Editorial Review

In Cynthia Kadohata's lively, lovely, funny and sad novel -- winner of the 2005 Newbery Medal -- the Japanese-American Takeshima family moves from Iowa to Georgia in the 1950s when Katie, the narrator, is just in kindergarten. Though her parents endure grueling conditions and impossible hours in the non-unionized poultry plant and hatchery where they work, they somehow manage to create a loving, stable home for their three children: Lynn, Katie, and Sammy. Katie's trust in, and admiration for, her older sister Lynn never falters, even when her sisterly advice doesn't seem to make sense. Lynn teaches her about everything from how the sky, the ocean, and people's eyes are special to the injustice of racial prejudice. The two girls dream of buying a house for the family someday and even save $100 in candy money: "Our other favorite book was Read more

Reviews (119)

Kira-Kira
Life in the 1950's was hard on ethnic groups. One such case is the Japanese family Takeshima. Kira-Kira was written from the daughter Katie's perspective. When Katie and her family move to Georgia she feels bad that she is moving away from her home in Iowa and all of the memories there. Will it be worth it for Katie and her family to move, or will she regret going and feel sad? Read Kira-Kira to find out if Katie overcomes her apprehension and makes new memories and friends. I really liked this book and thought it was saddening, although it was a sad book it was also a great book. I would recommend this book to people that really enjoy books that are based in the past and narrated from the characters personal memories.
Kira-Kira
When I read this book, I thought that it was a very good book. I couldn't stop myself from reading it and I think you should read it too. I recomend this book. It was very sad and it was very emotional. Even though the story is not a true story, somehow you feel like it is a true story and that means that the author wrote this book well. I hope that if you do read it you will enjoy reading it and I hope you do read this book.
The Glittering Book
Life couldn't have been better until Katie and her family moved to Georgia. Katie and Lynn Takeshima lived in Iowa and went to school like every Japanese girl would. Both their parents went to their store every morning to work. But when they lose the store because no one wanted to buy Japanese original products. The family had to move to Georgia where they had family, Katie's uncle. Once they moved there their mother had a baby boy, Samson. After a year of nothing really happening, Lynn got really sick with iron lose and later on cancer. After going through some tough times, Lynn died New Years morning. This book is worthy of Grace Livingston Hill.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Classics    4. Death    5. Family - Siblings    6. Fiction    7. Friendship    8. Japanese Americans    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. People & Places - United States - Asian American    11. Sisters    12. Social Issues - Death & Dying    13. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    14. Juvenile Fiction / Ethnic / Asian American   

Editorial Review

After reading this book, I guarantee that you will never visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or any wonderful, old cavern of a museum) without sneaking into the bathrooms to look for Claudia and her brother Jamie. They're standing on the toilets, still, hiding until the museum closes and their adventure begins.Such is the impact of timeless novels . . . they never leave us. E. L. Konigsburg won the 1967 Newbery Medal for this tale of how Claudia and her brother run away to the museum in order to teach their parents a lesson. Little do they know that mystery awaits! ... Read more

Reviews (270)

Great Book
This book is great so far. It is full of mystery and adventure. Twelve year old Claudia has run away with her brother Jamie to the Metropilan Muesum of Art. Claudia decided to bring along her brother Jamie with her because he has a lot of money. While they are there at the muesum, Claudia and Jamie come across a great mystery in the muesum that is all over the newspaper. If you would like to find out what this great mystery read this book! Teachers it is also a great book to read with your class. Also edutactional!

Not mixed-up about how good this book is
This Newbery award winner is about Claudia and Jamie, two kids who run away from home. They leave the suburbs and head to New York where they stay in none other than the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sleep in an old bed in the French section. They hide in the bathrooms. They even take baths in a fountain (and get paid for it, sort of)!But when a new exhibit comes in, the fun really starts. The Angel is beautiful, exquisite, and mysterious. The question: is the sculpture really done by Michelangelo? Claudia and Jamie will do anything to find out. I think I loved the book mostly because I really liked the idea of living in a museum. This book is good for all ages, but I expected it to be longer.
Wonderful Story
I remember this from my own childhood favorites and am now reading it with my daughter--
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Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. Classics    5. Family - Siblings    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Runaway children    9. Runaways    10. Social Issues - Runaways    11. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Siblings   

Reviews (5)

Yes, for the love of children
To answer the extremely perseptive reviewer, who seemed to have gotten so much more from this book than any body else besides myself...yes, Eugene Field had a son who died. He wrote a poem about it too, and it is called "Little Boy Blue". My mother used to torture herself reading this poem..and it got so bad she just couldn't any more. This book of poetry is just wonderful. The illustrations by the renown artist Maxfield Parish are a pure delight, a treasure unto themselves.
Touching and memorable.
Some of these poems are for children. Some are merely about children. Some are for grown ups who love children. Some are for children who have no idea how dear they are to the grown ups in their lives. Imaginativeand memorable poetryfor all
This was a book from my childhood and which I have searched for many years. So happy to find it at Amazon's. Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator ,with his imagination was the right choice for this book of poetry. EugeneField's love of children and the sadness which was part of his life makesthe poetry memorable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American poetry    2. Children's 9-12 - Poetry / Plays    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children's poetry    5. Children's poetry, American    6. Children: Grades 4-6    7. Poetry - General    8. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (985)

Hatchet is my Favorite Book
Hatchet is my favorite book, this is a book where a boy whos parents are divorced and goes to visit his father and takes a single engine plane and and plane crashed into a river. The pilot suffers a heart attack and dies, the Boy, Brian survives and manages to live in the middle of no where for about a year, The boys mother, gave him a hatchet for his birthday and the hatchet represents life for without it the boy would not have been able to survive. The boy eventully gets rescued and flys back.

Hatchet
Hatchet
Hatchet
HATCHET
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    6. Classics    7. Divorce    8. Family - Marriage & Divorce    9. Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Social Issues - Adolescence    12. Social Situations - Adolescence    13. Survival    14. Survival after airplane accidents, shipwrecks, etc.    15. Adventure / thriller    16. English literature: fiction texts    17. Family & relationships    18. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / General   

Reviews (1)

Shiny Stars
What happens when you're lost in a strange world and need to find your way home? If you're May Bird, you enlist the help of some unique friends, face the bad guys head-on, and believe that you'll get home, no matter what.
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Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure - General    2. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Fiction    6. Future life    7. Ghosts    8. Horror & Ghost Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Legends, Myths, & Fables - General    11. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    12. Self-confidence    13. Social Issues - New Experience    14. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / General   

Reviews (6)

the tales of mystery and madness
this book is called the tales of mystery and madness.This book is like a comic.But the story that i read is about a man who lived a normal life with a wife and a cat.The cat followed him every were he went,until one night he came home drunk and tried tograb the cat but the cat bit him so he got angry and poked the cat eye out.Then the cat never followed him again so he got angry and hung the cat.After that he went to the bar to get a drink and then he saw a cat who looked like the old cat that he hung.So his wife came to the bar and had bought the cat,so then the cat started to follow him every where he went just like the last cat did.Then he got so angry causethe cat would not leave him alone.So he took the cat to the basement and tried to kill it but his wife stoped him from killing the cat.So instead of killing the cat he killed his wife and buried her in the walls with the cat.Couple weeks later the police came knocking on his door,he had open the door and fast as they could the police rushed in and started to search his house but they found nothing until the police had found the basement and started to search but yet they found nothing.But all of a sudden a noise came threw the walls,he tried to cover the wall that he buried her but it was no good the police pushed him out the way and started tobang rhe walls.Wall colapsed and there stood the corpse bride with the cat on her head.

Not a children's book
** SPOILER WARNING**
Horror Review
I read Edgar A. Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness. This book has 4 stories; Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, Hop Frog, and The Fall of the House of Usher. I won't go into detail about all the stories but my favorite story was The Masque of the Red Death.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children's stories, American    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Classics    5. Horror & Ghost Stories    6. Horror fiction    7. Horror stories    8. Horror tales, American    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Horror / Ghost Stories    11. Juvenile Short Story Collections    12. Short Stories    13. Juvenile Fiction / Horror & Ghost Stories   

Editorial Review

When 11-year-old Marty Preston chances upon a mistreated beagle pup in his hometown of Friendly, West Virginia, he is not prepared for the ethical questions he has to face. Should he return the dog to its owner, only to have the animal abused again? Should he tell his parents? Should he steal food to help the poor creature? Marty's efforts to cope with these questions provides the moral backbone for this story, which is presented in a language and manner that will be understood by third- and fourth-grade readers. The heart and beauty of this 1992 Newbery Medal winner lies in lessons children will take away with them. ... Read more

Reviews (271)

Well Deserved Newbery Winner,But Some Reservations
Shiloh is the winner of the 1992 Newbery Medal, and it tells the story of Marty Preston, an 11-year-old boy, and his efforts to rescue a mistreated beagle, Shiloh. Though Marty believes Shiloh came to him for help, his father makes it clear that he must not interfere in their neighbor's business, even if that neighbor is Judd Travers, a thoroughly unlikable man who abuses his dogs. When Shiloh comes to him a second time though, Marty has to choose between his love for Shiloh or obedience to his father. Though I had to do some minor editing while reading aloud to my preschool-aged children, this is a very engaging story full of struggle, devotion, and suspense that had my son (and hubby) begging for more.Naylor expertly reeled us in from the first chapter as we got wrapped up in Marty's concern for Shiloh and she kept us expectantly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Eleven-year-old Marty lives with his parents and two younger sisters just above Friendly, West Virginia. Marty finds a dog and he is convinced that the dog is abused by its owner. He wants to keep Shiloh, but he has to strike a deal with Shiloh's owner, Judd Travers.
A Beagle story review by Zachary in AK
Shiloh is one of the first books that I read and finished. Before reading it, I didn't really like to read. But after reading it, I wanted the rest of the series because I just had to know what happend next.
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Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - Dogs    3. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    4. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 4-6    6. Classics    7. Dogs    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Literature    11. Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds    12. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    13. Social Issues - Values    14. Social Situations - Values    15. Treatment    16. West Virginia    17. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance   

Editorial Review

There's something very strange about the rats living under the rosebush at the Fitzgibbon farm. But Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with a sick child, is in dire straits and must turn to these exceptional creatures for assistance. Soon she finds herself flying on the back of a crow, slipping sleeping powder into a ferocious cat's dinner dish, and helping 108 brilliant, laboratory-enhanced rats escape to a utopian civilization of their own design, no longer to live "on the edge of somebody else's, like fleas on a dog's back."Read more

Reviews (237)

The Must Read of the Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I myself have not finshed the book yet, but I intend to ASAP.
The Must Read of the Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I myself have not finshed the book yet, but I intend to ASAP.
Great first novel
I read this as a kid sometime before the movie was made of it.It was the first novel I had ever read through, and I was so captivated by it that I read it all at once, it keeping me up until dawn.It is very intellectually engaging, I think, as a novel for young readers.The whole story of the rats becoming smart is thought through and developed in the way of good science fiction.And the characters handle their problems in realistic ways, with the practical consequences of courage, cowardice, etc. playing out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Animals - MiceHamstersGuinea Pigsetc.    4. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    5. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    6. Children: Grades 4-6    7. Classics    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Mice    11. Rats    12. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    13. Social Issues - Friendship    14. Animal stories    15. Fantasy    16. Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure    17. Rabbits & rodents    18. Science fiction   

Editorial Review

If anyone tried to determine the most common rite of passage for preteen girls in North America, a girl's first reading of Read more

Reviews (320)

Jewish/Catholic, Teenager/Child
Eleven year-old Margaret wonders about growing up and religon in this well-written book. Margaret's feelings are portrayed delightfully in her talks to God. She is caught imbetween teenager and child, wishing for puberty to come faster. I think Judy Blume did an excellent job in creating a character much like a normal preteen. She has feelings for boys, has her best friends close to her heart, and is growing up like any other girl. She is sometimes embarassed by her parents, and just wants to become a teenager as fast as her friends are.
Forever remembered
What a gem! A good book is one that we can not forget 30 years later. This novel is timeless. Readers can identify with ever aspect of what happens to Margaret as she enters the strange and intriguing journey into adolescence. There are moments of every girl's life that mark her entry into "womanhood." This book captures them all. Its innocence is beautiful as it approaches the preteen years with humor, depth and candor. What a marvelous book. Even though times have changed and readers have countless options of preteen books, this book surpasses them all.

A bit dated but good
I can't believe I never read this book as a girl! I really missed out. It's a bit dated now (and the hired help parts really bother me), but I can see why girls love it. I wonder if there's anything similar but more modern? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Classics    4. Conduct of life    5. Fiction    6. Girls & Women    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Preteens    9. Religions    10. Social Issues - Adolescence    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Adolescence   

Editorial Review

A powerhouse sixth-grade Academic Bowl team from Epiphany Middle School; the art of calligraphy; the retirees of Century Village, Florida; a genius dog named Ginger; and a holiday production of "Annie" all figure heavily in the latest book by E. L. Konigsburg, who has produced a Newbery Medal-winning children's tale to rival her classic Read more

Reviews (250)

One of the most moving books I have read in a long time!
So I had this crazy idea: I'm going to read the Newberry Awards books. I was at my fiancé's school and they had a poster of past Newberry Award books and I had this epiphany: I was going to take some time and just read great young adult books!
Teamwork Pays Off
I really liked this book because it was about different kids that worked together to meet a common goal. The characters were kids that I could relate to, and the plot moved along so you won't get bored. I would like to read other books by this writer and see if they are as good.

Great writer
This is the second middle grade book by Konigsburg that I've read. She's such a wonderful writer.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Classics    5. Contests    6. Fiction    7. Friendship    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. School & Education    10. Schools    11. Social Issues - Friendship    12. Teacher-student relationships    13. Juvenile Fiction / School & Education   

Reviews (69)

Castaways in the Pacific
The book opens with two prisoners of the Cofederate army along with three other men escaping in a hot air balloon.Contrary to their plans, a storm arises that blows them all the way to an uncharted volcanic island in the southern Pacific.Cyrus Harding is the natural leader of the group, and apparently very well informed in matters of science, proceeds to guide the men into establishing a colony, and providing for their every need.They use the resources found on the island, as well as their education.The book is in the genre of "The Swiss Family Robinson", except that as one of the men said, "they quite took the wind out of the sails of the Robinsons, for whom everything was done by a miracle."The first half of the book details how they were able to provide for their needs, and build a home on the island.The reading can become tedious unless the science of the way they performed each action is considered very interesting.I enjoyed it for a while, but not being too scientific myself, near the end of the second half of the book, I just wanted to get through it.It is very detailed, and if I was interested in it all, it truly would have been captivating.
Mysteries abound
After reading The Mysterious Island, I wonder how much Jules Verne's current reputation is based on 1950s and '60s movies loosely--very loosely--adapted from his novels. In this book, there are no giant crabs or bees, or aliens, or even women. There are five men and a dog seeking to escape besieged Richmond during the Civil War who are carried off in a balloon by hurricane winds to an uncharted island in the Pacific, where they find and make what they need to survive.
"All great actions redound to God, for it is from Him that they come!": Faith and Science
Jules Verne's _The Mysterious Island_ (1874 - 1875) is a massive work in terms of its scope and development.Verne spends over six hundred pages describing the lives of five castaways on a deserted island over a three year period.The men--Cyrus Smith, Gideon Spilett, Nebuchadnezzar (Neb), Pencroff, and Harbert Brown--have escaped captivity from Richmond, Virginia, during the Civil War.Taking to flight on an unguarded Confederate hot air balloon (an "aerostat") during a storm, the five men find themselves blown wildly off course-- providentially, though, to a hitherto undiscovered island in the middle of the wastes of the Pacific Ocean.
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Subjects:  1. Adventure and adventurers    2. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    5. Classics    6. Fiction    7. French Prose    8. Islands of the Pacific    9. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    10. Adventure stories    11. French    12. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Editorial Review

"And I realized with a shock that he was never going to understand. Hewas a man," laments Atalanta about her overbearing father. Atalanta, Andromeda,and Psyche--three Greek heroines bound by love, or by the harsh bonds of apatriarchal society? In these feminist retellings of classic love stories,Clemence McLaren, author of Read more

Reviews (11)

I love it!
I loved this when i first read it back in 8th grade. Now that i bought it and re-read it again, i love it even more! I have loved greek mythology and romantic stuff for a long time and this book provides both. It first inspired me to write my own greek mythology love story back in 8th grade. But nowthat i have re-read it and another one of the author's books, i'm going to fix my story and make it better.

Great!
This book was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed reading it. Aphrodite's Blessing is a book about three Greek myths. In these myths, Aphrodite plays a main role in the lives of the main characters: Atalanta, Andromeda, and Psyche.
Not the best Greek myths book, but an interesting one

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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children's stories, American    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Classics    5. Fiction    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Legends, Myths, & Fables - Greek & Roman    8. Love    9. Love & Romance    10. Marriage    11. Mythology, Greek    12. Juvenile Fiction / Legends, Myths, Fables / Greek & Roman   

Editorial Review

Climb aboard for the swashbuckling adventure of a lifetime. Read more

Reviews (233)

Let us dance the dance of life
I had to read this book when I was in 7th grade and I really didn't care for itand after I read through it I forgot all about it. Luckily I accidentally kept it and didn't return it because years later I came across it and I decided to give it another chance. I'm glad I did because it's a good adventure book that will keep you interested the whole time. This book has everything from buried treasure, pirates, fighting, sailing on the open seas anddrinking rum. This is a book for both children and adults looking for adventure and a way to escape their everyday life.

A Must Read!
Excellent. A fantastic tale of greed, heroics, and courage. The hero, Jim Hawkins, is swept into a perilous adventure when an old pirate wanders into his home and dies, leaving behind a legendary treasure map. Creative, fun, and exciting, Treasure Island is a must read for people of all ages!

Great piece of pirate myth!
The book is a classy reproduction of the original with all of the wonderful N.C. Wyeth illustrations.A great addition to any library with a piratical bent of mind. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th Century English Novel And Short Story    2. Action & Adventure    3. Action & Adventure - General    4. Adventure and adventurers    5. Buried treasure    6. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    7. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    8. Children: Grades 4-6    9. Classics    10. Fiction    11. Pirates    12. 19th century fiction    13. English    14. Juvenile Fiction / Classics    15. Novels, other prose & writers: 19th century   

Reviews (329)

A Journey Into The Wild
While reading this novel, I felt as though I was on a journey. The sensory detail and connections that I could make with Buck made his jouney seem more and more real to me. Watching Buck transform from a domesticated house dog, to a wild, one with nature, almost wolf-like animal was both amazing and heart-wrenching. It was amazing to see how the wild changed Buck so much, but it was sad to see how the major struggles and difficulties he faced sort of forced him to change. Buck had great determination and spirit that was clearly shown through his actions and reactions to his surroundings.
At times gut-wrenching and heartbreaking...
Jack London needs to be given his proper due. He is a tremendously talented writer and his understanding of life matches his tremendous knowledge of the snow-enshrouded world of the upper latitudes. Although The Call of the Wild is a short novel and on the surface a dog's story, it contains as much truth and reality of man's own struggles as that which can be sifted from the life's work of many other respected authors.
Good for all ages
I read it when one of my kids had to read it. A great story and brings up a lot of American history for teaching and learning (about the Gold Rush). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Action & Adventure - General    3. Animal welfare    4. Animals - Dogs    5. Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary    6. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    7. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    8. Classics    9. Feral dogs    10. Fiction    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Klondike River Valley (Yukon)    13. Nature & the Natural World - General    14. People & Places - United States    15. Pet theft    16. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

Reviews (103)

The Best of the Robinson Crusoe readings.
Everyone knows the story...so the issue is who can read the
An Affirmation of the Times
The century in which Robinson Crusoe had his adventures was a time of exploration and colonialism.Daniel Defoe's story is famous for many reasons.For one thing, it is one of the first books to be written in modern English.Secondly, the adventuristic appeal has won the hearts and interests of generations of readers.And thirdly, it is an affirmation of the culture and society of the times (in comparison with Gulliver's Travels, a book that was more a satire of the times).
legendary story seems not to have aged very well..
Most everyone in the English-speaking world has heard of 'Robinson Crusoe' and know roughly what the story is about (Englishman gets marooned on a island and runs into fellow castaway sidekick he calls Friday).And upon reading the book there are no surprises.It reads like a book written 300 years ago: it's language is a bit stiff, lots of preaching of Christianity and Christian values, absolutely no sex.There is some violence but it is not belabored nor is it graphic.