Book Reviews

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William's father, a minister, is transferred to Kansas in 1941. There he as trouble making friends in the HS but slowly becomes friends with a Mennonite boy. When Pearl Harbor is bombed everything changes.. the town gets all patriotic and the Mennonites refuse to cooperation with anything having to do with war. This book show the mixed feelings when your country goes to war and what happens to people who oppose war - such as the Mennonites. This touching 177 page book deals with friendship, growing up, moving, being a preacher's kid, patriotism, and religious convictions. I feel it is an honest depiction of the time and place.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. HarperCollins, 2002 [0-380-97778-8]

Coraline (not Caroline as she is quick to point out) finds a mysterious door in the house she has just moved into. She must go through the door into a very strange, yet similar world, to challenge a strange person in order to save her parents and three other children's souls. This 162 page book is one of the most fascinating one that I have read in a while. It brings up thoughts of "Alice through the looking glass", "Lion, witch and the wardrobe", "A wrinkle in time" and so many more. Hopefully this book will catch on and revive interest in these and other such books - a must read!

Gaiman, Neil. The graveyard book. Harper Collins, 2008 [978-0-06-053092-1]

WOW I have not been so totally wrapped up in a Newbery book since "The Giver." This book has the cerebral thrill of a great suspense book along with the lighthearted ghost story of Ibbotson. The book opens with a family being murdered by someone with a large knife and the baby gets away and crawls to a cemetery where the ghosts and ghouls raise him. We don't know who murdered the family or why. At the cemetery, the ghosts get a person to bring the child and deal with the physical things a ghost can not do. The reader soon finds out that this person is not usual person (we don't really find out about him to the very end.) The boy grows up to 14 in the cemetery when he starts to want revenge for the death of his family. I don't want to say what happens at the end of this 312 book. As I said before I got totally wrapped up in this story and it completely freaked me out one night. The illustrations are weird and freaky such as ones in "Stories to tell in the dark." Except for the initial knife murders there is nothing "inappropriate" for younger kids in this book, I recommend you elementary people should read the book before you purchase it. While there is a light-hearted ghost story aspect to it, this book is a cerebral thriller... like I say.. I was totally freaked out by it one night and had to stop reading it for that night. Hooray for the Newbery Committee for choosing a spectacularly memorable book!

 

Galloway, Priscilla. The courtesan's daughter. Delacorte, 2002 [0-385-90052-x]

This is historical fiction of Ancient Greece. Phano gets entangled in the complicated politics of Athens. Her mother, a courtesan to a powerful politician who previously lived with another powerful politician becomes a centerpiece of this novel of political intrigue. Galloway makes ancient Greece come alive for the reader but in this 258 page book there may be a little too much politics for the average middle school reader.

Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza loses control. Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2000 [0-374-39989-1]

In this second Joey Pigza book, he goes to spend time with his father (who we don't see in the first book.) As you may know these tales are told by Joey, a ADDH kid -- great reading about him trying to control himself though his own mind. Here we have a alcoholic father who is also trying to stop smoking and coaches a baseball time. Joey has been doing pretty well since he has his medication patch. Well his father convinces Joey that he can control himself without the patch. And as a result, Joey loses control. What is really interesting, we hear it all from Joey as he experiences it. This 196 page book is almost as good as the first -- well worth purchasing.

Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza swallowed the key, 1998

Joey is "wired" as he says and is presented to be an ADDH child in an unusual family with a loving mother. Joey has all sorts of behavior problems at school. Once he swallows his house key (hence the title) and eventually, accidentally injures another student and is sent to a special school for a 6 week evaluation. While this book is about an ADDH student, that does not overpower the story. It is told from the point of view of the student and his understanding of the situation. I liked this 153 page book maybe because I was a special ed teacher for 13 years. Teachers will love this book - recognizing students, but I am not sure about kids liking it. I will have to see. While there are funny situations, this is not a humorous story - it is the tale of a boy trying to get in control of his life through the support of many others.

Gardiner, J.R. Stone Fox, 1983

This is an incredibly touching story about a boy who enters a sled race to use the winnings to pay the back-taxes on his grandfather's farm. It is an touching story with a heart-wrenching ending. At the end of the race, the boy's dog has a heart attack and dies and the closed competitor draws his guy to hold back the rest of the racers so the boy can carry his dead dog across the finish line and win the race. The story is based on a Rocky Mountain legend. I picked this 81 page book up at our book fair. It is very easy to read for my middle school but would be great for 3rd or 4th grade (the cover says ages 8-11). The book would be great to use with studies that cover the Iditarod race (even though it is not that race.) Even if this book is not appropriate for your school you have got to read it.

Gardner, Graham. Inventing Elliot. Penguin/Speak, 2003 [0-14-240344-x]

Elliot was always picked on at his old HS.  Finally early in his freshman year he was severally beaten and his family moves to a new town.  It is time for a new Elliot.  He works hard at not being noticed (if he was not noticed he would not be picked on.)  Unfortunately, his trying not to be noticed calls attention to him from the "Guardians" at the new school.  This is a group who for many years has bullied the school.  It selected punishments, punishers, and those to be punished.. all with the faculty not noticing (or caring.)  Elliot becomes involved with the Guardians in a way he would have never believed.  Meanwhile his father has had a breakdown and just spends all day watching TV.  His mom is trying to hold the family together and Elliot becomes involved with a girl for the first time. This 181 page book is a harsh story of bullying and how it goes on unnoticed or unwantingly noticed at many schools. It  displays how bullying and "the group" mentality go hand in hand.  This is a powerful book which should be on all junior high and High School shelves.  Because of the violence I would not give it to a student below 7th grade.

Gardner, Sally. I, Coriander. Dial, 2005. [0-8037-3099-3]

It is London in the 1600s and Coriander’s mother has just died, leaving her with the magic she inherited.  Suddenly Coriander starts traveling back and forth to from the real world to a magical world.  Her father remarries and she has a cruel stepmother who tries to accuse her of witchcraft.  While Coriander travels back and forth to the magical world, she becomes involved with a young man there who is having problems and meanwhile her stepmother gets meaner and meaner.  Can Coriander use magic to help her real-world situation along with helping her new male friend in the magic world.  With the traveling back and forth between the two worlds, this 280 page book reminded me a little of Funk’s Inkheart series.  Although it took me a while to get into the book, at the end I found I had enjoyed it.

 

Garland, Sherry. A line in the sand [Dear America series],1998 [0-590-39466-5]

This is the fictional diary of a 13-year-old girl in Texas around the time of the Alamo. It gives a good feel for the people in the area, their ups and downs (emotionally and militarily.) Especially heartbreaking was the several month retreat of the families and armies after the fall of the Alamo. Although I am not a fan of this series, the students like them. This 201 page book gives insight into the times without getting inside the Alamo during the battle. It made me want to go and look further into the battle, its prelude and aftermath.

Garris, Rebekah. Whither Thou goest, I will go. Publish America, 2005 [1-4137-8823-8]

Sixteen-year-old Ruth lives on a plantation in Alabama and shortly after the Civil War she finds out that she was adopted.  She has a fight with her parents over it and runs away to find her birth family.  Shortly after leaving the plantation, she meets a cowboy who helps her on her journey. Eventually she finds her older sister, Naomi and they both end up living on a ranch with two single, elderly ladies.  One day, they even find their birth father.  Can Ruth find happiness living away the family that raised her?  Will ever be able to face they again after running away? This 174 page book is the second book written by a girl currently enrolled in our local County Community College.  Although I would have liked to see the author explore some of the character elements a little deeper, it is a good read and I am sure kids interested in this era will enjoy it.

 

Garrity, Jennifer Johnson. The bushwacker. Peachtree, 1999 [1-56145-201-7]

This is a tale told Missouri during the Civil War, a state with strong loyalties on both sides. One morning Bushwackers (Confederate sympathizers) burn down Jacob's family home. He is separated with his little sister from their mother and father. They head north hoping to find them and end up living with a nice family who happens to by Confederate sympathizers. Jacob wants to act revenge on this family who has been helping them. Should he do it? With they ever find their family? This 196 page book shows how many of the issues were not so clear then as we feel today.

Gauthier, Gail. A year with Butch and Spike, 1998

This is the story of two smart, trouble-making boys, the boy who was placed in the seat between them as a buffer, and their strict 6th grade teacher. At times I really enjoyed the banter, pranks and conversations of the three boys but at other times I was lost (maybe because my mind is on the play I am in.) The strict teacher is stereotypical but appropriate. This book reminded me of "The best Christmas pageant ever" although in this book the trouble-makers are much more likeable. I am sure you will recognize these boys from your past classes. Overall I liked this 216 page book.

Gee, Maurice. The fat man, 1997

This is a disturbing thriller about a sinister man who was picked on as a child. After he grows up and following a life of crime he comes back to the community to get his revenge on those people, now grown up with a family. The author does an incredible job describing the "head games" that Fat Man does to ensnare the children and the adults. This last quarter of the story is an action adventure story as the Fat Man kidnaps the children as hostages to get away. The author did such an excellent job of painting the psychological warfare this demented Fat Man uses that it kept me awake last night. This is a great 182 page book but definitely not for younger children. The Fat Man is a very cruel person. If you have 7^th graders and up, don't miss this book. It takes place in New Zealand so some of the language is unfamiliar and it could have used a glossary.

George, Jean Craighead. Frightful's mountain, 1999 [0-525-46166-3]

This is the third book after "My side of the mountain." It is generally told from the viewpoint of the falcon, Frightful. She helps raise some orphan young falcons, eventually raises her own, stays the winter in the Catskills, and finally migrates south for the next winter. The reader learns an incredible amount about falcons and wildlife conservation while enjoying a decent story. Students who are familiar with Sam, the mountain, and the tree, will thoroughly enjoy this 258 page book.

George, Jean Craighead, There's an owl in the shower, 1995

This is a cute story of a son of a logger who finds an owlet in the woods and brings him home to nurse it back to health. The father has lost his job because of the spotted owl controversy but the family thinks this is different species. The family learns to love the owl and realize this must let it go back to the forest. While this is an "environmental book", the message does not overpower the story such as in this author's "Who really killed Cock Robin?" I picked up this 134 page book at our book fair.

Gerstein, Mordicai. Victor, 1998 [0-374-38142-9]

This is a novel based on the life of the Wild Boy (or Savage) of Aveyron. A boy who has essentially raised himself in the wilds is found by a local village and a famous teacher of the deaf tries to teach him social skills, and language. The boy and teacher struggle with his "puberty." As he becomes a teenager he frequently reaches into his pants and "pulls", "rubs", etc. The teacher and housekeeper are always saying "No" or "Stop that". This is all happens within the context of the story -- but you should be aware of it. The story is told in three ways: the doctor's journal, a narrative, and through the mind of the wild boy (which is hard to understand at times.) I don't really consider this a middle school book -- it would be a great book for a HS that had a course in child development or psychology. Now that I have this 258 page book, I am not sure whether or not I will send it to the HS. I would like to keep it although I can't see anyone reading it.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Lily's crossing, 1997 [0-385-32142-2]

This is a warm story about the friendship of two children in the US during World War II. Lily's best girl friend moves away because of the war and she ends up living with her grandmother because her father is sent off to war. She meets a Hungarian refugee, Albert and convinces him that she is going to row out in the ocean and swim to a ship which will take her to Europe where her father has been sent. She agrees to teach him to swim so he can join her and a friendship develops which is based on this lie of an adventure which she never intended to take. This 180 page book is a touching story about friendship and people learning to cope with their country being at war.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Nory Ryan's song. Delacorte, 2000 [0-385-32141-4]

This is the heart-wrenching tale of a small family as they try to survive the Irish potato famine of 1845-1852. It is a tale of traditions, family loyalty and most of all, starvation. Don't miss this story -- it is important for everyone to read. The writing in this 148 page book is beautiful and will stick with the reader for a long time.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Pictures of Hollis Woods. Dell/Yearling, 2002 [0-440-41578-0]

Hollis Woods is a foster child who runs away from her placements. This is the story of her at Regan family. She develops a special relationship with a senile member of the family. Will she be able to stay with this family? Will the agency approve of the placement? What happen when she runs away with the elderly family? This 166 page book is a touching story of a foster child who expresses her feelings in her drawings. NOTE: This edition is an "exclusive teachers edition."

Gilbert, Barbara Snow. Stone water, 1996

Wow! What an emotional experience this book is! The story opens with a 13-year-old boy learning that his grandfather has had a stroke and is placed in an intense care section of a nursing home. He finds a letter at home addressed to him saying, "open only if I am sent to the other wing." In it the grandfather essentially asks for the boy to end his life. The boy can't tell his father (a lawyer) or his mother (a judge) and he dares not tell anyone else. He hopes the grandfather will die so he won't have to "do it" his father gives directions for the grandfather to be put on life support machines if needed. This brings the situation to a head. The only downfall to this book is the cover - BORING. I even put off reading it because of the cover - make sure you read it.

Gilmore, Kate. The exchange student, 1999 [0-395-57511-7]

It is late in the 21st century and Daria is breeding endangered species. To her surprise, her mother has volunteered the family to house an exchange student from another planet. Very soon the reader realizes that this alien has another agenda other than just "exchange student" which appears to have something to do with animals. We slowly figure out that something strange is going on with the animals back on the other planet and this exchange student is going to try to bring some back (or at least some DNA.) The whole concept is great but it didn't work for me although the hidden agenda of the aliens held my attention for a while. At times the reader gets into the mind and feelings of the alien. Every once in a while the author gets too into talking about the animals (like in Moby Dick -- although not that extensive.) This 213 page book has a real message to people concerned about extinction and endangered species

Gilmore, Rachna. A group of one. Henry Holt, 2001 [0-8050-6475-3]

Tara is a child of East Indian descent, living in Canada. She considers herself to be a "regular Canadian" until her grandmother visits from India. She learns that grandma never wanted her parents to marry because her mother was not involved in the free India movement. Meanwhile her Social Studies teacher gives an assignment to talk to a relative and their reaction to an historical event in their life. When Tara interview her grandmother, it opens old wounds and makes Tara feel that she does not fit in at school, being a "group of one." This 184 page book is a story dealing with national pride, prejudice (perceived and real), friendship, and above all family relationships. An excellent book.

 

Glatshteyn, Yankev. Emil and Karl. Roaring Brook Press, 2006 [1-59643-119-9]

Emil and Karl are two children growing up in Vienna during the Holocaust. Emil is Jewish and Karl is not. Because of the "changing circumstances" the two boys are left on their own and wander, trying to find help. They face the :"chancing circumstances" of the Holocaust, seeing people treated cruelly, arrested, beaten and even killed. They meet a German soldier who won't be cruel to children. They meet an old Jewish man with incredible perseverance. A couple runs into them and tries to help them and the book ends not on an entirely happy note. The reader sees the Holocaust the the eyes of two young children and some of the local people who keep saying that this can not last much longer. It is a good story about the Holocaust. What is absolutely incredible is that it was written in 1940, just at the start of the whole thing and it has just now been translated from the Yiddish. Realizing when this book was written makes it an important piece of Holocaust fiction. This 194 page book is an important piece of fiction and should be in every middle school and upper elementary school library.

 

This is another fiction book of Mr. Glenn 's which  is written in a series of poems.  It tells the story of a weekend HS exchange of students were some students are brought in from the city to a rural town for the weekend and their dance.  One of the rural students (a popular blond girl) ends up murdered and the African American from the city is accused.  The a series of poems told by many people in both towns (students, teachers, police, and other citizens) the story is charted out.  By the use of poetry, this 158 page book gets the reader into the
minds of the many characters who are dealing with fear, prejudice, jealousy, dating, gossip, and economic survival in a small town.  You should be aware that this book deals with High School students and it talks about dating and making out in the back of cars (nothing very descriptive.)  Once the reader gets into the medium of poetry, he/she will thoroughly wrapped up into the many characters minds and lives.

 

Glenn, Mel. Jump ball: a basketball season in poems. Dutton, 1997 [0-525-67554-X]

Glenn's stories in poetry have recently become very popular in my school. In this one we hear the tale of a basketball team with one shining star which everyone is predicting will go far. We learn of an unwed mother and eventually of a terrible bus crash. I think I like this the best so far of these books by Glenn. Because of its topic, this book 151 page book will hit a different audience.

Glenn, Mel. The taking of room 114, 1997

This is a novel written in poems in which a veteran teacher snaps and holds his HS class hostage. (A difficult topic with recent events.) There are short poems for each student for each year of HS and their initial reaction to the situation. These are interspersed with ones concerning the spectators, a reporter, the police, and administration. There are a few which are notes sent out by the teacher. The reader learns very little about what happens in the room - maybe this is what the author wanted but I found the book tedious learning about the lives of all the students and very little about what actually happens in the room. I thought his "Who killed Mr. Chippendale" was much better. This 182 page book is a interesting format (written in poetry) but it did not grab me as "Mr. Chippendale" did.

Goldman, E.M. The night room, 1995

This is the story of a group of HS students who get to participate in an unusual program. A computer scientist has written a simulation program (virtual reality) which will put participants at their 10 year HS reunion. It has prediction abilities. Everyone is very tense as they go in one by one until they notice one of the participants was listed as dead at the reunion. Should they let that friend enter the program? Has the program been modified? I picked this 216 page book up at our book fair. It is kind of a techno-mystery. I have a feeling it will be only of interest of older students because of the HS aspect and the amount of time spent discussing the reunion -- how many middle school kids think that far ahead? The techno-mystery aspect may appeal to some middle school kids.

 

Gordon, Amy. When JFK was my father, 1999 [0-395-91364-0]

This is the touching story of a young, lonely thirteen-year-old girl. She imagines that she has conversations with JFK (the current president) who she imagines is her father. Her parents have separated and she has been sent to a private boarding school. There she doesn't mix well and begins also having conversations with her imagined ghost of the founder of the school also. On the day JFK is shot she decides to run away with a friend who is a boy (not boy friend.) After several days in hiding she decides that her only real place is school where she does have some friends (both students and teaches) who are very upset about her running away. She goes back to the school. While there is little action, this touching 202 page book is a great read and will be popular with certain readers.

Graham, Mitchell. The fifth ring. EOS/HarperCollins, 2003 [0-06-050651-2]

This book was recommended by one of my readers and I am so glad he did.  Matthew is living his life in his peaceful town up until he wins the fencing contest.  After the contest he acquires a magical ring although he initially doesn't know it has powers.  Far away from his peaceful town the evil ruler has acquired a set of the same rings and begins to harness their power so he can take over his neighboring countries.  Because of his power with the rings, the evil ruler gets the Orlocks to help him.  He senses their is another ring and sends the Orlocks to find it.  Matthew starts to learn to use the powers of the ring to defend himself.  Eventually there is a large battle and the evil king and his relatives try to battle against Matthew with his ring.  This 516 page book is a great high fantasy/adventure book which runs in the vein of Tolkien books but what is nice, it is a complete story in one book.  I understand there is a second book but I am not sure I will get it (from comments I have heard) and also, I just like how this book stands on its own.

Grant, Vicki. Dead-end job. Orca, 2005 [1-55143-378-8]

I enjoy Vicki Grant's writing and I feel this is her best effort yet.  A High School girl, Frances has a boyfriend who can be jealous at times.  One night as Frances is working the late shift at a convenience store a strange comes in a starts flirting with her.  He has an interesting story about his life and is very interested in her life.  Over the next few days he keeps running into Frances all over town.  She tries to discourage him (she has a boyfriend she likes) but does not want to hurt his feelings.  Unfortunately by being nice, she is also sending mixed messages to this strange guy.  Before long Frances realizes he is stalking her and telling her lies.  This 104 page book has an exciting conclusion -- I couldn't put it down and was nearly late for an appointment.  It would be a great high interest low level book.

Grant, Amy. Pigboy. Orca, 2006 [1-55143-643-4\978-1-55143-643-2]

Dan is one of those fourteen-year-old kids who is picked on at school.  He dreads the class trip to a pig farm because of the impending jokes (his name is Dan Hogg.)  As soon as the class gets to the farm, things don't seem right.  After they the slide down hill fast and they all get involved in a terrible situation.  Of course, Dan is the only one who can save the day.  Can he?  While this 101 page book is predictable, it is a fun read.  It is good for many ages.

Grant, Vicki. The puppet wrangler. Orca, 2004 [1-55143-304-4]

Telly's sister is always getting in trouble so their parents decide to send Telly to spend the summer with her Aunt who is the producer for a children's puppet show.  After being accidentally locked in the studio one night Telly discovers that on the puppets is actually alive.  She takes the puppet to the Mall and eventually on a wild adventure.  The puppet is wild, mad and unpredictable but not evil as the puppet in Magrs' "The good, the bat, and the ugly."   This 212 page book is a riot!  I actually laughed out loud several times while I was reading it.  Grant uses cute footnotes in the book to clarify things which at times I found a little irritating, but overall, I absolutely loved this book!  When the book was all over, I wondered a little whether the puppet was really alive or it was all in Telly's imagination.

 

Grant, Vicki. Quid pro quo.Orca Book Pub, 2005 [1-55143-394-x]

Cyril comes from a single parent family.  His mother had to go to law school so he spent a lot of time in law school himself.  His mother had a very checkered past so when a  stranger shows up and "convinces" his mother to let him stay there, it was not too surprising.  One day Cyril's mother disappears, leaving a packet of legal documents in the refrigerator.  It is up to Cyril to figure out what happened to his mother.  Will all those hours he spend sitting in law school help out?  Can he rescue his mother?  Who is that stranger who suddenly appeared to live with them?  This 160 page book is a fun mystery with the fun twist of law.  I enjoyed this one more than her "Puppet Wrangler."

 

Gregory, Kristiana. Across the wide and lonesome prairie [Dear America series], 1997

This is the story of a family (and a whole wagon train) on its trek across the country to Oregon. It clearly shows the heartache, suffering, agony, and comradeship of this body-breaking journey that so many people took. The reader gets wrapped up in the drama of it all. One criticism I have it is that too many historical figure weave their way into the story. Narcissa Whitman is a relative, they meet the Mormans, plus many famous explorers - just too many "historical things" are thrown in. Besides that little flaw, this 164 page book in the Dear America series show that it must have been like. Of course, there is the helpful historical notes at the end of the book.

Gregory, Kristiana. Cleopatra VII [The royal diaries],1999 [0-590-81975-5]

This is a fictional diary of the early years of Cleopatra, before she became Queen. Here we really get to know Cleopatra, how well-read she was, that she spoke several languages fluently, and her feelings toward her father, family and the people of Egypt. The book includes the exile of her and father to Rome where she meets Marc Antony for the first time. The reader gets an appreciation of the conflict in Cleopatra wanting to be a young girl and the need to be a princess and be politically aware. I really enjoyed this 218 page book which is part of a series which appears to be a Scholastic knockoff of Dear America. This book was clearly a work of fiction which is not evident in the Dear America books. One thing that bothered me to no end is that she dates her diary with Roman months and not the Egyptian ones. This was during a time when the Egyptians considered the Romans barbarians so I can't figure out why the author would do this.

Gregory, Kristiana. The Winter of Red Snow [Dear America], 1996

This is fictional diary of a young girl who lived in Valley Forge during wintering of George Washington's troop. The tale tells of the ill-clad soldiers, freezing and starving. There are whippings and hangings for desertions. Martha Washington arrives. The most locals supported the the troops even though they would be stolen from. The book has no high point. It is just a tale of the time at Valley Forge. I have the usual complaint of this series. They are presented in a non-fiction fashion with an epilogue and historical notes. Although this 173 book would be good to read for students studying this period, as a story there is not much here.

Grey, Christopher. Leonardo's shadow. Atheneum, 2006 [978-1-4169-0543-1 // 1-4169-0543-X]

This is the story of Giacomo, Leonardo's servant (he really had a servant by this name.) The story takes place in Milan during the time when Leonardo was painting "The Last Supper." Not only does the reader get some fascinating facts and insights about Leonardo, he/she also learns what it was like to be a servant during that time. It was interesting to read how in debt Leonardo was and now his servant got people to pay to be painted in "The Last Supper." The reader gets some insight as to the personality of Leonardo in this 390 page book. It is a good piece of historical fiction along with being a good story. It was interesting to me how I had confused some things about Leonardo and Michelangelo. They were competing artists in the same time period. There are some historical notes at the end of the book.

 

Griffin, Adele. The other Shepards, 1998 [07868-04238]

Eighth grader Holland and her younger sister are "the parents" second crop of children. The first three were killed in an accident twenty years ago. This is the story of the parents dealing with that tragedy and how this all effects on their two newest children, both troubled -- one more than the other. The parents never talk of anything connected with the earlier family. One day a young lady, Annie shows up and helps them paint a mural in the kitchen. And eventually helps them go to meet friends of the family (from the previous children.) At the end of the book the reader realizes that Annie is an imaginary friend and after the children have run away to meet this other family, the four family members begin to relate to each other once again. The initial two thirds of the book, I found tedious but when Annie shows up and the kids go on the trip and their parents start to relate to the family again, I really took to the story. Looking back on the book, I see that the reader needs this tortured beginning and after it is tied with the ending, this 218 page book is a wonderful story and study of four people dealing with grief.

Griffin, Adele. Sons of Liberty, 1997 [07868-0351-7]

This is the story of a family with a VERY domineering father. There was no physical abuse but verbal abuse, punishments, and surprise night work parties. One of the brothers is an American Revolution history buff - hence the title. The two brothers help a neighbor girl run away from an abusive father and the end up convincing their mother to sneak them and their younger sister away to the aunt in Arizona in order to get away from their father. The one brother doesn't want to desert his father and is really tossed as to whether he should at the end. The closing chapter of this 230 was very touching but much of the rest of it dragged. It could have been shorter and much more tighter.

 

Griffiths, Andy. The day my butt went psycho! Scholastic, 2001 [978-0439-42469-1 // 0-439-42469-0]

One night Zach's butt disconnects from him and runs away. To accept the premise of this story you have to accept that butts can disconnect from people and run away with their own legs and arms. Zach chases his butt only to find that he is organizing other butts to take over the world. Zac joins some butt catchers to stop this evil plot. They end up on an island with the "butt"cano about to explode. Griffiths uses every possible way to incorporate butts into the story. It gets kind of tiring after a while (now realize this is said by someone whose favorite birthday present was a fart CD.) The adventure of this 207 page book ends up exciting, but as a whole I just found this book silly. That is not saying it won't be read. Kids who are into bathroom humor (and we all have plenty of them) will flock to this book. When some kids saw the book on my desk, three 8th grade boys told me that they have already read it. To top this all off, there are at least two more in the series - note that this book is a complete story. Do you want to get it? That is up to you but it may draw some kids that you usually don't see -- isn't that what we want?

 

Griffiths, Andy. Just Wacky! Scholastic, 2000 [0-439-42473-9]

This book is one of several that tell of the funny adventures of Andy at home, school, and with his friends. It is episodic and silly, but is fun to read. For example the first chapter covers Andy trying to get a band aid off his face for picture day. He tries everything including a vacuum cleaner. He eventually gets it off but ends up cutting his face doing so and has to put on another band aid. There little silly drawings in the margins. This 204 page book reminded me of a kids' "I Love Lucy".. I almost was waiting to hear "waaaaaaaaa Ricky."

 

Grove, Vicki. Reaching Dustin, 1998

This is the story of Carly who is teamed up with Dustin for a school project. Dustin is from the "bad" family in town who live in a compound. This family is much like the family in Robinson's Christmas Pageant and the one in Gauthier's Year with Butch and Spike although not humorous at all. While being dirty, loud, and rude, the family has faces form tragedy and is totally against the government - preparing for a Waco type thing. Dustin is accused at school of something he didn't do and Carly gets to know him well enough to help him. The reader gets to know Carly's whole family and feels the tension she feels in the process of getting to know Dustin (against her will initially.) I really enjoyed this 199 page book and hope the kids do too! Unfortunately the book mentions that Carla is in the 5^th grade. If it did not mention that it could have appealed to older students.

Grove, Vicki. The starplace. Putnam, 1999 [0-399-23207-9]

It is 1961 and a "negro" moves into Frannie's town and shows up at school. This the story of a young girl who befriends a African American girl and their trials and tribulations. The end of the book deals with the African American girl's father doing research on the Klan activities in the during the 20's and 30's in this so called nice community. This 214 page book is a challenging tale of friendship and prejudices with some real hate thrown in historically. The cover gives the impression that this is just a nice story of two girls' friendship.

Gruber, Michael. The witch's boy. HarperCollins, 2005 [0-06-076164-4]

A witch lives in the forest and one say she finds an ugly baby that has been abandoned in a hollow tree near her house.  She chooses to raise it along with the help of a bear, a demon, and a cat.  The boy is never told that he is ugly and becomes very upset when at the age of 10 he finds out and he becomes very bitter.  Lump (the boy's name) get involved in some attacks on humans and the whole family (now just the witch, Lump, and the cat) have to run.  Lump ends up wearing a mask and they little group sets up a small stage act so they can travel from town to town.  Unfortunately the witch is accused of witchcraft and is imprisoned and Lump runs away.  Because of his ability to travel down to the underworld, he acquires valuable gems underground and becomes extremely wealthy.  He ends up denying help to his witch mother and the bear who raised him.  This rips him apart internally eventually and he does not know what to do.  Can this witch boy work himself out of this terrible position.  This 377 page book is a great fantasy-adventure story.  The author weaves bits of traditional folklore into the story such as Rumpelstiltskin.

 

Guinn, Jeff. The autobiography of Santa Claus. Penguin, 2003 [1-58542-265-7]

In this 287 page book Santa tells his life story from his initial gift giving in 280 A.D. Then he moves through history making friends and gathering people who travel with him (and gain his immortality.) (Some of these people include King Arthur, Leonardo DaVinci, Ben Franklin, and Teddy Roosevelt.) Because he is a Bishop there is talk of Christianity. He travels through the world and time expanding his idea of gift-giving to the point where he finally is only giving gifts on Christmas Eve and moves his whole operation up to the North Pole. Santa has a way of running into all the most famous and important people in the history of the world. So not only does that reader get a wonderful background on the history and folklore of Santa Claus but also a trip through world history meeting the world shakers. I found the book in total, interesting but at times was tedious, waiting to see which famous person he would meet next. There is a helpful bibliography at the end of the book.

Gutman, Dan. Jackie and me, 1999 [0-380-97685-4]

Once again Joe uses his baseball card to travel through time. This time he travels back to 1947 when Jackie Robinson is about to break the color barrier in baseball. His time traveling also makes him black so he experiences the same prejudices that Jackie does. This story is good on many levels, a baseball story, time travel, but is essentially is a story of what it was like to be African American in the US in 1947. This 146 page book is much better than Honus and me because of its many layers of interest. I just hope that Gutman doesn't fall into the trap and ruin these two books by churning out a bunch of baseball card adventures.

Gutman, Dan. Jim and me. [A baseball card adventure]. HarperCollins, 2008 [978-0-06-059495-4]

Once again we meet Stosh who has the amazing gift to travel back in time by holding an old baseball card.  This time his enemy as school convinces him to go back in time to the time when Jim Thorpe was popular.  They try to go back into time to change the scandal in which Jim was involved.  The reader meets Jim Thorpe and other players from that time in history and also learns about how loosely the rules were followed in that day.  These books are good for upper elementary students.  While they talk about time travel and being able to change history, it is a very shallow explanation about what may happen when one changes one little thing in future.  This 194 page book is another in this series which start to sound a little similar but the author puts enough sub-plots to make them interesting.  Upper elementary students who like the comfort of a similarly recurring plot and characters will enjoy this book along with the others.

 

Gutman, Dan. The kid who ran for President, 1996

This is a fun book for kids 4th grade and up about a kid who decides to run for President of the "You-noted States." On the surface is it just a fun book with great lines such as, "When were young all the kids called him 'Smart Pants Artie Krantz.' Now of course we're much more mature and call him 'Booger Boy.'" After I finished the book I realized that there is an incredible amount of information on Presidential politics and the Constitution. It could be used as an enjoyable teaching tool up through 6th grade.

 

Gutman, Dan. Virtually perfect, 1998 [0-7868-2344-5]

Yip's father works for a computer graphics company that develops F/X for movies. He has a super computer at home with a new program to generate people. Unfortunately when Yip uses it, he creates a person who gets out of the computer and is able to morph himself to look and sound like anyone or anything. The generated "person", Victor robs a bank and is headed for Washington, D.C. Yip and his grandfather (who has figured out who Victor is) figure out a way to delete Victor. This 123 page book is a fun story that kids will like.

Haas, Dan. You can all me Worm, 1997

This book starts out as a story of two brothers, one called Worm because he at a worm once. I thought it was cute in the beginning but it built up after that. The two boys live with their divorced mother and they hear that their father has been sitting on his roof for three days. They decide to go to him -- it is a long trip (3 or four days of hiking.) They take off in the middle of the night and the tale becomes one of survival and adventure. On the way they talk about their father and the older brother tells Worm that the father should be put in an institution. They end up separating and getting to the father. The ending is great because everything is not neatly wrapped up where they live happily ever after. The book is 167 pages and is approachable by a 5th grader although a reader that age may not grasp all the talk about the father and mental illness. It is a good book on many levels.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the betrayed. Simon & Schuster, 2002 [0689839057]

In this companion to "Among the Hidden" Nina is captured by the Population Police. While in prison she is give the option of betraying other "Third children" or being sentenced to death. The other kids in her cell are distant and don't seem to trust her. What will she do? This 156 page book deals with the betrayal of peers adn can be read away from the series but is an excellent supplement to it.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the imposters. Simon & Schuster, 2001 [0-689-83904-9]

As a third child, Luke is out of hiding for the first time in his life when he is sent to Hendricks School for Boys and instructed to "fit in." Because of his lack of social skills, this is difficult... but then he starts to realize that some of the boys may be like him... what his happening at the school? A sudden twist at the end of the story keeps the reader on his/her seat. I think this 172 page sequel to Among the Hidden is better than the original.

Haas, Jessie. Unbroken, 1999 [0-688-16260-6]

The story opens at the turn of the century with Harriet (called Harry) being pulled from school saying her mother was in an accident. She eventually dies leaving Harry alone with her young colt to be sent to a harsh aunt who lives up the hill on a farm. Harry hates it there and her aunt. She misses her friends and school. Eventually she begins to understand her aunt. When her mother's estate is settled, Harry will have enough money to continue at her school but will need her horse to get there. While training her horse, Harry is injured and the aunt has to take her to town to the doctor. The aunt shows her love by making arrangements for Harry to stay in town during the coming school year. This 185 page book is a touching story of a girl learning to deal with the death of her mother and the realities of living with a harsh aunt. It is a story of understanding, love, and personal growth.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the hidden, 1998 [0-689-82475-0]

Luke hides in his house. He is never allowed outside or even near the windows. Haddix takes us to a future world where after great famines, a totalitarian government takes over and rules the country saying that each family can only have two children. Luke is a third and therefore must be kept hidden. After new homes are built in their woods, Luke sees another hidden face and eventually meets this third child from a rich family. This starts a roller coaster ride of events which threaten Luke's very existence. This 153 page book is not only a great story, but also a wonderful discussion starter.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Barons [#4] Aladdin, 2003 [0-689-83910-3]

In book four of the series we return to Hendricks School for boys where all the students have false identities. They are third children in a world where families are only allowed to have no more than two children. One day Luke's brother shows up (the brother of his false identity) and he is brought to this very wealthy home where is fake brother is traumatized by the situation of the death of his real brother with the carrying on of his life with an impostor. At the home Luke gets tangled in webs that both the parents and the underground are weaving. I enjoyed this 182 page book the best in the series. Of course this is another one after this 4th one.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Don't you dare read this, Mrs. Dunphrey, 1996 [0-689-81543-3]

Tish's teacher asks her class to keep a journal and if they didn't want the teacher to read an entry write, "Don't read this." Sixteen-year-old Tish has a very troubled home life and the journal helps her sort out her feelings. Her father comes home periodically, always ending in a fight and her mother does nothing much to help Tish and her brother survive, Tish writes her journal as her life falls apart. Finally, her mother goes away leaves Tish and her brother alone. Tish tries to keep her and her brother's life together, all the while keeping the lack of parents at home, a secret. Each day something worse happens and all the while I reading this I got the feeling -- how bad is it going to get. Finally when they run out of money and they are going to lose the house because of taxes, she reaches out to the one adult she trusts and lets the teacher read the journal. They get help, sent to their distant grandparents, and both the children and the mother get counseling. This is a heart-wrenching story about survival under harsh conditions. I purchased this 125 page novel because I have liked the other ones the author wrote. It would be an excellent high interest/ low level book.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Double Identity. Simon & Schuster, 2005 [0-689-87374-3/978-0689-87374-4]

Bethany is 13 and suddenly her parents pack everything up and drop her off at an Aunt's house (where her parents used to live) who she barely remembers.  At her Aunt's house she is reminded of the sister who died just before she was born.  Everyone is acting strange around her and she is hearing whispers about how much she looks and acts like her sister.  She gradually finds out that she is a clone of her sister.  Can she develop her own personality?  Can she be her own person?  Who is their parents hiding from?  This 218 page book is a thought-provoking story.

 

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Just Ella, 1999 [0-689-82186-7]

This is another of the many novelization of fairytales and the best I had read. The story opens at the castle after the ball scene and Ella (Cinderella) is preparing for the wedding, two months hence. She soon finds out she does not like castle life. The whole story of the fairy god mother is treated as a rumor. Eventually she refuses to marry the Prince and she is put in the dungeon to get her to change her opinion. She digs her way out and runs away to someone she met in the castle where they decide to wait instead of getting married real quick. This 185 page book portrays a realistic and strong female character. Don't miss this one.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Leaving Fishers, 1997 [0-689-82461-0]

This is a significant book and probably should be required reading for HS parents. Dorry moves to a new town and she has trouble making friends until she approached by some very friendly kids. They invite her to come to parties and meeting of the Fishers (of men), a Christian cult. The story is told in first person and is very vivid as to how she is brainwashed, slowly but surely. She starts out with many doubts and some agreements but by the end she has fewer doubts and more agreements. Finally there is a blow up and she tries to quit and the group is very nasty to her. The title is really misleading. Most of the book involves the brainwashing and membership; just the last 10% deals with leaving. My one concern about this 262 page book is that someone will not finish it and think it is condoning this religious fervor. Make sure you read this one!

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Turnabout. Simon & Schuster, 2000 [0-689-82187-5]

This story opens in a medical facility, being told by a 100 year old woman. All the elderly people here have been given an injection to make them younger and they start getting younger with the clock running backwards. The plan is to have them stop getting younger at a certain point and have them live their life all over again. Unfortunately the doctors can not figure out how to stop them from getting younger. Most of this 223 page book ends up being told by these two (now teenager) women who are unaging. The doctors do not know what will happen when they reach zero -- there is a possibility they may "turnabout" and start getting older again. This is a very thought-provoking book. I love this author's works.

Haddon, Mark. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Vintage, 2002 [978-1-4000-3271-6]

One night Christopher finds his neighbor’s dog murdered with a pitchfork.  Because he is found with the dog, he is taken to the police station where his father picks him up.  The reader slowly realizes that Christopher is not a normal child.  He is autistic.  What makes this incredible story so powerful is that the book is narrated by Christopher.  The reader gets into the mind of an autistic child, his feelings, his thoughts, and his rationale.  All the twists of the plot are seen through Christopher’s eyes.  This 226 page book was very enlightening to me.  Although I had been a special education teacher for 13 years, knowing all the book-learning and even working with autistic children did not make me feel like this book.  This is a MUST-READ for anyone who has any contact with an autistic person.   Please be aware that when Christopher goes out into the world, he meets people who use some colorful language.  There are people using the “f-word” and the “c-word.”  It is not overdone.. but it is there.

Hahn, Mary Downing. Look for me by moonlight, 1995

This is an intellectual suspense book -- not a lot of gore but a hot of head trips. It is the story of a girl who goes to visit her father who has remarried and lives in an old inn. A strange guest arrives and she falls in love with him and slowly realizes he is a vampire and is controlling her. The book shows the vampire's mind control over the who family. Can she build up enough of her own will power to destroy him? There are many vampire books out now but this is one of the few told totally from the viewpoint of the victim. I should also point out that this vampire also goes after her younger brother and there is some talk of kissing him before biting him. This gives the story another dimension to the story of which you should be aware. I acquired this 181 page book as a book fair bonus. Because of the lack of action and the intellectual aspect of this book I would not give it to below a mature 6th grader.

Hahn, Mary Downing. Promises to the dead. Clarion, 2000 [0-395-96394-X]

One day while hunting turtles, Jesse promises a dying runaway slave lady that he would help her son get to the north. This is the story of two boys trying to travel away from the slave catchers who are chasing them. They have many adventures and meet many interesting people. This 202 page book is pretty good all except the improbable beginning with a young white boy promising a dying slave to take care of her child. If the reader can bypass that, it is a good read.

Haig. Matt. The dead fathers club. Penguin, 2006 [978-0-14-311294-5]

Not long after eleven-year-old Philip’s father dies in an accident, his ghost appears and asks him to avenge his death. The ghost tells Philip to watch out for his Uncle who plans to take over his Dad’s bar and marry his wife. This Uncle Alan comforts Philip’ s mom, revitalizes the bar, and moves in wanting to marry her. Meanwhile Alan hates him and is trying to kill him so his dead father can rest in peace. As as if this is not enough, Philip has to deal with school bullies, a girl friend, and wondering if his father’s ghost is telling the truth. This 328 page book is a suspenseful ghost story that makes the reader want to keep reading but it has one problem. The author writes without using quotation marks. That, combined with the British accent makes this great ghost story a struggle to read. It totally turned me off to an excellent story.

 

Halliday, John. Predicktions. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003 [0-689-84564-2]

Westlake is a dying town.  Even the annual carnival is considering not coming back.  This is the story of four sixth graders trying to develop friendships and a town hoping to find a way to attract people to the town.  Josh was born at the carnival and has his own prediction board (much like a Ouija board) which is always making misspelled predictions so he has to figure out what the board is trying to say.  This 183 book is the humorous tale of four kids growing together in 6th grade.

 

Hannigan, Katherine. Ida B. Harper Trophy, 2004 [978-0-06-0732026-0 // 0-06-073026-9]

Nine or ten-year-old Ida has a wonderful life being home schooled on a farm in Wisconsin.  She is full of spirit, a colorful character.  When her mother gets cancer, Ida can no longer be home schooled and she is sent to the public school.  To top that off the family must sell off part of her beloved orchard to pay for medical expenses.  Ida becomes bitter but with the help of an understanding teacher and a caring family, she learns to deal with all the changes.  This 246 page book is an emotional story of a colorful girl, full of full of spirit who has her life suddenly change.  It is told in a beautiful style.. a must read.  This one was recommended to me by a student.

 

Hansen, Joyce. I thought my soul would rise and fly [Dear America series], 1997

This is the third in this series that I have read and all have been excellent. This is the fictional diary of a young slave girl right at the end of the Civil War and immediately following it. The diary show the confusion on everyone's mind as to what was happening with the slaves. This particular plantation did not have the violence you so often read of but there was much strife and confusion as some of the freed slaves would leave and others would stay. This is a great series and I will try to get them all. This 202 page book contains a wonderful historical notation at the end (as all in this series do.)

Harlow, Joan Hiatt. Joshua's song. McElderry Books, 2001 [0689841191]

After his father dies in the influenza epidemic of 1918, Joshua must help support his family by selling newspapers. Harlow paints a good historical picture of what life must have been like in Boston at this time and the struggles a young man must go through when changing friends from a well-to-do familys to the very poor in Boston. This 176 page book also describes an interesting bit of historical trivia from Boston.

Harrah, Madge. My brother, my enemy, 1977

An excellent piece of historical fiction concerning Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia in 1676. At the end of the book thee are excellent notes, a glossary, and a bibliography. Even if you ignore the history, it is a good story. This is the sign of a well-written piece of historical fiction. If you are studying the revolution and the colonies, it would be a great tie-in. It is 133 pages and could be read from 5th grade and up. If you need high interest/low level fiction for this period, it would be an excellent choice.

Harrison, Mette Ivie. The monster in me. Holiday House, 2003 [0-82341713-1]

Natalie is sent to another foster home. She has frequent nightmares. There are two children in the foster home who don't get along and of course neither likes having Natalie around. These new foster parents try to keep things calm. Meanwhile the reader slowly finds out that Natalie's mom is still alive and is in a drug treatment center. One day the counselor shows up and tells Natalie that her mom wants to visit with her. Now that Natalie has finally found a family she fits in with, does she want to go back to her mom eventually? This 156 page book is full of problems and choices for Natalie.

Harrison, Barbara. Theo, 1999 [0-89919959-3]

This story takes place in German occupied Greece during WWII. Theo and his brother, both Jewish, flee Athens to live in a mountain town. On the way, the brother gets caught sabotaging German supplies and is executed while Theo watches. Theo makes it to the mountain village, poses as a Christian, and lives in a town full of people from the resistance. He is involved in these activities, all the while anxious to seek revenge for his brother's death. Theo gives puppet shows for the village. Eventually Theo makes it through the war, living through the revenge of the Germans on his village. Be aware that the author depicts the cruelty and violence of this situation but it is not overdone. The closing line of this 165 book tells it all, "In Theo's heart small and large sorrows dwelled side by side, but light flooded the folds and sinews of his sole." There is a glossary of Greek terms at the end of the book.

Harrison, Michael. Facing the dark. Holiday House, 2000 [0-8234-149-4]

Simon is woken once night with the commotion of his father being arrested for killing another taxi driver in a road rage incident. When he goes to visit the scene he runs across the daughter of the man killed and this unlikely pair try to figure out what happened - not always cooperating with each other. This 128 page book is a pretty good mystery, full of action and suspense.

Harrison, Michael. It's my life, 1998.

What a roller coaster ride! I couldn't put this down - almost burnt my dinner. Martin comes home to his single parent home and is kidnapped. We are taken on the adventure with him and gradually realize that his mother has something to do with the kidnapping - trying to get money from the separated father. Eventually Martin breaks away and meets up with the kidnapper's (the mother's lover) daughter and they both decide to get back at their parents and try to foil their plan without going to the police. There is a lot of action along with many plot twists. Some of the British language can be a little offsetting if one is not familiar with it and some characters are not well developed but the action and the plot override these weaknesses. If feel this 132 page book will be a mover.

Hart. Alison. Gabriel’s horses [Race to Freedom Series #1] Peachtree, 2007 [978-1-56145-398-6 // 1-56145-398-6]

Gabriel is a 12 year-old slave on a Kentucky horse farm who dreams of becoming a jockey.  When his father, a free man, enlists in the Civil War Army to earn money to purchase the freedom of his family, Gabriel is left to deal with the cruel horse trainer who took his fathers place on the farm.  I luckily read this first book in the series, last because I am not sure I would continued with the others books – which are great.  I don’t this the author found the voice of the characters until near the end of this 518 page book.  Give this series a chance.  It tells a side of the Civil War period that is not usually heard and also deals with the universal story of a young man fighting for his dreams and aspirations.

Hart, Alison. Gabriel’s triumph [Racing to freedom trilogy #2]. 2007 [978-1-15645-410-5//1-15645-410-9]

In Kentucky, Grabriel is a recently freed slave and is a jockey for his former master’s horses.  He is getting quite a name for himself as a jockey in 1864.  While the Civil War is ongoing, this is a story of life going on during the war as usual possible.  Gabriel misses his father who has joined the Union Army.  As a winning jockey, Gabriel is getting more responsibilities around the farm.  I liked reading of a former slave during the Civil War in a society that was trying to function in spite of the Civil War.  So many stories make us readers think that there was pre-war, then the war, and after-war.  Many times readers do not get a picture that life continued even as the horrors of the war were going on.  There are historical notes at the end. This 168 page book was a Junior Library Guild acquisition.  Although it appears short, the type is close together and is more of a read than one expects.  I will purchase book 1 and 3 now that I have read this one.

 

Hart, Alison. Gabriel’s journey [Racing to freedom trilogy #3]. 2007 [978-1-56145-442-6//1-15645-442-7]

Gabriel’s story continues.  Now his mother has gone off to join his father.  Gabriel misses them both terribly and decides to go off to join them at the camp with the blessings (and letter of recommendation) of his boss.  Although Gabriel is too young to be a soldier, he is able to be a groom to the horses in his father’s black unit.  Although not a soldier, as groom to the captain’s horse, Gabriel gets in the midst of it all.  When the unit goes out to fight Gabriel (and the reader) learns the horrors of the war, especially for the black soldiers.  Their treatment was poor by the Union soldiers, but was vicious by the Confederate soldiers.  This final 166 page book in the trilogy brings the reader into the middle of battle and the wonder of “the glory” of fighting.  There are historical notes at the end of the book.

 

Hart, Alison. Shadow horse. Random House,1999 [0-329-23360-2]

After assaulting the owner of the horse farm where she lives, Jasmine is placed in a foster home on house arrest with an ankle bracelet. It turns out that she suspect the owner of the horse farm of killing her favorite horse. While working at the foster home she encounters another horse while heightens her suspicions so she tries to find more information. This 261 page book is not only a good mystery but an excellent horse story. It will draw in both audiences.

Hart, J.V. Capt. Hook. HarperCollins, 2005 [0-06-000220-4]

James, the illegitimate son of a member of Parliament, is enrolled in Eton much to the anger of all the royal children there.  He is a loner and has a pet spider.  One upper class-man is out to get James.  This early part of the book has the feel of Harry Potter and Hogwarts.  Unfortunately James and an Ottoman Sultana fall in love much to the anger of the Queen of England. He dreams of a place called Neverland.  When the Sultana is shipped away from England James and his friend stowaway on the ship.  Then this book becomes a sailing story.  Life on the ship is harsh and especially evil near the end when James, dubbed Capt. James leads a mutiny on the ship and ends up being voted captain of the ship after he kills the captain of the ship with a hook.  While I think this 337 is a complete book, it does leave the possibility for another one.  Please not that his book is not a cutsey Peter Pan book.  It contains, duels, death, murder,  slavery, harsh life on a ship so I would not recommend it to elementary students.  This is the author's first book but he has written screen plays one of which was "Hook."  The illustrations are done by Brett Helquist of Lemony Snicket fame.

Harvard Lampoon. Nightlight: a parody. Vintage Books, 2009 [9780307476104]

This is a parody of the Twilight series. Once again Belle is the main character who falls for Edwart Mullen in Switchblade, Oregon. This 154 page book is at times clever and at other times stupid but I guess that is the way with parodies. There are all kinds of references within the book that I am sure most kids will not get but some of your smarter readers will enjoy it. While it is not inappropriate, younger readers will just not get the book and find it stupid... after all it was written by the Harvard Lampoon... college students trying to be clever. As a sideline, I have classified it with a spine of "FIC/MEY/LAM" so it sits next to the Twightlight series on the shelf. If I never did that, it would never be found or read. Right now I have a reserve list of 4 girls waiting for it with the first one still reading it. It will be interesting to see how they like it.

 

Hausman, Gerald & Loretta. Escape from Botany Bay. Orchard Books, 2003 [0-439-40327-8]

It is 1786 and Mary is one of the many poor in England where she is arrested for stealing a hat. For that crime she is sentenced to death but gets her sentence commuted to being shipped to Botany Bay in Australia as an experience to settle the new colony with prisoners. The prison ship lays in the harbor for many month where Mary and her fellow prisoners live in horrid conditions. When they get to Australia conditions are no better so Mary, her husband and several other prisoners steal a small fishing boat and sail many miles across the sea. Where the are eventually captured and sent to England for a new trial. This 220 page book show the horrid conditions the prisoners of that time faced. It is based on a true story. The part of the trip across the water is a great survival story.

Hautman, Pete. Godless. Simon & Schuster, 2004 [0-689-86278-4]

I am not sure what I think about this book, but it is definitely an interesting read.  Jason who is fed up with his parent's religion invents a new god - the water tower in his town. He also is having trouble with a thug and his gang in town.  Jason gathers a small group of followers for his religion.  He has always wanted to get up on top of the water tower and when Jason sees Henry (the thug) on top of the tower, the only way he can learn to get up there is to let Henry into the religion (now called Chutengodians.)  After a couple of trips to the top of the tower, Jason starts to realize this his religion is getting out of control.  One of the group, a not-so-stable boy is more serious about the religion than Jason and the police are not too excited about kids climbing up on top of the water tower.  Can Jason control his religion (and its followers) in this 198 page book before the whole mess spins out of control?  This book will not have a huge audience but the ones who like it, will really like it.  If you like this one, check out "Mr. Was" by the same author.

 

Hautman, Pete. Invisible. Simon & Schuster, 2005 [0-689-86800-6]

Doug is a troubled young man. He is a loner, builds model trains in the basement and get beat up at school.  The only thing that keeps him centered is his best friend Andy, the star of the football team, drama club, and other memorable things at school.  They talk about everything.. except what happened at the Tuttle place a few years ago.  Doug becomes more withdrawn.. his parents are very concerned.  It is not until near the end of the 149 page book that the readers find out how troubled Doug is and why he and Andy are so close.  This is a very touching story of mental illness told from the eyes of the disturbed person so the reader only understands reality as see though Doug's eyes.  Don't miss this one!

 

Hautman, Pete. Mr. Was, 1996 [0-68981068-7]

Wow, what a book! Not only does it deal with time travel (its implications, etc.) but it has a great story and the characters are very well developed. When Jack and his mother go to her father's death bed, he grabs Jack by the neck, shouting, "You" and he dies. After they go back to his house, Jack finds a secret door which takes him back to 1941. He uses it to get away from the alcoholism and the abuse of his father. The book is presented as parts of various diaries and documents which have been discovered. This 216 page book is an absolutely incredible book. The concepts of time travel implications and the many plot twists would make it reachable to only top level elementary or junior high students. Even if you don't purchase this one, try to read it. The author has written several adult novels.

Heldring, Thatcher. Toby Wheeler: Eighth-grade benchwarmer. Delacorte, 2007 [978-0-385-73390-8]

Toby has always been happy (and pretty good at) picking up basketball games at the local rec center while his friend, JJ is on the school team.  JJ says that Toby is not good enough to play "real" ball on a regular team with a coach.  For a long time Toby resists these comments but finally decides to join the school team to become a better friend with JJ.  Well, a tryouts Toby doesn't do too well and he ends up on the bench.. but he wants to stick it out to prove the to hard-nosed coach what he can do.  After a while he feels the coach doesn't like him.. and to top it off...Toby has eyes on a girl at school.  Before long he finds out that the girl is the coach's daughter.  Can Toby get off the bench?  Is it stupid to give his attentions to the coach's daughter?  Will he ever get off the bench and prove to JJ and the coach what a good player he is?  Read this 211 page book to find out.  The story deals with friendship, sports, and coming of age.. something every boy at this age can relate to.

 

Henderson, J.A. Bunker 10. Harcourt, 2007 978-0-15-206240-8]

The book takes place in a secret military installation which the author states from the start that no one will get out alive. At this facility are a group of genius kids who are being watched by the military and aided by other scientists to work on whatever projects they wish. Obviously something goes terribly wrong since the author starts out saying that no one gets out alive. The reader is thrown into a volatile situation for which the author gives two different premises. One is.. that everyone in the installation is really just a character in a extremely advanced computer training installation. The other is that some people in the installation are involved in time travel. This 253 page book keeps the reader guessing (and confused) right to the end. There are some sophisticated concepts in the so I am not sure how elementary students will hand it. I did not like most of the book but I have to admit the ending was interesting.

 

Henkes, Kevin. Olive's ocean. Greenwillow, 2003 [0-06-053543-1]

Martha and her family head to her grandmother's house on the shore one summer with her being haunted by the death of a classmate. At the beach she gets closer to her grandmother and experiments with her first feelings towards boys. This 217 page book is told with honesty and compassion.. it is a must-read. I am glad it won a Newbery Honor.

Henkes, Kevin. Sun & Spoon, 1997

I purchased this book because of a considerable amount of discussion about it on LMnet. The book seals with a boy trying to find a way to come to grips with the death of his grandmother. I found it to be a comfortable, "warm fuzzy" book. The book will surely not be a fast mover off my shelves but I know several kids right away, who will like it. The the reading level is easy, the topic is not.

 

Hennesy, Carolyn. Pandora gets jealous. Bloomsbury, 2008 [978-1-59990-196-1 // 1-59990-196-x]

Pandora (or Pandy to her friends) has a big school project due and can not think of a great idea. All except bringing in the special box of her father Prometheus. She knows it contains evil things and it should never be opened. Well she decides to bring it to school and under peer pressure, it gets opened and all the evils are let out. She is dragged before Zeus, Hera and the council of gods and is given a chance to gather all the evils up before they destroy the world. This starts her and her friends out of the adventure of this 264 page book. The story is told in a light fashion and although it takes place in ancient times, the school situation and peer pressure makes it feel like a current day situation, making it readable for many kids. Although this story does have an ending, there are at least two more books in the series. Although it is much lighter, it might be a good one to follow the Percy Jackson series especially for girls.

 

Hershey, Mary. The one where the kid nearly jumps to his death and lands in California. RazorBill, 2007 [978-1-59514-150-7]

Alastair is bitter since his dad walked out and divorced his mom only to marry a rich woman in California.  He is also mad because of the accident that left him with an artificial leg.  Mom is in AA and her sponsor is a colorful woman who Alastair likes and respects.  She is a lesbian.  (This is only mentioned “as a matter of fact” – like the color of her hair -  and there is no talk of partner or her life away from Alastair.)   Mom sends Alastair to live with his dad and step-mom one summer for an eventful time where he meets a colorful swim coach and a gorgeous girl who acts in the Soaps.  This 275 page book tells of the eventful summer with a very angry young man as he interacts with very colorful characters. Alastair tells this story and his perceptions of the situations are great to read.

 

Hesse, Karen. A time of angels, 1995

Hannah is a member of a Jewish family living in Boston during WWI. Her parents have gone off because of the war and she and her sisters are living with two aunts. When the influenza epidemic strikes and one aunt dies, her two sisters become sick, the other aunt tells her to leave the city. Hannah gets sick on the train and ends up at the home of an lonely German-American in Vermont who cares for her. Eventually Hannah makes it back to Boston where her two sisters are living with another family. Throughout the story Hannah periodically is helped by a girl with purple eyes which appears to be an angel. Reading this 250 page book is a wonderfully emotional experience. It is a heady book for students from 7th grade and up.

Hesse, Karen. Stowaway. Margaret K McElderry, 2000 [0689839871]

Nicholas is not doing well being a butcher's apprentice so he stows away on the Endeavor on Captain Cook's first major journey around the world. This is his fictional diary. As an eventual member of the crew, he experiences the long trying challenges of life at sea. They try to befriend the natives, they explore, they catalog wildlife with two artists and they all suffer the agony of a very long voyage. Malaria also joins the crew and as a result many of the crew die and must be replaced. At times Nicholas wonders if they will make it home. While the reader experiences the hardships of life at sea, I found this 319 page book to be quite slow at times. It should be noted that there are historical notes and a glossary at the end of the book.

Hesser, Terry Spencer. Kissing Doorknobs, 1998

This is the story of a girl's developing Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It tells her terrible anguise of her uncontrollable behavior and what it does to her friends and family. At the end she goes to treatment to learn to deal with OCD, led by someone else who had it.. At the end of the story this boy has a relapse and she has to help him. This 149 page book is compelling and informative. I am not a big fan of information driven fiction (although this is an excellent example.) I think the primary purpose of fiction is story, not information. Historical fiction is terrible when it loses itself in the history. I have read recent fiction books centered around diabetes and asthma, both of which lost the story because they tried to impart to much information. There is a place for this kind of book and Kissing Doorknobs is an excellent example.

Heuston, Kimberley. Dante's daughter. Front Street, 2003 [1-886910-97-9]

Here we have a piece of historical fiction taking place in Italy during the 14th century. The story is centered around Dante's daughter (of which little is known.) The reader learns of life during these early times of the Italian city-states. We see Florence attacked several times. Dante has to flee frequently because of his outspoken political views. Once he takes his daughter to Paris for several years. We learn the ups and downs of the Dante family and what it took out of him to write his major works. This 302 page book is not only a work of historical fiction about a period and place I knew little, but also the tale of the artistic process (both literature and painting.)

Hiaasen, Carl. Flush. Knopf, 2005 [0-375-82182-1]

Noah's father is an idealist who has a problem with anger. He figures out that a local casino boat is dumping it's sewage in the marina, polluting the marina, beach, and a wildlife sanctuary soooooooo he pulls the plugs on the boat and it sinks. The story opens with dad in jail (not the first time.) Years before Noah's grandfather was reported dead in Columbia. Now the reader is entangled in a web of mystery and plots to prove Dad innocent, and foil the casino operator. This 263 books is a fun adventure/mystery book in which we meet, two wise-guy kids, a drunk, his girlfriend, corrupt local officials, and a tough casino operator. I think I enjoyed this one even more than Hoot.

Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot. Knopf, 2002 [0-375-82181-3]

Roy has recently moved to Florida and one day sees a strange boy running barefoot next to his school bus. Roy is being picked on by a thug at school and is not fitting in to well at the school. Now suddenly he gets wrapped up in wanting to help this strange boy. Meanwhile there has been vandalism at a local construction site on which live some rare owls. This 292 page book is an enjoyable read involving school problems and a mystery concerning the strange boy.

Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. Knopf, 2009 [978-0-375-837486-8]

Nick and his friend Marta go on a field trip to the swamp with the dreaded science teacher, Ms. Starch who disappears during a wildfire in the swamp on the trip.  The school receives a notes saying that Ms. Starch has to attend to a family emergency and will be absent for a while.  This starts a big adventure for Nick and Marta as the try to figure out what happened to their science teacher.  They cross paths with an interesting cast of characters while trying to figure out what is going on.  This 371 page book is a fun Florida ecology based mystery, similar to Hiaasen’s other books.  This one involves the Florida panther.. and tracking it through it’s droppings (or scat.)  I am sure this book will be as popular as he other ones.

 

Higson, Charlie. SilverFin [Young Bond #1]. Hyperion/Miramax, 2005 [0-7868-3866-3]

This is a series about the growing up of James Bond. (Text is copyrighted by Ian Fleming Publications.)  In the first book, James is an orphan who is going to school at Eton and runs into a bully rich kid.  On his vacation, James goes to Scotland and again runs into the rich kid an his father who has fixed up an old castle and is doing something strange there.  James and a friend investigate the disappearance of a local boy and end up at the castle where the rich kid's father appears to be a maniacal scientist with a horrible plan.  This 335 page book is a great and thrilling adventure story which takes place in that calm period between World War I and II.  There is at least another book in the series and I can't wait to read it.  I had not hear of this book until one of my students asked me to purchase it.  I always listen to recommendations.

 

Higson, Charlie. Blood fever [Young Bond #2] Hyperion, 2007 [978-142310029-4 // 142310029-8]

Once again James is back at school (Eton) where is a member of a group of risk takers knows as "The Danger Society."  One while running out after curfew, he finds some mysterious men speaking Latin outside a strange building.  Shortly thereafter he goes on a school trip to Sardina and gets involved with a group of thieves and a man who wants to take over the world.  This 347 page book is entertaining and well written.  There are several plot twists at the end.  Of course there is fighting and people die.. but nothing too descriptive.  This series so far is wonderful... each book a separate story, loosely tied together.

Hill, David. Time out. Cricket Books, 1999 [0-8126-2899-3]

Kitt runs long distance to avoid problems at home. One day he is hit by a truck is transported to what appears to be a parallel universe. The reader is left up in the air as Kitt is about what is happening. When the story ends, he wakes up from a coma which the reader begins to suspect. Student may be confused by the bulk of this 117 page book but the ending ties it all together and makes is a wonderful read.. just convince the kids to finish it and they will love it.

Hill, Pamela Smith. A voice from the border . Holiday House, 1998 [0-8234-1356-X]

Reeves is a young lady living in Springfield, MO in the early part of the Civil War. Her father, though a slave owner who intends to release his slaves in his will, runs off to fight against the Yankees who now overrun his state. This is just one of the many examples of how the author paints what must be a realistic picture of people's mixed loyalties and feelings about the war and slavery. Since this 244 page book takes place in Missouri, the town they live in is in a confused loyalty position -- Missouri actually had two governments during the Civil War. This is a story of love and mixed loyalties intertwined with the horror of the Civil War.

Hirsch, Odo. Bartlett and the ice voyage. Bloomsbury, 2003 [1-58234-797-2]

In this entertaining story, a queen who rules several kingdoms is used to getting anything she wants. She has heard tales of the very perishable melidrop and wants to taste one. Unfortunately it only grows across the sea and it spoils one or two days after it is picked. Many people try to bring her one but no one can until someone suggests the famous explorer Barlett. He finally figures out how to possibly get one to her, but will she be patient enough. This 168 page book is a fun read.

Hite, Sid. Answer my prayer, 1995 [0-440-22014-9] Laurel-Leaf

Hite creates here a totally fictional world which resembles frontier and pioneer life. The country is the only place in the world they can grow jeefwood and the locals carve it and export it that way only. Lydia begins to become romantically involved with a wood carver and prays for his safety. The prayer is answered by an angel (of a fictitious god) who comes down to Earth as a human trying to answer her prayer and gets involved in a conflict about the jeefwood trees. The whole idea of the angels is a clever but the story is quite predictable although exciting at times. This 182 page book has some humor but overall did not impress me.

Hite, Sid. Cecil in space, 1999 [0-8050-5055-8]

Cecil is 17 and lives in a podunk town in Virginia. This an enjoyable story of several months in Cecil's life as the town deals with the controversy of who painted over the town's welcome sign, visiting his mentally ill Aunt, and above all, his growing interest in girls. The author has a very enjoyable style of writing and while nothing earth-shaking happens in the book, you can't help but really getting involved with the charcters and enjoying them. The writing is clever and at times very funny. I was so sorry when the book was over. Unfortunately, some people may not pick up this wonderful 150 page book because its title and cover. It looks like science fiction but it just refers to the fact that his Aunt thinks that Cecil is an astronaut. I plan to look for more books by this author.

Hite, Sid. Stick and Whittle. Scholastic, 2000 [0-439-09828-9]

Stick is a Civil War veteran wandering the West for a long lost love when he runs across Whittle, a teenage boy wondering the West also. They pair up together and have many adventures which lead up the the ending where they have to try to rescue Stick's love from kidnappers. This 202 page book introduces the reader to two lovable and at times humorous characters. It is a fun read packed full of adventure, friendship, and some suspense at the end

Hite, Sid. Those darn Dithers, Laurel-Leaf, 1996 [0440-22671-6]

This is the second of two books about the zany Dithers family. It contains a huge collection of unusual people (there is a kind of family tree in the front of the book) who get involved in all sorts of misadventures. We have four plots running within the book: a girl and her horse going to perform in a wild west show, some kids trying to put together a variety show in a barn, a mysterious lady building a invention to contact the spirit world, and a man writing a book. I found the book to have too many characters all involved in too many things. While it is quite humorous, I did not care for this one. It is a complete story but maybe I lost some of the charm by not getting the first book (it is no longer available.) This 184 page book reminded me a little of the Bagthorpes though not nearly as good and not British.

Hobbs, Varlerie. Charlies's run. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2000 [0-374-34994-0]

Eleven-year-old Charlie is told by his parents that they are getting a divorce. That night he decides to run away for a day or two until his parents agree to get back together. Well, Charlie meets an older, troubled girl on his trip and goes down the slippery slope of a series of bad decisions. This 165 page book at times has a feel like an after school special but it does not end up all happily-ever-after. Both Charlie and the girl face the "music" for their bad decisions.

Hobbs, Will. Bearstone. Avalon, 1989 [0-380-71249-0]

Cloyd is a fourteen-year-old trouble maker. His parents had died and his grandmother on the Indian reservation could no longer control him and he had run away from the group home several time. His social worker decides a summer on a ranch in the mountains with a widowed elderly man would be just the thing for him. Well, they hit it off and help each other out. Neither of them talk too much so when one day there is something that upsets Cloyd, there is a major blow-up and they both suffer. Finally things smooth over and they decide to up to the mountains and check out the man's old gold mine. After a couple more significant problems Cloyd begins to grow up and decide what is best for both him and the man. The premise of this 154 page book was similar to "The Big Wander" but the plot was different. I liked it as much, if not more.

Hobbs, Will. Changes in lattitudes. Avon, 1988 [0-380-71619-4]

Travis, his sister, younger brother and mother go on a vacation to Mexico. There is a scene at the airport as their father says good-bye (he can't go on the trip.) Travis plans on scoping out the beaches for babes, his younger brother wants to save some endangered turtles, and his sister just wants to have a good time. The mother keeps disappearing while the kids experience the area. One afternoon Travis sees his mother unexpectedly with another man and starts to realize what is happening. Then at the end of the book there is a terrible accident which makes the family try to become a real family. The heart-wrenching ending of this 162 page book will get to you. Just so you know this book is not just about family problems -- one family member does die. I am still recovering from the shock.

Hobbs, Will. Down the Yukon. HarperTrophy, 2001 [0-380-73309-9]

In this sequel to Jason's Gold, we find Jason and his girl Jamie entering a 1,700 mile race down the Yukon from Dawson to Nome where the latest gold rush has hit. He needs the prize money to buy back the mill which his brother lost gambling. Once again Hobbs has written an excellent piece of historical fiction. Not only does the reader learn about the period but they are treated to an excellent adventure in this 193 page book. Hobbs does not lose the story with historical facts, which so often happens.

Hobbs, Will. Far North, 1996

This is the tale of two young men (one native Canadian) and his old uncle. They crash during November in the Northwest Territory and either have to survive the harsh winter (with temperatures down to 60 below) or try to make it out. It is a story of survival again unbelievable odds, of developing friendship and loyalty, and above all, respect for the wilds. This 234 page book would be a great read after Hatchet by Paulsen. The cover says it is one of the "ALA top ten."

Hobbs, Will. Go big or go home. HarperCollins, 2008 [978-0-06-074141-6]

One night Brady, who lives in the Black Hills, is watching a meteor shower out his window when hears a crash. A meteorite the size of a potato crashed through the roof of his house and into his bedroom. He promptly names it "Fred." The meteorite has dormant bacteria which give Brady extra strength and agility. When the bacteria decide to go dormant again, so does Brady. What will happen when people think he is dead? Meanwhile in the 185 page book, Brady's cousin Quinn visits and they go on "extreme adventures." There is also the neighborhood bully family which hassle Brady. This is a fun science fiction story mixed into the outdoors adventure style of Hobbs. It is not his usual style

 

Hobbs, Will. Jackie's wild Seattle. HarperCollins, 2003 [0-06-051631-3]

Shannon and her younger brother Cody leave NJ to spend the summer to visit there Uncle Neal who drives an ambulance for an animal rescue center called Jackie's Wild Seattle while their parents are spending time as doctors overseas. When Neal is injured by a hawk, Shannon must take over many of his sometimes dangerous responsibilities. Cody is having problems with his parents absence and has continuing nightmares about September 11th. This 200 page book is a mixture of humor and serious concerns and is different than Hobbs' usual adventures.

Hobbs, Will. Jason's Gold, 1999 [0-688-15093-4]

Jason tries to catch up with his brothers who left 3 days before him on the Alaskan Gold rush. The book shows all the trials, horrors, and tribulations that those poor people had to go through as they rushed to make it rich. Jason runs across Jack London during his journey and this is thankfully not over done. While I have liked Hobbs's stories before, this one really grabbed me. The reader feels all the pain, fear, and excitement of the gold rush. While some of the horror tales are far from pleasant, it is all part of what makes this 221 page book so good. There are some historical notes at the end. Don't miss this one!

Hobbs, Will. Kokopelli's flute.

Tepary has always loved the cliff dwellings above his family's property. One day at the caves, he finds a magic, ancient flute that grave robbers left behind. It turns him into a rat every night and he roams around with the instincts of a rat. Will he be able to nab the grave robbers? Will he be able to break the spell of the flute. This 165 page book is a interesting mix of magic and adventure.

Hobbs, Will. The Maze,1998

Foster child Rick escapes from a youth detention facility and ends up in Canyonlands Nat. Park. There he meets a rugged man who is working to release condors to the wild. He opens up to the man who was also a foster child and together they work with the condors and the man's hang glider. They get entangled with some dangerous men and their plans. Finally the man takes Rick back to court and testifies for him to get a suspended sentence. This book is really three tales. One: Rick's foster life and problems with the law; two: the work with the condors in the canyon (here one learns a great deal about these birds); and three: the mystery involving the dangerous men. The book starts out with the action of Rick escaping, slows down as they work with the condors and builds up again with their adventure with the dangerous men. If someone is looking for a fast-paced action adventure, this 198 will lose them in the middle but one looking for a diverse book will enjoy this tale of friendship and struggle.

Hobbs, Will. Wild Man Island. HarperCollins, 2002 [0-689-17473-6]

Andy slips away from a kayaking trip to visit the sight of his father's death in Alaska and gets swept out to sea ending up on a wild island. There he has to survive and eventually runs into a hermit living on the island. This hermit turns out to be an anthropologist who knew of Andy's father. Can Andy convince this recluse of 10 years to continue his father's research? This 184 book is a pretty good survival story with a little mystery wrapped within.

 

Hoffman, Alice. Incantation. Little, Brown, 2006 [0-316-01019-7 // 978-0-316-01019-1]

Estrella is 16 and lives with a close-knit family during the Spanish Inquisition. She does everything with her best friend until by chance she falls in love with the guy who is promised to her best friend. This is the Inquisition where one must be careful about what one does and says. One day Estrella discovers that her family is really Jewish and when her friend suspects, she turns Estrella's family into the Inquisition. This is a very powerful story. While the 166 page book is short, it is very heavy reading. People are living in a society where they must be very careful about what they say, or or even appear to be doing. There are descriptions of burnings and torture. It shows an aspect of the Inquisition that one does not often hear about. It is a good book to balance with some of the Holocaust things.

 

Hoh, Diane. Titanic: the long night, 1998

This is by far the most extensive fictional story concerning the tragedy (of the recent ones) that I have read. It has the initial build up (as in all disaster books and movies) in which you get to know and care for some of the 1^st and 3^rd class passengers. What I particularly liked was the feeling the author projected after the collision of how the people did not think it was an emergency and how they slowly caught on although still not fully admitting it. Then comes the sinking and the rescue and thr trip back to NYC on the Carpathia. At the end is a little epilogue and a short bibliography. This 371 page book is a significant read for kids in my school but there will be some who will do it. I personally hated to have it end after getting so wrapped up in it.

Hoh, Diane. Virus [Med Center series], 1996

This is the story of an unknown virus which breaks out in a town centered around a large medical center. The plot concerning the discovery and dealing with the virus is great but the characters are not painted to deeply. I had trouble putting it down in certain places but the whole thing wraps up neatly reminding you that it is a series which deals with teenagers who lives center around the "emcee" (MC.) The book is a good read for a series and I am glad that I read the book. It was a book fair bonus (an worth the price.) The book has 278 pages and is around a 6th grade reading level. If you have it in your collection, I would recommend that you read it but I am not sure if you should rush out and purchase a copy.

Holm, Jennifer L. Our only May Amelia, 1999 [0-06-027822-6]

This the story of a Finnish family living in the backwoods of Washington State during the turn of the century. May Amelia is the only girl in her large family of brothers and also the only girl in the area. She describes life on their farm, the hardships, the joys, along with family honor and duty. The reader gets very wrapped up in May Ameila's life and feels what she if feeling. The story is loosely based on a diary and to maintain that effect, the author uses no quotation marks or italics to show when someone is speaking. If found this annoying at times and had to read some sentences several times to fully understand them. Reading this 250 page book is a warm, memorable experience.

Holmes, Barbara Ware. Following Fake Man. Knopf, 2001 [0-375-81266-0]

Homer knows nothing of his father.. his mother is tight-lipped about it except that he died. One summer they go to Maine and to live in the house where his parents had earlier lived. His mother doesn't want Homer to talk to the locals but he befriends a local boy who has been following a man who was wearing obvious makeup to hide his identity. Homer follows this "fake man" to an island and ends up not only finding who he is but his relationship with his father. This 228 page book is the story of a boy living with a troubled mother, eventually trying to find out about his past history.

Holmes, Sara Lewis. Letters from Rapunzel. HarperCollins, 2006 [978-0-06-078074-6 // 0-06-078074-6]

Cadence (who feels like Rapunzel, trapped in a tower) has a rough life trying to deal with her father’s illness and periodic treatments.  This time her dad is away for a long time being treated for depression.  When he was home, the father was a struggling writer and a loving father.  After the father is sent away, Cadence finds part of a letter written by her father to a mysterious P.O. Box 5667.  Cadence starts writing to this person, not knowing who it is. She never gets replies, but keeps writing.  The 184 page book is mostly told through these letters.  Cadence begins to deal with her life, but writing these letters (like a journal.)  The story is slow at times but does have a satisfying ending.  It is not a happy story.  I think the cover and the title can be confusing and misleading.  I am not sure how I feel about this book.

 

Holt, Kimberly Willis. Dancing in Cadillac light. Putnam, 2001 [0-399-23402-0]

In the summer of 1968 Jaynell's grandfather moves in with her family and she has to give up her room. Everything is going fine until Grandpa buys a Cadillac. This 167 page book is a loving story about a time past (they watch the moon landing) life with a colorful grandfather, and his memories. A warm, cozy book.

Holt, Kimberly Willis. My Louisiana Sky, 1998

Tiger Ann lives with her two "slow" parents and her grandmother who takes care of them all. When Tiger was younger, her mother was fun to play with, but she embarrasses her. When her grandmother dies, her aunt helps make the arrangements and tries to convince Tiger to leave and go with her to Baton Rouge with her. Tiger eventually realizes that her place is with her parents. This is a VERY touching story and well-written. With wonderful expressions such as something like... when Granny walked away her lumpy hips reminded me of two cats fighting in a sack.... This is the last book off the possible Newbery list I had and I sincerely hope this one wins. Don't miss this 200 page book.

Holt, Kimberly Willis. When Zachary Beaver came to town, 1999 [0-8050-6116-9]

Holt paints a beautiful and warm picture of life in a small Texas in the summer of 1971. In the middle of it all, Toby's mom leaves for Nashville, Cal's brother is killed in Vietnam, and Zachary Beaver a 600 pound boy comes to town for a while. Toby and Cal befriend him and do something wonderful for him before he leaves. I stayed up too late one night reading this 227 page book, not because of an exciting plot, but because of the warm feeling I got from becoming part of the life in that town, and the friendships and concerns there. Don't miss this one!

Holub, Josef. An innocent soldier. Scholastic, 2005 [0-439-62771-0]

Adam is a young farm hand who's farmer suddenly takes him off to town and enlists him in the army in place of his son.  Adam becomes part of the Napoleon's "Grande Armee" and it's trek to Moscow.  This 231 page book describes the horrors of war and that one particularly with soldiers starving and freezing.  The author describes canon blasting into soldiers. dead and wounded soldiers all over the ground and how this army had to fend for itself in this terrible war.  While I had studied this war, the author put a real human face on it by putting the reader right in the middle of it -- a powerful book.

 

Honey, Elizabeth. Don't pet the wombat. Knopf, 2000 [0-375-90578-2]

This is a story of a class trip going on a camping trip to a center where they live like pioneers. There is quite a fun cast of characters, both students and teachers. One teacher though, is very tough and picks on one student and is also an alcoholic. Most of the book is fun, accompanied with cute illustrations and photos but the subplot with this teacher adds quite a bit of contrast to all the fun. This is an Australian story told by an Australian author -- with many Australian terms. For example one boy while packing, packs his thongs. That got a rise out of me until I figured out it referred to his sandals. This 142 page book is a good, entertaining read -- just be aware it is not all fun and games.

Hoobler, Dorothy & Thomas. The ghost in the Tokaido Inn, 1999 [9-399-23330-X]

This is historical fiction which takes place in Japan during the time of Samurais. A boy, Seiko, sees a robbery of a rare jewel and the person called in to solve the case is based on a real-life judge from Japan's history -- he is like a Japanese Sherlock Holmes. The judge asks Seiko to help him solve the case so he ends up traveling with the criminal in a Kabuki players troop. The whole case is based on honor and revenge. This 214 page book does not lose the sense of story while dealing with another culture. There is a lot of new vocabulary used, but all textually explained. Although I kind of figured out what would happen at the end, I did not know why. This is a satisfying mystery that is also historical fiction from another culture. It is a good solid addition to your collection.

Hopkins, Ellen. Impulse. Simon & Schuster, 2007 [1-4169-7487-3 // 978-1-4169-7487-1]

The is the story of three teenagers who meet at Aspen Springs mental hospital in Nevada. They have been involved in self-mutilation, sexual abuse, murder, and drug abuse. This 688 page book seals with some very harsh realities and is not meant for elementary or lower middle school students. There is frank talk about all the topics listed above as the teens go through treatment for their various problems. The book is written in a kind of free verse and is told by the three teenagers at various times. Periodically it took me a while to figure out who was speaking. Since the book deals with treatment in a mental hospital, it could be compared to "Cut" or even "I never promised you a rose garden." The reader gets totally wrapped up in the lives these three teenagers. It reads well up through the very dramatic ending. Once again, this is a very harsh book. I would read it before you put it in your library. There are several other books which follow it or are related to it which I understand are more harsh than this one. I will not be getting those. I can not keep this book on the shelf and I see many kids walking around with their own copies of this and the other related books.

 

Hopkinson, Deborah. Into the firestorm. Knopf, 2006 [0-375-93652-1]

Nicholas is an eleven-year-old orphan who runs away to San Francisco in 1906 ... poor timing!  He just gets settled in a job when the earthquake hits.  This 200 page book tells how Nicholas joins with his neighbors as they try to survive the terrible destruction.  The earthquake isn’t as bad as the fires that follow afterward.  Everyone is trying to move away from the fires which are spreading fast throughout the city.  The reader gets wrapped up in the emotions of Nicholas helping others and his confused loyalty towards his new friends.  This is a great historical, survival, action story.

 

Horowitz, Anthony. The devil and his boy, 2000 [0-399-23432-2]

This is a piece of historical fiction based on the rumor that before she became Queen, Elizabeth I had a child by a traitor. The story opens with Elizabeth, an old lady. consulting with her magician about the whereabouts of her son who informs her that he is dead but the grandchild is alive. A messenger goes to get him and this starts an adventure for Tom. He ends up getting lost in London and involved in a play production called "The Devil and his boy" which Tom realizes is a front for something else. Tom gets to like the theater and meets William Shakespeare. This 182 page book would be a good follow up to someone who liked the "Shakespeare Stealer." It is full of colorful characters and is a great adventure. There are historical notes at the end explaining some facts and I love the closing line by the author in these notes, "It is quite possible that teachers will find mistakes in this book. The mistakes are entirely deliberate. I put them in to keep the teachers happy." Enjoy this one.

Horowitz, Anthony. Stormbreaker [Alex Rider adventure #1]. Speak, 2000 [0-14-240166-8]

Alex is an orphan who lives with his Uncle and housekeeper. One day he gets word that his Uncle has died. After some adventure Alex finds out that his Uncle worked for MI6 as a spy and was killed on the job. Because of the special talents his Uncle taught him, Alex to sent to spy training camp so he can solve the case his Uncle was working on. This 234 page book is a spy adventure story about a 14 year-old James Bond type spy.. with gadgets and all. It is a fun, action-packed adventure and the kids in my library who have read the books in this series can't say enough about them.

Horowitz, Anthony. Point Blank [Alex Rider Adventure #2] Speak/Penguin, 2001 [0-14-240164-1]

In book two of this series the James-Bond-like teenager, Alex Rider gets sent to an exclusive private school by MI6 because the parents of two students at the school have been murdered. The school is isolated at the top of a peak in the Alps. Of course Alex is given a series of gadgets which he uses in this exciting adventure. This 274 page book is another in a fun series which kids love.

Horowitz, Anthony. Skeleton Key [Alex Rider Adventure #3] Speak/Penguin, 2003 [0-14-24102-1]

Alex once again is drawn into the service of MI6 to be loaned to the CIA. It appears that an arms dealer has sold something to a former Russian General on a Key off of Cuba and the CIA think it would be easier to get two agents on the Key pretending they are on vacation with their child. Hence Alex gets involved. Once again in this 327 page book, Alex is a super spy and saves the day. It is interesting how the MI6 is potrayed as being cold not caring that Alex is a teenager. While the stories are full of gadgets, intrigue, and espionage, and they are far from believable. But who cares.. they are great adventures and the kids love them!

Horowitz, Anthony. Eagle Strike [Alex Rider Adventure #4]. Speak/Penguin, 2004 [0-14-240292-3]

In this fourth book Alex once again gets tangled in a web intrigue.  On vacation with a friend's family in France Alex spots the assassin who killed his Uncle. The place where they are staying is blown up so Alex fallows the assassin and gets his cell which helps trace the plot to an international rock star/philanthropist.  In this adventure Alex gets mixed up and mastermind criminal and an ultimate video game.  At end of this 322 page book Alex gets some clues about his Uncle's death which lead us into the next book.  Once again Horowitz has written a story of a young "James Bond" with gadgets, car chases, and a master criminal.  This series a very popular with my middle school kids.

Horowitz, Anthony. Scorpia [Alex Rider #5]. Philomel, 2005 [0-399-24151-5]

At the end of the last book, Alex was told his father was affiliated with Scorpia, not MI6.  In this book Alex goes in search of Scorpia, an international crime organization.  He finds out that his father worked for them and because of how MI6 tricked him before (in previous books), Alex decides to switch sides and become part of Scorpia.  He gets entangled in a plot of Scorpia's to pit the USA and Great Britain against each other.  Of course, at the end of this 312 page book, Alex once again saves the day and is convinced to go back to MI6.  Once again Horowitz had written a great thriller/spy novel with a 14 year-old-boy as the main character.

 

Horowitz, Anthony. Ark Angel [Alex Rider #6] Philomel, 2005 [0-399-24152-3-]

Book six starts with Alex recovering from a gunshot wound in an exclusive hospital where he meets the son of one of the wealthiest men on earth.  Suddenly Alex ends up foiling a kidnapping attempt of this boy.  After this the father wants to thank Alex but on the way to the luxurious trip, the CIA secretly snags Alex and enlists him to spy on this rich man who is also a master criminal.  Of course, as usual, Alex gets involved with criminals, spies, and an evil mastermind to cause a great disaster.  In this 323 page book, Alex ends up going in space.  Horowiz has continued his series about this teenage spy.

 

Horowitz, Anthony. Snakehead [Alex Rider #7]. Philomel, 2007 [978-0-399-24161-1]

Once again we return to Alex Rider... falling out of the sky from his last adventure (in space) and the Australians pick him up and convince him to go on a mission for them.  The bargaining chip that convinces Alex is that he will be working with a friend of his parents and the last person to see them alive.  This adventure has them posing as a Pakistani man trying to sell his son into the underground.  As you may imagine Alex runs in the British M6 and some old acquaintances.  At this point Alex also gets involved is trying to stop a madman who wants to explode a mega bomb in a fault of the Pacific to create a major tsunami, thus killing 10s of thousands of people.  The first part of the book is the usual Alex Rider stuff.. him running around.. in danger, blowing up things.. getting away, etc.  In fact I was starting to get tired of it all... too much like the others.. but the second half of this 385 page book gets more exciting and very different, so as a whole I enjoyed the book.  Horowitz is doing a good job of keeping these stories fresh.

 

Horvath, Polly. Everything on a waffle. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2001 [0-374-32236-8]

Primose's parents are lost at sea but she does not believe they are dead (as everyone in town does.) She is sent to live with Miss Perfidy, a colorful old lady. Then her Uncle Jack agrees to take her and he begins to sell real estate in the town. Through all these trials and tribulations she finds refuge in a restaurant that serves everything on a waffle. An interesting feature of this 150 page book are the recipes. Primrose carries a pad of her mother's which includes a recipe - so she adds recipes to it - they are included at the end of each chapter. At the end of the book a scandal surrounds Uncle Jack. Are Primrose's parents missing or dead?

Horvath, Polly. The trolls. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999 [0-374-37787-1]

Melissa's, Amanda's, and Pee Wee's parents are off to Paris for a week when their baby sitter cancels suddenly. The only hope is Aunt Sally -- the parents reluctantly call her. Aunt Sally is an interesting lady full of stories -- one of which is the trolls which she spends the week telling. This is a cute book about a baby sitter who gets the kids to like green beans and tells stories about their family which engage the children. It is a collection of stories held together by this fun Aunt and her troll story. While this 135 page book is entertaining (it started out with a Mary Poppins type feel), there is little plot except for these short stories.

 

Howe, James. The misfits. Aladdin, 2001 [0-689-83956-1]

Four friends from a small middle school who don't really fit in meet frequently at the local soda shop and discuss life. When the school's Student Council elections begin, they decide to organize a third party to represent minorities.  They school administration is resistant to the idea and won't let them, saying they need a better defined issue that is not covered by the other two parties.  Finally they come up an idea.. to stop name-calling in the school.  They realize that between the four of them, they have been called 22 names over the years.  The idea catches and and spreads through the school life wildfire so there is a third party in the election.  Their slogan is "Sticks and stones may break our bones but names will break our spirit."  Read this 274 book to find out how a small group of kids can change a school.  One of the "Misfits" is Joe who appears in "Totally Joe," a companion to this book.

 

Howe, James. Totally Joe. Alladin Mix, 2005 [0-689-83958-8//978-0-689-83958-8]

Here we have flamboyant 7th grade Joe and his friends from the 'Misfits" (an earlier book.)  This book is written as an English assigment - a alphabiography where each chapter begins with a letter of the alphabet.  Joe express his feelings of being a gay teenage in Junior High School.  He finds his first boyfriend but there is no "disgusting kissing" but unfortunately his boyfriend is still in the closet so things do not work out.  One day a new boy moves into town and Joe finds a true boyfriend.  This 189 book is the story of a gay teenager and his relationships with his friends and family.  It deals with what his feelings, not any "disgusting kissing" (or other physical things.)  This is a book to be read by both gays and straight teenagers.

 

Howe, James. The watcher. Aladdin, 1999 [0-689-8533-7]

Every day a sad girl sits at the top of the stairs watching the beach.  She watches the handsome lifeguard, and a family that comes to the beach every day and she thinks they have wonderful lives.  The reader finds out while getting to know everyone in the book, that they all have their share of problems.  The biggest problem though, the reader finds out at the end of the book with the shocking, harsh ending that "the watcher" has a terrible homelife and an abusive father.  The shocking abuse described at the end of the 173 page book sneaks up on the reader.  The author leaves the reader thinking.

 

Howe, Norma. The adventures of the Blue Avenger, Holt, 1999 [0-8050-6062-6]

When David turns 16 he decides to change his name to "Blue Avenger" to help him adjust to his fathers death." With the name change, he gains confidence and begins helping all sorts of people. For a costume he wears a blue towel over his head and his father's fishing vest. His greater confidence helps him get closer to a girl he likes. She is very into predestination. The book is really a contrast between someone who changes his life and the theory that things are in our fates or genes. What is great about this 230 page book is the wit. It is told with an interesting grasp of humor. For example, the acknowledgements in the front of the book are presented in a word search puzzle. Students who appreciate clever wit, will like this book. I certainly did.

Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Beans on toast, 1998

Madison goes to band camp with no friends. She has trouble making friends there. The story is very touching as she wonders why she has trouble making friends. One boy is always hanging around her but she has a distant crush on an older boy. Because of her lack of friends, she practices her flute more and get the opportunity to become 1^st seat which angers the current 1^st seat flute player. Eventually Madison and her quasi-friends all end up in the woods and get attacked by young cougars. Madison calms the animals and stops the attack. She saves the day and is now noticed by everyone. The first two thirds of this book si very powerful as Madison tries to makes friends and wonders why she can't. Unfortunately the book wraps up a little too neatly. I still would recommend this book though.

Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Disconnected, 1996

This book traces the story of two young men in Canada. One is haunted by dreams, the other has problems at home. The one with problems runs away and gets in a great deal of trouble. It is here that we find the two boys look alike and the ones troubles get involved with the other accidentally. We (and they) eventually find out at the end of the story that there are identical twins who were separated at birth and adopted by different families. This 160 page book was an incredible read! I will definitely follow this author after also enjoying her "Beans on toast."

Hughes, Millie Murray. Cairo, 1996

Cairo is a teenage black girl who was adopted as a baby by white family. They lived in an almost exclusively white neighborhood until their move and Cairo for the first time, develops a friendship with another black girl. Through this new friend she learns more about her culture while still loving her real family. Cairo also has to deal with the death of a prejudiced grandmother who never accepted her as a member of the family. Eventually Cairo begins to feel a need to know about her birth mother. This is the touching story of a girl trying to figure out how she can fit into the world around her. I loved the entire 125 page book except for the sudden and unsatisfying ending.

Hughes, Monica. The golden Aquarians, 1995 [0-671-50543-2]

In the year 2092 Walt is so proud of his father, a "terraformer" who goes to other planets with no intelligent life and makes them suitable for humans. Things are going well until Walt finds some intelligent life on the planet and no one believes him. The amphibian-like race builds no structures or has no possessions and communicates by tying grass knots and mental telepathy. By the time Walt convinces a few people, the planet is about to go through its flood stage. He father won't believe him and won't stop the project. At the end his father is removed from command and the planet evacuated. The very mysterious flooding/transformation of the planet happens. As in the other book I read by her (Invitation to the game), Hughes works on a single theme and wraps and great story around it. These are excellent books to get students started in appreciating what science fiction can be. I liked this 182 page book and plan to read others by her.

Huser, Glen. Stitches. Douglas & McIntyre, 2003 [0-8889-553-9]

Travis lives in a trail with his mom, his tough dad, the other kids. When he enters Junior High School he finds two teachers that encourage his interests in play-writing and sewing. He also becomes best friends with a physically handicapped girl. Being the only boy in the sewing class at school, Travis is picked on by rough kids at school. Thus Travis's life at school is a mix between good things and the fear of these three tough kids. For their final 9th grade project Travis joins with his friends to produce an extensive production of a Midsummer's night dream. It is a raving success but can the three tough kids let everything end happily? This 198 page book is the story of a boy not interested in "boy things" living with a tough father who doesn't understand and some kids who constantly tease him. Travis and the handicapped girl.. two kids are learning to be different.

Hyppolite, Joanne. Ola shakes it up, 1998

Ola and her African American family move from the city to a "cooperative community" newly built on the outskirts of an historic town outside of Boston. The family have to deal at home, work, and school with being the only African Americans around. Nine-year-old Ola hate the new school and the "cooperative community" with all its rules. She tries to the stop the move at first and then tries to get the family to move back. Ola slowly finds out that some seniors who live there also hate the rules and have been stretching them. She realizes that if she is going to stay there she is going to have to do something about it. This is a fun story with the underpinnings of prejudice. I really enjoyed reading this 16 page book even though it did end up suddenly "happily-ever-after."

Ibbotson, Eva. Dial-a-ghost. Dutton, 2001 [0-525-46693-2]

The Dial-A-Ghost agency places ghosts in houses that need haunting and has two ghost families that need placement. One is gruesome and the other is friendly. Well.. they end up placing the wrong ghosts with the wrong homes which inadvertently ends up helping a British orphan boy who has evil guardians. This 195 page book is an enjoyable ghost story.

Ibbotson, Eva. The haunting of Granite Falls. Dutton, 2004 [0-525-47192-8]

Alex is the last surviving member of his immediate family and lives in the family castle with some servants and several ghosts.  The ghosts and he get along well.  Unfortunately Alex has to sell the castle for financial reasons and the buyer asks him to guarantee that there are no ghosts in the castle so Alex has to ask to ask the ghosts vacate.  A multi-millionaire from Granite Falls, US buys the castle and asks Alex to help supervise the rebuilding of it in the US.  The ghosts get lonely in their new home and travel to Granite Falls.  There the ghosts, Alex, and the daughter get involved in with a mysterious group of thieves who mean to kidnap the daughter for money.  This 216 page book is a fun ghost mystery in the style of Ibbotson's other ghost stories.

 

Ibbotson, Eva. Island of the Aunts. Dutton, 2000 [0-525-46484-0]

This is kind of a Dr. Doolittle story which also includes mythical creatures such as mermaids, kraken. These Aunts live on an island and decide they need someone to carry on the tradition so they "choose" three children and bring them to the island to help them. Of the people on the mainland go crazy about these crazed Aunts kidnapping children. Of course an bad person arrives and tries to steal the creatures for his own profit. The end of the 280 page book is the trial of the Aunts. Ibbotson writes fun, light-hearted fantasies as the back of the book says - "Dahl-like."

Ibbotson, Eva. Not just a witch. Puffin, 2003 [0-14-240232-x]

Once again Ibbotson has written a wonderfully enjoyable book about witches.  Here we a an "Animal Witch" who can turn people into animals and a "Stone Witch" who can turn people into stone.  They are the best of friends until one day they both show up wearing the same snake hat.  This causes a riff which drives them apart and each is waiting to for the other to apologize.  Meanwhile they are both seeking out evil people to turn into animals or stone respectively.  One day a furrier show up who finds out about the "Animal Witch's" power and he need fur to make a fortune but the " "Animal Witch" is protective about the animals she creates.  Eventually he finds out about the "Stone Witch" and pretend to court them both to help him with a diabolical plan.  Will the two witches see through him?  Will he succeed in getting his snow leopards?  This enjoyable 185 page book also has cute black and which illustrations.

 

Ibbotson, Eva. The secret of Platform 13. Dutton, 1998 [0-525-45929-4]

There is a portal on platform 13 in London which opens up to magical land. It only opens every 9 years for 9 days. The books opens with a sitter bringing the magical land's prince as a baby through the portal and he is kidnapped! The land has to wait the nine years to go get the prince. The 9 years pass and two groups are sent through the portal to get the child. When they arrive at the house there is some confusion about the two children living there. There is much adventure and action trying to get the correct child back before the portal closes again. This 231 page book is a fun fantasy/adventure book. You should note that Ibbotson is British and there are plenty of "Britishisms" in the book. I purchased this book because of the reference in the title to a similar platform in Harry Potter.

Ibbotson, Eva. Which witch? Puffin, 1999 [0-14-130427-8]

The Great Wizard of Arriman knowing he must eventually sire a child, needs to choose a wife. He announces a black magic competition among the local witches in order to decide. This 249 page book is a light-hearted book about witchcraft and spells - it is billed as a book for fans of Harry Potter but I am not sure about that but it is an entertaining read. It is interesting that the author has also written "The Secret of Platform 13" hmmm...