The Icebound Land by John Flanagan ★★★★☆

Well Done

Fiction – YA/Juvenile – Medieval

266 pages

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

Ranger's Apprentice #3

Halt and Horace follow after Will and Evanlyn to Skandia to set them free from their kidnappers.

This book was a major improvement and I only have good things to say.  The pacing was superb.  The excitement suspense and drama began right from the start.  The story was a bit unexpected and pleasantly surprising.  The writing never broke with the book reality.  I loved the dynamics of differing points of view of the same events and was impressed at how well done the two story lines were done.  All of the characters were fully realized and distinctive from other as well as the different cultures.

I just really enjoyed it and by the end I was clamoring for the next one and so grateful to have a local library with a decent children’s section.

Rowan and the Travelers by Emily Rodda ★★★★☆

Lessons Learned

Fiction – Juvenile – High Fantasy

192 pages

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 and up

Publication Date:  1994

Rowan of Rin #2

In book two of the series Rowan, must face unknown dangers and save his people from a strange sleeping sickness overcoming the village.  His only help comes from the roaming Travelers, but they may be the very enemy Rowan is looking to defeat.  With time running out and lives in the balance can Rowan unmask the true enemy and save his people before it is too late?

With the same high caliber writing I expected after reading book one, Ms. Rodda effortlessly weaves together a mystery I was eager to see Rowan solve.  To save his family and the other people of Rin from the sleeping sickness Rowan must use the lessons he learned from the journey up the mountain and overcome his own prejudices to overcome the enemy.  And while there is always plenty of action like the first one, Ms. Rodda’s stories are still really about the characters.  Rowan learns and adapts, but still manages to stay true to his real strengths an open loving heart.  While the people of Rin are reminded that even the Travelers live differently than them they are still their allies and each group can learn a lot from the other.

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede ★★★★☆

A princess who can rescue herself and her friends.

Fiction – Juvenile – High Fantasy

Age Range: 10 and up Grade Level: 4 - 8

212 pages

Publication Date: 1990

Enchanted Forest Chronicles #1

Literary Awards: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (1993)

Princess Cimorene isn’t your typical fairytale princess despite her family’s attempts to make her one.  Nor does she want to be.  Cimorene wants freedom to choose her own path, so when her parents arrange for her to marry she decides to it’s time to run away.  Told to head to the Enchanted Forest by a frog Cimorene begin the adventure of her life.  And the ending is anything, but typical, just like Cimorene.

So it is fairly obvious that while this book takes place in a typical fairytale book world, Cimorene, as a nonconformist, couldn’t have a typical story.  This story has no rescue, no knight, no happily-ever-after, because Cimorene actually volunteers to be a dragon’s princess.  Cimorene as a heroine is strong, independent and most importantly bored with normal princess life, and she has the gumption and courage to take chances.  Now the thing I really valued about her is even though she wanted to choose a different path from the norm she gives others to follow the normal one without scorn.  She gives them the freedom to be who they are.  Also it was nice to see that her princess upbringing did help her out in her new role.  So her upbringing did have value even if she didn’t like it at the time.

Charming, whimsical and fun this book is nice light read, with interesting characters set in a familiar world that keeps turning custom on its ear.  This is a book I can confidently that all ages will enjoy

The Borrowers by Mary Norton ★★★★☆

A joyful foray into the world of possibilities.

Fiction – Juvenile - Fantasy

Age Range: 9 and up

180 pages

Publication Date: 1952

The Borrowers #1

Carnegie Medal in Literature 1952

Arriety is a Borrower, a race of miniscule people who live in the houses of human Beans and borrower from them to live.  Pod, Arriety’s father, wants to teach her the ways of survival, but Arriety rather see what the world outside is like.

I picked up this book with every intention of being delighted and I would have to say in the past sometimes these high expectations have led to crushing disappointment, but not in the case of The Borrowers.  Even after 50 years in print and dramatic shifts in our culture I found this book to be ageless.  The storytelling style is very homey and comfortable and the story just carries you along for joyful little foray into the world of possibilities.  And the idea of Borrower’s living in houses just lit up my imagination with a childlike wonderment.  I loved the delightful descriptions of the things they borrowed and how they used them with detailed illustrations to accompany.  I just adored it.

ISBN  0152099875 (ISBN13: 9780152099879)

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli ★★★★☆

The Birth of a Legend

Fiction – Juvenile

Reading Level:  Age Range: 11 and up

184 pages

Publication Date:  1990

Literary awards: Newbery Medal (1991), Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (1993), Charlotte Award (1992), Nene Award (1996), Massachusetts Children's Book Award (1993) Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (1992), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (1992), Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (1993), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch (2001), New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award (1993)

In a town divide by race, Jeffery Lionel “Maniac” Magee, shows up to defy the norm and birth a legend that crosses boundaries and breaks down barriers.

My class read this John Newberry Medal winner back when I was in 5^th grade, but I only vaguely remembered that I like it and a few other snippets from the story.  Wishing to refresh my memory and relive my childhood I settled in to read the tale of Maniac Magee.  From page one I fell under the spell of this story. Well-constructed, with a nice rhythm and very engaging writing the spirited and cheeky narrator regales you with story of Jeffery Magee and how he brought together a town.  Jeffery Magee is a lovable character who displays athleticism, strength, independence, depth of emotion and vulnerability.  His inability to see race makes him unique in a town where you’re race defines most of your life.  The author Spinelli uses this legend to dissect the issue of race versus just people in a relatable way that can span many ages.  I would say it is a very nice tool for helping younger children understand that we are all just people while giving its more mature readers a good quality, multi-layered story with depth to enjoy.

ISBN  0590452037 (ISBN13: 9780590452038)

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson ★★★★☆

A story that stays with you.

Fiction – Juvenile - Classics

Age range: 9 - 11 Years

143 pages

Publication Date:  1977

Literary awards: Newbery Medal (1978), Zilveren Griffel (1983)

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer to become the fastest runner in school, but when the new girl, Leslie, races and wins all of his dreams of triumph are dashed.  Jess wants to ignore her, but Leslie won’t be ignored and from there they become friends, each making life more bearable for the other.  Leslie's arrival challenges everything Jess has always taken for granted in his claustrophobic world.  She opens him up to new ways of thinking and being and together they create a magical kingdom called Terabithia.  A place where they are free to imagine.

I first read this book when I was about ten-years-old and just cried buckets.  It was the first book I read as a child dealing with a child’s death.  I remember feeling such a kinship with Jess and desperately wishing I had a friend like Leslie and my heart just breaking at the end.  This is one of the books that has always just stuck with me over the years.  Reading Bridge to Terabithia as an adult I wasn’t quite as pulled into the story and definitely more inclined toward critical thinking as I read it instead of just enjoying the story, but I also understood the family dynamics and world Jess lived in a lot better.  The difference in prospective, however, didn’t lessen the emotional impact of this story on me, even though at times I did detect less than perfect writing.  It is a beautiful story about the best kind of friendship you can have and a book I have every intention of adding to my personal library to share with my girls.

ISBN  0439366771 (ISBN13: 9780439366779)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney ★★★★☆

The sort of book that makes me giggle.

Fiction – Juvenile

Age Range: 7 and up

217 pages

Publication Date: January 1st 2001

Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1

Literary awards:Borders Original Voices Award for YA or Independent Reader (2007), West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Younger Readers (2009), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2009), ALA Teens' Top Ten (2008)

The quest for easy popularity is never as simple as it should be just ask Greg Heffley.   Pouring out his hilarious troubles with words and drawings into a journal, Greg shares the ups and downs of middle school for the small and weak.  With his side kick, Rowley, Greg muddles through the perils of middle school, until Rowley manages to get the elusive notoriety Greg wants and leaves Greg behind.

When I first started looking into this book to read there were a range of opinions from people who loved it – usually kids- to people who hated and could barely tolerate it – mostly adults and parent.  Personally I found Greg likeable, in the sense I don’t have anything to do with him and thus can appreciate his antics without having to deal without the inevitable consequence.  Sure he is a bit snarky, self-centered and impulsive but he’s also fun; basically he’s a regular middle school boy.  Maybe it is my middle school sense of humor, but I tend to like smart asses and have a special place in my heart for the class clown and the pursuit of trying to fit in. 

I loved the journal format and stick drawings and the fact that it was a fun book about everyday life, which almost anyone can relate too.  I giggled my way through this book and thoroughly made a fool of myself in front of people at the doctor’s office, mechanics and basically anywhere I bothered to read it, and even my husband couldn’t help but ask every five minutes what was so funny.  Unfortunately, I could never quite relate the genius of this book to others; I guess it’s just something you have to read for yourself. 

Even if you can’t like it as an adult, it’s easy to understand why middle schoolers love it, do not deny them the pleasure of reading this book.

ISBN  0810993139 (ISBN13: 9780810993136)