Archive for March, 2006
Monday, March 13th, 2006
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| Author: | Paul Stewart |
| Illustrator: | Chris Riddell |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2004 |
The Edge Chronicles is an interesting series for advanced young readers.
They are for-real chapter books set in a very odd post-apocalyptic time/place, but they include very interesting pen drawings on nearly every page. The only downside to them is that there is a great deal of violence and death throughout, including deaths of very prominent characters. |
Two years ago, my daughter would not have finished even one of these. She's on the fourth of the series now. Each time she finishes one, she vows to not read the next, but after a few weeks pass, she's on to the next. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Edge Chronicles, The |
Posted in Conceptual: age 12 and up, Death is a central theme, Fiction, Reading level: age 8 and up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
Monday, March 13th, 2006
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| Author: | Pearl S. Buck |
| Illustrator: | Hokusai and Hiroshige |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1947 |
Two Japanese boys survive a tidal wave.
Living as we do near the coast, I was surprised that it took my ten year old more than a week to react to the recent devastating tsunamis.
Last night, finally, she began to take the tsunamis very personally. "We live at the top of a high hill," she said. "So I'm not worried about what would happen if I were here and the tsunami hit. But, my school is much closer to sea level. What would we do if the tsunami hit when we were at school?"
Run uphill, I told her. Run fast. What else should I have said?
Today, I paid a visit to my daughter's school. I asked them whether they would be notified if a tsunami were detected. I asked what the procedures would be in case that sort of a warning is issued. I suggested that everyone at the school get together to discuss what the plan would be.
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Tonight, I read The Big Wave all the way through in one sitting.
It is only 80 pages long and it packs a punch.
The lovely woodblock prints in the hardcover edition were selected by the author.
Here are my favorite quotes in order.
The Big Wave: every child over 10 living on a coast should read it. But although the words are simple,
the ideas are difficult to deal with.
The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
-- Emily Berk |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Big Wave, The |
Posted in Conceptual: age 12 and up, Culture, Death is a central theme, Fiction, History, Reading level: age 8 and up | Comments Closed
Monday, March 13th, 2006
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| Author: | Dick King-Smith |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction, magic |
| Year of publication: | 1983 |
Involving contemporary account of a girl who is granted seven! wishes, more or less. |
Don't you always wonder why the person who gets the wishes doesn't just wish for extra wishes as the FIRST wish? Yes, Robin William's genii did rule that out in his statement of pre-conditions as announced to Aladin, but most other wish-granters don't bother. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Queen's Nose |
Posted in Animals, Conceptual: 8 and up, Female protagonist, Fiction, Gifted, Reading level: age 8 and up | Comments Closed
Monday, March 13th, 2006
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| Author: | Kenneth Oppel |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1997 |
A precocious bat and his adventures during a war between the bats and the birds. |
Kind of bleak and inconsistent -- the owls are allowed to kill birds but the bats aren't? But my 8 year old gets out of bed early on weekend mornings to keep on reading. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Silverwing |
Posted in Animals, Conceptual: 8 and up, Fiction, Gifted, Reading level: age 8 and up | Comments Closed
Monday, March 13th, 2006
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| Author: | Anne McCaffrey |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 12 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction, dragons |
| Year of publication: | 1979 |
Menolly's friend Piemur (a boy) comes of age (confronts bullying and anti-intellectualism). |
Not as compelling as the previous two in the series, and Dragonsinger, and beware the love scene at around page 238. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Dragondrums |
Posted in Conceptual: age 12 and up, Dealing with bullies, Dragons and/or mythological beasts, Fiction, Gifted, Music, Reading level: age 12 and up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
Monday, March 13th, 2006
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| Author: | Anne McCaffrey |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction, dragons |
| Year of publication: | 1977 |
"Like Harry Potter, but better," says my daughter. "And, it's about a GIRL (Menolly by name) who goes to school to get better at something she's good at." |
Sequel to Dragonsong, which was the first fiction book that captivated my then 9-year old daughter. (Before that, she read non-fiction almost exclusively.) |
| Similar books |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Dragonsinger |
Posted in Conceptual: 8 and up, Dragons and/or mythological beasts, Fiction, Music, Reading level: age 8 and up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
