BOOK DESCRIPTIONS

Books are listed alphabetically by title.

A Blue Eyed Daisy by Cynthia Rylant        ☺☺☺☺                                    

A Blue Eyed Daisy is about a girl whose father used to work in a coal mine but then he got hurt so he couldn't work anymore.  Now he drinks too much and his daughter feels like all the good times that they have had in their family have disappeared.  But then everything changes.  The father stops drinking, the girl makes a best friend, and life gets a little bit better, but there is no way you can have a perfectly good year -- bad things happen too.  This book is very meaningful and I loved it.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz        ☺☺☺☺1/2                  

A Drowned Maiden's Hair is about a girl who lives in an orphanage and then is adopted by three old women who are sisters.  They are "mediums" (they supposedly talk to the dead) and they make her help them pretend to be the ghosts.  The oldest sister really dislikes that they are cheating but the sisters really need the money so they keep doing it.  The book tells the story of how the girl eventually gets out of this problem.  The book is a great read and taught me a lot about mediums!

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett                   ☺☺☺☺                        

A Little Princess is about a girl, Sarah Crewe, who is sent by her father to Miss Minchin's boarding school in London.  Her father is very rich so Miss Minchin treats her like a little princess.  But then suddenly her father dies in India and everyone thinks he leaves no money for her.  Miss Minchin then starts treating her horribly and her life becomes miserable.  Sarah then meets someone changes her life forever.  If you haven't read this book, I would strongly recommend it -- it is a great adventure.

A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass                ☺☺☺☺1/2                       

A Mango Shaped Space is about a girl with synethesia, which is where every letter and number and sound has a different color for you.  The girl, Mia, at first thinks she is weird but then eventually meets other people with synethesia and people who help her start to appreciate her condition.  This book made me want to have synethesia myself -- it is so interesting!

Anatopsis by  Chris Abouzeid               ☺☺☺                              

Anatopsis is about a princess in a different world.  She is descended from a long line of famous witches and she herself has magical powers.  It is traditional in their family for her to train with a boy who will one day be king and Anatopsis will one day be queen.  This book has so many different stories and parts.  It was really exciting but also actually made me think of the dangers of pollution because the characters had to use their magic in order to have clean air and clean water.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park        ☺☺☺☺                               

A Single Shard is about a homeless boy who lives under a bridge in Korea with an old man named Crane-man.  The boy, Tree-ear, loves watching a famous potter do his work.  One day, the potter catches Tree-ear watching him and the potter, who is known for his terrible temper, yells at Tree-ear.  Tree-ear makes it up by helping the potter collecting clay.  This book tells an amazing story and won the Newberry prize.

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley            ☺☺☺☺                       

Bella at Midnight is about a girl who lives with her family.  Bella is a peasant but her best friend is a prince.  In the story, he betrays her and Bella then realizes that she is not a peasant but she is actually the daughter of a knight.  This book is exciting and fun.

Caddy Ever After by Hilary McKay        ☺☺☺☺                      

Caddy Ever After is the last book in a series about each of the siblings in a family.  Caddy is the oldest child in the family and she has just graduated from college.  But the book is not just about her.  It is told from all of the children's points of view and tells their stories as well.  The book talks about their friendships and Caddy's boyfriend.  It is a very amusing book, but not my favorite from this series!

Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo              ☺☺☺☺☺                               

The Charlie Bone series consists of 4 books so far:  Midnight for Charlie Bone, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister, Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy, and Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors.  These books are about a boy named Charlie who it turns out is endowed with magical powers and he has to go to a special school.  He makes friends there and in every book he has to stop a different thing from happening.  These books are sort of scary and definitely exciting.

Crystal Doors by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson        ☺☺☺☺           

Crystal Doors is about Gwen and Vic, "twin cousins,"who are cousins born on the same day.  Gwen lives with Vic and his dad since her parents died in a mysterious car crash.  One day the kids are transported to another world and the adventures begin.  I would definitely recommend this book!

Dangerous Games by Joan Aiken            ☺☺☺☺                                    

Dangerous Games is a story about Dido, a character if Joan Aiken's book Midwinter Nightingale, who goes to an island in the Caribbean called Aratu.  King James had asked Dido to go to the island to get Lord Herodsfoot.  While she is there, Dido and her friend disover a deepening mystery that could threaten the lives of the people who live on Aratu.  This book was wonderful and I would definitely recommend it!

Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman                 ☺☺☺☺☺          

Dark Hills Divide is a wonderful adventure about a girl named Alexa who lives in a place called Bridewell.  Bridewell is completely walled and no one can get out of it.  Most people like Bridewell walled and feel safe and secure within its walls but Alexa feels imprisoned.  The story is about Alexa’s escape from Bridewell and ultimately how she saves Bridewell from disaster.   She learns that people she loves are not always trustworthy and that she can trust people she didn’t trust at first.  Everyone should read this book.

Dave at Night   by Gail Carson Levine          ☺☺☺☺☺                                                                                                                                   

Dave at Night is a good book about a boy whose parents have dies.  He has one brother and Dave is very wild.  The brother is quiet though and they both have a guardian.  The guardian decides to kick them out of her house – Dave’s brother goes to live with an uncle but Dave has to go live at an orphanage.  Dave learns to respect people of different races because he is invited to their parties at night.  It is a book which really makes you want to keep reading and teaches good lessons about people.                                                                                                                                      

Diggers by Terry Pratchett                                ☺☺☺                           

Diggers is about tiny men called nomes.  It is the second book of the Bromeliad trilogy all about the nomes.  In this book, people start building on the ground where they live so the nomes have to escape.  I liked this book because it had a lot of excitement and when it was time for me to stop reading I wanted to keep reading.

Drift House by Dale Peck                    ☺☺☺☺☺                                        

Drift House is about three kids who go to their uncle's house by a bay.  When they get there they think the house looks crooked.  One night, they go to sleep and when they wake up the next morning the house is floating out on the bay!  The kids go through many adventures and many weird things happen to them while out on the water -- like meeting the time pirates who live forever.  This book was really good and taught me a lot, like that you could have good friends that you never thought you would be friends with.

East by Edith Patou                              ☺☺☺☺ ¾                           

East is a good book based on a picture book called East of the Sun, West of the Moon.  East is about a girl whose family suddenly turns very poor.  The girl’s sister gets sick and big white bear comes and says that he wants to take the girl with him to his castle.  He promises the parents that if they let him take the girl everything will from then on be okay for the family – they will no longer be poor and the sister will recover.  The book tells the story of what happens when the girl goes off with the bear.  Each “chapter” has a different person narrating. 

Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss        ☺☺☺☺                             

Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a very funny picture book about the importance of commas.  It sounds weird, but the author makes it very funny by showing how the meaning of sentences can totally change if you change where you put a comma (like "look at the huge, hot dog" (about a very big dog) or "look at the huge hot dog" about the food you eat).

Eldest by Christopher Paolini        ☺☺☺☺☺                          

Eldest is the sequel to Eragon and describes Eragon's continuing adventures.  In this book, Eragon goes to the Elves capitol and learns many more skills and then Eragon and the varden, a collection of people opposed to the Empire, finally goes to war against the Empire.  In the midst of battle, a new rider appears.  This book is really cool because it has lots of new made up languages -- the magic language, dwarvish, and elvish.  I liked this book probably even more than Eragon.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini   ☺☺☺☺☺                               

Eragon was written by a home schooled boy.  He started the book when he was just 15 years old.  The book is about a boy, Eragon, who finds a dragon egg that then hatches.  He goes on many adventures with the storyteller of his village and the dragon, who he names Saphira.  Eragon goes to a place where people are fighting against the Empire and they fight against big creatures that the Empire send out to defeat them.  I really liked this book. 

Everest by Gordon Korman            ☺☺☺☺                             

Everest is a series of three books about a team of kids who will be the youngest people ever to climb Mount Everest.  These books really describe the challenges as you are climbing to the top of the world.  They are super exciting and very good books definitely worth reading, particularly if you are interested in climbing!

Flush by Carl Hiassen            ☺☺☺☺                                       

Flush is about a boy named Noah whose father goes to jail because he sunk a boat that had been polluting the ocean by dumping human waste.  The boy decides to help his father's cause.  Noah and his sister Abbey becomes friends with a woman who used to work on the polluting boat.  The three of them hatch a plan to show the Coast Guard that the boat is dumping and polluting the water.  They sneak on to the boat and flush food coloring down the toilets so that the waste will be fuschia.  I thought this book was good, but not as good as Carl Hiassen's other book Hoot.

Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher            ☺☺☺                  

Flying Solo is about kids who run their classroom because their substitute never shows up.  The kids have to keep it secret and help each other when things go wrong.  The book is an easy read and good for summer reading.

Golden Compass by Philip Pullman            ☺☺☺☺☺                       

Golden Compass is a very good book but can be really scary at some parts.  It is about a girl names Lyra who lives in a world like ours at a college in their world's England.  She discovers that there is something evil happening in the world and she sets out to make it right.  This book is incredibly exciting.

Gregor the Overlander (The Underland Chronicles) by Suzanne Collins  ☺☺☺☺☺     

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling     ☺☺☺☺☺     

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is about Harry’s 6^th year at Hogwarts, the wizarding school.  During this year, Harry learns to live on even after big losses have happened in his life.  He goes with Dumbledore to destroy one of Voldemort’s horcruxes and gets so scared that he forgets to use the spell that he is supposed to use.  This was not my favorite Harry Potter book (which was the 5^th book) but this was a close second.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen            ☺☺☺☺1/2              

Hatchet is about a boy named Brian Robison who is stranded in the Canadian wilderness.  Brian has to learn how to adapt to living in the wilderness.  In the book, Brian is attacked many times by wild animals, and has to face many natural disasters.  After reading this book, you will feel like you know how to survive in the wilderness with only a hatchet! 

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson            ☺☺☺☺☺                  

Hattie Big Sky is a great book about a girl in the early 1900's who gets her uncle's property in Montana after he dies.  She is very excited about having a house to herself but when she gets there she finds it is just a small shack without even real chairs!  She is a homesteader so she has to fence around her land and grow crops before it can all really be hers.  Throughout the book, Hattie writes letters with a different uncle and her friend who is a soldier in World War I.  She becomes good friends with a neighboring family and she learns with their help how to live on her own in the prairie.  This book is wonderful and fascinating and it was so interesting to learn what life was like at that time of the 20th century out west in our country.  This book is based on a true story and is really sad in parts.

Heat by Mike Lupica            ☺☺☺☺☺                       

Heat is written by Mike Lupica, a sportwriter for adults who recently started writing kids' books.  In Heat, the main character moves to the United States from Cuba when he was a baby.  In the book, he is 12 years old and he is pitcher for a little league team that may get to go to the Little League World Series.  He is such a good pitcher that people don't believe he is really only 12 years old.  He needs his birth certificate but that's in Cuba and his parents are both dead -- he stays with his brother but no one knows that except for them.  This book tells a great story about a baseball player and his dream.

Hoot by Carl Hiassen            ☺☺☺☺☺                              

Hoot is about a boy who moves to Florida and at first hates being there.  But one day, while he is riding the bus to school, he sees a barefooted boy run past the bus and through the backyards of some neighborhood houses.  He decides to follow this boy and accidentally crashes onto a girl while getting off the bus.  The book tells the story of the adventures these kids get into and how they stand up for what they think is right.  This book is really funny but also has deep meaning in it.

Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson            ☺☺☺1/2                       

Horns and Wrinkles is a book about a girl and her cousin who meet river trolls and have to help them catch shooting stars.  The girl doesn't want to but her cousin who is a bully forces her to help the trolls because he is friends with them.  This book is very funny and a good and light read.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones     ☺☺☺☺               

Howl's Moving Castle was recently turned into an animated movie that was really popular.  I have not seen the movie but the book is really good.  The plot"  Sophie and Lettie's mother has died and their father just got remarried to a nice woman named Fanny.  Fanny soon gives birth to a baby named Martha, which makes Sophie the oldest of three kids.  In their world, it is believed that the oldest of three will have no success in life.  When the witch of the waste puts a spell on her, Sophie leaves the hats hop where she lives to find the Wizard Howl so he can take the spell off of her.  This book is exciting and scary in parts.

Indigo's Star by Hilary McKay        ☺☺☺☺1/2                      

Indigo's Star is about Indigo, who is always bullied at school.  This book is another in the series that began with Saffy's Angel, each telling the story of one child in the family.  In the book, a new boy starts at Indigo's school, and they become friends.  The new boy fights back against the bullies and Indigo starts to do the same.  This book is wonderful and probably one of my favorites in this series.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George  ☺☺☺☺                       

Julie of the Wolves is about an Eskimo girl named Miyax who goes to a white person’s home to get schooled and learn how to read and write in English.  She does not like it there so when she turns thirteen she gets married to a boy named Daniel and she makes a friend Pearl.  Daniel isn’t nice to Miyax so she runs away.  The book is about how she learns to live in the wilderness with wolves.  In the end, she realizes she has to live in civilization so she goes back to live with her father.  This book was exciting and taught me that animals like wolves aren’t as fierce as they seem.

Leonardo's Shadow by Christopher Grey            ☺☺☺☺                   

Leonardo's Shadow is the fictional story about Leonardo da Vinci's servant.  The book tells the story of the boy's adventures while Leonardo da Vinci paints the Last Supper and builds his famous flying machine.  The book is historical fiction and shows how different life back then was.

Letters from Camp by Kate Klise                     ☺☺☺                           

Letters from Camp is about some siblings who go away to sleep away camp.  This is an easy but funny book about what happens to them at Camp Happy Harmony (which isn’t really such a happy place).  The owners of the camp are brothers and sisters also and they are always fighting.  This book was silly and really made me laugh.

Lunch Money by Andrew Clements                              ☺☺☺☺                       

Lunch Money is about a boy who decides he wants to make money by selling comic books that he creates.  But then a girl starts making little story books that look a lot like the comics and they decide to work together and they raise enough money to open a school store.  In the store, little things like balls are sold and they are allowed to sell their comics there.  The two kids end up becoming good friends even though the boy at first thinks that would be impossible. 

Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce                ☺☺☺☺                         

Magic Steps is part of The Circle Opens quartet.  In this book, the main character, who has thread magic, sees that a boy has dancing magic and becomes his teacher.  They have to stop someone who is killing merchants in town and are forced to use their magic to stop the killings.  This book was very exciting and I really enjoyed it.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli            ☺☺☺☺1/2                               

Maniac Magee is about a boy who runs off from his aunt and uncle's house.  He lives in lots of different places, including a deer pen at a zoo.  Along the way he meets, a bunch of people and makes some very good friends and for the first time learns how it feels to be in a real family.  This book is great because there are parts that are totally funny but then there are also parts that make you want to cry.  This book is very well written and I definitely recommend it. 

Maximum Ride by James Patterson            ☺☺☺☺☺                            

Maximum Ride is the first kids' book written by James Patterson, a very successful adult author.  It is about six kids who grew up in a lab as part of an experiment.  They are 98% human but also 2% bird!  They have wings and are able to fly and some have other magic powers.  In the book, they have escaped from the lab and are living peacefully by themselves.  Erasers, part human and part wolf creatures, are chasing them and trying to capture them and bring them back to the lab.  This book is an amazing read -- it is incredibly exciting in parts, but also super touching in other parts.

Maxx Comedy  by Gordon Korman        ☺☺☺                          

Maxx Comedy is a funny book.  The main character, Max, sees his future in a poster for a contest to find the funniest kid in America.  Max makes it into the final 25 because of an audition tape that he sent in.  On his way to the contest, his dad, who is driving, gets lost.  His stepfather brings him to the contest instead.  When Max finally gets to the contest, it is already over!  This book made me laugh out loud!

Midwinter Nightingale by Joan Aiken            ☺☺☺                       

Midwinter Nightingale is a great book but in some parts it is a little confusing!  This book is about Simon who is taking care of King Richard who is dying and Dido, Simon's friend, who is investigating the mystery of King Richard's wife's first husband.  In the book, Dido is captured and she has to escape before she is thrown into a moat filled with vicious pike and alligator.  This book is a little hard to understand but I would still recommend it.

No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman            ☺☺☺☺                  

No More Dead Dogs is about a boy named Wallace who gets tired of reading books where dogs die, like Old Yeller or Sounder.  He tells everyone how he doesn't like these books anymore.  Then, when the school does a play reenacting a dead dog story, and someone starts to vandalize the set, everyone assumes it must be Wallace!  Wallace is a star on his football team but the school won't let him play until he admits to the vandalism.  This book is funny, but also raises some good issues.

Nory Ryan’s Song  by Patricia Reilly Giff                      ☺☺☺☺               

Nory Ryan’s Song  is about a girl, Nory Ryan, who lives in Ireland during the time of the potato famine.  Her family doesn’t own the land where they live.  Suddenly the crops they grow start failing and they have nothing to eat and no money.  Nory decides to work for an old lady in their little village who will give her food and money.  She learns to care for and even love this old lady and when Nory’s sister gets married and moves away to America the old woman starts to take care of Nory and her brother.  The book was both sad and happy.

Olivia Kidney and the Exit Academy  by Ellen Potter            ☺☺☺                       

Olivia Kidney and the Exit Academy is part of a series about a character named Olivia Kidney, but you don't have to read this series in order.  This book is about when Olivia moves because her father gets a new job.  After she moves, many strange things happen to her.  It turns out the place where she moved is an Exit Academy where people who are going to die learn how to die so it is easier for them to pass on to the next world.  Olivia has to help save a new friend who will otherwise die.  This book is very funny but has some scary parts too.

Only Emma  by Sally Warner                ☺                       

Only Emma is about a girl named Emma who lives with her mom and then one day one of her mom's friend's leaves her young child with them.  At first, Emma does not like this new child staying at her house.  As the story goes on, she learns to love him and her and her mom are sad when he leaves.  I didn't like this book that much, but it was a short and easy read.

Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay            ☺☺☺☺1/2                      

In order to understand Permanent Rose, it really helps to have read Indigo Star, also by Hilary McKay.  In Indigo Star, Indigo's new friend Tom also becomes Rose's friend.  In this book, Tom moves back to America, away from Indigo and Rose's family in England.  Rose misses Tom very much and she starts to shoplift and thinks no one knows.  I really loved this book and thought it was funny.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson    ☺☺☺☺                   

Peter and the Shadow Thieves is the sequel to Peter and the Star Catchers that came out last year.  It is a little confusing but both of these books are the prequels to the Peter Pan story -- they basically tell the story of how Peter Pan ended up on Never Land, who the Lost Boys are, and how Captain Hook lost his hand.  I loved both of these books, but Peter and the Shadow Thieves definitely seemed a lot more intense and was pretty scary in a lot of parts, so I think it is definitely for older kids.

Peter and the Starcatchers  by Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson       ☺☺☺☺☺              

Peter and the Starcatchers is the prequel to the Peter Pan story and the first of what the authors promise will be a trilogy of books.  This book tells the story of young Peter, and how he gets to know the Lost Boys and ends up in Neverland.  It even tells the story of how Captain Hook lost his hand!  This book is very funny and exciting and filled with great pirate adventures.

Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean            ☺☺☺☺              

Peter Pan in Scarlet is the first "official" sequel to Peter Pan.  The lost boys are now all grown men in England and they feel that something bad is happening in Neverland so, with Wendy, they go back.  Neverland has changed ALOT and they find many strange things happening on the island and with Peter.  With Peter, they have an incredible adventure looking for buried treasure and they meet Ravello, the traveling man, who accompanies them.  At the end, they figure out something very disturbing about him!  This book is great and I would heartily recommend it!

Princess Academy  by Shannon Hale                ☺☺☺☺☺    

Princess Academy was one of my all time favorite books.  It is about a girl named Miri who lives up in the mountains but is too small to do the mountain work.  She has a poor family and her only way to earn money is to mine blocks of linderstone which palaces are made out of.  In the mine, the workers wear ear plugs so they can’t talk but instead “quarry sing,” which brings back memories of something happening.  The prince of their area wants to get married and the priest says that the bride will come from the mountain so all the girls have to go to a Princess Academy to learn how to act like princesses.  Miri is the Academy Princess because she is best at her lessons.  I really enjoyed this book because it made me think about whether I would really want to be a princess.

Pure Dead Magic   by Debi Gliori        ☺☺☺☺                  

Pure Dead Magic is a book about two kids who have lots of troubles at home.  Their dad has been kidnapped, their mom is busy with her witchcraft studies, and Pandora, the main character, has accidentally miniaturized her baby sister and her baby sister then got blown into the computer.  They have to figure out how to rescue everyone from their troubles with the help of their magical nanny.  This book is exciting!  There are four books right now in this series, so if you like this one you should also read Pure Dead Trouble, Pure Dead Brilliant, and Pure Dead Wicked.

Rash by Pete Hautman                ☺☺☺☺                               

Rash is a good book that takes place in the future.  In the future in the book, McDonalds and Coca Cola companies own everything and everything is all about safety so you can't do anything where you can get at all hurt -- like running without wearing pads -- or you are sent to jail!  The main character, Bo, is a boy who makes a joke that makes people think he spread a rash and he is sent to jail where he has to work in a McDonald's factory.  The book tells about his life there and how he ultimately escapes. 

Regarding the Bathrooms by Kate Klise   ☺☺                         

Regarding the Bathrooms is another book in the series including Regarding the Sink, Regarding the Fountain, and Regarding the Trees.   This series is a light and easy series of books.  Regarding the Bathrooms is about some kids in summer school who have to get summer apprenticeships.

Secrets:  Undercover Girl #1 by Christine Harris        ☺☺☺               

Secrets is about a genius named Jesse Sharpe.  Jesse grew up in an organization called C2.  At first, she is just studied by scientists, but then she is forced to become best friends with a girl she has never met.  Jesse doesn't know why but she somehow knows she must protect this girl with her life.  If you like to read spy books, you will really enjoy this book.

Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach  ☺☺☺☺                               

Shakespeare’s Secret is about a girl who goes on a search with an elderly woman to find a jewel. This girl knows the jewel is in her house. They search the house and find the jewel in the most unlikely place. They talk about Shakespeare the whole book. This book is very good and I couldn’t put it down!

Spellfall by Kathrine Roberts                             ☺☺☺☺                           

Spellfall is about a girl whose mother was from a different world and her father sold things between the two worlds.  Her and her friend Jo go to walk their dog but there is a thick mist and they lose each other and the girl gets captured by some evil wizards.  Her brother gets very worried about her and so does Jo.  They go on Halloween to the haunted house where they think she might be.  They get trapped and they find the girl’s father who had been gone for awhile also.  They end up in the girl’s mother’s world and they end up saving that world. 

Story Time by Edward Bloor                ☺☺☺☺☺                     

Story Time is about a girl named Kate and a boy named George who move to a new school.  The principal is really mean and so is his wife.  There is a librarian there called Pogo who speaks in rhymes.  Pogo knows a lot, but Kate can't understand her.  Pogo is trying to tell Kate something which turns out to be very important.  A demon is in the school and is taking over people for a few minutes and making them do crazy and sometimes gross things.  Kate and Pogo have to figure out how to get rid of the demon.  I loved this book!

Strange Happenings by Avi            ☺☺☺                             

Strange Happenings is not like many of Avi's other books.  Rather, it is a series of short stories about strange things that happen in different places like a boy who turns into a cat or baseball mascot who turns out to be an alien.  The stories in this book are all bizarre and I read the book really quickly because it was interesting and an easy read.

Summerland by Michael Chabon                    ☺☺☺☺☺                

Summerland is about baseball and adventure.  Baseball lovers will love this book, but even kids who don’t like baseball will love it too.  It talks about myths from all over the world, like the Native American Coyote stories and Norse myths.  In the book, the father of a little boy named Ethan gets captured and Ethan sets out to find him.  His father has been captured by the Coyote and taken into a mythical world called Summerland.  To save him, Ethan has to learn to like baseball and has to actually learn how to play.  While on the adventure, Ethan learns that the world is supposedly a leaf of a tree and there are other worlds.  He plays many baseball games that are described in the book.

The Bagpiper's Ghost by Jane Yolen            ☺☺☺                 

The Bagpiper's Ghost is the third book in the Tartan Magic series (first is The Wizard's Map and second is The Pictish Child).  It continues the story of three kids.  They go to a cemetery at midnight but then while they are there a ghost takes control of a boy's body.  The main character and her grandmother have to figure out how to get the ghost out of his body because after 24 hours the ghost will be in control of his body forever.

The Book with No Words by Avi                     ☺☺☺☺ ½                       

The Book with No Words is about an old man who has a servant named Sybill.  The old man tries to make the “block of life,” so he could then live forever.  He has in his possession a book with no words.  The book is not a diary or a journal, it has a table of contents, but when you go to each chapter there are no words.  Only a green eyed child can read this book.  Two green eyed children come to the old man’s house and the book is about Sybill’s adventure with them.  This book was a little scary.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander        ☺☺☺☺              

The Chronicles of Prydain (The Book of Three, The Castle of Llyr, The Black Cauldron, Taran Wanderer, and The High King) is a series of books about an assistant pig keeper named Taran, who wants to be a hero.  One day, a mystical oracle pig he takes care of named Hen Wen runs off into the forest.  Taran starts to chase her but he gets knocked over by the horned king.  When he wakes up, the legendary prince Gwydion is taking care of him.  The books then tell the adventures of Prince Gwydion and Taran as they search for Hen Wen and other adventures.  These books are great because they are very realistic and are very exciting.

The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau            ☺☺☺☺☺             

The City of Ember is about a city that has a black sky.  The city has a generator that keeps the lights on in the city.  Suddenly the lights start to flicker.  So Lina and Doon (the main characters) set out to figure out why the lights are flickering.  Lina finds a piece of paper that she thinks is important and it ends up saving everybody in the town.  I really liked this book.

The Dark of the Woods edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling         ☺☺☺1/2               

The Dark of the Woods is a collection of modern fairy tales -- fairy tales changed to fit into modern times.  Many different authors wrote the stories, including Jane Yolen, Gregory Maguire, and Nancy Farmer.  One story retells the Cinderella story and is called "Cinder Elephant."  In that story, a girl named Ellie lives in a family who takes pride in being fat!  Her mom was called Pleasingly Plump and her grandmother was Round and Rosy!  When Ellie's mother dies, her father marries a new really thin woman with two really thin daughters.  These new members of the family tease Ellie mercilessly.  And the story of course ends with a ball!  This book is a really fun read.

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen        ☺☺☺☺             

The Devil's Arithmetic is about a Jewish girl named Hannah on Passover.  When she goes to open the door during her family's Seder, she is transported back in time to a village during World War II.  The people in the village were then all taken to a concentration camp by the Nazi's.  While they are there, Hannah starts to forget about her real family in modern times.  The book tells about her life in the concentration camp and her effort to escape.  This book is pretty scary at parts and intense at others.

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson &