Posted by Becca
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Monkeys, Wilson Rawls
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Jay Berry Lee loves to explore the river bottoms near his home in Oklahoma. One day, his dog, Rowdy, finds a strange creature in a tree. Jay Berry finds out from his grandpa that the creature is an escaped circus monkey and that there are about twenty-nine more. The circus is offering two dollars for each monkey, except for one. This one monkey is the leader of the other monkeys and the reward for it is a hundred dollars. Having the opportunity of making so much money, Jay Berry sets out to capture all thirty monkeys, but the task proves to be harder than he had expected.
Summer of the Monkeys is filled with Jay Berry’s humorous adventures. Every time the boy thinks he’s outsmarted the monkeys, the monkeys outsmart Jay Berry. Though there is some questionable theology about the Old Man of the Mountains, but the rest of the book is great. Be sure to have a tissue handy at the end because it’s very touching.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Astrid Lindgren, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Horses, Monkeys, Pippi Longstocking, Quick Read
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Pippi Longstocking lives all alone in Villa Villekulla in a little village in Sweden. When the neighbor children, Tommy and Annika, come over to play, they discover that Pippi is no ordinary little girl. Pippi has a different, crazy way of doing many common things, making every chapter a laughter-filled delight as Pippi becomes a thing-finder, goes to school, and has other adventures.
I really can’t say much about Pippi Longstocking that hasn’t been said. The book, originally written in Swedish, has been around for longer than I have and is a favorite of children everywhere. This book serves as an introduction to the mischievous, big-hearted Pippi, paving the way for the, in my opinion, better sequels. But the first volume is still fun and worth reading.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Mysteries, Review
Tags:Animals, Cats, dictator, Dogs, Freddy the Pig, Funny, Good Read Aloud, Horses, Poetry, politics, Walter R. Brooks
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When a young rabbit talks back to Mr. Bean, Freddy and Jinx know something’s up. When they follow the clues to a rebellious meeting of animals bent on taking over New York, they realize something is terribly wrong. But Freddy is unable to do anything right away, since his old friend Mr. Camphor needs help getting out of a nomination for governor. Then when he gets back, Jinx has turned traitor! Freddy has his hands full as the revolution begins…
Freddy and Simon the Dictator could possibly be one of the funniest Freddy books ever written! In this day and age, the political satire is welcome and hilarious. As the comedy continues, the story warps into perhaps the most sinister plot Walter Brooks ever wrote for Freddy, but the light-hearted humor is still around. As is always the case with these books, the person reading aloud will have more fun than the child being read to.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Award Winner, Funny, Lynne Reid Banks, The Indian in the Cupboard
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Omri receives a cupboard and an ancient key for his birthday. That night, he wants to try out the cupboard, so he puts an Indian toy inside, turns the key, and then goes to bed. The next day, Omri opens the cupboard to discover that his toy has become a real live Indian named Little Bear. At first Omri thinks having an Indian living in his room will be fun, but he soon begins to change his mind when Little Bear begins to make demands.
I had heard of this book for most of my life, and finally decided to give it a try when my family picked it up at a book sale. The concept behind the story here is very interesting and worth exploring. Banks’ writing style is quite reminiscent of many of my favorite classic fantasy authors, which drew me into the story even more. My only real problem with The Indian in the Cupboard is with the somewhat clichéd I-can’t-tell-anybody-because-they-won’t-believe-me syndrome that every kid in a fantasy novel seems to have. But if you can overlook that or you don’t mind, this one definitely deserves a look.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Brian Jacques, Funny, Hares, Hedgehogs, Long Read, Mice, Moles, Otters, ravens, Redwall, Scary, Snakes
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Young Bisky the mouse and his friends at Redwall are determined to find the four great jewels that were hidden long ago by Gonff, the prince of thieves. Unfortunately, this treasure is also sought after by the raven Korvus Skurr and his hoard of sinister Doomwytes. Solving riddles, braving danger, and meeting many allies along the way, the Redwallers may still be up against more than they bargained for.
I must admit I didn’t go into Doomwyte expecting much. However, I ended up pleasantly surprised. Several funny moments, some riddles, plenty of adventure, and a new sort of villainous threat. I think what really pulled it off for me, though, is the lack of character stereotypes. After so many books in the series, there starts to be almost a standard for “the abbot character,” “the hero character,” and so on. But this one felt fresh and different, while still keeping in the same general feel as the other books. I’d say Doomwyte is worthy to sit on the shelf with the rest of the Redwall series.
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