Posted by Rebekah
Categories: All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Incredibook!, Picture Books, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Funny, Graeme Base
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A collection of letters (with illustrations) from various, obscure explorers who are credited with discovering several of the major types of Dragons. The letters have been compiled and illustrated by a Professor Rowland W. Greasebeam, B.Sc (Serp.), F.R.Aud.
This book is absolutely hysterical! I found the Eleventh Anniversary Edition at the library just the other day. I had read the original several years ago, (enough years ago that I forgot the title) and finally rediscovered it! Much to my enjoyment, there was an extra chapter of dragons. If you read it, read everything in it. The acknowledgements, the disclaimers in the back, the introductions to each chapter, everything. It is sooooo funny! (See? I resorted to a typical extention of a two letter word to fully express my enthusiasm, i.e. I really like it.) It would be good for all ages, as the younger ones can enjoy the illustrations and the older (but young at heart) can laugh themselves silly at the humor.
Posted by Rebekah
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Funny, Robert Louis Stevenson
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After the death of his father, sixteen-year-old David Balfour is preparing to leave the village he grew up in and seek his fortune. As he is leaving, an old friend of the family gives him a sealed letter, written by David’s father, with the instructions to take it to the House of Shaws. David wonders at this, because the Shaws are a wealthy family. Could he be related to them? When he reaches the tumbledown manor house he discovers that the man living there is his uncle. Despite his uncle’s apparent unwillingness to welcome him, David stays a couple of days and stumbles across a mystery. He had always supposed his father to be the younger of the two brothers, but circumstances point to his being the elder, and therefore rightful heir to the estate. When David presses his uncle for the truth in the matter, the cantankerous old man avoids the question, promising to tell David the truth the next day. During the night the uncle tries to kill David, who luckily survives, to the great surprise of his uncle. In one last, desperate attempt to conceal the truth, David’s uncle has him kidnapped and sent away to the Carolinas to be sold as a slave. However, during the early stages of the sea voyage, David falls into the company of a Scottish Rebel called Alan Breck, who helps him escape. Together they make their way through Scotland—Alan set upon his work for the King of France, (much to David’s dismay) and David seeking to return to the House of Shaws and discover the truth.
Great, great story. I enjoyed every page of it. It’s set in Scotland, in 1751, and it’s chock full of adventure. All of the things David goes through, running with Alan, ha ha! David is for King George of England and Alan is for the King of France and Scotland. Much to David’s chagrin, he ends up having to help Alan in his resistance work and gets pinned as a rebel for his pains!
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Advanced Readers, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Bears, Funny, Garth Nix, Long Read, Scary, The Keys to the Kingdom
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Our rating:
Picking up right where Mister Monday left off, Grim Tuesday calls Arthur Penhaligon back to the House. This time, Grim Tuesday is demanding that Arthur repay the debts of Mister Monday, to the point of sending his minions into Arthur’s world to take away his family’s money, house, jobs, and generally crash the stock market. The only thing Dame Primus can think to do is have Arthur return to the House, try to find part two of the Will, and depose the evil Grim Tuesday. But can Arthur survive another day in the house that almost killed him the day before?
I have hardly done the plot justice in that short summary, but I don’t want to ruin it for you! Grim Tuesday manages to be both scarily exciting and quite funny (in places) at the same time. Although a few places are a bit gross, the rest of the book manages to shine through brilliantly. As with the first book, this one ends right at the beginning of the next day, so have Drowned Wednesday handy.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Funny, Good Read Aloud, L. M. Montgomery
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Even Aunt Elizabeth has to admit that Emily has grown up. And despite discouragements and setbacks, Emily continues to pursue her dream as a writer. But more importantly, although she knows she loves Teddy, he seems to have forgotten her. And when he leaves to go far away to art school, she doesn’t know what to do. She tries to forget him, but all the while she can’t help but listen for the whistled three notes in Lofty John’s bush—their special signal since childhood.
A wonderful conclusion to the Emily series. A lot more happens in the book than I’ve brought up in my summary, a lot of it humorous, and all of it beautifully and simply written. L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series may be the most well-known, but this little trilogy should not be missed.
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