Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, Emily of New Moon, Funny, Good Read Aloud, L. M. Montgomery
Add a comment »
Our rating: 
Picking up where Emily of New Moon left off, Emily Climbs continues the story of Emily and her ambitions to become a writer. As the book opens we find Emily despairing over the fact that her three best friends (Ilse, Teddy, and Perry) are all going away to Shrewsbury for school, but her aunt Elizabeth will not let her go. Things change, however, when Aunt Elizabeth decides that Emily may go to Shrewsbury, but only if she promises not to write any fiction for the three years she will be there. And so Emily resigns herself to writing only words which are “strictly true,” staying with her nasty aunt Ruth, and trying to get some of her poetry (which is “strictly true”) published.
Alright, one thing must be said before I go any further: Boys, take note. I am about to highly recommend what you may call a book for girls only. Emily Climbs most definitely does not fall into that category. Are we clear? Good. Now you may go on to the rest of the review.
Writers, I don’t know about you, but I found Emily Climbs quite inspiring. Beyond that, however, I found L. M. Montgomery’s style of “biographer” quite to my tastes. I love how she inserts notes from herself at points in the story where she feels that she must comment on Emily’s behavior. Oh, and Montgomery obviously understands cats, so cat lovers will get a kick out of Emily’s cat comments. Don’t think this book is all seriousness, either. Emily and her friends get into many hilarious scrapes, much to the delight of the reader. Overall, this is one to cherish, reread, and pass on to the next generation of bookworms.
Posted by Becca
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, Jim Kjelgaard, Muskrats, Out of Print
Add a comment »
Our rating: 
Frosty is a black kitten who lives in a shed in a town. His owners pay a man named Luke Trull to take Frosty and his siblings and find them some homes. Unfortunately, Luke is dishonest and instead of doing what he promised, he merely dumps the kittens in the hill country where he lives. Frosty makes his way to a meadow and learns how to survive in the wild. One night, however, Frosty is picked up by an owl and rescued by Andy Gates, a young man who is living alone in a swamp that he is trying to stock with muskrats. Frosty decides to live with Andy, and Andy enjoys Frosty’s company. But then Andy finds Luke Trull spying on him, loses his temper, and hits Luke. Not being of a forgiving nature, Luke holds a grudge and sets out for revenge.
I was a bit surprised at the ending of this book. It resolves in a rather unexpected way. I also found a few parts where Jim Kjelgaard was a little wordy, but most of the book flows pretty well. The story switches between Frosty and Andy, though sometimes they are together for a short while. Sadly, this book is out of print so you may have to juggle your way through inter-library loans to find a copy.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Lewis Carroll, Lizards, Pigs, Rabbits, Turtles
1 Comment »
Our rating:
A young girl named Alice sees a mysterious white rabbit one day and follows it through a rabbit burrow into a magical and somewhat strange land. Cakes and drinks that change her size, a Hatter and a March Hare, a baby that is literally a pig, and conversations with walking packs of cards confront Alice as she makes her way through Wonderland.
The cards are quite fun. They play a game of croquet with Alice using flamingoes and hedgehogs as mallet and ball! I found the court scene amusing. This is a sort of book that doesn’t really explain things. It’s a string of strange adventures, but still enjoyable. By the way, a pun with the Mock Turtle struck me as funny. I found this book pretty good, and perhaps some day I will read the sequel, Through The Looking Glass.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Long Read, Rabbits, Richard Adams
1 Comment »
Our rating:
Warned by a prophetic rabbit named Fiver, Hazel leads a group of rabbits out of his doomed warren to start a new life. However, even though they make it away safely, it will take all of their cunning and skill to keep the new warren on Watership Down thriving. In order not to die off, a group of rabbits are sent to bring back does (female rabbits) from the nearby warren of Efrafa. But the Efrafens are tough, military rabbits, and only a cunning trick will bring the does back safely.
Wonderful! The story of Hazel, Fiver, and their friends is one you won’t forget easily. Every page is interesting and vividly real. My only problem was that the rabbits would sometimes speak in a special rabbit language, which required flipping to the glossary to find the meanings of words. But this minor detail is easily taken care of by the end of the book, because Watership Down is so long, you’ll probably have most of the rabbit language memorized by the final chapters. Great to read out loud, and a must-read by my standards!
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Award Winner, Cats, Dogs, Dragons, Horses, Long Read, Robin McKinley
1 Comment »
Our rating:
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.
content rss
