The Mousehunter

Titles:  #1 The Mousehunter; #2  The Curse of Mousebeard; #3  Mousebeard's Revenge

Author/Illustrator:  Alex Milway

Rating:  **  (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
             Recommended

Audience:  5th grade and up

My 11 year-old daughter rates this trilogy with an "A," Highly Recommended.  I would probably put a caution in for some families ("C," Recommended with Reservations).  So we compromised and gave it 2 stars out of 3 possible.

Alex Milway shows a lot of creativity and artistry in planning this medieval mankind/mouse kingdom adventure series.  Just when you think there is nothing new under the sun (so to speak), a talented, clever author/illustrator comes along and does something relatively unique.

After a somewhat grisly opening scene at Old Town harbor (Pirate's Wharf, to be exact), Milway introduces us to Emiline Orelia, 12 year-old mousekeeper.  In Emiline's world, mice and men live cooperatively.  Various sorts of mice are collected and employed in a number of tasks in this seafaring tale of ships' captains, merchants and pirates.  Mice species are as varied and valuable as our modern dog species and Milway has outdone himself, illustrating each chapter with a unique mouse entry from "The Mousehunter's Almanac."

The Lighthouse Family Series

Titles:  The Storm; The Whale; The Eagle; The Turtle; The Octopus

Author:  Cynthia Rylant

Rating:  **  (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
             Recommended

Audience:  Ages 7-10 (boys and girls)

Here is another handy step-up readers series by Cynthia Rylant:  short chapters, simple yet engaging plots, quality writing and vocabulary.

Focusing on relationships, The Lighthouse Family brings together a mild-mannered cat, a helpful dog, 3 mouse "children" and various ocean-faring animal friends for gentle adventures by the sea.  Lovely illustrations by Preston McDaniels add to the attraction for young readers.

The Book of the Dun Cow

Titles:  Book of the Dun Cow; Book of Sorrows

Author:  Walt Wangerin, Jr.

Rating:  0 stars out of 3 possible, "D" or "F"
            Not Recommended

Audience:  Youth, Adults

Book of the Dun Cow was the worst book I've read since Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, or Annie Proulx's The Shipping News.  Disjointed, obscure, and slightly bizarre.

Sometimes the Literati bless these things with National Book Awards and rave reviews, but they just don't translate to Joe-Reader and Joe-Reader's children.

I tried hard to like Book of the Dun Cow.  I really did.  I've enjoyed many animal fantasy-allegories.  And I've read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, so you'd think I could make the transition.  But honestly, it was just weird.  And given the small amount of time we have to read with our children, I believe time is better spent on something like the Redwall series or The Hobbit.

Jean Craighead George 1919-2012

Titles include over 100 youth and children's books:

           My Side of the Mountain/On the Far Side of the
           Mountain/Frightful's Mountain
           Julie of the Wolves/Julie/Julie's Wolfpack
           Ecological Mystery Series  (Case of the Missing
           Cutthroat/Who Really Killed Cock Robin/
           Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo)
           There's an Owl in the Shower
           Charlie's Raven
           The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets

Audience:  3rd Grade and up for chapter books
                   Preschool and up for picture books

Rating:  **  (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")
             Recommended

From time to time I need to locate a large number of books to keep my 6th grader busy and happy.  Generally this occurs during the summer and any school vacations/early releases.  This past spring seemed an ideal time to check out 12-15 Jean Craighead George books.  We had already read My Side of the Mountain together which I remembered as one of the few books from my childhood I could enjoy over and over.

My Side of the Mountain, sometimes called a modern-day Robinson Crusoe, fascinated me because it plausibly presented a situation where a young teenager could move to the wild and successfully fend for himself.  I was briefly obsessed with the idea of living in the woods:  fashioning my own fishhooks and leather breeches, grinding acorns for pancakes, taming wild animals to keep me company.  I lived in northern Minnesota at the time, so it didn't seem too much of a stretch for the imagination.

We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes

Author:  Patrick Jennings

Rating:  *  (1 star out of 3 possible, "C")
             Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  5th Grade and Up

"I had shed a skin the day of my capture."

With this great "hook" sentence, Jennings begins an animal story written from the viewpoint of Crusher, the gopher snake.  Most of the fun in this 120 page book comes from looking at human life through the eyes of a reptile:

"The kid's den was a big white box inside a bigger white box.  My fellow prisoners and I were kept individually in small glass boxes with wire mesh roofs and dirt floors.  The prisoners in the other boxes were a tarantula, a desert tortoise, and an alligator lizard."

And:

"Before going to sleep that night on a springy, flat box, the kid shed some skin.  It was then I learned he was a male--what they call a boy.  He slid on some fresh skins that he took from a box that he pulled out of a larger box.  Humans are bizarre."

The "kid" is named Gunnar and he is the particularly obnoxious preteen antagonist Jennings uses to illustrate the ignorance of some human beings.  Gunnar doesn't care intelligently for the wild pets he captures, spends a wasteful amount of time playing video games, and shows mild disrespect for parents.

"Despite his mother's instructions, Gunnar spent the morning in front of the 'teevee,' jabbing and cursing.  I could not understand why he preferred this to going outside."

Having a foil like Gunnar is not a drawback of the book.  It is useful for our kids to see these behaviors exposed by someone other than an authority figure, say, a snake for instance.  Kids will quickly see through Gunnar and aspire to something better.

Bad Kitty is Good Fun

Titles: Bad Kitty; Poor Puppy; A Bad Kitty Christmas; Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty; Bad Kitty for President; Bad Kitty Gets a Bath; Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray; Bad Kitty Meets the Baby

Author: Nick Bruel

Rating: ** (2 stars out of 3 possible, "B")

Recommended

Audience: K-3rd grades

Nick Bruel began his Bad Kitty franchise as creative, albeit lengthy picture/alphabet books. (Not all preschoolers can sit through four versions of the alphabet.) The best thing that happened to this series was giving that kitty a bath. That's when hilarious illustrations (one fang, really?) combined with cat personality to tickle our feline fancy.

Cats are funny. They're funny when they think too highly of themselves and they're funny when slobbering dogs cluelessly one-up them. We love them when they're curled up, harmlessly asleep, or when they're stampeding through the house at 11pm looking for domestic prey.

Nick Bruel's clever writing combined with entertaining drawings give the chapter books in the series a comic strip feel. This makes them accessible to struggling or talented readers and parents alike. Here's proof that graphics-based series can be smart and engaging, as well as downright fun!

Redwall Series

22 Titles: Redwall, Mossflower, Mattimeo, Muriel of Redwall, Salamandastron, Martin the Warrior, Bellmaker, Outcast of Redwall, Pearls of Lutra, Long Patrol, Marlfox, Legend of Luke, Lord Brocktree, Taggerung, Triss, Loamhedge, Rakkety Tam, High Rhulain, Eulalia, Doomwyte, Sable Quean, Rogue Crew

Author: Brian Jacques

Rating: *** (3 stars out of 3 possible, "A")

Highly Recommended

Audience: 4th grade and up

(Guest Reviewer, Paige King, 10 years old)

The Redwall Series is about forest creatures (mice, badgers, moles) that live in a land called Mossflower. In the mythical land of Mossflower, evil creatures (rats, weasels, foxes) try to take over a place called Redwall Abbey. (It's not Catholic.) The critters in Redwall (mice, badgers, otters) respond by fighting back, aided by a vision of Martin the Warrior (a mouse) and riddles that will lead them to his magical sword, crafted from a meteorite. Sometime the GUOSIM (Guerrilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower) or the Badger Lord of Salamandastron with his Long Patrol of hares help out. Some important events are: when Martin's sword is made (Mossflower), when Cluny the Scourge is defeated (Redwall), and when Cregga Roseyes is blinded (Salamandastron). Be careful! There are 20 books in the series. Don't wear yourself out!

I like these books because there are riddles to solve and codes to decipher. The characters are fun to read about. I also like it when the evil creatures get killed. They always say things like "Ha! You can't kill me!" and then they get killed. There are lots of surprises and excitement, so it's fun.

There are about 20 books in the series, so there are a lot of morals. The author, Brian Jacques, uses morals such as: never give up on yourself, friends are important, always try your hardest, and evil never pays. The characters always work together to solve problems and liars and cheaters never win the battles.

(Thank you, Paige. Sounds like you've found a winner.)

Guardians of Ga'Hoole

Titles: The Captive (#1), The Journey (#2), The Rescue (#3), The Siege (#4); The Shattering (#5); The Burning (#6); The Hatchling (#7) and 9 more! (16 total)

Author: Kathryn Lasky (www.kathrynlasky.com)

Rating: * (1 star our of 3 possible, "C")
            Recommended with Reservations

Audience: 3rd graders and up

The first book in this series (The Captive) began to live up to my expectations! Could it be true?! The vocab was there (meticulous, despicable, infiltrator, synchronize); the natural history of owls (Latin nomenclature, flight facts, specialized feathers); the complex plot (traitors, adventure, mystery, battles, problem solving, critical thinking, even the all-important kingdom maps which almost guarantee a good book according to my 9 year old); the best themes (sacrifice, integrity, justice, friendship).

What could possibly go wrong?

The Captive tells the story of Soren, a young barn owl taken from his family to serve at St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. The problem is that nothing is as it seems at "St. Aggies." For instance, "orphaned" really means abducted; "rescue" really means snatched and "higher good" really means to never question authority.

Fortunately, Soren meets Glyfie, a resourceful elf owl who suspects the orphanage's schemes. "Our job is to not get moon-blinked (brainwashed) and stand right side up in an upside down world." "Everything at St. Aggie's is upside down and inside out." "Thinking is the only way we'll be able to plan an escape."

In some ways a version of Animal Farm or Watership Down for younger readers, the drawback to this series is the level of violence. In The Captive when an owl is caught rescuing orphaned eggs, the aggressors cry "Kill! Kill!" and the results are intense. Likewise, in the final battle, the villain owls scream "I'll kill you! Kill you! I'll rip out your eyes!" The scene that really turned me off, however, was when the brainwashed owls lay down and allow vampire bats to suck their blood to further weaken them.

Milder offenses include owl slang or curses ("wet-poop," "racdrops"). There is also a spiritual side to "Guardians." Glaux is the owl god, glaumora is owl heaven, and scrooms are disembodied owls (ghosts) with unfinished business. When Soren meets his parents' scrooms and receives an important warning, the meeting is ephemeral, but not unpleasant.

You may find these drawbacks enough to turn your family off. In fact, I came close to not recommending this series. Two things redeemed it for me: One is a strong thematic message that we must critically analyze what our society tells us (think Holocaust, slavery, pop culture). The second is Lasky's background and reputation as a writer. (See website www.kathrynlasky.com) As always, it is reasonable to respectfully disagree!

This review was based on books 1 and 3 in the series. The movie, Guardians of Ga'Hoole may be reviewed at a later date.

Warriors Series

Titles: #1 Into the Wild; #2 Fire and Ice; #3 Forest of Secrets; #4 Rising Storm; #5 Dangerous Path; #6 Darkest Hour

Author: Erin Hunter

Rating: * (1 star out of 3 possible; "C")

Recommended with Reservations

Audience: 3rd grade and up

For this review I read books #1 and #3. Erin Hunter's fast-paced series about the lives of wild kitty gangs will appeal to kids who love animals and adventure. Every reader will want to find out what happens to domestic "kittypet" Rusty when he leaves his comfortable home life behind to become Firepaw, a member of ThunderClan. Ongoing feuds with other cat clans (RiverClan, WindClan, ShadowClan), natural threats without and traitors within keep the warrior cats on their paws. Ongoing mysteries include missing kits (kittens), dubious parentage and unexpected deaths.

One caution in this series is the sense I get that violence will increase. Rivalries between and among the clans lead to several battles resulting in injuries and the occasional death. In her website she states her "favorite death scene" comes in books 6 of this series (Darkest Hour).

Another concern is that StarClan (cats that have gone on to the "kitty heaven" and appear as stars in the sky) will have increasingly new-age influence on the cats in the series. Occasionally the cat warriors will call out for StarClan's "help" in confronting an insurmountable task.

Humans ("Twolegs") are sometimes viewed in a negative light: "Last new leaf , the river was clean and full of fish. Now it's filthy with Twoleg rubbish from their camp." My hope would be that some redeeming Twolegs appear later in the series.

Finally, because natural cats don't follow our social norms of marriage and family, there will occasionally be a litter of unexpected kits! Since this happens in the real cat world, anyway, I did not find it morally disturbing. There was certainly no intimate discussion of how these relationships take place.

One of the best messages these books send to our young people is that of loyalty and integrity. The cats face issue of traitors and prejudices. There is a strong sense of right and wrong and even compassion: "A true warrior-the best warrior-isn't cruel or mean. He doesn't claw an enemy that can't fight back. Where's the honor in that?" Girls will also appreciate the roles female cats play. They can be warriors, but a high value is placed on mothers and kittens, those who serve in the nursery or as "medicine cat." For the clans to survive it is clear all must work together and respect each other.

Erin Hunter is becoming pretty prolific in children's fiction. Her Warriors series have 4 subsequent sets: New Prophecy (6 books), Power of Three (6 books), Omen of the Stars (3 books and counting) and Super Edition (5 books and counting). She also has 6 books in the Seekers series, which focuses on the adventures of the three types of bears: Polar, black and brown/grizzly. Readers might like to know she finds "death a great source of drama" and is personally interested in mythology, astrology and standing stones. For those reasons, further review is warranted on the subsequent series.

Winnie-the-Pooh and Beatrix Potter, too

Let's start our reviews of children's literature with some of the best known British classics: "Winnie-the-Pooh" by A.A. Milne, Beatrix Potter's complete animal tales, and "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame.

There may be two groups of readers out there in my blogosphere. Those who say "we know they're classics; we've already heard about them." Secondly, those who say "we know they're classics; our kids prefer the Disney version." I'll try to take an approach that interests both audiences.

We all know reading is fundamental, and in fact, makes you smarter in nearly every other academic area. But we don't read because we want smart kids. Or, at least solely for that reason! We read because we want them to have a love of language; a broad-based foundation for understanding their world; warm memories of family times together; quiet, focused activity; creativity and imagination; even a step-up in learning a variety of communication skills.