Rapunzel Reads
  • Fiction
  • NonFiction
  • Who We Are
  • For Older Readers
  • Submit a Review
  • Author Interviews
  • Books of the Year
    • 2019 Books of the Year
    • 2020 Books of the Year
  • A Note to Authors
  • Audiobooks
  • Picture Books
  • Book Group Reads

The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin (2005)

6/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
 By Super Kitty
 
Pacy Lin is excited about the upcoming Year of the Dog—according to her parents, it’s a year to “find yourself” and make friends. As one of the only Taiwanese-American kids in her school, Pacy sometimes feels like she doesn’t fit in, and the Year of the Dog seems like a good time to figure out who she really is.

Sure enough, she becomes fast friends with Melody Ling, a new girl in school who has so much in common with Pacy that they’re practically twins! Pacy is hoping that the Year of the Dog is a sign that she’s going to discover a new talent and decide what she wants to be when she grows up, and as the year goes by she and Melody compete in a science fair, perform in the school play, enter a Halloween costume contest, and more. But as the end of the year gets closer and closer, Pacy begins to wonder: will she find something that she’s good at before the Year of the Dog is over? Or will she be stuck without a special talent forever? 

I read The Year of the Dog before Piranha T. and I started Rapunzel Reads, and we’ve been meaning to review it ever since! I loved it as second grader, and it was just as good when I re-read it recently—it’s one of those books that is impossible to grow out of, and while aimed for younger kids, older readers shouldn’t take that as a reason not to read it. There are some books which really capture what being a kid is like, and this is one of them. In an author’s note, Grace Lin, who based the story on her own childhood, says that when she was young her favorite books were about normal kids: “When I read those books, it was as if I was wrapped in a warm hug. I saw all the things that I loved and lived—my neighborhood, my friends, and my school. The only thing I didn’t see was me….I wrote [The Year of the Dog] because it was the book I wished I had had when I was growing up, a book that had someone like me in it.” Fun, believable, and engaging, I would highly recommend this book for ages eight and up. And if you enjoy it, I also loved both sequels: The Year of the Rat and Dumpling Days.

0 Comments

A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder (2015)

6/10/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
By Piranha T.

Once, the river was lively. It flowed beside the houses raised on stilts in a cascade of flashing water. A young water sprite known as Perdita splashed in the waves, waiting for the elders to finish building a portal to another world, where humans had not yet disrupted the delicate peace of the river.

But things are different now. Many years ago, the river was dammed with fallen trees and mud, and no one since has been able to get it to flow. Now, the houses have been raised much higher, to avoid the rising water. A marsh has formed where the river used to be. And anyone who swallows the marsh water gets a wasting sickness no one has a cure for.

Luna has grown up in the houses raised above the marsh, paddling through the still water with her little sister, Willow, on the prow of her ship. She doesn’t believe that the wasting sickness comes from a curse, or that magic exists at all.

But then Willow gets the wasting sickness. No one believes anything can be done to save her. But Luna is ready to do anything to make her better—even believe in magic.

A Nearer Moon was a beautifully written fantasy which read almost like a fairytale. The world of the river—in the times of both Luna and Perdita—felt real and unique. Melanie Crowder wove together the two stories of Luna and Perdita in an exciting, beautiful narrative. I would highly recommend A Nearer Moon to readers ages eight and up.

1 Comment

Wed Wabbit by Lissa Evans (2017)

11/26/2018

1 Comment

 
By Super Kitty
​
When ten-year-old Fidge loses her temper, she expects some things to happen. Little things, like getting a scolding, and maybe being tortured by her maddening cousin Graham. Definitely not getting trapped in an alternate world, where she’s been mentioned in a strange prophecy and has to overthrow a villainous ruler in order to get home. But there’s more to the strange, colorful, cheerful world that Fidge is stuck in than she first thought: things seem oddly…familiar. And that connection might be the single thing which can save the peculiar world, and get her and Graham home…
​
I liked Wed Wabbit for several reasons. It’s entertaining, exciting, and highly amusing, plus it has great characters and a very amusing and original setting—read it and you’ll see what I mean! I would recommend it to readers ages eight and up who like funny stories, clever puzzles, or have been forced to read an annoying picture book again (and again and again.)  
1 Comment

Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (2018)

8/20/2018

0 Comments

 
By Super Kitty

Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has made her fair share of mistakes. She has what she likes to call an imagination—and what her snooty classmates call a skill at lying. When three school bullies finally confront her with her stories, she’s determined to prove that she’s been telling the truth about some things, at least. So she accepts a dare. She lights a lamp. And she unleashes a legendary monster, who, if she cannot stop him, will tear Time itself apart. Which is definitely her record for Biggest Mistake Ever.

To keep the darkness she has loosed at bay, Aru must journey from her home to the Otherworld to the kingdom of Death itself, joining forces with a sarcastic pigeon (yes, a pigeon) and a skittish yet super-smart girl apparently woven into Aru’s destiny, searching for a way to destroy the ancient evil, and maybe even (gulp) save the world. Which might be way more than Aru and her new friends can manage. Because not only do stories turn out to be true— things Aru thought were true turn out to be stories.

Because Aru isn’t the only one with secrets…
​

This was one of those books which managed to be entertaining, surprising, and completely hilarious. Aru is an irresistible heroine, and her various adventures in a world where normal life and Hindu mythology overlap seamlessly make the book impossible to put down. The vivid settings and equally clever supporting cast combine to make this a highly enjoyable fantasy that I would recommend for ages 8+.
0 Comments

The Forget-Me-Not Summer by Leila Howland (2015)

7/5/2017

1 Comment

 
By Piranha T.

Marigold, Zinnia, and Lily Silver are looking forward to another summer spent in LA. Marigold, twelve, has recently been accepted by an acting agent and can’t wait to audition during the following months. Zinnia, age eleven, will likely spend her summer reading and going to the nearby seashore. And five-year-old Lily will play with her nanny and older sisters.

But this all changes when their parents have to travel for work and Marigold, Zinnia and Lily are sent to their Aunt Sunny’s house by the seashore town of Pruet on Cape Cod for several weeks. Although they are at first annoyed to go to Pruet, they are soon charmed by the small village, it’s beaches, and most of all, Aunt Sunny. Making friends with the villagers, the three sisters soon decide to organize a local talent show. Finding more excitement in the summer than previously expected, Marigold, Zinnia and Lily have lots of fun sailing, swimming, and waiting for the talent show that will come at the end of their visit.

The Forget-Me-Not Summer was an excellent book, and would be enjoyed by fans of The Penderwicks. It is a nice adventure about three sisters. They each have their own distinct personality—for example, Marigold loves to act, while it’s not Zinnia’s strong point—and they are realistic. I would recommend The Forget-Me-Not Summer to readers ages ten and up looking for a well-written and fun story about three sisters, a vacation, and the realistic adventures that come along with it.
1 Comment

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette - by Jeanne Birdsall

9/5/2014

0 Comments

 
- 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.
0 Comments

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

9/5/2014

1 Comment

 
- 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.
1 Comment

    Book Reviews By & For Kids

    Everyone knows that Rapunzel spent her early years locked up in a tower. We’d like to think she had plenty of books to while away the time, and that she’d appreciate our own favorites.

    Founded in 2014, our reviews focus on great books for middle grade (MG) readers. Beginning in 2018, we began adding selected Young Adult (YA) books as well, but only if we really love them and think Rapunzel Reads followers will too. Favorite picture books have their own page.

    Tweet, tweet!

    Get notified via twitter every time we post a review! Follow: @RapunzelReads

    New Reviews: 
    For Older Readers 

    Click on the titles to read our recent reviews on our 'For Older Readers' page. 

    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    Ages 10+
    Ages 11+
    Ages 12+
    Ages 5+
    Ages 6+
    Ages 7+
    Ages 8+
    Ages 9+
    Animal Stories
    Audiobook
    Author Interviews
    Bookgroup Pick
    Books Of The Year
    Classic
    Diversity
    Fairytales
    Family
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Friends
    Graphic Novel
    Historical Fantasy
    Historical Fiction
    Horses
    Humorous
    In Verse
    Magic
    Mystery
    Realistic Fiction
    Series
    Short Stories
    Siblings
    Sisters
    Superheroes
    Young Adult

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.