Children’s Books
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DENSLOW’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS – Clement Clarke Moore & W.W. Denslow
THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE There’s something I find wonderfully appealing about Victorian Era children’s book art (though, yes, technically speaking, this would be in the Edwardian period as it was published in 1902 … but Denslow was certainly famous for his work during the Victorian period). There’s a great deal of whimsical fantasy, the… Continue reading
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ODDKINS – Dean R. Koontz
Initially I was going to refer to this as a dark version of Toy Story. But Toy Story is actually pretty dark. Instead, I would call this Toy Story with an edge. Isaac Bodkins is an old toy maker who specializes in toys for special children who face extremely difficult lives and need an extra… Continue reading
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THE ANGEL TREE – Daphne Benedis-Grab
In the cozy town of Pine River there is a holiday tradition in which a special Christmas tree is decorated in the town and no one seems to know who is responsible for it. But what is more amazing is the gift that the tree brings each season. Over the course of decades it has… Continue reading
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ALL ABOUT MARVELOUS ME! – Becky J. Radtke
What a great book. I wish my children were of the appropriate age for this, though I was thinking how much fun it might be to have some high school students complete an activity book like this and then share the results with the younger elementary students. This is, as I say, an activity book,… Continue reading
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A CHRISTMAS TREASURY – collection
THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE Ah, sweet nostalgia! This book is a throwback to a simpler and often more elegant time. Dover Publications has put together a collection (or ‘treasury’) of stories, poems, and illustrations from the turn of the century. Clement Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas” is a perennial classic and would be obvious… Continue reading
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NEST – Esther Ehrlich
The debut novel by Esther Ehrlich, Nest, is a beautiful, poignant, slightly dark tale of the trials of childhood. Set in the early 1970’s, eleven-year-old “Chirp” Orenstein is beginning to learn that life can be cruel to a child. Her mother struggles with a terrible disease and spends time in a ‘loony bin’ and goes… Continue reading
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RHODA’S ROCK HUNT – Molly Beth Griffin and Jennifer A. Bell
This is a beautiful picture book that is sure to sell well at state and national parks and along rock-picking shores. Rhoda is a young girl spending time with her aunt and uncle in their “up-north” cabin. She loves rocks … really loves rocks … and collects rocks of all shapes and sizes. On a… Continue reading
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THE GHOST PRISON – Joseph Delany
This was one of the older books in my to-be-read queue. Had I realized what a quick, short read it was, I’m sure I would have gotten to it much sooner. With not even 100 pages, and much of that filled with art, the reading is extremely quick. And that is sort of a problem. I love… Continue reading
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THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE – Jonathan Stroud
I don’t know what took me so long to read this book (other than I’m really backed up with Advanced Reading Copies), but now that I’ve read it, I can’t wait to dig in to book number two (which just recently appeared in my ARC queue). Author Jonathan Stroud has created an alternate England that… Continue reading
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“WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN, ANYWAY?” – Avi
THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE I really appreciate it when people take chances, to try something new or different, and I really appreciate author Avi (and his publishers) for going out on a limb and producing a book that will challenge its targeted reading audience. This book, “Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?” is written… Continue reading
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THE IRON TRIAL – Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
**WARNING — SPOILERS AHEAD!!** Comparison’s to Harry Potter are going to be inevitable as The Iron Trial deals with a young man going to a magician’s school to learn how to use (and control) his magic abilities. There’s also a prophecy about the return of a ‘bad’ magician and a group of students thrown together… Continue reading
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OLIVER AND THE SEAWIGS – Philip Reeve
Oliver and the Seawigs is a delightful, flight of fancy fantasy. Author Philip Reeve has captured the imagination of a young reader quite well in this story of Oliver Crisp, a ten-year-old who was born into a life of adventure. His parents are explorers of a voracious sort. They can’t NOT explore if there’s something… Continue reading
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