The Lost Years of Merlin, by T.A. Barron

The following review was written by NW, from the 6th grade reading class:

If you read this book, you will find that it will be worth you time. It describes the journeys and adventures of a young boy who goes on a quest do discover his place in the world. Throughout the book Merlin makes friends and enemies alike, with detailed interactions between the characters in every encounter. After a long journey, Merlin discovers his past, and his future- to become one of the greatest wizards of all time and pass on his knowledge to a famous king in the future.

Though the start was slow and laborious, when I got into the exciting parts I started reading at a rate of about 10 pages per second. When the book was over I went right to the library to get the next one. I very much recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate a book that unravels a magical but lifelike tale from the first page to the last.

Interesting Times, by Terry Pratchett

The following review was written by DK, from the 6th grade reading class:

This is an amazing book that takes place on a planet called Discworld, it is a flat disk on top of four elephants which stand on top a huge turtle called the Great Atu'in. This book is about Rincewind a funny and forgetful wizard. The wizards guild send him to another continent because of an evil tyrant that they need to stop. They were also in need of a "great" wizard. There he meets up with Cohen the Barbarian who is 95 years old and his silver horde (5 very old people) who try to take over a kingdom, and battles against an army of 100,000. Rincewind also meets with his old friend Twoflower! I recommend this book for 6-8 graders. I would really recommend this book it's awesome and really funny. It has action and suspense through the entire book, it'll have sitting at the edge of your sitting laughing.

The Five Ancestors: Book 3, the Snake, by Jeff Stone

The following review was written by KL, from the 6th grade reading class:

This is the third book in a series about the five ancestors. This particular book is about a Kung fu monk named Seh (snake) and the temple in Canghzen. The temple was destroyed by his brother, Ying (eagle). This meant that Seh and the monks had to reteach the people animal style Kung Fu. Ying was trying to kill his brother and keep the monks from reteaching the monks Kung Fu.

The book has fighting, action, fighting techniques, and awesome descriptions of battles. I like how the author really trains in Kung Fu at Canghzen, China, and he passes his knowledge of fighting techniques to the reader.

It is a great book for people in the fourth grade or older. I think that anyone who reads this book is going to think it is cool that the monks can turn into different animals even when they fight.
My favorite part in this book is when Tsung confronts Ying and almost kills him. I really like this part because Jeff Stone really gives good information about the battles of the monks.
Reading these books in order is very important. Each book adds a little more information to the story. All the books in this series are a fast reads with over 180 pages.

American Born Chinese, by Gene Yuan

The following review was written by SS, from the 6th grade reading class (see another review of "American Born Chinese" in the Previous Posts section):

"American Born Chinese" is a book with many stories in it, 3 stories to be exact. It seems at the start that it makes no sense, but all the stories get interlinked and make perfect sense. Gene Luen yang has a great imagination with all his characters, so you really get into the book and enjoy it. At the start you get into the first story, but then say, “Oh, well, let’s see what this story is going to be like.” After a while you start to get the tempo and feel of how the book is going. The main character, Jin Wang and his family keep moving un till they settle after moving 3 times, Jin Wang was pretty young at the time. When he started his new school he made a good friend pretty quick. As Jin Wang gets older he struggles with new problems and has to make serious choices. To find out what choices Jin Wang needs to make, what he will choose, and what the out come will be, read American Born Chinese. This funny book is a great quick read for anyone over 8 years old because anyone under that age might not get the full affect.

Holes, by Louis Sachar

The following review was written by AC, from the 6th grade reading class:

"Holes" is a book full of trust and discovering new beginnings. Stanley Yelnats, accused of stealing a pair of famous shoes without knowing it was a crime. Was sent to Camp Green Lake along with 6 other delinquent boys. Stanley has to dig holes everyday as he tries to fit in with the other boys. He notices that all the boys have nicknames and gains himself the name of Cave Man along with X-ray, Zig-Zag, Armpit, Squid, Magnet and Zero.

An impressive storyline packed with adventure. A little slow paced but that’s what makes the book interesting and make you want to read on. If I were to rate this book on a scale from 1-10 I’d give it a nine. Holes is a good read for almost any age and I recommend reading it.

More TAB Reviews!

TAB Reviews

MJ writes:
“A Friend at Midnight” by Caroline Cooney. It is a book for everybody. It has a little bit of romance and some adventures, but it’s also realistic fiction. This book really shows what one family went through.

CM writes:
“Tasting the Sky” by Ibtisam Barakat. “Tasting the Sky” was a *huge* eye opener to me. It is a diary of a Palestinian girl’s childhood and all the violence and war and poverty she saw. It was a sad book but I really liked it and could not put it down. It makes me realize how lucky I am, and I think everyone should read it.

CK writes:
“The Off-Season” by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. The book deserves to be a TAB pick because it was a good story with a good plot, but at times it just dragged on and on and some parts were worded weirdly. The first book (Dairy Queen) was better than the sequel.
“Harmless” by Dana Reinhardt. I really liked this book. I liked how the story is told through three different points of view. I could relate to the girl's problem but never have told a lie this big.

IH writes:
“Millions” by Frank Cottrell-Boyce. “Millions” is one of the most touching books I have ever read. The plot is fairly simple, but the first person narrative by Damian is so innocent and hilarious. This book is great for all ages.

And the winner is…

Tis the season of award-winners. Since things have been a tad slow, I’ve been able to work my way through a few of the books that have won awards for illustration. As always, it’s a complex and delightful grouping of books. So let’s hear it for picture books … they ain’t just for little kids any more!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Winner of the Caldecott Medal for Best Picture Book for Children

One look at this unusual book makes it clear – this is not for young children. At 525 pages, it might even challenge a teen reader. About half image and half words, the book almost defies description. It is not truly a picture book nor graphic novel, but uses pictures in the way one might imagine a film unfolding, with layered dialogue and image, conveying story and emotional context. The film concept is intentional, and this European-styled story of an orphaned boy living in a train station is engaging, if not rather unusual. Based on historical events and characters, the story of Hugo is one of small mysteries -- a time when the mechanical and the magical blended in the minds of people -- before the great wars and technology changed everything. The book was enjoyable on many levels and will be interesting to a wide variety of readers if they can get past its size to pick it up. Make sure to read the acknowledgements and go to the website where you can see a real automaton at work.

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

Caldecott Honor Book.

Have I mentioned how much I love Knuffle Bunny? These are some of the best laugh-out-loud picture books out there. Trixie and her best friend, Knuffle Bunny, are drawn in light pastels, and with a broad simplicity that is bound to entertain young children, but the “reality” of the childlike dialog and the subtle looks of exasperation on the faces of the adult characters make these books hysterical to adults. That, and the background, created with real photos from New York city, make the Knuffle Bunny books far more layered than one would expect. These are truly picture books that can be enjoyed by all … and don’t miss the “epilogue” in Knuffle Bunny Too – it left me on the floor!

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis

Winner of the Sibert Medal for Best Informational Book and a Caldecott Honor.

Peter Sis authored one of my favorite books of all time, “Tibet Through the Red Box” and this book, mostly autobiographical, was just as stunning. Again, not for little kids, Mr. Sis once again fills his pages with detailed text and imagery, layers of meaning to be found in both. The irony, sadness and occasional humor to be found here is obvious from skimming the pages, but the work by this author/illustrator demands that you take time to absorb the story. In fact, re-readings are recommended, as it is entirely possible to gain new understandings with each review. Very easy to see how it picked up two awards – and Bravo to this talented man.

Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson

Caldecott Honor Book.

A true picture book, these images and simple text would be accessible to almost any age – but the nature of this true story, that of an escaping slave, is deeply painful and could be uncomfortable for some younger readers. Henry “Box” Brown was a slave who faced one tragedy after another. Unable to stand it, he eventually planned an escape that involved sealing himself inside of a box and mailing himself to an abolitionist in Philadelphia. The rich images, painted by Kadir Nelson (who has had his share of well-earned awards) bring a strong emotional tone to this brief tale, and makes it rather indelible in your memory once the story is over. A rare note in history and a positive message, but very sad nonetheless. Ironically, some of our 6th graders were doing research on slavery recently – this would make a great companion book for kids who need to see an individual’s face to truly understand this awful part of our past.

Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes and Yuyi Morales

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award for Best Illustration of the Latino Experience, and an Honor Award in the Pura Belpré Author category.

On one hand, this is a simple picture book, with an equally simple poem illustrated throughout. On the other hand, many of the English nouns are replaced with Spanish words and phrases, and the Tim Burton inspired artwork – rich and dark, would scare some of the youngest readers, methinks. Placed in a “slightly older” range, this fun little ode to Halloween works on several levels. There is the humor, when human trick-or-treaters disrupt the ghouls from their party, and there are the soft-palette pictures which engage but disturb you all at the same time. The glossary, translating Spanish words used in the book, makes this a great choice for one of those kids in an immersion program. As for those of us who love Halloween – it’s delightfully creepy.