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The Penderwicks series
The Penderwicks series
by Jeanne Birdsall
This is one of my all-time favorite book series! The first book follows the four Penderwick sisters on a summertime adventure at the vacation home they rent with their father. They become fast friends with Jeffrey, whose mother owns the house they are renting. Their adventures include runaway rabbits, soccer drills, first crushes, baking disasters, and a charging bull.
There are five books in the series, and they follow the Penderwicks as they grow up. Their family grows, and they learn about loyalty, family honor, friendships, and their own unique talents.
We have all five of these books in the library, and the first two are available as audiobooks on Sora, as well. They are excellent as audiobooks!
Reviewed by: Mrs. Bamford
The Greystone Secrets: The Strangers
The Greystone Secrets: The Strangers
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
This sci-fi adventure starts out with a major mystery. Why do three kidnapped siblings halfway across the country have the same names and birthdates as the Greystone kids, Chess, Emma and Finn? And why does their mom suddenly have to go away on business right after hearing news of the kidnapping?
With the help of their new friend Natalie, the Greystones have to use what they know about their mother and the clues she left behind to save their family - and those mysterious strangers with whom they have so much in common.
Reviewed by: Mrs. Bamford
The Benefits of Being an Octopus
The Benefits of Being an Octopus
by Ann Braden
This is a great book about a character who would rather blend in, but learns about the importance of standing up for what she knows is right. Zoey has a lot of responsibility at a young age - taking care of her younger siblings after school and trying to keep them quiet so they don't annoy her mom's boyfriend and his father, who they live with.
When a teacher suggests she join the debate team, Zoey is not excited. But learning the skills needed to present an argument in debate helps Zoey see how she can improve her family's situation and defend a friend who has been falsely accused.
I like how this book presents confidence and self-esteem as skills that can be improved with practice.
Reviewed by: Mrs. Bamford
I Lived on Butterfly Hill
I Lived on Butterfly Hill
by Marjorie Agosin
This was a really interesting book of historical fiction about a time and place I knew very little about! It takes place in Chile during a time of political upheaval in the 1970s, but the names of the real-life political figures have been changed in the book. So it is a fictionalized version of real people and events.
Celeste Marconi is growing up in a Jewish family in the city of Valparaiso, Chile. Her grandmother, who lives with her family, escaped from Nazi Germany to Chile at the beginning of World War II. As a new regime takes over control of Chile, Celeste and her family are in danger because her parents are doctors who believe in serving the poor, and their beliefs and actions challenge the new government. Celeste's parents have to go into hiding and Celeste is sent to live with her aunt in the United States.
One of the things I liked most about this book was the strong sense of place. Celeste's love for her hometown of Valparaiso is so clear that it made me want to visit! But despite her homesickness, she also becomes very attached to her aunt's community by the sea in Maine.
Reviewed by: Mrs. Bamford
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