Danger in the Darkest Hosue

Danger in the Darkest Hour by Mary Pope Osborn

Four paw prints.  The tree house is back and Jack and Annie are ready for a new adventure.  But, when they start their newest adventure they didn’t realize how much danger their lives would be in.  They land in England on June 5, 1944 and they are asked to enter France at night by an illegal parachute drop.  It’s World War II and Teddie has asked them to find and rescue Cathleen from inside Nazi occupied France.  This is an extremely dangerous job, probably their most dangerous job ever, and if they fail Cathleen could die.  Now, I usually enjoy all the Magic Treehouse Books, but I have always felt a little frustrated when the story ends.  The stories always feel too short to me and I want more.  Luckily, this is Magic Tree House Super Edition #1.  It is longer and more in depth and I’m sooo excited.  This has been by far my favorite Magic Tree House book in the series.  It probably helped that I love historical fiction, especially from World War II, but I already wanted “more” from this series and this book definitely didn’t disappoint.  To find more Magic Tree House fun, visit http://www.magictreehouse.com/#home.

The Princess in Black

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Four paw prints.  Somewhere in a land far away from here there lives a girl named Princess Magnolia.  Like all princesses, Princess Magnolia wears nothing but pink, knows how to make hot chocolate and sweet scones, and of course, she own a lovely unicorn.  But, Princess Magnolia has a secret.  She is really The Princess in Black and when no one is looking she defends her kingdom from danger, especially big blue monsters that like to eat goats.  Unfortunately, Duchess Wigtower is determined to discover ALL of Princess Magnolia’s secrets.  So, will Duchess Wigtower discover the secret, will the blue monster eat all the goats, will the goat boy trust his instincts about the Princess in Black, will Princess Magnolia be able to hide her black socks?  This is the first book in a new series by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale of Rapunzel’s Revenge fame.  This is an especially nice book because it shows that girls (princesses) can be smart, clever, strong, AND pretty and polite at the same time.  Girls don't need to choose to be one type of person or the other.  I realize there are more and more books showing that girls can be anything, but I feel this is one of the better examples for younger students.  To learn more about The Princess in Black visit, http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/076366510X.art.1.PDF.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda
Five paw prints! Minli lives a hard, simple, but happy life. She works in the field during the day and at night she lives with her parents who love her and take care of her. Though they are very poor and can't afford gifts for her, Minli's father gives her gifts by telling her wonderful stories about animals, emperors, dragons, and mountains. Minli believes these stories about talking animals to be true and as a result she buys a goldfish. Minli's mother is very upset that Minli would spend what little money she had on a goldfish, but Minli loves her fish and in return the goldfish also tells Minli stories. Minli comes to believe that if she leaves her home and finds the Old Man of the Moon she will learn how to make her family wealthy and then her parents wouldn't have to worry so much about money. On her trip Minli meets many new people and has many more questions for the Old Man of the Moon, but in the end he will only give her one answer. It's not the answer to the question she left home to ask, but it's the only answer she needs. This book was wonderful. If words can be described as beautiful, then this was a beautiful book. I think all children should read this book, but, more importantly, I think all children should have the chance to read this book with an adult they love and trust. It's definitely a book that should be shared as a family. If you want to read other books by this author then visit http://www.gracelin.com/ to see what other wonderful stories she has created.
Fic Lin

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Yoko Tanaka

Posted by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Four paw prints. A long time ago in an old city there lived a sad boy, Peter, who wanted nothing more than to learn what happened to the baby sister he was told died at birth. One day a gypsy tells the boy that an elephant will help him find his sister. But Peter has just one problem with the gypsy's story. There are no elephants in his city. (In other parts of the city there is a magician who can do great magic even though he only wants flowers, a police officer and his wife who have no children, a wealthy woman who must use a wheelchair, a beggar with a blind dog, a sculptor with a broken back, a woman with a house big enough to house an elephant, and a small girl in an orphanage who wishes she had a family.) On one hand this is a very lovely and simple book to understand. You meet all the characters at the beginning of the book and you think you know exactly what is going to happen. But you would be wrong. Nothing happens the way you expect, but the results are so wonderful that you won't care. If you want to learn more about the book then you should visit http://www.themagicianselephant.com/. (This review is based on the uncorrected proof. The final book was scheduled to be published on September 8, 2009.)

Fic DiC

Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

Five paw prints! Have you ever seen a rat and a squirrel kung fu fight, a stone gargoyle eat a pigeon, or talked to a cockroach? No? Well, Rory Hennessy has and he wished he hadn’t. Rory lives in New York City and he has a gift and a curse. Rory can see Mannahatta a city that exists in and around New York City. The residents of Mannahatta are former New York City residents (real New York State historical figures for anyone who likes American history) who were so famous in life that when they died they became Gods in Mannahatta. But there is a problem in Mannahatta. Gods don’t die but someone has created a knife that can kill gods and he wants to take over Mannahatta. Rory has the power to help the residents of Mannahatta but he doesn’t know who to trust. If you love fantasy or historical fiction you should love this book. Luckily this is the first book in a new series and if you want to learn more then you will have to visit http://www.godsofmanhattan.com/ .
Fic Meb

Dark Day in the Deep Sea by Mary Pope Osborne

Reviewed by Miss Dewey at Orenda

THREE paw prints. I must admit I usually love any Magic Tree House book so I was really looking forward to #39. In this new adventure, Jack and Annie land on an island during the 1870s. While on the island they meet some sailors who are traveling the world to study the ocean and the creatures who live in the ocean. In the process Jack and Annie try to teach the sailors how to learn from ocean creatures without hurting them. As I said earlier I love the Magic Tree House series but unfortunately I didn’t think this particular book was very good. It felt like there wasn’t enough information. I think I wanted to learn more about life as a scientist/sailor on the ship. Of course, this doesn’t mean I won’t read any new Magic Tree House books in the future and I would like to see the Magic Tree House show coming to Proctors Theater next year. You can learn more about the show by visiting www.proctors.org/events/2305. But in the mean time I will have to content myself with the Magic Tree House website at www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse. I highly recommend the website (5 paw prints)…it’s lots of fun.

E Osb

Shen Kids Read!

Your Orenda Elementary School library teacher (Mrs. Manore) and her library mascot (Miss Dewey) want to share good books with you! Take a look at what we are reading and often adding to the shelves of YOUR school library! If you would like, post a comment, but remember to use only your first name and last initial and the name of your school in order to keep safe on the web. Enjoy your summer reading.