Books, Books, Books

I have started my plan to read all the recommended books, or at least all the books I can get from the public library. I'm a little disappointed at the number that aren't available.

So far, the books have mostly been good, although not without some problems here and there.

There is one I won't recommend because there's a bit that I suspect the parents don't know about. It's rather subtle and may go over the heads of children, but it's there anyway.

I'm also a little hesitant about The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series by MaryRose Wood. I read book 1, The Mysterious Howling. As I read it, I thought "She was definitely influenced by Lemony Snicket and A Series of Unfortunate Events." After the first book, I looked up the series to see what the rest were about, and many of the reviews and websites mentioned A Series of Unfortunate Events! It's not in the storyline, but the writing style.

The book started out well. Someone found three wild children (they had been raised by wolves) on his estate and claimed them. Penelope comes to be their governess and she tames them just as she would an animal. The taming is pretty quick in many ways, but it makes for a good story. It's only later that I began to be concerned about giving it to children. There is a party, and some of the men talk about hunting the children. The lady of the house also gets very drunk at the party. There are themes that many children aren't ready for. The story ends on a cliffhanger: What is really going on at the house? (That's when I looked it up online so I didn't have to read the rest!)

It's probably okay for some children and a bit much for others. As I said, I'm hesitant, not refusing. It's down for readers aged 8-12.

On the list of fun books that I will definitely recommend (the grade levels are approximate and will change by child; they can also be read alouds for younger students):

• Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan (around grades 3-5)

           Young Appleblossom gets stuck in a people house. At first it's fun, but then she misses her family            and outside. Happily, her brother are planning a rescue! It's a fun story and children can learn a               little bit about possums.

• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (around grades 3-5)

            Roz the robot washes up on the shores of an island inhabited by a plethora of wildlife. She learns             to communicate with them and to enjoy being wild. In the end, she has to head back to                            civilization for repairs, but that it not the end. There are 2 more books in the series, and a picture             book for younger children.

• Sunny the Shark by Remy Lai (around grades 1-3)

            This is a simple story about a shark, some fish friends, and the dangers of pollution.

• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library; Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics; and Mrs. Pennypickle's Puzzle Quest by Chris Grabenstein (around grades 3-7)

            The title of the first one won me over fairly quickly! The Mr. Lemoncello stories are fun and full             of puzzles and quizzes. There are two more that I haven't read. I enjoyed them more than the                    Mrs. Pennypickle book; while it was an okay story, parts of it felt forced, and I didn't really                    enjoy the ending.

There are still more books that I'm reading, and more waiting for me at the library! It's a very fun way to spend summer afternoons.