Mrs. Frisby, a timid, widowed mouse, has a dilemma. And it’s dire. Her youngest son, always weak, has taken seriously ill. Thankfully, he’s recovering, but he cannot move to their summer home before the plow comes through the garden and wrecks their winter home. What can she do? Courageously, she seeks advice from some unlikely... Continue Reading →
The Case of the Deadly Desperados
P.K. Pinkerton is in deep trouble... in more ways than one. He is at the bottom of a silver mine, trying to figure out a way to outwit Wittlin' Walt, the Very Bad Man after his inheritance. This is where we find P.K. at the beginning of The Case of the Deadly Desperados, by Caroline... Continue Reading →
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Would you like to make an apple pie? The little girl in How to Make and Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman does. She makes a list of ingredients she needs, and heads to the market. But the market is closed! What should she do? The narrator has many interesting suggestions -... Continue Reading →
Words in the Dust
What is truly amazing about Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy is that this young man could write such a beautiful book from the first-person perspective of a young Afgani girl. Zulaikha (thankfully, there’s pronunciation guide in the back of the book) loves her family, especially her older sister and her father. They don’t... Continue Reading →
Year of the Jungle
Children dealing with deployed parents can gain comfort from Year of the Jungle by Suzanne Collins (yes, the author of The Hunger Games). Collin's father was deployed to Viet Nam when she was six. In this picture book, she remembers what life was like with her dad gone, and the questions she asked about his... Continue Reading →
Keeping Score
Maggie Fortini listens to every game her beloved Brooklyn Dodgers play, usually at the firehouse with her father’s former co-workers. When Jim joins the firehouse, she is shocked to discover he is a huge fan of the Dodgers arch-rivals, the New York Giants. She determines to never be his friend. But slowly, he wins her... Continue Reading →
Aviary Wonders Inc.
Author/illustrator Kate Samworth has hit on a novel idea in her Aviary Wonders Inc.: Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual. This picture book reads like a catalog. The premise is that birds are nearly extinct, so you can create your own bird by ordering parts from Aviary Wonders Inc. The pages are full of beautiful illustrations... Continue Reading →
A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson
You haven’t heard of Peanut Johnson? That’s OK, not many have. If you love baseball, even if you don’t, you will enjoy A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson by Michelle Y. Green. Written in first person, Green did an excellent job capturing the voice of Mamie Johnson, her expressions, interjections and... Continue Reading →
Master Cornhill
Before the dreaded plague swept through London in 1665, Michael Cornhill lived a very happy life with his foster family. But Master Cornhill by Eloise Jarvis McGraw is not a book about the plague. The story opens with Michael returning to London after spending a winter in the countryside to escape the plague. But the... Continue Reading →
Brother Hugo and the Bear
The interesting title encouraged me to pick this book off the library shelves. "It befell that on the first day of Lent, Brother Hugo could not return his library book. 'I shall have to inform the Abbot of this, Brother Hugo,' said the librarian." That wonderful first sentence granted Brother Hugo and the Bear by... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 