Freddy’s Cousin Weedly

Our rating: *****

When Jinx and Freddy go to visit Freddy’s cousins up at the Macy farm, timid little Weedly goes back with Jinx, who has adopted him as nephew. Back at the Bean farm, while Mr. and Mrs. Bean are away in Europe, Aunt Effie and Uncle Snedeker have moved in and are after one of Mrs. Bean’s most prized possessions, a silver teapot! Will the animals be able to stop them before it’s too late?

Though the book focuses more on Jinx and Cousin Weedly than Freddy, it is still a very good book. I really liked reading about the play they put on!!!

The Hobbit

Our rating: *****

Bilbo Baggins is a respectable hobbit who considers adventures to be “nasty uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner.” So when the great wizard, Gandalf, scratches a strange sign on his door and the next day thirteen dwarves appear quite uninvited for tea, Bilbo is rather worried that he’s gotten himself right in the middle of one. But, as the dwarves continue into the night telling their wonderful tales of adventure, Bilbo begins to become interested. Soon, he is persuaded to join the dwarves in their hopeless quest that will lead them through dangerous forests, over mountains, encountering orcs, savage wolves and giant spiders, to regain their rightful treasure that was stolen and is being guarded by Smaug, the most feared dragon in the countryside.

A great adventure book! This is most definitely one of my favorites. J.R.R. Tolkien is a wonderful fantasy writer and I enjoy reading this again and again. It’s very funny how, when they start, the dwarves don’t think Bilbo’s worth much, but as time goes on, and Bilbo has to rescue them out of all sorts of messes, the dwarves begin to turn to him every time they get into trouble. I especially like the part where Bilbo and Gollum are having their life-and-death riddle tournament.

Click here to buy The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Boxed Set from Amazon.

The Castle of Llyr

Our rating: ****

The Princess Eilonwy must go to the island of Mona to learn how to be a proper lady, and she doesn’t like it one bit. Taran and Gurgi accompany her to Mona and find that the clumsy Prince Rhun is to marry Eilonwy when she is trained properly. Then the chief steward to the king of Mona, Magg, disappears along with Eilonwy, accompanied by warnings by Prince Gwydion that the princess is in dire peril. Along with Fflewdder Fflam, Prince Rhun and Gurgi, Taran sets out to rescue Eilonwy before it’s too late.

I enjoyed this book the most of all the Prydain series. Prince Rhun drags Taran and his friends into adventure after adventure. Fflewdder’s meeting with Llyan is hilarious, and Prince Rhun’s mishaps are always humorous. The ending is exciting and the reader is left wanting to read the next Chronicle of Prydain.

Time Cat

Our rating: ***

Jason’s cat Gareth can talk, and he tells Jason a big secret: Cats don’t have nine lives, but they can travel to nine different places in history at any time they wish. Then Jason asks to be taken along, and he and Gareth are suddenly standing in Ancient Egypt, where cats are worshipped. This is just the first of nine cat-centered adventures through time!

I was a little disappointed that the story never stopped very long in any country, but Lloyd Alexander makes up for this with a lot of action. This was Alexander’s first book, and you can kind of tell. Some of the others are better, but Time Cat is a good read for cat lovers and anyone who loves adventure. By the way, see if you can find the character of a certain red-gold haired princess from Prydain!

Brighty of the Grand Canyon

Our rating: ***

Brighty, short for Bright Angel, is a burro who roams the Grand Canyon by day, returning each evening to his miner friend, Old Timer. But one day, Brighty’s friend is murdered by a man named Jake Irons, who found out about a rich mine from him. Greedy and tricky, Irons hides where the sheriff can’t find him. So it’s up to Brighty with the help of Uncle Jim, a friend of Old Timer, to catch the man and bring him to justice.

This book is a very good read. Marguerite Henry takes history (Theodore Roosevelt is in it, for example) and adds fiction, making it very enjoyable story. There’s even a gunfight at the end!