Posted by Sarah
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Review
Tags:Animals, Dogs, Marguerite Henry, Out of Print, Quick Read
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One day, Benjamin finds his dog, Whiskers, is a trick dog! When the Y.M.C.A. drive falls short of its quota, the boys of the neighborhood get together and put on a circus with Whiskers and Jazbo, Benjamin’s friend’s bulldog. After the show, a stranger offers Benjamin twenty-five dollars for Whiskers and says he’ll come back at five-thirty. The stranger doesn’t show up and the next morning, Whiskers is gone! Will Benjamin ever see Whiskers again?
A pretty good book. A couple bad words, though. This probably isn’t one of my favorite Marguerite Henry’s, but it’s still pretty good. Unfortunately, this book is out of print and is only available used from Amazon.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:J. R. R. Tolkien, Quick Read
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In a tiny medieval town, the Feast of the Cake is approaching, and the baker, when searching for an old recipe, discovers a small shiny star on the page of a book. The baker is clueless, but his apprentice knows very well that it’s a fae-star. It is stirred into the cake, and a young boy, Smith, swallows it quite unaware. The star shines on his forehead, and when he grows up, he ventures into faeryland where he meets the faery queen herself and receives a surprising message from her.
A short, enchanting fairytale from J.R.R. Tolkien. It seems like a book that he wrote just for the fun of writing. It doesn’t have much plot, and it’s rather like something you might dream, but it does prove an enjoyable read.
Posted by Sarah
Categories: All Ages, Picture Books, Review
Tags:Animals, Horses, Marguerite Henry, Quick Read
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Charlie is an old workhorse. His owner, Mr. Spinks, thinks he is too old to work, so he retires him and gives him a field that only grows chickweed and thistles. Charlie misses his working days. He misses especially the times when Birdie, the cook at the Boar Head Inn, rang the bell, telling that the apple tarts were ready, and the people would come to eat them, including Mr. Spinks. So, one day…
A cute book. Though a pretty quick read, it’s still a good book! I like it.
Posted by Becca
Categories: Adventure, All Ages, Fantasy, Fiction, Review
Tags:J. M. Barrie, Quick Read
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Wendy, John and Michael, three children living in London, are enticed to the Neverland one night by the rather conceited Peter Pan. Upon arriving in the Neverland, they are spotted by pirates, who fire a cannon at them. No one is hurt, but they are separated. Wendy is led to the home of the Lost Boys by the jealous Tinkerbell, with very disastrous results. Later, Wendy becomes the pretend mother of the Lost Boys. During a story that Wendy tells, Peter Pan reveals a secret. What he says convinces Wendy that she must take her siblings home. Unfortunately, the pirates have a different plan.
This book was a little confusing to me sometimes. There is at least one sentence that made no sense until I had read almost to the end of the chapter. The writing style is different from what I normally see. J. M. Barrie wrote as if he was telling the story out loud to someone. This book also started out as a play, that may account for the writing style. A few more things. Almost everybody knows of the Disney version of Peter Pan. It is a lot different from the book. They basically made up their own story and kept the character names. I have heard that there is another Peter Pan movie that is closer to the book. But I haven’t seen it and so I can’t compare it here. This book is enjoyable, though not a must-read.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: All Ages, Fiction, Mysteries, Review, Science Fiction
Tags:Daniel Manus Pinkwater, Easy Read, Funny, Martians, Out of Print, Quick Read
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A dastardly crime has happened in Vienna! Somebody has stolen all the muffins. Inspector Charles LeChat enlists the help of Mozart, who likes nothing better than to solve mysteries and compose music. A great story with crazy off the wall elements of an extraterrestrial, the odd peasant, and Gorganzola muffins!
I love Daniel Pinkwater’s books. All his books are very funny, with very weird (but easily followed) plots that always end in some goofy fashion. Unfortunately, The Muffin Fiend is out of print, so you have to buy it used. See our Book Tips page for pointers on how to find out of print books.
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