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Whittington Whittington is really three stories in one book. It’s about Dick Whittington, his famous cat, and his travels in the 1300s. His story is told in the barnyard by a cat named Whittington. It’s also about the animals in that barnyard, led by a duck named the Lady, and how they solve problems and get along with each other. The animals interact with two children, Abby and Ben, who visit the barn every day with their grandpa, Bernie. The last story is about how Ben learns to read with the help of the animals, his sister, and a teacher. There were many lessons within each of the stories. As Ben learns to read, he needs to be consistent and confident, and that was also true of Dick Whittington and the animals in all they did. Each chapter contains parts of each story, and the author switches from the past to the present easily. The children and the animals are always there to hear Whittington’s storytelling. There is a continuous stream of more and more characters added to the plot as Dick’s story is told and as more animals join the barnyard crew. Whittington’s story will hold your attention, too, as it’s filled with adventure and some history. |
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Where the Great Hawk Flies On Daniel Tucker’s 13th birthday in 1782, he finds out he has new neighbors—neighbors who don’t like Native Americans. Daniel’s father is white, while his mother is a Pequot Indian. Many Native Americans were involved two years before in a raid that took several white men and Pequots who did not like the ideas of the Native Americans siding with the British. Hiram is a boy who, before he got to know the Tuckers, despised Indians. When he meets Daniel and his grandfather, Hiram calls them injuns. Daniel’s grandfather scolds, “Yellow Hair, you must not use that word around us.” When Hiram gets stung by bees and Pequot Indian Mrs. Tucker cures him, he gives respect to the Indians. The great hawk, actually a red-tailed hawk, led Daniel, his sister, Rhoda, and his mother to a cave during the raid. That same hawk flew overhead and showed Hiram where to hide in a hollow log during the raid. Later, the great hawk appears just before Daniel’s grandfather and a mysterious stranger arrive, eventually drawing Daniel and Hiram close in friendship. |
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The Penderwicks A cast of characters, each distinct, makes The Penderwicks a memorable reading experience. Subtitled A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, this might be compared to Little Women, but it is quite modern in its sensibility. Jeffrey's (the Very Interesting Boy's) mother and the primarily self-centered mother's boyfriend are threatening military school to rid themselves of this weight in their Beautiful People lifestyle. While the plot may be familiar, the Four Sisters are completely drawn characters, each of whom has a sadness about the death of their mother. The girls' father is loving but distracted by his passion for botany. The oldest, Rosalind, is twelve and wishes to take care of her family in the way her mother would have wished. Skye is a rambunctious, curious, rebellious tomboy. Jane is the artist and writer, content with delicious words and making up stories. Batty, the youngest, is shy and misses her mom the most. The Two Rabbits have a paw in pulling her out of her shell. It's an active story, with at least two or three gasps while reading. Birdsall is a charming writer and this is an old-fashioned yet modern story. |
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Flush When Noah's father wages a protest against a local floating casino by sinking it, Noah visits his father in jail. It isn't the first-time his dad has done something like this. There's a history of activism. Well, that's one way of looking at it. The newspaper and the police chief think of it as hotheadedness and criminal activity. Noah and his sister Abbey tend to think their dad was right. Dusty Muleman, owner of the Coral Queen, is dumping raw sewage into the ocean. They set out to prove that their dad is right by sneaking down to the docks late at night and observing the crew. They take into their confidence a bartender from the boat, try to figure out where the missing Lice might be, and who the mysterious stranger is that rescues Abby from Dusty's hooligan son and his cronies. A mystery with an enivornmentally-based plot, Flush is non-stop action with smart dialogue, smart kids, and a roundly satisfying conclusion. There's plenty to laugh about but just as much to gasp over ... Hiassen has created another winner to follow Hoot. |
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King of Shadows When Nat Field is chosen to be part of The Company of Boys, a faithful recreation of the men's acting troupes in Shakespeare's time, he is delighted. On the stage, he can step outside his own uncomfortable life. In fact, he'd like to be on stage all the time. When a strange set of circumstances pulls him into the past, Nat finds himself treading the boards beside the real Will Shakespeare, acting as part of the Elizabeth England acting troupe for which Shakespeare wrote and acted. Cooper's descriptions and attention to sensory detail are so rich that the reader can't help but be immersed in the era and the life of the theatre. This reader particularly enjoyed the play within the play within the book, Midsummer Night's Dream. If one is familiar with the play and the role that Nat plays, that of Puck, then the descriptions bring the Dream to life. If one does not know the play, there is enough subtle introduction that the play becomes the thing. It is fascinating to think of an audience first seeing this play, set in its political context, full of cultural innuendo that goes over our heads today. Susan Cooper is an excellent writer. Her Dark is Rising series remain one of this reader's favorite set of books of all time. While King of Shadows doesn't have the breadth of that series, it is a nifty book that will enlighten, entertain, and entrance you. |
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Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Although they always say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, the cover of this book is so well keyed to the story that one could be forgiven for doing so. From the spiritual tether of the whales to the smothering effects of a small town in Maine that is fearful of change, this book is a page-turner. Mr. Schmidt based his novel on actual events and he humanizes the story with such multidimensional characters that one never knows what to expect next from the story. Lizzie Bright is a free spirit and sensible girl who keeps Turner Buckminster from heading for "the Territories," his mental haven for escaping from the life of a preacher's son. His parents, Lizzie's grand-father, the residents of Malaga Island, the townspeople who are riled up by a man set on turning Phippsburg into a tourist mecca, the unpredictable Mrs. Cobb, and the ultimately repressed Mrs. Hurd are characters who might live in any town in America. By creating them in Phippsburg, Gary Schmidt has written a book that cannot help but make us look at the people around us in a different way. |
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Each Little Bird That Sings Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger seems to be obsessed with death, but then it's no surprise — her family has run a funeral home for years and years. She's used to putting on her funeral clothes and joining the mourners, helping her mother arrange flowers, writing obituaries for the local newspaper that the editor doesn't run, reminding Comfort that newspapers only print facts, not the wild ramblings in her eulogies to the departed. When her unbearable young cousin Peach tips the emotional applecart at several funerals, Comfort decides she wants nothing to do with him. Her best friend, Declaration Johnson, is suddenly embarrassed by Comfort's family and wants to hang around with the popular girls. This would be hard enough, but Comfort's Great-Uncle Edisto and Great-Great-Aunt Florentine, both residents at Snowberger's, die within a few months of each other. They've been an integral part of Comfort's family and loss takes on a different meaning. Each Little Bird That Sings is a thoroughly enjoyable book that looks at the deeper meanings of life, quickly paced, with a Southern flavor, and a tense climax. |
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Kingdom Keepers Five Orlando teens are chosen by Disney to become DHIs, Disney Host Incteractive or Daylight Hologram Imaging, recorded holograms who take Disney World guests on tours and answer their questions, seeming almost alive. When the teens are pulled from their dreams back to Disney World at night, they discover that they must fight a growing evil, the Overtakers, who are threatening the safety of not only Disney World but the world at large. Filled with tension, surprises, oohs and aahs, this fast-paced novel will interest those who have been to Disney World for its behind-the-scenes look at familiar terrain and those who enjoy fantasy novels. A sequel is most certainly on its way, so fans of series books will enjoy them, too. |
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