Anderson, M.T. Whales On Stilts Sending up many genres at once, including wholesome Hardy-Boys style action books of bygone days (character Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut) and the remarkable daily lives of people in Goosebumps type series (Katie Mulligan, who lives in the subdivision Horror Hollow). Sort of a Lemony Snicket coyness to the author. Much of it quite funny.
Finders Keepers (Robert Arnett) Dopey, unfocussed proselytizing story about the author’s trip to India.
Barry & Pearson Peter and the Starcatchers The back story on how Peter Pan gained his friends and his powers and first encountered Captain Hook
Birdsall The Penderwicks A perfectly solid story about 4 girls, 2 rabbits, and the son of the rich woman on whose estate they are summering (in the cottage). Garnered the National Book Award by judges nostalgic for the Ballet Shoes books. I like The Exiles better.
George and the Dragon: and other saintly stories (Richard Brassey) 1-3 page comics spreads point up the hilarity in the traditional tales of the peculiar saints.
Burch, Christian The Manny Files Narrated by astute and fey 8 year old Keats Dalinger. He tells of the 4 kids’ new nanny, who’s a man—one who’s irreverent, fun, caring, and (as older readers will eventually figure out) gay. A heart-warming, realistic family tale.
The Dark Hills Divide (Patrick Carman) Decent story about girl helping tear down the walls surrounding her tri-cities. Ignores effect on her of leaving walls for first time.
Diary of a Fairy Godmother(Esmé Codell) Fun play on fairy tales, a bit preachy (but in a niceish way) about being your own self. Young witch Hunky Dory turns out to have a knack for – gasp!—granting wishes.
Codell, Esmé Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: hard-to-swallow stories from fifth grade Really excellent (and funny!) stories of kid life in a loving but broke family in Chicago. Her brother playing air guitar: “He had a very original technique, making a crook in his arm and a stroking motion with his other hand, kind of like a robot comforting a baby.” (p. 47)
Codell Sahara Special Excellent. Sahara’s parents divorced and when the school caught her writing countless letters to her dad, pleading for him to come home, they stuck them in her file and recommended Special Ed. After this betrayal Sahara doesn’t write anything for school anymore, but then she’s held back a year and is put in the class of the iconoclastic, tough-loving Mrs. Pointy, who is just what Sahara (and several other kids) need/s.
Codell Vive La Paris Companion novel to Sahara Special. Paris takes piano lessons from ancient, eccentric but excellent Mrs. Cohen, and misunderstands Mrs. Cohen’s arm tattoo, thinking she was in a gang and then learning to her horror about WWII. Moving, funny.
Colfer Half-Moon Investigations “12-year-old private investigator Fletcher Moon, nicknamed "Half Moon" because of his shortness, must track down a conspiracy or be framed for a crime he did not committ.” Wry, a bit detached (b/c of being a nerd) from his peers, smart but dorky. A good voice and a good read.
Collins, Suzanne Gregor and the Warmbloods Good 3rd in the series. Dark. Doesn’t sound over yet.
How to Be a Pirate, by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Cressida Cowell) Another nice and funny adventure. This one, thankfully, has fewer fart jokes.
Big Bang: the tongue-tickling tale of a speck that became spectacular (DeCristofano)
DiCamillo The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane Excellent. A new velveteen rabbit, only this one’s made of jointed china parts. Through a series of misadventures spanning decades, Edward has several owners including a wealthy little girl, and fisherman and his wife, a hobo and his dog, a poor boy and his dying little sister, and finally the daughter of his original owner. He ceases being vain and self-involved, opens his heart to love, has it broken (along with his head, actually) several times, and magically returns to his first owner at last able to love her (& her daughter). Moving without being sappy.
DiCamillo The Tale of Despereaux Mouse braves dungeon and rats to save princess. Clean writing, good characters, annoying addresses directly to “reader.” Newbery winner.
Dowell Chicken Boy j DOWELL “Since the death of his mother, Tobin's family life and school life have been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh-grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.”
Fine The Diary of a Killer Cat “Okay, okay. So hang me. I killed the bird.” An unrepentant cat (Tuffy) narrates this tale of dead birds and mice that freak out the family—and a mysterious rabbit.
Going, K.L. The Garden of Eve - so disappointing! Flimsy, overly-metaphorical story of a girl and boy who cope with the deaths (respectively) of their mother and twin by entering a mysterious garden grown from a special seed in a withered apple orchard.
Hale, Shannon PrincessAcademy “While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.”
Haptie, Charlotte Otto and the Bird Charmers
Hastings, Selina Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady
Hardinge, Frances Fly By Night j HARDINGE Smart, whimsical, sometimes dark picaresque novel with an elaborate and convincing world of politics, religion and insurrection loosely based in an England of the early 18th century. “12-year-old orphan, Mosca Mye, and her homicidal goose, Saracen, travel to the city of Mandelion on the heels of smooth-talking con-man Eponymous Clent, driven by her love of language to find a better life.”
Herge Tintin Vol. 1 (Tintin in America; Cigars of the Pharoah; The Blue Lotus Read the first two.
Hiaasen Flush Good mystery. Narrator Noah’s dad sinks the local casino boat b/c he says it’s flushing it’s waste directly into the bay. As dad is in jail, Noah and sister Abbey try to solve the mystery and bust the guy. A bunch of hardscrabble characters, and a family for whom everything is not going smoothly, but they are nice folks.
Hurston, Zora Neal & Joyce Carol Thomas The Skull Talks Back Peculiar, short creepy tellable tales of a man who kills the devil and talking skulls and such.
Levine, Gail Carson The Fairy’s Return Fun, silly, warm fairy tale retellings set in the kingdom of Biddle (6 stories).
The Horse and his Boy (C.S. Lewis) Good. Aslan is working in mysterious ways—but so logical once you can see the backstory…
The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis)
Lewis, C.S. The Silver Chair Okay; not the best one.
Lowry Gossamer
McKay, Hilary Caddy Ever After Excellent, as always! Told from all four kids’ points of view.
McKay, Hilary Permanent Rose Another fabulous entry in the Casson family saga. In this one 8-year-old Rose is pining for friend Tom, who hasn’t written after returning to America; Caddy is worried about becoming trapped by her impending marriage; Indigo is calm; Saffron wonders who her real father is; and former bully David finally gets a few things right. I think McKay does an amazing job of portraying children realistically, respectfully, and appreciatively, in all their complexity and intelligence. She also is wonderful at showing the way members of a family are entirely themselves yet still very connected to one another, and showing the range of loving irritation and fundamental loyalty that bind them all. Plus her writing is damn hilarious. And so are her characters. There is just something so real about them. She just gets better and better.
McNish, Cliff The Silver Child Compellingly creepy beginning shows several regular children abruptly changing into... something elses. Maintains the credible otherness flavor, as the special children (having become giants, insectivores, empaths, etc.) find each other one by one in a rubbishy wasteland outside of town. Has that "Book One" feeling (of the Silver Sequence) - things are just beginning. 2005.
Morpurgo, Michael Kensuke’s Kingdom Excellent story. “When Michael is swept off his family's yacht, he washes up on a desert island, where he struggles to survive--until he finds he is not alone.” Old Kensuke (who survived a Japanese shipwreck at the end of WWII) lives there with his family of orangutans.
Morris, Gerald The Ballad of Sir Dinadan Good again. This time a young noble who is fairly lousy at the fighting part of knighthood, but great at storytelling and playing the rebec. In spite of himself he develops the courage and nobility of knighthood.
Morris, Gerald The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight Yet another good one: Sarah (13), bent on revenge against those who burned her innocent mother for a witch, falls in with a surprisingly talented woodcutter (Sir Lancelot) to save the kidnapped Sir Kai and Queen Guinevere.
Morris, Gerald The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf Weaker than his other novels. Damsel character inconsistent and kind of twerpy.
Morris, Gerald The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady Another excellent tale- this one Gawain (and Terence’s) quest to fight the Green Knight; also touches on the tragedy of Arthur and Guinevere.
Morris, Gerald The Lioness and her Knight “Headstrong sixteen-year-old Lady Luneta and her distant cousin, Sir Ywain, travel to Camelot and beyond finding more adventure than they hoped for until, with the help of a fool, Luneta discovers what she really wants from life.”
Morris, Gerald Parsifal’s Page Another good one, this time Piers’ point of view as page to the wild man who wants to become a knight.
Papademetriou, Lisa Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me Allie Kimball starts sixth grade—her best friend who ditches her for a mean trendy girl (this part is very true-to-life, painful and complex)—Allie gains confidence on the soccer team and discovers that she does have the strength to be herself. Funny, sweet, and true.
Pennypacker, Sara Clementine Clementine is having not so good of a week.
Pinkwater, Daniel Mush’s Jazz Adventure Silly tale of Mush the mushamute alien dog frightening robbers with saxophone music.
Pullman, Philip The Scarecrow and His Servant The daffy, quixotic Scarecrow and his sensible boy servant, Jack, set off on a variety of adventures and eventually outwit the crooked Buffaloni family to stake their claim to the Scarecrow’s home, Spring Valley.
Raskin, Ellen The Westing Game Reread. Still good.
Saunders, George The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip Very fun, weird, somewhat obnoxious parable with pix by Lane Smith. Anna loved it.
Shulevitz, Uri The Travels of Benjamin of Tudela: through three continents in the twelfth century Fascinating and gorgeous. Benjamin wrote about his travels, and Shulevitz recreated some of them and set them in their medieval context to write this book.
Singh, Vandana Younguncle Comes to Town
Stanley, Diane Bella at Midnight A quite good Cinderella retelling, with some Joan of Arc thrown in. Bella’ widowed father can’t abide the sight of his infant daughter and sends her to be raised by peasants, where she happily befriends everyone, including the young prince squiring up at the rustic castle. When her father reclaims her, she “finds herself caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life and the kingdom forever.” Told from several points of view.
Stauffacher Harry Sue j STAUFFACH Excellent, if gritty. “Although tough-talking Harry Sue would like to start a life of crime in order to be "sent up" and find her incarcerated mother, she must first protect the children at her [awful], neglectful grandmother's home day care center” and figure out how to do right by her best friend, Homer, who basically lives in his tree house after being paralyzed in a diving accident. Friendship with Homer’s wacko home health aide, Anna, and with the substitute art teacher, a Sudanese “Lost Boy” she calls Baba, also helps.
Stewart, Trenton Lee The Mysterious Benedict Society After passing a series of peculiar tests advertised in the paper, four apparently orphaned and certainly gifted children are selected for Mr. Benedict's secret mission, which requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where a creepy madman is intent on taking over the world by broadcasting messages of unrest into people's minds via TV. Tone: Measured and just a bit old-fashioned, but funny and odd.
So Yesterday (Scott Westerfeld) Mystery involving a teen “cool-hunter.” Had potential but fell flat.
White, E.B. The Trumpet of the Swan By turns funny, absorbing and painfully dated, with a casual attitude toward plot inconsistencies. Still a good read-aloud.
Wolfson, Jill What I Call Life Cal Lavender’s mother had an episode in a library and now she finds herself in a group foster Home – a temporary interruption in what she calls life. Mainly features the allegorical tale told by the Home’s old, stuttering, wise patrona, the Knitting Lady, about her own mother’s journey on an orphan train. Rather clunky.
Woodson, Jacqueline Hope is the thing with feathers, and this slight book is a musing upon belief, hope, daily life and the differences and bridges among us. It is told in the form of a story set in 1971 about Frannie, the new white-looking kid in her 6th grade class everyone's calling Jesus Boy, her religious best friend, her worry over her mother's pregnancy (others have ended tragically), and her relationship with her family, including her deaf older brother. Very meditative.
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