The Princess Tales:Volume One

Once upon a time, author Gail Carson Levine took three well-known fairy tales (Toads and Diamonds, The Princess and the Pea, and Sleeping Beauty)added humor, plot twists, and empowered heroines, and whipped up The Princess Tales: Volume One. The new versions of the stories (The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, and Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep) still will appeal to those who love the fantasy genre, but also to all readers who are looking for a good laugh. Who wouldn't appreciate the "bad sister" actually enjoying the punishment the fairy had handed out? Look to The Princess Tales as a worthy opponent of today's "Disnified" fairy tales. Yes, there still are "happily ever afters" in this volume, but in typical Levine fashion...they are not exactly what was expected!-Barbara, Elementary School Reading Teacher

Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The first in a series of five books about a young demi-god, Perseus Jackson, Lightning Thief begins an adventure in Greek mythology. Perseus(Percy)Jackson is a twelve-year old boy who feels like an outsider partly because of his dyslexia and ADHD diagnoses. He soon discovers that these "problems" are actually some of the gifts of being a "half-blood", the child of a human and a greek god. By the second chapter, he is battling monsters from Greek mythology, and discovering that there are many other demi-god children like himself.

This is an adventure series,and it is wildly popular with young readers right now. Part of its appeal is the mixture of middle school-age heroes who have to solve adult problems and the contrast with their parent-gods who behave like middle school kids. Percy's story moves quickly, and monsters are destroyed at a rapid pace; but much of the appeal is the balance of humor. Percy notes the absurdity of his situations and his mistakes--he is a very likable hero. The chapter titles entice the reader to the next chapter and make him giggle too. For example, the first chapter title is : I Accidentally Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher. Students engage with the stories of Greek mythology, and they want to read more when they are finished with the five books. As I am writing, I have two students approach me to check out the fourth and fifth Percy Jackson books. One boy explains: " I stayed up until one reading because I lost track of time." That is agift for middle-school readers. This book has appeal from 3rd grade and up.

Lauren, Secondary Teacher and Library Tech

Little Night

San Franciscan, Yuyi Morales, delivers us her 2007 book Little Night, which is absolutely magical and sumptuously illustrated in rich pastels that sweep you up into the story of the changing of the sky. It is a tale of Mother Sky trying to get her silly daughter Little Night ready for bed. They go through a lovingly playful series of hide and go seek, bath time, putting on her night gown made of clouds, a snack of the “milky way” and pancakes, combing her hair and placing hair pins of Venus to the east, Mercury to the west, and Jupiter above, lastly tossing her moon ball to end the story. Any child should be so lucky to have such a sweet, patient and playful mother whose arms surround with love. Great bedtime story for anyone who wants warm, celestial dreams. C. Murray

The Magician's Elephant

The Magician’s Elephant, written by Kate DiCamillo is beautifully illustrated by Yoko Tanaka in pen and ink. It is a period piece that takes place in Europe before the turn of the 20th century and is filled with magical realism. This tale, or fable if you will, is about a boy named Peter who is in search of his little sister that he is sure is alive, although his guardian, a crazy old soldier, has told him otherwise. When sent to the open air market to purchase very old bread and two tiny fish, by fate he is drawn to a fortune teller’s tent and is compelled to find out about Adele, his sister. Before he can utter a word, the fortune teller says, “she is alive” and that he must, “follow the magician’s elephant to find her. Peter says, “There is no elephant”. But the fortune teller says something key, “Just as you say. That is surely the truth, at least for now. But perhaps you have not noticed: the truth is forever changing. Wait awhile, you will see.” The rest you must read. This is a story about hope, redemption, love, and more than anything, it is about believing in the impossible and being open to miracles. I would recommend this to anyone from age 10 and up. So sweet, so magical, it harkens to the spirit how inexplicably intertwined we all really are with each other. C. Murray

When You Reach Me

I read When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead this summer in one day. And then I read it again. It grabbed me and kept me hooked all the way through. It is a tightly written story that requires the reader to hang in there until all the pieces fall into place. And when the pieces fall, you will too. That is fall in love with this intriguing tale. There is an air of mystery and suspense that is terrific part of the novel's appeal. Another key to the story's success is the 'genuineness' of the characters even though they possess a Spinelli-like implausibility. This implausibility becomes increasingly more important to to the unfolding of a magical story. But that's all I can really say. I do not want to give away a single clue. I highly recommend When You Reach Me for 10-year olds to adult. I'd like to say more about the writer's craft, the inexplicable narrative pieces that are in fact clever and crucial whiffs of information and foreshadowing, the perfectly fitting pieces in the final chapters, and the lingering questions. But I'd rather go back and reread this book again. I'm betting you will want to read it again too. by profreader