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- Birds (National Audubon Society First Field Guides)
- This book is part of a series of guides designed for adolescents interested in natural history and nature. The books are an excellent introduction to the Rocks and Minerals, Birds, Wildflowers, and Insects for children aged 8-18. Each guide is appropriately sized to fit in a field vest pocket. Readers who remember previous versions of these field guides from the 1970s that were dull and overly detailed will be pleasantly surprised. These books are arguably the most beautifully photographed and laid out field guides yet published for young people. Each book has an introductory section filled with interesting facts, descriptions of early naturalists, definitions of many of the terms used in the book, and a guide to using the field guide portion of the book. Best of all, the books also come equipped with laminated field "cheat sheet" cards, for quick identification while on the go, in any kind of weather. Each field guide features 50 common species with photos and brief descriptions of many more regionally occurring birds. Brief discussions of threatened and endangered species are particularly valuable. Great first guides for children and adults with limited natural history background.
(Added: 24-Feb-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Dial-A-Ghost
- When little Oliver Smith inherits the gloomy mansion Helton Hall, his scheming cousins, the Snodde-Brittles, are determined to rid themselves of the orphan heir. They have a perfect plan. They will hire some terrifying ghosts from the Dial-a-Ghost Agency to scare the boy to death. But, as in any Eva Ibbotson novel, the fantastic creatures do not necessarily behave as expected-they are a little too human for that. Soon the ghosts, led by a mysterious girl spirit named Adopta, have joined with Oliver against his cousins. But they may have underestimated the depths of the Snodde-Brittles' evil....
The laughs and frights are thick in this spooky story, which is sure to join Eva Ibbotson's other books as classics of the genre.
(Added: 31-Aug-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- What makes the Harry Potter series so successful? Maybe it's the fact that J.K. Rowling doesn't write children's books, she writes children's stories, more in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm than Dr. Seuss. The exploits of Harry and his friends captivate even the shortest attention spans by engaging the imagination with vivid characters and fast-moving action, instead of trying to merely catch the eye with colorful pictures or pop-up effects.
(Added: 13-Aug-2000 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Mister Monday
- Dark fantasy writer Garth Nix expanded his readership with his excellent "Seventh Tower" series. Now he expands further, in a darker, grittier, more realistic fantasy set in our world, where a confused young boy has to escape dark forces that want to use him for their own ends -- or kill him.
Arthur Penhaligon has asthma. As a result, he ends up in the hospital regularly. But one day he encounters a strange man called Mr. Monday and his creepy butler, who leave him with a Key shaped like a minute hand and a little book with dancing letters. When he returns home after another stay in the hospital, Arthur finds that the Key seems to be attracting unwanted attention -- a statue of a Komodo dragon comes alive, and a winged man-dog tries to come into his house. What's more, a House has appeared -- one that is also inside the little book.
Soon Arthur is being pursued by more dog-faced Fetchers, and a strange plague is sweeping his town -- and somehow the Key is keeping him alive, even though he was supposed to die of an asthma attack. His answers lie inside the House. But what lies beyond it is like nothing in our world, where ghastly nithlings roam and the Piper's children run wild in the streets. And the sinister Mr. Monday wants the Key back.
Garth Nix takes his focus from high fantasy (such as the Abhorsen trilogy or the Seventh Tower series) to a more modern fantasy that takes place in our world. Though Arthur skips to another world, he's clearly from our own world. But Nix doesn't downplay his brand of horrific fantasy either; stuff that would seem silly for most other authors is magic in his hands.
As in his other books, he melds an exceptional, original fantasy world with elements of horror. The handling of the parallel world, the Will, Sneezer, and the Key and Atlas are all wonderfully woven together (not to mention the characters of Dawn, Dusk, Noon for each day, and so on). At the same time, we have the bloodwinged, silver-tongued Noon and the ugly Fetchers, not to mention the hideous nithlings. This is dark fantasy at its best.
Arthur is a likable kid, with an unusual problem (asthma). Like most of Nix's heroes, he's desperately running and searching, and learning from those ahead of him. Quirky Suzy is reminiscent of a Lloyd Alexander heroine. The writing is detailed, evocative, and never lags for a minute.
"Mister Monday" is another great book from Garth Nix, combining darkness and fantasy and leaving me eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. Brilliant.
(Added: 22-Aug-2003 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Ramona's World
- It's been a long wait (Ramona Forever was published in 1984), but Miss Quimby is back, and she's as feisty as ever. Now in the fourth grade, Ramona is adjusting to life as a big sister to baby Roberta, finding out what it means to have a best friend, and experiencing the very first twinges of romance with her old buddy, Yard Ape. Plot threads run through the whole book, but as in the earlier novels, each chapter is also a small story unto itself.
(Added: 13-Aug-2000 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Summer of My German Soldier
- When her small hometown in Arkansas becomes the site of a camp housing German prisoners during World War II, 12-year-old Patty Bergen learns what it means to open her heart. Although she's Jewish, she begins to see a prison escapee, Anton, not as a Nazi--but as a lonely, frightened young man with feelings not unlike her own, who understands and appreciates her in a way her parents never will. And Patty is willing to risk losing family, friends--even her freedom--for what has quickly become the most important part of her life. Thoughtful, moving, and hard-hitting, Summer of My German Soldier has become a modern classic.
(Added: 30-Jun-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Summer Reading Is Killing Me!
- Sam, Fred, and Joe--the Time Warp Trio--find themselves face-to-beak with a giant, 266-pound chicken ... who, unfortunately, looks hungry. As the chicken begins to chase them, the boys realize with horror that they are smack-dab in the middle of Daniel Pinkwater's The Hoboken Chicken Emergency! How did they get there? Fred accidentally stuck the school's summer reading list between the pages of "The Book"--a time-warping, green-mist-expelling book that triggers time travel in all of Jon Scieszka's well-loved Time Warp Trio action-adventures.
(Added: 30-Jun-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- The Halloween Tree
- Illustrated in black-and-white. Now back in print is the stunning contemporary classic by American literary treasure Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. Meet the mysterious Mr. Moonshroud, who leads eight boys on a journey back through the centuries to discover the real meaning of Halloween. Prose of exquisite beauty will send shivers of delight--and terror--through readers, who will want to take this trip over and over again, long after the last jack-o'-lantern has gone dark.
(Added: 17-Oct-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- The School Story
- Twelve-year-old Natalie Nelson has written a powerful school story. It's a short novel called "The Cheater," and her best friend Zoe is certain it should be published. All Natalie has to do is give the manuscript to her mom, an editor at a big publishing house. However Natalie doesn't want any favors from her mom. Still, Zoe won't drop the idea.
Spurred into action, Natalie invents a pen name for herself and Zoe becomes a self-styled literary agent. But if the girls are to succeed, they'll need support from their wary English teacher, legal advice from Zoe's tough-talking father, and some clever maneuvering to outwit the overbearing editor in chief of Shipley Junior Books.
Andrew Clements, the best-selling author of Frindle, The Landry News, and The Janitor's Boy, delights his audience with this story of two irrepressible girls who use their talent, ingenuity, and a little cunning to try to make a young writer's dream come true.
(Added: 4-Aug-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Trick-Or-Treat for Diabetes: A Halloween Story for Kids Living With Diabetes
- This charming story shows how a child living with diabetes can participate in Halloween activities. Fictional story that creatively gives the reader different ideas on how Halloween can be enjoyed. This book addresses the difficult questions (and gives solutions!)regarding school parties and trick-or-treating. A wonderful story for children. A terrific tool for parents, teachers, physicians, school nurses, caregivers, etc. Delightfully illustrated.
(Added: 17-Oct-2002 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Where the Sidewalk Ends
- From the outrageously funny to the quietly affecting 'and touching on everything in between'here are poems and drawings that illuminate the remarkable world of the well-known folksinger, humorist and creator of The Giving Tree.
(Added: 13-Aug-2000 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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- Witch Twins
- Ten-year-olds Claire and Luna are identical twins - and witches. Even though they can cast simple spells (with the supervision of their five-star-witch grandmother, Grandy), and know all sorts of cool magic, unfortunately no special charm can keep their divorced father from deciding to remarry. When he announces his engagement to Fluffy (her real name!), the girls are panicked that he'll move away to Fluffy's native Texas. Claire and Luna throw the problem into the brewing vats, and hope to come up with a good, smart, and tricky solution before the dreaded wedding...
(Added: 31-Aug-2001 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes:
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