I’ve always been a sucker for any book about the Vikings, fiction or nonfiction. From the D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths in elementary school, to Nancy Farmer’s Sea of Trolls series last year, everything has fascinated me—the culture is so seemingly similar to ours, but so alien. (To anyone familiar with the Greek and Roman gods, the Norse gods will seem incredibly bizarre). All of the books I’ve read, though, mythological aspects notwithstanding, have been set in the real historical world—England, Norway, Iceland. The places were all real.
Jonathan Stroud’s Heroes of the Valley, though it pushes all of the Norse buttons (names, architecture, customs), is set in a world that might be entirely fantasy. Helgi Sveinsson lives in a valley peopled by twelve families, each descended from 12 mighty warriors who died defending the settlement from the evil Trows. No one ever leaves the valley (because of the Trows), and no one ever deviates from the customs of the country—Helgi’s mother is the law-giver of his family, and no one goes against her word.
When Helgi—looked down upon because of his abrasive personality, and his physical resemblance to his dodgy uncle—plays a practical joke that puts his entire family in danger, he begins a journey that not only takes him away from his family, but out of the valley entirely. The story that unfolds is gripping and entirely original, and the characters are believable in their individuality and growth (Helgi never miraculously develops matinee idol looks [something which readers of other novels might be led to believe happens to most normal/homely boys when they grow up], and he never becomes sweet-tempered, but he DOES mature and come to understand the motivations of the people around him). The book isn’t specifically delineated as the first book in a series, and the ending, while not definitively a full-stop, does seem to wrap up all the loose ends. Too bad—I’d love to learn more about the world, and explore it with the same—or new—characters.
Posted by: Sarah
Want to find a fun way to introduce rhyming? Then look no further than this book. These dust bunnies will have you in stitches with their antics. Filled with bright, fun illustrations, Rhyming Dust Bunnies tells the tale of, you guessed, dust bunnies who rhyme! But will their rhyming be put to an untimely end by a mean cleaning machine? You’ll have to read the book to find out. Whether you are 2 or 52, you will be in stitches by the end of this book.
This book is a beautifully illustrated story of the first landing on the moon, and promising portrayal of a little girl’s dream of becoming an astronaut. The story takes place in the farming town of Star in 1969. Mae and her family live and work on the farm. They spend time in the evenings watching the night sky. She and her cousins pretend to ride in a rocket to the moon. Then one night while watching the sky with her grandfather, from the yard they see the TV in the house flash these words across the screen “LIVE FROM THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.” Mae gets goosebumps!
ROAR! Here’s a book that answers all of those nagging dinosaur questions in one wonderful place. As my 3-year-old can attest, this book is so fun it even holds the attention of little dinosaur lovers, too. There are lots of actual photographs of bones and tools and scientists, as well as a variety of illustrations that range from life-like to cartoon style. It is in a question and answer format that really works! And the questions are both serious and funny. For example: Did the dinosaurs eat one another? Which dinosaur would make the best pet? Why do scientists collect dinosaur droppings? (Including an actual photo of dinosaur “coprolite” or poop). This is a great book to read and discover again and again.
Genna and Dan live in a fantasy medieval world. They are unusual siblings because the younger, Dan, has his own ghost who can warn him of danger and Genna has been studying with her mother to be a healer. There is an uneasy truce between mankind and the nightlings who live in the forest and lately some people have been disappearing or contracting a strange illness. Genna and her brother Dan decide that they have to venture into the forest at night to extract a magic liquid to heal their mother. Their father has already disappeared and they are afraid that their uncle is plotting against their family.
History is brought to life by this story of cod, the fish that changed the world. The colorful, humorous pictures make the information enjoyable and more meaningful. There is a timeline along the bottom of some of the pages, highlighting historical information. Kids in early grade school through high school can enjoy it on different levels. Read it through or browse the pictures for some fun fishy facts, poetry and even old recipes.
In 1862 Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, fourteen-year-old Rosemary Elizabeth strives to fit in with the Shaker sisters of this “Heaven on Earth.” She, her mother and siblings seek refuge here from the abusive father, yet even though Rosemary Elizabeth loves the beautiful clean surroundings, the delicious abundant food, the spotless white garments and the kindly companions, she finds daily difficulties with the Shaker three Cs — confession, communality, and celibacy — as well as so many additional picayune and non-sensical rules. Sister Bess (even their names have been taken and replaced), is grateful, safe, and comfortable and she truly does try for total perfection according to Shaker beliefs, but Rosemary thinks more and more about how the best heroines aren’t perfect. She thinks how pride, selfishness, hypocrisy, prejudice, weakness, and more, make heroines more like real people. She comes to believe families are supposed to live as families, even if that life is far from perfect. She begins to rebel in small and large ways to define her own self and comes through her Shaker experience with wonderful balance. You will like this heroine, Rosemary Elizabeth, and you will like this book which encourages you to think and think and think, as Rosemary did, about how perfection is very complicated, and that maybe there are other roads leading to God and happiness. Beside the plot element, I very much enjoyed the author’s vivid description of the Pleasant Hill setting, of Shaker rooms, of foods and furniture, and I especially enjoyed reading of the various woods when Sister Bess was making Shaker brooms. A few pages of factual information in the Afterword about Shakers and Morgan’s Raiders is helpful to the reader, and I recommend Imperfections to 5th grade and older children who may enjoy strong heroines and historical fiction.
On a cold winter’s night, the three little dragons are freezing and shivering in their cave. But never fear, for the Good Knight takes them to the king’s castle where it is warm and toasty. He reminds the dragons that a fancy ball is going on at the castle and that they must mind their manners. Oh they will. But, dragons will be dragons, and while warming themselves by the fire, they can’t help but to cause chaos. The humiliated Good Knight gives the little dragons a second chance to display their good manners. But dragons will be dragons. Finally, the Good Knight discovers that the little dragons don’t understand what it means to have manners. Methinks that the Good Knight will be able to set everything right at last.
