What a fun book! It reminds me so heavily of books I would have read and loved as a kid! It felt very like revisiting my own childhood.
One of my favorites as a kid was The People of Pineapple Place and I have since discovered that no one else I know has read them. This series has that same magical feel.
Genre: Fantasy
AR level: 5.2
Grade appropriate: 3rd grade and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- So fun! Even as an adult I want to live in this book.
Creativity: 5/5-- We have often wanted to escape our own reality and have an adventure but I never would have thought of this approach. I love that it happens in a museum. Again a reminder of The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
Characters: 5/5-- I truly liked Jack and Ruthie and would have wanted to be their friend.
Engrossing: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Appeal to kids: 5/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
~~~
I expected this one to be a spin-off of 39 clues but it seems to be truly different. It feels very like many other time-travel books, reminding me of a cross between an older Magic Treehouse and Margaret Petereson Haddix's The Missing series.
It will be interesting to read the rest in the series and see how they feel, all being written by different authors. I love this about the 39 clues because when I read one I particularly liked I would look for more by that author. I met several of my current favorites this way.
Genre: Science Fiction (although it could cross-over into Historical as well.)
AR level: 5.3
Grade appropriate: 4th and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 3/5-- I read this one quickly but not because I particularly loved it, but because it was so short.
Creativity: 4/5--It's so similar to many other middle-grade fiction right now. I'll have a hard time distinguishing it in my memory when some time has passed.
Characters: 3/5--I liked Sera most. Dak was ok, but Riq was just annoying.
Engrossing: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Appeal to kids: 3/5-- I've had this series for a while and even with the computer game element to it the kids just aren't reading them like I expected. So I thought I'd better read it and see what's up. I must say I agree with their lack of interest. There are too many great books in the world to read things that aren't that great.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5-- short is it's best selling point.
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: mild, the kids are captured at the beginning, but nothing really bad happens to them.
Drugs/Alcohol: none
~~~
This book was so interesting, especially in retrospect. I had a hard time getting through it, but as soon as I was through I began to think and talk about how good it was and what a unique perspective it gave on the 60's. I can't wait for my mom to read it and tell me what she remembers about this time in history.
Genre: Historical Fiction
AR level: 4.4
Grade appropriate: 3rd grade and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 3/5-- It was slow and I wasn't all that in love with Franny or her family.
Creativity: 5/5-- I liked seeing the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis from a 4th grader's perspective.
Characters: 3/5-- Selfish and while they do grow less so as the book goes on, I had a hard time connecting with them.
Engrossing: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Appeal to kids: 3/5
Appropriate length to tell the story: 4/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none, parents smoke as does everyone else in the 60's.
~~~
I was so surprised by this book. I have had it on my "to-read" list for a while, but didn't have high hopes for it. When I finally picked it up I was so impressed. It's a classic. Originally published in 1954.
It is a ghost story but such a delightful one. There is one truly scary point, but it all ends happily.
Genre: Fantasy
(I'll probably put it in Scary in our library since I try to be sensitive about ghosts and zombies and the like.)
AR level: 5.3
Grade appropriate: 4th and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 5/5-- I loved this book and finished it in two days.
Creativity: 5/5-- I loved the creepy, cozy old house where Mrs. Oldknow lives and I wanted to slip inside the pages and read by her fire.
Characters: 5/5-- Loved Tolly and Mrs. Oldknow, as well as the old grounds keeper
Engrossing: 5/5
Writing: 5/5-- Beautiful
Appeal to kids: 3/5-- Being so old it will be a hard sell, but I know a few who will read it just because I suggest it and they can start the buzz about it.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
~~~
This book deals with some serious issues. The children's dad dies before
the book starts and their house is being foreclosed on by the bank.
They are all dealing with their own selfishness and when they end up in
Falling Bird the selfishness begins to have a spotlight on it. Each
child has to decide what to do when presented with everything they've
ever wanted. In the end it's action-packed, Enough to satisfy our kids who are not ready for the Divergent series but want it so bad.
Genre: Fantasy
AR level: 4.9
Grade appropriate: 4th grade and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 4/5-- Good story with a great moral. The kids all find out what they are made of and who matters most to them.
Creativity: 5/5 Very detailed story and very unusual.
Characters: 4/5-- I liked the characters although India takes a LONG time to come around.
Engrossing:
5/5-- I listened to this one on audio and the last disc was missing. I
found the paper copy in our library to finish it.
Writing: 5/5
Appeal to kids: 4/5-- Kids are going to have a little harder time sinking their teeth into this one.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none
