Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans

Our rating: ***½

Freddy the pig and Jinx the cat (along with their steeds, Bill the goat and Cy the pony) are all ready to go on a trip, when a call for help arrives from Uncle Ben. He has plans for a flying saucer, given to him by the Martians, but can’t begin work on a saucer because tons of spies are following him everywhere, trying to obtain the prized plans. It’s time for Freddy to step in and lend a hand, er, trotter.

Freddy is back! There is a fun plot twist, and tons of spies all fighting each other for the plans. An enjoyable new character, Samuel the mole, is introduced. I especially like the part with him at the end.

Babe: The Gallant Pig

Our rating: ***

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.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

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.

Charlotte’s Web

Our rating: ***

One morning Fern Arable, an eight year-old girl, learned her father was about to kill the runt of the new pig litter. She rushed to stop him and finally Mr. Arable agreed not to harm the pig. Mr. Arable gave the pig to Fern, and she eventually named him Wilbur. However, after a few weeks of happiness together, Mr. Arable told Fern that the pig would have to be sold. Wilbur was getting bigger, along with his appetite, and Mr. Arable wasn’t willing to feed the pig any longer. So Fern sorrowfully sold Wilbur to her Uncle Zuckerman’s farm nearby, where she could go and visit him. However, even with all Fern’s visits, Wilbur became lonely. But a spider named Charlotte was ready to be his friend and would also try to save him from being killed and made into bacon and ham.

A great book. For those who don’t like spiders, this book might help them feel a little more affectionate to the eight-legged insects. Maybe. No guarantees. And all readers should be prepared for a sad and perhaps unexpected part at the end. However, Templeton the rat is rather funny sometimes, and I really like the ending of this book.

The Rope Trick

Our rating: ****

Lidi is a skilled magician with fast-moving hands and long copper curls. She travels with her guardian/canvas master Jericho giving performances throughout the country. Lidi’s greatest hope is to find Ferramondo, one of the greatest magicians, to learn the one trick that no one else knows. The rope trick. On her journey, she is joined by a young girl named Daniella, who becomes the Added Attraction; and Julian, a mysterious young man who seems to have more to his story than he tells at first. Through it all, Lidi is constantly on the lookout for clues to Ferramondo’s whereabouts.

I’m afraid I didn’t do this book justice in my summary. It’s really very interesting, with sub-plots and all. I enjoy reading it very much. The ending takes an unusual twist that you probably won’t be expecting, but is still satisfactory.