The Tale of Desperaux: A Junior Novelization by Jamie Michalak

by Carol3 Comments
The Tale of Despereaux: A Junior Novelizationwritten by Jamie Michalak, based on the motion picture screenplay and based on the book by Kate DiCamillo Description: This lively junior novelization of the film The Tale of Despereaux tells the story of several unlikely heroes: Despereaux, a brave mouse banished to the dungeon for speaking with a human; Roscuro, a good-hearted rat who loves light and soup, but is exiled to darkness; Pea, a Princess in a gloomy castle who is prisoner to her father's grief; and Mig, a servant girl who longs to be a Princess, but is forced to serve the jailer. An eight-page full-color insert of stills from the movie is included. My thoughts: This is the movie in a book, but it really is enjoyable. It read smoothly and Amber loved it. Every night she begged for one more chapter. I know it's not the original, which is probably wonderful, but this one was fun and a great adventure....
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One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon

by Carol3 Comments
One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon From the cover: Coming home is murder... Revenge. Edie Swann has hungered for it since she fled her hometown as a little girl. Now she's returned, ready for payback. Armed with a list of names, she leaves each one a chilling sign that they have blood on their hands. Her father's blood. What happens next turns her own blood cold: one by one, the men she's targeted start dying. Sheriff Holt Drennen knows Edie is hiding something. She has a haunted look in her eyes and a defiant spirit, yet he can't believe she's a murderer. As the body count rises and all evidence points to Edie, Holt is torn between the town he's sworn to protect and the woman he's come to desire. But nothing is what it seems. Long buried secrets begin to surface, and a killer won't be satisfied until the sins of the past are paid in full--this time with Edie's blood. My thoughts: I love romantic...
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Game Night- Settlers of Catan

by Carol1 Comment
Settlers of Catan Designer: Klaus Teuber Manufacturer: Mayfair Games Year originally published: 1995 Players: 3 - 4 Ages: 12 and up Description: In Settlers of Catan, players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine what resources the island produces. Players collect these resources to build up their civilizations to get to 10 victory points and win the game. My thoughts: I'm amazed I haven't mentioned Settlers yet. It's a classic, well maybe not Scrabble classic, but a classic nonetheless. I actually won last weekend when we played, with 10 solid points, no longest road, largest army or victory point cards. I was pretty happy. In reality, I should be bad at this game. I'm not really good at cooperating with other players, and this game does encourage trading, especially how we play, but I manage, mostly because I try to only make trades that are advantageous to me. I rarely if ever...
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Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival

by Carol3 Comments
I don't know if anyone out there is local, but the Pittsburgh International Children's Festival is being held May 13-17. The reason I mention it is one of the performances is based on a story I remember from my childhood and that I read to Amber when she was little, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, pictures by Clement Hurd. Two of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd’s beloved bedtime classics, Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny come to life on stage with whimsical puppetry and evocative music. Both tales feature endearing rabbit characters, and the soothing rhythms of bunny banter, while dream-like imagery never fails to infuse young readers with a reassuring sense of security and peace.  You can find ticket prices and the performance schedule at the Children's Festival website, www.pghkids.org....
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The Reader by Bernard Schlink

by Carol8 Comments
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink,translated from the German by Carol Brown Janeway Description: The Reader is a brief tale about sex, love, reading, and shame in postwar Germany. Michael Berg is 15 when he begins a long, obsessive affair with Hanna, an enigmatic older woman. He never learns very much about her, and when she disappears one day, he expects never to see her again. But, to his horror, he does. Hanna is a defendant in a trial related to Germany's Nazi past, and it soon becomes clear that she is guilty of an unspeakable crime. As Michael follows the trial, he struggles with an overwhelming question: What should his generation do with its knowledge of the Holocaust? My thoughts: I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I wasn't emotionally connected to either of the characters, but at the same time, I couldn't stop reading it. Michael and Hanna's relationship is complex and fascinating in its way.  Guilt, love, shame, anger,...
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Moonlight on the Magic Flute by Mary Pope Osborne

by Carol1 Comment
Moonlight on the Magic Flute (Magic Tree House #41) by Mary Pope Osborne Description: Jack and Annie head to 18th-century Austria, where they must find and help a brilliant artist. Decked out in the craziest outfits they’ve ever worn—including a wig for Jack and a giant hoopskirt for Annie!—the two siblings search an entire palace to no avail. Their hunt is further hampered by the appearance of a mischievous little boy who is determined to follow them everywhere. But when the boy lets the animals out of the palace zoo, Jack and Annie have to use the only magic at their disposal to save themselves and the naughty little fellow. My thoughts: Amber and I read this together, like we have all the Magic Tree House stories. I'm going to be sad when she gets too old for them. Heck, I might just have to keep reading them on my own. In this one, Jack and Annie are off on another great Merlin mission....
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