Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Dick King-Smith, Dogs, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Pigs, Quick Read
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When Farmer Hogget guesses the weight of a piglet at the fair, he has no idea that he will win the contest. But once he brings the pig home, things start happening. Who would have thought that his sheepdog Fly would adopt the pig? And who would have thought that the pig would be better at herding sheep than the dog?
Lots of fun here. If you’ve seen the movie, you will notice some differences between book and film. Babe is enjoyable, lovable, and a great family book. Kids love it, adults laugh more than the kids (but at wholesome jokes), and therefore, we have a winner.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Funny, Jack Stoneley, Out of Print, Sad
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A mixed breed puppy is born in an abandoned house. Its mother had been left, tied to the house, for a neighbor to pick up when her owners moved away. But she chewed her rope and ran back into the house before the neighbor could get there. The puppy ends up as the only surviver of her litter. The house is eventually set on fire to get it out of the way of a building company. After escaping through the chimney, the mother dog and her puppy are found on the roof and rescued by a worker. The man takes the two dogs home for his wife to care for. She immediately falls in love with them and persuades her husband to keep them. But the mother dog has other plans. She is determined to find her way back to her previous owners. On the way back to the old house, she gets lost and ends up getting shot by some shepherds. The puppy is now alone in the world. Throughout the rest of the story, she earns the name “Scruffy,” joins up with a pack of dogs, and unwittingly helps to wreck a car.
This is a great book about a dog who started out as a stray and ended up famous. I’ve read it multiple times and it still remains on my favorite list. The pack of dogs get into many adventures, including blowing up a traffic sign, “guarding” a lady, and rescuing a boot—thought to be a puppy by a deaf collie—from getting run over. The last part of the story is true. Jack Stoneley actually wrote the articles that are talked about in the book. “Scruffy” was originally titled “The Tuesday Dog.”
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Good Read Aloud, Long Read, Rabbits, Richard Adams
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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
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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: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Hyperlinkz, Quick Read, Robert Elmer
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Austin and Ashley Webster are still stuck in the World Wide Web, only this time with Ms. Mattie Blankenskrean’s handheld computer. With the PDA (the handheld) maybe the kids have a chance at getting back Outside, but Ms. B. is after them to get back her handheld so she can continue erasing faith and Christian-related things on the Internet. Bouncing through Old Testament Stories, World War history, a fudge kitchen, (all digital versions on websites) and more, can Ashley and Austin keep the PDA away from Ms. B., find Applet, and get back home?
There are a few things in Fudge Factor that I don’t appreciate and wish Robert Elmer would have left out. But besides that fact, I like this book very much. It has humor, action, and more Internet fun. As with the other Hyperlinkz books, you can learn a little about various history from different websites Austin and Ashley visit.
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