Good Night Gorilla

I've checked this book out at the library more times than I can count! I checked it out again, thinking that my two year old might be old enough to enjoy it- and he LOVED it! Mitchell laughs out loud every time we read it! He's been carrying it around all day.

Here is a review from the scholastic website:
In this practically wordless bedtime story, a weary zookeeper bids good night to his charges and then goes home to bed. He doesn't notice, however, that clever Gorilla has pickpocketed his keys and is letting the animals out of their cages, one by one. In single file, they follow the zookeeper home and settle into comfy spots all around the bedroom he shares with his wife. Finally, a chorus chiming "good night" alerts the zookeeper's wife, whose eyes pop open in surprise in the darkness. As the zookeeper sleeps, she walks the animals home, and her final "Good night, zoo" means business. But watch out - Gorilla has done it again, however this time only Mouse gets to come along.

As she did in her Caldecott Medal-winning Officer Buckle and Gloria, Peggy Rathmann uses her expressive, richly colored pictures to give young readers a joyful look at what animals might do when people's backs are turned. Observant children will find extra fun in poring over the illustrations to follow the progress of a released balloon into the sky, laugh at Mouse's valiant efforts to carry one of Gorilla's bananas from cage to cage to house, find the animals in the zookeeper's family photos, and note the appropriate toys each animal has to play with (. . . is that a Babar doll in the elephant cage?). Irrepressible fun for any time of day, Good Night, Gorilla is a gem of a picture book from an award-winning author and illustrator.

There are some fun lesson plan ideas at:
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/books/animals/wild/gngorilla.htm

Magyk

I just finished Magyk by Angie Sage. It's the first book in the Septimus Heap Series, and I actually really enjoyed it. (from an Amazon review)..."With a colorful cast of fully drawn characters, creative plots, and pure imagination and control over her world, Sage takes her first plunge into the world of children's' novels and succeeds wonderfully. It's not the magic that makes Magyk such a great novel, it's the characters. Readers will race along with the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of the quirky main characters of Jenna (a girl who just might be Queen), Boy 412 (a mysterious child from the young Army), Marcia (The very fashionable Extraordinary Wizard), and Nicko (Jenna's brother and sailor)."
The book was a bit predictable, but I thought it was a lot of fun. I wouldn't compare it to Harry Potter... but thought it a great read for middle school age readers and above. There is a fun website if you want to find out more about this series:
http://www.septimusheap.com/

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I just finished this book and thought it was pretty great. It is a wonderful story, but a little slow in places. I agree with the review that the book could have been shortened easily. However, I am the kind of person who loves to read thick books and this didn't bother me too much. It is another book that is sort of old fashioned and a little "Roald Dahlish". It has that same sort of flavor. Anyway, it's worth checking out.

Review from Amazon.com:

*Starred Review* "Are you a gifted child looking for Special Opportunities?" This curious newspaper ad catches the eye of orphan Reynie Muldoon. After taking exams that test both mind and spirit, Reynie is selected along with four other contestants--Sticky Washington, a nervous child with a photographic memory; irrepressible Kate Weatherhill; and a tiny child who lives up to her name, Constance Contraire. The children soon learn they've been chosen by mysterious Mr. Benedict for an important mission: they are to infiltrate the isolated Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, from which messages of distrust and compliance are being broadcast into the minds of the world's citizens. Debut novelist Stewart takes some familiar conventions--among them, an orphan struggling against evil forces (Harry Potter, anyone?)--and makes them his own. But like the Potter books, his story goes beyond mere adventures, delving into serious issues, such as the way sloganeering can undermine society--or control it. Through its interesting characters, the book also tackles personal concerns: abandonment, family, loyalty, and facing one's fears. The novel could have been shortened, but Stewart writes with such attention to the intricacies of plot and personality, his story rarely feels slow; only a significant disclosure about Constance seems forced. Smart kids who like Blue Balliet's books are the natural audience for this; but, read aloud, the novel will attract many others as well. Illustrations to come. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.