Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon by Paula Danziger

Book Title: Amber Brown is Not a Crayon
Author: Paula Danziger
Audiobook Narrator: Alica Witt
Book Series: Amber Brown series
Reading Level: early middle-grade (3rd through 4th grade)
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Content Rating: G

I've seen the Amber Brown books around since my days of working in the Children's Department of my local library (that was 1999, by the way). I never thought to pick them up. At 18, they were not high on my interest-level list. 

But I'm a mom now, and I have a 3rd grader. So I read a lot of middle-grade and YA. A friend gave me 3 bins of old books a year or so ago, and two Amber Brown books were inside! So I gave them a try (actually I did audio for time purposes). Well I loved the books! The first 3, at least (that's all I've listened to).

Amber Brown is in 3rd grade with her best friend Justin Daniels. Aside from her parents' recent separation (and her dad's job moving him to Paris for a year), life is pretty good. Amber and Justin help each other with school, hang out at recess, and save chewed gum to their joint chewed gumball. But Justin's dad has taken a new job in Alabama, and now their house has sold. Nothing will ever be the same again. 

So I'm actually grateful I never picked this up before now. Because I'd have probably forgotten all about it if I'd read it years ago. But this is perfect for my daughter right now. We currently live in Alabama, but we're moving to a new state soon. My husband, in fact, has gone ahead to start his new job, much like Justin's dad in the story. I'm hoping this book might help my daughter not feel quite so alone in this big move. 

Anyway, cute and fun and quick early middle-grade about growing up and learning that life changes. And the audio was well done too! Also recommend You Can't Eat Your Chicken Pox, Amber Brown and Amber Brown Goes Fourth.

The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman

Book: The Dark Hills Divide
Author: Patrick Carman
Series: The Land of Elyon
Reading Level: Middle-grade (I'd recommend for 5th to 7th)
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Content Rating: PG

Alexa is 12 years old when she travels with her father to Bridewell. She's lived her whole life behind the walls that protect the major cities from the mysterious and dangerous things in the Dark Hills. She's curious, though, about what lies beyond those walls. So when a chance presents itself to find out, she takes it. She learns about some sinister plots and a traitor in the city.  Soon she isn't sure who to trust. 

Well. I'm torn. I had really high hopes for this one. And while it doesn't have bad language or any obviously inappropriate content, there were things that really bug me about it. And I'm hesitant to give the go-ahead to my 8 year old at this point. For one thing, Alexa, the main character, does a lot of lying. She's very sneaky, and while this is practically required to further the story, it bugs me. I also found one of the characters very creepy. And yeah, he's supposed to be her nemesis, so he's written to be that way, but I felt uncomfortable with an adult character whose interactions with a child were what they are in the book, at least initially. The character's name doesn't do him any favors either. 

For me as a reader, the book also felt really unbelievable. I can let that go, though, as I'm obviously not the target audience. That said, I think there are many middle-grade reads that are well-developed and believable (even in the fantasy genre) even for adult readers. 

I did like the author's message about the walls we build and whether or not we should. 

In the end, I have decided we'll keep the book on our shelves and give it a couple years. This is strictly my feelings for my kids, and others may feel differently. 

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

 

Book Title: Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Author: Beverly Cleary
Book Series: Ramona Quimby series
Reading Level: middle-grade (3rd through 5th grade)
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Content Rating: G
Tidbit: Eight-year old Ramona Quimby is just trying to survive 3rd grade and do as well as she possibly can at the job she's been assigned in her family.

Third grade isn't for wimps! Just ask Ramona Quimby. When Ramona's father decides to quit his job and go back to school, some things in the Quimby household have to change. Ramona's biggest responsibility is getting along with 4 year old Willa Jean, the granddaughter of the woman who watches Ramona and her sister after school. It's not a job Ramona enjoys. She also doesn't enjoy the cheaper meat her mom prepares for meals; nor her new classmate, whom she refers to as Yard Ape. When Ramona overhears something her teacher says after an egg-fad gone wrong, Ramona is sure this will be the worst year ever. She'll soon learn, however, that there are bright spots on even the cloudy days. 

So I loved this book! I dont think I ever read it when I was young. But I'm glad my daughter did! There were a few parts that made me chuckle out loud. I loved seeing things from an 8 year old's perspective. True, I was 8 once. But that was a very long time ago, and I don't remember how things felt. It was good to be reminded that the things that are hard for my daughter right now may not be hard for me, but they ARE hard for her! I also could identify so well with Ramona's parents, now that I'm of that general age.

My daughter loved this book. She is continuing the series (though I know now that this is book 6... oops).

April 2022 Mom & Me Book Club: Ramona Quimby, Age 8

 

Because this is my daughter's last full month of being 8 years old, I thought it'd be fun for us to read Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary for our Mom & Me Book Club!  I'm so glad I did.  I don't know if I read this when I was around 8 or not.  I mean, I've known it existed for as long as I can remember (I was born in 1980, and this book was originally published in 1981, so it's been around for as long as I can remember ;)).  Yet I can't recall ever reading it on my own.  

Well, I loved it!  I will write more about that in my review.  But I loved it.  And so did my daughter!  She is now wanting to read the whole series.  Turns out this one is #6 in the series, which I didn't realize.

We had a lovely little book club meeting.  And we even included my 6 year old son, since his siblings were napping and I know he gets bored.  Plus, he told me he read a little bit of it too (I'm guessing the first few pages, since he remembered that Beezus and Ramona are watched in the afternoons by a grandmotherly lady).  We enjoyed graham crackers and apple juice -- the after school snack Ramona has to eat every day at Mrs. Kemp's house after school.  And we had white chocolate Reese's eggs, since it's just after Easter and I actually had some!  And because we weren't going to have raw eggs to match the cover.  LOL.  

Here were the questions I asked and we discussed:

What did you think of Ramona Quimby, Age 8?

What was your favorite part of the book?

This book was written in 1981, and a lot of things have changed since then... do you think this is a book that stands the test of time (can be popular even after 40 years)?

Do you think Ramona's job in her family (to get along with Willa Jean) was a fair one for her? Or was it too much to ask?

What did you think about the egg fad? Would you be an egg rapper or an egg whacker? Are there fads at your school?

What did you think about the kind stranger at the end? Do you think things like that happen in real life?

I appreciated the opportunity to talk about fads and whether or not to follow along.  While the egg fad was no big deal (well, Ramona might disagree!), I was able to talk to my kids about more recent fads in our society which weren't so innocuous.  Like the tide pod challenge fad.  It was a great way to talk about thinking things through and not being afraid to say, "No I'm not doing that."  I also loved that I already knew the answer from both my kids about whether they'd be an egg rapper/tapper or an egg whacker.  Ha!  I have one of each (of the two who were at our book club), and I knew who would choose what!  I'm a total egg tapper.  

I also loved our discussion about the kind stranger at the end of the book.  When I asked if they thought those kinds of things happen still today, they kind of had to stop and think about it for a bit.  My daughter decided that it could if people wanted to.  I was so glad I could share examples of it actually happening in our day too.  There is still so much good in this world and in people.  And I loved that our discussion could touch on that!

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

Book Title: Xenocide
Author: Orson Scott Card
Book Series: Ender's Saga (book 3 of 9 total works)
Reading Level: Young Adult (YA) (but it felt like an adult book to me)
My Rating: 3/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG-13 for some language and mature themes
Tidbit: When humans feel threatened by the happenings on the faraway planet of Lusitania, they send a device to destroy the whole planet and all species on it.  Andrew "Ender Wiggins" and others on Lusitania must find a way to prevent this xenocide.

On the planet of Lusitania, a human colony has begun to build. They discovered a sentient species there, one with whom they also eventually discovered they could communicate and come to understand. This species is called the pequeninos, because they are small pig-like animals. The survival of the pequenino species depends on a virus the humans call the descolada. While it is vital for the pequeninos to live and reproduce, it's detrimental to humans. The only way the humans have survived being infected by the virus is by consuming food with antivirals in it daily. But the virus is smart and adapts quickly. It's only a matter of time before the virus can mutate faster than the humans can create a new antidote. As such, the humans in the Starways Congress have decided to destroy Lusitania to protect the rest of humanity from the descolada. A fleet has been dispatched with a device that will wipe out the planet and every living creature on it. Now those on Lusitania, humans and pequeninos alike with some help from the Buggers, the species which Ender almost annihilated 3000 years previously, must race against time to find a way to destroy the descolada without destroying the pequeninos AND prove that the Starways Congress has been responsible for it all.

This book is very philosophical. Which I should have known after reading book 2. That's not a bad thing. It just requires more thought than I was ready to give it. So many things to think about regarding relationships and science, and I think there are a lot of religious overtones as well. The author has a gift for creating a very complex story. The details are phenomenal. And there's some convoluted kind of stuff. Like I couldn't even begin to describe it all here because it's kind of crazy.

Now to decide if I should read the 4th in the series (according to publication date)... if I do, it won't be any time soon. My brain is tired.

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer

 

Book: Defy the Night
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Audiobook Performers: Christopher Ragland and Lexie McDougal
Series: Defy the Night (Book 1 of 2 currently announced/published)
Reading Level: Young Adult
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Content Rating: PG-13 for some language, steamy scenes, violence
Tidbit: In the Kingdom of Kandala, a sickness rages.  Tessa, an apprentice apothecary, tries to help the poorer people get the medicine they need amidst political turmoil.
Quote: "I keep my eyes fixed ahead, on the flickering torches of the arch, watching how embers fall in tiny bursts, defying the night before burning out in the water below."

Tessa is an apothecary's apprentice in The Wilds. Though officially she makes tinctures and salves for skin conditions and other such minor maladies; in her off time, she and her friend Wes are smuggling an elixir made from stolen moon flower petals to the less affluent people of Kandala so they can survive while a sickness rages. Ever since watching her parents die at the hand of the night patrol, she's loathed King Harriston and Prince Corrick, the King's Justice. 

Meanwhile, in the palace, King Harriston and Prince Corrick have problems of their own. With moon flowers not in abundant supply, they rely heavily on certain areas of the kingdom to provide the life-saving petals. Smugglers are starting to attack the supply trains, and the King and his Justice will have to make examples of any who are caught to send a message. 

This YA fantasy is well-done, and I enjoyed it. I generally love books with dual perspectives, and this one did not disappoint. I listened to the audio, which was read by two people. I'm not going to lie: when Christopher Ragland was reading the dialogue for Tessa, I kind of cringed and had a hard time taking it seriously. In that respect, I think I would have enjoyed the hard copy more. But the story itself was good and engaging. I'll definitely read the next one (the cover has been revealed for it, so I'm guessing it'll be out soon-ish). 

There is some language, a steam level below Twilight (and though the romance aspect definitely plays a part in the story, there's much more to the story than that), and some pretty descriptive violence for a YA (in my opinion), but far less than in the Ember in the Ashes series (which is a series I loved).

I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79, A.D. by Lauren Tarshis

 

Book Title: I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79 A.D.
Author: Lauren Tarshis
Book Series: I Survived (this one is book 10 out of 21 currently published)
Reading Level: middle-grade
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Content Rating: G (no concerns, though there are more mature themes present, such as slavery and gladiator violence mentioned)

I really love this book series! They are short (about 100 pages) historical fiction stories about kid characters who survive the various disasters. What a FANTASTIC way to introduce historical events to young readers. Home-schooling has long been a consideration for our family, and I feel like it may be coming sooner than later. I am almost positive this series will play a role in our history curriculum!

This particular book is about Marcus, a young slave boy in Pompeii. He was separated from his father, who was sold away 2 months before. In recent days, the city has been experiencing tremors and rumbling. While most simply endure the brief shakings and move on with life, believing its just the beast asleep in the mountain, Marcus has reason to believe there's more to it. When his dad miraculously arrives in the city as a Gladiator contender, his beliefs are affirmed. Now he must free his father and they must both escape before the "beast" inside Mount Vesuvius awakes.

Mario and the Stones by Katy Sloop Roberts

Book Title: Mario and the Stones
Author: Katy Sloop Roberts
Series: Luna and Fortuna
Reading Level: early middle-grade
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Content Rating: G

Superstitious Mario has broken a mirror and anticipates many years of bad luck. Mario is also grouchy and lazy, and the result is people shy away from him in every town. Hungry and bedraggled, he rests among olive trees. Thus he meets Luna, the owner of the trees; and her black cat Fortuna, who he studiously tried to avoid crossing. For trespassing, she requests he help her build a higher wall around her trees. She agrees to feed him while he works. Mario isn't very good at holding up his end of the bargain, but then, Luna and Fortuna have a few secrets too.

This is a cute and fast read, and it is full of great lessons to discuss with kids! Honesty, work ethic, integrity, choices and consequences... There are some great discussion starters here. My husband read this one a few weeks back, and he still talks to me about some of the things he found interesting in the book. 

I also love the inclusion of Italian words! What a fun way to introduce a language to young readers!

My daughter read this one and said she thought it was great!  I asked her what she learned from the book, and she said she learned being lazy doesn't pay.  She was also super excited to learn there is another book coming out all about Fortuna in April!

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

 

Book Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Book Series: Tales From Alcatraz (Book 1 of 4)
Reading Level: Middle-Grade (I'd recommend for upper)
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG
Tidbit:  Twelve-year old Moose Flanagan's family has just moved to Alcatraz Island where his dad is now a prison guard and electrician.  Moose will have to come to terms with all the growing up which will come along with the move.

"Now I understand. When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else."

The Flanagan family has moved to Alcatraz Island, home (though not by choice) of the infamous Al Capone who is a resident of the prison. Moose Flanagan, whose father has taken on employment as a prison guard, is 12. He misses his old home and his old friends, and nothing about this new situation seems ideal. But it's 1935, good jobs are scarce, and Moose's parents are desperate to get his older sister Natalie (who loves lemon cake and counting things) into the Esther P. Marinoff school in San Francisco, a school that specializes in children with special needs. Though none of this is what Moose wants, he will learn that he can make new friends (even if one of them is the warden's daughter Piper, with whom Moose has a confusing relationship), and he'll learn a lot about love and what you might do for those you love. 

I love this book. I first read it when I was in library school, and the ending just gave me all the warm fuzzies. It's a beautiful coming-of-age story about a boy who comes to terms with being the younger brother of an autistic sister (though at the time the story is set, there was no term or diagnosis for Natalie's behaviors). 

We read this as a family read-aloud. My kids really enjoyed it, and I love that it gave us opportunities to talk about autism and how important it is for us to be loving and kind when others act differently. And the ending gave me just as many warm fuzzies this time as it did 15 years ago. 

That said, there are some mature themes in the book, which also led to some important conversations (like protecting our bodies and recognizing if someone is doing something wrong and what to do). And some puberty-related aspects of boyhood. I would definitely recommend parents be aware of the themes. And I would recommend for solo reading for 12+. I personally did some censoring while reading aloud to my 4 kids.

This is book 1 of the series of 4. I've read them all, but this one is my favorite.

InvestiGATORS Take the Plunge

 

Book: InvestiGATORS Take the Plunge
Series: InvestiGATORS (book 2 of 5 currently published + 1 announced)
Author: John Patrick Green
Reading Level: Middle-Grade
Genre: Graphick Novel
My Rating: 5/5 Stars!
Content Rating: G (potty humor present)
Tidbit: Mango and Brash are the InvestiGATORS, and they may or may not be responsible for some of the chaos in the city they've now been tasked with fixing.

I LOVE THIS SERIES! It makes me laugh! And I love all the allusions to other things that I'm certain go right over kids' heads, but hit their parents (like me) right on the target (Aisle of Dr. Morrow). And I love the way the end of each book leads you right into the next one. I'm so glad I have numbers 3 and 4 on my shelf already, and number 5 was just published! I need to get that one!

In this fun story, Mango and Brash inadvertently cause catastrophic Combinotron chaos. While being tasked with finding their nemesis Crackerdile in the sewers (using their cool plumber V.E.S.T.s), they will also have to figure out how to uncombine all the strange combinations which are cropping up following a city-wide flood!

Prior to picking up this series, I was totally not a fan of graphic novels. Kudos to Mr. Green for making a believer out of me!

If potty humor bugs you, be aware there is some of that in here.

A Place Called Hope -- Philip Gulley

Backlist Review from 2016

Book: A Place Called Hope
Author: Philip Gulley
Series: Hope (Book 1) (Also reference Gulley's Harmony series)
My Star Rating: 2/5 stars
Tidbit: A new chapter of Pastor Sam Gardner's life as he begins preaching in a new church.  Lost the magic, for me, of the original Harmony series.
 

For 14 years, Sam Gardner has been the pastor at Harmony Friends Meeting in his small home-town of Harmony, Indiana. Nostalgia had returned him to his roots, and a desire to help the congregation kept him there.

But Sam's sons have grown up. And, quite frankly, after 14 years of dealing with the likes of Dale Hinshaw and Fern Hampton, Sam is fed up with Harmony Friends. He is unhappy and complains often to his wife, Barbara. The truth is, it's time for a change. But Sam isn't one to just walk away. So he stays. And he gripes. Until one day, on accident, he does something his congregation views as unforgivable: while filling in for a fellow pastor, he prays a blessing over a same-gender union. Now faced with being fired by the congregation he grew up with, Sam decides not to give them the pleasure and resigns.

Jobless and in no financial position to be so, Sam begins searching for a new job. Having been black-listed by the area's Quaker superintendent, Sam struggles to find a job and wonders if he ever will. But then there is Hope. Hope Friends Meeting has been searching for a new pastor for 3 years. And they have a hunch Sam may just be the right man for the job. And, suspecting nothing else will turn up anytime soon, Sam is inclined to believe them!


***It was okay. Worth the read, because I have read all the other Harmony books. But this one definitely has a different feel. I didn't get the warm fuzzies like I always did with the Harmony books. In fact, it seems as though Sam's character is quite different. Granted, a person will change over the years... It was just surprising. And a bit disappointing.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

 Book Title: Hatchet
Author: Gary Paulsen
Book Series: Brian's Saga (book 1)
Reading Level: middle-grade to Young Adult
My Content Rating: PG (recommend for more mature readers)
My Star Rating: 4/5 stars
Tidbit: Coming of age survival story geared toward upper-middle grade and younger YA readers.

I've seen this book around a lot over the years. Since my very first job was in the Children's Room of a public library, and then I continued in the library world for years after that, I probably shelved it a time or two. But until now, I'd never read it. I didn't even know what it was about, but it won a Newbery Honor award, so I figured it had to have some value to it.

Turns out it's a survival story.  And it was quite a ride! Brian Robeson is on his way to spend the summer with his dad for the first time following his parents' divorce. Brian is still trying to come to terms with all that has happened, including the secret he knows led to the divorce.  In the middle of the flight, which he alone shared with the pilot, somewhere over Canada, the pilot has a heart attack, and the plane goes down. Miraculously, Brian survives the crash, but can be survive in the wild alone until help arrives? 

I'm not going to lie, this book felt pretty stressful for me. I listened to it on audio, and the added musical aspects certainly added to the suspense and anxiety of the book for me. The reader, Peter Coyote, did a great job, and there were times I thought he reminded me of Tom Hanks (who I listened to reading The Dutch House by Anne Patchett last month, and I'll eventually get around to reviewing here).  Hatchet is a well-crafted novel, and I was very interested to know how it would end. It was also to awesome to watch the character growth. 

I don't feel like there are any major content concerns (though the secret is mature in nature). I would recommend for older middle-grade and YA. But that's based on my own readers. This book would freak my kids out at their current ages.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

Book: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Author: Betty MacDonald
Series: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series
Reading Level: Middle-grade (4th through 6th grade)
My Content Rating: G (ideal for all readers)
My Star Rating: 5/5 (as a read-aloud!)

This was our family's most recent read-aloud.  We loved it!  My kids are ages 8, 6, 4, and 2.  The 2 year old wasn't engaged much, but the other 3 thought this was such a fun story!

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside-down house, she adores children, and her late husband may have been a pirate who buried treasure in the backyard. Kids love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and love to hang out at her house. The neighborhood parents love her, because she has the perfect cure for every childhood "ailment" from won't-pick-up-toys-itis to the fighter-quarrelers disease (this one was our favorite chapter, by the way). Once the parents use Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's cures, life at home is perfect. 

Oh how my kids giggled!!! My 8 year old even said, "it looks like we need a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!" This was a perfect read-aloud!

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

Book: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

Series:  The Vanderbeekers #1

Author: Karina Yan Glaser

Reading Level: Middle-grade (4th to 6th grade)

My Content Rating: G

My Star Rating: 4/5

 

The Vanderbeekers have lived on 141st Street for a long as most of them can remember. All their ideas of the future include them living in their beloved brownstone. Thus, it comes as quite a shock when Mr. Beiderman, their grumpy landlord and top-floor neighbor informs them, 5 days before Christmas, that he will not be renewing their lease and they will need to move out by the end of the month. The children take this news particularly hard, but they set out to win Mr. Beiderman's favor so they can stay in their home. In the process, they all come to learn a little more about life, love, and what motivates people.

This was a cute, heart-warming middle-grade read! I love the growth of many of the characters and the lesson of coming to understand others, recognizing that others have pain and sorrow we don't know, and learning to show love to even the most unlovable.

No content concerns.

Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

 

Title: Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock
Author: Carolyn Keene
Reading Level: middle-grade
Movie rating equivalent (in my opinion): G

It was very interesting to read this as an adult. In my pre-teen years, I loved Nancy Drew and read all these original books. I didn't remember them seeming quite so unrealistic back then. But I was young, and they are certainly written for young girls. And I think they are perfect for readers moving from early chapter books into middle-grade books. So while I can't say I enjoyed the story as an adult, I 100% feel this series has merit and is still a great choice, and I'm so glad my daughter loved it and is now on the 3rd in the series!!

 

If I had to apply a movie rating to this book, I'd definitely rate it a G.  Though my daughter did say she felt anxious during a couple parts, it was nothing too scary.  And there certainly aren't any other content concerns with language, mature themes, or otherwise.  

Also, I may have known this before, but I forgot it: Carolyn Keene wasn't  a real person!! It was a pen name for a variety of writers over the years. It makes sense, of course, but I felt surprised when I googled it.