Category Archives: Children’s

The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Noble
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I read this for my challenge book with non-human characters. This is the story of babies left with a childless old healer woman on a mountaintop. The woman’s name is Verity, and as one might expect, she can tell no lies. One … Continue reading

Posted in Challenges, Children's, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, NaNoWriMo, Paranormal, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Books of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau
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The City of Ember – I enjoyed this first installment in the popular dystopian YA series. It follows two teens, Lina and Doon, as they look for a way to save or escape their dying subterranean city. The story takes place … Continue reading

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The House of the Scorpion and The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer
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I first read The House of the Scorpion seven or eight years ago when my oldest was in elementary school. He decided, based on the cover and blurb, that this book looked like it would be his “most favorite book … Continue reading

Posted in Children's, Contemporary, Dystopian, Fiction, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

GUEST DORK: The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
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And now for a feature we haven’t had in awhile: a Guest Dork post! Today’s Guest Dork is a seven-year-old reader who participated in a schoolwide One School, One Book event on Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle. This book … Continue reading

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A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett
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First of all, I feel like I should say straight out that I really, really enjoyed this book. Remember that when you read the whining and complaining that will follow. It’s just what I do, I guess. This is such … Continue reading

Posted in Children's, Fiction | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry
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The Giver – Now, folks, THIS is what a dystopia should be…complex, controlled, dysphoric and incredibly, believeably real. Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory of his drab, gray, deprived community. He seems to have a special … Continue reading

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Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
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In this fast-paced sequel to Al Capone Does My Shirts, Moose Flanagan realizes he now must pay back the favor he asked of America’s number one incarcerated gangster. Uh-oh! The danger factor really amps up in this one when a … Continue reading

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Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
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I was surprised how much I liked this story about Moose, his autistic older sister Natalie, and their friends who live on the island of Alcatraz. This is a clearly unique and well-researched historical novel for kids and that is … Continue reading

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Everest series by Gordon Korman
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Filched these from the Christmas stash of one of my kiddos and figured they’d provide a nice break from the sometimes tedious Anna Karenina…always wanted to read them, so here goes 🙂 Everest Book One: The Contest Not bad. This … Continue reading

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Two Dorks, One Book: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
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  Michelle says: BLARGH. I hate when a series I love goes beyond the expected mid-series slump into boring and even begins to disappoint… I love love loved The Lost Hero, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. It made me go … Continue reading

Posted in 2 Dorks 1 Book, Children's, Fiction, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment