William discovers that an evil physicist, Bruno Ashburton, has invented a machine which can change words on the printed page without physically touching the document. Birth certificates, books, wills, newspapers-- Bruno can, and does, change them all for his own purposes. William is horrified to learn that the machine is based on his own dead father's research. He and his mother, Martha, steal the machine and set off on a cross-country trek to get help. Things are complicated by the machine's radioactive nature, a stowaway in their trailer, and the powerful organization for which Bruno is working. One added complication: Bruno is married to William's mother.
Science fiction and traditional chase/suspense combine in this novel for readers grade 5 and up. Also of interest is the philosophical question: what is the value of an immutable printed page?
The Darlings, a porcelain doll family of six, reside in an English toyshop and wait to be bought. They long for a child of their own, for dolls truly come alive only when a child plays with them. In the same shop are Amanda Miranda and Revely, a china brother-and-sister doll set. Amanda Miranda wishes desperately to be part of the Darling family, and her dream apparently comes true when The American Lady purchases both the Darlings and the two small china dolls. Mr. and Mrs. Darling welcome the brother and sister warmly, but Emma, the eldest daughter, holds herself aloof. "They are mass-produced," she sniffs.
Their new home is full of adventure and danger. The American Lady is nice, but she is an adult, and Mrs. Darling in particular worries about getting a real child.
Justine Rendal covers largely familiar territory here in a story which makes an engaging read-aloud for children ages 5 and up (R.L. gr. 3/4). The book's unique character lies in what is essentially an adoption story, as Amanda Miranda and Revely join the Darling family.
Joris is eleven years old in 1944 during the German occupation of Holland. The country is divided between those who collaborate with the Germans and those who resist them, either as individuals or through the Underground movement. When Joris finds a pilot who has been shot down by German gunfire, he hides him in the Winged Watchman, a non-electrified windmill, feeding and clothing him with the aid and support of his family. His father, who is a miller, has a chance to prove the value of a wind-driven mill in times of crisis. His mother feeds countless refugees and takes in three homeless little girls as her own. One is a Jewish child whose family had hidden in their garden until the Nazi officers had taken them away. His uncle is active in the Underground and proves to be instrumental in helping the injured pilot escape from Holland. Says Mother, at the end of the war, "We did have one thing during the war that kept us going: we felt responsible for our neighbors, and I don't think we need lose that."
This is a story of family affection and responsibility, and of the humor and tragedy of living through the crisis of a war-torn country. For ages 9 and up.
In this first of a series of picture books, young Tim longs to go to sea. His parents, of course, think he is too young, but they are willing to let him accompany retired sailor Captain McPhee in his motorboat when he goes out to visit a steamship anchored in the bay. Tim stows away, is found out after they put out to sea, and nearly goes down with the ship in a great storm. Not at all put off by this misadventure, Tim continues his career in subsequent books, encountering storms and fogs and even pirates.
Ardizzone gives young readers a splendid introduction to the danger, excitement, romance, and drudgery of the seafaring life with matter-of-fact text and his distinctive pen-and-ink watercolors. For readers and listeners ages 4 to 8.
When Edward and Eleanor Hall discover a hidden room in their old house in Concord, Massachusetts, they also uncover a family mystery. Some twenty years before, two children disappeared from the very same room. Now, through a series of dreams, Edward and Eleanor follow Ned and Nora along the same path they took when they vanished. The clues scratched on a keyhole-shaped window will lead them on a treasure hunt for the lost children, great treasures, and a missing Indian prince. Also appearing: several of Concord's past famous citizens, including Henry Thoreau and the Alcott family.
Backwards English, transcendentalism, Concord history, and a likeable family with some eccentricities are among the elements which make this a fantasy to read and reread. For ages 10 and up.
This is Singer's second collection of short stories for children. It includes a miser who bargains with five sages of Chelm for immortality; the story of Lemel and Tzipa, who are very foolish indeed but become "a match made in heaven"; a mirror that creates havoc, especially for a cat and dog; an autobiographical story about a writer who sees wonders at every turn; and the title story about a travelling bookseller and his horse, who find they cannot wander forever.
Singer's wit and wisdom create a gem of a book and one easily read by children age 9 and up.
A young African-American boy makes a special hiding place so he can wait for his father to come home from a month's absence. He and his mother finally agree that he can wait in the "big chair" until dawn when his father comes home. When his father arrives he is "the man with the strong brown face who looks at him a long long time, picks him up, and carries him to bed."
There is sensitivity and tenderness in this portrayal of parents who are both sympathetic and understanding of a small child's feelings of loss and anticipation.
Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Twenty-six poems explore rooms real and imaginary as the author moves alphabetically from "Attic" to "Zoo". Using a variety of poetic forms, and voices ranging from humorous to spooky to matter-of-fact, Sylvia Cassedy shows readers new ways to look at places and spaces. Many of the poems may bring stories to mind: "Widow's Walk" can lead to Natalie Babbitt's The Eyes of the Amaryllis; "Parlor" to Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy ; and "Haunted Room" to L.M. Boston's Green Knowe books.
Readers ages 8 and up will appreciate the tour.
When a mother hen asks her little chicken to go berry hunting, he cheerfully takes his basket on a search for wild blackberries. "This time," she pleads, "Please keep your mind on what you are doing." Along the way he meets a frog, a cow, a bee, and a robin who, though seemingly leading him astray, help him find the berries and bring them home. Little Chicken proudly announces that "it's easy to remember if you really try" as he proudly shows his mother the berries.
The illustrations by Jim Arnosky are a perfect match for the text in this humorous picture book which is just right for ages 2 to 5.
Andy Buckram, "an inventive boy," builds four battery-operated robots out of tin cans and other odds and ends. The robots are occasionally useful, but for the most part they are just mechanical toys. Then a huge storm electrifies the tin men, floods the countryside, and strands Andy and his robots in a turkey shed! The five make their escape by boat, rescue Andy's friend Sparrow and Andy's baby cousin Dot, and come to rest on a not-quite-deserted island. On the island, each of the tin men proves meritorious and is suitably rewarded. The ending is happy but most unexpected.
Brink's fantasy is full of adventure and humor, and does not seem altogether farfetched: after all, anything is possible for an inventive boy. For independent readers ages 9 and up; great fun for listeners ages 6 and up.
This is the story of Nathan Fowler who has the courage to confront the evil Weasel in the dense forest of Ohio in 1839. Weasel is a cold-blooded murderer, killing for sport; Nathan, an eleven-year-old boy.
A gritty, dramatic, and "skinny" read for nine- through thirteen-year-olds.
Baby Bear describes his good times and bad in a series of fifteen poems. Momma Bear, Poppa Bear, and good friend Goldie are featured prominently, and "Porridge" takes pride of place as the very first poem in the book.
Playfulness, strong rhythm, and lots of repetition make this delightful to read aloud to children ages 2 and up. Jane Dyer's colored pencil and watercolor illustrations combine wallpaper backgrounds with bordered pictures resembling snapshots; the occasional escape from the frame adds to the book's irrepressible good humor.
An old dark mansion. A stormy night. A tiny attic room. Five classmates find a hidden diary. This little book is not what it appears to be. It is more: The story of five children who discover just how much they have in common by courageously sharing stories of their changing lives and families.
British award-winner Anne Fine (author of Alias Madam Doubtfire) allows each character to speak in a distinctive voice, each telling a story both heartbreakingly familiar and completely new. Readers aged 10 and up sill find themselves drawn in by the spooky beginning and held by the first-rate storytelling.
Smith, a young pickpocket, steals from an old man. Seconds later, he witnesses the man's murder, and realizes that he has stolen the very thing for which the man was murdered: a document. Why? Smith can't read it. He decides to find someone to teach him to read so that he can use his acquisition to his advantage. Unfortunately, while he is looking for a teacher, the murderer is looking for him.
Set in London's past, when highwaymen and hangings were commonplace, Smith is both a mystery and a hair-raising adventure. The plot is as full of twists and turns as the streets. Readers ages 10 and up will willingly follow Smith through both.
Like many of Noel Streatfeild's characters, the four Forum children of Apple Bough are prodigiously talented: Sebastian is a gifted and famous violinist, Wolfgang a budding movie star, and Ethel a ballet dancer; their mother is an artist and their father a pianist, who see nothing but good for their children in a life of touring from concert to concert and city to city, living in rented flats and hotel rooms. The value of such a cosmopolitan life, and the importance of nurturing artistic talent are given, as usual by Streatfeild, their full and proper weight. Apple Bough, however, is not really about the importance of art and artistic talent, but about the importance of home and the value of a talent for homemaking, a talent possessed by the fourth Forum child, Myra, whose heroic project is to find for her family a fixed and settled home, perhaps even one like they used to enjoy in their old country house at Apple Bough.
A enlightening and thoroughly engaging book for sympathetic and ambitious readers aged 9 and up.
Once, long ago on St. Nicholas Day, Francis Vere asked two boys and a girl what their big sister would like for Christmas. "Something romantic," the Kitsons replied, "--something imaginative--something original." They were all pleasantly surprised when Francis turned up on Christmas day with a tame partridge in a small pear tree--very original, they agreed. The next day, St. Stephen's Day, Francis sent--very romantic--two turtle doves (also another partridge in another pear tree). Things started getting out of hand, however, on St.John the Evangelist's Day, when Francis sent three French hens, two more turtledoves, another partridge in another tree (he always did like to buy in bulk), two coops for the hens, tow men to fix them up, nesting boxes, a bale of straw, a sack of corn, and ground-up sea shells. On Holy Innocents' Day, four calling birds arrived....
In a wonderfully amusing novel, Jenny Overton suggests how "The Twelve Days of Christmas" might have become a matter of song. Christmas customs and carols play a large part in the story, making it a good holiday read-aloud for the entire family. (Listeners ages 7 and up; readers ages 10 and up.)
Last revised 17 May 1997