Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Author: Grace Lin

Pages: 282

Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Minli is a young girl living with her parents in the shadows of Fruitless Mountain.  All day long she toils in the fields and at night she listens to the stories that her father tells of dragons, pearls, destiny and the Old Man of the Moon. Eventually Minli determines that the only way that her families fortune can improve is if she asks the Old Man of the Moon herself. She sneaks away from her family's small house on a journey to improve their fortune.

My Review: I was surprised, but I ended up really enjoying this book.  Minli's story is interspersed with all sorts of old Chinese fables and eventually everything ties together nicely at the end.

Hello, Universe

Title: Hello, Universe

Author: Erin Entrada Kelly

Pages: 320

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: A

Synopsis: Chet Bullens is a bully who's prank leads to the shy boy Virgil Salinas being trapped at the bottom of a dry well with his pet guinea pig Gulliver. Virgil's friends Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, Kaori Tanaka, who is a self-proclaimed psychic, and Kaori's little sister Gen embark on a quest to try and find out what happened to Virgil when he missed his appointment with the self-proclaimed psychic.

My Review: We listened to this audiobook on one of our road trips last summer and the girls just loved it.  Every once in a while they still reference this book in random moments, which is probably one of the best recommendations that can be made.

Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon

Title: Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon

Author: Dhan Gopal Mukerji

Pages: 192

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B

Synopsis: In India, many of the young boys grow up training pigeons that they grow to love and recognize.  It wasn't uncommon for boys to have flocks of 40 or more pigeons that they train to always return home and carry messages.  Gay-Neck was an especially capable and fearless pigeon that was taken to help the British fight World War I.

My Review: This book was far better then I expected when I judged the book by its cover.  It was awarded the 1928 Newbery Medal.  It is interesting to me how many of the early Newbery Medal winners were books about animals (see: Smoky the Cowhorse and The Voyages of Dr Dolittle).  If you want to learn about carrier pigeons then this is the book for you!

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Title: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Author: Scott O'Dell

Pages: 184

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Karana was a young woman when her people decided to leave the island of their home.  She got left behind and for years and years she waited, watching for a ship that would take her to her people. This is the story of how she lived and fought her enemies, the wild dogs.

My Review: Amazingly, this book is based on the true story of the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island, which is an island just off the coast of California and south of the Channel Islands.  I vaguely remember reading this book when I was younger.  It was great to read it again.

Peter Pan

Title: Peter Pan

Author: J.M. Barrie

Pages: 176

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the book based on the original play by the author J.M. Barrie.  It's a familiar story about Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow up, the fairy Tinkerbell and the Darling children, Wendy, John & Michael.  The children fly with Peter Pan to Neverland where they encounter mermaids, Indians and the villainous Captain Hook.

My Review: Similar to The Wizard of Oz, the movie version is so iconic that I felt that the magic exceeds the book.  Granted, I'm probably out of the target age-range for this book.

Peter and the Starcatcher

Title: Peter and the Starcatchers

Author: Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book tells the story about how Peter became Peter Pan.  Peter is an orphan boy that has been put on a ship with a small group of other orphans to be send to live in a new place.  While on the ship he befriends Molly, who reveals to Peter that the ship is carrying a trunk of priceless stardust.

My Review: I thought that this was a cute story, but was too contrived and forced for my liking.  I think that kids would certainly enjoy it and you know that everything that Dave Barry writes is going to be funny.

Smoky the Cowhorse

Title: Smoky the Cowhorse

Author: Will James

Pages: 310

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Medal

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the biography of a great horse that was born free and then tamed by man and enlisted as a cowhorse for many years, before finding a second and third career as well.  Smoky is a very smart horse and is always analyzing his surroundings before making decisions.

My Review: This book took a little bit of effort to get into it, but then I really enjoyed it which surprised me.  I'm typically not all that interested in animal books, but this one is well done.

Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues #11)

Title: Vespers Rising

Authors: Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The first 10 books were all focused on the strengths of the Cahill Family and the secrets that were uncovered by Gideon Cahill hundreds of years ago. This, the 11th and final book introduces us to the next threat to the Cahills, the Vespers!

My Review: I didn't love this book, it was too much of a filler book for me.  When the authors saw that the book series that they had been working on for the last few years is coming to an end, they brainstormed ways to keep it going and this is the solution.  While the 39 Clues series has now concluded, the groundwork has been laid for the next series.

Little House on the Prairie

Title: Little House on the Prairie

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Laura's family sells their little log house in Wisconsin and then Pa Ingalls packs the wagon and he, Ma, Mary, Laura and baby Carrie travel to Kansas in Indian Country. They're some of the first settlers there and it's a lot of work for Pa to build them a cabin.

My Review: I never watched this show growing up, and I'm not sure if I ever read the book either.  Both Ada and I listened to this book and really enjoyed it.  It's a great book to introduce the kids to the pioneers and stories about how the early settlers had to live and a taste of life without cars, tvs, spaceships and other such modern conveniences.

Into the Gauntlet (The 39 Clues #10)

Title: Into the Gauntlet (The 39 Clues, Book #10)

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Dan and Amy are nearing the completion of the clue hunt.  The hunt has led to the secret ancestral island of the Cahill family, but they need everybody's help to unlock the island's secrets.

My Review: Good news readers, this is the last book in this series so you will not have to suffer through any more of these reviews. This book was a fitting ending to the series.  Ada loved the series, I enjoyed it as well.

Storm Warning (The 39 Clues #9)

Title: Storm Warning (The 39 Clues Book #9)

Author: Linda Sue Park

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dan and Amy continue on the clue hunt, but this book contains shocking information about the Madrigals and what their real intent is.

My Review: This book really starts to tie everything together and completely changes the direction of the clue hunt.

The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues #8)

Title: The Emperor's Code (The 39 Clues #8)

Author: Gordon Korman

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dan and Amy get into a big argument, Dan runs away and is kidnapped on Tienanmen Square in China by the Kabras.  He ends up in Jonah Wizard's candy factory, where Jonah finds him and hides him from Amy and their au pair Nellie.

My Review: The books are rushing towards the final clues and the end of the clue hunt.  Many more unbelievable occurrences and experiences, but another easy and enjoyable read.

The Viper's Nest (The 39 Clues #7)

Title: The Viper's Nest (The 39 Clues #7)

Author: Peter Lerangis

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Amy and Dan's search for the 39 clues continues.  They've just survived a house fire in Indonesia, that was meant to kill them, but actually killed one of the Lucians (who Amy and Dan never would have guessed was on their side).  The hunt takes them to South Africa and Madagascar, where they continue searching for clues.

My Review: Honestly, I hardly remember this book as they're all starting to run together now.  I think I liked it about as much as all of the other books.

Michael Vey - The Prisoner of Cell 25

Title: Michael Vey - The Prisoner of Cell 25

Author: Richard Paul Evans

Pages: 326

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Michael Vey is an ordinary 14 year old living in Idaho. Except that he has Tourette's Syndrome, and except that he has the ability to more or less control electricity and shock people. He's not popular in school and when the hottest cheerleader in the school takes an interest in him, little does he know the danger this will bring.

My Review: The book was a little formulaic (except for the part where Michel Vey absorbs and releases electricity), but I still found it enjoyable. I read it just after Ada, and she really liked it. It's a great book for 4th grade and up, and one that adults can enjoy as well.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum

Pages: 5 discs?

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Everybody is familiar with the story, originally written in 1900, about Dorothy Gale from Kansas who befriends a scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion while making her way to the Emerald City after her house fell on the wicked witch and killed her. Phew. That was a long one-sentence synopsis.

My Review:  The author wanted to write a book similar to the fairy tales of old, and I think he pretty well succeeded, especially considering the big-screen success of the classic 1939 film.  The movie follows the book pretty closely, except for a few scenes in the book that didn't make the final cut in the movie.  For kids, it was excellent. For me, it was pretty good.

In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6)

Title: In Too Deep (The 39 Clues #6)

Author: Jude Watson

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The clue hunt takes Amy, Dan and their au pair Nellie to Sydney Australia where they meet up with Shep who is an old friend of their parents.  He flies them across Australia and then to Indonesia as they continue to try and follow the path for clues and the journey their parents took many years before. Through it all Dan and Amy continue to outsmart all of the other teams in the clue hunt.

My Review: I always enjoy the clue hunt books that take place either somewhere that I've been or somewhere that I'm going.  Ada and I continue to enjoy each step of the journey.

Holes

Title: Holes

Author: Louis Sachar

Pages: 233

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Medal

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Stanley Yelnats and his father and his grandfather have always been cursed with very bad luck, which was mainly due to Stanley's no-good dirty rotten pig stealing great great grandfather. However, Stanley and his dad have always felt like their luck was on the brink of changing. That is until Stanley is sent to a juvenile detention center on an old lakebed, where everyday the campers are forced to dig holes.  One hole per person, 5 feet in diameter, 5 feet deep.

My Review: I'm surprised that I've never reviewed this book on here before.  I've like it for years.  It's not earth-shattering or anything, but it's quite enjoyable and the story has always seemed to be pretty clever.

The Black Circle (The 39 Clues #5)

Title: The Black Circle (The 39 Clues #5)

Author: Patrick Carman

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Dan and Amy Cahill have followed the clues to Russia where they are being helped by an anonymous individual who signs all messages with the initials NRR. Dan and Amy aren't sure if this is somebody who they can trust, but they feel like they don't have any other options.  The tasks they're given require them to join up with another team as they have a very limited time to criss cross Russia searching for clues.

My Review: Another [unbelievably] amazing adventure for Dan and Amy Cahill.  I especially enjoyed this one because it took place throughout Russia. Ada gives it two thumbs up as well.

The Candy Shop War

Title: The Candy Shop War

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 8 discs?

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: A new Candy Shop opens on Main Street and Nate, Summer, Trevor and Pigeon are especially excited after they meet the sweet shop owner, Mrs. White, who recruits them to help her out with a few things.  As payment the children are given candies that allow them to do all sorts of things, such as defy gravity, change their appearance or become unbreakable.

My Review: Ada and I listened to this book on our short, ill-fated visit to Las Vegas (where we watched the Utes get creamed by Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament).  It was perfect for such a trip and Ada just loved it.  I think that she ended up listening to most of the book a couple more times before I had to return the discs to the library.  I like Brandon Mull's Fablehaven Series better than this book, but it was still an enjoyable read.

Beyond the Grave (The 39 Clues #4)

Title: Beyond the Grave

Author: Jude Watson

Pages: 192

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The search for the 39 Clues continues with Dan and Amy Cahill zipping from Japan to Egypt to search for the next clue within one of the many ancient tombs.

My Review: I thought this was the best book of the series so far (but that's not saying a whole lot...). This one takes the kids throughout Egypt, which is always a fun country to read about.