Mog in the Dark, by Judith Kerr, Collins Picture Lions, 1986.

Despite having lived in England for a few years during my youth, and then, much later, growing up to be a children's librarian, I wasn't familiar with Mog books.  At least I wasn't until last year, and that infamous, glorious Sainsbury advert.  I was so in love with Mog from the advert, I had to buy my own Mog the cat.  Then my son wanted one.  And one thing led to another and to this book.

Even though this book isn't the strongest outing for Mog the cat, my son still loved it.  I suspect, however, he will love the ones he is getting for Christmas even more.

Clara and the Bookwagon, by Nancy Smiler Levinson, illustrations by Carolyn Croll, HarperTrophy, 1988.

This book is delightful, from the sweet story to the absolutely charming illustrations.  There is even a hefty dose of humor in it, for those who know where to look for it.  My second grade son used this book as a study in comparing and contrasting -- it worked quite well.

Stepping Stones -- Peter Pan, based on story by J. M. Barrie, adapted by Cathy East Dubowski, Random House, 1991.

I love J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan -- both the play and the story from the play -- but this version is not at all like J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan.  Yes, it does tell the story of Peter Pan and Neverland, but in such a plain and dull way that all of the magic and intrigue is sucked out of the book.   Also, the illustrations verge on creepy.

I will say, however, that this version of the Peter Pan story may be slightly easier or beginning readers to read -- slightly.  If you do use this book, make sure to follow it up with the more exciting original version.

The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, by John Erickson, Puffin Books, 1999.

Full disclosure:  I didn't buy this book.  A friend of mine bought this book and three others for my son.  But she bought them because she remembered how we used to read them out loud and laugh at them at work.  (Oh, we were both children's librarians, so it wasn't as weird as it sounds.)

This book was pretty darn funny.  I'm not sure that my son caught all of the humor, but a few times he laughed out loud, and he understood the plot.  Good enough for me.

Volcanoes! Mountains of Fire, by Eric Arnold, illustrated Doug Knutson.

This book is a decent introduction to volcanoes.  The text is written at a second grade level, and the illustrations are all drawings.  It gives examples of a couple of different volcanoes, but really doesn't delve into the properties of the Earth's crust or how volcanoes are formed.

If you want to, er, dig a little deeper, check out a volcano book from the adult section of the library.

Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, originally published in 1880.

This was my favorite book growing up, and I read it many times before I 'outgrew' it by the age ten or so.  At least, I THOUGHT I read it many times.  Apparently, I read a condensed version of the story, and had never read the entire book until just now, when I am very much not ten.

Some parts of this story were so familiar, they could have been my own memories.  Some parts, perhaps the more 'grown up' parts were so new that they rubbed me a little raw emotionally.  Overall, however, I am very glad to add a non-condensed version of this book to my young son's library.

A Weed is a Flower, by Aliki, Aladdin Paperbacks, 1988.

This beautifully illustration book is an excellent introduction to George Washington Carver for young readers.  The text is fairly simple, but the ideas conveyed are not.

The Girl in a Swing, by Richard Adams, Alfred Knopf, 1980.

I found this book at a second-hand story.  I remember reading Watership Down -- at least thirty years ago -- and liking it, so, for a dollar, I picked up this book.

This book is not really very much like Watership Down.  But the writing is still gently beautiful, as the plot becomes increasingly intense.  By the end of the book, I, like the protagonist, did not want to believe what I know.

Sock Monkey -- Into the Deep Woods, by Matt Danner, illustrated by Tony Millionaire, Fantagraphics Books, 2014.

I bought this book because I was able to get a copy signed by the illustrator.  So it was definitely worth the purchase price for that.

The illustrations for this very short novel were quite wonderful, but the writing felt a little flat -- almost as if it were being viewed through a screen from a distance.

The Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan, Disney Hyperion, 2014.

I really enjoyed this series.  And I liked this book.  But this book didn't quite seem to be the ending we were promised.  Don't get me wrong:  I'm glad that so many of the other demigods emerged as heroes, but Percy and Jason didn't have to turn milquetoast for that to happen, did they?

The Crown of Ptolemy, by Rick Riordan, Disney-Hyperion, 2015.

This book came with another book.  I doubt if I would have bought this one for its own merit.

It is great to revisit the Percy Jackson character, but this isn't one of his stronger stories or adventures.  And, for a Rick Riordan book, it wrapped up in a surprisingly tidy little bow.

The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan, Disney-Hyperion, 2013

Sometimes I can't count on the library having a book that I really want to read, especially when a series is involved.  In those cases, I just have to buy the book.

This was a pretty exciting, pretty great read.  There was SO much going on -- so many characters, so many story lines, so many heartbreaks.  I was, however, vastly amused by the character and repeated mention of Hyperion.

I really hope that Bob can say hello to the stars in the next book.

Little Bear's Friend, written by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Harper Collins, 1960.

I love Little Bear.  And Emily.  And Lucy.  So it is probably no wonder that I named two characters in my first book 'Emily' and 'Lucie' -- even though I hadn't read a Little Bear book for about thirty years back then. 

The illustrations are delightfully and perfectly vintage Sendak.

Bellman & Black, by Diane Setterfield, Atria Book, 2013.

This is a beautifully written book.  And that may be the problem.  The lovely, poetic prose just doesn't quite match up with a stark tale of madness and death.  Maybe if the writing had been rawer, more emotional, less contained, we could have seen more of Bellman and understood better his descent.  But instead, this book just seemed to drift like an iridescent feather from a rook until it is caught up in a sudden wind and disappears entirely.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline, Random Books, 2011.

Are thorough editors a thing of the past?

The story for this book was great.  The pacing was mostly pretty good.  The character development was good.  But, because close editing obviously did not happen, there are some pretty big plot holes and other annoyances. 

For example, early in the book Wade says he can't miss anymore school days or he will be expelled from the OASIS school and have to return to a bricks-and-mortar school.  So what happens?  His misses a day of school to go on his quest.  Then he pretty much blows off the last two weeks, including final week, of his senior year.  Is he expelled?  Nope.  He still receives his diploma by email. 

There are other oversights, but they are more integral to the plot, so I won't go into them.

Book 534: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, Penguin (originally published in 1900).

L. Frank Baum was the J.K. Rowling of his day; or, she is the L. Frank Baum of modern times.

They both weave amazing and intriguing tales that span several books, but each book is self-contained.  And yet, neither excels especially at the craft of writing.  Even so, the content SO outweighs the delivery that both writers are brilliant.

For those who have seen the film, the book is close, and also completely different.  The land of Oz is FAR more intriguing in the books than it is in the movie.

Beachy and Me, by Bob Staake, Random House, 2016.

My seven-year-old son LOVES Bob Staake's work, so whenever Mr. Staake has a new book out, I will, of course, buy it.

I also let my son review this book, so here it goes:

"I liked Beachy and Me because it was a good story.  It was a story about being friends, even though you might be different like the little girl and the whale.  The illustrations are beautiful because Bob Staake is an illustrator who makes beautiful illustrations."

The Story of Diva and Flea, written by Mo Willems, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, Disney-Hyperion, 2015.

I bought this book for my seven-year-old son, and took it with us on vacation, and every night I read a chapter or so to him.  The next morning, he would re-read the same passages himself.  He LOVED this book, so I'm letting him write the review:

"I liked this book because Flea is a beautiful black and white cat like our Buster.  And Diva is a white dog that looks like Piper, but is white like Ellie.  She was more like Piper than Ellie, though.  My favorite part was when Flea and Diva became friends.  And I really liked the cloud-cutter because Paris is my favorite city.  And I liked the friendly feet at the end of the book.  The drawings were SO good."

The Trojan Horse:  How the Greeks Won the War, Emily Little, Random House, 1988.


This book simply, but thoroughly, tells the story of the Greek and Trojan War.  Since I didn't learn about the Greek and Trojan War until I was twelve and was studying Latin, this book is MUCH easier for kids to read than what I read.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, by William Steig, Simon & Schuster, 1969.

This book is so very nearly perfect.  A little traumatizing for kids who can empathize, but, still, very nearly perfect.

Tut's Mummy, Lost... and Found, by Judy Donnelly, Random House, 1988.

We used this book in my son's first grade History class -- obviously when we were studying Ancient Egyptians.  This book, however, brings ancient history into modern history, which makes it very interesting for (sometimes morbid) seven-year-old boys.

Come Look With Me, World of Play, by Gladys Blizzard, Charlesbridge, 1993.

This book is great for getting young children to look, really look, at famous works of art.  The text is straightforward and comprehensible, and the art pieces were well chosen.

Bedtime for Frances, written by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Garth Williams, HarperCollins, 1960.

This is one of the books my son would have had to read for his first grade class if we had started schooling at home at the beginning of the year instead of after the first quarter.  I'm rather glad he didn't read this book for a class. 

Honestly, the book didn't bother me too much until the father threatened Frances, but then I had to look at the parents' past behavior to see the problem.  The parents indulged her over and over and over again, and, when they had enough, the father threatens her.  Not exactly great parenting. 

So, even though we own this book right now, I will have no problem returning it to the online school.

(Great illustrations, though.)

Frog and Toad are Friends, by Arnold Lobel, HarperCollins, 1970.

It it hard to imagine a better book for emergent readers than a Frog and Toad book.  The stories are short.  And funny.  And quirky.  And easy to read.  And easy to understand.  And all the stories fit together to form a larger story.  And Frog and Toad both have such well-formed personalities. And the illustrations are perfection.  And who wouldn't want to sleep until half past May?

Harry and the Lady Next Door, written by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham, HarperCollins, 1960.

I think this Harry book is even more fun and funny than the original Harry, The Dirty Dog.  Harry has a problem -- the lady next door fancies herself an opera singer.  She has all of the volume, but she is short on talent.  Harry tries to solve his problems, with rather hilarious results, but, in the end, everything works out.  There are actually four very short stories in this book, that all fit together to form a larger story.