What I read in October

"Walk Two Moons" recommended to: lovers of young adult fiction/coming of age books. This was delightful. However, I do think that adults might be more impressed with it than pre-teen readers, excepting the right kind of pre-teen reader. (I would have liked it at that age but I look at pre-teens I know now-a-days and wonder. Darn Twilight... don't get me started).




"All Things Bright and Beautiful" recommended to: People who have read and loved "All Creatures Great and Small". Those who enjoy lovable characters skillfully drawn. People who like to be happily surprised by a book whose premise might not sound as interesting as it actually is.





"The Tale of Despereaux" recommended to: anyone who has lost faith in the caliber of children's books in the past decade or so and wants their faith restored. Almost as good as "Edward Tulane".






"Don't Let the Kids Drink the Kool-Aid" recommended to: People who like Marybeth Hicks and enjoy her sound logic. If you are unfamiliar with her I would suggest reading "Bringing Up Geeks" first or perusing her blog for a while so you know what to expect.

Liberals and (possibly) teachers beware. I did feel like she was a little unfair to teachers in this book. They seemed to be characterized as unwitting propagators of the left's ideas. I doubt that the author seriously believes that the majority of teachers are this way (having read her before) and think that she got a little caught up in her anti-left angst. That being said I heartily agree with the majority of the material in this book.

"Heaven is For Real" recommended to: people who believe in an afterlife. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who is not religious- there are better "near-death experience" books out there for non-believers.





"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" recommended to: women. Seriously, as with many southern/woman/coming-of-age books this is not particularly male-friendly. But look at the cover... honestly, what self-respecting male would pick this up anyway?
As for women: cute, a little cliche-ey, a little preachy, but all in all done in a nice, breezy, down homey, welcoming fashion.



"Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison" recommended to: Once again... those who have read the first four books of this series. For those of you who haven't, in my opinion, this book makes a good case for reading the series. I was promised a good ending and I was not disappointed.

Any time I read a series that will interest young boys in reading I get really excited since it seems like there are many more options for young girls. This last installment was so action-packed that it would interest even the most easily bored young man out there. I guarantee it.

"My Unfair Godmother" recommended to: teen girls and women of any age who enjoy a good laugh and a good adventure.

I quite possibly liked this better than the first and I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. From the titles of this author's other books I'm not sure if I would enjoy them as much- but I would be more likely to give them a chance after having read these "godmother" books.

Favorite Books for October Part 1

Okay- we haven't gotten all of our library books in and I know that we are missing some that we love. The problem is that a year is quite a long time for my sad little brain and so I don't want to include a book until we have re-read it. SO when it gets a little closer to Halloween I will do a part 2 and hopefully you can put them on your list for next year OR some may still work for November AND everyone else will have turned them in (in theory).
"Bones" by Steve Jenkins. These books are in no particular order but this book has gotten the most attention at our house this year. I would say that it's a great book for little boys but my girls love it so much that apparently it has cross-gender appeal. Each page shows a human bone and some animal counterparts. It is SO fun for the kids to compare what their arm looks like next to an elephants (etc.) There is a full fold out page of a full skeleton and the kids tested my memory of bone names because they kept pointing to different bones on themselves and asking what they were called. Educational and fun (and not creepy in the slightest, if you were concerned).
"Too Many Pumpkins" written by Linda White and illustrated by Megan Lloyd. This one is probably my favorite and you could definitely save it for Thanksgiving if you wanted. The pictures really get you in the mood for the season AND give me the desire to buy a farm and grow some veggies. If only harvest-time lasted all year long.
Rebecca Estelle plants EVERYTHING in her garden except PUMPKINS. She does not like pumpkins since she was forced to eat nothing but pumpkins for a month as a child when her family had no money. One fall day a pumpkin truck drives by dropping a large pumpkin into her yard which smashes and makes a huge mess. Rebecca Estelle tries to cover the pumpkin up but unfortunately the next spring something begins to grow. She tries to get rid of the pumpkins to no avail and ends up with TOO MANY PUMPKINS. Then she makes the best of it, makes pumpkin pie and has a party with the village. She sends all of the leftovers home with the villagers except for a few pumpkin seeds for planting in the spring.
"Bats at the Library" by Brian Lies. The pictures in this book are absolutely gorgeous. If you are afraid of bats get ready for a revolution... these bats are so darn cute! This is a great book for anyone who has a serious addiction to the library (me) and who wants to instill this love in their children even further. When a librarian leaves a window to the library open the bats come and play. The best part is when the bats love the stories so much that they become a part of them. My kids had fun figuring out which favorite stories the bats had insinuated themselves into. (ex. "Winnie the Pooh", "Make Way for Ducklings", "Alice in Wonderland", etc.)
"By the Light of the Halloween Moon" written by Caroline Stutson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. We're venturing into slightly eerier territory. My kids are pretty hard to scare so to me this book was perfect. I LOVE the rhythm of this cumulative story akin to "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly...". A toe hangs from a dock and leads to more and more humorous events. I think the pictures are fun (award-winning) and one in particular makes me laugh out loud (a sprite bites a ghost and the ghosts face is priceless). Worth checking out to see if your kids can handle it.
"There's a Nightmare in My Closet" by Mercer Mayer. I have to admit I grew up with the "A boy, a dog and a frog" books so I love these earlier Mercer Mayer books. (nothing against little critter, some I love and some I don't) The first time we read this (years ago) my girls were a little scared of it. It's grown on them and it doesn't hurt that they now understand the plot. It is now one of our old standby's that is invariable grabbed about every 4th visit to the library.