Holes

Written by Louis Sachar

Random House Children's Books, 2000

Genre: children's fiction; mystery; adventure

Reading Level: ages 9-12

233 pages

Holes is an exciting book about fate, adventures, friendship, and curses. It's a book about a boy named Stanley Yelnats and the curse on his family because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. The book starts out with Stanley being sent to Camp Green Lake, a camp for boys who need discipline instead of sending them to jail. As Stanley quickly realizes the camp is not at all what he expected. There is no lake, it is all desert, miles and miles of desert. As Stanley takes the long bus ride to the camp he reflects on the curse upon his family because supposedly his great great grandfather had stolen a pig from a one legged gypsy and she had cursed his family. So Stanley is on his way to Camp Green Lake because a pair of shoes literally fell on him from the sky and apparently they had been stolen and were worth a lot of money, and Stanley was found guilty, thanks to his great great grandfather. So Stanley makes it to the lake and is introduced to Mr. Sir who tells him that he is to wake up everyday at 4:30 am and go out and dig a hole exactly 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide to build character. Then Stanley is introduced to his counselor Mr. Pandeski, or Mom, as the other campers call him. Mom introduces Stanley to the other boys in his group and they all have interesting nicknames; Squid, X-Ray, Magnet, Arm-Pit, Zig-Zag, and Zero. Stanley wakes the next morning to dig his first hole and simply, it wasn't easy, not at all. And by the time Stanley was done he was blistered and exhausted. During his digging excursion Sachar takes us back to the story of Stanley's great great grandfather, Elya Yelnats who was in love with a local village girl but her father wanted her to marry another man, a much older man, who offered a large pig in return for marriage to his daughter. So Elya went to Madame Zeroni the local Gypsey and asked for help. She tells him that if she takes one of the little piglets she has and everyday carries it up to the top of a mountain and have it drink water from the stream then it will be bigger than the other man's pig and he will win the girl, when he does he also must come back to Madame Zeroni and carry her up the mountain. So everyday Elya carries the pig to the top of the mountain, then came the day of the girl's 15th birthday when her husband would be chosen so Elya decides to take a bath instead of carry the pig up the mountain. After he bathes he goes to the girl's house to present the big. It weighs the same as the other man's pig and it's up to the girl to pick, but she doesn't know who to pick and surprised by her idiocy Elya gives her up willingly. Angry and heartbroken Elya jumps on a boat to America and forgets to carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain as he promised, but he's not worried. Elya goes to America and marries a young girl named Sarah. They had a hard life for they were very unlucky. They had a son who they named Stanley Yelnats, the first. Sachar then tells the reader about the yellow spotted lizard who's venom is extremely deadly. That night in the rec room of the camp Stanley receives his nickname, Caveman, and he feels a part of it all. As Stanley keeps digging the counselor tells him that if he finds anything interesting that he is to report it. Well one day, while digging one hole, Stanley comes across a little tube with the letters KB on it. Unfortunately he had promised X-Ray, the leader of the group that if he found something he would give it to him. So he does. X-Ray turns it in the next day and is given the day off. The rest of the boys are asked to move to the hole where X-Ray supposedly found the tube and they dug up all around it, for several days. Sachar introduces the reader to the Warden, who appears somewhat friendly to the boys or at least appreciative to the boys, though extremely impatient. It was obvious they were digging for something not just digging for character. After many more days of digging, and a couple incidents where Stanley is personally introduced to the warden, and Mr. Sir grows to hate him even more, Stanley and Zero develop a relationship. Zero wants to lean to read so Stanley agrees to teach him and Zero says that he'll dig half of Stanley's hole since he is so fast. One night, after teaching Zero Stanley starts thinking about the tube he found and it hits him that K.B might be Kissin Kate Barlow, who attacked his great grandfather and stole all his money, but luckily left him alive. So Sachar takes the reader back in time again to tell Kissin Kate's story. Basically Katherine was a school teacher in the small town of Green Lake that was right next to the biggest lake in Texas. She won prizes for her delicious peaches, and she was fond of the local onion seller, Sam, a black man and his donkey, Mary Lou. Sam would fix stuff for Katherine in the school house, and they soon fell in love. One night they were seen kissing which was unheard of for the time. The local town wealthy person, Trout, was furious and he put together a mob that burned down the school house and killed Sam. So Katherine decided to take revenge and became an outlaw. She went around stealing and killing people, kissing them on the cheek if she killed them. Kate moved back to Green Lake to live in a cabin and was approached one day by Trout and his wife Linda who wanted to know where she buried the money she stole they forced her to show them, and dig for it. Unfortunately she was bitten by a yellow spotted lizard and died, but not before she promised Trout that his children and his children's children would be digging in search for the next hundred years, and she wasn't far off. We jump back to the camp where Zero has just told Stanley that his real name is Hector Zeroni. One day the boys get sick of watching Zero dig Stanley's holes and they complain to the warden who shows up and she makes fun of Zero who finally snaps and runs away. A couple days later Stanley gets up the guts and goes out to find Zero, after walking for a long time, and already tired and thirsty, Stanley finds Zero under a part of an old boat name Mary Lou where luckily Zero was still alive and surviving on jars of a peach smelling substance he called sploosh. They decided they didn't want to go back to camp but instead decided to walk towards the mountains that Stanley hoped was the same mountains his great grandfather had found water on. After much struggle, blood, vomit, and Stanley carrying Zero most of the way they make it to the top and find water to drink and onions to eat. Zero reveals to Stanley that it was actually him that stole the famous tennis shoes, got nervous and threw them off a bridge where they landed on Stanley. Stanley forgives him of course and Stanley's luck changes and they decide to head back and dig for the treasure that the warden is searching for in the place where the KB tube was actually found. So they fill up and pack up water and onions and head out. They reach the camp, hide out until night, and start digging until they pull out a metal suitcase type box. Right as they pull it out the warden turns on a light thanks them for their help, but soon realizes the boys are surrounded by yellow spotted lizards. Stanley's lawyer shows up the next day and the boys are still in the hole but still alive, she tells them that Stanley is free to go and is outraged by what is going on. Stanley gives up and just steps out, they all look down and realize the case says Stanley Yelnats. The warden is shocked. The lawyer, and an officer take both Stanley and Zero out of the camp and back home. They open the case and inside is the fortune of Stanley's great grandfather. Zero is able to find his mom, and because Stanley, the great great grandson of Elya Yelnats, carried Zero, the great grandson of Madame Zeroni up the mountain to drink from the stream their luck was turned and Stanley's father discovered a cure for foot odor and became very very rich.

I would recommend this book to any one who enjoys a story of fate, a mystery, and story of luck and friendship.

The only conflict that could come from this book would seem to be to made a child believe that fate really exists and their choices don't matter.

Ever since this book came out i have always loved it. It is an easy read with an exciting plot. It is different from anything i've ever read. I like all the different story threads and how they all come together at the end. I especially loved the development of the non stereotypical characters.

My rating 5 out of 5

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

written and illustrated by Eric Carle

Penguin Group, 1994

Genre:Children's picture book; teaching

Reading level: ages 2-4

13 pages

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the sweet story of a caterpillar who has just come out of his egg and is so hungry that he eats a lot. On Monday he eats 1 apple on Monday, 2 pears on Tuesday, and leads up to a bunch of different foods on Saturday like cake, watermelon, a pickle, cherry pie, and a lot of other foods. Then of course the caterpillar becomes very sick. Until luckily he finds a nice green leaf and eats it to settle his stomach. Now the caterpillar is very fat and builds a cocoon for himself where sleeps for two weeks until he nibbles a hole in it and comes out as a beautiful butterfly.

I would recommend this book to a child that likes entertaining books and is learning and the days of the week and learning to count.

I can't think of a conflict that could come from reading this book to a child.

As a kid growing up this was one of my favorite books to read at night. Of course my mom didn't like reading it to me because it always made her hungry. I also enjoyed the little holes the caterpillar seemingly made in the book by the caterpillar. I can't wait until i get to read this to my children and see their delighted eyes. I personally learned the days of the week from this book, and still relate the specific foods to those days of the week. It's amazing what sticks :).

My rating: 5 out of 5

Ever wonder why the caterpillar comes out of a cocoon and not a chrysalis? Found out now!

http://childrensbooks.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=childrensbooks&cdn=parenting&tm=611&f=10&su=p284.9.336.ip_p504.3.336.ip_&tt=6&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http://www.eric-carle.com/q-cocoon.html

The Wiener Dog Magnet

written and illustrated by Hayes Roberts

Children's Storybooks Online, 2006

Genre: Children's picture book

Reading Level: ages 4-6

21 pages

The Wiener Dog Magnet is about a young monkey named Kiki Marie who after working hard in her home got her allowance and went out to buy a magnet. She picked a magnet that was in the shape of a wiener dog, it was very cute and she loved it. However as she got closer to where the real wiener dogs lived they started sticking to the magnet, so many in fact that she couldn't even carry it anymore, and was very saddened. Suddenly she noticed a couple of small alligators trapped on rock in the middle of a creek, using all the strength she had she threw some of the dogs to them and because the magnet was so strong they made a wiener dog bridge and the alligators walked to safety. The king of the alligators thanked Kiki and gave her a blue ribbon and that night Kiki slept very soundly.

I would recommend this book to any child who has an imagination and a sense of humor.

I can think of no conflict that could come from this book.

I found this website of amateur authors of children's books and i was actually somewhat impressed. This story was unique and a cute idea and the pictures i'm sure the children will greatly enjoy. Though it was extremely random and not completely developed the idea was unique and different.

My rating 2 out of 5

Want to read more online children's books? visit http://www.magickeys.com/books/

The Real Princess

written by Hans Christian Andersen

ebook; www.classicreader.com

Genre: Children's Fiction; fairy tale

Reading Level: ages 4-8

1 page

The Real Princess is a classic fairy tale about a prince trying to find a true princess to be his wife. He searches all over but he can never tell if the princesses he meets are true princesses. One night after he has returned from his journey and is at home in his castle a big storm hits and a soaked young woman claiming to be a real princess comes to the door asking for a place to stay. The queen say it as the perfect opportunity to test the princess. So the queen put 3 peas under 2o mattresses and 20 feather beds and put the princess to sleep. The next morning the princess complained about how uncomfortably she slept and how much her back hurt. This was proof to the queen that this girl was in fact a real princess, for only a real princess is delicate enough to feel the three peas. The prince and the princess were soon married.

I would recommend this book to any child who enjoys a classic prince/princess fairy tale.

I can think of no conflict that would arise from reading this to a child.

I really enjoyed this story. It's a classic one that i've heard many different versions of, but this one is definitely the best. It's short and sweet but still extremely entertaining.

My rating: 5 out of 5

I also read: Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling, The Mermaid

The Fox as Herdsman

written by Peter Christian Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe

ebook; SurLaLune Fairy Tales, 2008

Genre: Children's Fiction; fairy tale

Reading Level: Ages 4-8

1 page

The Fox as Herdsman is a tale about an old woman searching for a herdsman for her flock. She first runs into a bear who says that he would be happy to be her herdsman, she asks how he would call the flock and he yells, the old woman says no that won't do, and moves on. She next comes to a wolf and the same thing happens. Finally she meets a fox who yells, "dil-dal-holom" and she agrees to let him be a herdsman for her flock. The first day the fox eats all the woman's goats, the second day he eats all her sheep, and the last day he eats all her kine. He then returns to the woman's home and tells her he is done herding and their skulls are in one place and their bodies in another. The woman goes out to look, and while she is gone the fox eats the cream the old woman has just churned. When the old woman gets back she is furious and chases the fox away and throws the last little bit of cream at it which sticks to his tail. Which is why foxes to this day have white tipped tails.

I would recommend this book to any child who likes tales that give explanations and that are entertaining.

I can think of no conflict that could come from reading this story to a child.

I really enjoyed this particular fairy tale. It was witty, unique, and i really like tales that explain things that are still true today, similar to Indian tales.

My rating 4 out of 5

I also read: The Blue Belt, The Three Princesses of Whiteland, and The Three Aunts.

The Fairies

Written by Charles Perrault

ebook, 2003

Genre: Children's fiction; fairy tale

Reading level: 4-8

1 page

The Fairies is a tale of a woman and her two daughters. The eldest daughter is very much like her mother, and both are disagreeable and mean. The younger daughter however is extremely beautiful and very kind, even though she is treated horribly by her mother and elder sister. One day the younger daughter was fulfilling her daily duty of going to a spring to draw water from it, and a fairy disguised as an old woman approached her and asked her to give her some water. Being sweet and kind the girl said of course and gave her some water. Seeing how kind the girl was she told her that with every word she now spoke out of her mouth would come a flower or precious stone. The girl thanked her and returned home and told the story to her mother as diamonds and flowers fell out of her mouth. The mother realizing what happened and wanting it for her eldest daughter sent her to do the same thing. The elder daughter reluctantly went to the spring and was approached by a fairy disguised as a princess. The elder daughter was mean to the princess and told her if she was thirsty to get her own water, the fairy told her she was very unkind and that with every word she spoke a snake or toad would come out of her mouth. When she spoke to her mother and the snakes and toads came out, her mother became furious and went to beat her younger daughter who hid in some bushes. A prince found her and fell in love with her and married her. The mother moved away and the elder daughter laid down in the forest and died.

I would recommend this book to any child who enjoys fairy tales.

I don't think any one would have a problem reading this tale to their child.

I really enjoyed this story. I'm pretty sure i've read about 20 different versions of it, and this is probably the original and i really liked it.

My rating: 5 out of 5

I also read: Cinderella, Little Tom Thumb, and Sleeping Beauty

The Golden Arm

written by Joseph Jacobs

compiled by Philip Lenssen

ebook, 2003

genre: children's fiction; fairy tale

reading level: 4-6

1 page

The Golden Arm is somewhat of a scary tale about a man who is searching for a wife, he travels all over to find one, until finally he meets a woman with a golden arm and marries her. He really loves her arm and hopes that people don't notice just how much. After his wife dies he puts on a very sad face and appears to be mourning, until that night he goes and digs up her body and cuts off the golden arm. He sleeps that night with it under his pillow. He wakes up to his wife's ghost in his room and he asks her what has happened to her rosy cheeks, red lips, beautiful hair, she answers that they have all withered away. Then he asks her what happened to her golden arm and she answers, "Thou hast it!"

I would recommend this to any child who enjoys a scary short and sweet tale.

I think that some parents might think this tale is a little too scary.

I really liked this story. It was short and still intriguing and entertaining. It seems to be the original of a lot of books based on a similar story.

My rating: 4 out of 5

I also read: Tom Tit Tot, The Three Sillies, and Fairy Ointment

The Frog-Prince

written by the Grimm brothers

translated by Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes

Ebook, 2008

Genre: Classic children's fairytale

Reading Level: ages 4-10

1 pg

The frog-prince is the story of a princess who goes to a small spring and is playing with her gold ball which she ends up dropping into the spring and gets very upset until a nasty frog comes to the surface and promises the princess that if she will take him with her back to her castle and allow him to eat from her plate and sleep on her pillow. The princess hesitantly agrees because she really wants her golden ball. The frog retrieves the ball for her and the princess ignoring the frog returns to her castle. At dinner with the king that night the frog comes to the door and says that she promised, and the king hearing that the princess gave her word tells her she must do it. Reluctantly, and a little grossed out, agrees and the frog eats from her plate and sleeps on her pillow. He leaves the next morning and the princess is relieved it's over. Until that night the frog returns, as he does the next night. Then the morning after the third night the princess wakes up to a handsome prince who explains to her that he was cursed to be a frog until a beautiful princess allowed him to eat from her plate and sleep on her pillow for three nights. He proposes to her and they are soon married and lived "happily a great many years."

I would recommend this to any child who likes fairytales. It is a classic princess story that little girls, and boys, love.

I see no conflict that could come from this story.

I really love fairy tales and this one especially. They are so entertaining and simple. I especially love the idea of a "happy" ending.

My rating: 4 out of 5

I also read: Rapunzel, Briar Rose, and Hans in Luck

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Written by Beatrix Potter

Penguin Books Ltd., 2002

Genre: Children's picture book; fiction; animal stories

Reading Level: Ages 4-8

70 pages

The Tale of Peter Rabbit is a classic story of a curious little rabbit named Peter, and the scary farmer Mr. McGregor. The book starts out with Peter's mother leaving to go to the baker's and warning Peter and his three siblings that they must not wander into farmer McGregor's garden. Peter's three siblings, the good bunnies, went to pick blackberries but naughty Peter went straight into the farmer's garden to eat lots of good food. Peter begins to feel ill but and decides to look for Parsley but instead runs into Mr. McGregor who chases Peter until he gets stuck into a fence. Peter while running loses his shoes and to get out of the fence, with the help of his friends the sparrows, also loses his jacket. He runs into the tool shed and hides in a watering can until he accidentally sneezes and the farmer chases him out of the window. The farmer gets tired of chasing Peter and goes back to work on the garden. Peter is now stuck in the garden because he can't find the fence he tries several different exits but they all fail, he gets very depressed until he finally sees the gate but Mr. McGregor is in front of it. So Peter runs for it and luckily escapes. Peter gets home ill and tired, his mother puts him to bed, and he doesn't get the delicious dinner.

I would recommend this to any young curious child to help share the consequences of disobeying parents.

I don't see any conflicts that could come with reading this book to a child.

I loved this book as a child and am looking forward to reading it to my child, it has a good moral portrayed in a fun way. The pictures are entertaining and sweet.

My rating: 4 out of 5

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

written by John Boyne

Random House Children's Books, 2007

Genre: children's historical fiction

Reading Level: Ages 12+

240 pages

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is about a naive young German boy named Bruno with a Nazi father during the Holocaust. The book starts out with Bruno being told that him and his family have to move because the "Fury" has given his father a new job. Bruno is extremely unhappy with this decision because he likes Berlin, doesn't want to leave his friends, and doesn't understand the point. Against his will his family moves to a big, cold, intimidating house Bruno calls "out-with". Bruno is not impressed to say the least. The house is constantly bustling with other soldiers, and out his window he sees a bunch of people in striped pajamas that he's not allowed to go play with and doesn't understand why. The reader recognizes many aspects of the holocaust situation but Bruno is naive to it all. The book talks about Bruno's grandmother who doesn't agree with Bruno's father's job and yet he is so important. One day when Bruno is fed up with being stuck in the house he goes out to explore the area near the tall fence surrounding the people in the striped pajamas. He meets a boy about his age who is wearing striped pajamas. They quickly become friends, and soon Bruno is going to meet him everyday. Shmuel, the young boy describes how his life has changed and Bruno is completely oblivious to what happened to Shmuel and thinks that it is the same thing that has happened to him. After becoming close friends with Shmuel and actually growing to like Out-With, Bruno's mother gets fed up and the decision is made that Bruno and his sister Gretel will go back to Berlin with their mother and their father will stay behind to work. Bruno is horribly saddened by this and goes to tell Shmuel who seems even more upset because as he tells Bruno his father is missing. They hatch a plan to dress up Bruno in the pajamas and go exploring for Shmuel's father. The next day is rainy but they decide to follow through anyway. Bruno puts on the pajamas and they search for Shmuel's father without success, as it starts to storm harder the soldiers blow their whistles and Shmuel and Bruno are pushed into a group of people who are being pushed into a big sealed room. The lights go out and Bruno is never seen or heard from again. His mother returns to Berlin heartbroken and after some searching Bruno's father finds his clothes by the fence and assumes what has happened and he is completely destroyed, several months later he is taken out of Out-with and he doesn't care.

I personally wouldn't recommend this to a child, I would recommend it to a young adult. It is a deep book about a disturbing topic.

With the whole conflict surrounding the Holocaust and the devastation of it. Many different conflicts could come from reading this book to a child, and how they could emotionally take it.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written and intriguing and came from the German perspective of the Holocaust which is rare. I don't always like sad endings but this really got the point across and it was somewhat of a good heartbreak.

My rating: 5 out of 5

ps I also loved the movie!

The Dollhouse Murders

Written by Betty Ren Wright

Scholastic Inc., 1995

Genre: Children's fiction; mystery

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

160 pages

The Dollhouse Murders is an exciting children's mystery book about a young girl investigating her family's terrifying past. The book starts out with Amy, the main character, at the mall with her friend Ellen, and her sister, Louann. As usual Amy is just trying to be normal and have fun with her friend and her sister Louann is making it impossible. Louann is handicapped and has a habit of wandering off, asking too many questions, and according to Amy scaring off all of Amy's friends. As Amy and Louann head home, Amy again gets in trouble for "neglecting" Louann by her mother and Amy runs away from the house in anger. Amy decides to go see her Aunt Clare, who is staying at Amy's great grandparent's old house to clean it up and clean it out. Amy enters the big house and goes to her aunt who is up in the attic. That's when Amy is first introduced to the dollhouse. She finds it absolutely amazing. It is an exact replica of the big house in it's old condition. Including little books, chairs, and even people that represent Amy's dad, Aunt Clare, and Amy's great grandparents. It's obvious Aunt Clare doesn't like the dollhouse and resents it even because she had a rocky relationship with her grandparents. Aunt Clare explains to Amy that after her and Amy's dad's parent's died they came to live with Amy's great grandparents and Aunt Clare and her grandma didn't get along at all. After they leave the attic Amy explains to her aunt why she ran to her and how she's fed up with taking care of her sister and getting in trouble with her parents. Aunt Clare is very understanding and says that maybe Amy does need a break and suggests that she should come stay with her for awhile. Amy's parents reluctantly concede and both Amy and her aunt are completely thrilled. Soon after Amy gets all moved in she has her friend Ellen over and shows her her new room and the dollhouse of course. Ellen, just like Amy, is enthralled with it and the girls play with it and put each of the dolls at the dining room table. Aunt Clare calls them downstairs to eat fudge and reluctantly they leave the dollhouse. Realizing that she left the dollhouse open Amy returns to the attic, but she hears a weird scurrying sound like a mouse, she goes over to the dollhouse and sees that the grandma figurine has been moved to the parlor. Amy runs away and tells herself, "dolls don't move by themselves." Before Ellen heads home, Aunt Clare suggests that since both Amy and Ellen's birthdays are coming up they should have a double birthday party at the big house. Of course the girls are very excited. Amy decides the next day that she wants to know more about her great grandparent's death so she goes to the library and search through old newspapers. She finds an article about the murder of a prominent couple and the little boy the police found in a closet. As Amy tells Ellen about the murders, she is overheard by Aunt Clare who gets mad at her and kind of flips out, Amy is extremely surprised and apologizes over and over. Aunt Clare claims that she is sick and cruel, and shows Amy the dolls in the dollhouse and how they've moved into positions described in the article as where they were murdered or found, and creepily Amy didn't put them there. Later that night Aunt Clare apologizes to Amy and explains that she is still torn up about the murders because she and her grandmother had had a fight that same night. Amy stops by her house the next day to pick up some tapes for her party and accidentally mentions it to Louann who of course wants to be included and gets very upset when Amy says no, and Amy's mother gets mad at her. That same night Amy has to go up to the attic again to get a blanket, she dreads it for good reason as she sees a light in the dollhouse and actually saw a doll move. The next day Amy and Ellen's party happens, Louann shows up because of an emergency with Amy's mother's friend. Amy is devastated but with the help of some of the friends invited to the party it doesn't ruin the night. After the party guests have left and Ellen is asleep, Amy wakes up and realizes that Louann has left her bed. Amy finds her in the attic with the dollhouse and she hears crying coming from the dollhouse and the light again and the books fall from the shelf of the parlor. Amy and Louann freak and run out of the attic. The next day after a bike ride Louann and Amy return to Aunt Clare's house. Again she was furious thinking that Amy had put the dolls in the murderous positions. Between Amy and Louann they convince Aunt Clare that they didn't do it and that the dollhouse is haunted. Aunt Clare reveals that she feels guilty for the death of her grandparents because she was secretly engaged to an easily angered man who they forbid her to see, and the same night her grandparents were murdered he was killed in a car crash and Aunt Clare is sure that he killed her grandparents and it's all her fault. Amy feels terrible for Aunt Clare and despite her fears she decides to investigate. Amy and Louann go up to the dollhouse that night and they hear footsteps, and the crying dolly and a scream. They are terrified and run to Aunt Clare. Aunt Clare decides that the house is trying to tell them something. They go to the parlor with the books like the grandma doll and search through the books, they find a letter written (in a book called the Dollhouse) by the grandma that says the gardener Reuben did it. Aunt Clare is relieved of the guilt and the mystery is solved. Amy returns home with a new appreciation of being a sister to Louann, who ends up getting the dollhouse as a gift from Aunt Clare.

I would recommend this to any child that enjoys a scary mystery.

I think that the only conflict that could come from this book would be that it is a little scary.

Even when i was younger i really enjoyed this book. It's unique, suspenseful, and terrifying and i absolutely loved it. It is well written, easily read, but still interesting to someone older and at a higher reading level.

My rating: 5 out of 5

Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the year 1888

Words by Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Illustrated by Christopher Bing

Chronicle Books LLC, 2000

Genre: Children's Fiction; poetry

Reading Level: ages 8-12

32 pages

This unique children's book centered around a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, a San Franciscan reporter, in his article in the San Francisco Examiner. It quickly took its place as an American ballad always remembered. The poem is about one particular baseball game where the favorite player of the crowd ends up striking out after his teammates succeed, and it is very sad. The story though it is obviously poem reads like a book when broken up like it is. For example the famous last line is, "Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light. And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville-mighty Casey has struck out." The illustrator of this particular version was very creative and set up the picture book as if it is a recently discovered baseball scrapbook filled with news articles and other memorabilia relating to baseball.

I would recommend this to a child who enjoys baseball and other sports.

I don't think there is any conflict that could come up when reading this book.

I really enjoyed this book, i thought it was a creative portrayal of the famous ballad. I enjoyed reading the little side notes, and looking at the drawings. I'm not sure how much a child would enjoy it, if they didn't like sports.

My rating: 3 out of 5

The Graveyard Book

Written by Neil Gaiman

with illustrations by Dave McKean

Harper Collins Publisher, 2008

Genre: Children's fiction; mystery; fantasy

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

320 pages

The Graveyard Book is an eerie book about a young boy named Nobody Owens, or at least that was his second name, who grows up in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts and other supernatural creatures. The book starts off with the murder of a family; a mother, father, and daughter. There is also a one year old boy but as the murderer looks for him he realizes that the little boy has left the house. The toddler walked through the open front door up the hill and into a creepy old graveyard. The point of view then turns to the ghosts in the graveyard that find the boy, primarily the Owens and a mysterious man/ghost named Silas who agrees to be the boy's guardian because he can actually leave the graveyard and get food for it. Silas confuses the murder and convinces him to leave. The ghosts give the boy the name Nobody Owens, Bod, for short and give him the freedom of the graveyard that allows him to see the ghosts and even take on some of their powers. The book skips ahead a couple years to where Bod is about five years old, and a very curious child. He wanders the graveyard every night and asks a lot of questions, which only Silas truthfully answers. He tells Bod that he cannot leave the graveyard because it is not yet safe for him. One day Bod meets a little (alive) girl playing near the graveyard named Scarlett and they soon become exploring friends of the graveyard. After some exploring, and Bod's questioning, Scarlett and Bod learn that the oldest grave in the graveyard in the big hill that the mausoleum sits on and they decide to explore it. The children find the entrance to the tomb behind an old coffin and climb inside. Inside they find a dead body of an old explorer and as they make there way deeper they run into a tattooed and preserved skeleton man who tells them to leave and threatens their lives. Being brave they decide that it's not real and simply a "scarecrow" to scare them away. They tell him they're not scared and he disappears. Then a voice, the Sleer, comes and tells them they are guarding the treasure. The children are freaked out and decide it's time to leave. The kids had been down there quite awhile and Scarlett's parents are terrified and end up leaving the town and move to Scotland. The next section introduces the readers, and unfortunately Bod, to ghouls. But just before that Bod is introduced to Miss Lupescu, who is to be his temporary guardian while Silas is away, for a reason unknown. She feeds Silas, teaches him the ways of the worlds, multiple emphasized, and how to protect himself from evils. As Bod gets frustrated with all the learning and harassment from his parents and new teacher he wanders off and meets some ghouls who take him into their world and plan to make him one of them. They are terrible creatures who feed on rotting flesh and tell Bod that he will remember nothing of his old life. Obviously Bod does not find this ideal and attempts to escape. Luckily he is saved by Miss Lupescu in the form of a dog, and their friendship begins. Miss Lupescu explains that she is one of the Hounds of God, who "pursue evildoers to the gates of hell". Next Bod is introduced to a young witch who helps him with his "fading", and other graveyard powers that he is having difficulty mastering. As they become friends Bod starts to feel bad for her because she is in an unmarked grave and decides that he will disobey his guardian and go buy a headstone for her. He's very resourceful and for money he goes back into the mausoleum and retrieves one of the guarded treasures, a brooch, and leaves to attempt to sell it. In doing so he accomplishes several things; first he makes his whereabouts known to his family's murderer, he gets in trouble with Silas, and he steals a paperweight for the witch to use as a headstone. The book then jumps to a short scene with a bunch of men talking about Jack, the murderer searching for the boy, and how he needs to find the boy and finish the job or it could get dangerous. As we return to Bod's story we find that Silas has told Bod why he really can't leave the graveyard, Bod being tactful and adult convinces Silas that he needs to go to school, they agree. The next section of the book is about Bod's time at school. While most of the time he keeps to himself and quite literally remains partly invisible he makes the mistake of haunting, threatening, and harassing two well-deserving bullies which ends up bringing a lot of attention to himself, and the decision that he should no longer attend school. (A very short lived experience). Scarlett, the young girl from the beginning of the story, is then reintroduced as her parents have divorced and she and her mother have moved back. Bod and Scarlett are now about thirteen. While Scarlett and Bod are reunited and investigating Bod's family's murder, Scarlett also makes a new friend, a mysterious but kind Mr. Frost who just happens to live in Bod's dead family's house. Scarlett asks him to look into the murders and, pretending to be a historian, of course Mr. Frost says he will help unearth some information. Mr. Frost is actually Jack the murderer and ends up luring Bod into his house through information and attempts to kill him. Needless to say he fails again and both Scarlett and Bod escape to the graveyard which five men follow them into, all being "Jacks" and including the original Jack. Bod gets Scarlett to hide in the mausoleum's tomb and he goes out and gets rid of the four other Jacks. One he tricks into falling into a deep grave, and the other four he forces into the ghoul world. Just as he finishes them off he goes back to the mausoleum where he finds "Jack Frost" holding Scarlett hostage. Using his wit, he talks to the Sleer, which turns out to be a snake like figure with 3 heads, and convinces it that he is its master and needs protection. The Sleer kills the original Jack and Scarlett and Bod escape. However, Scarlett is scared of Bod and hates him because of all the death he has caused and the position he put her in. Silas comes back from somewhere, and smooths things over by taking Scarlett home and using his powers to erase her memory and convince her mom to move back to Scotland. The book ends with Silas explaining the Jacks, a brotherhood, and the reason they were all after Bod, because he was prophesied to end their brotherhood, which he did, with the help of Silas and a few others who had been leaving to kill all the other Jacks. Some time passes, and Bod is now 15 he is losing his power to see the other ghosts and fade, and walk through stuff, and Silas tells him it's time to go live his life. Bod leaves the graveyard and sets out on a new adventure.

I would recommend this book to a child who enjoys a thrill, and a somewhat scary and fantastical plot.

I would say that this book could cause a conflict in that it is a little intense and scary at some parts, and even confusing. It could also be read in a way to undermine some religious beliefs if taken too seriously.

I really enjoyed this book, it was not what i expected at all, but I liked that. It was original and unique, and the pictures, while a little weird, added to the eerieness of the story. I was scared, saddened, happy, and definitely stimulated by this book.

My rating: 5 out of 5

Pictures of Hollis Woods

written by Patricia Reilly Giff

Dell Publishing, 2004

Genre: Children's realistic Fiction

Reading level: ages 12+

176 pages

Pictures of Hollis Woods, is the story of a young foster child who draws her experiences as she travels from home to home but misses one home in particular. Each chapter in the book is based on one of Hollis' pictures and it goes back and forth between Hollis's experience in her favorite household with the Regans, and the house she is in presently, with Josie Cahill. The book starts out with a short prologue that describes one of Hollis experiences in school where she was supposed to find a picture that had the letter W portrayed in it somewhere, and she chose a picture of a family, the teacher didn't get it and she got in trouble, though she meant it to be "wish". The main story starts with Hollis being dropped off by her social worker, aka the "mustard" woman, at her new residence, the residence of Josie Cahill. Josie is an artist herself. Josie is older and a little senile but excited to have Hollis come stay with her and promises to make a stick figure of her out of wood, a recurring theme in the story. Hollis thinks it might not be too bad and becomes close friends with Josie and her cat Henry. As the story develops and Hollis and Josie become closer another story unfolds. There are flashbacks, through Hollis' pictures, that tell about her experience with the Regans. Which includes the Old Man, his wife Izzy, and their son Steven. Hollis draws a picture of their first meeting and her becoming closer to their family. The story goes back to Hollis' new life with Josie where Josie shows Hollis her favorite things, and encourages her art. Hollis is introduced to Josie's sister Beatrice who runs an old movie theater and is also an artist. Hollis also notices more and more Josie's forgetfulness and how much she is struggling. She even forgets to take Hollis to school, and Hollis doesn't remind her until the social worker returns and forces her to go back to school. There are several flashbacks to Hollis with the Regans, it describes their exciting fishing trips, the mountain minutes away from the house, the artist utensils that she is given by the old man and the love that develops between them all. However, there is also a deep conflict as Hollis feels that she is causing the fighting between the old man and Steven, and that she is making their lives harder. Then again back to Josie; Beatrice leaves on vacation and the social worker decides that Josie is not a suitable caregiver for Hollis and that soon she will come to take her away. So Hollis decides to run, again. Hollis ran from several foster homes, including the Regan's. Hollis knows the Regan's summer house is empty, because it is winter, and she decides that she will take Josie and hide out there, after all she had a lot of great memories from there. So they set out and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas there. Mysteriously Josie says that "santa" came on a snowmobile and brought them food and candy. All while this is going on there continue to be flashbacks until finally the whole story about why Hollis left the Regans comes out. First off, it was decided that the Regans would adopt Hollis and they would be a family, Hollis was happy but still a little unsettled that there was conflict between the old man and Steven. One day while Steven and Hollis were at the summer house alone, and Steven went fishing so Hollis decides to climb the mountain outside the house and yell that she was finally part of a family, however on the way down she falls and twists her ankle. After a few hours Steven comes up in the pick up truck he's not supposed to drive and they head down the mountain. The truck crashes and Steven is hurt, the old man and Izzy come home just in time to get Steven to the hospital and Hollis hears the old man say that it was Steven's fault. Hollis feels awful and thinks that she has ruined this family. So she runs away. The old man tries to get her to come back but she refuses and goes to live with Josie. The story returns to Hollis and Josie in the Regan's summer house and Hollis discovers that "santa" was actually Steven. They have a sweet reunion and after pondering her pictures Hollis realizes that the old man loves Steven and it wasn't her fault they fought, it was who they are. She shows Steven her wish picture and it all comes full circle. So Hollis returns to live with the Regan's and their new baby Christina. Josie, who is to be taken care of by Beatrice stays friends with Hollis and they visit each other regularly.

I would recommend this book to any young child who likes adventure, mystery, and some sweet entertainment.

I didn't feel there was any conflict that could come with this book.

I really enjoyed this book, i loved the way the story was portrayed through the pictures, and the moral that came along with it. I liked the deep characters and their family relationships. It was a very unique and entertaining story that i will definitely read again.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Always Room for One More

Written by Sorche Nic Leodhas

Illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian

Henry Holt and Co., 1972

Genre: Children's Picture book; fiction; Scottish folk song

Reading Level: Ages 5-8

32 pages

Always Room for One More is a picture book that features an old Scottish folk song paired with some unique illustrations. The song talks about a man and a woman that live in a small house on a hill and one stormy night they agree to share whatever they have to whoever comes. So everyone that passed by the man hailed them down and said "Always room for one more." The book goes on to describe each of the travelers from a tailor to a Shepard that all come into the house. Everyone in the house dances and sings and the walls bulge and the house is full but the man still says that there's room for one more. Then all of the sudden the house collapses and everyone tumbles down the hill and they all cry, "never no room no more!" All the guests and the man and the woman are sad when everyone decides they'll build up a new house for them, and their guests, and every other traveler that comes. So they build a new house, and it's bigger and better for the last one and there will always be room for one more.

I would recommend this to any child who likes rhyming words, and a story that can be sung.

I think that this book could be confusing for some children because it uses a lot of Scottish words, however there is a definition for each of them in the back of the book.

I enjoyed this book, but it was a little confusing, and a little bland. It was based off an old folk song and it was somewhat of a stretch to take away the tune and put it into a book.

My rating: 2 out of 5

The Black Book of Colors

Written and illustrate by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria

Translated by Elisa Amado

Groundwood Books, 2008

Genre: Children's picture book, fiction; Braille

Reading Level: Ages 5-10

24 pages

The Black Book of Colors is a book about colors and their role in their world, though there is only two colors in the book, black and white. Each page has a description of a color and somewhere it is found in the world, the description is typed out and written in braille on the top of the page. On the other side of the page is an embossed picture of the object that is being described. It is hard to see but you can feel it. For example, one of the pages says, "Red is sour like unripe strawberries and as sweet as watermelon. It hurts when he finds it on his scraped knee." On the other side is a strawberry on a stem embossed into the page. Thomas is the person explaining the description and the reader infers that he is blind, and is helping the reader understand a little better what it's like to be blind. The book covers all the main colors; red, yellow, brown, blue, white, green, and of course black. Thomas describes each color not by how they look, but how they appeal to his other senses. The book ends, "Thomas likes all the colors because he can hear them and small them and touch them and taste them." There is also a braille alphabet in the back.

I would recommend this book to any child who wants to better understand a blind friend or family member. While it could in no way portray the disability, it gives the child a taste of it, and might help them to understand it more, and maybe be more empathetic.

I feel no problems could come from this book, it is an excellent teaching book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting and different from any other picture book I've ever read and it has a really good moral, and is extremely creative.

My rating: 5 out of 5

Fairest

written by Gail Carson Levine

Scholastic Inc., 2006

Genre: Children's Fiction; fantasy

Reading level: Ages 8-10

326 pages

Fairest is a book about a young chambermaid named Aza that works with her adoptive parents in their inn. She isn't the prettiest in a kingdom where everyone is obsessed how pretty certain people are, and she's constantly thinking about how people are looking at her and how they're mean to her. However, she has a beautiful singing voice, one of the best in the kingdom, and singing is a huge part of the kingdom life as well. As she grows up she meets a lot of wonderful, and not so wonderful people at the inn, which end up playing big roles in her life. At one point as Aza is singing she gets the hiccups and realizes that with her throat and stomach she can change her voice and make it seem like it's coming from anywhere she wants, she calls it illusing and while it is an amazing gift it ends up getting her in trouble. One day a duchess, who only stays at the inn because she likes Aza's family cat, needs Aza to come with her to the King's wedding because her servant is ill. Aza, while nervous because of how people will look at her, is also excited to see what some people have described as the new "common" queen who Aza feels a connection with because she's not royalty and apparently not extremely pretty. So she accompanies the duchess to the castle and they watch the ceremony and are introduced to the new queen, who seems very nice but much prettier than Aza had previously hear, and the prince and the king. The morning after the wedding, Aza has a chance to wander the castle and ends up helping the prince, with her beautiful singing voice, in winning and singing a game, and a bond is formed between them. Soon after she leaves the game Aza runs into the queen and they begin talking and she shows the queen how she can "illuse", by the end of their conversation, they are somewhat friends and the queen asks her to be her lady in waiting, Aza seeing the benefit for her family agrees. Also realizing that she will be able to spend more time with the prince. Later that day, Aza joins basically everyone at the centaur showing, it's very exciting until the King gets hit by an iron ring, in the head. Everyone freaks out, but the King is alive, just barely. The queen especially is scared but only really because she is scared there will be no one to love her. Later, as Aza comforts the queen and they prepare for a healing singing for the King, the queen asks Aza to illuse for her at the singing so no one will know she can't sing. Aza at first protests, but the queen threatens her and her family (really showing her true self) and Aza must concede, and agrees to sing for her, forever. As Aza helps the queen get ready for the singing she noticed a hand mirror on the table, and as she catches her reflection in it, she realizes that the mirror makes her look beautiful. She's excited and intrigued, but soon has to leave it. Aza and the queen make it through the healing singing without being caught and Aza gets to know the prince even better. Slowly the queen starts to make changes, changes that no one likes. She gets rid of the king's council because they bore her. She gets rid of the birds, because they poop on her. She gets rid of the cook, because she plays a joke on her. Soon people are talking about a rebellion against the queen, all the while the king isn't improving, and Aza and the Prince's relationship deepens with a kiss. At the next sing someone trips and knocks something over as Aza is illusing and the queen is found out. She bans singing, people are outraged, and they believer her when she says that it was Aza's idea to raise her own status and get money, even the prince believes the queen over her, and one of the subjects suggests that because of her talents and looks she must be part ogre. They all leave the room to discuss what should be done. While they're gone Aza takes the mirror in her hand and swallows the beauty potion on the queen's vanity and she becomes pretty, however the change only convinces the people more that she has ogre powers and Aza is thrown in prison. She quickly escapes with the help of a guard named Uju, who turns out to be hired by the queen to kill her. However, she ends up saving his life and he helps her to the gnome caverns where she can hide out. One of the gnomes she met at the inn is there and ends up helping her and convinces her that she is not part ogre, but part gnome based on what he observes. She is delighted, and as the kingdom is tricked into thinking she is dead she sings for the gnomes and makes friends with them. Then one day she is poisoned by the queen disguised as a gnome and in some magical way her "spirit" leaves her body and ends up with Skulni, the mirror keeper, inside the queen's magic mirror. He explains to her that he has been keeping the queen pretty and advising her as to what to do so that in the end she will be dead and he can leave the mirror. Aza hoping to help gets the queen's attention and tries to convince her what's going on. The queen doesn't listen and Aza, finding strength in singing, destroys the mirror. She wakes back up in her body in the gnome caverns with her gnome friend and the prince by her side. She's overjoyed but still worrying for the plans already in place to kill the queen and her friends. After a couple days of resting Aza and the prince head back to the kingdom where Aza convinces the now, not so pretty queen, to visit the king again and stop hiding, as soon as she does the king quickly becomes better. Aza, though still not trusted by the people in the castle is allowed to plead her case to the king, who says that she is not at fault. He exiles the queen and himself and puts the prince in power. Soon after there's a big singing party and the Prince and Aza are married.

I would recommend this book to any child who likes to read, who likes fantasy princess books, and a child who liked the book Ella Enchanted by the same author.

I feel the main problem that could result from this book would be that a child who reads this book may be worried about whether they are pretty enough, which is already a problem in this society.

I really enjoyed Ella Enchanted so i was really excited to read this book. I found it fast paced, unique, and exciting. I really liked the twists and turns, and the pure imagination of it all. Basically, I loved it.

My rating: 4 out of 5