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Into the Woods Storm Just prior to their mother Zella’s untimely death (which coincided with the birth of their younger sister named Any), Storm receives a musical pipe from her with instructions not to “let it fall into the wrong hands.” Several weeks later, Storm and A strange man named Dr. DeWilde comes in search of the pipe. The children take to the woods where they are surrounded by wolves. They are welcomed by the peculiar Bee Bumble at her home made of sweets (where children are lulled by the smells and treats and where Dr. DeWilde appears). A now chubby Baby Any is taken away from this place, and the sisters must find their sibling quickly! A dangerous escape takes them to Netta Truelove and her mystifying cottage where they learn of the legend of the Pied Piper and a frightening lady named Mother Collops who can help them save Any. Filled with adventure, twists, mystery, fairy tale snippets and whispers, and treacherous exploits, the story entices readers to accompany Storm on her journey. Intriguing chapter titles and perfectly placed artwork add to the excitement. |
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The Neddiad One of the best things about Pinkwater’s fiction for older readers is how he turns the adult world of the recent past into an intriguing amusement park for his young characters to stumble upon and meander through. In midnight movie theaters, coffee shops, outdoor beer gardens, and comic book stores, his pudgy, amiable protagonists encounter beatniks, fat men from space, and other likable oddballs, much as Mary Poppins navigated through Edwardian London to have tea with people who occasionally floated on the ceiling. Shrewd Pinkwater aficionados who know his autobiographical material will realize the truth in his fiction; these tales are Pinkwater’s childhood, give or take some stretching. The Neddiad follows Neddie Wentworthstein on the Super Chief, a train ride from “Up to now, all my adventurers had been either small or completely imaginary,” Neddie confesses, but travel changes all of that. There’s the wonder of southwestern topography and history flying by outside the train window, and the enchantment of words like pinochle, and the Neddie soon befriends Seamus Finn, son of a movie star, and Billy the Phantom Bellboy, a ghost with surprisingly human manifestations. Neddie ends up going to the same military school as Seamus. They hook up with Yggdrasil Birnbaum—Iggy for short—and the three of them join forces (while eating lots of donuts) against Shlomos, who tricking them, makes off with the turtle, hoping to destroy the world. Earlier Pinkwater books often suffered because the patched-together finale rarely lived up to the dynamite opening. But true to Pinkwater’s declaration that this is one of his best books ever, it is, because the conclusion is as satisfying as it’s premise. With the help of Melvin the Shamen (and a drop-by visit from Fat Men from Space—watch for them!) the ending moves into the metaphysical realm, through the workings of indigenous American magic, a combined power of the landscape with the people and creatures that inhabit it. |
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No Shame, No Fear “Elizabeth Thorn? Your husband stands convicted of nonpayment of church tithes, being one-tenth of all your income, and in default of payment I am empowered to distrain upon your goods.” Set in 1662, Ann Turnbull’s novel No Shame, No Fear is the story of Susanna, a Quaker girl living in Shropshire, England and William, the wealthy young man who falls in love with her. Susanna’s father is sent to prison for refusing to pay church tithes. When the bailiff arrives to confiscate all their possessions, she realizes that her family will be destitute if she doesn’t find work. Before long, she travels to nearby Hemsbury where she finds a position as a servant for Mary Faulkner, a widow with a prosperous printing business. William has finished his education and returned to Hemsbury to consider the next step for his career, an apprenticeship in When Susanna and William’s commitment to each other faces opposition from their parents, friends, society and even the law, can it survive? Can Susanna trust this young man? Can William face society’s ridicule and remain trustworthy? No Shame, No Fear is a middle grade novel set in seventeenth century |
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Bearwalker The opening passage sets the tone for this exciting, suspenseful page-turner. A journal entry states, “I’m not bleeding so much now I have to keep my eyes and ears open. Otherwise he might creep up on me.” This prologue also includes a Mohawk legend about the Bearwalker, a monstrous bear who takes the shape of a man to lure humans. Once in the woods, Bearwalker turns back into a bear, devours its victim and sleeps on their bones. This sets up the story of Baron, the shortest kid in 8th grade, a frequent target of bullies, and a member of the Mohawk Bear Clan. He’s fascinated by bears and hopes to see one while on a school trip to Camp Chuckamuck in the Adirondacks. The campers are soon faced with danger when they are isolated from the outside world and learn that the camp staff members aren’t who they pretended to be. What’s worse, an actual Bearwalker might be in the area. Baron shows courage by racing into the woods to get help, even though he’s wounded by one of the bad men. Baron realizes the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for,” when he finds himself between a mother bear and her cubs. As if that situation isn’t dangerous enough, the Bearwalker has picked up his trail. Young readers won’t be able to tear themselves away from the second half of the book as most chapters end with a cliff-hanger. Joseph Bruchac has added another wonderful thriller for fans of his books The Skeleton Man and The Dark Pond. |
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Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac What choices would you make without memory to guide you? Gabrielle Zevin, author of the intriguing and poignant “Elsewhere,” posits this and other tantalizing questions in “Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac.” At one week old, Naomi Porter was found in a typewriter case in an Eastern Orthodox Church in Now a high school junior in Who was her boyfriend? Who did she sit with at lunch? Who was her father’s girlfriend? Navigating a new world with an old map, Naomi pieces together her former life as she makes choices in a world with few landmarks. The daughter of Dad’s soon-to-be-bride sums up the four years of loss with casual disregard: “Well, those years suck anyway.” Did they or not? Naomi needs to know her past and present selves in relation to her ex-boyfriend (“in love with a haircut), new boyfriend (“not having pasts was something we had in common”), best friend and family. It’s a rich ride. |
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When Heaven Fell Nine-year-old Binh’s life is difficult. Instead of going to school, she sells fruit and soda to other schoolchildren and villagers. She returns home each evening to the one-room house her family shares with her maternal grandmother, Ba Ngoai. When Ba Ngoai tells the family about Thao, the daughter she sent out of the country to be adopted by American parents in the wake of the Communist takeover of Reality for Binh’s family and her eldest aunt clash from the moment Thao arrives in the village. The author shares Binh’s expectations and the actual events of her aunt’s visit in a reflective and endearing manner. The gifts of dresses and CD players Binh hoped to receive are far from the heart-shaped blue stone, printed with the word WONDER, that Thao gives to her. Thao’s refusal to sleep in the family home between her niece and half-sister is incomprehensible to Binh, who is so accustomed to the warmth and closeness of her family. When Thao questions the necessity of an ancestral house, Binh defends the custom. For her part, Thao protects herself from the drinking water and foods that might make her ill, never quite understanding how she is offending her Vietnamese family. Her family realizes with disappointment that indeed, she is not a rich teacher who will pay their rent, buy them a refrigerator, and take them from the poverty of their country. Throughout the disappointments and mismatched opinions, Binh’s truthful thoughts resonate believably. What Binh and Thao do understand about each other is their shared sense of wonder, their mutual love of education and learning, and their common desire to discover more about each other’s countries. For Binh, hearing Thao’s stories about when the bombs were dropped on her country as a child, when heaven fell, helps her to comprehend her aunt’s life. Their bond as aunt and niece grows into respect for their needs and differences. A helpful glossary and pronunciation guide follows the author’s note, which tells about the four thousand Vietnamese children who left the country in 1975 and were adopted by families in the |
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A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray “When Bone and I had been alive long enough for the moon to change from a disk to half a disk, our eyes and ears opened, and my world slowly became clear to me.” Squirrel, a dog and also the narrator of Ann Martin’s delightful book A Dog’s Life, was born in a wheelbarrow inside an old abandoned shed. For the first few months of her life, she and her brother Bone are taught all the skills necessary to survive as strays. Then one morning Squirrel “saw Bone and three of the shed cats, and a mouse poking its head out of a flowerpot, but no Mother. [She] knew that [Mother] was not going to come back at all.” Bone decides to leave the safety of the shed. Squirrel refuses to be left behind and bravely follows him into a terrifying and unknown world. Through the cruelty of one man, Squirrel and Bone are eventually separated and she is forced to continue on alone. Along the way, Squirrel encounters the changing seasons, humans both good and bad and several helpful animal friends. But no matter where she goes or what she does, Squirrel seems destined to live in world that is hostile toward a stray dog. Martin’s book is written for middle to late elementary school aged kids. It is perfect for reluctant readers, whether they are male or female. It is also perfect for any voracious reader. They will absorb every word on every page. In a time when books seem to be moving from one traumatic plot to another, I found rest in the pages of this sweet tale of courage, love and most of all, hope. |
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Tarantula Power Richard is upset that his classmate Kevin is picking on a second-grader named Sam. He is also perturbed to learn that their teacher made Kevin his “Invent a Cereal” project partner. Richard tries different tactics to make Kevin stop picking on Sam, but eventually gets inspiration from the classroom pet, a tarantula named Ruby, in helping Sam confront his tormentor. This is a good book for 3rd and 4th grade readers to learn how to deal with bullying. Realistically, not all of Richard’s efforts to thwart Kevin work. For instance, when Kevin steals Sam’s brownies, Richard tricks Kevin into eating a brownie that has crickets in it. Kevin, in turn, puts crickets in Richard’s peanut butter sandwich and continues to pick on Sam. It’s not until Richard helps Sam and other bully victims develop Tarantula Power for courage cooperation that Kevin backs down. Author Nagdo does a nice job of creating fully developed characters, particularly Kevin, and not becoming didactic or simplifying the topic of bullying. |
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