Feb 07 2008
Seems like video previews of upcoming books are the new trend in Child’s Lit. The latest is for the latest Percy Jackson book, The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)
This has been a series that the boys and I have both thoroughly enjoyed and we are looking forward to it.
Feb 06 2008
This review is way over due…last spring, Sheila of Wands and Worlds contacted me and asked if I would like a review copy of The Dark Dreamweaver which was being released in paperback. It looked like fun, so I took her up on her offer. Jason and I started reading it (and after a brief break for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) finished it this summer. Unfortunately, writing the review has taken a bit longer (obviously!) and for that I apologize.
From the website:
Eleven-year-old David is suffering from nightmares. Over and over again, he dreams about a strange, bear-like man with black eyes. He’s not the only one; an epidemic of nightmares seems to have infected the Earth. David takes matters into his own hands and embarks on an adventure to Remin, a land powered by dreams. Aided by a caterpillar wizard, a jellyfish-man, two wise-cracking water serpents, and several other unusual characters, he sets out to find and confront the evil wizard who is causing the nightmares. The challenges that he encounters will require all of his intelligence, his courage, and most of all, his imagination.
On the whole, both Jason and I both enjoyed this book. I found the storyline very interesting and different. The characters were enjoyable and very unique. From an adult perspective, I thought that it could have used a bit more editing as it had some quirks that I found a bit distracting (compound sentences that repeated the same word being one). So I think that I will let this series be one that Jason can read on his own. He is curious where the characters will go in the next book.
The Dark Dreamweaver is about a boy, David who finds a caterpillar wizard, Houdin from Remin, the magical dream world. David must help save the dream world from a dark dreamweaver, hence the name The Dark Dreamweaver.
I liked the dream world of Remin and I liked the characters especially Sir Heads Alot who kept taking his heads off and replacing them with other heads. And just so that you know, they were little manikin heads so he did not have to kill anything or use real heads.
I would recommend this book to other kids.
and Jason
Apr 05 2007
Jason’s Rating: Book Hall of Fame (highest)
It is based on the Pied Piper of Hamlein. Basically, here’s how the Piper got his powers. Supposedly there is this dark magic that comes up every once in awhile and possesses something. This time, it turned out to be a person..Diek. Meanwhile there is a city called Dullitch. It’s problem? It has a plague of rats. The Duke of Dullitch sends out some messengers to recruit mercenaries to get rid of the rat plague. They end up coming across Diek and recruiting him because he says that when he plays his flute everything follows him.
Then when he gets the rats out, the Duke refuses to pay him so he uses his flute to charm the kids into following him to the mountain. The only other two mercenaries who were recruited were a barbarian named Groan and a dwarf called Gordo. They team up with an ex-council member/wizard named Tambor and went off. When the children get stolen, the Duke sent out the messenger to look for them with three bags of 100 gold coins to persuade them to help find the children. They end up searching for the children.
It was just kind of funny. The cities had names like Dull-itch and Leg-rash. There was also this one spell called the “Screaming Tower of Doom”. The Wizard ended up casting it. It was supposed to be a 5 foot tall pillar of fire. A little after he casted it and it wore off, he ended up bragging how impressive it was and how it allowed them to escape. He said that it wreaked carnage on them. But really, all that happened is that it destroyed a nearby beehive and then sputtered out.
~Jason
Feb 15 2007
What are the Cybils?
Like all revolutions, this one started small, with a single post on a blog devoted to children’s literature. The Newbery Medals seemed too elitist and the Quills, well, not enough so.
Was there a middle ground, an annual award that would recognize both a book’s merits and popularity?
The answer: invent one! Within hours, this meme had circulated among some of the biggest bloggers in the burgeoning kidlitosphere, the cozy corner of the Web where children’s books are given the same regard as their grown-up counterparts.
Within days, the new awards had a name and a website: The Cybils, a loose acronym for Children’s and YA Bloggers’ Literary Awards. Nominations quickly opened in eight categories, from picture books up to Young Adult fiction and even graphic novels.
Well after many, many months of waiting, they have published the list. Check out the best in the following categories:
Great way to find great recommendations for your kids (and your own!) reading enjoyment.
Have fun!
~Stephanie
Jan 28 2007
Jason got the first three books in the Bone graphic novel series by Jeff Smith for Christmas. He absolutely devoured them (I have enjoyed them too!) and we followed up by getting the next two. Here is his review.
They are funny and they have cute things like the Rat Creature Cub. It has a very interesting storyline.
1. One is in Book 1 when Fone Bone says “That is what they dragon wants you to think, they they don’t exist.”. Then the dragon comes up out of the well and says “Actually I just want her to think you are nuts.”2. The part when Smiley offers the Rat Creature Cub a sandwich and it turns out to have a giant mouth and instead of just eating the sandwich, it has part of Smiley’s arm in his mouth. And then Smiley Bone says “Sit” and the Rat Creature Cub sites. Then Smiley Bone says “See I told you he was smart”.
There are three Bone cousins. One of them, Phoney, keeps getting run out of town and Fone and Smiley Bone always help Phoney get away from the angry mob. And on the latest time Phoney Bone got run out of town, they got lost. They were off the charts.Then Smiley Bone finds a map and asks Phoneu Bone for $1. Then some locusts come and they start running. away from the locusts. Fone Bone ends up running off a cliff because he can’t see where he is going. Then he climbs out, goes through the mountain using the map. When he gets through, hefinds a valley where most of the story takes place.
The Bone Cousins - There are three Bone Cousins: Fone Bone, the main character of the book, he is a normal looking Bone with a backpack. Nothing really distinguished. Smiley Bone: Unlike Phoney Bone, Smiley Bone has no money whatsoever. He’s really tall, has this kind of jacket and in the beginning of the book, he is sitting on a rock playing guitar. He also really likes smoking cigars. Phoney Bone: Looks a lot like Fone Bone but he always has a uni-brow plush has a shirt with a star. He is also the richest bone in Boneville (which is where they come from).
The Red Dragon - Kind of a relaxed attitude, can breath fire of course. Unlike you would think, instead of scales, he has fur and big floppy ears. He also has a very good sense of humor. He can be tough when he needs to and he is good not bad.
Ted, the Bug - He is very small. Got a kind of funny attitude. He is a good guy who is opposing the Rat Creatures. And he always hops around. He also has a big brother but you only see him for a bit.
Thorn - Ted ended up mentioning her to Fone Bone because Fone Bone was asking if Ted had seen his cousins. Thorn is a girl, a human (humans have more detail then the Bones) so it looks kind of strange when they are standing close to one another. And her past is sort of a secret. And Fone Bone is also in love with her.
Gran’ma Ben - She’s a farmer. She competes is this Great Cow Race in the summer festival. She fought back the Rat Creatures in the War. She can be a little strict, kind of gruff. Her history is also a little bit of a secret.
Lucius - His personality is kind of gruff. He runs the Barrel Haven Bar. And actually I don’t know too much about him other then that. But I think he has a crush on Gran’ma Ben.
Raque Ja - He’s this giant mountain cat. He says that he is the Master of the Eastern Boarder. He is not helping the Bones but he is not helping the Rat Creatures. He’s also not helping the dragons or the valley people. His personality is very strict. Very powerful.
Rat Creatures - Large scary rat monsters with bug-red eyes. They come in different colors. These are the two main rat creatures: a blue one and a brown one. The brown one likes quiche. The blue one hates the fact that the brown one likes quiche and gets very annoyed with him. They are pretty stupid and easy to distract. In one part Fone Bone jumps onto a small branch and says that the Rat Creatures would be pretty stupid to jump onto this small branch. The Rat Creatures jump onto it and Fone Bone says “Stupid, stupid, Rat Creatures!”. Rat Creature Cub - I think he is really cute and funny. Fone Bone found him in Barrel Haven. He must have wandered in there around the time when the Rat Creatures were evacuating the valley.
King Dok - He looks a lot different then the other Rat Creatures. He’s got tiny arms with a club. And unlike the other Rat Creatures he is actually pretty smart.
The Hooded One - He’s the new leader of the Rat Creatures, apart from King Dok. I don’t know what his personality is like. But he is definitely evil.
Lord of the Locusts - An ancient spirit from the Dream Time. I don’t really know what that is yet. And I actually don’t know too much about this guy either except that he probably wants to take over the world.
~Jason
May 10 2006
Found another great author! I picked up The Conch Bearer on tape for us to listen to in the car and we really enjoyed it. Set in India, it is about a boy who winds up being chosen as the Conch Bearer…a magical item that has been stolen. The Brotherhood of the Conch needs help in getting it back. The audio book was really well done, really brought us into the story of the journey. Lots of magic and really interesting backdrop of a different culture.
And there is a sequel - The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming This picked up the story after Anand has been accepted into the Brotherhood. He has to go to save Master Healer Abhaydatta and in doing so travels back in time. It is subtitled Book II of the Brotherhood of the Conch, so hopefully that means that there are more to come.
~Steph
Apr 23 2006
Every once in awhile I completely by accident stumble across a book that we really enjoy. Birdbrain Amos by Michael Delaney is one of those books. I was looking through the library catalog for animal books for Kyle and thought this looked cute. Turns out that both boys really enjoyed it! Always a plus…they usually like very different books.
Birdbrain Amos is about a hippo who goes looking for a tick bird to eat the bugs that are bothering him. He does find one, but through a misunderstanding he winds up with the tick bird’s nest on his head! Amos wants to ask his bird friend to move the nest, but can’t because now she has laid her eggs. Amos endures the teasing of his fellow hippos as he struggles with how to handle everything.
This is a fun book, not overly long. (Jason probably could have read it on his own). The boys found it very funny, especially the baby tick bird Ameoba (you have to read the story) who calls “rain” “wain” and “river” “wiver”. And a book that holds both kids’ attention and has them laughing out loud is great in my book!
~Steph
Jan 15 2006
I have come to the realization that there are just too many good authors and books out there. I have so many books I want to read with the boys and just not enough time to do it! Not to mention books I want to read for myself.
We always have an audio book going in the car, Jason listens to books in his room every evening and I read with the boys as much as I can…but there are still so many books out there! Currently I am reading Stuart Little with Kyle, Eragon with Jason and we are listening to The Boggart in the car. I picked up a few poem books to read to both the boys. One is entitled Exploding Gravy: Poems to Make You Laugh…Jason actually picked it up after I got back from the library and read two on his own! I am finding that he seems to enjoy poetry (if the subject matter is fun)…I think that he likes that they are short and he likes the rhythm. And I am just starting The Golden Compass (actually a young adult novel by Phillip Pullman that is supposed to be really good) and John Adams by David McCullough which I am really enjoying.
I have decided to periodically share books and authors that we have discovered along the way with you all. Hopefully you will find something that strikes your fancy! And please remember…all kids are different, so I recommend that you pre-read (or at least skim) these books to make sure they are age-appropriate for your kids. Don’t just take my word for it!
Diana Wynne Jones
My favorite new author we have found so far. I find myself getting lost in her books…and Jason enjoys them too! Interestingly, I have found that sometimes her books start a little bit slow but as I keep reading I get more and more hooked. Please note that she writes for all ages, including young adult, so be sure to check the books out first before choosing them for your child. I have to admit that I am enjoying this part!
The Chrestomanci Chronicles Volume I
Made up of 2 books: A Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant A very unique take on wizards and witches. In these books, there are multiple parallel worlds created when a major event takes place which could have more then one outcome (such as a war being won or lost or a major event like the Industrial Revolution taking place). In some of these worlds, witches and wizards exist. In order to keep them from taking over worlds without magic, the Chrestomanci (a very powerful enchanter with 9 lives) must keep watch. These stories are about how 2 Chrestomancis come to learn about their special gifts and destiny.
The Chrestomanci Chronicles Volume II
Made up of 2 books: The Magicians of Caprona and Witch Week These books take a slightly different approach…instead of being about the Chrestomanci, they are actually stories where the Chrestomanci plays a small but key role in the outcome of the book. The books themselves focus on different characters. The Magicians of Caprona focuses on a magic family in a culture similar to our Italian culture. An unknown enchanter is capitalizing on an ongoing feud between the two main magical families in Caprona. The two youngest members of each family find that it is up to them to figure out what is going on before it is too late. Witch Week is set in a boarding school in a world where witches and wizards are feared and hunted by inquisitors. Someone in class 6B is a witch but no one knows who. This story has a wonderful message but also deals with some of the more cruel kid behaviors. I actually have not read this one to Jason because he has not had much exposure to this type of behavior and I am not sure he would get why they were acting this way completely. Those of us who have been in school would definitely be able to relate though. So I will let him get a little older and bit more wordly ;o) before we read it.
Mixed Magics
This book is made up of 4 short Chrestomanci stories. Since the stories are shorter, they do not have quite the same depth as the other books, but they are still fun. They pull familiar characters from Volumes I and II.
Conrad’s Fate
The newest book in the Chrestomanci series. We have not read it yet, but are looking forward to it!
The Dalemark Quartet
My favorite series so far of her books. I started pre-reading these and got totally swept up in them. The Quartet consists of 4 books: Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Ammet, The Spellcoats and The Crown of Dalemark The first three books seem to not have much to do with each other…other then being set in the same place - Dalemark. However each holds a piece of the puzzle which is pulled together in the fourth book. I could not put the fourth book down…I was fascinated with how it was all coming together and needed to know how it ended! I still want to re-read these to see what I missed in the first reading. Which is a good because I still need to read them to Jason!
Well, this has gotten really long and I have not even gotten off my first author! Or mentioned two other books of hers that we really enjoyed: Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Air.
I will have to continue tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day….and the next day…
Jan 03 2006
I can’t tell you how much fun we have been having with his books! I have already blogged about the fun we had with The Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. The boys absolutely loved the parodies and it inspired them to write their own (Jason’s and Kyle’s) . They were so thrilled to read what they had written on the internet! They still love this book…so much so that Santa just had to bring them their own copy.
I decided to check out some more of Scieska’s stuff from the library and picked up Math Curse and Science Verse and Jason loves them! Science Verse is really funny. Scieszka takes commonly known poems like nursery rhymes, Casey at the Bat and The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and parodies them with a science theme. Jason has a few favorites that he likes to recite to friends now. There is also a CD that came with it where they mention the original poem. And Kyle was so cute…he kept repeating precipitation, evaporation over and over (from the poem It’s raining, its pouring, the water cycle is boring. Precipitation, evaporation, precipitation, evaporation…).
Math Curse is a lot of fun and Jason really likes it as well. It throws in some interesting to think about math stuff along with goofy stuff like what is tunafish plus tunafish? Fournafish…Well, you get the picture. It really plays I think that he really is drawn to the cadence of the poems as well as the general silliness. His favorite part is where the main character is trapped in a dream of the ultimate math problem…she then revelationlation and breaks her chalk in half…after all, two halves make a whole and she can use this “hole” to escape! It totally appeals to Jason’s enjoyment of plays on words.
And it gets better! Not only have these books sparked tons of creativity and interesting discussions…but Jason has been picking them up and reading them!! Jason did not start reading until last year around 8 (perfectly on time for him) and although he has “caught up” quickly, he still feels that he is “not good at reading”. His words, definitely not mine. I have not worried about it because he actually reads quite a bit…his video games and manuals, the lego catalog and other miscellaneous things. But he has not shown any interest in reading books for pleasure despite his great love of stories. Partly because the books he wants to read (we are currently reading Eragon) are still above his level and he is a perfectionist. I know that once he gets a bit more confidence he will love reading on his own…so it is so cool to see him curled up on the couch reading to his brother!
And it has seemed to give him more confidence…today he picked up the I Hate Math Book we had gotten from the library (he saw it and had asked me to get it for him…yes…this is my kid who hates anything schooly who has never been to school!) and was reading me some of the math puzzles from it. He was still reading it on the couch when Jeff got home from work…needless to say Jeff was pleasantly shocked!
Scieszka also writes a series called the Time Warp Trio which is similar to Magic Treehouse (but so much better! Sorry…even though Kyle loves the Treehouse books I find them BORING!). Three boys find a magic book that takes them on all sorts of adventures. They are meatier then the Treehouse books, the kids are a bit more real (and not as annoyingly perfect as in the Treehouse books) and the topics are fun..DaVinci, the Brooklyn Bridge, King Tut, Pirates, Cowboys etc.
Just had to share. This really is why I love homeschooling. I feel like I did when Jason was learning how to walk. One step at a time. On his own time. Not saying that every kid will like Scieszka’s books, but it is so much fun when you find an author that hits it off with your kid!
I have found that much of Jason’s learning comes from reading books. He is much more into concepts then into details…so while he says he hates math, one of his favorite TV shows is Cyberchase on PBS which is about…you guessed it! Math! He does not like to do computations, but he loves playing around with concepts and problem solving. So for us it is about finding a good balance. And books are playing a large part of that. I think that one of the things that I most enjoy is all the great books I get to find and share with the boys. Another perk of homeschooling!
Dec 07 2005
We just read this book by Jon Scieszka and the boys LOVED it. It can be hard to find one book that both boys want to listen to but they were both absolutely cracking up on this one. I think that we will have to pick up our own copy. It is really funny…great parodies of the classic fairy tales including The Princess and the Bowling Ball, The Really Ugly Duckling, Jack’s Bean Problem and, of course, The Stinky Cheese Man. I have to say from my perspective, I really enjoyed reading it to them. And it led to what every homeschooling parent loves…a great conversation! We talked about what a parody was, what made these stories funny, what we liked about them. Not in a teachy sort of way, but in a comfortable, natural because we really enjoyed the book sort of way.
This all led to Jason telling his own parody, incorporating elements from the book and of course then Kyle wanted to tell his own as well. I wrote them down and told the boys that I would put them up on the blog tonight. Which led to us talking about what a blog is and who might be reading this. LOL! I think they really liked the idea that their stories would be read by others (even if it is only the grandparents!).
All in all a really fun afternoon. They were so excited and enthusiastic…it warms this homeschooling mom’s heart. ;o)
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I am a liberal-minded homeschool mom who is constantly trying to find that elusive state of balance in my life while enjoying my two energetic, yet vastly different boys.
I am also a featured author over at Life Without School. Come check us out!
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Proud Hokie Alumni
Class of 1991
