A Few of My Favorite Things (Books)

 This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite chapter books for kids . . . .

Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill

It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village.

The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall by Tony Johnston

Living in the boiler room of the school where her father is janitor seems normal to fourth grader Martha Snapdragon, until she has experiences reminiscent of the Arthurian legends.

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

Zita, cast aside by her father and raised as a kitchen maid, learns when she is nearly twelve that she is a princess and that her twelve sisters love her, and so when she discovers they are victims of an evil enchantment, she desperately tries to save them.

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

A mysterious dollhouse and dolls that move on their own lead Amy, twelve, and her mentally-disabled sister Louann, eleven, to investigate the mystery surrounding grisly murders that occured years before.

More Books --

Below by Meg McKinlay

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Can of Worms by Kathy Mackel

Dial-A-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson

Fairy Tale Comics by Chris Duffy

The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire by Polly Horvath

The Snow Spider by Jenny Nimmo

This Would Make a Good Story Some Day by Dana Alison Levy

Up and Down Scratchy Mountain by Laurel Snyder

Once Upon a Time . . . Fairy Tales Retold

 I love to read fairy tales -- especially if it is a new twist on an old favorite.  This week, I'm sharing some fairy tale retellings.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler
Zita, cast aside by her father and raised as a kitchen maid, learns when she is nearly twelve that she is a princess and that her twelve sisters love her, and so when she discovers they are victims of an evil enchantment, she desperately tries to save them. Inspired by the Grimm fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."

The Cottage in the Woods by Katherine Coville

Presents the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" from the perspective of governess bear Ursula Brown, who worries about the mysterious sounds she hears at the Vaughn estate while falling for the imperious Mr. Bentley.

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

Annie, younger sister of the princess who would be known as Sleeping Beauty, is immune to magic and stays awake when the rest of the castle falls into an enchanted sleep, then sets out to find a way to break the spell.

More Fairy Tale Retellings --
Big Bad Detective Agency by Bruce Hale

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine

Flight of the Swans by Sarah McGuire

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl

Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Lisel Shurtliff

Leaping Beauty and Other Animal Fairy Tales by Gregory Maguire
Little Red Hoodie by Martha Freeman
Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli

Straw Into Gold: Fairy Tales Respun by Hilary McKay
A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gitwitz

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through May 29, 2021.

Go On One Last Summer Adventure . . . With a Book

School will soon be starting.  There's still time to take one last adventure by reading a book.  Here are a few of my favorite adventure chapter books . . . .

Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum
When the princess is kidnapped by a dragon queen, Thomas, a new--and very small--squire-in-training boldly sets out on a quest to rescue her.

Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen
Twelve-year-old Henry's grand adventures spell disaster for best chums Riley and Reed, who always seems to land in a pile of "smelly goo."

Baker's Magic by Diane Zahler
Bee is an orphan in the poor kingdom of Aradyn, and when she is caught stealing a bun from a bakery, the lonely baker offers to take her on as an apprentice--but when she meets Princess Anika, and the evil mage Joris who is her "guardian" she embarks on a journey to save Anika, and restore the kingdom its rightful ruler.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.


More Adventure Stories --
The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White
The Adventurers Guild by Zack Loren Clark
The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe
Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr
The Big Book of Adventure by Alissa Heyman
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
My Near-Death Adventures: 99% True by Alison DeCamp
Raven Quest by Sharon Stewart
The Several Lives of Orphan Jack by Sarah Ellis
Trundle's Quest by Allan Jones
The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt
Where the Mountain  Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
The Wrinkled Crown by Anne Nesbet

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 23, 2019.

Fairy Tales . . . With a Twist

The new Disney live-action Beauty and the Beast movie is coming out in a few weeks.  There has been a renaissance of fairy tale movies and books for kids lately.  Here are some of my favorite fairy tale stories for kids . . . .

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler
Zita, cast aside by her father and raised as a kitchen maid, learns when she is nearly twelve that she is a princess and that her twelve sisters love her, and so when she discovers they are victims of an evil enchantment, she desperately tries to save them.

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine
In this humorous retelling of a Perrault tale, a lonely young farm lad uses his unusual inventive ability to pass a nearly impossible test and win the hand of the neighboring princess.

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
Rather than marry a cruel king or a seemingly dim-witted prince, an enchanted goose girl endures imprisonment, capture by several ogresses, and other dangers, before learning exactly who she is.

Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt
Pursued by greedy villains, two boys on a quest to save innocent lives meet the banished queen whose son was stolen by Rumpelstiltskin eleven years earlier, and she provides much more than the answer they seek.

Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde
When almost-thirteen-year-old Princess Imogene is turned into a frog, she puts into practice lessons from the book, The Art of Being a Princess, as she tries to become her less-than-perfect self again.


More Fairy Tales --
Beauty and the Beast: The Only One Who Didn't Run Away by Wendy Mass
The Big, Bad Detective Agency by Bruce Hale
The Cottage in the Woods by Katherine Coville
Flunked by Jen Calonita
Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel by Megan Morrison
Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants by Sam Swope
Jack: The True Story of Jack & the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff
Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler
A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker
The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck
Sleeping Beauty's Daughters by Diane Zahler
The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale
Swan Sister: Fairy Tales Retold by Ellen Datlow
A True Princess by Diane Zahler

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through March 10, 2017.

Fairy Tales Retold

"Once upon a time . . . "
These is one of my favorite ways for a book to start.  I love fairy tales -- whether the original Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen or new tales.  Today I thought I would share some great retellings of fairy tales for kids . . .

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler
Zita, cast aside by her father and raised as a kitchen maid, learns when she is nearly twelve that she is a princess and that her twelve sisters love her, and so when she discovers they are victims of an evil enchantment, she desperately tries to save them. A retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses".

I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman
A little boy turns life in London upside down when he appears at the house of a lonely old couple and insists he was a rat.  A retelling of "Cinderella".

The Brixen Witch by Stacy DeKeyser
Twelve-year-old Rudi stumbles upon a witch's lair while out hunting, takes a gold coin he finds there but loses it again, then must deal with the witch's servant who promises to end the town's rat infestation only if he receives that gold coin.  A retelling of "The Pied Piper".

Ugly by Donna Jo Napoli
When the rest of the ducks turn on her little duckling, Ugly, because he isn't like them, Mother Duck sadly leaves him behind in order to protect her other children. With the help of some new friends, Ugly makes his way alone, but he doesn't know where he's going or what he's looking for.  A retelling of "The Ugly Duckling".

More Fairy Tale Retellings --
Beauty and the Beast: The One Who Didn't Run Away by Wendy Mass
Fairest by Gail Carson Levin (Snow White)
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker (The Frog Prince)
Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli (Rumpelstiltskin)
Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt (Rumpelstiltskin)
A True Princess by Diane Zahler (The Princess and the Pea)