Book Notes

This is the sequel to Spinelli’s wildly popular Stargirl. This book is from Stargirl’s point of view, from her new home in Pennsylvania. She is writing “the world’s longest letter” to Leo, the boyfriend who broke her heart in Arizona.

This book is filled with quirky characters who make Stargirl seem quite average. And I didn’t like that about this one. I want Stargirl to be the sweetest and the most unusual. I also wanted her to not be so broken up about Leo. Sure he broke her heart, but isn’t the essence of Stargirl to be satisfied with who you are? Still, a good read if you miss Stargirl and want to check in on what she is doing now.

I just re-read Frindle for our book club, and I couldn’t believe that it is already 11 years old! This book has been a favorite with so many people. I love Nick, and I really love Mrs. Granger. This is a quick, fun read about a Nicholas Allen who decides to create a new word for pen, and his teacher, who is determined to see the dictionary prevail. A fun, fun story for everyone.

I’m starting to really like Jennifer Holm. This book has become one of my favorites. It’s a novel that is told not by the typical paragraphs and chapters, but through stuff. Her report cards, notes left on the refrigerator by her mother, receipts from her purchases at the drugstore, and the occasional clipped out horoscope. Put it all together and you get a great story.

You’ll just have to trust me and dive in. It’s hilarious and sweet. A perfect book to just curl up with for an afternoon.

This is our second pick for 4th and 5th grade book club. I love Cynthia Rylant’s books, and this one in particular.

Ob and Summer are grieving from the loss of May, Ob’s wife and Summer’s foster mother. They neither one want to get out of bed in the  morning or go on and live their happy lives without her. Enter Cletus Underwood, the Bat Woman, and an owl flying through on silent wings. Life just may go on after all. Different, but just as precious as it was before.

It’s a small book, but has such a big story in it with lovely writing with a folksy narrative. A great book for sharing.

This is book one of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. I wish I had read it months ago. I was reluctant, but once I started I found a great fantasy.

Percy has been shuffled from school to school. He can’t seem to stay out of trouble. He’s dyslexic, so his grades aren’t so hot, and he has ADHD, so none of his teachers ever give him much of a chance. It turns out that there is a reason for this. He’s a demigod.

In this fantasy the myths of the Greek Gods are not just myths. They are real and very much alive today. And one of them is Percy’s dad. His Greek god roots are what make him dyslexic–he’s hard wired to read ancient Greek–and the ADHD is because his body is hard wired for battle.

After finding out that he is a demigod, Percy has to undertake a quest. Zeus’s master bolt has been stolen and if it is not returned by the summer solstice world war three will begin. It’s up to Percy and his friends to travel to the underworld, get it, and get back to Mount Olympus (located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building). This is non-stop adventure chock full of ancient monsters and ancient curses. A fun, fun book.

This is the first book that we are reading for our 4th and 5th grade book club. I enjoyed re-reading this. It’s been just long enough that I was starting to forget some of the details.

Do you believe in witches? Could you spot a witch if she were walking past you on the street? Our character’s grandmother can. She knows all about witches and tries to protect her grandson from them by giving him all the facts. However, the facts aren’t quite enough and when the boy is turned into a mouse, he needs his grandmother’s help to stop the witches from turning all the children of England into mice! Will they be able to stop them? Tell us what you think.

Vegetarian vampires living in New York City? You bet. Lexy, Hudson, and Maddie live in Manhattan with their parents. They are not your average school kids either. They are fruit-bat vampires, or they used to be in the Old World. As if being a kid isn’t hard enough, you should try being a kid who’s a vampire!

Hudson is trying to save the planet. Lexy is trying to get Dylan to notice her, and Maddie is convinced that the people across the street are blood-sucking vampires in disguise and must be stopped. And she will stop at nothing to prove it! All this while trying to look and act like a normal human being.

It’s funny and vampire-y and a perfect fall read. Hurry and check it out before Halloween–it may give you a few ideas.

I’ve been re-reading this book, and loving every minute of it. I’ve lost track of how many times I have read this over the years, but I never cease to be amazed at how fabulous it is. It’s a very timely reading too. Ms. L’Engle passed away while I was in the middle of reading her wonderful book.

Meg and Charles Wallace and Calvin. With the coming of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. What, the three children are whisked off on an adventure through time and space to rescue Meg and Charles’ father. If you are a fantasy or Science fiction lover, give this one a try. It’s well worth it.

I have been meaning to read this book for ages, especially since the sequel just came out. I’m glad I did.

Emily Windsnap lives on a houseboat with her Mom, but has never been swimming before. Not until she joins the 7th grade swim class. Once she hits the water she swims perfectly, and for good reason–she’s half mermaid! It’s illegal for merfolk and humans to marry each other, but that’s what Emily’s parents did. When found out, her father was imprisoned in Neptune’s underwater prison, and Emily’s mother had her memory erased. Can Emily save her Dad and make her mom remember? Will she get to swim freely as a mermaid, or will she always have to keep it a secret? A fun book for mermaid fans, and a great summer read.

I will say nothing. I’ll write what I think in the comments section. You too!

Well, here it is! The title for our first ever Live Together, Read Together program.

It all begins one rainy night with a stranger standing outside Meggie’s house. A stranger that her father knows, but has never mentioned. A stranger who does not call her father Mo, but Silvertongue. A stranger named Dustfinger.

From there, Meggie and Mo are packing up and leaving their house, heading south. Along the way Meggie begins to piece together what is so special about this book named Inkheart, why her father has never read out loud to her, and what might have happened to her mother ten years ago.

I am not a real lover of fantasy as a rule, but this book I could not put down. I love the idea, the writing, the adventure. Mo is one of my favorite characters in a long time. It took me awhile, but Dustfinger is too.

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I just finished re-reading this book for our last 4th and 5th grade book club. The last title was “group choice” and the students all suggested titles and voted, and I, Freddy was the winner.

I have enjoyed this book each time I read it. Freddy is funny, clever and resourceful. Being a golden hampster of above average intelligence, he is adopted from the pet store by a sweet, caring little girl named Sophie. However, Sophie’s mom is not a hampster lover and Freddy soon finds himself living with Mr. John, a neighbor. He couldn’t have landed in a more perfect home. You see, Freddy loves to read, and wants to learn to write. Mr. John has a house full of books, a cat who is willing to pull them off the shelf for Freddy to read, and a typewriter. Freddy thinks the typewriter is the perfect means for him to communincate. If only he can figure out how to press down on the keys….

This is such a cute book, originally published in Germany and then translated. There are 5 Freddy books in all, so if you like this one, keep reading!

Here is another terrific animal book. I’ve been on a lucky streak lately with my reading. Angus and Sadie are two Border Collies who are adopted as puppies by mister and missus to live with them on their farm in Maine.

The dogs each have a very specific personality. The writing is third person omniscient, so you know what everyone is thinking, including the dogs. All of their thoughts are in italics. At first they are cute, loveable puppies who get in a lot of trouble. Then they grow up and learn how to be good sheep dogs and good pets. I laughed out loud several times.

I feel a little bad for Sadie. Several time mister and Angus think that she is a slow learner, or not a good sheep dog. She’s actually great at both, she just does things differently. It takes most of the book, but eventually everyone else catches on. The story is sweet and funny, the drawings are perfect. Even the chapter titles are cute. A must read for anyone who likes dogs, farms, Maine or any animal stories.

I just finished reading the sweetest book in the world. Toes is a very unusual cat. He has seven toes on each foot instead of five. His litter mates don’t want anything to do with him, afraid that they will “catch extra toes” so he heads off one night to find a place of his own.

Not only does Toes have double paws, he is extremely intelligent. He can turn on the t.v., he loves to listen to classical music, and he understands almost everything that people say. He winds up a stray cat in Sebastian Crabbe’s house. Sebastian is a very accomplished violin player, and loves having a cat around for an audience as much as Toes loves to listen to the beautiful music.

But Sebastian also has a problem. He would love to play with the Philharmonic, but he doesn’t have the confidence he needs. Toes has a plan though. And despite the fact that he is now up there in years, he will do what it takes to bring the Philharmonic to Sebastian’s house.

Of all the books I’ve read recently, this is one of my favorites. Toes is the sweetest, nicest cat. And his gentle nature makes him friends with mice, a dove, and of course, Sebastian.

We finally got some snow the other day. A decent foot. After spending about four hours on Saturday shoveling, we got to go cross country skiing on Sunday. We went to our favorite rail trail where no one had spent any time removing snow from the parking lot. Since you are not allowed to park on the street, we did what any reasonable person would do. We drove into the parking lot. Other people had clearly been there before us, there being tire tracks. But apparently they all have much heftier vehicles than I do. We got stuck in the snow. And no amount of spinning the tires or spinning the tires while rocking the vehicle helped. There was no one around to help us so we had to figure out what to do ourselves.

Then, I remembered my favorite sleuth getting out of a similar muddy situation. Nancy once got stuck in the mud. Being in a constant state of preparation for any disaster she was far better equipped always carrying burlap sacks in her trunk. Too bad we don’t have any burlap sacks, I thought. They provide just enough traction to get the tires up and out of the slick crater they’ve embedded themselves in. I looked down. I have floor mats. “Hey, let’s use the floor mats!” I shouted. “It worked for Nancy Drew.” I got one of those sideways, this is no time to talk about literature looks. But, I was firm. The car mats came out, secured under each front tire, and presto! Freedom.

What a wonderful feeling that is. I don’t ever want to hear anyone tell me that Nancy Drew is not a well-written series. Or that they don’t want their kids to read formula fiction, which is a fancy way of saying that the books are all the same, they just change the bad guy and the item to be solved. I don’t want to hear any of it. I could still be stuck out there fending off wild animals or something if I hadn’t read every single Nancy Drew between the ages of 10 and 12. I also might not know the words “predicament” or “titian.” Highly useful vocabulary.

I think I might just go home, open up my box of Nancy Drews and pull out The Moonstone Castle Mystery or The Mystery at Lilac Inn. They’re all so different it will be hard to decide.