Entries Categorized as 'Review'
Posted by Becca
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Gene Stratton-Porter, Limerlost, Moths
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Elnora Comstock is determined to go to high school. On her first day, she is laughed at for her hair and dress styles, her lunch is stolen, and she is told that she must buy her own books. Elnora’s mother refuses to help her daughter succeed, so Elnora is forced to raise money to buy school supplies all by herself, though the Comstock’s kind-hearted neighbors help where they can. Elnora finds out that she can collect and sell the Limberlost moths for a good price and she begins saving for high school and college. In between school and moth collecting, Elnora tries to find the story behind her mother’s lack of love.
Although it is usually listed as first, A Girl of the Limberlost is actually the sequel to Freckles. It can stand alone, but some characters from the first book make an apperance which may cause some confusion if the reader is not acquainted with them. That said, the plot of this book involves so much more than a girl paying her way through high school. Rather, A Girl of the Limberlost is a well-developed, beautiful story to which a summary cannot do justice.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Crickets, George Selden, Old Meadow
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Chester Cricket’s beautiful stump by the brook has been squashed, and he is forced to move down the brook to a pond with Simon the old turtle, and Walter, a rather eccentric water snake, while he looks for a new home. Animals all over the Old Meadow volunteer to let the cricket stay with them, but he despairs of ever finding a real home again—not knowing that some of his friends have a trick up their sleeves.
A fun, light-hearted story, good for the whole family to enjoy. Though Harry and Tucker from A Cricket In Times Square don’t make an appearance, many other unique characters in Chester’s neighborhood do. Good for a short read.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Bears, Jean Craighead George, nature, swamp, turkeys, twins, wildlife
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Jack loves the Okefenokee swamp where his Uncle Hamp lives. He’s just built his own canvas canoe and he has permission to stay out in the swamp with it, so he goes exploring. But when an alligator causes a shipwreck and Jack is stranded, he discovers a secret about himself that he never thought was possible.
Tree Castle Island starts out with all the components of a leisurely paddle through the swamp and then, like a meandering river, turns to the plot about halfway through. Though the story is interesting and the author masterfully works into the story all kinds of facts about wildlife in a swamp, the ending feels a bit rushed. For a story with a problem that builds and plagues the characters for a solution for so long, it certainly feels abrupt to have the solution spelled out in one short chapter with no real resolution.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Fiction, Picture Books, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Deer, Good Read Aloud, Russell E. Erickson, Toads, Warton and Morton, Wildcats, Woodrats
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Warton sets off once again to visit his Aunt Toolia, this time to deliver some canned goods. On the way, he meets two woodrats and helps them escape from a wildcat. The woodrats tell Warton that they live in The Bogs and that the wildcat had been plaguing their colony for several days. When he arrives at his aunt’s house, Warton finds that Aunt Toolia has been missing for some time and, with the help of a whippoorwill, finds her in the the dangerous Bogs caring for an injured fawn. Knowing that two small toads cannot possibly cart enough food for such a large animal, Warton leaves to locate the colony of woodrats and enlist their help. But the woodrats insist that everything be a trade, and Warton has nothing to offer in return for their help in feeding the fawn—unless he can find some way to get rid of the wildcat.
Warton and the Traders is perfect for younger readers who want more than a short picture book, but it is written in a way that appeals to the older crowd as well. The story is well-told, amusing and has no objectionable material. Warton and the Traders is part of a series about Warton and Morton, the first being A Toad for Tuesday, with the others following in no particular order.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:Carol Kendall, Minnipins
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Five years after the invasion of the Mushrooms, a new problem has arisen. The Watercress river, flowing through the valley of the Minnipins, has changed direction and begun flooding the towns. Five unlikely heroes, Glocken, Silky, Scumble, Gam Lutie, and Crustabread, are commissioned by the five old Heroes to journey outside the valley and find the source of the flooding. With them goes the ancient Whisper Stone, which has been passed down through Glocken’s family for generations, and contains the secret for finding the legendary Whisper of Glocken, a bell now known only in pretend-stories.
This was an interesting read, but I don’t like it as much as its prequel. Some important parts of it seemed a bit vague and confusing, and sometimes I’d get turned around and couldn’t figure out exactly where the main characters were. It’s also more strange than the first book, because the Minnipins spend most of their time outside the valley, where they meet strange creatures and plants, and even full-size humans. Overall, not as good as The Gammage Cup, but it might be worth reading just for the sake of reading it.
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