Brown, Don. 2003. American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Samuel Clemens, born in Missouri in 1835, had an auspicious beginning: Halley’s comet marked the sky that very night. His life from there was one of adventure, of times spent with friends, listening to stories and playing in and along the banks [...]
Archive for April, 2008
American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain ~ Don Brown
Posted in Informational Books on April 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A Wizard of Earthsea ~ Ursula K. Le Guin
Posted in Fantasy on April 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Le Guin, Ursula K. 1968 / 2004. A Wizard of Earthsea. New York: Bantam Dell.
Ged, son of Ten Alders’s bronze-smith, displayed a skill for magic at an early age. On the day he wielded that skill to save his village, Ged fell ill, taxed by the effort it took; the wizard, Ogion, came and lifted [...]
The City of Ember ~ Jeanne DuPrau
Posted in Fantasy on April 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
DuPrau, Jeanne. 2004. The City of Ember. New York: Random House.
Lina and Doon, friends who had grown apart over the years, must come together to determine the extent of the trouble their city is in. Each day there are more shortages in Ember, fewer food staples and clothing items to go around, and the lights [...]
The House With a Clock in Its Walls ~ John Bellairs
Posted in Fantasy on April 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Bellairs, John. 2004. The House With a Clock in Its Walls. Illustrated by Edward Gorey. New York: Penguin Group.
After the death of his parents, Lewis Barnavelt is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan. When he arrives in New Zebedee, Lewis is surprised to find that he likes his Uncle, the mansion he’s to call [...]
Scary Godmother ~ Jill Thompson
Posted in Fantasy on April 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Thompson, Jill. 1999. Scary Godmother. Dover, NJ: Sirius Entertainment.
Hannah Marie is so excited to go trick-or-treating with the big kids; she has complete faith in her cousin, Jimmy, and the flashlight her father gives her to ward away the monsters. When Jimmy tricks her, though, Hannah confronts all of the creatures that go bump in [...]
The Last Knight ~ Will Eisner
Posted in Fantasy on April 6, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Eisner, Will. 2000. The Last Knight: An Introduction to Don Quixote. New York: Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine Publishing, Inc.
Don Quixote, a knight errant in his own mind, runs through windmills and tackles sleepy lions with his faithful squire, Sancho, at his side. While those he encounters laugh at his madness, Sancho realizes that his master is [...]
The Wednesday Wars ~ Gary D. Schmidt
Posted in Historical Fiction on April 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. New York: Clarion Books.
In 1967 in Mrs. Barker’s classroom it doesn’t pay to be the only Presbyterian on a Wednesday; while his classmates are learning the religious ropes, Holling Hoodhood is either banging erasers together or organizing encyclopedias. All that changes, though, when Mrs. Baker introduces William Shakespeare [...]
The Eagle of the Ninth ~ Rosemary Sutcliff
Posted in Historical Fiction on April 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Sutcliff, Rosemary. 1954. The Eagle of the Ninth. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Marcus Aquila grew up wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps: lead a Roman legion along the paths of Britain, defending Rome’s holdings against revolt. His dreams remain unchanged even when his father’s legion, the ninth, disappears. Marcus finds that his dreams come [...]
Nory Ryan’s Song ~ Patricia Reilly Giff
Posted in Historical Fiction on April 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Giff, Patricia Reilly. 2000/2002. Nory Ryan’s Song. New York: Dell Yearling, Random House.
Shaken by the sight of her neighbor’s being forcibly removed from their home, Nory makes a bargain that will change her life, and watches as the family she loves dearly departs for a new world without her.
In Nory Ryan’s Song, Giff has created [...]
