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

A Few of Miss Amy's Favorite Chapter Books

 This week I'm sharing a few 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 Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper

On his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.

Mouse Noses on Toast by Daren King

Paul Mouse gathers a group of mouse activists to uncover the mystery behind the delicacy known as "Mouse noses on toast" which is served in a fancy human restaurant.

Magic Below Stairs by Caroline Stevermer

Ten-year-old Frederick, who is surreptitiously watched over by a household elf, is plucked from a London orphanage to be a servant to a wealthy wizard, and eventually his uncanny abilities lead him to become the wizard's apprentice.

Naked Bunyip Dancing by Steven Herrick

This novel in verse follows the school year of Australian students in classroom 6C, as their unconventional teacher encourages them to discover their own strengths and talents and perform in a memorable concert.

More Favorites --

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Horton Halfpot by Tom Anglberger

A Long Line of Cakes by Deborah Wiles

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy

Ms. Rapscott's Girls by Elise Primavera

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

Shivers! The Pirate Who's Afraid of Everything by Annabeth Bondor-Stone

The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall by Tony Johnston

The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13 by Honest Lee

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 11, 2020.

Family Is What You Make It

November is National Adoption Month.  So today I am sharing books about those families that choose to be family -- books about adoption . . .

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 Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Levy
Relates the adventures of a family with two fathers, four adopted boys, and a variety of pets as they make their way through a school year, Kindergarten through sixth grade, and deal with a grumpy new neighbor.

Minion by John David Anderson
Michael Morn is a supervillain-in-training and the adoptive son of the brilliant criminal mastermind whose sense of right and wrong is thrown into question when a new superhero arrives in town.

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay
After learning that she was adopted, thirteen-year-old Saffron's relationship with her eccentric, artistic family changes, until they help her go back to Italy where she was born to find a special momento of her past.


More Stories About Adoption --
All the Broken Pieces by Ann Burg
As Simple as It Seems by Sarah Weeks
The Door by the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Greenglass House by Kate Milford
Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata
The Imagination Box by Martyn Ford
Kimchi & Calamari by Rose Kent
Red Butterfly by A.L. Sonnichsen
Rory's Promise by Michaela MacCall
Trophy Kid, or, How I Was Adopted by the Rich and Famous by Steve Atinsky

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 2, 2016.

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

Fred loves school.  Unfortunately, they can't keep a teacher at their small Alaskan school for more than two months.

Then Miss Agnes comes.

Miss Agnes loves to teach.  She makes learning fun.  She wins over the parents who don't see the need for their kids to attend school when they could be working with their family.  She makes Fred's sister attend school even though she is deaf.

Then Miss Agnes says she is homesick for England.  Will she stay more than just the one year?


This was a wonderful historical novel of growing up in Alaska.  It is a simple story focusing on Fred's time at school while still giving a lot of information about living in Alaska in 1948.  I would recommend this book for those who liked The Little House on the Prairie series and the Sarah, Plain and Tall books.

Stories of the Past

This week, I'm going to share some of my favorite historical fiction chapter books for kids . . .

Bo at Iditarod Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill
In 1920s Alaska, when five-year-old Bo and her two adoptive fathers move to Iditarod Creek to work at a new gold mine, Bo feels homesick until she realizes there is friendship to be found everywhere--and Iditarod Creek may hold some surprises for her already unconventional family.

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck
Fourteen-year-old Eleanor "Peewee" McGrath, a tomboy and automobile enthusiast, discovers new possibilities for her future after the 1914 arrival in her small Indiana town of four young librarians.

Margret and Flynn, 1875 by Kathleen Duey
In the Colorado Territory in 1875, orphan Margret and her older sister Libby are staying with the kind-hearted Mrs. Fredrickson when Margret finds an injured horse which she nurses back to health and wants to keep, while Libby is too mistrustful of people to think that they might possibly have found a home.

Stop the Train! A Novel by Geraldine McCaughrean
Despite the opposition of the owner of the Red Rock Runner Railroad in 1893, the new settlers of Florence, Oklahoma, are determined to build a real town.


More Historical Fiction --
Anna's Blizzard by Alison Hart
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Barn by Avi
Daniel's Walk by Michael Spooner
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mable Riley by Marthe Jocelyn
Prairie Songs by Pam Conrad
The Wanigan: Life on the River by Gloria Whelan
The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt
Worth by A. LaFaye

Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through April 22, 2016.