Another in a long line of books I've been reading aloud (in this case to my daughter). We've enjoyed the story and got a number of chuckles out of it.Another in a long line of books I've been reading aloud (in this case to my daughter). We've enjoyed the story and got a number of chuckles out of it. Our hero, Egg, has to deal with pirates, imprisonment, battles at sea, siblings who are much less than perfect, and jealousy. He comes out all right. We've enjoyed this trilogy. ...more
This has been a read-aloud book for my daughter and has been sporadically attended to. Making the time for it gets harder and harder. Still, we soldieThis has been a read-aloud book for my daughter and has been sporadically attended to. Making the time for it gets harder and harder. Still, we soldier on.
Anyway, this book is a sequel of sorts to the very good The Goose Girl. But we've got a new main character and she learns the ability to control fire, sort of like a medieval version of Steven King's Firestarter. Only her control of this power is tenuous and comes with its own problems. Enna, our protagonist, wants to help her country of Bayern in its war with, um, okay I forget right now. Let's call them the mucky-mucks. Well, things get a little heated with the mucky-mucks. (See what I did there?) And the plot is interesting -- in parts -- but it didn't really catch fire. And, yes, fizzled out in the end. ...more
In the middle book of this trilogy, Egg and his new pal Guts find themselves on an adventure southward to new lands. Egg has memorized a symbol map toIn the middle book of this trilogy, Egg and his new pal Guts find themselves on an adventure southward to new lands. Egg has memorized a symbol map to an old tribes mythical treasure. They meet up with characters new and old and Egg gets into some seriously dangerous predicaments. I read this book aloud to my daughter -- it took a while only because the nightly reading routine has been a lot more sporadic of late. I am nearing the end of an era. Although, not yet. My daughter has informed me that I will be reading the third book to her (just as soon as it released in paperback -- this April.) ...more
This is another book that I read aloud to my daughter but would not have finished otherwise. I am mystified by the plethora of good reviews for this oThis is another book that I read aloud to my daughter but would not have finished otherwise. I am mystified by the plethora of good reviews for this one. The story is tired and scattershot; the so-called main character is largely missing; it's far longer than it needs to be; all the magic is of the deus ex machina variety; the writing style is by turns condescending, obtrusive, and dull; and the plot is hard to discern. Even with all that said, I've read (or attempted to read) others that were worse. My best indicator of how well it was received by my daughter is if she asks to immediately get to the next one in the series or not. She did not ask about this one (and if she did, there's no way I would've read it). This book held no surprises, moved at a snail's pace, and contained only cardboard characters. Next up will be a book of my choosing. ...more
Read this aloud to my nine-year-old daughter, who, every time I announced that I was done reading for the night, told me that I must read more or she Read this aloud to my nine-year-old daughter, who, every time I announced that I was done reading for the night, told me that I must read more or she would kill me. The story concerns young Egbert (who prefers to be called Egg) who lives on the island of Deadweather with his father and two older mean siblings. When the family travels to the neighboring island of Sunrise (which is much nicer and not so infested with pirates), events take a dramatic turn for Egg. He's soon pining away for the spunky Millicent (about his age, 13, and much richer) and then on the run for his life. This story grabbed me from the get-go and I enjoyed reading it to my daughter who would often chuckle at some of the developments. This is fun yarn with pirates and young kids in trouble. We'll be reading part two of this trilogy next. ...more
My daughter got this out of the library and decided on this as the latest read-aloud bedtime story book. It's a fantasy about a girl in a kingdom thatMy daughter got this out of the library and decided on this as the latest read-aloud bedtime story book. It's a fantasy about a girl in a kingdom that prizes singing ability. And it's sortuva preteen romance-y type thing and really geared towards younger girls. So... it was okay for my daughter but OMG this did nothing for me. I thought it pretty clunky and slow and just, well, dull. Maybe it's okay for you, though. ...more
Got this out of the library for a read-aloud book with my daughter. Got as far as two-thirds through it. But so little happens at such a snail's pace Got this out of the library for a read-aloud book with my daughter. Got as far as two-thirds through it. But so little happens at such a snail's pace we're giving up on this bore. ...more
This book had been sitting on my shelves and that turned out to be a good thing because I needed another book to read aloud to my daughter. This storyThis book had been sitting on my shelves and that turned out to be a good thing because I needed another book to read aloud to my daughter. This story about a young homeless girl named Momo who arrives at the edge of the (nameless) city and makes her home in the ruins of an old amphitheatre. She soon becomes very popular with many of the children of the city and some of the adults because in her presence people think clearly and she really listens to people. But then the men in gray arrive. They are insidiously stealing time from people with their nefarious Time-Saving Bank. Momo, however, is impervious to their charms, but as the situation worsens, she has to do something about it. This book is very much about the value of your time and what you do with it. (Hint: don't get carried away by ambition and haste.) This book is also sort of an odd tale that slowly gets under your skin. We enjoyed it. ...more
This was a Christmas gift for my 11-year-old son. He finished it a few weeks ago and loved it. So then I needed another read-aloud book for my daughteThis was a Christmas gift for my 11-year-old son. He finished it a few weeks ago and loved it. So then I needed another read-aloud book for my daughter (age 9). She was soon entranced by the story and occasionally my son would pop by during a reading to re-live some of the humor. The story concerns a young girl named Gratuity ("Tip" to her friends) who is writing a school paper assignment (the title of the book). Smekday is a holiday created (or co-opted really) by the alien invaders known as the Boov. Tip's mom (along with most of the other Americans) gets kidnapped by the Boov and relocated to Florida. Shortly afterwards, Tip befriends a renegade Boov who had adopted the name J. Lo. J. Lo, a male by the way, is hiding from his fellow Boov because of a screw-up he's responsible for. Much of the humor in the book stems from the relationship between Tip and J. Lo. It's funny stuff. They're soon on a road trip together.
Once again, whenever I informed my daughter that I was going to stop reading for the night, she begged me to read just a little bit more. Note: there are several fun illustrations within the book too. ...more
I picked this one out for a read-aloud book for my daughter. I didn't get too far into it before her older brother decided he wanted to sit in on the I picked this one out for a read-aloud book for my daughter. I didn't get too far into it before her older brother decided he wanted to sit in on the readings as well. The Templeton twins are 12-year-old John and Abigail. They have an inventor father named Elton. But then the evil Dean D. Dean (and his brother Dan D. Dean) try to steal credit for one of Elton's inventions and the twins become part of the plans of the evil Deans. The story is told by a "narrator" who refers to himself/herself a lot, makes a lot of snarky comments, and generally is highly self-regarded. Quick story with some humor in it and my kids ate it up. ...more
I also read this true story aloud to my daughter. A young Japanses fisherman gets shipwrecked along with his comrades in the early 1800s when Japan obI also read this true story aloud to my daughter. A young Japanses fisherman gets shipwrecked along with his comrades in the early 1800s when Japan observed a strict isolationist policy. From there they embark on a real life adventure featuring whaling ships and learning about America and Americans first hand. The book includes many illustrations, period drawings, woodblock prints, etc. We learned a lot of interesting things about this time, especially about whaling. Interesting tale. ...more
I re-read this recently aloud to my daughter. It's an unusual story that mixes the fantastical with a diary left by the author's father, a documentaryI re-read this recently aloud to my daughter. It's an unusual story that mixes the fantastical with a diary left by the author's father, a documentary filmmaker, in a red box. The author's father had traveled to Tibet to film the making of a highway into Tibet and was gone for just over a year. The drawings within are awesome -- I'm a big fan of Peter Sís and his detailed, intricate line-drawings. And the story within is by turns fascinating and strange. ...more
I turned to this book after a previously started read-aloud book for the kids proved to be too boring. This isn't boring although at times it can be aI turned to this book after a previously started read-aloud book for the kids proved to be too boring. This isn't boring although at times it can be a bit convoluted. It's a faux-autobiographical tale of a young Lemony Snicket who's apprenticed to a dim chaperone and tasked with solving a mystery. Many of the characters are amusing and the kids once again protested every time I declared I was done reading for the night. Always a good sign. This book is the first of four in a series and left some loose ends. ...more
I read this short tale out loud to the kids. The fact that it was first published in 1939 might account for the plethora of vocabulary words it contaiI read this short tale out loud to the kids. The fact that it was first published in 1939 might account for the plethora of vocabulary words it contains. But the kids followed along just fine and learned a little about Ben Franklin to boot. The story is narrated by Ben's pet mouse Amos who enjoys taking most of the credit for Ben's inventions. ...more
I read this book the first time five years ago and thought it would make a great read-aloud book. So I re-read it and this time, aloud, to my two kidsI read this book the first time five years ago and thought it would make a great read-aloud book. So I re-read it and this time, aloud, to my two kids. They were enrapt! I had to do some marathon reading sessions because they'd cry and moan that I couldn't stop THERE! The story concerns a young princess traveling to a foreign country because she's been promised to be a bride to a prince. But before she gets there, her identity is taken over by an impostor and she narrowly escapes death. It's a very well told and gripping story with a few small magic elements within. I plan on reading more of these "Bayern" books. ...more
Firedrake the dragon and a furry, mushroom-loving brownie named Sorrel head out looking for the fabled Rim of Heaven, one of the last refuges on EarthFiredrake the dragon and a furry, mushroom-loving brownie named Sorrel head out looking for the fabled Rim of Heaven, one of the last refuges on Earth for dragonkind. Early on their travels they pick up a young orphan named Ben. Trying to hunt them down is an extremely large flightless dragon named Nettlebrand. I read this aloud to the kids and it was okay but I think even they were getting tired of it near the finish. It's not a very exciting story. It's more cute and plodding with several fortunate circumstances aiding our small band of adventurers. Also, the author brings along her own brand of dragon mythology which felt pretty weak even for a chapter book. Everything wraps up nicely in the end but is also easily guessable (something my kids did.) Not great, but I've read worse. ...more
Most people (on Amazon and GoodReads) seem to love this book. I am not one of them. In fact, if I had not decided to read this aloud to my kids (who lMost people (on Amazon and GoodReads) seem to love this book. I am not one of them. In fact, if I had not decided to read this aloud to my kids (who liked it), I wouldn't even have finished this one. The story concerns a 12-year-old girl named September who is whisked off to Fairyland and makes magical friends, must deal with a fickle-minded marquess, and achieve some fuzzy-sounding goals. Whatever. I wasn't buying in for a moment. This is one of those books for which the word "twee" was invented. It seems as though the author tried very hard to combine a Alice In Wonderland vibe with a Wizard of Oz vibe. I just found it tedious. And the language used is frequently unfriendly to those with grade-school vocabularies. Sheesh. Can I tell you how much I hate that? Are you writing for kids or not? Make up your mind. Stop showing off. Yes, this author can write. But this book was frikkin annoying. I'm glad you like it, though. ...more
The first time I'd read this I was in eighth grade. I chose it for the next read-aloud book for my kids. It took a good month-and-a-half to finish it The first time I'd read this I was in eighth grade. I chose it for the next read-aloud book for my kids. It took a good month-and-a-half to finish it with almost nightly readings. They enjoyed it and were very curious about all the characters. I really enjoyed giving Kehaar a faux-Slavic accent, but trying to read aloud some of the names can be a tongue-twister. You say "Hyzenthlay and Thethuthinnang" and see how well you do! Of course, it's been so long since I read this story I was only familiar with some of the key plot points. One thing I'd forgotten was how much description of the landscape Adams works in to the story. He throws in names of plants and animals that I have just zero knowledge of. But this classic story is a captivating one. My kids -- especially my eldest -- kept asking me to read more every night when I deemed I was done for the night. They were also curious about which rabbits might be mating with which (at the end of the story). They also loved all the little scattered stories within the story about the rabbit folk hero El-Ahrairah (a.k.a. the Prince With a Thousand Enemies).
C'mon! Say it! "Hyzenthlay and Thethuthinnang!"...more
In this second book of the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth are back at school when strange things start to happen. The magical world, especially thIn this second book of the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth are back at school when strange things start to happen. The magical world, especially the sinister Society of the Evening Star, comes looking for them. Soon they are back at Fablehaven along with some new characters. The Society is desperately trying to get their hands on the magical artifact hidden at Fablehaven. Can Kendra and Seth stop them?
Like the first book, I read this one aloud to the kids. They like it. They want me to read the next one. I'm opting not to. I'm not a big fan of the author's writing style. He hasn't met an alternative for "said" that he doesn't use. I find that very jarring -- especially when reading it aloud. He'd do well to follow Elmore Leonard's third rule for writing: Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
This book seemed a little tedious to me. If my 10-year-old decides to continue this series on his own, he'll probably be just fine with it. But I've got some other ideas for the next read-aloud book....more
Loading...
