Book Recommendations

Little House on the Prairie

When Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867, the United States only had 36 states, with most of the land west of the Mississippi River set as territory. Just two years after the end of the Civil War, 1967 would bring the purchase of Alaskan Terrority, Nebraska would become the 37th state a month after Wilder's birth, and the 17th President of the United States was Andrew Johnson.

Wilder wrote a wildly successful book series based on her life as her family moved from state to state when she was younger. The Ingalls family moved from Wisconsin to Kansas to Wisconsin to Minnesota to Iowa to Minnesota to finally settling in Dakota Territory (South Dakota). After Wilder got married, she continued to move frequently, including from Datokta Territory to Minnesota to Florida to Dakota Territory, and finally settled in Missouri, where she wrote the Little House books.

Louisiana's Way Home

Kate DiCamillo has a way of creating characters that are, well, characters! I just love how their attitudes and personalities come out so strongly. To do this takes a lot of skill, but Kate DiCamillo makes it look easy. And I guess that is how her characters all are: easy. They are easy to know, easy to love, and easy to be annoyed by their actions.

Louisiana, who was first introduced to readers in DiCamillo's book Raymie Nightingale (2016), is taken on a wild middle-of-the-night ride by her granny. She is being raised by her granny, and they have inherited a family curse. They go on a journey to rid themselves of the curse, and meet some quirky characters along the way.

I loved this book so much, I am going to read it aloud to our class this year. Reading it to myself was great, but coming up with voices for the characters will be so much fun!

Saving Winslow

Sharon Creech is one of my favorite authors, so when I found out that she had a new book coming out, I pre-ordered it. What a happy day when Saving Winslow landed on my doorstop! I just love how Creech creates stories with main characters who feel deeply. Every time I read one of her books, the story stays with me because I felt all of the characters' emotions along the way.

Saving Winslow is a story about a boy named Louie who takes care of a baby donkey that he names Winslow. The donkey was born on Louie's uncle's farm. It was very small, and its mother was too sick to take care of it. So, Gus takes on the challenge. He cares a lot about Winslow, but at the same time, Louie is missing his older brother Gus, who is away in the army.

The beginning of this book reminds me a lot of E.B. White's book, Charlotte's Web. But this book focuses more on the human relationships, like the one that Louie has with his neighbor Mack and his two sisters, Nora and Claudine.

(This is a picture of me with Sharon Creech in 2012)

Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas

I found Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas by Jonathan W. Stokes at Brookline Booksmith early this fall. It was recommended by an employee who works in the children's section, and described the book as an "Indian Jones meets The Goonies" type of an adventure. Well, those are two of my favorite movies, so I was sold!

Addison Cooke lives in New York City and is always up for an adventure! The action starts on page one as he zooms through the streets of NYC, but the real adventure begins when his aunt and uncle are kidnapped. Addison assembles a team including his friends and his sister to go save them. The problem? They were taken to South America!

Addison and his crew face many obstacles, but his quick thinking and team members' special skills overcome everything that they face. Dive into this adventure that takes you from the concrete jungle of NYC to the actual jungle of the Amazon! I loved this book, and I can't wait to read the sequel, Addison Cooke and the Tomb of the Kahn (2017).

Boundless

Over April Vacation, I went on a small road trip. I used this driving time as the perfect opportunity to LISTEN to a new book. A great tip for getting more stories into your life is to listen to books. You can borrow CDs from the public library, or even listen to a digital copy on your computer at home. All for free with your public library card!

The book Boundless by Kenneth Oppel, came into my life during last year's summer road trip through eastern Canada. The owner of a small bookstore in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, suggested I read this Canadian author's fictional adventure.

The story takes place in Canada in the mid 1800s. A poor boy, Will, comes into amazing luck after he survives an avalanche with his father and the rich owner of a railway. Three years pass and Will is now on an unexpected adventure aboard a 7-mile-long train that contains a circus, a mysterious girl who can disappear into thin air, a real-life Sasquatch, and a railcar that is a treasure-trove protected by elaborate booby traps. Shady characters aboard the train will try to break into this treasure-filled car. Will gets caught up in the action and must try to protect what is inside this railcar, as well as his father. *A caution that there are fight scenes where people are harmed or killed.*

Dear Mr. Henshaw

On April 12, 2018, author Beverly Cleary turned 102 years old! To mark her birthday, this week's book recommendation is her Newbery Medal winning book, Dear Mr. Henshaw. The main character, sixth grader Leigh Botts, is having a rough time in his life. Through the many life challenges, Leigh finds joy in a letter-writing assignment that his teacher gives to the class. He chooses to write to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. A combination of traditional chapter text and letters to Mr. Henshaw, this book is sure to grip your heart and you will certainly empathize with Leigh.

Once you've finished this book, there are over 40 more books by Beverly Cleary for you to check out! Ralph the Mouse and the Ramona series books are some of my favorites.

Chasing Vermeer

This week's recommendation is Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, with illustrations by Brett Helquist. Part adventure, part mystery, part art heist, this book is sure to have you guessing at every twist and turn. Follow friends Calder and Petra through the streets of Chicago, as they try to solve a mystery surrounding Johannes Vermeer's painting A Lady Writing a Letter (1665). If you like this book, there are three more books in this series: The Wright Three, The Calder Game, and Pieces and Players.

You can meet Blue Balliett on April 26th at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA! She will be talking about her new book, Out of the Wild Night. Tickets are free!