Will Stanton, seventh son of a seventh son, wakes on his eleventh birthday to discover that he is the last of the "Old Ones", destined to aid "The Light" in protecting the world against "The Dark". In this, his first quest, Will must find the "six signs", hidden for safekeeping by the Old Ones themselves. As part of the quest, he must acquire the learning and wisdom of the Old Ones. The Dark are all the time trying to prevent him from succeeding in his quest for the "Circle of Signs" which will assist The Light in this critical battle.

Although second in the series, it is this book which really sets the scene for the reader. Good and Evil are personified in the Old Ones and the Lords of the Dark. Religion is sidelined as something which gives men rise to consider matters of Good and Evil, and is treated merely as a focal point for… click here to read whole article and make comments

In these five books, (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King), Lloyd Alexander combines Welsh legend, classical mythology and even some Biblical references to create an impressive children's series. He presents the story of Taran, orphaned in infancy, as he matures from a boy to a man.

Taran longs for adventure. However, Dallben, the old wizard who is raising him, knows that wisdom and prudence must accompany true courage. When Dallben's valuable pig escapes, Taran finds himself thrown into the battle between good and evil and quickly discovers that with leadership comes responsibility. In each book he understands better his strengths and weaknesses, learning from his mistakes.

Taran struggles to overcome himself and is never satisfied with simply fulfilling his duty. Indeed, the protagonists in this series are truly good and virtuous, doing what is right for the right reasons. Mercy tempers their sense of justice,… click here to read whole article and make comments

Everyone has a talent to share, but in the Beaumont family talent takes on a whole new meaning. Mibs Beaumont knows that when she turns thirteen her "savvy" will manifest itself. Her brother Rocket began to generate electricity on his thirteenth birthday. Her brother Fish produced hurricanes. Unfortunately, Mibs' beloved father is in a car accident the day before her birthday, so when she realizes she can read other people's thoughts and feelings if they have ink anywhere on their skin, she has no adults to help her deal with the frustration she feels with this new power. Will Jr., the boy she thinks is the minister's son, has a crush on her, and this adds to her confusion.

Mibs' most special talent, however, is her well-formed conscience. She does not want to misuse her new found power and respects others' privacy. Mibs demonstrates maturity, understanding and sensitivity to the people around her. She recognizes her own… click here to read whole article and make comments

The pursuit of clues and the thrill of a chase draw the reader on at a great pace.

We're naturally going for the underdogs. Shy but smart 14 year old Amy freezes whenever she's afraid and gets tongue-tied around popular people. Her 11 year old brother Dan loves gadgets and games and any kind of distraction, but has an uncanny way with numbers and a photographic memory.

The baddies are all cousins of Amy and Dan from other lines of the family. They display an entertaining array of evil characteristics that cause no end of trouble for our heroes. Some specialise in macho thuggery, others in conniving duplicity, and others still in self-serving flattery. But Amy and Dan are not so easily deceived.

The fictional mystery plot is extensively developed, although it still allows a good amount of real history to show through. In the course of the story we learn about many famous people,… click here to read whole article and make comments

Eight children witness the history of the world of Narnia, from its creation out of inchoate blackness to the extinction of its stars and the return of darkness. In The Magician's Nephew, Polly and Digory see the creation of Narnia and take back to London an apple from its garden. That apple grows into a tree which is turned into a wardrobe through which Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy enter Narnia, help to defeat its cruel ruler, and are crowned kings and queens. During their reign, Bree and Shasta, in The Horse and his Boy are instrumental in saving Narnia from attack. After the children return to England, they are all called back once more to help establish Prince Caspian as Narnia's rightful ruler, defeating his usurping uncle. Edmund and Lucy go back once again in the company of their annoying cousin Eustace. Together they share in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, travelling with King Caspian to the outer islands and… click here to read whole article and make comments

As sugary tween dramas go, this one isn't too bad... though whether you want to read sugary tween dramas at all is another question. This book is like a milder version of 'Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants', not quite as shocking but definitely trying to appeal to growing-up girls.

The style feels consistent with moody tweens: a lively combination of over-played dramas, friendship spats, kid fun and impossibly sweet happy endings. That the book itself feels immature could be due either to poor writing or the author's successful immersion into the world she describes.

Digging deeper one finds plenty of good intentions: advice on friendship issues and peer pressure and premature romance; following one's dreams; seeing through wealth and poverty; a superficial but basically good recognition of the value of caring for personal appearance and fashion; understanding that parents also have their struggles and the need to give them time; and particularly how reading can bring people together,… click here to read whole article and make comments

Claire Bishop grew up in France in the middle of the twentieth century. She wrote many books based on her childhood memories and stories her family told her. This book recounts an example of the heroism that many headmasters and mistresses demonstrated during the Nazi occupation of France.

Sister Gabriel and the twenty children she is teaching decide to hide ten Jewish children at their boarding school and share their rations with them. They demonstrate courage, determination and ingenuity in protecting these friends from death. This short book is a good, gentle introduction to the Holocaust and is appropriate for children even younger than the publisher's suggested audience.

Jennifer Minicus lives in Ridgewood, NJ.  Her love for the formation of young people inspired her interest in children's literature.

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Trinity is a contemporary Catholic boys' high school in the States, run by an order of brothers. An organisation of boys called the Vigils, led by Archie Costello, runs things from behind the scenes. They select students for "assignments" either with a deliberate aim or just to relieve boredom. Jerry Renault is told to refuse to sell any chocolates in the annual school fund-raising effort. He accedes at first, but later defies the Vigils, ending up fighting Janza, the Vigils' muscleman, and losing.

There are several disturbing things about this book and its sequel Beyond the Chocolate War. It is not clear if the author is trying to shock his audience with exaggeratedly bad situations or to "tell it how it is". Either way, the book is not really fit to be read. There is very little positive to say about it; even those people whose actions are to be applauded in some way act for the… click here to read whole article and make comments

Earlier this week a portion of another writer's article appeared in this blog.  We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our readers.

Tomie dePaola works his magic once again in this latest story about Strega Nona. Her wisdom and experience helps her grow an orderly, productive garden. Unfortunately, Big Anthony has not learned his lesson. As in previous books, he spies on Strega Nona to hear the magic words she uses to make her garden grow. He uses those words for his own garden, but embellishes them. As a result, his garden produces more food than he can manage.

Strega Nona is a delightful example of wisdom, order, hard work and generosity. Her story can teach young children how to garden as well as how to be a good neighbor.

Jennifer Minicus lives in Ridgewood, NJ.  Her love for the formation of young people inspired her interest in children's books. 

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Dan Gutman's latest baseball card adventure sends Joe Stoshack (Stosh) back to 1969. Stosh has the ability to travel in time by holding a baseball card. He always lands in the year printed on the card. Stosh knows he has never saved anyone on his trips. Nevertheless, he decides to go back to the past to save Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash. Unfortunately, Stosh lands in, of all places, Woodstock. Traveling across the country, he manages to meet Clemente, a truly extraordinary man who teaches Stosh the importance of family and sacrifice. Stosh also receives a surprise visit from his future great-grandson, Bernard. Bernard has inherited Stosh's unique ability to travel through time with baseball cards. He brings Stosh to the year 2080 to show him the supposed effects of global warming.

Several issues require addressing in this tenth book about Stosh's adventures. Gutman tells these stories in the first person, that is, from… click here to read whole article and make comments