The Story Girl

Author: L. M. Montgomery

Genre: Childhood, life, children, adventures :)

Series: The Golden Road is it's sequel, but I don't believe they're technically a series

Number in series: 1st

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 272 (but it's easy reading)

Time period: early 1900's

Main characters: The Story Girl, Bev, Felix, Dan, Felicity, Cecily, Sara Ray and more!

Exciting events: Tons of stories

My overall opinion: It's got life and stories. The Story Girl, as Sara Stanley is called, loves to tell stories, and many of them are in this book, written from Bev's perspective. However, the children also have a variety of adventures and escapades that will make awesome stories, as the Story Girl points out. :)

**P.S. My apologies about The Golden Road getting published first...it wasn't supposed to. :P Though I had the scheduled thing set...guess not. **

Under the Lilacs

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Genre: Children's book, childhood, growing up, kids

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 302

Time period: 1800's

Main characters: Betty, Bab, Ben, Miss Celia, Thorny, others

Exciting events: Things getting lost... :)

Passage from book: The elm-tree avenue was all overgrown, the great gate was never unlocked, and the old house had been shut up for several years. Yet voices were heard about the place, the lilacs nodded over the high wall as if they said, "We could tell fine secrets if we chose," and the mullein outside the gate made haste to reach the keyhole, that it might peep in and see what was going on.

My overall opinion: Isn't that quote (the opening lines) just classic Alcott? :) This was one of hers that I hadn't read before, but it's style is very similar to her other books in some ways. Anyway, this is a sweet children's book, that pre-teens will probably enjoy the most. I liked it. :)

Theater Shoes

Author: Noel Streatfeild

Genre: Childhood, life, kids

Series: It's a sequel/follow-up to Ballet Shoes (and Dancing Shoes might also be part of this). But not really a series. Interesting how many books are like that...

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7

Type: Fiction, children's book

Number of pages: 281

Time period: 1940's

Main characters: Sorrel, Mark, Holly

Passage from book: It is very difficult to look as if you minded the death of a grandfather, who though you may have spent your holidays in his house, certainly seldom remembered that you did.

My overall opinion: There was nothing wrong with it. Good for pre-teens. :)

Pippi Longstocking

Author: Astrid Lindgren

Genre: Childhood, children's book, life

Series: Is Pippi Longstocking a series?

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Fiction, children's book

Number of pages: 116

Time period: 1800's, I guess. But really no idea.

Main characters: Pippi, Annika, Tommy

Exciting events: Vacation, picnics, birthdays, burglars, etc, etc,

Passage from book: Way out at the end of a tiny little town was an old overgrown garden, and in the garden was an old house, and in the house lived Pippi Longstocking. She was nine years old, and she lived there all alone. She had no mother and no father, and that was or course very nice because there was no one to tell her to go to bed just when she was having the most fun, and no one who could make her take cod liver oil when she much preferred caramel candy.

My overall opinion: Pippi is such a delightful character. :)

In the Camps: Teens who Survived the Nazi Concentration Camps

Author: Toby Axelrod

Genre: Holocaust

Series: Teen Witnesses to the Holocaust (but I'm not sure it's a series, rather a set)

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Type: Non-fiction, children's book (technically. See below)

Number of pages: 64

Time period: 1940's, World War II

My overall opinion: It's a book with pictures about teens who survived the concentration camps! I'd really not say it's for young readers, but I found it very interesting.

The Wizard in the Tree

Author: Lloyd Alexander

Genre: Fantasy

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Fiction, children's book

Number of pages: 157

Time period: Fantasy

Main characters: Mallory, Arbican

Exciting events: Magical events, more!

My overall opinion: A fun book. :)

Escaping the Giant Wave

Author: Peg Kehret

Genre: Adventure

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 7

Type: Fiction, children's book

Number of pages: 147

Time period: Present

Main characters: Kyle, BeeBee, Daren

Exciting events: A tsunami!

My overall opinion: A good book. Definitely not one of my favorite EVER books, but there wasn't anything objectionable either. A children's book.

Strega Nona

Author: Tomie de Paola

Genre: Story with a moral, children, comedy

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Type: Children's book

Time period: Unknown

Main characters: Strega Nona, Big Anthony

Exciting events: Too much pasta!

Passage from book: Big Anthony rushed in and shouted the magic words again, but the pot kept bubbling. He took the pan off the floor, but pasta kept on pouring from it. Big Anthony grabbed a cover and put it on the pot and sat on it. But the pasta raised the cover, and Big Anthony as well, and spilled on the floor of Strega Nona's house.

My overall opinion: I gave this book an eight because it was pretty funny. Make that very funny. Any kid will love it (and maybe the adults too?).

One Grain of Rice

Author: Demi

Genre: Math, children

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Children's book

Time period: Unknown

Main characters: Sultan, girl

Exciting events: Multiplying rice ;) (Better than it sounds)

Passage from book or back cover:"Your Highness," said Rani, "I do not deserve any reward at all. But if you wish, you may give one grain of rice...Today, you will give me one grain of rice. Then, each day for thirty days you will double the rice you gave me the day before."

My overall opinion: This is one fun book. It's cool!

Look-Alikes Christmas

Author: Joan Steiner

Genre: Rhyme, I spy

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Type: Children's book

Time period: Present

Main characters: None

Exciting events: None

Passage from book or back cover: Grandma's baking cookies to ward off winter's chill. They're crisp, just like her apron -- a brand new dollar bill.

My overall opinion: This is totally one of the coolest books I've EVER read. There are about 8 or 9 pictures in this book, each composed of everyday objects. Each one has from 110 to 168 items you can find it. These include spool of thread, dollar bill, gummi vampire teeth, bingo cards, birdcage, blueberry pie, suctino cup, flat clothespins, chess pawns, pecans, circus peanut, gold chain, roses, broccoli, overalls buckle, gumdrops, raccoon fur, dollhouse chair, and SO much more! At the end there's a list for each picture, telling how many look-alikes there were and what each one was. This is an amazing book. Worth buying! I LOVE this book and look forward to browsing it each Christmas.

Hopefully you can blow up the above picture and see the dog bones etc in it. :)