Sweet (but not sappy).

Charley's First Night by Amy Hest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A child narrates the events of the first night a puppy spends in the house of his new family. Just-right sweetness.

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So good...I hope it doesn't go from vintage to forgotten.

A Dog on Barkham Street by Mary Stolz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Gives a warm feeling. Isn't it grand to see a person turn over a new leaf? Also grand when people choose to be merciful.

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Leads to:
The Bully of Barkham Street by Mary Stolz

The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Swashbuckling that fits the bill for those too young to jump into Moby-Dick, or those who read Moby-Dick and want more fierce adventure on the high seas.

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This book leads to:
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did like that Vande Velde found a way to "turn" the handsome virtual prince into real flesh and blood.

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So far I've loved every version of Tam Lin I've run into, including this one...

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Suspenseful and involving retelling of the ballad of Tam Lin.

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This book leads to:
Tam Lin by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak (picture book)
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (novel)
"Thomas the Rhymer" (ballad)
"Tam Lin" (traditional Scottish border ballad)

One Year in Coal Harbor by Polly Horvath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

True to the characters from Everything on a Waffle? Yep! Fresh and original despite being a sequel? You bet! Publishes this fall.


This book leads to:
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
The Trolls by Polly Horvath

The Well-Wishers by Edward Eager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Like Magic or Not?, this one hinges on friendship and doing good turns rather than the time-travel-and-exotic-locale adventures that comprise other Edward Eager books, and is better for it.

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The Time Garden by Edward Eager
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Run-of-the-mill. At end of story, the plan to go to school together in London was too convenient, and unnecessary besides.

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An Enemy at Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating ingredients: a dusty book lost for generations, incantations in Latin, a code language, and magic as ancient as Moses and Pharoah.



This book leads to:
The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O'Shea

A Stranger at Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very sympathetic to animals' dignity and freedom. First 37 pages take place among wild gorillas in Africa.

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Supernatural without spooky

Treasure of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My greatest suspense was whether the house residents from a past era were ghosts or not. I'm interpreting the interactions as an unspecified time overlap.

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I couldn't not buy this...

Sold Everywhere But Borders by Rebecca Van Der Jagt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm glad that by buying Rebecca's book, I could support her endeavor to record the liquidation experience and mark Borders' passing. It serves as a memento for me.

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Lighthearted Family Fun

Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Fantasy spoof. I was pleased with which witch won the contest, and with the unexpected way in which Arriman's successor was revealed.

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Smurfs series teaches civics and vocab.

The Smurfs #3: The Smurf King by Yvan Delporte
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

With each episode I like this series more and more.

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Very light reading.

Princess Nevermore by Dian Curtis Regan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Not meant to be scrutinized heavily, just enjoyed. For example, a seventeen year-old female being a tutor to a fifteen year-old princess falls apart any way I try to examine it. Just overlook that.

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Another classic fantasy checked off my list.

The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Playfully erudite; a child protagonist doth not necessarily a children's story make. Best kept with the other 3/4 of The Once and Future King.

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Edward Eager does it again.

Knight's Castle by Edward Eager
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Demonstrating the great potential of imagination.

If anyone else has read this book, please add to Andy's and my forensic discussion of what Father's sickness was, since the author did not specify.

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Main character Gravella is named after gravy.

The Piemakers by Helen Cresswell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A tall-tale gem, in the tradition of James and the Giant Peach.

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The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Madison's life became more and more inseparable from the Union of States as he helped establish and further it.

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The Smurfs #3: The Smurf King by Yvan Delporte
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

With each episode I like this series more and more.

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