By Piranha T. 

In a far-off land, an enchantress consults her magic mirror about a complicated and difficult question: What makes a princess excellent? The enchantress has become godmother to a baby princess, and she wants to ensure the girl is as perfect as possible. But what characteristics might her godmother encourage in her? Should she be tidy? Beautiful? Kind to animals? Polite? These traits don’t seem like quite enough. At a loss, the enchantress casts her magic mirror into a journey across space and time to bring back tales of excellent princesses, and to tell her what qualities shine most brightly within them.

And the mirror does indeed find tales of princesses. It travels from great stone castles to modern-day skyscrapers, deserts to sea-surrounded islands, and the princesses it finds are more than just excellent. They navigate dangerous forests to find cures for their sisters, traverse nighttime deserts to warn their homelands of a coming threat, tame crocodiles and sail tumultuous seas. They are thoughtful, brave, resourceful, and kind. And perhaps among their stories, the enchantress will find the answer to the question the mirror set out for.

Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror is a beautifully illustrated, magical book, at once a novel and a collection of short stories. The eight tales of princesses, set around the world, stand alone as stories, and yet are intertwined with the journey of the mirror between them, throughout the ages, leading from a far-off time of magic and kings to a modern-day city. The princesses are independent, interesting, and unique, ready to do what needs to be done without help from princes, and their stories connect perfectly with the main plotline and the enchantress. Additionally, Lydia Corry’s whimsical illustrations throughout the book add to the feel of the stories. I recommend Eight Princesses and a Magic Mirror to fans of Girls to the Rescue, or anyone who loves fairy tales and strong female characters ages seven and up.

By Super Kitty
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"This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. No one heard anything."
                                ​- Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

You see, everyone who would have noticed was busy--they were walking home from school. They were arguing, skateboarding, telling stories, and making plans. They were cracking jokes and asking hard questions, exchanging secret handshakes and hanging out with friends. They were far too busy to notice something like a school bus falling from the sky. 

I don't always enjoy short stories (it can be so hard to lose yourself in them when they're only the length of a chapter!), but I loved Look Both Ways. Each of the ten stories are distinct and unique (in characters, plot, and writing style), but they overlap just the right amount, with each character firmly absorbed in their own story, yet touched or affected by those of others. The characters might be vastly different from each other in experience and situation, but they're all unforgettably relatable and real--I felt like I was reading about kids I could have classes with, or was reminded of my own experiences. The stories, one for each block that a character lives on, unfold with twists and realizations while maintaining a believable open-endedness which makes them even more powerful. I've had several of Jason Reynolds' books on my reading list for a while, and now I can't wait to read more of his books! I would highly recommend Look Both Ways to readers ages ten and up looking for a book with skillful writing, humor, loss, and hope, and a believable, diverse cast of middle schoolers searching for their place in the world.

By Super Kitty

Tired of fairytales featuring heroines who spend most of their time waiting to be rescued? Girls to the Rescue is a collection of ten short stories starring smart, capable girls who use their wits and talents to overcome obstacles and save the day. Some of the stories are inspired by folktales and legends, while others are original, but all share a theme of promoting strong role models for girls of all ages.

I was about seven when I first discovered this book and its sequels, and have enjoyed them ever since—there are many girl-power remakes of classic stories, and the Girls to the Rescue series is definitely a top pick. The characters are smart, brave, and believable, refusing to let anything from stereotypes to their own fears get in the way of their success, and friendship, diversity, and self-confidence replace many traditional stories’ themes of romance and needing to be rescued. They’re also perfect books for reading aloud. Overall, Girls to the Rescue is an excellent choice for readers (girls and boys!) ages seven and up looking for strong characters and clever stories from around the world.

By Super Kitty

Ten-year-old Leroy Brown, nicknamed “Encyclopedia” because of his incredible memory, is known throughout town for his amazing gift at solving puzzles. With the help of his friend Sally Kimball, he runs a business solving mysteries for neighborhood kids (25 cents per day, plus expenses). And his father, the local police chief, always knows what to do if he’s stumped on a case—go home to dinner and tell Encyclopedia all about it. In ten solve-it-yourself-style short stories, Encyclopedia and Sally discover clues, track down crooks, and take on everything from local shoplifting to a missing diamond necklace.  

I started reading the Encyclopedia Brown books when I was in second grade, and I still find them utterly brilliant. They’re all but impossible to grow out of, and in fact older readers (from middle-schoolers to adults) with more general knowledge might enjoy them more than younger ones—often all that you need to solve a case is a bit of random knowledge and a skill for noticing details! Encyclopedia and Sally are great protagonists, and various quirky supporting characters keep the mysteries constantly entertaining. Whether he’s outwitting the neighborhood bully or helping his father unravel a perplexing new case, Encyclopedia’s adventures are perfect reading material for mystery lovers ages seven and up. And if you enjoy reading about kid detectives, be sure to check out the Meg Mackintosh mysteries (another solve-it-yourself series) by Lucinda Landon, James Ponti’s T.O.A.S.T. series, and Linda Fairstein’s Devlin Quick Mysteries!

By Super Kitty

In The Language of Thorns, Leigh Bardugo weaves together well-known fairy tales and original ones in a collection of beautifully illustrated short stories. Full of twists and enchantments, witchcraft and trickery, traditional lore blends with creative new elements to create a satisfying set of tales perfect for fans of books involving dark magic, mysterious characters, and powerful sorcery.  
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I always like seeing how authors incorporate threads from well-known legends into their own retellings, and this was no exception. Sara Kipin’s stunning artwork adds to the magic as well, unfolding along with the stories in colorful borders around each page. Set in the same world as the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and Six of Crows Duology, there are certain aspects of The Language of Thorns that readers of the author’s other stories will appreciate; however, it can also be enjoyed without reading the previous books. Captivating and clever, I would highly recommend it for ages twelve and up.

- by Piranha T.

This is a collection of fourteen silly stories. The first story, Dragons at Crumbling Castle, is about a boy named Ralph going to fight dragons at Crumbling Castle because "all the knights were on quests, except for Sir Lancelot, and he was on a vacation to France." The stories are all hilarious, but they are all clever as well as silly.

I like this book because it is so silly! The stories all have their own silly characters, though a the beginning this makes it a tiny big confusing.

I recommend Dragons at Crumbling Castle to readers.

- 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.