Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Mysteries, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Easy Read, Good Read Aloud, Monsters, Natalie Babbitt, Quick Read
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The small village of Instep lies at the foot of Kneeknock Rise. All of the villagers are frightened of a monster that they call the Megrimum, which lives on the rise and howls every time it rains. But the villagers are also proud of the monster, so they have a fair every year to show off the monster. One year, young Egan comes to visit his aunt and uncle at fair time, and his cousin dares him to climb Kneeknock Rise. Is the Megrimum really up there?
Although this story is quite predictable (you probably know how it ends), it is also enjoyable enough to read while waiting for the next book blockbuster. Babbitt spins a tale that will delight readers, which should influence them to read one of her better stories.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Birds, Dogs, Otters, Sad, Scott O’Dell
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After Karana’s tribe is decimated by greedy otter hunters, they leave the Island of the Blue Dolphins on a ship. Karana, however, is left behind while chasing after her younger brother. The rest of the story is about her struggle for survival as she looks for a way to escape and join her tribe.
The author’s note in the back of this book tells the true story of Karana, a woman who arrived at a mission in California and befriended a priest there shortly before her death. Scott O’Dell states that little is known of her story, and that it intrigued him enough to write one. While well-written and very enjoyable, Island of the Blue Dolphins doesn’t strike me as Scott O’Dell’s best work, nor as his worst. Zia is the sequel.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Cats, Chickens, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Horses, Patricia Maclachlan, Quick Read
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Out in the country of early America, Anna and Caleb’s father puts an ad in the newspaper for a wife. His previous wife died not long after Caleb’s birth. A woman named Sarah answers the ad and comes to live with them for a month for a trial period. But often she misses the sea, where she came from. Will Sarah stay, or will she return to the sea?
A somewhat simple, short story. I read Sarah, Plain and Tall in about an hour, if I remember correctly. This book might be a little better for people younger than me. It’s alright, but not my favorite. Oh, and Sarah, Plain and Tall is the beginning of a trilogy. There are two more books after this one.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Non Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Dogs, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Indians, raccoons, Sports, Sterling North
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Just another walk in the woods. A bag of cookies, his dog Wowser, and his good friend Oscar—what else could Sterling North want? Then Wowser finds a den-full of raccoon kits, and the boys decide to take them home. They can’t take them home without the mother, so they determine to catch the treed raccoon . . . with the aid of no more than a pocket knife and their jackets. The results are laughable. In the skirmish, the mother and three kits escape, but one of the kits isn’t quick enough. Sterling takes tiny Rascal home and obtains permission to keep him. Getting the permission isn’t hard, as his mother is dead, his older sisters are living away from the house, and his older brother is fighting in the war. His father lives in a world all his own, only occasionally taking time to be with his young son. He doesn’t mind the raccoon—or the canoe Sterling is building in the living room. Everything progresses wonderfully until Rascal develops a taste for sweet corn. The angry neighbors, robbed of their crops, demand that Rascal be kept in a cage. How can Sterling lock up a young, wild creature? Some tough decisions face him and he has to answer them.
I love this book. It is so interesting and enjoyable. Rascal is such a cute raccoon! Sterling North does a wonderful job of telling the story. There are so many adventures and characters. The memorable incidents with his older sister Theo’s missing engagement ring, the school bully, and the pie-eating contest. Very funny and memorable. Unfortunately, there are a few evolutionary references and, if I remember correctly, a mild bad word or two.
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