Entries Categorized as 'Fiction'
Posted by Sarah
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Arthur Ransome, Good Read Aloud, Seafaring, Swallows and Amazons
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John, Susan, Titty, and Roger return to the lake with high hopes. But everything seems to go wrong. Nancy and Peggy have a very prim and proper great-aunt with them, so they can hardly get out to play. Then the Swallow wrecks and must be sent off to Rio to be fixed. However, the explorers find a hidden little valley and decide to move in.
I didn’t like this book as much as the first one. There isn’t as much boating what with the Swallow wrecked, and it isn’t quite the same without Nancy and Peggy there all the time. Also, Titty performs some kind of magic to make the great-aunt go away, which I didn’t think needed to be in there. But setting these things aside, it can still be an enjoyable read. I just didn’t like it as much as the first one, Swallows and Amazons.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review
Tags:city, Cornelia Funke, detective, Venice
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Prosper and Bo are orphans. Their aunt Esther wants to adopt Bo, but not Prosper, so the boys run away to Venice to escape being separated. There they join a gang of other orphaned children, led by a boy who calls himself The Thief Lord. Things get interesting when a strange man commissions the kids to steal a wooden wing for him, and Esther hires a detective to track down her nephews.
At first glance this story is quite simplistic. But wait until you get about a hundred pages in, and you have a very complex book in your hands. Nothing is really as it seems here. Unfortunately, near the end the story takes a completely unexpected turn toward fantasy, which while interesting and clever, is also confusing without any foreshadowing. Other than that, though, The Thief Lord is worth reading.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Advanced Readers, Fiction, Review
Tags:Jane Austen, Long Read
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The arrival of an unmarried young gentleman by the name of Mr. Bingley is a matter of great interest to everyone in the small town. Mrs. Bennett in particular is hoping he will take notice of one of her five daughters and sets about ensuring several meetings at dinners and the local balls, etc. Elizabeth Bennett, the second-oldest, finds it of little consequence—but she does take an immediate disliking to Bingley’s friend Mr. Darcy, who seems undoubtedly proud and conceited. However, as the months go by and many, many scenarios unfold, she begins to see his true character. But surely her change of opinion is too late now?
Perhaps not everyone can enjoy Jane Austen’s writings, but I personally find them to be delightful reads of an “every now and then” sort. While not fast-moving, they keep me interested throughout the entirety—and surprising plot twists are not uncommon. Pride and Prejudice must certainly be Austen’s most famous novel (so if you haven’t read it, give it a try); however, I have enjoyed some of her others like Mansfield Park and Persuasion equally well.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Mysteries, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, dictator, Dogs, Freddy the Pig, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Horses, Poetry, politics, Walter R. Brooks
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When a young rabbit talks back to Mr. Bean, Freddy and Jinx know something’s up. When they follow the clues to a rebellious meeting of animals bent on taking over New York, they realize something is terribly wrong. But Freddy is unable to do anything right away, since his old friend Mr. Camphor needs help getting out of a nomination for governor. Then when he gets back, Jinx has turned traitor! Freddy has his hands full as the revolution begins…
Freddy and Simon the Dictator could possibly be one of the funniest Freddy books ever written! In this day and age, the political satire is welcome and hilarious. As the comedy continues, the story warps into perhaps the most sinister plot Walter Brooks ever wrote for Freddy, but the light-hearted humor is still around. As is always the case with these books, the person reading aloud will have more fun than the child being read to.
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