Picture Books
Nine for California
by Sonia Levitin
It'll take twenty-one days to get there. That's a long time to travel by stagecoach. But Amanda, her mother, and four siblings climb aboard the rattle-trap wagon in hopes of making it to Californ-y to meet Pa whose been there mining for gold. They're joined by a cowboy, a banker, and a school teacher, none of whom are thrilled to be traveling with a bunch of young'uns. Thank goodness for Ma and her satchel full of treasures. Every time the westward-bound troupe is faced with an obstacle--like a herd of stampeding buffalo or a torrential downpour--Ma pulls a trinket from her bag of tricks that somehow saves the day!
Nora's Chicks
by Patricia MacLachlan
The American prairie is a long way from Nora's homeland of Russia. Since immigrating here with her family, she's missed running up and down the rolling hills. She's missed seeing trees spread out in every direction. And she's missed living in a house of color. On the prairie, everything seems brown, and drab, and lonely. When her Papa brings home a flock of chicks, Nora begins to find a new normal. The little brood follows her everywhere, providing a welcome companionship. Little does she know that a runaway chick will lead to the kind of real-life friend she's been longing for.
Blizzard
by John Rocco
Loosely based on the author's weeklong adventure during the New England blizzard of '78, this is the story of how a lively boy spent his time during a snow-in. The entire town was buried under 40 feet of flakes, the snow plows couldn't make it through, and the neighbors were running out of food. With a set of tennis rackets strapped to his shoes and a rickety sled trailing behind him, the boy rescues his neighborhood!
Readers will enjoy the pull-out map that shows the town-wide trek of the author's ten-year-old self.
The Rag Coat
by Lauren Mills
As the daughter of a coal miner, Minna is used to living with less. She can't even go to school because she doesn't own enough clothes to keep out the cold on the long walk to the schoolhouse. But when Papa dies in a mining accident, the women in her community band together to sew Minna a scrap coat. Arriving at school, she's saddened to hear the kids making fun of her. "Rag Coat!" they call her. Minna is devastated. Eventually, however, her classmates come to realize that Minna's coat isn't just made of rags, it is made of memories...their memories.
Leveled Readers
Follow Me, Mittens
by Lola M. Schaefer
Mittens is a good cat. He follows Nick wherever he goes. But then one day, Mittens decides to wander and gets lost. He can't find Nick anywhere. In the end, the little kitten learns a valuable lesson in obedience.
While this is a cute story with only one to two sentences featured on each page, many of the words are multisyllabic and include complicated phonetics. This Level 1 book is more suitable for a Level 2+ reader, in my opinion.
George Washington and the General's Dog
by Frank Murphy
Most people know that George Washington was a heroic military leader who commanded the colonial troops. They also know that he was a brilliant president who led a fledgling America. But what they don't know is that he loved dogs. History records that he owned 36 of them throughout his lifetime.
This book tells a little-known story of his honor and honesty. When he discovers a stray dog wandering through an abandoned battlefield, Washington learns that its master is none other than General William Howe, commander of the British forces. He has to make a choice. Does he keep the dog as a spoil of war or cross into enemy territory to return the hound to its rightful owner?
Illustrated Chapter Books
The Adventures of Miss Petitfour
by Anne Michaels
This is the story of Miss Petitfour and her sixteen cats. On any given day, you'll find them all clinging to the end of a tablecloth, catching the wind to float off on a high-flying adventure--from a neighborhood jumble sale to a Festooning Festival to a birthday picnic in the park.
The charming illustrations and whimsical vocabulary will delight fans of Mary Poppins and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. Each chapter of this book is a stand-alone story and can be read as such.
Please note: While the content is more than appropriate for the average illustrated chapter book reader (6-9-year-olds), its 124-page length may feel too robust for some young kids to read solo.
Sydney & Taylor Explore the Whole Wide World
by Jacqueline Davies
Armed with only a map, best friends Sydney the Skunk and Taylor the Hedgehog leave the comfort and safety of Miss Nancy's yard to explore places unknown. If everything goes as planned, this will be an epic expedition. Except nothing goes as planned and the pair end up meeting one disaster after another. Just when they think all hope is lost, Miss Nancy comes to the rescue!
This full-color illustrated chapter book is one of a fun series of three!
Middle-Grade Novels
by Jonathan Rogers
Grady can't remember a time when he wasn't following Professor Floyd from town to town selling snake oil cure-alls or drumming up customers for some hair-brained hoax. As an orphan, Grady is grateful to the old man for taking him in when no one else would. But like all hucksters, Floyd's only got one thing on his mind: the next big scheme. And he'll use anything--even Grady's faith in him--to make a fast buck.
Fans of Rogers' Wilderking Trilogy will enjoy this stand-alone title that brings back the beloved Feechie Folk. The narration combines the allegorical style of C.S. Lewis with the hilarious dialect of Mark Twain.
Please note: There is a mention of Professor Floyd taking Grady to a public house where beer is consumed.
A Plot to Kill a Queen
by Deborah Hopkinson
Just after meeting a fellow aspiring playwright named Will Shakespeare, a young orphan named Emelia Bassano overhears a plot to kill Queen Elizabeth I. Naturally, she informs her guardian, Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster of England. Seeing much potential in his young ward, Sir Francis sends her off to Sheffield Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth's cousin, is being held prisoner. While there, Emilia gathers intelligence about Mary and her advisors. Will her spying leave her enough time to finish writing her play? And more importantly, will she expose the conspirators in time to save the rightful heir to the throne?
This historical fiction will not only introduce young readers to the major players of the Tudor age but it will also inadvertently teach them much about the inner workings of the English theatre and its most noteworthy playwright, Mr. William Shakespeare.
Please note: Like in many Shakespearean plays, the book includes several "asides" that give context for historical elements. In one of these asides, the writer explains why beer was the primary drink in the Elizabethan era.
Follow My Leader
by James B. Garfield
Since his father's death, Jimmy Carter has been "the man of the house." After a firecracker accident leaves him blind, however, he must learn new ways to be self-reliant. Naturally, he goes through a period of grief over his tragic loss. But when he's introduced to Leader, a trained guide dog, Jimmy begins to read, write, and navigate the world once again.
Please note: Originally published in 1957, this inspiring tale has not been updated. Modern-day readers may not be familiar with a few of the cultural details of the 1950s.
by Kate DiCamillo
After moving to Naomi, Florida with her father, the town Preacher, India Opal begins searching for some new playmates. Little does she know that her best friendship will be formed with a four-legged stray roaming the aisles of the local Winn-Dixie store. With an open heart, the pair meets a cast of unlikely companions around town--an elderly woman who others have shunned because of the color of her skin, a spinster librarian who has often been misunderstood, an ex-convict who runs the local pet shop, two troublesome brothers who seem to be bullies, and a sharp-tongued girl who's suffering from hidden grief. Together, Opal and her trusty dog repair relational bonds that had been broken for years.
Please note: Early in the story, it's revealed that India Opal's absent mother struggled with alcohol. Additionally, one character says, "War is h*ll." While the story is quite clean, because of the emotional heaviness of the plot, I recommend this one for older middle-grade readers.
Parents, Be Aware
Ivy + Bean
by Annie Barrows
At first blush, Ivy and Bernice (or Bean as her family calls her) have nothing in common. Each one thinks the other is weird. Consequently, despite their mothers' protests, they refuse to get to know one another. That is until Bean decides to play a sinister trick on her older sister and needs help escaping the punishment. Ivy quickly comes to the rescue and the two realize that it's their differences that make their budding friendship so magical.
This is the first in a 12-book series about the misadventures of two precocious neighbors who become best friends. I have not read the subsequent titles.
Things to know: Bean and her older sister, Nancy, have a very volatile relationship. They call each other spiteful names like "pain," "pest," "booger head," "burp face," and "dork" and threaten to physically harm one another. The entire premise of the book is based on Bean's desire to play an unkind trick on Nancy. Bean lies repeatedly to her parents, her sister, and her neighbors, never showing any remorse for her deception. She weighs her actions against how severe the consequences will be, often deciding that the thrill of her choice is worth the punishment she'll receive afterward.
Additionally, Ivy is studying to be a witch. As their friendship begins to grow, Bean helps her design a wand and encourages her to cast a spell on Nancy. At one point, one of the girls pretends to be a ghost and wraps her hands around the neck of the other to cause a scare. The girls join forces to outsmart the adults in the neighborhood.
Nothing Else but Miracles
by Kate Albus
In the Lower East Side of New York City, with war raging all around the world, three motherless siblings hold down the homefront while their dad heads off to France to fight for freedom.
When the new landlord discovers the children have no parental supervision, Dory, the spirited sister of the group, assumes she must summon up enough pluck and moxie (as well as the "luck" of the Great Lady in the harbor) to protect the little trio. In the end, it is the generosity of a few eccentric neighbors that carries the family through the tumultuous time.
This is the sophomore offering of Kate Albus, author of the much-loved A Place to Hang the Moon. It shares many similarities to Albus' first book including the ideas of parental death, found families, and sibling survival. An interesting and rather unusual inclusion to this particular title is a 4th-wall narrator who shares plot snippets with the reader that even the characters are unaware of.
Things to know: In addition to calling upon the spirit of the Statue of Liberty to help her, Dory lies continually throughout the book. Her fabrications are rarely discovered by others which means she never suffers the consequences of her deception. She knowingly sneaks into two movies with her younger brother after only paying for one pair of tickets and steals a carnival pass from a group of strangers because she feels like her older brother deserves them even though he can't afford them. At one point, she reads over a pamphlet that includes mentions of a seance and a fortune teller.
The following words and phrases are mentioned in the text:
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" used as a swear word
"What the heck?"
"Drown himself in a bottle."
"Give 'em h*ll!"
Just for you, Mom
The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip
by Sara Brunsvold
Cub reporter, Aidyn Kelley knows she was made for more than just fact-finding missions for other journalists. She wants to write articles that matter. When she's assigned to draft the obit of a dying cancer patient, she assumes it is yet another fluff piece--a 200-word summary about an elderly woman of no consequence--but a stepping stone to something bigger and better. She never expects to meet Mrs. Kip, a spitfire whose self-proclaimed uneventful life helped to change the future of an entire community of Laos refugees. Through her death, Mrs. Kip teaches Aidyn what it means to truly live.
This is a powerful book that I almost put down. To be honest, the beginning was sugar-coated with "Christian-ese" which always rubs me the wrong way. But I'm so glad I stuck it out. It was an incredibly unique story with a play-on-words ending I wasn't expecting. Reading it was not only a crash course in a part of world history I was embarrassingly unfamiliar with, but it was also a sobering reminder that nothing done in Jesus' name is ever wasted.