Deeba’s friend Zanna is the Shwazzy, the chosen one, prophesied to save the fantastic hidden alternate city of UnLunDun from the evil sentient Smog that threatens to devour it. But what happens if the chosen one fails? Fails before the book is even half over? What happens to a city filled with objects declared obsolete in London, forgotten by the real world, and transformed into living things in UnLunDun? Deeba may not be the Shwazzy, but she can’t let the Smog win.
High adventure, double-crosses, magical creatures, and completely unexpected plot twists–this book could not be better! If you like exciting stories full of original creatures that you’ve never seen before, this book is for you.
Posted by: Sarah
If you like stories with animals that talk and think like people you will like this story a lot. It is like the Ugly Duckling fairy tale but it is set in Tasmania near Australia and so the animals are very different. Ugly is hatched to a Pacific black duck. His mother loves him very much and tells him that he is a genius. However, it soon becomes clear that he is different and the other ducks on the pond try to kill him. His mother and her brood are constantly running from the other ducks. Finally his mother tells him that he will have to go away because she cannot protect him. He reluctantly goes away but always remembers his mother and everything she told him about the world. A wallaby helps him escape the mean ducks and a wombat gives him a home. He has some very interesting interactions with the animals and people in Tasmania. He learns a lot about the animals and makes many friends. Can you guess the ending? It has a very nice twist to it. This is recommended for readers in 4th and 5th grades.
Everyone who’s ever seen or heard the Nutcracker knows about the evil Rat King.
Imagine listening to music on the radio when suddenly there is an announcement, “Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program to bring you a special bulletin . . . there’s a report that several explosions have been observed on the planet Mars.
Another great story for spring with themes of friendship and sharing is Duck and Goose by Tad Hills. In this title a duck and goose find a colorful ball which they believe is an egg. Both believe they are the rightful owners. After scrambling to be the first to the top, they find themselves sitting together. While they argue at first, they soon find themselves thinking about what they can do together with “the egg”. A little bird helps them see their silliness, and they have fun playing with the ball instead. The story has a clever ending and adorable illustrations. This is another terrific story about funny, feathered friends.
Nancy is all about being fancy, but, unfortunately, her family is not. Nancy despairs of ever making her family see the fun of being fancy (you can write with a purple plume instead of a pen when you are fancy, you know) until she sees a sign advertising for dance lessons and decides that she must give her family lessons on how to be fancy. So after learning that yellow is a plain word, gold a fancy one and showing them how to accessorize, Nancy’s family is ready to wow the world with their new fanciness. They head out to dinner and, just when everything seems to be perfect, Fancy Nancy takes a fall and suddenly doesn’t feel so fancy anymore. Luckily, Mom and Dad know just what to do to fix everything, and soon they are settled back at home with ice cream sundaes. Oops! I mean parfaits. And as Nancy’s parents tell her they love her, Nancy realizes that “there isn’t a fancy- or better- way of saying that.”A truly delightful book that sneaks in some great vocabulary and fun ideas.
