The Goose Girl (Books of Bayern)
Review by Welly-Bell, Age 7
Crown Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee is princess of Kildenree. She can talk to birds. She is traveling with fifty guards and the key-mistress' daughter, Selia. On the way to Bayern, Selia and most of the guards betray Ani.
They try to kill Ani, but she escapes. After a few days of wandering in the forest, Ani finds a little cottage.
Gilsa and Finn live in the cottage. Ani helps them with the chickens and goats in exchange for a bed and food. Ani goes to the city with Finn.
On market day, Ani goes to see the King. She realizes she is going to have to come back. The King gives her work in the geese pen with Conrad.
Conrad is grumpy most of the time. Enna and Razo and Beier and some others also work there.
Princess Selia tells the King that Kildenree is planning to attack Bayern.
Read the book and find out what happens to Ani. Some of the characters I really like are Enna, Gilsa, and Finn.
***Check out my interview with Shannon Hale here!
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Beyond Foo, Book 1: Geth and the Return of the Lithens
Review by Bubs, Age 9 (who is apparently picking up on Daddy's sales skills.)
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The Wide-Awake Princess
I picked this one up on our last trip to the library, and I'm so glad I did. What a fun story! I'm going to add it right away to my list of clean fantasy romances for growing girls.
I don't know how I missed it until now, but the timing is right, because I just saw that a sequel is forthcoming this Fall.
Here's my Book Review: Princess Annabelle, known as Annie, is the younger sister of Gwendolyn (aka Sleeping Beauty). When the beautiful Gwendolyn pricks her finger on a spinning wheel, everyone in the castle falls asleep. Everyone except Annie, that is.
Annie isn't affected by magic. In fact, any magic near her grows increasingly weaker. The other royals despise her because their magical gifts of beauty and grace fade in her presence. Even her parents keep their distance.
Annie sets out on a quest to find Gwendolyn's true love, so she can wake her family. One adventure proceeds another as she travels through fairy tales.
Along the way, the meet a Hansel-and-Gretel-esk witch, an enchanted prince who is in the form of a bear, a swamp prince who used to be a frog, and a prince holding contests to find a bride.
Baker flips many fairy tales on their heads in this creative adventure.
I thought the witch mentioned above was kind of creepy. She was fattening up a couple children to eat them. Of course, Annie outwitted her, saving the children, and creating a pretty funny and entertaining scene.
As you can imagine, there is also quite a bit of talk about kissing. After all, it IS the only way to wake a sleeping princess.
I read this to my 8 and 6 year olds. They both loved it. We finished it a few days ago, and today my 6 year old girl, Welly, said, "I just keep thinking about The Wide-Awake Princess. I can't believe that..." Sorry. I can't tell you the rest. It would spoil the ending. :)
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NEWS
For Immediate Release
January 23, 2012
American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners
Blog: HOMESPUN LIGHT (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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When 5 Rare Breed sheep find a cell phone that fell from the sky, they think it is a call to fulfill an ancient prophecy. They embark on a great adventure, which takes them on a subway, a train, a helicopter, a tractor, and finally up into a vicious mountain storm.
The boy who lives next door to the sheep believes they've been abducted by aliens.
The cell phone they found is actually important evidence in a bank heist, which resulted in the sheep's owners losing all of their life savings.
It's quite an adventure. We finished reading it this morning, and both Bubs and Welly have separately already asked me to start reading it again.
The five sheep are great, unique characters. There's Sal. She's kind of the leader, although not necessarily the smartest. There's Oxo, who really only cares about eating. There's Links, who is always breaking out into a rap. There's Jaycey, who is dainty and cares about her hoof paint. And lastly, there's Wills. He's the real brains of the group.
On the Con side, this book has some not-so-nice for little kids language. Since I was reading it aloud, it wasn't a problem, but there are quite a few stupids, shut-ups, and some name-calling (geek and Woolbags mostly) that I skipped over. There is also one scene where the neighbor boy takes a reporter out for dinner and Beer. I just said drink instead of Beer. Anyway. Fair warning.
For the reasons mentioned above, I recommend reading it aloud to your kids. My 7 and 5 year old seemed about the perfect ages for it. Amazon recommends it for 9-12, so that too, I guess. :)
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A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess has always been a favorite book of mine. Though bittersweet, it leaves you wanting to live a more grateful, imaginative life.
Sarah Crewe has lived a privileged life, to say the least. She has always been given everything her heart desired, and been waited on hand and foot. You might think that a girl like this would be spoiled and selfish, but Sarah has a generous heart. She entertains the girls in her boarding school with wild stories of India, befriending even those less popular.
When Sarah's lot in life changes drastically, she becomes a penniless servant, hungry and cold. She pretends to be a princess, and reminds herself to be gracious and share the little she has.
I highly recommend this story for listeners of all ages. Like I said, it was a favorite of mine as a child, and now I realize that it still holds a place in my heart.
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I read this book aloud to my kids today, and let me tell you. I was a blubbering fool. I used to roll my eyes and laugh when my mom cried at emotional stories. Now I'm her.
Except this time, Bubs (nearly 7) wasn't rolling his eyes. He was crying, too.
Are you familiar with this very short chapter book? Here's a brief overview:
Little Willy may only be ten, but that doesn't mean he can't run a potato farm. His grandfather has become very ill. Willy is determined to make everything better by harvesting the potato crop.
When that doesn't help matters, Willy discovers a debt that his grandfather owes for $500.
Against all odds, Willy enters a dog-sled race, where he'll compete against the best racers in the country, including the huge Indian, Stone Fox, who has never lost a race.
Will his determination and courage be enough?
As mentioned, this book is a tear-jerker. However, it spurred great conversation (great enough to make me forget I had an appointment...), and I'm glad we read it together.
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Have you been reading picture books with your children and feel that they are ready for some longer books? Here are some Chapter Books I'd recommend for children who are new to novel-length works.
Very Beginner Chapter Books (easily read in one sitting or spread to a few.)
Mercy Watson
by Kate DiCamilloToys Go Out
by Emily JenkinsAmelia Bedelia
by Peggy ParishChapter Book Read-Alouds for Beginning Listeners
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald DahlThe Indian in the Cupboard
by Lynne Reid Banks13 Comments on First Read-Aloud Chapter Books and Novels, last added: 3/13/2010
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Review by Joy Henshaw of Jim and Joy
This book is a collection of ten short stories written by beloved author, Louisa May Alcott. She lived in the mid-1800’s and was a very prolific writer. Although best known for her novel, Little Women, she also wrote horror and suspense, realistic fiction and fantasy in the form of poems, plays, short stories and novels. Each of the stories in this collection sweetly and beautifully teaches and rewards the virtues of honesty, bravery, kindness, strength of character, and love to all of God’s creatures.
Some of the stories are fanciful, such as The Brownie and the Princess and The Silver Party. Others are simply observations of people in a certain place and time. I think my favorite was Jerseys, or the Girls’ Ghost, about 6 young ladies at a finishing school. A new teacher arrives on the scene with some new ideas about how young ladies should conduct themselves. She teaches them how to train their bodies along with their minds to be strong, useful and contributing members of society and their households. She helps them to give up some of their lazy or bad habits and hopes that their new routines will continue when they matriculate.
When compared to some of the more popular fiction of the day, these stories may seem tame or trite upon first read. However, after careful reading, I found many beautiful qualities that if emulated by more of us today would make our journey through life as sweet and pleasant as these stories.
If you are looking for a quick read to uplift you during your day, I would highly recommend any of the stories in this collection for ages 6 and up!
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamilloReview by me, EmilyEdward Tulane is a fancy porcelain doll. Actually, he despises the word 'doll'. He's a much-loved porcelain rabbit. BUT, love doesn't mean much to him. He is too consumed in his own self-love to care about anything else.Until he goes on a journey. Edward Tulane finds himself going from one hardship to another for years.
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They aren't. Get over it. Recent examples...Stuart Little, Tale of Despereaux, TWILIGHT!I'll admit it. I enjoyed all three of these movie adaptations. However, they are just NOT as good as the books.We thoroughly enjoyed the book, Stuart Little, although we did find the ending surprisingly open-ended. The movie is cute, but it's completely different from the book. I think that was what made it
Blog: Deliciously Clean Reads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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McBratney, Sam. 2008. One Voice, Please: Favorite Read-Aloud Stories.
Review by Becky Laney, frequent contributor.
Becky's Book Reviews
Young Readers
Reading with Becky
One Voice, Please is a delightful gathering of stories--some familiar, some not-so-much--perfect for reading aloud to children of all ages. Family-friendly reading, if you will, that while kid-friendly is not unappealing to adults. Most stories are two to three pages, and could easily be read in a few minutes. This is a good thing. Perfect reading to fill in those gaps during the day when you don't quite have enough time to get settled into a longer book--like a novel or even a traditional picture book.
Originally published in Great Britain in 2005, the collection has recently been published in the U.S. With over fifty stories, there is sure to be something that is just right for your mood. The book would be a great edition to the classroom as well. My personal favorite was "Many Littles Make A Lot."
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Becky's Christian Reviews: http://stand-firm-then.blogspot.com/
Young Readers: http://zero-to-eight.blogspot.com/
Reading With Becky: http://readingwithbecky.blogspot.com/
Great review! This is one of my favorite books and I am reading Book of a Thousand Days to my big girls right now!!
Not sure how I missed your interview with Shannon Hale, but I'm totally jealous! She is one of my favorite authors. I love that Jerusha Hess directed Austenland and that Stephanie Meyer was one of the producers. I'm also totally jealous that those three had a girls' weekend!! How fun would that have been?!?!