LuLu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst

What a darling beginner chapter book for very young readers/listeners! My 8 year old grandson loved it, but I think it is too young for most children older than that. Wonderful read-aloud. Can be finished in half an hour or so, cleverly written and the illustrations are great.

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Newbery Honor book 2011. This is a book I think I would have liked as an elementary age child. Set mostly in Florida in 1935 this is the story of a young girl who is sent to live with her aunt in Florida while her mother tries to pull her life together. The characters were likable, the writing was good enough, and though it was predictable, the story was good- especially for young girls.


Newbery Honor book 2011. This is a book I think I would have liked as an elementary age child. Set mostly in Florida in 1935 this is the story of a young girl who is sent to live with her aunt in Florida while her mother tries to pull her life together. The characters were likable, the writing was good enough, and though it was predictable, the story was good- especially for young girls.



The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E. L. Konigsburg

This is the story of Amedeo Kaplan, who finds himself helping to clear out the house of an elderly woman, Mrs. Zender, in preparation for her moving to an assisted living center. As that process proceeds, mysteries and secrets of the past are revealed having to to with great works of art, Nazi Germany, and war criminals. The story was okay, but there is no way this is elementary school material. I am surprised is wasn't shelved with Youth Fiction rather than Juvenile Fiction. In my opinion some of the language, homosexual references (appropriate for youth), complexity of the story and a few other objectionable things make it inappropriate for kids under 12.
As a book for children, this is 2 star book, and I wouldn't really recommend it. As a youth book, 3 stars and you just might like it!

EL Konnigsburg also wrote The View From Saturday, Newbery Award winner from 1997 which I loved; From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Newbery Award winner from 1968 which I read as a child and loved; and Silent to the Bone, which was totally offensive and poorly done. Can't win them all!

Love,
Bev