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/

34) Hop

Title:  Hop

Writer:  Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio

Producer:  Chris Meledandri & Michele Imperato Stabile

Director:  Tim Hill 

Year:  2011

Plot: E.B is a drumming bunny that is next in line to become the Easter Bunny.  When his father doesn’t understand his desire to be a drummer instead of an Easter Bunny, E.B leaves home for Hollywood.  In Hollywood, E.B is hit by Fred O’Hare, an out of work slacker.  E.B pretends to be injured and talks Fred into allowing him to stay in the house he is house-sitting.  With E.B missing, his father sends out the Pink Berets to bring E.B back to Easter Island in time for the Easter Holiday.  Back at Easter Island, two chicks are planning a takeover of the Easter Holiday.  E.B and Fred must become friends and figure out how to take back Easter together.

Review:  The movie begins with E.B as a child on Easter Island learning about the inside workings behind Easter.  His father has great hopes of him taking over as Easter Bunny when he is older.  However, when E.B is older he only wants to be a drummer.  He ends up leaving home to be a drummer and prove to his father that he doesn’t have to be the Easter Bunny. 

While E.B is in Hollywood, he makes Fred’s life even harder than normal.  E.B ruins Fred’s first job interview, and then talks Fred into taking him to an audition for David Hasselhoff’s show “Hoff Knows Talent.”  Hasselhoff invites E.B to be a drummer on the show.  At Fred’s adopted sister’s school play, E.B jumps on stage and ruins the show.  On the day of Hasselhoff’s show, E.B notices that the Pink Beret’s are close to finding him, so he stages a decoy by boiling a turkey and fooling the Pink Beret’s into thinking he has been killed.  The Pink Beret’s then take Fred hostage to Easter Island to show E.B dad what has happened. 

This movie is very funny.  E.B does everything in his power to be a very selfish bunny and slowly ruins Fred’s life.  Viewers will laugh at all of the happenings of Fred and E.B.  The Easter Candy Factory is amazing.  The colors and candy will have viewers craving more.  At this time it is rumored that there will be sequel to Hop but it has not been confirmed at this time.  If there is another movie, it will be great to see what happens to Fred and E.B in the future.

Genre: Movie/Humor

Interest Level: everyone

Related Movies: Despicable Me; Shrek; Mr. Popper’s Penguins.

Starring:

James Marsden – Fred O’Hare

Russell Brand – E.B (Easter Bunny)

Kaley Cuoco – Sam O’Hare

Hugh Laurie – E.B’s Dad

Movie Website: http://www.iwantcandy.com/index.php

33) Sally's Bones

Bibliography: Cadenhead, MacKenzie; Sally’s Bones; Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; Naperville, IL; 2011; 164 pages; ISBN 978-1-4022-5943-2.

Plot: Sally Simplesmith is not like other girls; she has no friends and she dresses strangely in concert T-shirts and jeans.  When Viola Vanderperfect moves back to town, Sally thinks that this is her chance to finally have one friend, however, Viola has different plans for the pair.  After Viola explains that the two girls will never be friends, Sally turns to her mother’s grave to tell of the story.  At her mother’s grave, Sally is introduced to Bones, a dog made out of only bones.  The dog is just like a normal dog, but is lacking in flesh.  Sally and Bones soon become best friends and Sally is finally happy for the first time since her mother passed away.  When the community’s dog’s starts having their marrowbones disappear, Bones is the first suspect.  It is up to Sally and Bones to show the community that Bones is innocent, but in order to do that, they must find who the true culprit is.

Review:  This book is narrated in the third person.  It gives readers an inside look into the whole community of Merryland.  When Bones is introduced into the book, I immediately thought of a Tim Burton movie.  Any reader that is a fan of Burton’s work will love this book. 

Sally and Bones are a great pair to figure out who actually stole the marrowbones. Since Sally is used to being on the outside looking in, she is able to get a better perspective of the situation.  Bones doesn’t like bones, and thinks it’s an insult when given one, so he is able to sniff out the culprit.  The characters in this book are all very interesting and their names describe them perfectly.  Viola Vanderperfect only wants to be seen as perfect and Chati Chattercathy is a gossip.  This book is humourous and serious at the same time.  What a great read.

Genre: Mystery/Horror

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn; The Keeper of the Trees by Beverly Brenna; Flitterwig by Edrei Cullen.

Characters: 

Sally – the protagonist

Bones – Sally’s dog

Seymour Simplesmith – Sally’s father

Viola Vanderperfect – Sally’s enemy, the antagonist

Vivien Vanderperfect – Viola’s mother

Author Information: http://www.sallysbones.com/about-me/

32) A Year Without Rain

Title:   A Year Without Rain

Artist:  Selena Gomez & The Scene

Label: Hollywood Records
Year: 2010

Genre: Dance Pop/Electropop

Interest Level: all ages

Awards:  Certified Gold in 2011

Tracks: 

1. Round & Round
2. A Year Without Rain
3. Rock God
4. Off the Chain
5. Summer’s Not Hot
6. Intuition
7. Spotlight
8. Ghost of You
9. Sick of You
10. Live Like There’s No Tomorrow

      Review:  This is Gomez’s second album.  On this album Gomez was able to use songs written by stars like Katy Perry and Eric Bellinger.  The album is dance focused with most of the songs being upbeat and having a touch of electronic feel.  Listeners will love the dance feel and Gomez’s vocals on this album.  The songs are catchy and listeners will be singing lyrics after they have turned off the album.  Gomez also brings things down with songs like “Ghost of You,” which is a slower love song.  Gomez is also a great role model for young girls, she is a clothing designer and a UNICEF Ambassador.

Artist’s Website:  http://www.selenagomez.com/

31) Speak Now

Title:   Speak Now

Artist:  Taylor Swift 

Label: Big Machine
Year: 2010

Genre: Country/Pop

Interest Level: all ages

Awards: 

Sold over 5 million copies

Billboard Woman of the Year 2011

Single “Mean” awarded Best Country Song and Best    
            Solo Performance at the 2012 Grammy’s

Tracks:

1. Mine
2. Sparks Fly
3. Back to December
4. Speak Now
5. Dear John
6. Mean
7. The Story of Us
8. Never Grow Up
9. Enchanted
10. Better than Revenge
11. Innocent
12. Haunted
13. Last Kiss
14. Long Live

Review:  This is Taylor Swift’s third studio album and she continues to wow audiences.  The album sold over 1 million copies the week it was released. Swift sings of new love, lost love, and the loss of innocence.  This album is so inspirational and many listeners will be able to relate to at least one of the songs.  It could be “Mean” in which Swift speaks of overcoming bullying one day, or “Never Grow Up” when she sings of staying young forever.  Swift’s voice is amazing and the songs will have listeners wanting more. 

Artist's Webpage: http://taylorswift.com/

30) Philippa Fisher’s Fairy Godsister

Bibliography: Kessler, Liz; Philippa Fisher’s Fairy Godsister; Candlewick Press; Cambridge, Mass; 2007; 274 pages; ISBN 978-0-7636-4070-5.

Plot: After Philippa’s best friend Charlotte moves to the country with her family for a life of simplicity, Philippa wonders if she will ever be happy again.  To make matters worse, she is the laughing stock of her sixth grade class.  Her parents often humiliate her when they drop off or pick her up from school.  When a new girl starts school, Philippa is given the task of making sure she gets settled in at school.  Daisy is actually Philippa’s fairy godmother.  Except Daisy hates humans and wants to give Phillipa her three wishes as soon as possible so she can get a new job.  Will Daisy be able to fulfill her job as Philippa’s fairy godmother and grant her three wishes before her life cycle is over?

Review:  This story begins as Philippa is saying goodbye to her best friend Charlotte.  Philippa is quite sad about the move and is questioning if they will be able to be friends when they aren’t able to talk to each other every day.  When Philippa sees a daisy in the field behind her house, she believes that it is special and believes it will become a fairy at midnight.  Unfortunately, she gets scared and ends up throwing the Daisy out of the window before she can see what becomes of it. 

Daisy is a fairy godmother that does not like working with humans.  When she awakens as a fairy after Philippa has thrown her out the window, she dislikes humans even more.  Unfortunately, she still must complete the task of giving Philippa three wishes before her life cycle ends in eight days. 

The book is told through both Philippa and Daisy’s narration.  It is quite great to see the inner thoughts of both characters as they move through their friendship.  This book shows the bond of friendship and how to overcome fears.  It is a great model of how girls can overcome what holds them back.

 

Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Godmothers

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books: Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry; The Cat Who Wished to be a Man by Lloyd Alexander; Page by Tamora Pierce.

Series Information:  This is the first of three books about Philippa Fisher.  Kessler has stated that she has no intention of writing any other books about Philippa.

Author Information: http://www.lizkessler.co.uk/

29) A.N.T Farm

Bibliography: Signer, D. (Creator); Signer, D. & Engel, S. (Producers); A.N.T Farm; Disney Channel; Original Run Date May 6, 2011 to Present.

Plot: A.N.T Farm tells the story of the newest member to the group, Chyna Parks.  A.N.T stands for Advanced Natural Talent.  Each member of the group has exceptional talent in different subjects.  Chyna is advanced in music, her friend Olive has an eidetic memory, and her friend Fletcher is an artistic genius.  The A.N.T group gets picked on due to their being younger and smaller than the other students at Webster High School.  The show features Chyna and her friends experiencing new things and using their special talents to the best of their abilities.

Review:

Episode “Ballet Danster”

In this episode a new girl joins the A.N.T group.  Violet is a sports prodigy and is quite violent.  Immediately, Violet causes a stir with the older kids and gets on Lexi’s bad side.  Lexi informs Chyna that it is her job to keep Violet as far away from her as possible.  The A.N.T group tries to mellow Violet out with their talents, but nothing seems to work.  When Violet decides to join ballet, Chyna and her friends must figure out a way for Violet and Lexi to be in the ballet together.

Episode “Some Enchanted Evening”

Olive convinces Chyna to lie to Fletcher and tell him she has a boyfriend.  Unfortunately, this has ill effects when Olive sets up Chyna and Fletcher on a double date.  Chyna and Fletcher must find a fake boyfriend and girlfriend or give up the truth. 

Elsewhere, Lexi and the cheerleaders get a new coach right before their big Pom Pom competition.  When it becomes apparent that the new coach has no experience in cheerleading, they fire the coach just in time to get a routine together for the competition.

This show is quite humorous and tweens will love the characters.  Luckily, Disney has created several different characters for tweens to relate to.  Unlike some other shows, Disney is highlighting the underdog, something that tweens will enjoy.

Genre: Humor/Coming of Age

Interest Level: age 9 and up

Related Shows: iCarly; Victorious; Shake it Up; How to Rock

Characters: 

Chyna Parks is the main character of the show.  The show features her brother and family in several episodes.

Olive Doyle remembers everything she has ever read, heard, or seen. 

Fletcher Quimby is an artistic genius including sculpture, painting, and drawing.  He is in love with Chyna.

Lexi Reed is the most popular girl in school.  She is Chyna’s rival.

Cameron Parks is Chyna’s brother and pretends they are not related at school.

Official Website: http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/antfarm/