He meets Gwydion, a fabled hero, who doesn't quite live up to his expectations on first meeting. Evil forces, led by the menacing Horned King, are gathering to overtake the neighboring kingdom, and from there the entire kingdom. When he and Gwydion are captured, Taran meets a strange young girl named Eilonwy, a curious creature named Gurgi, and a host of others, who join on the quest to save the realm.
The Good: Taran is a realistically flawed hero. He doesn't set out to be a savior. He wants a little more excitement than he gets in his normal pig-keeper life, but he certainly doesn't plan on the kind of adventure he gets. He is a kind and true friend. Evalina's favorite part of the whole book was Gurgi. Though he starts out as less than admirable, he grows wonderfully throughout the story, and he has a different way of speaking, which Evalina loved. The characters in the book are really appealing and I can't wait to find out more about them with Evalina.
The Bad: Some of the names are ridiculously hard to pronounce, seemingly for no reason except to make them hard to pronounce. Tripping over my tongue is not fun when reading aloud. There are some moments of real suspense, and The Horned King is really terrifying, along with the Cauldron Born warriors. This just makes for good story telling, for the most part, though. The names are the only thing I can think of that are really bad about this book.
The Verdict: This would not be really easy for Evalina to read by herself, though Amazon lists it for 8 and up. She really loved it, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series with her! I can absolutely recommend it.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Ramona's World
Evalina got Ramona's World for Christmas, because it was the only book in the series we hadn't yet read. It is always a delight to read a "new" book in a favorite series.
The Story: Ramona is entering the fourth grade. She has a new baby sister, Roberta, and she is back to sharing a room with Beezus (so that the baby can have her old room). She has a new best friend, Daisy, and calluses from swinging and playing on monkey bars and rings that any active fourth grader would be envious of. She also has her challenges, like any other fourth grader - trying to prove that she is worthy of more responsibility, dealing with spelling, embarrassing moments, and a bad school picture. In other words, this is a realistic story about a girl who is, in many ways, very much like Evalina.
The Good: As always, I love how realistic and timeless the Ramona stories are. They are quick reads, and funny. Evalina had several laugh out loud moments. The characters come alive on the page and you can picture any slightly quirky, exuberant 9 year old in Ramona's place... including when she becomes what she calls a teenager on her "zero-teenth" birthday. Since my own girl has been planning her own 9th birthday party for months (and it is not until March...), I can relate (and so can she).
The Bad: The only bad thing I can think of is that now we have read all the books in the Ramona series... sometimes Ramona does things that are not the best choices, but what 9 year old doesn't?
The Verdict: Absolutely read. It was the perfect reading level for Evalina, though she could have read it last year even without difficulty. I cannot say enough about this series. Quick and funny, I'm sure she'll revisit them in the future.
The Story: Ramona is entering the fourth grade. She has a new baby sister, Roberta, and she is back to sharing a room with Beezus (so that the baby can have her old room). She has a new best friend, Daisy, and calluses from swinging and playing on monkey bars and rings that any active fourth grader would be envious of. She also has her challenges, like any other fourth grader - trying to prove that she is worthy of more responsibility, dealing with spelling, embarrassing moments, and a bad school picture. In other words, this is a realistic story about a girl who is, in many ways, very much like Evalina.
The Good: As always, I love how realistic and timeless the Ramona stories are. They are quick reads, and funny. Evalina had several laugh out loud moments. The characters come alive on the page and you can picture any slightly quirky, exuberant 9 year old in Ramona's place... including when she becomes what she calls a teenager on her "zero-teenth" birthday. Since my own girl has been planning her own 9th birthday party for months (and it is not until March...), I can relate (and so can she).
The Bad: The only bad thing I can think of is that now we have read all the books in the Ramona series... sometimes Ramona does things that are not the best choices, but what 9 year old doesn't?
The Verdict: Absolutely read. It was the perfect reading level for Evalina, though she could have read it last year even without difficulty. I cannot say enough about this series. Quick and funny, I'm sure she'll revisit them in the future.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Heidi
Evalina and I finished reading Heidi last week, and what a lovely book it was!
The Story: This classic story is about Heidi, a little girl with a wonderful spunk and spirit, who brings joy to the lives of many around her. She lives in a cottage on the Alm, in Switzerland, with her grandfather. She spends time with goats (and the young goatherd), among the wildflowers and the majestic mountains. When she is brought to live with an invalid girl in Germany, she learns just how much the Alm means to her. Though she misses her home terribly (in fact, getting literally homesick, unable to eat because she longs for her mountain home so...), she makes friends with the young girl of the household, Klara, and when she has returned to the mountain hut, Klara and her family visits and learns to understand Heidi so much more.
The Good: I would love to be friends with Heidi. She is truly caring, always looking out for Peter the Goatherd's grandmother, and her friend, Klara, and her grandfather ... she has a wonderful light that just shines. She helped to turn her grandfather from (what some saw as) a crotchety old man to be frightened of into a pillar of the community. She helps Klara see herself as more than a poor girl, stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She makes sure that the Grandmother has soft rolls and cakes and a soft bed to keep her comfortable in her house - and helps to motivate her Grandfather to fix up the Grandmother's drafty house. She brings happiness into the life of the kind doctor, who lost his own daughter. She is also clever as a whip, and loves the beauty around her in the Swiss mountains.
The Bad: I found the religious aspects of the book to be a bit heavy handed sometimes (but, I am not religious). Klara's grandmother teaches Heidi to read, and basically converts her to Christianity. Thereafter, every time something wonderful happens, it is all very religiously leaning... which, again, is not something I generally enjoy. Interestingly, and this is not bad, just interesting... Heidi is not the "Heidi" you might think of from the old movie. She has short black, curly hair, not long blonde hair done up in a braided crown. Just funny, that's all. Thank you, Shirley Temple!
The Verdict: This is a true classic and I cannot believe that I never read it as a child... it's one of those books that you think you've read until you start reading it. Absolutely recommended. If you are not religious, you might have to have some conversations about the religious aspects of this book (which Evalina and I have already had, while reading the Little House series in particular). I totally loved this book. It had humor and heart and wonderful descriptions. I want to go to Switzerland now. I can't find recommended reading level on Amazon for it, but I don't know that Evalina would have read it all on her own ... particularly, some of the names are more difficult for the non-German speaking reader. Still, she truly enjoyed it.
The Story: This classic story is about Heidi, a little girl with a wonderful spunk and spirit, who brings joy to the lives of many around her. She lives in a cottage on the Alm, in Switzerland, with her grandfather. She spends time with goats (and the young goatherd), among the wildflowers and the majestic mountains. When she is brought to live with an invalid girl in Germany, she learns just how much the Alm means to her. Though she misses her home terribly (in fact, getting literally homesick, unable to eat because she longs for her mountain home so...), she makes friends with the young girl of the household, Klara, and when she has returned to the mountain hut, Klara and her family visits and learns to understand Heidi so much more.
The Good: I would love to be friends with Heidi. She is truly caring, always looking out for Peter the Goatherd's grandmother, and her friend, Klara, and her grandfather ... she has a wonderful light that just shines. She helped to turn her grandfather from (what some saw as) a crotchety old man to be frightened of into a pillar of the community. She helps Klara see herself as more than a poor girl, stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She makes sure that the Grandmother has soft rolls and cakes and a soft bed to keep her comfortable in her house - and helps to motivate her Grandfather to fix up the Grandmother's drafty house. She brings happiness into the life of the kind doctor, who lost his own daughter. She is also clever as a whip, and loves the beauty around her in the Swiss mountains.
The Bad: I found the religious aspects of the book to be a bit heavy handed sometimes (but, I am not religious). Klara's grandmother teaches Heidi to read, and basically converts her to Christianity. Thereafter, every time something wonderful happens, it is all very religiously leaning... which, again, is not something I generally enjoy. Interestingly, and this is not bad, just interesting... Heidi is not the "Heidi" you might think of from the old movie. She has short black, curly hair, not long blonde hair done up in a braided crown. Just funny, that's all. Thank you, Shirley Temple!
The Verdict: This is a true classic and I cannot believe that I never read it as a child... it's one of those books that you think you've read until you start reading it. Absolutely recommended. If you are not religious, you might have to have some conversations about the religious aspects of this book (which Evalina and I have already had, while reading the Little House series in particular). I totally loved this book. It had humor and heart and wonderful descriptions. I want to go to Switzerland now. I can't find recommended reading level on Amazon for it, but I don't know that Evalina would have read it all on her own ... particularly, some of the names are more difficult for the non-German speaking reader. Still, she truly enjoyed it.
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