The Uncommon Reader: A Novella by Alan Bennett

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
One day while chastising her dogs for being noisy, the Queen of England noticed a mobile library (bookmobile) parked nearby and went in to apologize for the noise her dogs were making. She then felt compelled to borrow a book. This was the beginning of several years of discovering new books and reading all manner of books, sometimes to the detriment of her duty. This was an interesting book about what a difference reading can make in a life. If you enjoy books about reading, books, libraries, or royalty, this is a good choice.


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The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This sequel to The City of Ember continues the adventures of Lina and Doon who lead the people of Ember out of the underground and out into the world. They walk for many hours and come upon the city of Sparks, where they hope to find food and shelter. The people of Sparks are alarmed by such a large number of people since they have only just begun to produce enough for their own townspeople. Will they agree to help the people of Ember or cast them out into the "Empty Lands"? At first the people of Sparks agree to help, but after a time they grow resentful of the drain on their resources and the people of Ember grow resentful from the difficult conditions and scarcity of food. If you read The City of Ember, you will want to read this continuation of the story.


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The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I want to start this review by saying "WOW!". I really had trouble putting this one down. Lina is a twelve-year-old girl living in the city of Ember. It is her last day of school when she and her classmates will receive their jobs that they will work at for the next three years. Lina hopes to work in the greenhouses or be a messenger, but when she chooses her job from the bag held by the mayor, it says "pipeworker", which means that she will be working in the pipeworks below the city where all of the water comes from. She is disappointed. Her friend Doon receives the job of messenger and offers to trade jobs with her because he wants to do a job that will save the city of Ember. The city is in trouble, because the generator that provides the only light in the city has begun to break down causing blackouts. Lina and Doon must find a way to help the city, but how. I read this book so quickly that I feel that I need to reread to catch all of the details I might have missed, but I am too anxious to read the next book. I will definitely order this one for my school library!


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The Wright 3 by Blue Balliett

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a sequel to Chasing Vermeer. Calder and Petra are joined by Calder's old friend Tommy who has returned to Chicago at the end of the school year. They learn that the Robie House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is about to be cut up into pieces and sent to several museums around the world. Calder and Petra are joined by Tommy to form the Wright 3 as they work to solve the mysteries surrounding the house and the accidents that have been happening around it. This mystery was difficult to put down and I would recommend it for anyone who likes a good mystery or who enjoys learning about art and architecture. It was especially interesting trying to read the code that the Wright 3 used to write about their discoveries.


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The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Wish List is the story of Meg Finn, a teenager who is left with an abusive stepfather after her mother dies. She has been a troublemaker, but then she falls in with Belch who gets her involved in a robbery attempt of an elderly man, Lowrie McCall. Things go wrong and Meg and Belch are killed in a gas explosion, but it is not the end for either of them. Meg has a chance to go back and right some wrongs in order to earn her way to heaven, and Belch is recruited to try to stop her. Meg finds herself helping Lowrie McCall complete his "wish list" of things he wants to do before he dies. Will she be able to help him and what will Belch do to stop her? This story was a very interesting afterlife adventure, probably more suited to middle school and older students.


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The Rope Trick by Lloyd Alexander

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lidi is a traveling magician with amazing skills in sleight of hand and many other fascinating magic tricks, but the one she wants to know, the rope trick, is apparently known only by the famous magician Ferramondo. Lidi sets out find Ferramondo and learn the rope trick, but along the way she finds many other adventures. She meets Daniella, a little girl who seems to be able to see the future, and Julian, a young man on the run from the authorities who has a mission of his own. Read this fast-moving story to find out if Lidi learns to do the rope trick and what happens along the way.


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The Gawgon and the Boy by Lloyd Alexander

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
David has been very sick, and the doctor recommends that he not go back to school for awhile. His elderly Aunt Annie says that she will take him for few hours each day to help keep up with his education. This to David who sees Aunt Annie as a gorgon and develops a secret name for her: The Gawgon. After a short time, he changes his mind about her and together they begin a journey that will change David forever. I really enjoyed this story. It moved fairly quickly, and jumped back and forth between the story and the stories David was making up in his mind.


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101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher by Lee Wardlaw

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this book Sneeze, whose real name is Steve, is in middle school. He has a reputation at school from a book he wrote and sold the previous year at school called 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents. He is an inventor with a problem: inventor's block. We meet his friends Hiccup, Hayley, Goldie, Ace, Pierre, and many other interesting characters. While Sneeze is trying to figure out what to do about his inventor's block, his parents spring the news that they have arranged for him to skip 8th Grade and go straight to high school. But what will he do without his friends? Then, suddenly his two best friends, Hayley and Hiccup, are not speaking to him: Hayley because she is angry with him and Hiccup because he seems to developed a terminal case of hiccups. And to top it off, his parents have yet another surprise for him. This is an entertaining story, probably more of interest to middle schoolers than elementary students. It is surprising to find that the author used to be an elementary school teacher. It seems she has gone over to the "dark side" ;->.


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Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Anne of Windy Poplars takes Anne from her college years at Redmond to the principalship of Summerside High. These are the years that Gilbert, her fiance, is going to medical school so much of the story is told through Anne's letters to him describing events in her life. There were many heart-warming incidents in this story and Anne seems to be responsible for the happiness of many people she meets. I would recommend these stories to anyone who enjoys an old-fashioned romantic story about real people who lived a long time ago.


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Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a sequel to Anne of Avonlea in which we follow Anne through her college years at Redmond. Some friends from Prince Edward Island are also attending and Anne is growing up and learning to be independent. Anne and three girlfriends decide to rent a house together rather than staying in boarding houses and find the perfect place in Patty's Place, a charming house on the same street with mansions of millionaires. This story has slightly more adult themes than the last, including the death of a friend and the marriage of several friends. It seemed more romantic than Anne of Avonlea, and I had trouble putting it down.


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Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I never read these books when I was young, so I thought I would try one now and see what I think.

Anne of Avonlea was a charming story of a girl of seventeen who is becoming a woman. She serves as the schoolmarm of Avonlea school and continues to live with Marilla, who brought her through the past few years. The descriptions of Anne, her friends and pupils, and of Avonlea were detailed and beautiful. Although the vocabulary in this story is pretty advanced, the storyline itself is unobjectionable. I think that students, particularly girls, who want to be teachers might quite enjoy this story. I think that I may go back and read Anne of Green Gables now that I have read this.


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The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was given to me by a coworker. It is the story of a woman, Abby, who is walking on Ocean Beach in California with Emma, her fiance's daughter. Emma pulls her hand from Abby's and goes ahead, and in a few seconds of distraction on Abby's part, disappears from sight. The rest of the book is the engrossing story of the search for Emma and how life changes for Abby as a result. The book was very descriptive and detailed. Although it takes place mostly in California, Abby is from Alabama and several scenes take place there. The author is a native of Mobile, Alabama and mentions many places that only a native Mobilian would be familiar with, such as the Dew Drop Inn. This is definitely not a book for children, because of the frightening concept of a missing child and many adult themes in the story. It does not really qualify as a romance, but relationships play a large part in the story.


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Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this Richard Peck story, we meet Jake and Peewee McGrath when a tornado rips through their community tearing up part of "Beulahland"(the cemetery) on its way. While viewing the damage, which includes several unearthed coffins and their contents flung about, Peewee sees the still intact headstone for the former librarian of their community. Jake and Peewee try to make a living at selling gas and fixing flats at their "garage" by the side of the rutted dirt road. It is the beginning of the automotive age and a paved road will soon be coming along. Next, we see Peewee trying to get out of 8th grade graduation by getting thrown in jail. The only problem is that Peewee's real name is Eleanor. This is an entertaining story about small town life and the beginning of automobile racing, with a sideline in libraries and librarians as well as women's rights.


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Ladies Man by Elinor Lipman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
The story of a man who left a woman not at the altar, but at the engagement party thirty years ago leads to an introduction to many interesting characters: three unmarried sisters in their forties who live together, an unmarried refloxologist with a yearning to have a baby, an unmarried financial advisor with a soft-heart, a sheriff's deputy who serves court papers when not looking after his unmarried sisters, a gallant doorman, and several others. This story shows how some people can make a major change with a minor push, but some people are what they are and will never change.


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Until the Real Thing Comes Along: by Elizabeth Berg

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a pretty good example of Elizabeth Berg's writing. Patty is in her thirties and the love of her life is Ethan, who she fell in love with in sixth grade. The only problem is that, while Ethan loves her too, he is gay. They decide to have a baby together, since Patty thinks that is what she really needs. This was a quick read, and not very challenging, but quite enjoyable.


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City of Light by Lauren Belfer

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This adult novel was a recommendation from one of my listservs. It is a historical novel centered on the city of Buffalo, New York at the turn of the last century (1900). The main character is the headmistress of private school for girls. Much of the story involves the use of Niagara Falls to product electricity and the battle between preservationists and investors. I learned many interesting things about the production of electricity and also about President Grover Cleveland and President James McKinley as I read this book. The story tended to drag a bit, and at the end, I find that I feel unsatisfied with the outcome of the story. It didn't really have an unhappy ending, but it definitely was not happy. If you enjoy historical novels, this is probably a good example.


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