This is my Backlog book. I have been meaning to read this book for a while now. Once I started it, I realized I was rereading it. Which, I will say, fits this because I had forgotten about this gem called Chained by Lynne Kelly. To work off a debt, Hastin leaves his village in India to work as an elephant keeper for a man who wants to restart his circus. Innocent Hastin only sees a way to help his mother and ill sister, not […]
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and these (not so) Ugly Five!
The Ugly Five is a FIVE rating all around. I had known about the group of animals called The Ugly Five but had forgotten about them until reading Julia Donaldson’s book. At the end, she gives more information on the different animals as well as the others in the “Five Series” of animals: The Big 5, The Little Five, The Ugly 5, The Shy 5 and The Impossible 5. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to the five animals that […]
Dreams of an Extraordinary Life.
In The Dress and the Girl by Camille Andros a young girl dreams of having an extraordinary life. While wearing her favorite dress her mother made her, she goes and enjoys the simple life of her village: watching the sunset, doing chores, picking flowers, going to school, playing and riding in wagons. One day, her family takes a special trip. They are emigrating to a new country. And while the girl and dress still play and go to school, instead of a wagon they are […]
Ants are not the only uninvited guest here!
The cat-and-mouse game has a new twist with best friends Oliver and Philbert. They are the main characters in Picnic with Oliver (a companion sequel to Tea with Oliver). They are two unusual best friends who go out on a picnic, despite that it looks like it might rain. This, of course, means trouble for our friends. Mika Song creates a lovely story of friendship, adventure and adaptability. While having read the first book might have filled in a few “holes in the story” this […]
First Day of School and Not all is Well!
Heidi is a stick insect. She is like the twig of a tree: tall, long and brown. And today is her first day of school. She knows she will learn a lot and make lots of friends. However, when she gets to her new school, no one sees her! That is, until a very unfortunate mistake occurs, and Heidi has finally had enough. I love the illustrations in Twig by Aura Parker. The story I am still mulling over. I think it needs a re-read. […]
The Stars Never Disappear
In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner took a bit for me to get through. Mostly because it deals with some very tough subjects: depression, suicide, family and love. Filled with many great observations there are some clichés as well. These can be overlooked due to the nature of the story. These also help break up the tension of a typically over dramatic teenager mentality. (Spoiler) The clues are there as to why the father commits suicide, why the mother is the way she is, […]