Family Friendly Classics

Today, I'm sharing classic stories that can be read by the whole family.  Here are a few of my favorites . . .

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Headed for Canada to visit his father for the first time since his parents' divorce, thirteen-year-old Brian is the sole survivor of a plane crash, with only the clothes he has on and a hatchet to help him live in the wilderness.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

No case is too tricky for the world's most famous sleuth and his incredible powers of deduction, in a collection of mystery stories for young readers.

More Books --

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Hans Brinker by Mary Mapes Dodge

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

Stuart Little by E.B. White

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

White Fang by Jack London

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

But Have You Read the Book? Books That Have Been Made Into Movies

Which is better -- the book or the movie?  Check out one of the books (and movies) and see which one you think is better.

Nim's Island by Wendy Orr

Nim loves her island home and the animals she shares it with even while her scientist father is away doing research, but trouble is on the way and a new e-mail friend could be the only one who can help.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Thirteen-year-old Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin are guided by unearthly strangers as they go on a journey through space and time to search for Meg's and Charles' scientist father who disappeared while experimenting with a new form of space travel.

More Books --

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Holes by Louis Sachar

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Stuart Little by E.B. White

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Eureka! Science Fiction for Kids

This week, I'm sharing fiction chapter books that include science in the story.  Here's a few of my favorites . . . .

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Popular Clone by M.E. Castle
Twelve-year-old Fisher Bas, a science-loving bully magnet, clones himself, only to discover that his double is infinitely cooler than himself.

Tesla's Attic by Neal Shusterman
With a plot combining science and the supernatural, four kids are caught up in a dangerous plan concocted by the eccentric inventor, Nikola Tesla.


More Books --
Agnes Parker: Happy Camper? by Kathleen O'Dell
Benjamin Franklin Lives! by Matthew McElligott
The Boy Trap by Nancy Matson
The Contagious Colors of Mumpley Middle School by Fowler De Witt
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor by Jon Scieszka
Jake Drake: Know-It-All by Andrew Clements
Leon and the Champion Chip by Allen Kurzweil
Max Einstein: The Genius Experiment by James Patterson
Melonhead by Katy Kelly
Rules of the Universe by Austin W. Hale by Robin Vaupel
Science Fair: A Story of Mystery, Danger, International Suspense, and a Very Nervous Frog by Dave Barry

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through February 22, 2019.

Books to Movies

This year is a great year for children's books being made into movies.  There are new movie versions of Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit and A Wrinkle in Time all coming out in 2018.  This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite children's books that have been made into movies . . .

The BFG by Roald Dahl
Kidsnatched from her orphanage by a BFG (Big Friendly Giant), who spends his life blowing happy dreams to children, Sophie concocts with him a plan to save the world from nine other man-gobbling cannybull giants.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
An extraordinary English nanny blows in on the East Wind with her parrot-headed umbrella and magic carpetbag and introduces her charges, Jane and Michael, to some delightful people and experiences.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Thirteen-year-old Meg Murry, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin are guided by unearthly strangers as they go on a journey through space and time to search for Meg's and Charles' scientist father who disappeared while experimenting with a new form of space travel.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.


More Books --
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Stuart Little by E.B. White
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through February 23, 2018.

Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Hope Larson

Meg feels as if she doesn't fit in -- at her school, in her family, and in life -- ever since her father disappeared a year ago.  She knows he would never have left willingly and one night she finds out she was right.  Now Meg, her little brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Cal must travel through space to rescue her father from the darkness.

This is the graphic novel retelling of Madeline L'Engle's classic book A Wrinkle in Time.  It is a definite must-read for those who like the original novel.  It is also a great introduction to the classic book in a comic format which makes it more accessible for younger children.

Seek the Unknown

Some of the most exciting books to read are those where the characters set off for adventures into the unknown.  Anything can happen!  Here are some great teen books featuring adventures into the unknown . . .

Nation by Terry Pratchett
After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Above by Leah Bobet
When insane exile Corner and his army of mindless, whispering shadows invade Safe, a secret, underground community of freaks and disabled outcasts, Matthew, traumatized shapeshifter Ariel, and other misfits go to the dangerous place known as Above, where Matthew makes a shocking discovery about the histories entrusted to him.

Every Day by David Levithan
Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.


More Adventures into the Unknown --
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Boston Jane: An Adventure by Jennifer L. Holm
City of Beasts by Isabel Allende
The Dark Ground by Gillian Cross
The Dead & the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer
Heaven Eyes by David Almond
The Obsidian Blade by Pete Hautman
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony
The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable

Classics for Children

This month, I have set myself the goal of reading classic children's books.  Here are some of the ones I hope to read this month . . .

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The adventures of Alice, a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole and enters a nonsensical world filled with amusing one-of-a-kind characters, like talking rabbits and playing cards, and must struggle with riddles, games and challenges in order to find her way home.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.

The Children of Green Knowe by L.M. Boston
Tolly comes to live with his great-grandmother at the ancient house of Green Knowe and becomes friends with three children who lived there in the seventeenth century.

Hans Brinker, or, The Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge
A Dutch boy and girl work toward two goals--finding the doctor who can restore their father's memory and winning the competition for the silver skates.


Come and talk with me after you read the books and we can compare to see if we both liked the books.