Hey there, it’s Miranda! Sorry that we haven’t posted anything in a while. Dad and I have been busy with lots of things and he hasn’t had much time to read what I’ve been reading. I’ve been badgering him to write a post but he hasn’t yet so I decided to. Thanks again for reading our blog and I hope we can post more in the future!
Title: The Familiars
Author: Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
Number of Pages: 360
Synopsis: One day, Aldwyn, a non-magical alley cat, finds himself in a most unusual pet shop full of strange, magical creatures. Jack, a wizard in training, chooses him to be his familiar, an animal companion that can help with his training. He meets two other familiars and tries to act magical, but when their human friends are kidnapped, that will be harder than it seems!
Why kids would like this book: This book is great for kids because it has characters that you just fall in love with, a perfect mix of exciting parts and suspenseful parts, and so many twists and turns that will keep you turning pages till midnight!
Why adults would like this book: The concept had a lot of potential, with magical adventures seen through the eyes of animals. However, for some reason, I could NOT get through this book. I tried several times to make it past the halfway point of the book without success. The writing seemed tedious and the plot was getting too predictable and formulaic, so it totally lost my interest. I was very glad that we checked this one out from the library, and hadn’t bought it. However, this book is a prime example of something that works as kidslit for kids, even if it doesn’t translate well for adults. I hope your kids like it just as my daughter did……just don’t be tempted to steal this one from your children after they go to sleep!
Miranda’s rating: I am a lover of cats, and also a lover of magic, so I think I would rate this book a 9 out of 10. I only gave it a nine because some of the parts in the book can be a little unclear, or too fast or slow. But still; overall, I think it is a great book!
Todd’s rating: Sad to say, but to be honest I think I need to say a 4.
Miranda’s favorite character: Hmm, I can’t decide between Gilbert or Aldwyn. Both of them are funny, and Gilbert is very kind.
Todd’s favorite character: Kalstaff the wizard. He refuses to exit without putting up a big fight!
Miranda’s favorite part of book: I can’t tell you my favorite part without spoiling too much, but I’ll choose another favorite part anyway. One of my OTHER favorite parts is when Aldwyn meets the other two familiars.
Todd’s favorite part of book: Floating “spyballs” down the stream…..creepy, but cool!
Miranda’s recommended age groups: 10+
Well, my mom suggested this, and I thought it was a pretty good idea. This has information that I found on a news website. Did you know that some E-Readers will tell the company of the E-Reader your reading habits? Things such as what you read, how long it takes you to read things or certain parts of the book, things you highlight, and so on. I don’t want people knowing all that! How I read is my stuff, and I can share that with who I want! Do you want people knowing this stuff? It’s your info, after all. Another reason I don’t like E-Readers is because you can’t just say to a friend, “Oh, I have this book, here, you can borrow it”! This means no book exchanges, people! Do you know how much fun it is to trade books? If you don’t have a bookstore or a library, but you have a friend with a book you’ve always wanted to read, then you can trade! This is so fun, but I always recommend keeping track of which books you’ve lent out and who has them, and also what books that you’ve borrowed and who they belong to. 🙂 A very sad reason I don’t like E-Readers: BOOKSTORES MIGHT GO OUTTA BUISNESS!!! That’s most likely why Borders went out of business. L But I have to say, E-Readers must be pretty light compared to a 500-page book! A lot of the time, when I’m reading upside down or even in my bed, holding up a book can be quite painful. It really makes my arms hurt. If you beg to differ on any of these things, go ahead and comment. I’d love to hear your opinion!
Title: Golden Goblet
Author: Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Pages: 248
Synopsis: In ancient Egyptian times, young Ranofer—half brother of the villainous Gebu and slave in the goldsmith’s workshop—finds out his older half brother’s dirty secret. He is stealing gold from the goldsmith workshop, with the help of a Babylonian named Ibiny! But when Ibiny is no longer of any use to Gebu, he takes Ranofer out of the only place he loves, the goldsmith’s workshop, and makes him a stonecutter’s apprentice. Meanwhile, while Gebu is stealing gold from tombs, Ranofer and his friends, an “older” man named Ancient and an energetic goldsmith’s apprentice named Heqet try to come up with a plan to stop Gebu. Can he and his friends succeed in this edge-of-your-seat book?!
Why kids would like this book: I think that kids would like this book because it is exciting and you just fall in love with the characters and when makes you flustrated for them when things don’t work out.
Why adults would like this book: According to Wikipedia, this book was previously on the CA state curriculum for 6th graders, but was unpopular due to the vocabulary level, and the maturity of the plot involving Ranofer’s enslavement to his half-brother. I agree that that this book was a good vocabulary stretcher for both Miranda and I, and some themes would be too heavy for young children, but we were totally pulled into this book. I honestly read the final three chapters a second time because the resolution is so exciting! I also feel like I now know a lot more about Egyptian culture and the trades of goldsmithing and stonecutting after reading this, so I’d feel totally comfortable forcing a middle schooler to read this book, whether or not they like it as much as I did!
Miranda’s rating: 7 of 10. It has some scary parts, along with some sad ones. It also has a LOT of big words, ones that even grown-ups wouldn’t know!
Todd’s rating: 8 of 10. The development does drag a little for the second quarter of the book, but that does help reinforce the lack of hope in a positive resolution felt by Ranofer.
Miranda’s favorite character: My favorite character is definitely Heqet! He always comes up with the silliest jokes, and he always finds a way to make you smile.
Todd’s favorite character: Ranofer, for his strength in enduring what must be endured while working towards changing what seems impossible.
Miranda’s favorite part of book: Oh my StarClan! Too hard to decide… I’ll narrow it down to this one. When Queen Tiye asks Ranofer about what he wants, anything at all, he asks for …….. I can’t tell you—read the book to find out!
Todd’s favorite part of book: The final three chapters—you may predict how it all will end, but it still exciting to see it all come together.
Miranda’s recommended age groups: 12+
So… me and my parents have been in California forEVER! I’ve really missed writing for the blog, but between playing with my crazy awesome (stooky, for all the Murky fans out there) cousins and finishing up homeschool, I just haven’t had much time for dad and I to post new things on our blog! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate all of our blog followers. I brought up the fact that we need to update our poll, so keep an eye on that! Sorry we haven’t changed it. At all. In fact, why don’t you comment on it and give us good poll ideas? I’ll have to convince my dad to do his OWN “Welcome Back” post, so then you can hear HIS thoughts, too! In California, I found… guess what. A LIBRARY! In the library, I found lots of great books, such as Charlie Bone and the Beast , Frozen in Time(which I didn’t finish), and 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher, just to name a few. They are ALL great books! Now… I know I am COMPLETLEY changing the subject, but my dad asked me to do a post on buying books vs. library books. Well, why don’t I get started on that! Library books are great. I mean, sure they aren’t in the BEST shape, but going to the library is always such a great way to find books that you’ve never heard of, that might not even be in the store! Sadly, borrowing a book just isn’t as fun as owning one, because then you can’t read it over and over and over again! Also, if a page is torn out, YOUR’E DOOMED. (Especially if the page torn out is the end of the book!!!) Now, about buying books. Buying books is good because then you can find newer titles, and you can read those books over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over (and over) again! BUT sometimes the newer titles can be completely sold out, or they might not sell it at all. And sometimes the books can cost a bucket full of money, and that is always a let-down. Although library books and books at the store both have their pros and cons, I love them both the same! And before I end this post, I would like to have a moment of silence for Borders, the awesome bookstore going out of business. ……………………………….. And now I would like to have a moment of silence for all those librarians out there who would just LOVE a moment of silence. ……………………………………………………………. Thank you! Well, me and my dad would love to hear from you guys! Bye!
Title: Frindle
Author: Andrew Clements
105 pages
Synopsis: Nick Allen is always coming up with plans to liven things up at school. Then, when he finds out some interesting facts about how words are made, he comes up with his best plan yet. A pen is no longer a pen to him, it’s a frindle. Soon, his new word spreads across town. He’s a local hero! But when his teacher wants him to stop, he realizes that his word isn’t his anymore. It belongs to the whole country, and then the whole world!
Why kids would like this book: I think kids would like this book because it can inspire you, and because this book is funny and has great characters.
Why adults would like this book: I was really surprised at how much I liked this book! Reading a good “kid vs teacher” book can be entertaining, but this book is more of a “kid vs the world” story. The way the plot evolves makes you feel just how plausible this scenario really is!
Miranda’s rating: 10 of 10. This book is hilarious, and the nicknames that the students come up with for their teacher, Mrs. Granger, are ridiculous. Also, the things Nick does in this book reminds me of something I would do.
Todd’s rating: 9 of 10. I honestly laughed out loud at several points in this book. At 105 pages, it is also a very entertaining fast read.
Miranda’s favorite character: Nick. He is funny and clever, and very smart, too. I also like Mrs. Granger, aka The Lone Granger and Dangerous Grangerous!
Todd’s favorite character: I agree with Miranda on this one–it is a toss-up between the clever Nick and the villainous (or is she?) Mrs. Granger.
Miranda’s favorite part of book: When grown-up Nick sees the word frindle in the dictionary.
Todd’s favorite part of book: What we learn about Mrs. Granger when Nick finally receives her sealed letter….
Miranda’s recommended age groups: 8+
Todd: When I was a freshman in High School, I was cast in the musical “How to Eat Like a Child,” based on the book by the same title by Delia Ephron. I think the director cast me because I looked about 10 years old at the time, and acted about 11! The play and book are a humorous set of step-by-step instructions for how to do all of things that make children childish. It was a blast to be in the musical, and I later acquired a copy of the book and have held onto it through the years as a memento of my High School experience. I was excited when Miranda told me she found and read this book……until it started to sink in what bad habits she might learn from its contents!! Overall, I don’t have any regrets that she read and enjoyed the book, and hope you and your kids can enjoy it too! (But no…..I’m not lending out the VHS tape of the performance!)
**p.s. In preparation for this review I looked at the Amazon.com site only to discover that the reviews claimed that the book has 4 instances of vulgar language. I don’t personally remember there being questionable language, but this is your fair warning.
Title:How to Eat Like A Child
Author: Delia Ephron
104 pages
My reaction when my dad told me to read this book: This should be called “My reaction when I found this book” because I found it, I never really had it suggested to me. My reaction was nothing short of happiness. I opened it up and I was immediately absorbed within the pages of this book.
Why kids should read this book: This perfectly written book is great for kids and adults alike; however, why I think kids would like this book is because it can help them drive their parents completely crazy!
Miranda’s favorite part: The whole thing. … Okay, okay! That’s against the rules. My favorite part is probably the chapter on how to eat school and/or home-brought lunches.
Miranda’s rating: 9 of 10: It is sooo funny, but can give kids devious ideas on how to be bad!
Today on Thoughts on Thursday, I’m going to be sharing my top ten list of great ways to read a book!
We’ve decided to let Mom join our fun by periodically posting. We also thought some of our readers might appreciate some recommendations for younger children, so, we’re creating the “Picture Book Pick” series of posts, written by Mom (Tanya).
Title: No Matter What
Author: Debi Gliori
Let’s face it—we always love our kids, but we don’t always love the way they act. But how can we convince them of that love when rubber meets the road?
In this beautifully illustrated young children’s book about Small and Large Fox, Small is questioning the boundaries of a parent’s love. Small presents Large Fox with a series of “What if?”s only to be gently reassured that Large’s love is there… “No Matter What.”
While many young children’s books are colorful, fun and worthwhile, not all have messages that I can get behind 100%. For example (some of you will cringe at my saying this), the ever popular children’s book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch leaves me with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Does anyone else see a problem when an aged mother hauls a ladder to her grown son’s window to rock him in her arms?! The message that “I’ll like you for always…my baby you’ll be” is not only a recipe for many hours of therapy, but sometimes completely false. I don’t always like the way my child behaves, but I WILL always love her—this is a message I can support and it is tenderly portrayed within the pages of this short book.
Cleverly, Gliori avoids hinting to us if Small is a boy or girl and whether or not Large is a mom or dad. With this seemingly small sleight of hand, the book works for young boys and girls. Gliori’s illustrations include little treats on each page for the older reader or audience member: a witty piece of wall art showing the cuts of meat on a sheep and a pair of rabbit salt and pepper shakers are two of my favorites. With a mere thirty-two pages, No Matter What is short enough for young children with small attention spans and stories at bedtime while being just long enough to teach a great lesson.
First, we need to apologize for not posting yet this week….our week has been filled with long rehearsals in preparation for tonight’s dance recital. So, here we go!
Title: Dealing with Dragons
Author: Patricia C. Wrede
212 pages
Synopsis: Tired of traditional castle life, Princess Cimorene, a princess who will not be proper, runs away. She meets a dragon named Kazul and becomes her “Princess.” Soon, Cimorene will be dealing with a cheating dragon, a stone prince, and some very obnoxious wizards! If Cimorene ran away to find adventure, it looks like she’s found lots of it!
Why kids would like this book: This book is exciting and is very funny. It has a little bit of romance (in the other books, too), loads of action, and has many amazing and quirky characters that you’ll love.
Why adults would like this book: It is a fun twist on fairy tale life through the eyes of someone who wants nothing to do with it. I also enjoyed the author’s skill with blending the standard fairy tale writing style with the unexpected, such as “There was a great deal of etiquette, from the proper way to curtsey before a visiting prince to how loudly it was permissable to scream when being carried off by a giant.”
Miranda’s rating: 10 of 10. I cannot think of even one reason not to like this book!
Todd’s rating: 7 of 10. I found the middle of the book to lose momentum a little bit for my taste, but found it enjoyable overall.
Miranda’s favorite character: My favorite character is Kazul because she’s nice and always takes Cimorene’s side in things.
Todd’s favorite character: Cimorene for her no-nonsense, non-traditional approach to solving problems in a fairy tale kingdom.
Miranda’s favorite part of book: Probably when Cimorene first gets started on her duties as a dragon’s princess.
Todd’s favorite part of book: How Cimorene deals with the various princes who try to rescue her despite her not wanting to be rescued.
Miranda’s recommended age groups: 8+ because it isn’t that big of a book and I’m sure kids this age and up will love this book and the funny parts within.
Dad Steals My Books! 