2005 National Book Award Winner

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  A mean man hits a dog, who yelps in pain and retreats to its owner.

Sexual Content:  12-year-old Rosalind has a crush on 17-year-old Cagney, the gardener boy. She spies him kissing another girl and wishes it were her he were kissing, wondering what it might feel like. Children eavesdrop on a boy’s mother, who kisses her boyfriend and talks about marrying him.

Adult Themes:  Jeffrey’s mother is portrayed as an unkind, impatient, demanding woman who yells at her son and his friends a lot. She threatens to send Jeffrey to military school, where he’ll learn real discipline and proper behavior. Whether this borders on actual verbal abuse is probably up to the reader (if you’re a child, then yes; if you’re a parent, then perhaps not.) There is no physical abuse whatsoever.

Synopsis

The four Penderwick girls, their widowed father (a kindly botany professor), and their dog rent a cottage in the Massachusetts countryside for three weeks one summer, where they encounter all the delightful adventures one could possibly hope for in such a short span of time.  The cottage is actually a guest house on an enormous estate called Arundel, owned by the fabulously wealthy and equally snobbish Mrs. Tifton, whose own sweet 11-year-old son Jeffrey is in need of new and adventurous friends. He finds them, of course, in the Penderwicks–much to his mother’s chagrin, who considers the girls a very bad influence. Rosalind, who is 12, experiences the pangs of her first unrequited love when she meets the gardener boy, Cagney–seventeen, handsome, charming, and naturally inclined to see Rosalind as just a little girl. Then there is Skye, who is 11 and feisty, and hasn’t yet learned that speaking one’s mind (especially in front of Mrs. Tifton) can sometimes cause trouble. Ten-year-old Jane is an aspiring author with several unpublished books under her belt already, but just may find fodder for her new novel here at Arundel. Then there is four-year-old Batty, in butterfly wings and ever accompanied by faithful Hound, their pet dog. Together these four girls with Jeffrey in tow will escape a charging bull, ruin Mrs. Tifton’s garden party, discover a trove in Jeffrey’s attic, save runaway bunnies, and find the courage to face off to the tyrannical Mrs. Tifton herself. What more could one hope for in three short weeks?

The subtitle to this endearing novel is: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy. And really, that is all the formula one needs for summer adventure. This book follows in the tradition of the classic children’s novel about families (think Alcott’s March sisters, or Nesbit’s Bastables), where siblings stick together through all sorts of mishaps or disagreements and come out better in the end. It requires no wizardry to make children fall inlove with this kind of simple formula, but the result is indeed magical. My 9-year-old daughter devoured this book, as did everyone in her little girls’ book club, and all agreed that a summer at Arundel Cottage would be ideal (in spite of having to deal with the dreadful Mrs. Tifton and her obnoxious boyfriend, Dexter). Now they are all eager to read the sequel, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. Highly recommended.

Ratings Explanation

Violence: A boy is prepped for an Egyptian-style partial brain removal through his nose. (It doesn’t actually happen.)

Adult Themes: Cass doesn’t know who her father is. Max-Ernest’s parents are divorced but live in two halves of the same house. This provides for some strangeness in Max-Ernest’s home life.

Synopsis

The mysterious narrator of The Name of This Book is Secret is reluctant to tell his story and urges his audience to forget everything they read as soon as they are done reading it. What could be so secret and dangerous that simply reading it could put your very life in jeopardy? That is the question that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Survivalist Cass and Logician Max-Ernest are extremely different, but when a super-secret mystery falls into their laps, they are forced to become collaborators. Searching for the resolution to a very old story and keeping one step ahead of the really evil guys keeps them constantly on their toes and in and out of sticky situations. As Cass and Max-Ernest learn more of the mystery, they realize they are on the ancient trail to the fountain of youth. Can they stop the madness before one of their classmates is lost forever? It  may be more than two 11-year-olds can handle, but don’t count them out too soon, they are quite capable.

Delightful! Pseudonymous Bosch is a quirky and fun narrator, lightening the tension at just the right moments. One of my favorite quotes came from Cass, “Funny how easy it is to get used to having a servant. Even for a survivalist.” I think I could get used to one as well! I love a good mystery and this is a great one for the little guys. It would be a really fun read aloud too. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Ratings Explanation

Adult Themes:  Ben and Rose are both deaf. Ben’s mother died in a car accident. Some characters smoked. Ben’s mother never told him the name of his father. Ben and Rose each had their own experiences in running away from home. Ben was robbed of his money. Rose’s parents have marital troubles. Ben’s parents were never married to each other.

Synopsis

The world is silent for young Ben Wilson having been born deaf in one ear, then later losing his hearing in the other ear due to a lightning strike. While in the care of his Aunt after having lost his mother in a car accident, Ben decides to risk it all and go in search of the identity of the father he never knew. He finds himself on a bus to New York City as he follows some possible clues to his father’s location. His quest leads him to the Natural History Museum where he discovers something about his father.

Fifty years beforehand, a young girl named Rose, who is also deaf, seeks out her mother in the same city. Ben’s and Rose’s stories become entwined in an unusual way. Will they be able to find the peace and happiness they both seek?

Author Brian Selznick tells his story through both word and picture in a captivating way. The book is big and beautiful! Ben’s story is told in words, while Rose’s story is told in picture with the two converging at the end. In this book a picture really is worth a thousand words! The sense of knowing who you are and where you belong were driving forces for Ben and Rose. They both longed to have their parents in their lives. I liked these quotes, “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” Also, “Ben wished the world was organized by the Dewey decimal system. That way you’d be able to find whatever you were looking for, like the meaning of your dream, or your dad.” This second quote tugged at my heart! I would recommend this book for children 4^th grade and up.

Ratings Explanation

Language: There are a few instances of name calling such as brat and “Skunk”.  It is mentioned that a few people curse.

Violence:  “Shadows” attack a man and he dies.  Two bullies with BB guns push Leven around.  Leven manipulates the weather and uses lightening to chase the bullies.  Leven is punched by another boy.  A being in the persona of a tree wreaks havoc on a home and its occupants.  A man threatens Leven with  physical violence.  A snake catches and swallows Leven and Winter.  Clover bites Leven which causes him to fall into a dreamlike state.  “Shadows” attack people in a train station.  Sabine threatens to kill Leven.  A frozen being is shattered into thousands of pieces.

Adult Themes: A storm causes fire, destruction and death.  Leven’s father dies in a car accident one week before he is born, and his mother dies after giving birth to him.  A baby girl is born and not wanted by her mother.  The father left months before she was born.  Babies are switched in the hospital.  Leven is not loved by his Aunt or Uncle and is even forced to sleep on the porch each night.  Likewise, Winter is not loved or treated well by her mother.  Some people  occasionally go missing and end up in Foo, never to return to earth.  Terry goes to a bar.  He has money stashed away for drinking. Geth experiences painful changes.  A few vehicles are stolen by the characters in the story, resulting in a police chase.  There is mention of stolen treasure by some fishermen.  The characters don’t always pay for the things they need.  There is mention of a man smoking a pipe.  At one point, Leven has a vision of his death.

Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps was born into sad circumstances and lives a lonely existence with an uncaring Aunt and Uncle in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But Leven comes to discover who he really is and what he was meant to do with the help of a little creature named Clover, a thirteen-year-old girl who can freeze things named Winter, and an unusual little being named Geth, who happens to be the king of Foo.  Leven never dreamed that his purpose would lead him to the world of Foo, the place of people’s hopes and dreams. He must reach the gateway between earth and Foo before Sabine takes over both worlds and carries out his evil plans.

There are five books in the Leven Thumps series with “Gateway to Foo” being book one.  This story uses quite a bit of imagination and would appeal to children in grades 5 through 8 in particular.  I did appreciate the absence of inappropriate language and sexual content, although the description of the negative people in the story seemed to associate them with being fat, lazy and unattractive, while thin people were kind and beautiful.  The back of the book has a glossary of terms which I would recommend reading first to better understand the world the author has created.  Drawings of some of the characters were included throughout the book as well.  A favorite quote was, “Optimism is our best ally.”  It was good to read about individuals who came to know of their worth and potential and were willing to make the necessary sacrifices for the benefit of others.

Ratings Explanation

Adult Themes: Nim’s mother dies in an aquatic accident when Nim is a baby. Characters in peril.

Synopsis

Nim and her scientist father, Jack, live on a beautiful, deserted island. They receive a few necessities from a supply boat every once in awhile, but otherwise live on the garden they raise and the coconuts and other fruits that grow on the island. When Jack goes on an expedition to study plankton for three days, Nim stays at home, alone. While she is completely at ease on her own, Nim is grateful to have a sea lion for a mother, a sea turtle for a friend and a marine iguana for laughs. On the day Jack is to return to the island, a terrible storm hits. Unable to reach each other by cell phone, Nim and her father communicate via notes carried by Galileo, a frigate bird. In this emergency situation, Nim must take charge of keeping their belongings and friends safe from the menacing weather, but it just so happens that help is on the way. While Jack has been away, Nim has struck up an e-mail friendship with Alex Rover, an adventure writer who contacted Jack for some scientific advice for her next book. Nim and Alex become friends and when Nim needs her the most, Alex comes to the rescue, just like the fictional heroes she writes about.

A fun, adventurous read for any age and an excellent choice for a read aloud.

Ratings Explanation

Language: The Herdmans take the Lord’s name in vain twice. “Hell” is used once, as well as “shut up.” The book says that the Herdman children “say dirty words” and “swear.”

Violence: The Herdmans are bullies. They hit, bite, and otherwise physically torment their peers. They are vandals and set things on fire.

Sexual Content: Brief reference to the Herdmans “talking about sex” and how they look at “dirty books.”

Adult Themes: Imogene Herdman (and other siblings) smoke cigars. The children in the community are afraid of the Herdmans.

Synopsis

The six Herdman children are the town delinquents. They spend their days stealing, lying, smoking, bullying and vandalizing the community. “The Herdmans are absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world.” So tells Beth, a child herself, who narrates the hilarious story of how those outrageous children end up invading the only “Herdman-free” place in town—the church. After they bully their way into taking over the main Christmas pageant parts, the Herdman children learn the nativity story for the first time. Their crazy interpretations of the Christmas Story help the whole town to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas, while they reinact the most memorable and “best Christmas pageant ever.”

This is a children’s classic!! I love the funny, unforgettable characters who take over the Christmas pageant and worm their way into our hearts. This makes for a great December read-aloud for classrooms or families alike. Countless stage productions are acted out annually across America, or there is a great movie version that can be enjoyed after reading the book. Years ago the Herdmans, and their antics, became one of our family’s best-loved Christmas traditions. Maybe it can be yours, too.

2004 Newbery Honor Book

Ratings Explanation

Language: Several common swear words and two heavier swear words. Martha’s dad shows his temper occasionally.

Violence: Martha recalls seeing Olive hit by a car and watching her body slide across the road then lying lifeless. Lobsters are boiled to death.

Sexual Content: Martha’s brother comments on his parents MSB (morning sexual behavior), stating that he can tell when his parents “do it” by the way they act around each other afterward. Martha holds hands with her brother’s friend. She has a major crush on him. Martha receives her first kiss from him, but he kisses her only to record on video tape and show off to his brothers and friends. She is embarrassed and hurt.

Adult Content: Martha is dealing with the tragic death of her classmate. She feels somewhat responsible to make it up to the girl’s mother because of a journal entry Olive left behind. Martha realizes that her grandma won’t be around for ever. It is difficult for her to imagine life without her. Coming of age type situations.

Synopsis

Shortly after her classmate Olive’s tragic death, Martha receives a journal entry from the girl’s mother. The entry includes Olive’s feelings about becoming a writer, wanting to visit the ocean and her desire to become friends with Martha. Martha is stunned. She never knew Olive well. Olive was quiet and kept to herself. Martha is also surprised that Olive wanted to become a writer because, secretly, Martha has wanted to do the same thing herself. The similarities in their lives haunt her. Shortly after this, Martha and her family leave for the Oregon coast to visit her grandmother for a few weeks. Martha tries to put Olive’s journal entry out of her mind and enjoy the vacation. Her grandmother’s neighbors are a family of boys, and she is curious to see if they have grown any cuter during the past year. When she finally gets to their house, Martha notices one boy in particular who has certainly changed for the better over the past few months. Martha finds excuses to visit the neighbor’s house, hoping to see him. To Martha’s delight, the boy ends up asking her to help him with a movie project he is working on about life and death. She, of course, agrees and they spend their days filming. One day, he invites her to a secluded barn where he sets up his camera. He tells Martha to stand still while he adjusts his camera. Then he walks up close to her and kisses her. Life couldn’t be better. That is until she finds out that he bet his brothers that he could get her to kiss him before the end of the day. It was not a kiss of love. Martha is totally crushed but doesn’t want to tell her family. The only thing that seems to distract her thoughts from her embarrassment is Olive. She remembers how much she wanted to go the the ocean, the very ocean she was vacationing at. Martha comes up with an idea that will bring Olive her ocean and peace to Martha’s heart.

I was excited to read this Newbery Honor Book. I love Kevin Henkes’s Wemberly Worried for children. The story line of trying to figure out how to reconcile yourself with such a premature death was touching. It brought back memories of when our school lost a student to a similar fate. I enjoyed seeing how Martha was able to find peace from the accident and overcome a broken heart. I wish the author would have developed the relationship with her grandmother more. She was such a source of stability to Martha in the book and I would like to have seen it play a more important role. Idid feel that there was a lot of swearing in this book for the recommended audience (10 years old and up).

Ratings Explanation

Language: Name calling and belittling

Violence: Fighting with fists, brooms and mops.

Adult Situations: Spencer’s father has left their family. Adults lie to children. Garth uses children to help him gain power.

Synopsis

Spencer Zumbro is starting sixth grade at a new school. So far, things aren’t going so great. To make things worse, he keeps falling asleep in class. During one of his little naps, the class bully draws on his face with permanent marker. Spencer runs to the bathroom to clean it off. The only thing he can find is a mysterious bottle of pink soap which burns his face but removes the marker. That is when he first notices the strange creatures roaming the school. The problem is, no one else can see them, except for maybe the janitors, who seem to be chasing them down with their cleaning equipment. Everyone starts to think Spencer is a little crazy. Everyone that is except a mysterious man named Garth Hadley. Garth convinces Spencer to follow him out to his van one day after school, where he promises to explain everything. The van is loaded with all kinds of janitorial supplies, which Garth explains are actually magical. Garth tells Spencer that he is from the BEM, a special division that protects students from evil, magical janitors. Spencer is not quite sure how to take all of this in, but when Garth invites him to help debilitate the evil warlock janitor who reigns in his school, he can’t pass it up. Spencer is given a few magical tools to help him locate the bronze nail and hammer which are the source of the warlock’s power. Spencer decides he needs help and recruits his gullible classmate Daisy. After exposing her to the mysterious soap, Daisy too can see the magical creatures and joins Spencer in his quest to save their school. After unwillingly becoming involved in all kinds of menacing and rule breaking activities to help Garth, Spencer and Daisy are suspended from school and given detention with the dreaded janitors. After a few days working with the ‘evil’ janitors Marv and Walter, they learn the story of the strange creatures from a different perspective. The janitors tell them that it is actually Garth Hadley who is the evil one and they are only trying to protect the school from him. They explain that Garth is actually trying to keep the strange creatures around to drain the smarts out of all the kids. That changes everything. Spencer and Daisy join the janitor team and learn to use a whole new set of magical cleaning supplies. It is now up to them to try and save their school from Garth and his BEM team.

This book has been a huge hit at our school, especially with the upper elementary kids. Who would have thought that cleaning supplies would make such an impact on the literary world? I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot up to the very end which opens up all kinds of possibilities for a sequel. A great book for all ages.

The full title is: The Strictest School In The World:  Being the Tale of a Clever Girl, a Rubber Boy and a Collection of Flying Machines, Mostly Broken.  The Mad Misadventures of Emmaline and Rubberbones

Ratings Explanation

Language: The words “shut up” and “stupid” are each used once

Violence: Scary prehistoric pterodactyls are kept at the school compound and are used as scare tactics for keeping the girls in line.  They attack Emmaline and Princess Purnah.  Princess Purnah sets the Matron on fire, draws disturbing pictures of “acts of bloodshed”, and uses a kitchen knife as a weapon to “cut out her intestines”.

Synopsis

Emmaline, our principal heroine, is a 14-year-old pioneering aviatrix living in Victorian England.  Although she loves building flying machines, she has a strong fear of flying herself.  Luckily, a neighbor boy, affectionately known as “Rubberbones” because he is incapable of breaking and only bounces on impact, becomes Emmaline’s friend and pilot.  Emmaline’s clueless parents then interrupt her inventing dreams and send her to St. Grimelda’s School for Young Ladies, where she is supposed to learn to become a proper young lady.  St. Grimelda’s lives up to its name as the “strictest school in the world”.  The girls live in constant fear of the birds, their intolerable teachers and the head matron.  Emmaline, is unhappy at St. Grimelda’s and thinks only of escaping.  But no prisoners, (er students), have every successfully escaped.  Only by facing her greatest fear can our heroine escape.  Emmaline is aided in her rescue by her eccentric Aunt Lucy, her butler Lal Singh, Rubberbones and their friends.

So, try reading the title without laughing.  It is hard to do.  Yes, that is the complete title and a fairly good synopsis.  I found this book hilarious to read and wished I was reading it out loud to girls.  (Something I should still do.)  I liked the old-fashioned style of writing, the humorous characters, and the morals of courage indirectly taught.  This book is the first in a 3-part series featuring many of the same characters.

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Ye Gods! is an exclamation frequently used.  There is also some name calling like insolent twit and big lunk.

Violence:  Heracles talks about killing the lion whose pelt he is wearing.  Heracles fights Hydra and knocks off her heads but more keep growing.  Athena gets angry, shreds a tapestry and changes a girl into a spider.

Sexual Content:  Heracles tries to kiss Athena but ends up kissing her cheek.  They hold hands.

Synopsis

When Athena gets an assignment from her principal (and her father), Zeus to help and befriend the new boy, Heracles, Athena wonders how she will manage.  Heracles seems nice but he is a little rough around the edges.  Then Athena finds out that Heracles has been given 12 tasks that he must accomplish in order to stay at the Mount Olympus Academy.  Athena wants to help Heracles succeed but shoveling poop?  It will take every ounce of wisdom and patience Athena has to help Heracles, keep up with school, and figure out her own problems!

This is the first Goddess Girls book I have read.  My daughter really enjoys them though and when I won this book in a giveaway, I thought I’d better check it out.  I really enjoyed this mythology based story.  Athena and Heracles were fun and their adventures kept things lively.  My daughter said she liked how Athena had to go along with Heracles to keep him out of trouble.  She thought it was funny.  My favorite line in the book was, “He and the music teacher had a run-in.  Sour notes were exchanged.”  tee hee.  Reading level for this book is about 9-12.