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Archive for the ‘Reading level: age 8 and up’ Category
Book review: Gathering Blue
Monday, March 13th, 2006Book review: The Big Wave
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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. | |
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.
-- 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 | |
Book review: The Queen’s Nose
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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 | |
Book Review: A Single Shard
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Book Review: Mirror of Merlin
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| Author: | T. A. Barron |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | King Arthur |
| Year of publication: | 1999 |
Fourth in a series about the childhood of Merlin. The bally mag is just a hoot. | |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Mirror of Merlin | |
Book review: Silverwing
Monday, March 13th, 2006 | Tweet |
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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 | |
Book review: Dragonsinger
Monday, March 13th, 2006 | Tweet |
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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.) | |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Dragonsinger | |
Book review: Dragonsong
Monday, March 13th, 2006 | Tweet |
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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: | 1976 |
I was not sure whether to be shocked or amazed at the outrage my daughter expressed when she realized that Menolly was forbidden to sing just because she was not a male. Guess gender bias has not held my daughter back as of yet. On the other hand, she LOVES this book. | |
My daughter also loved Dragonsinger. | |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Dragonsong | |
Book review: Pippi Longstocking
Monday, March 13th, 2006 | Tweet |
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| Author: | Astrid Ericsson Lindgren |
| Illustrator: | Louis S. Glanzman |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1950 |
My daughter was hooked the moment Pippi started explaining about how everyone in Egypt walks backwards all the time. | |
Can't believe that my daughter was 9 years old before I remembered to remind her to read Pippi Longstocking. And then, she saw the cover and almost refused. So, cover the cover with its broadly comic, ugly picture of Pippi and just start them reading. | |
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Book review: Island of the Aunts
Monday, March 13th, 2006 | Tweet |
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| Author: | Eva Ibbotson |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction, magic |
| Year of publication: | 2000 |
Much less cutesy than Which Witch. In-depth descriptions of the care and feeding of many interesting mythological creatures. | |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Island of the Aunts (note: this book is also called Monster Mission) | |