Book Reviews By & For Kids

The School Mouse - by Dick King-Smith

9/30/2014

By Piranha T.

"Flora was a school mouse. Everyone knows that there are house mice and field mice and harvest mice, and everyone knows that there are church mice who live inside churches. So it is easy to guess where Flora lived."

This is how The School Mouse starts. It is a story about a young mousekin named Flora. She is one of nine mousekins, but she is the only one who wants to learn. At first, her parents, Robin and Hyacinth, think it is crazy, but then she saves their life because of her ability to read!

I recommend The School Mouse to readers.

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Word After Word After Word - by Patricia MacLachlan

9/30/2014

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By Super Kitty

Some good things come in threes, or fives, or tens...or sometimes fours. Like a famous writer who came on the fourth day of the fourth month after vacation to Lucy's fourth grade class. And soon, Ms. Mirabel (the writer) is making everyone in Lucy's class into writers, too.

The reason I like this book is because it's about normal kids learning to write poems and stories. I also like how each person has a reason to write - and does.

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Betsy-Tacy By Maud Hart Lovelace

9/26/2014

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By Piranha T.

Betsy Ray and her friend Tacy live across the street from each other in the town of Deep Valley. Theirs are the last houses on the street, and since they live across from each other they can play together a lot. But even though they play together, there are many difference between them, like Betsy has brown hair while Tacy has red hair, and even though they don’t always play together they get into trouble almost every time they are together. I like Betsy-Tacy because I like the characters and what they do. I recommend Betsy-Tacy to readers.

A note from Piranha T.'s Mamma: This is the first book in a series, published in the early 1900's, and based on the author's childhood. Though she was a child around the same time as Laura Ingalls (of Little House on the Prairie fame), she lived in a town, and her life was therefore much different (though no less enchanting for the reader). A really lovely story about two little girls and their friends and family. The writing style is straightforward and timeless - though Betsy is 5 years old in this first book she will appeal to older readers equally, and she ages quickly through the series (eventually getting married!)

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Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith

9/26/2014

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By Piranha T.

Princess Penelope’s 8th birthday is coming up, and her royal parents, King Theophius and Queen Ethelwynne, want to get her the perfect gift. Since she is so spoiled, the King and Queen ask her what she wants. But when she says she wants a pig, the King and Queen are appalled! Finally, they give in, and, since the King wants her to have the widest choice possible, he makes a royal proclamation…you will have to read it to find out what happens next! I like Lady Lollipop a lot, not only because it is about a pig, but I also really like the characters. I recommend Lady Lollipop to readers.

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Jenny and the Cat Club - by Esther Averill

9/8/2014

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- By Super Kitty

"In Captain Tinker's garden, once upon a time, there was a cat club. All the cats and kittens in the neighborhood were members. All but Jenny Linksy." So begins the story of Jenny, and how she becomes a member. At first, Jenny is shy and unsure; after all, each of the cats in the club can do something. What can she do? But with the help of her master Captain Tinker, she finds that she has a talent, and that it is one of the best!

I like this book because it is a good story about cats. I also like reading about the Cat Club's adventures. Jenny is a fun cat to read about!

- A note from Mamma: This is a classic book (actually a series of stories, published originally in the 1940's-50's, and re-issued by the New York Review), with simple stories & illustrations that entertain & delight children & adults alike...it's great for read-aloud, and the text is large for younger kids who are starting to branch out into reading chapter books by themselves.

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The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - by C.S. Lewis

9/8/2014

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- By Piranah T.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about four siblings, two girls (Lucy and Susan), and two boys (Peter and Edmund), when they are sent to a professor's old country house [during the London air raids of WWII]. One day, when the four children are exploring the house, they find an empty room, with only a wardrobe for furniture. Susan, Peter and Edmund keep exploring, but Lucy walks into the wardrobe. Lucy never sees the back of the wardrobe. Instead, she finds the magical land of Narnia, with fauns, dwarfs, a witch...and a magic lion. I like this book because the characters are all different. The other Narnia books [in the series] are also good but this may be my favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia. I recommend The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

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The Penderwicks at Point Mouette - by Jeanne Birdsall

9/5/2014

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- By Piranha T.

Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty are the Penderwick sisters. One summer, Rosalind goes to New Jersey and Sky, Jane and Batty go to Point Mouette, in Maine, with their aunt. The OAP, or Oldest Available Penderwick, usually Rosalind, is now Skye. Skye is not sure she will be able to do it. And when they arrive, Skye loses her carefully written list and is worried that Batty will be hurt!

The Penderwicks at Point Moutte is good for a large age range. One of my favorite parts was when Skye got mad at Jane for reasons I can't tell. It was my favorite of the three Penderwick books.

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The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy - by Jeanne Birdsall

9/5/2014

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- By Super Kitty

This is a wonderful book about the four Penderwick Sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty, during their three week summer vacation at a beautiful estate called Arundel. Though Arundel has beautiful gardens, large open fields and friendly woods, the Penderwick sisters agree that the best thing of all is the estate owner's (Mrs. Tifton, that is) son, Jeffery. And even when they aren't playing with Jeffery, the sisters are still busy! Rosalind thinks she falls in love, Skye learns archery, Jane writes a new book, and Batty meets who new rabbits, who she adores.

The reason I like this book is because it's about four sisters. I also like how they are like real people, unlike some books in which, although they are wonderful, just doesn't happen; the timing is wrong, or the situation. But the Penderwick's seem real. I would recommend The Penderwick's to readers!

A note from Super Kitty's mamma: This really is a great book, with genuine characters for girls to look up to. Each has a unique talent - and not necessarily a girly-girl one, which is refreshing! They also pull together in a way that we'd always love to see our kids doing. However, the death of their mother some years before, from cancer shortly after the youngest was born, is a very strong theme in this book, and at times was heartbreaking to me (was it because I'm a mom?). This is a very real part of the story, and continues to be so in the second and third books... just a heads up for parents to be aware of! Both my daughter-reviewers's love this series.

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The Illuminated Adventures of Flora & Ulysses - by Kate DiCamillo

9/5/2014

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- by Piranah T.

Flora & Ulysses is a great book about a girl named Flora and a squirrel named Ulysses (after the all-terrain vacuum cleaner that sucked him up). Flora, who reads a lot of comic books, thinks Ulysses has superpowers after the vacuum cleaner incident. And he does! He is strong, he can fly, and he can type! One of my favorite parts is when Flora's mother captures Ulysses.

Note from Piranah T.'s mamma: This really is a fabulous read! DiCamillo does a wonderful job with using Big Words (gasp!) and treating readers to a great story (as always). Both the book and audiobook are wonderful: the book uses comic-strip sections to describe the "superhero" parts of the book, while the audio uses music & old-fashioned enthusiasm (think the original "Superman" narrator) to fabulous effect. Really wonderful for kids who already love reading, but also offers a great draw to more reluctant readers, by using the different mediums.

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Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse - by Ellen F. Feld

9/5/2014

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- by Piranah T., with assistance from Super Kitty

One day, Heather Richardson learns she has a new bus driver on the way to school. The bus driver, Chauncy, has a horse barn, and invites her over. She sees a horse she has dreamed about, and is overjoyed to find this dream-horse is a real horse. But then the horse is taken away in an auction, and Heather must work hard in the hopes of getting her back.

I liked this book because it was very exciting, and that excitement almost never went away.

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Anne of Green Gables - by L.M. Montgomery

9/5/2014

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- by Super Kitty

This is a lovely book about Anne Shirley, an orphan girl who is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, two siblings who live together at Green Gables. They quickly find that Anne is quite helpful (talkative) and very imaginative. But whether Anne is doing a play by the creek, or baking a cake for the minister and his wife, she always seems to get into scrapes somehow.

The reason I loved this book is because as you read it, the words turn into pictures, and feelings, and all of the other things that make a good story. Also, some of Anne's scrapes are rather funny (for the reader...not Anne!)

A note from Super Kitty's mamma: this is one of my all-time favorite books...yes, it's a classic, but one that girls have loved for generations! It's not to be missed!

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The School Mouse - by Dick King-Smith

Word After Word After Word - by Patricia MacLachlan

Betsy-Tacy By Maud Hart Lovelace

Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith

Jenny and the Cat Club - by Esther Averill

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - by C.S. Lewis

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette - by Jeanne Birdsall

The Penderwicks: a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy - by Jeanne Birdsall

The Illuminated Adventures of Flora & Ulysses - by Kate DiCamillo

Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse - by Ellen F. Feld

Anne of Green Gables - by L.M. Montgomery

Book Reviews By & For Teens

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Check out our 2022 favorites!

Young Adult Reviews!

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