Blueberries for Sal (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)
by Robert McCloskey
ISBN: 014050169X

Price: —
25 used & new available from USD 2.48

One morning, Little Sal and her mother go to Blueberry Hill, in order to pick lots of berries to can for the winter. Mother picks steadily, but Little Sal is more interested in sitting and eating the blueberries. And meanwhile, Little Bear and Little Bear’s mother are coming up the other side of the hill. It’s not long before Little Bear begins to lag behind… A mix-up of mothers is bound to ensue.

Such a fun book, and definitely a classic. It’s a simple but delightful story, with very nice pictures that are plenty big. And I think readers of Blueberries for Sal will find it hard to ever pick blueberries without remembering the book and how Sal drops her berries into her pail: Kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk.

Blue Hat, Green Hat (Board book)
by Sandra Boynton
ISBN: 0671493205

Price: USD 5.99
133 used & new available from USD 0.10

An elephant, a moose, a bear, and a turkey are all trying on outfits, but the turkey is having a hard time figuring out just how to put things on properly.

This is my favorite board book! A funny book with cute illustrations, and the ending is great!

Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, Book 2) (Paperback)
by Garth Nix
ISBN: 0439436559

Price: USD 5.99
118 used & new available from USD 0.10

Picking up right where Mister Monday left off, Grim Tuesday calls Arthur Penhaligon back to the House. This time, Grim Tuesday is demanding that Arthur repay the debts of Mister Monday, to the point of sending his minions into Arthur’s world to take away his family’s money, house, jobs, and generally crash the stock market. The only thing Dame Primus can think to do is have Arthur return to the House, try to find part two of the Will, and depose the evil Grim Tuesday. But can Arthur survive another day in the house that almost killed him the day before?

I have hardly done the plot justice in that short summary, but I don’t want to ruin it for you! Grim Tuesday manages to be both scarily exciting and quite funny (in places) at the same time. Although a few places are a bit gross, the rest of the book manages to shine through brilliantly. As with the first book, this one ends right at the beginning of the next day, so have Drowned Wednesday handy.

Mcbroom and the Big Wind (Hardcover)
by Sid Fleischman
ISBN: 0316285439

Price: —
13 used & new available from USD 0.46

Josh McBroom is having trouble with a big wind that threatens to ruin his wonderful one acre farm that will grow anything (even his sons’ marbles). This isn’t just any old wind, though. This wind moves post holes, takes the milk bucket, and even sucks McBroom’s children up the chimney! What can he do to save his farm and his kids, and get rid of that bear jumping rope with the clothesline?

Once again, Sid Fleischman has written a story full of silliness that is just barely believable. I hardly scratched the surface of the goofy events that the story contains. Just try not to die laughing and you’ll be okay.

Father of Dragons (The Binding of the Blade, Book 4) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 087552723X

Price: USD 11.55
26 used & new available from USD 9.95

Once again, spoiler alert. With the by now familiar cliffhanger endings, this next-to-last book in the series is full of revelations and battles, all moving toward the final book, All My Holy Mountain, coming in April.

After his capture in Shadow in the Deep, Benjiah is still in the custody of his father’s murderer. The remaining Kirthanin army is fleeing before the unending pressure of Malek’s hosts. Aljeron and a few of his band have reached the base of Harak Andunin, despite terrible odds. A surprise awaits them in the form of Valzaan, the prophet. Yes, I said Valzaan. Alive. He joins them in their trek up the mountain and into the gyre of the Father of Dragons, Sulmandir. Thankfully, Sulmandir is alive and, after some debate, agrees to help them by awakening his children. Benjiah’s prophecy of the “four races” is on its way to fulfillment with the union of the Great Bear, Men, and Dragons. Aljeron prepares to lead his remaining followers across the Zaros mountains, where they will join the retreating army of Kirthanin in a final, desperate stand.

This book kept me on the edge of my chair. I kept wondering how the goodguys could possibly get into a worse predicament, and then a new disaster would take place. Wylla gets captured, Benjiah’s under a death sentence, a couple of goodguys get killed, (goodguys who have been with us since the first book), Malek has been revealed, and, trust me, who he’s been masquerading as is a bit of a shock, and on top of it all the goodguy armies are forced to surrender! Everything seems hopeless, then Aljeron finds the mysterious “fourth race,” Sulmandir arrives and . . . the end. Sorry, you’ll have to wait until April to find out.

Little House in the Big Woods (Little House) (Paperback)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
ISBN: 0060581808

Price: USD 8.99
84 used & new available from USD 0.10

Laura Ingalls is a little girl who lives in the Big Woods of Wisconsin with her ma and pa and her sisters, Mary and baby Carrie. Laura has many fun adventures. She gets to go to a dance to celebrate sugaring time, see the new threshing machine, and, best of all, her pa tells stories in the evening.

This is a hard book to summarize because it doesn’t follow a plot line. It’s basically a story about life in the Big Woods in the late 1800’s. Little House in the Big Woods provides a good picture of this time period, as do the other books in the Little House series. Please note that while I marked this book for all ages, and all ages will enjoy it, it is written in a style best suited to younger readers. However, I think that I appreciate it more as an older reader.

Peter Pan in Scarlet (Hardcover)
by Geraldine McCaughrean
ISBN: 1416918086

Price: USD 13.13
106 used & new available from USD 0.10

Wendy and the Lost Boys, all grown up, begin having dreams about Neverland more and more. In fact, every time they dream about it, something from Neverland appears when they wake up. They eventually come to the conclusion that something is very, very wrong in Neverland. They must become young again and fly back to find Peter before it’s too late.

I’m not a huge fan of Peter Pan, but I don’t particularly dislike it either. I thought this, the first authorized sequel, was pretty good. Often, something would come up that seemed out of place, or unecessary, but it all fit together in the end.

A Bear Called Paddington (Paperback)
by Michael Bond
ISBN: 0618150714

Price: —
16 used & new available from USD 0.63

Mr. and Mrs. Brown are at the Paddington train station when they spot a small bear with a hat and suitcase. He tells them that he’s a stowaway who lived on marmalade during his trip from South America, and the Browns decide to let the bear live with them. They name him Paddington and take him home with them. (After a sticky happening.) The book is full of Paddington’s adventures, most of them funny.

At some points I was a little confused as to whether something happened or not, and there are places where Paddington could have apologized, but he doesn’t. However, it’s a fun book and the start of a whole series. I like the part where Paddington goes to see a play.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches (1867) (Oxford Mark Twain) (Hardcover)
by Mark Twain
ISBN: 0195101316

Price: —
10 used & new available from USD 7.49

This book is collection of several short stories by Mark Twain. The highlights include the title story, about a man who bets on a frog jumping race; and The Bad Little Boy, a cynical tale of a boy who is very bad, and yet has the best of luck.

If you like your humor a bit on the cynical side (I do), this one is for you. Otherwise, you’ll probably dislike these five stories. The link to Amazon is a different book, with several more stories in it. I don’t know what they are, but it was the only one I could find.

Shadow in the Deep (The Binding of the Blade, Book 3) (Paperback)
by L. B. Graham
ISBN: 0875527221

Price: USD 11.55
30 used & new available from USD 1.97

Whoa! Hold it! I have to warn you, before you read this review, that I have to give away the ending of the previous book, Bringer of Storms. If you haven’t read it yet, you probably want to go on to the next review.

With Valzaan gone, Benjiah must fulfill his role as Allfather’s prophet. But he’s uncertain and everybody seems to be dependent upon him. Meanwhile, Aljeron is in the northern reaches of Kirthanin on a hunch, trying to find Sulmindar, the missing father of dragons. In his place as commander, Caan takes over military movements as the army flees before Malek and his hoard. And with the Bringer of Storms still producing rain, flooding is setting in quickly, leaving them less and less place to run.

Excitement, adventure, and, uh, abrupt ending. Worth reading, but you might want to skip it until the series ends. Much too abrupt of an ending, though. Finally, we get to meet dragons for a lengthy amount of time. Wonderful!