The context of this story is a fictional setting of a civilised people not too dissimlar to the British of the Empire. They come to live in a country originally populated by hill people with a rich history shot through with magic. The native Damarians ask the Outlanders (settlers) for help in defending themselves against their enemies, the demonic Northerners. The Outlanders turn them down, so their leader Corlath kidnaps Harry.

Harry, McKinley's young heroine, finds herself with no choice but to settle in with the Damarians. She discovers that she shares their unpredictable kelar (magical ability) and goes on to become a King's rider. Eventually she sets off with two friends to strengthen the Damarians' defence. In the process, she causes the bulk of the Northern army to be buried under half a mountain. When she returns to the king, he marries her...and they all live happily ever after.

McKinley's book is quite readable and is… click here to read whole article and make comments

Written at a time when adults used stories to teach children how to behave, this book bears little resemblance to the Disney movie.  Unlike the naïve and happy-go-lucky puppet we all know, the “real” Pinocchio is just plain bad.  He even kills the cricket in the fourth chapter.  Don’t be alarmed, the cricket will come back, and after many trials and sufferings Pinocchio learns his lesson.  He truly earns his boyhood (unlike Disney’s character) after sincerely repenting, seeking out and saving his father Geppetto, and then supporting his aged father with hard work.  Innocenti’s illustrations are exquisite, and children should find this original version of the story quite substantial.

Jennifer Minicus lives in Ridgewood, NJ.  Her love for the formation of young people inspired her interest in children's literature.  click here to read whole article and make comments

Based loosely on the life of the wildlife artist John James Audubon, this book tells the story of Celeste, a mouse who lives on a plantation in Louisianna in the early nineteenth century. Celeste's adventures begin when the family cat prohibits Celeste from returning to her home under the floorboards in the dining room. She explores the spacious house cautiously and eventually builds a nest in a boot under a bed upstairs. The owner of the boot is Joseph Mason, Audubon's assistant and protege. He finds Celeste and adopts her. Celeste is repulsed by Audubon's practice of killing the animals he wishes to draw. She realizes, though, that she can save their lives if she encourages them to pose for his sketches. In the process, she makes many new friends.

The illustrations alone make this book a worthwhile read. Exquisite and detailed, they complement Cole's story perfectly. Cole has included a brief biography of Audubon at the… click here to read whole article and make comments

Young Bruno is upset when his family is uprooted from their comfortable Berlin townhouse and forced to live in the featureless Outwith. Throughout the months they spend there, Bruno applies his innocent logic to his dealings with the bullying young lieutenant, an elderly servant, and in particular with Shmuel. Shmuel is a boy his own age who lives on the other side of the big metal fence, and who wears the same striped pyjamas as the others over there. His sister, three years older, is more knowledgeable but accepts her parents' view that those on the other side of the fence are somehow not to be treated as human. Right until the tragic ending, however, Bruno innocently accepts Shmuel as he would any other boy in his neighbourhood.

Bruno operates at the level of a small boy but he has a well-defined code of behaviour and of honour. His upbringing in Berlin has left him knowing that… click here to read whole article and make comments

One only needs to read a page or two of this book to realize that it is a classic. It portrays well the simple mountain life of the mid-twentieth century and the love of a boy for his dogs.

Growing up in the Ozarks, Billy wants desperately to own two hunting hounds. He works for two years, saving pennies, nickels and dimes to buy them and then trains them to hunt raccoons. A model of industriousness and perseverance, Billy is delightfully innocent. He never takes his blessings for granted and shares everything he has with his three younger sisters. Although his family is poor, they are happy. Billy's relationship with his dogs is unusually deep, but still believable. They love him to the point of giving their lives to save him. Although the book has a sad ending, the exquisite writing makes it a must read.

Jennifer Minicus lives in Ridgewood, NJ.  Her love for the formation of young people inspired her interest… click here to read whole article and make comments

This hilarious series looks at the world from the perspective of second-grader Alvin Ho. Alvin is scared of everything: trains, bridges, substitute teachers, girls, school... everything.

Thankfully he still manages to get up to mischief, catching chicken pox to get time off school and scaring himself speechless by believing his elderly piano teacher is the wicked witch from Hansel and Gretel.

But he's also working hard to live up to his father's gentlemanly standards: ‘no hitting, no insulting, no making anyone cry - even if she is a girl, and no Shakespearean style curses, unless they're just for fun'.

The warmth and humour continue in the second book where Alvin's absolutely worst fear has come true: he's going camping. And Alvin does not think the great outdoors is so great... it is super-duper scary.

Luckily, he's got his night-vision goggles and Triple Action Monster Eye Wide Beam Flashlight to keep him… click here to read whole article and make comments

The story is the conventional one of Beauty & the Beast: the father who inadvertently trespasses on the enchanted castle, and who must send one of his daughters to live with the Beast who inhabits it; the growing love between the Beast and the girl; the overstayed leave-of-absence and how it brings the Beast close to death, causing the girl to proclaim her love for him, unwittingly breaking the enchantment he was under.

The traditional storyline is nicely embellished in this version, with homely details of the life of the merchant and his daughters. The way in which the family faces up to the ruin of their business, in particular the care the father takes to pay his debts, is exemplary. In addition, all characters are generous to a fault: Ger, newly married to one of the daughters, offers to share the house attached to the smithy he has bought; the ostler gives Beauty a valuable horse;… click here to read whole article and make comments

It's never too early to learn geography, and Mary McManus Burke provides the tool with this colorful alphabet book. A creative combination of alliteration and diverse vocabulary takes young readers on a tour of cities throughout the US. Each page includes illustrations that aid adults in presenting new words and basic rules of phonetics. Humorous, detailed images will keep even a very young child's attention.

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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Despite the publisher's claim that this trilogy is for children ages 9-12, readers discover in short order that its content is inappropriate for middle school students. The writers (a mother and son team under the pen name of Tobias Druitt) have attempted to write their own version of several Greek myths. Unlike the stories of Ancient Greece, however, the Greek heroes are the villains of this series, and the monsters they slay are the victims. The authors try to incorporate as many stories from mythology as possible. As a result, the plot is quite complicated and would probably confuse younger readers.

Corydon is the son of Hera and of Pan, and is himself a monster: a boy with one human leg and one goat's leg. He begins the series living in exile, but is eventually befriended by nearly every monster of ancient mythology. The monsters join forces to fight the Olympic gods, who use both men and monsters in… click here to read whole article and make comments

Lucy and her classmates have never thought of themselves as writers until Ms. Mirabel comes to their fourth grade class as a guest teacher. A famous author, Ms. Mirabel has some unconventional teaching methods, but she quickly wins the children's hearts. They look forward to seeing her eccentric wardrobe. They question her mysterious comments. Most importantly, however, they work through their personal concerns by writing about their feelings. Little by little, Russell accepts the death of his dog, May learns to love her adopted baby brother, and Lucy overcomes her fears about her mother's cancer. Their friendships grow as they confide their problems to each other. Beginning readers will enjoy this touching and positive story written by the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall.

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

click here to read whole article and make comments