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On September 5, 2019, RapunzelReads will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Thanks to everyone who reads our blog, has sent us reviews, or commented—we really appreciate you!
To celebrate, we’ll begin posting interviews with our favorite authors. Stay tuned for next week’s post! --Piranha T. and Super Kitty
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 By Super Kitty
Ten-year-old Jesse Aarons gets up early each summer morning to run, sprinting as hard as he can as he trains to become the speediest kid in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. If he can win the races his classmates hold at recess, he won’t just be ‘some kid who likes to draw.’ It won’t matter that his sisters are always squabbling, his short-tempered mother makes him do most of the work around the house, and his father works such long hours that it feels like he’s never home. If he can get strong enough, Jess will be the fastest. Important. Special. But just as the races are about to begin, a new kid—a new girl—joins the races and beats every boy competing—including Jess. Leslie Burke is considered by most to be pretty strange, and at first Jess wants nothing to do with her. But both of them are lonely, and as the weeks go by, they begin to form a friendship that will change their lives. Leslie has an incredible imagination, and one afternoon she and Jess invent Terabithia, a world of their own where they transform from outcast kids to courageous rulers. Leslie tells Jess wonderful stories and leads him on fantastical imaginary adventures, but her most important gift to him is confidence in himself. When the two of them are together, Jess feels like nothing can stop them. But when he’s forced to face his greatest fear—alone—will Leslie’s guidance be enough? A Newbery Medal winner, Katherine Paterson’s story of friendship and loss has become a modern classic. Bridge to Terabithia touches on a wide array of themes and emotions, exploring grief, hope, and finding your place in the world—all through the eyes of a ten-year-old. Jess’ struggle for self-acceptance and a sense of belonging makes him a strong and believable lead character, and Leslie is all but irresistible, an extraordinary girl with a radiant imagination. Moving and powerful, Bridge to Terabithia is an excellent choice for book groups, and I would highly recommend it to readers ages ten and up.  By Piranha T.
Coriander Hobie lives a perfect life, with a loving father and a beautiful mother, a life she believes will never change. But then a pair of silver shoes slip her into another world, and although she stays there for a very short time, it changes her life forever. Only a few days later, her mother mysteriously dies, leaving Coriander and her father to navigate the political turmoil of seventeenth-century London. And then her father disappears too, leaving Coriander with her stepmother, who despises her. Yet her stepmother isn’t the only person who Coriander learns to fear. For when she enters that other world again, she discovers someone else searching for her—someone who truly wants her dead. I, Coriander was a beautifully written, engrossing read with a plot which just keeps getting better. Although set in a historical time frame, I, Coriander is fantasy, and I’d recommend it to fans of either genre; Coriander’s voice feels very authentic to the seventeenth century, but it still has the feel of a fantasy novel. It’s one of those books which pulls you in and weaves a spell of magic around you, written like a fairytale, but the plot and characters are much deeper than in more old-fashioned books. I would highly recommend I, Coriander to readers ages eleven and up. Note: The audiobook, read by Juliet Stevenson, is amazing—if you like to listen to audiobooks, I would recommend this one! I also listened to one of Sally Gardner’s other books, The Red Necklace, a historical fantasy for slightly older readers, which I would recommend if you love I, Coriander. Check out our new nonfiction review on Farewell to Manzanar, a moving historical autobiography about life in the Japanese internment camps of World War II.
 By Piranha T.
It’s been five years since ten-year-old Livy visited her grandma in Australia, so she doesn’t remember much. Sliding down the stairs. Watching the chickens. And when she sees her bedroom, she realizes she left something extremely important there—only she can’t remember what. Then she meets Bob, a short green creature who can’t recall anything about himself. He’s been waiting for her in her closet since she left five years ago. Although Livy no longer remembers, she promised him that she’d help him find his way home. And now that they’ve met again, they’re determined to do just that. Told in alternating chapters between Livy and Bob, Bob is a story about friendship with the feel of a modern fairytale. Livy and Bob, and their friendship, feels very real. This is a book with elements of both fantasy and realistic fiction, so I think it could be enjoyed by fans of either genre. I recommend Bob to readers ages seven and up. |
Book Reviews By & For TeensEveryone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We like to think she read plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our favorites. 
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