Log In to your Account

Staff Picks: Children's Fiction

Professor Tuesday's Awesome Adventure in History (Book Three: The Underground Railroad)
 By Jeffery L. Schatzer
Reviewed by vcarpenter on Thursday, April 5, 2012

If you want "learning history made fun" this is your book. Local author Jeffrey Schatzer creatively tele-ports readers back to the time slaves escaped to freedom along the Underground Railroad, via a...peeyew...skunk! It's a good read alone, or read-aloud with your child. Great opportunities for discussion and using maps.

Smiler's Bones
 By Peter Lerangis
Reviewed by mrudd on Wednesday, April 4, 2012

 Minik, an Eskimo boy age 7, is brought from the Arctic to New York along with his father and 4 others of their small village, by explorer Robert Peary in the interest of science and discovery. The small group of men and Minik are displayed at the Museum of Natural History but consumption quickly kills all but Minik.

The Whisper
 By Emma Clayton
Reviewed by cspear on Sunday, February 19, 2012

This excellent book is the sequel to The Roar which I found very enjoyable. The story takes up right where The Roar ended.

Mika and his twin sister have been reunited and when they touched for the first time they glowed.

The Unforgotten Coat
 By Frank Cottrell Boyce
Reviewed by cspear on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The book The Unforgotten Coat has two brothers from Mongolia and sixth grader Julie who is their “Good Guide”. There might be a certain demon. There might be an eagle hood coat. There is a mystery to unravel.

The Summer I learned to Fly
 By Dana Reinhardt
Reviewed by jegodin on Saturday, January 21, 2012

This coming of age story is quite a charmer.  It pulls you into wanting it.  The story unfolds with Birdie, wanting to find some friends of her own. She is forever in her mothers care until she finds her "wings".  There was so much of the story that reminded me how to love the well-built characters in the scenes.

The Chronicles Of Harris Burdick
 By Chris Van Allsburg
Reviewed by cspear on Saturday, December 17, 2011

The original book by Mr. Van Allsburg had 14 provocative illustrations with a few lines of verse. The intent was to have the young reader flesh out the stories. Now, more than 25 years later 14 master writers have finished the stories for us.

Yes, some of them are a bit creepy, some are more than a little strange and some are  uplifting but each shines like a polished gem.

A Christmas Tree for Pyn
 By Olivier Dunrea
Reviewed by cspear on Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Pyn and Oother live high on a mountain. Oother doesn't like to talk and is really quite gruff.

Pyn wanted a Christmas tree this year but Oother said NO. As Oother looked at his tiny daughter he was reminded "How very much like her mother she is" but without Mama christmases were quite bleak.

Escape Of The Deadly Dinosaur
 By Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Reviewed by lthalman on Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur is the first book in the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series.  In this book Jack's mission is to capture a dinosaur before it destroys everything in it's path.  Jack has many great tools to help him in his mission, including his flyboard, neutralizing spray and goo tube.  Will Jack be able to stop this deadly dinosaur before it's too late?  If

The Truth About Sparrows
By Marian Hale
Reviewed by mrudd on Saturday, September 10, 2011

 The Truth About Sparrows, set in the years of the USA Great Depression, is a lovely story of a young girl growing up in troubled times. Sadie and her family (Dad crippled from polio, mom pregnant, and three younger brothers) leave Missouri looking for a better life. The long difficult trip, with several stops to work in fields, ends on the coast of Texas in a small fishing town. Sadie does not feel like she fits in anywhere.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 By J. K. Rowling
Reviewed by cspear on Monday, July 25, 2011

This is the final instalment of a really enjoyable series. I have read,listened and watched all of the books except for the last half of the last movie and I must say that I wasn't the least bit disappointed with Deathly Hallows.