Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Award Winner, Madeleine L’Engle, Times Quartet
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Meg Murry’s father has been missing for years. All the family knows is that he went on a mission for the government. They have almost given up hope of his return, when three odd ladies, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, move into a supposedly haunted house. The three of them take Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin on a trip through space to rescue their father.
Although far from being L’Engle’s best book, A Wrinkle in Time is well worth reading. Older readers will pick up on the depth of the story, while younger readers will simply enjoy reading as the plot unfolds. I found that the characters weren’t as deep as in some of L’Engle’s other work, but that is to be expected, since this is one of her first books. Some parts of the story are just plain weird, and some are a little bit off theology-wise, but when taken with a grain of salt, A Wrinkle in Time shines through as a brilliant tale.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Cats, Dogs, Dragons, Horses, Long Read, Robin McKinley
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Aerin is the king’s daughter, but the common people didn’t like her mother, so they don’t like her. Not only that, but Aerin’s Royal Gift hasn’t shown up, and all royal people have them. Therefore, she’s shunned by both the peasants and the royalty. Aerin drowns her sorrows in her father’s horse and ancient books. Dragons are a problem in Damar, and with nobody who wants to fight them, they’re getting worse. Then, Aerin discovers a recipe for an ointment that protects the wearer from fire — dragon fire. Armed with this information and some sword lessons, Aerin sets out to fight the dragons.
This is a rather interesting book. Let’s just say that I’ve given you enough to make you want to read it, but The Hero and the Crown goes on, even after you think it’s over. On the surface, this seems like a rather boring plot line, and I’ll admit that it dragged a bit in the beginning. There are also a few areas that are downright weird, and a few that are a little gory (though nothing like Stephen Lawhead’s books). However, that doesn’t stop The Hero and the Crown from being a highly entertaining story with an intricate plot that will keep you turning the pages.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: Fiction, Review, Younger Readers
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, E. B. White, Good Read Aloud, Insects, Pigs, Rats, Sad
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One morning Fern Arable, an eight year-old girl, learned her father was about to kill the runt of the new pig litter. She rushed to stop him and finally Mr. Arable agreed not to harm the pig. Mr. Arable gave the pig to Fern, and she eventually named him Wilbur. However, after a few weeks of happiness together, Mr. Arable told Fern that the pig would have to be sold. Wilbur was getting bigger, along with his appetite, and Mr. Arable wasn’t willing to feed the pig any longer. So Fern sorrowfully sold Wilbur to her Uncle Zuckerman’s farm nearby, where she could go and visit him. However, even with all Fern’s visits, Wilbur became lonely. But a spider named Charlotte was ready to be his friend and would also try to save him from being killed and made into bacon and ham.
A great book. For those who don’t like spiders, this book might help them feel a little more affectionate to the eight-legged insects. Maybe. No guarantees. And all readers should be prepared for a sad and perhaps unexpected part at the end. However, Templeton the rat is rather funny sometimes, and I really like the ending of this book.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Funny, Lizards, Louis Sachar, Snakes
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Camp Green Lake doesn’t really have a lake. And it’s not a fun camp. It’s a punishment camp for bad boys, where every boy digs a hole every day to build character. If you find anything interesting, you give it to the Warden. If she likes it, you get the day off. Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn’t do. He doesn’t mind, because things like this are always happening to his family. They all blame it on his great-great-grandfather, who stole a pig, and seemingly caused the family bad luck. Somehow, the camp’s past is entangled with his family’s past, and with the past of Zero, a supposedly brainless camper.
If Holes sounds like a boring story, let me tell you, it’s not! This is an unbelievably tall tale that is amazingly believable. Sachar’s story is interesting, quirky, funny, and a bit tense. On the subject of tense, I would suggest that if you have anything against poisonous lizards that you don’t read this with the closet door open, at night, or anytime you might feel like you could be assaulted by lizards. The only big problem I found in Holes was a few places where the writing style changed.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Birds, Doctor Dolittle, Dogs, Fish, Funny, Hugh Lofting, Mice, Monkeys, Pigs
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This is the story of how Tommy Stubbins, the son of Jacob Stubbins, the shoemaker, first met the Doctor and became his assistant. Soon after Tommy begins to learn some animal language, a purple bird of paradise named Miranda arrives to tell Doctor Dolittle that Long Arrow, a great Indian naturalist, is missing. Doctor Dolittle decides to take a voyage, even though he won’t be able to meet Long Arrow. To decide where to go, they play a game called Blind Travel. They end up choosing the very spot that Long Arrow was last seen in, Spider Monkey Island. They set off at once with Bumpo, Crown Prince of the Jolliginki; Jip the dog; Polynesia the parrot and Chee-Chee the monkey and encounter some wonderful adventures.
There’s something about the Doctor Dolittle stories that I really like. They are so much fun. I left half the book out of the review, as it would take a really long review, not to mention give some of it away, if I told you all of the wonderful details. Some of the animals are great, and the Wiff-Waff is so funny, not to mention fun to say. “Wiff-Waff.” Anyway, I enjoyed this book a lot.
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