44) Holes

Bibliography: Sachar, Louis; Holes; Frances Foster Books; New York; 1998; 233 pages; ISBN 0-374-33265-7.

Plot: Stanley Yelnats has been accused of stealing the shoes of Clyde Livingston that have been donated to help raise money for the homeless shelter.  As punishment, Stanley is sentenced to serve time at Camp Green Lake in Texas digging holes to gain character.  While digging holes, Stanley discovers the lipstick cap with the initials “KB.”  He assumes the case belongs to thief Kissin Kate Barlow.  Upon discovering that Stanley has uncovered something, X-Ray takes the item and turns it into The Warden.  As reward for the discovery, the boys are forced to dig more and deeper holes.  Being fed up with the treatment, Zero decides to run away from camp.  As everyone gives up on Zero, Stanley believes he can find him and save his life. 

Review:   For a fun, humorous, adventure story turn to Holes.  Stanley Yelnats and his family have been blaming his “no good for nothing great great grandfather” for years of bad luck and it looks like Stanley just got the worst luck of all.  After being sentenced for stealing baseball great Clyde Livingston’s shoes, Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake.  Camp Green Lake is in the middle of nowhere in Texas, where delinquent boys are forced to dig holes to build character.  Camp Green Lake is the hottest, driest, worst place to send a boy for being a delinquent.  At camp, Stanley is assigned to Tent D, where he is introduced to X-Ray, Armpit, Zigzag, Zero, Magnet, and Squid.  Tent D has already established a hierarchy and Stanley is at the bottom.  Stanley soon learns that digging holes in the middle of a dried up lake is probably the worst punishment for a chubby boy, but it doesn’t take too long before he gets the hang of everything.  After finding a lipstick cap the boys from Tent D are given extra special attention.  The Warden comes out every day to oversee their digging.  The Warden believes this is the first clue to finding the treasure of renowned thief Kissin Kate Barlow.  Unfortunately, the boys don’t find any additional treasures and the boys start getting restless.  Soon Zero decides he has had enough of digging and runs away from camp.

This book is great for reluctant readers.  The chapters are short and the story is intermixed with a bit of history about the area.  Readers will enjoy the different characters and the way they are each treated by the heads of the camp.   The book has since been turned into a movie.  This is a great idea for a book club selection.  After the kids have read the book, they can be invited into the library to see the movie and compare the two stories.

Genre: Humor/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books:  The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin; The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by W.R. Philbrick; Everything on a Waffle Polly Horvath.

Characters: 

Stanley Yelnats – the protagonist; is sentenced to a year and a half at Camp Green Lake

Zero (Hector Zeroni) – Stanley’s only friend at Camp Green Lake; Stanley teaches him to read.

Elya Yelnats – Stanley’s great-great-grandfather; it is believed that because of his carelessness he has cursed the entire Yelnats family.

Madame Zeroni – a gypsy that gives Elya a pig to offer in return for his loves hand in marriage, in return he is to carry the gypsy to the top of the mountain so she can drink from the river.

The Warden – she is in charge of Camp Green Lake.  It is rumored that a thief buried her treasure at the Camp’s location and requires the boys to dig holes to help her find the treasure.

Awards: 

Newberry Medal Winner of 1999

National Book Award for Young People's Literature of 1998

A Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction

An ALA Notable Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year

A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Publishers Weekly Notable Children's Book of the Year

A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

A Horn Book Fanfare Title

A Riverbank Review 1999 Children's Book of Distinction

A New York Public Library Children's Book of 1998-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

A Texas Lone Star Award Nominee

A NECBA Fall List Title

Series Information: There are two companion novels to Holes – Stanley Yelnat’s Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake and Small Steps.

Author Information: http://www.louissachar.com/Bio.htm

35) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Bibliography: Lewis, C.S; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Harper Collins; New York; EPub 2010; ISBN 978-0-06-197415-1.

Plot: During the war, siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent to the country to stay with an old Professor.  While living with the Professor, the children take to playing hide and seek on rainy days.  During one of these games, Lucy hides in a wardrobe.  As she pushes her way to the back of the wardrobe she enters the world of Narnia.  Narnia has been taken over by the White Witch, who has turned the land into a winter wonderland and has struck fear into all of the inhabitants of the land.  It is up to the children to find the true ruler of Narnia, Aslan, and help restore Narnia to its true order.

Review:  This is probably one of the best loved children’s books.  It contains adventure, magic and kings and queens.  However, this was the first time I have read this book.  I picked it up in order to be able to compare it to the movie.  After having seen two of the movies made out of this book, I have to say that I was not very surprised by the plot.  I can only hope that more teachers have children read this book before they are persuaded by the movie. 
This book is a great starter for readers looking for a fantasy book.  It contains so many fantastical elements that a variety of readers will be satisfied.  The story moves quite quickly and it is a very fast read.  Children will love this story once they get their hands on it.  This is a great book to get reluctant readers reading.  Since there are four main characters, readers will be able to find a favorite.  

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books:  Wildwood by Colin Meloy; Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu; Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.

Characters: 

Lucy is the youngest sibling and the one that finds Narnia.

Edmund is the second youngest sibling.  He likes to torment Lucy and refuses to tell the others that Narnia does exist.

Susan is the second oldest sibling.

Peter is the oldest sibling and he helps overthrow the White Witch.

Aslan is the true ruler of Narnia.  He is a lion.

The White Witch proclaims herself queen and turns Narnia into a frozen tundra.

Tumnus is a faun and the first inhabitant of Narnia that Lucy meets.

Mr and Mrs Beaver help the children find Aslan.

Awards:  Time Magazine’s 100 best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

Series Information: This is book two in the Narnia series.  The series is made up of seven books.

Author Information: http://cslewis.com/

17) Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Bibliography: LaFevers, R.L; Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos; Houghton Mifflin Company; Boston; 2007; 344 pages; ISBN 978-0-618-785638-4.

Plot: Theodosia is a rather peculiar eleven year old girl.  Her parents run the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London.  Her mother frequently spends her time in Egypt excavating the pyramids of some of the greatest pharaohs to find ancient artifacts for the museum.  Theodosia is able to feel the curses imparted upon the artifacts, and works to remove them.  When her mother brings back the Heart of Egypt, Theo is in for one of the largest jobs of her life.  The curse on the artifact brings chaos to London, and it is up to Theo to return the artifact to the pyramid.

Review:  The novel is told from Theodosia’s point of view and she is very creative and interesting character.  Even though she should be in school, she has talked her parents into letting her quit school to hang around the museum.  Her brother Henry dislikes the museum and willing returns to school at the start of every term.  When Theo’s mother returns after an exceptionally long trip to Egypt, she is very happy to see her mother, but worries about all of the new curses that will be brought into the museum.  Her brother Henry returns to London for winter break and starts to help Theodosia after they discover the Heart of Egypt has gone missing from the museum.  Theodosia is soon able to regain possession of the Heart of Egypt and is chosen by The Brotherhood of Chosen Keepers to return the Heart to Egypt.   Theodosia has to stow away on a ship and face the members of the Serpents of Chaos to return the Heart of Egypt. 

I really enjoyed this book and the adventure that Theodosia takes readers on.  Setting the story in historical London, helps with the ideas of different societies fighting over an ancient artifact.  The story starts slowly, but speeds up about half way through.  As great as the story is, the action happens to quickly and the ending comes too soon.  I do think that once a tween is hooked on Theodosia’s character, they will be quick to pick up the other books in the series.

Genre: Historical/Adventure

Interest Level: age 10-14

Related Books: The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson; The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison; The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

Characters: 

Theodosia – the protagonist

Henry – Theo’s brother

Sticky Will – an orphaned pick pocket that comes to the aid of Henry and Theo

Theodosia’s Parents – Her father runs the museum, while her mother explores Egypt for artifacts

Wigmere – The head of the Brotherhood

Awards:

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Booksense Summer Pick

Michigan Library Association 2007 Mitten Award Honor Title

Author Information: http://www.rllafevers.com/About.html

15) Tuesdays at the Castle

Bibliography: George, Jessica Day; Tuesdays at the Castle; Bloomsbury; New York; 2011; 240 pages; ISBN 978-1-5999-06-447.

Plot: When Glower Castle gets bored, it adds rooms and this usually happens on Tuesdays.  Princess Celie is trying to create an atlas of the castle and is very good at doing so.  The castle also decides on the Kings of Sleyne, including her father and his successor, her brother, Rolf.   On a journey back from Sleyne, the King and Queen are ambushed and declared dead.  It is up to Rolf to take over as King, but the castle hasn’t shown the siblings that the King is actually dead.  The siblings must work together, to take back the castle, after the Council shows signs of treason.  Tuesdays at the Castle is a fast-paced read for any lover of adventure.

Review:  I picked this book out of the list of downloadable books through my library.  I liked the cover and thought it looked like a cute book.  I was hooked by the end of the first chapter.  Any lovers of medieval fantasy will love the story of Celie and her siblings.  Celie is a great protagonist.  She is clever and brave.  Even though she is the youngest sibling, the other siblings know to listen to her when it comes to the castle.  Without her help, the siblings could have ended up in a much different fate.  The castle is a like another sibling, with Celie able to speak to the castle and ask for its help.  The story line moves fast and the book sort of just ends with questions not completely answered.  I was left wanting to learn more about the members of the family.  Hopefully, this will not be the only story of Princess Celie and the great Glower Castle.

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9 to 12

Related Books: The Castle of Lyr by Lloyd Alexander; Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris; The Silver Crown by Robert C. O’Brien

Characters: 

Celie – The protagonist
Lilah – The older sister
Rolf – The successor to the throne
The Castle
Prince Lulath – a visitor to the castle from Grath and an ally to the family
Prince Khelsh – trying to take over the castle, the antagonist

Author Information: http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/

13) Zita the Spacegirl

Bibliography: Hatke, Ben; Zita the Spacegirl; First Second; New York; 2010; 192 pages; ISBN 978-1-59643-446-2.

Plot: On their way home from school, Zita and her friend Joseph find an interesting device in a meteor hole.  As the friends are examining the device, a mechanical octopus comes out of the sky and takes Joseph to an unknown destination.  Zita decides to push the button on the device to find her friend.  Zita is transported to another planet, where the inhabitants believe the end of the planet is only days away.  Zita sets out to find Joseph and return to Earth.  With the help of new friends, Zita explores the new planet and must make her way through the Rusted Wastelands to save her friend from doom.

Review:  This is a great adventure story.  Zita is a great character to keep the story moving.  The graphics in the novel are fantastic.  It seems that many graphic novels keep the graphics minimal these days, but Zita is very detailed and interesting.  When reading this book, I was reminded of The Wizard of Oz.  Zita makes friends with cast-off  members of the planet.  Fans of The Wizard will love this novel. 

Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Jellaby; Sardine in Outer Space; Flight Explorer

Awards:
ALA Notable Children's Books - Middle Readers Category: 2012
Amelia Bloomer Lists - Middle Graders Fiction: 2012

Author Information: http://zitaspacegirl.com/about/