The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle

Frederika Brenner’s visit to Cuba in the 19th Century is chronicled in this touching children’s book. Written entirely in verse, each chapter alternatives point of view from four different people. Fredericka, the foreign visitor. Cecilia, the slave girl. Elena, the plantation owner’s daughter. Beni, Cecilia’s husband and father of her yet unborn child. Brenner is Sweden’s first female novelist and one of the first woman’s rights activists. This book is based on her journal and sketchbook from her visit to Cuba.

Each chapter touches on a number of elements regarding slavery and women’s rights. Told from the various perspectives, the book sheds new meanings and understandings in how change is a ripple effect between people. It cannot be forced, but is observed and repeated.

although a quick read, it is by no means an easy read. Engle’s poetry still gets the message across about the horrors, terrors and hypocrisies that encompassed the practice of slavery. The blind-eye by the magistrates, the dollar amount to free a person from slavery, forced marriages (for slaves and plantation daughters as well). There is so much contained in this little book, its sort of incredible how Engle fit in so much with so few words.

Frederika and I

feel like heroines in a story,

following people around

buying captive fireflies and setting them free.

With the Swedish lady

kneeling beside us in church,

I beging to wonder how much my wife

will have changed

by spending so much time

in the company of the stranger

from the land of the North Star.

Wings on Things by March Brown

Age: Beginning Reader (K-2nd Grade)

Bright and Early Books, 1982

ISBN: 0394851307 / 26 pages

Marc Brown’s Wings on Things is a wonderful beginning reader. It’s a story in rhyme about all the different creatures and objects with wings, and those that never have wings. The book has a wonderful pace to it. Although it doesn’t have a story, it does go over concepts like sizes, speed, location, and colors. It’s a well-rounded book with lots of elements told in a fun way.

Wings flutter and flap

and they make things go.

Some go high ans some go low.

SOme fly fast and some fly slow.

…

Wings come in twos,

like twins and shoes.

Marc Brown has written a number of children’s books, particularly the Arthur series which is also a hit TV show.

Joe on the Go by Peggy Perry Anderson

Age: Beginning Reader (1-3rd grade)

Houghton Mifflin, 2007

ISBN: 9780618773312 / 32 pages

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Joe is on the loose looking for someone to play with during a family gathering at the park. Joe tries everything from skateboards to roller skates to bikes. He asks his uncles, aunts and parents to play, but is turned down by each one. Will he find anyone to play with?

This book is definitely better for kids in kindergarten and first grade. The text is simple couplets in small font on each page. The rhymes give the book a fast-paced feel that matches Joe’s emotions and experiences at the family party.

Then he sat down and began to bawl.

“Too fast, too slow, too big, too small.

No one will go with me at all!”

I think young children can relate to Joe, especially when older siblings and cousins refuse to play with them (I know from experience how sucky that can be, being one of the youngest in my set of cousins.) In the end, Joe finds an unlikely partner to play with, and I’m really happy with the ending.  The illustrations are wonderful too. With the text taking up so little room, the pictures are very large and help tell the story, especially in relaying the emotions of Joe and his family. This is a good transition book for children from the larger picture books to smaller books.

Age: Beginning reader (1-3rd grade)

Harper Collins, 1992

ISBN: 9780060201067 / 64 pages

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American mouse detectives Rollo and Tweedy are sent to Lord Dougal’s estate in Scotland to solve the mystery of a ghost that is haunting the castle and scaring the residents.

This book is wonderfully cute and quirky. The illustrations are done by the author and they reveal a few unsaid elements in the book. For instance, the author doesn’t state that Rollo and Tweedy are in Scotland, but you can tell because Mr. Dougal is wearing a kilt. The writing also has a nice flow. The font is large for new readers, and there is plenty of dialogue and guessing to keep the reader engaged. There are a few red herrings and twists in the book, which I think young kids will enjoy reading.

That night Rollo and Tweedy

hid and watched for the ghost.

“There is goes!” Cried Rollo.

“Let’ follow it,” said Tweedy.

Rollo and Tweedy are part of a mystery and detective series for beginning readers. The writing is clever and engaging. The illustrations are in warm tones and tend to dominate the page as well as fully illustrate and clarify the text. A lot is said in the subtle changes of expressions in the characters. I think kids can read this book a number of times and find something new to learn from it.

Bones and the Cupcake Mystery by David Adler, illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman

Age: Beginning Reader (1st-2nd grade)

Viking, 2005

ISBN: 9780142411476 / 32 pages

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Jeffrey Bones is not your typical kid. He’s a detective who solves mysteries. When his friend’s spinach noodle cupcake goes missing during lunch, Jeffrey is on a mission to solve the case.

This book is a fun and quick mystery read for beginning readers. It is broken into 5 chapters, each chapter is about 5-8 pages. Each page has illustrations that help clarify the text. The text itself is written as short and quick sentences and is repetitive. The font is also smaller, allowing more words to be fit onto a page.

We read in class,

and Mr. Gale taught us math.

Math is about numbers.

Then he gave us homework.

I wish the writing had a more fluid flow. It’s very choppy.  The illustrations are beautifully done by Barbara Johansen Newman. Each picture is in a bright and lively shades of purples, pinks, blues and greens. I love the portrayal of Not-Me-Amy and her frizzy hair. I love the idea of a spinach noodle cupcake. There is even a section at the end on how to make spinach noodle cupcakes.

For the kids that like Bones, there are a number of books in the series. Adler has also penned the Young Cam Jansen series, a supplementory read that will lead kids to the Cam Jansen series when they go up a couple of grades.

Liesl & Po (Lauren Oliver)

In the city of Dirge, the sun hasn’t shone in over 1,700 days. Liesl, a young girl & newly turned orphan, is locked away in the attic by her evil stepmother. Will, also an orphan and a make-shift indentured servant to the city’s alchemist, visits Liesl’s house nearly every night for a glimpse of her through the attic window. After having mistaken a box of ashes (Liesl’s father) with a box of the most powerful magic in the world, Will is forced to leave Dirge to escape the wrath of the alchemist and the wicked Lady Premiere. On the way, he encounters Liesl and Po (a friendly spirit from the Other World) who are also escaping from Liesl’s stepmother. The trio embark on an incredible journal to restore Liesl’s father’s ashes to its rightful place and escape from the clutches of evil that dominate their worlds. 

My summary doesn’t really convey the wonder and magic held in the pages of this book. In the middle of reading Liesl & Po, I questioned my husband on why I can’t stand to read adult fantasy or sci-fi (unless it’s penned by Neil Gaiman), but I devour children’s fantasy books like cookies. He said it’s because children’s fantasy books are wonderous, whereas adult fantasy is filled with politics. In my opinion, most adult fantasy books try to hard to create “another world” and there is nothing wonderous about those worlds.

This book, for all intents and purposes, is wonderous. It is Charles Dickens meets Lewis Carroll. It is penned by well-known YA author Lauren Oliver. This book was written as a form of therapy for the author after a close friend of hers passed away. The elements of facing death, pulling yourself out of the shadows and moving on are very strong in this book. They are told in a way that young children can easily read and relate too. It’s not preachy and it’s not over the top. The bad guys (the alchemist and Lady Premiere) are really, really bad, like Count Olaf bad. The good guys are well-meaning if a little bit goofy (Mo). 

The other element I like about this is that it doesn’t talk down to its readers. The audience base is 8-12, and that is very accurate. Although the story is seemingly simple, Oliver’s writing is full of meanings, metaphors, and beautiful descriptions of sadness, eternity, death and friendship. If this was my own copy I would have most of the book either underlined or re-written in a quote journal.

People could push and pull at you, and poke you, and probe as deep as they could go. They could even tear you apart, bit by bit. But at the heart and root and soul of you, something would remain untouched.

I think this is a standalone book, but I wish it could be part of a series. I really fell for the characters. Will (the Oliver Twist of the story), and Liesl (the Alice in Wonderland + Cinderella) make for an interesting duo. Po & Bundle are vague and fuzzy in the book, as they are meant to be residing in the Other Side where everything is vague and fuzzy.

I also have to make a note of Kei Acedera’s illustrations in this book. The pencil sketches accurately reflect the darkness and gray shadows that are cast over the city of Dirge. The book trailer is absolutely beautiful, if you get a chance to watch it.

In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth

On the eve of her 16th birthday, Erin has to deal with some serious changes in her life. Although her mother died when she was just two, Erin’s dad is finally ready to settle down and marry his girlfriend of three years. Despite Erin’s frustration with this news, she receives from her dad a worn copy of her mother’s diary. With only a lightly packed backpack, her mother’s diary and well-worn and loved copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, Erin sets off from Minnesota to Monroeville, Alabama with the hopes of meeting the reclusive author of the book that so strongly connects Erin to her mother, Harper Lee.

As a book for tweens/early teens, I really enjoyed this book. I think the cover will probably scare off potential readers, but hopefully they’ll be able to get past that. Erin does not fit in with her family. She has two athletic older brothers and her dad is dating a volleyball coach. All Erin wants to do is cuddle up somewhere cozy to read and write stories.

With a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird as her only link to her deceased mother, Erin is determined to meet Harper Lee, no matter what it takes. Along the way, Erin meets a series of characters that help her turn the long bus ride into  more of an internal and emotional journey.

Despite the neatly wrapped up ending, I think this is a great book for kids, as well as fans of To Kill A Mockingbird. There are many references made to the book and its characters. Erin is often comparing herself to Scout and trying to decide how Scout would handle a situation. I think teachers could push this title as a great supplemental read when reading Harper Lee’s classic.

The book is short, only a light 181 pages, so it doesn’t require much committment. Its set in the 80s, and Ellsworth did a great job of keeping the historical references accurate. The book focuses a lot on loss and forgiveness, with fellow passengers sharing their stories and experiences with Erin. Most of the book takes place on the bus from Minnesota to Alabama. Ellsworth did a fantastic job of describing the dull, depressing atmosphere of bus depots as well as the exhaustion from travelling for 12+ hours.

Reading this book really just made me want to reread To Kill A Mockingbird. I haven’t read that book in well over a dozen years, and I think I saw the movie farther back than I read the book. It is a story I always think about though. Atticus Finch is the personification of honesty, integrity and dignity in my mind.

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

Find this book at your local library

Four girls with seemingly nothing in common are drafted to join a mother-daughter book club in their small community in Concord, Mass. Spanning the course of a year, the girls read Little Women because the author was born and raised in their hometown. Along the way, the girls forge new friendships, rekindle old, forgotten friendships, and learn to live a little more bravely each day.

Each chapter is told through the perspective of one of the four girls: Emma (the librarian’s overweight daughter), Jess (Emma’s best friend, shy, but musically talented), Megan (formerly best friends with Emma, left to join the popular girls at school) and Cassidy (the tomboy daughter of a formerly famous supermodel).

Although many of the experiences the girls face are realistic, in regards to bullying, crushes, and body image issues, etc. I did find it sort of unrealistic that one mothers is a former world-famous supermodel, while the other is now a famous celebrity on a soap opera, Heartbeats. It felt like there were too many big personalities for such a small town. 

I also thought the end was really sugary-sweet with the happy endings. Cavity inducing sugary-sweet. To be fair, only the last couple chapters of the book were that sweet. The girls, their experiences, and the parental interactions all felt very realistic, and approachable.

The writing style reminded me a lot of the Babysitter’s Club and Ann M. Martin’s creation of a small town in New England. There are currently four books in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series, each book focusing on a different classic. The sequel to this one has the girls reading Anne of Green Gables.

I think this book is a great vehicle for steering young readers towards the classics. In this book, each of the four girls could see themselves as one of the March girls, and would implement the personalities of the March sisters into their everyday lives. Jo was the biggest source of inspiration for all the girls. 

I can see a lot of potential for a book like this. This can be read alongside the classics it discusses and parents can start their own mother-daughter book clubs or reading clubs.

George and Martha: Full of Surprises by James Marshall

Age: Beginning Reader (K-1st grade)

Genre: Humor

Houghton Mifflin, 1976

9780547144214 / 29 pages

Find this book at your local library 

One day, George surprises Martha with a big scare. Now he’s left to wonder and wait if Martha will try to scare him back.

The George and Martha books are such a delight to read, even though they were written in 1976. The illustrations are simple, and are placed on every other page. The script is short, filled with dialogue. Marshall does a great job of introducing new vocabulary and concepts in his books. I think the kids that enjoy the George and Martha books will definitely enjoy the Elephant and Piggy books by Mo Willems and the Harold and Mudge books as well.

Damian Drooth Supersleuth: Under Cover by Barbara Mitchelhill

Age: Easy Reader (2nd grade)

Genre: Mystery

Stone Arch Books, 2011

9781434216380 / 67 pages

Find this book at your local library 

Damian Drooth is forced to spend his spring break vacation at the Green Park Vacation Village because his mom is filling in for the sick chef of the camp. Although upset about going, Damian is cheered up when a mystery of the stolen bike lands in his lap. He does his best to solve the crime, even though he creates a mess along the way.

This book is a step up from Nate The Great, and a step below the Encyclopedia Brown books. The sentences are short and direct. There isn’t much time or script devoted to description. Some of the story is jumpy, and that makes it feel rushed. The illustrations by Tony Ross are fun, and are scattered throughout the book. The book is broken into 9 short chapters of about 5-6 pages.