"Little Red Gliding Hood" - Tara Lazar

Oh my goodness! Artwork has the 2-D papercut look, works wonderfully. Look for all the fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters. And I appreciate the transition of these stories into a winter setting. Love it!

This may have just become a book I need to own...

Red loves to skate, all the way to Grandma's house, but her skates are old. So when a pairs figure skating competition is held in the Enchanted Forest, and the prize is new skates, Red sets out to find a partner.

Read Also:

Ninja Red Riding Hood by Cory Rosen Schwartz.

Little Red Hot by Eric Kimmel.

Any of Oliver Chin's "Tales of the Zodiac" series.

"Contemporary Crochet" - Sys Fredens

There! 30 days worth of books. Haven't done that since 2013.

I haven't quite gotten up the nerve to crochet clothing yet... But I want to! I look through these books whenever I come across one. Some day...

Read Also:

Vintage Modern Crochet by Robyn Chacuhla.

Crochet Chic by Francine Toukou.

Colorful Crochet Lace by Mary Jane Hall.

"The Night Dance" - Suzanne Weyn

Found a library with the last two books of the series! This and The Rose Bride by Nancy Holder finish off the "Once Upon a Time" YA novels.

With a mixture of "Twelve Dancing Princesses" and the Arthurian legends, Rowena and her 11 sisters go in search of their mother, the Lady of the Lake. What they find is enchantment meant to distract them, provided by Morgan Le Fey. Only the power of Excaliber and the love of a soldier bent on solving the mystery of worn out shoes can save everyone.

Read Also:

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George.

Diane Zahler's The Thirteenth Princess.

Check out the "Faerie Tale Theatre" by Shelley Duvall (it's very 80's, don't get your expectations up) but they're fun retellings of fairy tales.

"Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need" - Dave Barry

As always, a true laugh out loud read! I particularly enjoyed the list of states and what makes them "dynamic" since I would like to visit all 50 states someday.

Hoover Dam is the place to leave your kids while you go shoot craps. Disneyland costs a second mortgage to wait in line. Luggage is a scam. See Europe by bus so you don't miss a single ruin. All the wonderful tips to keep you informed.

Read Also:

The "Welcome to the U.S.A." series by Ann Heinrichs is quite cute and humorous.

How the States got their Shapes by Mark Stein.

Foxtrot's Say Hello to Cactus Flats by Bill Amend.

"The Book of Alma" - The Book of Mormon

One of the books in The Book of Mormon, the book of Alma is about the Nephites and Lamanites doing battle. So much about governments, war strategies, faith in God, and accountability.

It was well timed to be reading this during the election season. I learned so much about how a government could, and should, be run, how the people should vote, how to address problems and dissenters in one's nation. It was amazing how this book written between 91 BC to 53 BC has so many similarities to today!

Read Also: 

The Bible's "Book of Joshua."

Thomas Paines' Common Sense.

The United States Constitution: a graphic adaption by Jonathan Hennessey

"The Devil's Banker" - Christopher Reich

I really don't read a lot in this genre: adult thriller. I picked this out because it was about a forensic accountant (my husband's dream job) and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

A financial accountant has left his high-paying job, partner status, to join an espionage team routing out terrorists through their money trial. It's quite fascinating! Like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes bank teller.

Read Also:

Roger Hobbs' Ghostman.

I haven't read the following (I read almost ALL of my recommendations):

The Last Trade by James Conway.

Stephen W. Frey's The Chairman.

"Detectives in Togas" - Henry Winterfeld

A fairly simple mystery but a lot of fun picking out all the historical elements mentioned throughout.

Seven sons of highly ranked Romans attend a prestigious school. When a classmate goes too far with a prank, he gets expelled. His revenge on the teacher gets out of hand causing a series of events putting him in jail. Now his classmates must find the real guilty party before their fellow student is shipped off on a slave galley.

Read Also:

David Grimstone's "Gladiator Boy" series.

The Terror Trail by Stewart Ross.

Reads a lot like "The Hardy Boys" by Franklin W. Dixon.

"The Truth about Sacajawea" - Kenneth Thomasma

I learned so many things that I never knew about Sacajawea. I appreciated the detail, clarity, and use of primary sources by the author. He used Lewis and Clark's journals, added his own comments, and then filled in details known about the time and the expedition.

Sacajawea (the Shoshoni spelling of her name) was one of two wives of a Frenchman, a teenager herself. She was skilled at food gathering, cool under fire, and a hard worker. The admiration of Lewis and Clark for Sacajawea comes through in their journal writings.

Read Also:

Apache Agent by Woodworth Clum about his father, John Philip Clum, is a hopeful and respectful account of White and Native American interactions.



A novel about the time period, The Holy Warrior by Gilbert Morris.

"Echo, Echo: reverso poems about Greek myths" - Marilyn Singer

I did not realize that the author had invented this style of poetry writing until I read the bio on the back flap. I've read her other two collections of poems and they are fascinating, fun, and clever!

A reverso poem is a poem told twice. After reading the first poem through, you read it again starting with the last line and ending with the first, giving it a different meaning and/or point-of-view.

Hear Ariadne's opinion of Athena about their competition! What does Atalanta think of Hippomenes? Even Galatea gets her say.

Read Also:

Sam Ita's pop-up book of The Odyssey. Because ancient history can be fun...

Ovid's The Metamorphoses.

Fun!
Such
amazing poetry!
Read
back and forth,
to and fro
and try to follow along.
Who'd have thought
poetry could be exciting?

Poetry could  be exciting!
Who'd have thought?
And try to follow along
to and fro,
back and forth.
Read
amazing poetry!
Such
fun!

"One Crazy Summer" - Rita Williams-Garcia

I was totally on board with this book - social change in California in the '60's, Civil Rights movement, mother-daughter relationships, coming-of-age - all that stuff... until page 212 (there are only 215 pages) when one sister betrayed another sister out of pride and bitterness. That was when I decided I didn't like the book.

Three sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, travel to Oakland to visit their mother who abandoned them when Fern was a few weeks old. It's the 1960's and Oakland is rife with civil unrest. As the girls come to know their mother and her world, they begin to analyze their own lives in New York. They also come to think about what they will do for the love of a mother who doesn't want them.

Read Also:

The Penderwicks by Jane Birdsall, all about a family of sisters and their relationships.

Lynne Reid Bank's Maura's Angel is about two "sisters" during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Gennifer Choldenko's Chasing Secrets follows a girl and her two friends as they live through the summer of 1906 in San Francisco.

"America, But Better: the Canada Party Manifesto"

Considering this past election, I might have voted for the Canada Party! A little too practical, a little too honest, this book is a humorous way to see how others view the United States. It works especially well because of the many things the US shares with Canada (language, border, workforce, entertainment personalities, etc.)

Since we clearly can't govern ourselves anymore, the Canada Party has written this "document" to help get us back on track. But don't worry, "this isn't an invasion - it's an intervention." -back cover.

Read Also:

Anne of Green Gables vs. G.I. Joe: friendly fire between Canada and the US by Allan Gould is a hysterical portrait of the differences (and similarities) between these neighbors who share the longest unprotected border in the world.

Steve Sheinkin's Two Miserable Presidents: everything your schoolbooks didn't tell you about the Civil War is a humorous look at anecdotes not often known about our government.

"Atlas of Lost Cities" - Aude De Tocqueville

I picked this up expecting it to have a chapter about Atlantis: speculations, theories, fun CGI pictures of what it might have looked like... However, this book is about real cities. It's a fascinating mixture of storytelling and history. The cities are all over the world, including North America, and the author visited the ruins of each one.

Ever think about where Babylon would be today? What is Hiroshima like today? Pompeii? Want to see a modern-day ghost town? Did you know... "The ghost town in [the Bond film] Skyfall really does exist - off the coast of Japan." pg.84.

Read Also:

Masada by Neil Waldman. (The city of Masada is included in the book.)

Christina Balit's Atlantis: the legend of a lost city. (Atlantis is not in the book.)

Simon Garfield's On the Map: a mind-expanding exploration of the way the world looks.

"Giddy-Up, Daddy!" - Troy Cummings

Okay. Did not see that ending coming. Such a cute book! So much so that my husband is now exercising to strengthen his back to give our children horsey rides!

Daddy gives the best horsey rides!... And what a ride! Follow daddy as he whinnies and bucks and trots all over and into every event in which a horse is used. It's pretty thrilling! (And here's hoping for the sequel: mommy gives the best plane rides!)

Read Also:

Cows to the Rescue by John Himmelman.

My Dad Thinks He's Funny by Katrina Germein

The "SkippyJon Jones" series in which a cat goes through his closet door into different imaginary worlds and adventures.

"Jedi Academy" - Jeffrey Brown

All the inside jokes of Star Wars with all the understanding of a middle schooler's experience. Too funny and enjoyable!

Roan wants to be a space pilot like his dad and brother! But his acceptance letter comes not from Pilot Academy, but Jedi Academy. (at least he doesn't have to go to plant school on Tatooine). Follow Roan's first year of middle school through his journal entries, doodles, comics, and lists. And "do or do not, there is no try" -ing to understand Master Yoda!

Read Also:

Frank Cammuso's series Knights of the Lunch Table is the story of King Arthur enduring middle school. Loved it!

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale.

Stickman Odyssey by Christopher Ford is The Odyssey in stick figures and doodles. The series wasn't for me, but it is funny.

"Somewhere in the Ocean" - Jennifer Ward & T.J. Marsh

Gorgeous artwork of sea creatures, up close, beautiful coloring. It has a simple 4-line rhyme on each page, but it was easy to get lost in the pictures. Also a counting and look-and-find book.

Count from 1 to 10, find each number on the page, sing the stanzas, and enjoy all the sea creatures in their natural habitats. Includes fact sheet at the end and sheet music for the tune.

Read Also:

Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light is black and white sketches with monochromatic items to count on each page.

Andrew Zuckerman's Creature Numbers.

Kim Krans' 123 Dream.

"I Really Like Slop!" - Mo Willems

Mo Willems is really good for having a deep underlying lesson to his stories while keeping the actual story and text very simple. In this one, the lesson is to not judge another culture by what is deemed "normal" in one's own culture. What I appreciated was the ending where we don't have to like everything about a culture, but if we've given it a chance, at least we can give an informed opinion, without insulting the other culture.

Piggie wants Gerald, the elephant, to try his slop. Gerald thinks it smells awful and is sickened by the flies buzzing around it. But Piggie REALLY loves his slop and wants Gerald to try it. Because they're friends, Gerald does. Gerald still doesn't like it but he's glad he tried it because of Piggie..

Read Also:

Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw is about 2 boys living in America and India and how their lives are similar but different.

A classic, Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.

And for the connoisseur in your life, Tales for Very Picky Eater by Josh Schneider.

"Half Upon a Time" - Riley

Sorry, sucker for a retold fairy tale. But this one's funny! Modern-day girl literally drops into the world of fairy tales. I especially liked it because the guy wasn't an idiot. There are many times throughout the book when he knows more than the girl.

Every once in a while, I just want a book where the girl isn't a know-it-all and the guy isn't stupid.

Jack doesn't want to go on a quest, doesn't want to rescue a princess, much less marry one, and doesn't want to hear again why it's important to do both these things. Enter May, [drop center stage] granddaughter to Snow White! Is clearly labeled a Princess from Punk! Hasn't two clues how magic works. Together, they'll save granny. Until they find granny...

Read Also:

Gail Carson Levine's Princess series including The Fairy's Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, and For Biddle's Sake.

Fractured Fairy Tales compilation by A. J. Jacobs. The HISHE of fairy tales!

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner

The TV show "Once Upon a Time" is the adult version of this children's book!

"Our Bodies, Our Shelves: a collection of library humor" - Roz Warren

So...the first 5 chapters were hysterical. Then she gets on a little bit of a soapbox. And then finishes up with more hysterical anecdotes.

If you've ever worked in a library, then you'll understand and agree with the author's perception that the library provides a never-ending wealth of material for humor. What I laughed at was I've had patrons exactly like those she describes! They are universal.

Read Also:

The Unshelved comic book series by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum. Love. them.

Please Bury Me in the Library by J. Patrick Lewis is a collection of poems.

Matthew Battle's Library: an unquiet history is a trifle dry but digs up all the good stories.

"One Upon a Tomb" - J. Patrick Lewis

If you like a little morbidity, this is it. Entertaining enough, just disturbing artwork.

A selection of occupations get a eulogy written for them.

Read Also:

Please Bury Me in the Library by the same author.

Wacky Workers: a book of job jokes by Mark Zeigler.

"What is That?" Said the Cat - Grace Maccarone

Rhyming within a sentence, dialogue and speakers, many kinds of animals and skills, and a surprise ending! What IS in the box...?

This was adorable. Each statement made by an animal rhymed with the type of animal who spoke. A lot of shenanigans committed  by the animals and fun all the while.

Read Also:

There's a Mouse in the House by Wendy Cheyenne Lewison.

Splat the Cat sings Flat by Rob Scotton.

(One of my personal favorites) Put Me In the Zoo by Robert Lopshire.

"In Flanders Fields" - Norman Jorgensen

Lest We Forget... In honor of Remembrance Day.

The famous poem by John McCrae coupled with the heart-wrenching yet heart-warming artistry in sepia tones and sketches makes this a beautiful memorial for the Great War. And to highlight the symbolism of poppy - the red bird is the only color.

Read Also:

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon.

Fly, Cher Ami, Fly by Robert Burleigh.

War Game by Michael Foreman.

"Saladin: the warrior who defended his people" - Flora Geyer

After coming off a Robin Hood kick, I happened to pick this up: the man who fought Richard the Lionheart during the Crusades!

Salah al-Din brought most of the Muslim world under his control through political coups, wise military leadership, and smarts. Ironically, he really wanted to be a scholar, and even attempted to retire after brokering a peace with Richard the Lionheart, but a famous political life is hard to hide from.

Read Also:

Xerxes by Morgan Llywelyn, the Persian leader who conquered most of the Middle East. (Teen)

Gandhi by Demi, a picture book biography. (Children)

A biography of General Gordon, a British military leader, and his experiences in the Sudan: Gordon of Khartoum by Baron Godfrey Elton. (Adult)

"Rapunzel's Amazing Hair" - Kiki Thorpe

Disney - yes. Capitalizing on their target audience - yes. But the artwork! Think vintage Golden Book Cinderella! Simple, beautiful, artistic, and amazingly detailed. Chameleon in every picture.

So she's got the long hair. What good is it? This book is a list (in rhyme) of many things Rapunzel can do with her hair. Reminds me why I've always wanted long hair.

Read Also:

Walt Disney's Little Golden Book Classic Cinderella

Sarah Gibb's Rapunzel. Gorgeous artwork.

Margaret Wild's Something Absolutely Enormous full of runaway yarn!

"The Price of Freedom" - Dennis & Judith Fradin

"How One Town Stood Up to Slavery" reads the subtitle. As you vote today, remember that one town makes a difference to a person, to a town, to a country, to history.

John Price crosses a river and enters Oberlin, Ohio, fleeing slavery. All is well until slave-catchers find him. But the town isn't going to let John be taken without a fight.

Read Also:

The Last Brother: a Civil War tale by Trinka Hakes Noble.

Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed: the story of the village of Le Chambon, and how goodness happened there by Phillip Hallie is the WWII story of a town in France that stood up to Nazi Germany.

Nurse, Soldier, Spy: the story of Sara Edmonds, a Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss

"Porn for Women" - Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative

It's a humor book! Please, I don't do porn. I was almost too scared to pull this book off the shelf. (curiosity won out) But it's not what the title suggests...or author! Just look at the cover, it explains everything.

Read the introduction. What turns women on? Men doing chores, men being thoughtful, men listening. It's a funny book, and if your husband already does those things, it's not critical of them. There's a quiz at the end and my husband ranked top scores.

Read Also:

Alec Greven's How to Talk to Girls

John Gray's Truly Mars & Venus

Bob Raczka's Guyku: a year of haiku for boys.

"Wait" - Antoinette Portis

3 words. 3 words constitute the entire vocabulary of this book! Always genius when intonation tells a story and changes the meaning.

His mother wants him to "hurry" or they'll miss their bus. A boy wants to "wait" and see all the things there are to see in the city. Is the time spent worth it? Find out inside!

Read Also:

Uri Shulevitz's Dusk has a boy walking with his grandfather enjoying the city at sunset.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena follows a boy and his grandmother seeing the sights of the city as they cross San Francisco.

Jez Alborough's Hug also has 3 words and depends entirely on intonation to tell the story.

"Monty the Hero" - Steve Smallman

Cute moles, hedgehogs, mushroom helmets, and dandelions...*sigh* Cute little heroes.

Monty is bored at home. He wants to be a hero! ...and fight a monster and find a magic wand to grant wishes and... One night, he does.Monty and his hedgehog friend, Herbert, embark on an adventure involving all of these.

Read Also:

Disney Infinity: Toy Box Heroes by Christy Webster is an easy reader story involving Toy Story characters.

Jo Witek's Brave as Can Be.

I How to Be a Hero by Florence Parry Heide. Everyone needs a manual.

"Frostings" - Courtney Whitmore

I've been getting into cooking...well, baking...well, food decorating. You know when they gives points for taste, originality, and presentation? I really only ace the presentation. But my frostings needed work. This has every variety of buttercream and flavored frostings! Pictures for everything recipe too! (My absolute requirement for any cookbook).

Gotta try the salted caramel and key lime frostings!!

Read Also:

The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook by Rosanna Pansino has great icing/frosting suggestions!

"Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron" - Michael Stackpole

Star Wars fan, right here. But can you really improve on the original 3 films? Not really, but you can certainly draw out all the things you love about it into books! They're exciting.

Wedge Antilles (my favorite character!) is in charge of Rogue Squadron now that Luke is doing Jedi stuff. He forms Rogue Squadron, X-wing pilots with nothing to lose and enjoy ignoring the rules.

Read Also:

I really don't read this genre a lot...think of it like The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy: a small band of people working outside the law but with the law's blessing.

I've always wanted to read David Weber's "Honor" series.

By the end, I realized it was very similar to the TV show Firefly.

"Mr. Messy" - Roger Hargreaves

I love these books because the artwork is sooo cute! And I'm a sucker for a series. They have short lessons (happiness is infectious, not everyone likes to be tickled, helping others, etc.).

Mr. Messy is REALLY messy. House, yard, self, habits, all messy. He goes walking one morning and meets 2 gentlemen: Mr. Neat and Mr. Tidy. You can guess what follows.

Read Also:

The Berenstein Bears and the Messy Room by Sten & Jan Berenstein

Jan Thomas' artwork is very similar.

Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? discusses a few bad habits.

"Robin Hood: the mythic biography" - Stephen Knight

Thought Robin Hood was real? Thought he was handsome? Thought he was noble? This is not the book for you! Anyway, if you like to read a thesis which has become someone's life's work? This is it!

Follow the trail of Robin Hood from local village dance figure and legend to Hollywood icon and Legendary. And how he made it that far.


Read Also:

Sandra Curtis' Zorro Unmasked: the official history gives you a real, live history of a fictional character.

The Science of TV's the Big Bang Theory by Dave Zobel reads just like a physics report tipped with reasons to keep reading.

The Man Who Never Was by Ewen Montague...for the title (hee hee!)

"Denton Little's Deathdate" - Lance Rubin

Morbid. Always said I was.

Okay, so this was an extremely irreverent book about death. I'm ashamed to say I laughed out loud! It had more bad language and crude situations than I needed, but the author played this one well. No soon-to-be-classic, but sometimes, a little light reading is what you need.

In a world where one's deathdate is known right after birth, Denton Little knows he will die on the day of senior prom. The catch: no one knows what time. So Denton spends his last day making mistakes, learning about himself and others, breaking up with his girlfriend, getting back together, [repeat], almost dying (multiple times) and being a nice guy. How packed can one day be when every second could be your last?

Read Also:

Stacey Kade's The Ghost and the Goth was awkwardly funny and cute.

Penelope by Marilyn Kaye (book of the movie) has a humorous twist on causing death.

"The Red Pyramid" - Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson was so good I had to try out his second series, The Kane Chronicles. (It didn't hurt that I was already watching Stargate SG-1 and was on an Egyptian mythology kick.) Just as good as Percy Jackson and I learned a great deal about the Egyptian pantheon of gods.

Carter and Sadie are siblings separated after the death of their mother. Their father has never been the same since then, so when he opens up a portal to the Egyptian underworld and calls for the gods, the kids think he needs saving. Turns out the whole world needs saving now. Travel around the world and meet many of the Egyptian gods of mythology as Sadie and Carter learn that they are stronger as a family than any giant, jackal-headed, imbued-with-powers dude.

Read Also:

Stewart Ross' Curse of the Crocodile God graphic novel.

Brandon Sanderson's "Alcatraz" series. Same humorous style of writing.

Mummies in the Morning from the "Magic Treehouse" series by Mary Pope Osborne.

"Why Not, Lafayette?" - Jean Fritz

I never really knew much about Lafayette except that he fought during the American Revolution.

BUT this man was there for every major event in France and America during his lifetime! He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was friends with George Washington. He visited every state in the Union at the time. Every town called Lafayette is named after him. He met all the Founding Fathers and Presidents during his lifetime. And that's just America.

He was there when the French stormed the Bastille. His family was imprisoned during the French Revolution. He fled his country and was imprisoned in Germany. His family got out during the Reign of Terror and rescued him from Germany. They lived in Denmark. He saw the rise and fall of Napoleon twice! He served in the French government. He formed France's version of the National Guard.

The man was awesome! And always for Liberty.

Read Also:

Revolutionary Friend: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette by Selene Castrovilla.

Jean Lafitte: the pirate who saved America by Susan Goldman Rubin

Jean Fritz does a whole bunch of picture book format books about famous people during the American Revolution.

"Every Cowgirl Goes to School" - Rebecca Janni

She's a true blue cowgirl. But the new girl in her class is making fun of her, throwing food and paint all over her, and stealing her best friend away. Or is she...? She'll never be friends with such a mean girl. Or would she...?

Read Also:

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay by Cari Best

Mo Willem's My New Friend is So Fun from the "Elephant & Piggie" series.

"The Real McCoy" - Wendy Towle

I grabbed this one because I'd heard the saying forever but never knew the origin. It's an interesting story, very well-done.

Elijah McCoy was the son of ex-slaves. They fled to Canada where Elijah was born. He studied mechanical engineering and from an early age took things apart to see how they worked. His first major invention was an oiling can to speed up maintenance of trains. Throughout his life, he had 57 patents on his inventions.

Read Also:

Balloons Over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Anthony 'Tony' Sarg.

Blockhead: the life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese

The Boy who loved Math: the improbable life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman

"The Man Who Never Missed" - Steve Perry

This was good, but weird. Involved, but not long enough. Deep, but gruesome. It's like a book you want to recommend but you feel like you let someone down if they do read it.

Seriously, I enjoyed reading it, but I hesitate to recommend it because it does have a lot of graphic language and it felt short-lived. It feels like it's book 1 of a series only there isn't a book 2. (It is book 1 of 8 in the "Matador" series but ... you'll have to read it to see why).

Khadaji is a bar owner on a planet loaded with Confederation soldiers. He goes out at night and paralyzes almost 3,000 of them. Khadaji is a soldier in the Confederation army, a governing body for the galaxy. After a slaughter of a battle, he deserts. Khadaji is in training for Sumito, a martial art. He stinks at it. Khadaji is a student on a planet designed for education. He learns a lot, including how and what drugs are worth smuggling.

Read Also:

I feel kinda bad about this but...the Firefly TV series by Joss Whedon again.

David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series.

"When Calls the Heart" - Janette Oke

Christian romance...also a TV film by Hallmark...I don't think it gets any cheesier than that. But it takes place in Canada! RCMPs and heart-wrenching losses, a welcoming community and a girl who is "clutzy." All the elements are there.

At least I read the book!

Elizabeth Thatcher heads west to teach school. What she finds is a community full of children who want to learn, grateful parents regardless if their children are school-age or not, and eligible men! Hmm...seems mighty convenient...

Read Also:

Rosslyn Elliot's "The Saddler's Legacy" series; book 1 is Fairer Than Morning.

Lynn Austin's "Refiner's Fire" series.

Francine Rivers "Lineage of Grace" series. Ruth's story: Unshaken.

"Nimona" - Noelle Stevenson

Oh good golly! Such a subtle study of how someone becomes a "hero" or "villain." But not Nimona, she's the sidekick to the villain. Shapeshifter, hip, loyal, she's great! Also, a fascinating mix of medieval and technological societies.

Nimona is a sidekick, assigning herself to Ballister Blackheart, the villain in town. Sir Goldenloin is his archnemesis, a hero. However, determining who the real villain is may take the three combining efforts and trust.

Read Also:

Firefly TV series by Joss Whedon.

"Bone" graphic novel series by Jeff Smith.

I just found out about The Rise of Aurora West by Paul Pope and it looks good!

"Emma" - Kaoru Mori

Cursed serials!!! Yeah, I don't do manga much. But this sounded good...

...It was good. Detail was amazing, story was cute, the side-characters were intriguing. Of course, having said that, I've only read 3 of the 10 volumes!! I'm committed.

A 10-volume set, over 4,000 pages of Manga Victorian England. So well done.

A Japanese woman authored these books. They were serialized in Japan and, 10 years later, are being translated into English. She tells stories in the afterwords about her fanmail, interviews, and editor. She's never been to England, is alive now so never lived through the time period, her fanaticism with details. It's quite fascinating.

Read Also:

Try some Graphic Shakespeare, Shakespeare plays turned into graphic novels! by Vincent Goodwin.

Check out BBC America and PBS. "Downton Abbey," "Upstairs, Downstairs," or any other British class-system show. 

"Orangutangled" - Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

First, please forgive the "monkeys" tag for orangutans, I figure it's close enough.

Second, Fun! This has bright, bold illustrations, great rhyme scheme, fun story (made me want to eat mangoes) and is full of silly animals and words.

Read Also:

Jan Thomas'... Yeah, anything written/illustrated by Jan Thomas. Similar illustrations and silly characters/story.

Andy Runton's Owly and Wormy: bright lights and starry nights.

For the new reader, Carole Lexa Schaefer's "Monkey and Elephant" is a good series.

"ABC Dream" - Kim Krans

This was so much fun! Each page is filled with items that begin with the letter, almost a guessing game. But what really sold me on this book was there are also adjectives and verbs depicted on each page.

T: tigers, two (tigers), and tired.

It was clever, fabulous! My husband and I got all intense trying to guess them all. No worries, there's a cheat sheet at the end.

Read Also:

Michael Arndt's Cat Says Meow and other Animalopoeia where each letter is incorporated into the picture. A "w" makes whiskers on the cat!

Alphablocks by Christopher Francescelli has a cut-out letter for illustrations.

Andrew Zuckerman's Creature Numbers and Creature Colors have similarly rich illustrations.

"Johnny Tremain" - Esther Forbes

I've always wanted to read this since seeing the Disney film. It's a decent read (the movie is better), I felt it was an engaging story with a slow writing style.

I guess the selling point is what it teaches about liberty and the cost of said liberty. Things like comfort, friendship, pride, are all sacrificed by everyone from the young Tremain to old Mr. Otis.

Johnny is a silversmith apprentice in Boston, 1773, until he burns his hand on hot silver. No longer having a future in the trade, he roams around Boston until he comes across the Sons of Liberty and joins them. A witness to many historical incidences leading up to the Revolutionary War, Johnny grows from a punk to a man as he throws tea into Boston Harbor, tells the squire of Christ Church to hang 2 lanterns in the belfry tower, and mourns the aftermath of Lexington and Concord.

Read Also:

The Revolutionary War: an interactive history by Elizabeth Raum lets you choose your own path through the war. Each path is a historically documented choice made by somebody.

Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. Benjamin Franklin has a pet mouse.

"The Magic Treehouse" series by Mary Pope Osbourne has Revolutionary War on Wednesday.

"Tales for Very Picky Eaters" - Josh Schneider

My 100th Post!!! It only took 1,080 days.

I'm not sure I agree with this father's method of getting his son to eat, but it's quite enjoyable to read about. Quite the creative father.

My sympathies to the troll in the basement who slaves over a hot stove all day.


Read Also:

Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat. A goat eats all the wrong stuff!

How to Drive Your Sister Crazy by Diane Shore. More outlandish ideas.

Too Pickley! by Jean Reidy where there's always something to find wrong with the food.

"The Milkman" - Carol Foskett Cordsen

Ah, too cute. So cute. Makes you want to live in a small town. Also kinda makes me want a milkman that delivers milk, ice cream, cheese, eggs, and cream!

Told completely in rhyme, this book follows a milkman's daily route from early rise to getting home for breakfast.


Read Also:

Lois Lenski's "Small" series which include Cowboy Small, Policeman Small, and Papa Small.

Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier was a funny story of a mailman's run-in with a cow every morning.

Dear Garbage Man by Gene Zion. An 80's oldie.

"The Underdog and Other Stories" - Agatha Christie

Who doesn't love a good mystery? And Agatha Christie is the Dame!

Nine of Christie's famous detective's stories, Hercule Poirot learns something about what appears mundane, can turn into cases he can't let go.

I am always amazed by the techniques Christie uses in her mysteries. These were some of the simpler ones (they are short stories) so I wasn't blown away. However, they were interesting for what can be learned about British society. My favorite might be "The Adventures of the Clapham Cook."

Read Also:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Red-Headed League" had some similar elements to the Clapham Cook story.

Susan Elia MacNeal's "Maggie Hope" series are British WWII mysteries.

Ashley Gardner's "Captain Lacey" series are Regency England mysteries. (I didn't like these ones that much, dark and all, but the detailed backgrounds are fascinating).

"The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey" - Jessica Fellowes

Yes, I'm part of that fandom. And you want to know why? You really don't but anyway, it's because they put a lot of stock in the dialog. It's a sharp, witty, full script. None of this blow up a car, jump into bed, say "it's complicated" in order to get out of writing a scene. Downton Abbey relies on it's script, rather than merely requiring one.

It's the thought-provoking lines from Matthew, the eye-opening ideas of Brandon, the insults of Mary, the truth of Mrs. Hughes, the love of Mr. Bates, the ever classic (let's be honest, our favorite) retorts of Lady Grantham. Enjoy trying to remember where in the show these lines come from!

Lady Grantham: "It's like living in a second-rate hotel where the guests keep arriving and no one seems to leave." -pg. 111

Read Also:

It may be a little difficult to find, but Allan Gould's Anne of Green Gables vs. G.I. Joe: friendly fire between Canada and the U.S. was hysterical!

The Bro Code by Matt Kuhn (supposedly by Barney Stinson) is full of great one-liners of Barney in "How I Met Your Mother."

And...yeah, Dave Barry.

"Independent Study" - Joelle Charbonneau

Okay. So... This author knows how to write! Engaging. Plausible (to a certain extent). Proper cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. Honest! I had to stop mid-chapter because I knew I wouldn't stop at the end. A real study in government, societies, people, communication, and all through the eyes of young adult girl, Malencia.

It's like a Civics lesson cleverly disguised as a novel for teens.

Also, Charbonneau manages to avoid the problem of first-person novels -the reader remaining ignorant- by having the character actually go out in search of answers. Malencia is rather superhuman in her memory and reasoning skills; but you forgive that in order to know what is going on.

Book 2 in "The Testing" trilogy, this book escapes the pitfalls of many trilogies. It is not book 1 again. It is not a filler book, situations progress and you can't skip it.

Malencia has now entered the University in her respective field of study. She meets her classmates, her country's leaders, and learns of a rebellion. There's another boy-interest (it is a YA novel).

Read Also:

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins of course. All these "test" trilogies came out after its success.

The Legend series by Marie Lu. (Have not read but is on the "To Read" list).

Eh, any dystopian Young Adult trilogy out there.

And because I haven't said enough about this book, Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

"Nugget & Fang" - Michael Slack

Nugget, a minnow, and Fang, a shark, are friends, glubbing everywhere together. Until Fang goes to school where he is taught that sharks are dangerous. Unfortunately, Nugget begins to believe the "propaganda." Only when Fang rescues the minnows from a fishing net are they set straight on who (or what) is dangerous.

A nice story on not believing everything you're told just because "everybody knows it."

Read Also:

Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Friends have fun together, but play is dampened by Crabby.

I'm a Shark by Bob Shea. The shark is very intent on the ocean knowing he's not afraid of anything.

"Finding Nemo" by Disney. Who doesn't love a shark with a mantra?