Shannon Hale

I am a huge fan of Shannon Hale Books. Like it says in the video clip they are written like fairy tales. They are imaginative, and the characters are easy to relate to. I have read her "Books of Bayern" series including Goose Girl, River Secrets, and Enna Burning. She has a brand new book in this series coming out and I can't wait. Other books by this author include The Princess Academy, and Book of a Thousand days which were both excellent. So check it out :D.

You can visit her website here

What I've been reading this summer...

My televisions haven't been working very well this summer... so that means we all have more reasons to READ! I don't think we'll be fixing our TV reception any time soon...

Some of the books I've read over the past few weeks are:

The Shadow Children Series: I thought they were great page turners and a bit intense. They may be suitable for more mature readers.

The Septimus Heap Series: I love this series! Fans of Harry Potter will love these books!

Green Rider and it's sequel The Rider's Call: These books remind me a little bit of Lord of the Rings and have a lot of darker magic in them. They would be better for older and more mature readers.

The Penderwicks on Garden Street which is the sequel to The Penderwicks: I think these books are absolutely charming and suitable for ages 8 and up

Ever: Usually I really enjoy Gail Carson Levine, but I had a hard time connecting with this one.

Dragon Flight which is the sequel to Dragon Slippers. I love this trilogy and am currently reading the final book, Dragon Spear. I even met Jessica Day George at a book symposium and had all of my books signed!

I'd write more detailed reviews, but that will have to wait, my book is calling...
What are you reading this summer?

A peek at Brandon Mull

If you have any Fablehaven fans in your house, they might enjoy watching this!

Gloria Whelan

I just finished Parade of Shadows by Gloria Whelen. I've read almost all of her books and have really enjoyed them all!
Here's a review I liked from commonsensemedia.org:
National Book Award winner Gloria Whelan tells a classic, enjoyable tale of spies, mystery, adventure, and romance in PARADE OF SHADOWS. Whelan's pace throughout the book mirrors the pace of teen heroine Julia's adventure. At times the book speeds through the ancient streets of the Ottoman Empire. Other times it plods along through the desert. Even when the pace slows down, the layered characters and glimpses at their hidden agendas keep things interesting.
Even though Julia is rather sheltered, she begins to catch on to the true nature of almost everyone -- though at times readers will jump up and down in frustration at her moments of blind trust. Readers will never want her to feel too comfortable since suspense and suspicion are everywhere. As a bonus, Parade of Shadows is peppered with detailed historical references. It's kind of like a sneaky history lesson disguised as fun.


My favorite book by Whelan is Listening for Lions! Here is a review from allreaders.com:
"Rachel Sheridan was born and raised in British East Africa, the daughter of British missionary parents who ran a hospital there. Africa is the only home Rachel has ever known, and she loves it. But everything changes in 1919, when Rachel is thirteen. An influenza epidemic arrives and kills her parents. Because her parents were orphans, Rachel has no family to turn to, and is caught up in the devious plans of their wealthy neighbors, the Pritchards.

The Pritchards lost their daughter Valerie, who was Rachel's age, in the epidemic. Valerie was about to leave to visit her grandfather in England, and the Pritchards force Rachel to impersonate Valerie and take her place. They hope Rachel will win the grandfather's heart and persuade him to leave his estate and money to the Pritchards. Rachel is devastated to leave her beloved Africa and travel to cold, lonely England. She finds herself coming to care for her "Grandfather," but hates living a lie, and fears the Pritchards will someday follow her to England. At the same time, she is determined to find a way to return to Africa and reopen her parents' hospital. "

Beehive Award Nominees

Every year the Children's literature association releases a list of nominees for the Beehive awards! I almost always love the books that are on the list each year! If you'd like to see the list for the 2010 nominees visit this website. Winners are chosen from the nominated books by the children of Utah, who vote for their favorite books. I'd love to what you think about any you might have read! Many of the authors listed are among my favorites, so I'm excited to check them out!

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/