The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne: Child Fiction

The second book in the Magic Tree House series, The Knight at Dawn by Mary Pope Osborne is a book even struggling readers love!  It has plenty of adventure, 10 chapters, and several pictures in only 67 pages.  Quite impressive and a great segue into reading chapter books.

Nutshell: Jack and Annie find themselves transported to a castle.  The adventure peaks when they try to travel back home.

B         [Story/Plot B; Characters B; Flow B; Setting A]

Genre/Subject: Fiction/Fantasy

Additional Note: Magic Tree House: Book 2; AR Level 2.9

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine: Teen Fiction

A rather plain book, Fairest by Gail Carson Levine is not quite what I’d hoped.  The story is based on Snow White, but the characters, setting, and plot are shallow and underdeveloped.  The underlying message is to accept yourself as you are, but it was almost lost through the holes in the storytelling.

Nutshell: A plain (some call her an ugly) girl is whisked away from her life at an inn into a life at court because of her magnificent singing voice.  She searches for a way to be beautiful, and along the way she meets many interesting people including a prince and a scheming queen.

B-        [Story/Plot C; Characters C-; Flow B; Content A+; Setting B]

Genre/Subject: Fiction/Fantasy

Additional Note: AR Level 4.1

Homer’s Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper

Part memoir, part biography about Homer the cat, Homer’s Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper tells a wonderful tale about the connection between the author and her cat.  If you like animal stories, you will probably like this one too.  It’s rather a shame the ending does not circle back around to the beginning (as it should, based on the story structure used); it could have been fantastic.

Nutshell: A story of growing into adulthood, struggling to find a good job, secure finances, and a place for Cooper and her three cats (including Homer) to call home.

B         [Story A; Flow/Organization C-]

Genre/Subject: Informational; Autobiography/Pets

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss: Adult Nonfiction

What could be a tedious subject is turned into a rather entertaining and informative one in Eats, Shoots & Leaves: the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss.  Punctuation has never been more interesting than when Truss is the one writing about it.  From those unsure how to use all the little dots and squiggles on the keyboard to those with absolute certainty, this is the book for you.

Nutshell: Punctuation has come under attack!  "Apple’s for sale", "Bobs’ Motors", and "George,s Grocery" are just the beginning.  (And if you don’t see anything wrong with those above, check again!)

A         [Information A; Flow/Organization A+; Usefulness A; Humor A]

Genre/Subject: Informational/Grammar

Soulless by Gail Carriger: Adult Fiction

A fun novel with British humor and idioms, Soulless by Gail Carriger introduces an interesting world and plot.  The one change to make this book fantastic would be to take out the more colorful romance scenes.  Thankfully they are few and far between, but nonexistent would be preferable.

Nutshell: Vampires and werewolves are not hidden but a part of everyday paperwork- and administration- filled society.  Everything is going well until Alexia Tarabotti accidentally kills an unregulated vampire.

B+       [Story/Plot A; Characters A; Flow B; Content C; Humor A; Setting A]

Genre/Subject: Fiction/SciFi; Fantasy

Additional Note: The Parasol Protectorate Series: Book 1

It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages: My Adventures in Second Grade by Jennifer Scoggin: Adult Nonfiction

So incredibly dull, It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages: My Adventures in Second Grade by Jennifer Scoggin lost me in the first chapter.

Nutshell: Whining about the drama in teaching.  (May I just suggest you are a part of that drama...)

F          [Story F; Information F; Usefulness F]

Genre/Subject: Nonfiction; Autobiography/Teaching

There Are No Shortcuts by Rafe Esquith: Adult Nonfiction

If you are a teacher, parent, district employee, or just know a kid down the block, There Are No Shortcuts by Rafe Esquith is for you!  It is well written, intelligent, and hard to put down.  His story is both inspiring and possible for all teachers (and for those who aren’t teachers: you should know what a great teacher looks like)!

Nutshell:  Rafe teaches fifth grade at an inner-city school but he didn't start out there.  His discoveries and mistakes as a beginning teacher start an amazing journey to the award-winning teacher he is today.

A+       [Story A; Information A+; Flow/Organization A+; Usefulness A+]

Genre/Subject: Nonfiction; Autobiography/Teaching