The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

Reviewed by:Bronwen, age 8

the Magic Finger because it was pretty easy to read. It has no chapters at all. It is fantastic! There is so much imagination! 
It is by Roald Dahl, so it is amazing! when I read it changed my life with stories ! 

Genre: Fiction  

Setting: the Country

Introduction:the  Magic Finger is about a girl who has a magic finger and turns her friends into birds! They  make a nest and live in it then three giant ducks come and start living in their house!

 

Themes: Family, Friendship, 

Recommended Age: 7 and up, younger for read alouds

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books: The BFG,  The Twits, The Witches, and    George's Marvelous  Medicine, Matilda, James and The Giant Peach, and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory!

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Reviewed by: Bronwen, age 8 

I think you will love this book. It made me want to read more! It helps me want to be nicer to my siblings and family members.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Giant Country and London, England

Introduction: A little girl named Sophie meets a friendly giant. He takes her to his home and she finds out that the other giants are much taller than her friendly giant. The other giants are also bullies who like to eat children. Sophie and the BFG try to trap the other giants so that they won't eat any more children.


Themes: Friendship, kindness, bullies, friends can be different

Recommended Age: 7-11

Rating: 5 stars

Other books : The Magic Finger, The Twits, The Witches, and    George's Magical Medicine, Matilda, James and The Giant Peach, and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Reviewed by: Bronwen, age 8

I love this book because it inspires me to read more. My favorite characters are Hermione and Harry because they are smart and brave. I like Dumbledore because he is funny and wise and intelligent. I hope you love this book.

Genre: fiction

Setting: present-day England

Introduction:

Harry Potter is a eleven year old  boy who lives  with his horrible aunt  and uncle, but one day, his life changes ...

Themes: family, bravery, smart is good, magic

Recommended Age: 8 and up

Full Disclosure: none

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Pottery and the Deathly Hallows

The Alchemist

Reviewed by: Henry, Age 13

A wonderful book with great life lessons.

Genre: Allegory

Setting: Asia (mostly)

Introduction:

A young shepherd is having the same dream about the pyramids and treasure over and over. While in a town, he meets a strange man who claims he is a king. He inspires the boy to follow his dream and find his treasure. Along the way he learns great lessons.

Themes: Personal goals, greatness, happiness, learning, destiny, wisdom, and other things.

Recommended Age: 11 and up.

Full Disclosure: nothing

Rating: 5 stars

Freedom Factor by Gerald R. Lund

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This book was a great read. The speculation of an America with no Constitution was interesting and eye-opening. This book was written in the 80s and it's startling to compare times then to times now, even with the Constitution. It also gave important insight into political corruption and how politicians use each other. The protagonist's controversial political views are also interesting, and I found myself wondering if some people who read this book today would think that the amendment his party proposes in the beginning would be a good one to actually add to the Constitution, and have to read the rest of the book to learn why it would not be.

Genre: fiction

Setting: America

Introduction:

Bryce Sherwood is a dedicated proponent of the 29th amendment bill, proposed to "give government  back to the people." It would allow congress to pass a vote of no-confidence in the president and oust him if he creates an impasse between the legislative and executive branches. Sherwood does not realize how this affects the system of checks and balances, and believes the Constitution should be updated. But then he meets Leslie Adams-- a member of the Save the Constitution group and an outspoken opponent of the bill. Despite their differences, they find themselves falling in love. But Bryce hasn't changed his mind in the least, and so drastic measures are taken. Nathaniel Gorham, a little-known founding father from Massachusetts, comes from the spirit world to show Bryce the error of his ways. Gorham gets into Bryce's personal life-- he appears on Good Morning America in an episode only he can see, he shows up at dinner during an important speech he attends, and ultimately ruins his relationship with Leslie, all the time attempting to teach and lecture him about the bill's effects and the importance of the Constitution. When all else fails, Gorham transports Bryce to an alternate reality. Bryce doesn't know why things are so different: the police are so oppressive, the borders are different (the original colonies are no longer part of the United States) and the Declaration of Independence has a death sentence attached to it. When Bryce finally finds Gorham again, he learns the horrible truth about the universe he has been roughly ejected into: the Constitution of the United States was never ratified.

Themes: know when you're being used, the Constitution is vital to freedom, checks and balances hold the entire Constitution together

Recommended Age: 13

Rating: 5 stars

Margaret's Corner

Margaret is our sunshiny 6-year-old. She just finished kindergarten and loves books. We try to find books that are well-written but still at her reading level. Here are a couple she has been reading this week:

Amelia Bedelia's tendency to take things literally makes as mess, which is always fun to see. The books also allow us to talk about different idioms and what they mean.

The Frances books by Russell and Lillian Hoban are so adorable. I loved her as a child, and I love reading the books to my kids. This one is at her reading level, so she's read to me! 

Of course everyone knows about Eric Carle. We love so many of his books, but she has been reading and re-reading this book lately, reminiscing about kindergarten.

Margaret says her favorite bedtime read-aloud is still James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl), even though Daddy has finished reading that one and has moved on to Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder).

All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown by Sydney Taylor

Reviewed by: Bronwen, age 8

I enjoyed this book even more than the first book in the series, and I read it faster. I think that the characters and their personalities came through and I began to feel like they were people that I know. 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: New York City, early 1900s

Introduction:

All-of-a-Kind Family is a family with five little girls, their mama and papa. They live in New York City and they are Jewish. They are kind to one another. Now they have a baby brother and they are all one year older than the first book.

Themes: loving families, working with each other, doing service, living your faith

Recommended Age: 7-9 years old, 5 and up for read-aloud

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  All-of-a-Kind Family, All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown, More All-of-a-Kind-Family, Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family

Author Spotlight: Jan Brett

One of our favorite author and illustrators is Jan Brett. Her work is mainly focused on retelling folk tales and fairy tales with incredibly rich and detailed illustrations. Young and old will enjoy snuggling together and reading aloud from these books, taking time to explore the margins, borders, and expressive characters. Some of our favorite Jan Brett books are:

You can explore Jan Brett's website together as well! 

What is your favorite Jan Brett book?

Nora's Picks of the Week

What's the 2 year old requesting lately? Here's what she's had on the docket all week:

If you haven't read this one yet, it is rather delightful. The poor little llama gets stuck running errands with his mama and hits his limit. Mama Llama keeps her cool and helps him see that shopping is a necessary evil sometimes. They work together to clean up the mess he has made, finish their shopping, and go get a treat together. We love the rhythm and rhyming in the book, and every 2 year old loves to read about a tantrum!

We have several of the BabyLit books because I just can't resist classic literature. I do wish that the books had more quotes from the original classics, but these introduce characters and are just fun.

We love all things Rosemary Wells around here-- in fact, Nora's name was nearly Rosemary! This one is a library book that we hadn't read before, but it is getting lots of mileage at the moment. 

Barefoot Books has some delightful offerings, including this one, which has been loved at our house since Henry was the baby. Nora loves to recite along with us, and to laugh at the naughty, out-of-place animals.

All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Talor

Reviewed by: Bronwen, age 8

This book is one of the best books I have read! I like that it's a family of all girls. It inspires me to be kind and more loving in my family, and to read more. I am also learning about Jews-- that they have different holidays, like Purim and Passover.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: New York City, early 1900s

Introduction:

All-of-a-Kind Family is a family with five little girls, their mama and papa. They live in New York City and they are Jewish. They are kind to one another. They sometimes do bad things but they correct them.

Themes: loving families, working with each other, doing service, living your faith

Recommended Age: 7-9 years old, 5 and up for read-aloud

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown, All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown, More All-of-a-Kind-Family, Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeliene L'engle

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

A great book that has science and fantasy. I haven't read it in a long time, so I can't remember some, but I remember it was good. With cool time travel ideas, strange worlds, and interesting characters. This was my mom's favorite book as a kid, and she loved a lot of books. Read it.

Genre: Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Setting: Other worlds

Introduction:

A girl's father has not returned. He has not returned from a secret mission. They do not know if he's dead, because the government hasn't told them. He may still be alive. Meanwhile, she is living with her mother and brother. When three strange old ladies come into their lives and offer to help find their father, the girl and her brother follow them on an adventure they never would have dreamed of.

Themes: Family, kids, courage, 

Recommended Age:  9 and up

Full Disclosure: nothing I can think of

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time

"Shouldn't You Be in School?" by Lemony Snicket

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

 The third book in the series, this one contains false accusations, mysterious organizations, faraway sisters, suspense, strangely familiar music and fires. Lemony Snicket has not even left Stain'd by the Sea and yet another strange thing has come up. There have been fires in the town and a teacher is convinced that school children are in danger. All along the way people keep being wrong. Wrong about masks,  wrong about melons, wrong about creatures, wrong about books, and wrong about Volunteer Fire Departments. With a few shocking secrets revealed. Amazing. I can't wait for the next.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Stain'd by the Sea

Introduction:

Hangfire is still at large, working up some evil plot, no doubt. Lemony Snicket is called to investigate arson, a word which here means someone set fire to something and everybody gets scared. Unfortunately, his associate is literally the worst. She solves the case all wrong. Can Lemony Snicket and his friends solve it before Hangfire wins?

Themes: Family, cleverness, friends, trust

Recommended Age: 10 and up

Full Disclosure: Nothing

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books: "When Did You See Her Last",  "Who Could that be at This Hour?", "Why is this Night Different from All Other Nights?"

"When Did You See Her Last?" by Lemony Snicket

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

Lemony Snicket has done it again with his witty jokes, strange mysteries, and even more odd characters, like two underage taxi drivers, two police officers who can't help bickering about everything, and a lady who is good with a knife. I loved it.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: A small not-seaside-anymore town called Stain'd-by-the-Sea

Introduction:

Another mystery has come up in Stain'd-by-the-Sea. A young scientist has gone missing. Lemony Snicket and his impossible chaperone, Theodora, are on the case. But Something else is brewing. Could this be connected to the Hangfire case?

Themes: Family, friends, cleverness solves the problem

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger if read aloud.

Full Disclosure: Nothing I can think of

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  "Who Could that be at This Hour?", "Shouldn't you be in School?", "Why is this Night Different from All Other Nights?"

The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzerald

Reviewed by Ian, age 10

I thought it was an entertaining book full of crazy deals that only Tom could pull off.

Genre: Memoir/autobiography

Setting: rural Southern Utah, early 1900s

Introduction: J.D.'s brother, Tom, can swindle a man of anything. when a new teacher beats Tom for no reason, everyone knows he will regret it... Stories here from John D. Fitzgerald's childhood with a large family. Tom charges all the kids in town to come see their new flushing toilet and finds other ways to live up to his nickname, The Great Brain.

Themes: Kid power, family, smart is good, country life

Recommended Age: 9-13

Full Disclosure: Nothing objectionable

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books: More Adventures of the Great Brain, Me and My Little Brain, The Great Brain at the Academy, The Great Brain Reforms, The Return of the Great Brain, The Great Brain Does It Again, The Great Brain is Back.          

Bad Guys of the Book of Mormon by Dennis Gaunt

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This book is an insightful book about the wicked men of the Book of Mormon. Dennis Gaunt discusses where the villains of the Book of Mormon went wrong, the parallels Satan still uses in our world today, and even how we ourselves are like these bad guys sometimes and what to do about it.

Genre: Nonfiction/faith

Setting: Book of Mormon/Present day

Introduction:

If you've ever wondered how the Book of Mormon is relevant to our day, then read this book. This book talks about infamous figures from the Book of Mormon such as Amalickiah, Omni, Akish and the Jaredites-- even Alma the Younger! In this book, you will realize that in our day there are still secret combinations, Nehors, spacious building-archetypes, and other traps that Satan uses against us. But this book isn't just a field guide to wickedness-- its purpose is to arm us against sin and corruption. The lessons in this book make it a weapon-- against the evil of the world. This book is essential for understanding the strategies of both sides in the war we are fighting against evil.

Themes: study the scriptures, follow the prophet, pay attention in seminary

Recommended Age: 11 and up

Full Disclosure:

This book is written mainly for pre-teens and teens-- you may want to simplify some things if you have little kids and want to use this in a family home evening lesson-- which I recommend.

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  Bad Guys of the Bible, Warning Signs, Feeding Consuela

Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

A preposterous storyline with a touching moral. This book is good if you like perfectly good plans which are thwarted  in silly ways, action, ponies, Where the Red Fern Grows, or monkeys.

Genre: Fiction

Setting: Modern Era, Cherokee country.

Introduction:

A young farm boy on Cherokee land is playing in the wooded ravine by his house when he sees something strange. A monkey! It yells at him and he gets out of there fast. When he talks to his grandpa, he learns that there is a reward for returning them to the circus they escaped from. And it will be enough buy a pony, which he has dreamed of riding for quite a while. But catching a monkey turns out to be harder than he thought...

Themes: Determination, Family love, Cleverness, Caring for less fortunate

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger if read aloud

Full Disclosure: The monkeys get him drunk at one point, but he feels terrible afterward

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  I don't think this is a series, but it is written by the same author as Where the Red Fern Grows.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, by J. R. R. Tolkien

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

This is a story about a little man who likes nothing more than to stay at home and live comfortably. Unfortunately the wizard has other plans. This book is good for all ages and can be read by younger audiences prior to introduction to Lord of the Rings, or read after Lord of the Rings and treated as a prequel. Both are classics.

Genre: Fiction

Time Period: Unspecified medieval period

Introduction:

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit. A hobbit is a short creature who looks human except for his height and his wooly feet. They also do not grow beards and their hair is always curly. They live in comfortable houses dug into hills (called hobbit-holes.) Bilbo is no exception; he lives in a rather nice hole and has a great dislike for adventures. One day a wizard called Gandalf arrives at his porch inquiring whether he should like to take part in a quest. Bilbo declines but invites him to tea, forgetting all about it until Wednesday when Gandalf is supposed to come. Being quite unprepared when someone he expects to be Gandalf arrives at his house, he is shocked to find that it is instead a dwarf. Soon more dwarves arrive and Gandalf with them, and Bilbo learns that the dwarves are on a quest, and that Gandalf has quite ignored his declaration that he does not wish to participate, and soon he is off on a journey to slay a dragon with thirteen dwarves, a wizard and a constant desire to be back in his hole and not attacked by goblins and wolves and trolls and a dragon and the like.

Themes: size matters not, don't underestimate yourself, don't invite strangers to dinner just because you've heard all about them

Recommended age: 10 and up, younger as a read aloud

Full Disclosure:

This book is a children's book and can be read to children under ten; however they probably will have trouble reading it themselves.

Rating: 5 stars

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

The Lord of the Rings is an epic saga about an unlikely hero and a band of questors who seek to destroy an evil ring. The book is imaginative and well written and a modern classic. It follows the adventures of four hobbits (short human-like people with hairy feet,) two men of high birth, a dwarf, an elf and a wizard as they fight orcs, wraiths, evil men and a vengeful degradation of nature intent on retrieving his precious ring at all costs.

Genre: Fiction

Time Period: Unspecified ancient period (Tolkien originally developed Middle-Earth to create a mythology for England)

Introduction:

Once upon a time, a hobbit named Bilbo went on an adventure. During this adventure, he was separated from his fellow adventurers and came across a creature called Gollum. Gollum was once a hobbit but had devolved beyond recognition. He possessed a magic ring, which Bilbo pocketed after finding it, and kept after Gollum found out and tried to murder him.

Years later, where the book begins, old Bilbo leaves his home after his 111th birthday, never to return, bequeathing all his possessions to his nephew Frodo. This includes the ring. Bilbo's wizard friend Gandalf explains to Frodo the origins of the ring: how it was forged by the dark lord Sauron, the war fought over it, and the powers it holds, and its evil nature necessitating its destruction, as well as how it fell into Gollum's hands and then Bilbo's.

Frodo leaves for the elven city Rivendell with three other hobbits (his devoted gardener Samwise and his two kinsmen Merry and Pippin) to hold council with Gandalf and Elrond to organize the quest to destroy the Ring, but along the way he is pursued by black agents of Sauron who cannot die...

Themes: size matters not, seek not for power, beware of lust/addiction/greed

Recommended Age: 12 and up

Full Disclosure:

This book is very long. The first part (about one-sixth of the book) is rather slow, but the action picks up after the council meeting, so don't give up on it before you finish the first volume. There are also many inconsistencies and continuity errors for canon-happy nerds to look for.

Rating: 5 stars

Other books: The Hobbit, The Silmarillion

"Who Could That Be at This Hour?" by Lemony Snicket

Reviewed by: Henry, age 13

For all those who enjoyed Lemony Snicket's humor in A Series of Unfortunate Events, this book is amazing. Almost thirteen year old Lemony Snicket is called on a mission to return an strange object. But who is the real owner? This is a crazy mystery with lots of humor and characters that only Lemony Snicket could invent (A word which here means: make up random things and decide they are amazing), including a condescending chaperone, a librarian who is bad at eavesdropping, a reporter for a newspaper that went out of business, and a bratty boy with a slingshot that he uses to shoot birds (and people sometimes). A great read.

Genre: Fiction

Time Period: present/recent past

Introduction:

Lemony Snicket, a boy with an interesting education, is trying to solve a mystery with his hypocritical and not too smart chaperone who always seems to avoid telling her first name. He is hired to return a small statue of something that looks like the most terrifying (a word which here means: spiky and deadly and freaky) seahorse which you can see at the top right corner of the cover page. It is a very strange town which mainly runs a ink business that's running out of ink and is next to a strange forest of seaweed which somehow manages to stay erect and thriving without water. And there is something suspicious going on.

Themes: cleverness solves the problem, promise keeping, family

Recommended Age: 10 and up, younger as read-aloud

Full Disclosure: Nothing comes to mind.

Rating: 5 stars

Other Books:  "When Did You See Her Last?", "Shouldn't You Be in School?", "Why is This Night Different From All Other Nights?" are the other books in the series.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Reviewed by: Michal, the mom (does age matter?)

This exquisite book was one that I wanted to immediately re-read once it was finished. It tells the story of its two main characters so beautifully and poignantly. The ending wasn't what I had hoped for, but did feel like the right ending, if that makes any sense. I am glad to have read it.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Time Period: World War II

Introduction:

The book tells the story of two people who seem completely unconnected, but artfully connects them throughout their experiences. One is an orphan boy growing up in Nazi Germany, the other a blind girl in Paris. The author jumps around in time and between the two characters, but it works.

Themes: family, light, overcoming, racism, war, 

Recommended Age: 14 and up

Full Disclosure:

There is occasional swearing and one minor character who makes a few crass (sexual) comments. There is some violence, although not as much as you would expect for a book about war. Some heavy content, thus the older recommendation.

Rating: 5 stars