Tik-Tok of Oz

Our rating: *****

Queen Ann Soforth is tired of ruling Oogaboo, a small corner of Oz, and so she forms an army of seventeen of her eighteen male subjects and sets out to conquer the world. Meanwhile, Betsy Bobbin and Hank the mule are shipwrecked and meet the Shaggy Man, who is looking for his long lost brother; The rose princess Ozga, who has been exiled; Polychrome, the rainbow’s daughter; and Tik-Tok, the clockwork man. The two parties meet up on the way to rescue the Shaggy Man’s brother from the evil Nome King.

This is not my favorite Oz book, but it’s high on my list. Dorothy does not enter the story until near the end, but Tik-Tok of Oz contains the same humor and story characteristics as many other Oz books. L. Frank Baum’s humor will appeal to all, and several of his jokes are funny in multiple ways, so you may find a joke funny, and then read it a year later and notice something about the same passage that’s hilarious. I love writers who can make all ages laugh in different ways. Also a high point, the Nome King returns, and he’s the best Oz bad guy in the series.

The Wheel on the School

Our rating: *****

Lina, a girl in the little Dutch village of Shora, wonders why the storks no longer come to nest on the roofs of the houses. With a little thought, Lina realizes that all the roofs are too sharp. They need wheels on top for the storks to nest in. So she sets out, with the help of the other six school children, to find a wheel. But it’s not that easy. There are no usable wheels in Shora, Nes, or any other near-by village! How will they find one?

This is one of the best books that I have ever read. There’s plenty of action, and I like the way the whole village has to work together to get a wheel on the schoolhouse roof. The only bad thing I can think of about this book are the character names, which are a little different from what you would normally see. But what do you expect from a book set in a Dutch village? I definitely recommend this book as a must-read.

A Christmas Carol

Our rating: *****

Mr. Scrooge hates Christmas and calls it a humbug. He thinks nobody should be allowed to celebrate and makes life miserable for Bob Cratchit, his clerk. Then his dead partner’s ghost appears to him and tells him that he will be haunted by three spirits, as a final chance for him to change his wicked ways.

Dickens is a fine storyteller, if you can understand what he’s saying. Fortunately, in A Christmas Carol you can! He writes as if he’s telling you the story, so he pauses every now and then to explain little details, or to comment on things. A great read out loud book, if read properly. If you’ve seen the movie, why not read the book this year? By the way, if you want to see a movie version, we’ve found that the Patrick Stewart version stays closest to the book.

The Younguns of Mansfield

Our rating: ***

Larry, Terry and Sherry Youngun are the children of Methodist minister Thomas Youngun. When a rabies epidemic hits Mansfield, Missouri, everyone is scared. Then Sherry is bitten by a rabid bat and must have medicine before it’s too late. Meanwhile, Terry and Larry are having trouble with a rich boy, Willie, who is doing mean things to the local packrat and then blaming the Younguns.

I always laugh when I read this book. The sequels are funny, too. The rabies part is probably too intense for younger readers, but luckily, The Younguns of Mansfield is good to read out loud. Unfortunately, this book is out of print, so you’ll have to buy it used.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Our rating: *****

Robin Hood is an outlaw for shooting the king’s deer and killing one of the king’s men. This is the story of his life as an outlaw with his merry men. They all live in Sherwood Forest and try to correct the evils done by the Sheriff of Nottingham and the greedy clergy. There’s Little John, Will Scarlet, Will Stutley, Friar Tuck and Allan a Dale, stout yeomen all. An enjoyable story of daring deeds and true friendship.

I really enjoyed The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. A clever story with wonderful humor and valorous characters (except the bad ones; they’re bad all through). The old English is hard to understand at first, but, as thou gettest deeper into the story, ye find thyself speaking it quite merrily. (See?) This book is a lot better if you hear it on audiobook, so I will include a link to it. Buy The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, read by David Case from Amazon.