"The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

A friend asked me to review this book, which has been quite popular.

The Mysterious Benedict Society
Author: Trenton Lee Stewart
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Age Level: 9+ years

The adventure begins when an orphan, Reynard (Reynie) Muldoon, responds to an intriguing advertisement in the paper. After surviving a battery of strange and difficult tests, Reynie finds himself in a room with three other children. These gifted children decide to form a team that will embark on a dangerous mission to save the world. They call themselves The Mysterious Benedict Society and the children soon discover that each one of them brings very special talents to the operation. The children go undercover as students at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where strange events are occurring and a bizarre plan to take over the world is unfolding. Can the children discover a way to stop the evil Mr. Curtain before it is too late?

This was probably the most captivating beginning to a children's novel that I have ever read. The first few chapters were very entertaining. Although the end of the book was not quite as engaging as the beginning, it was still an enjoyable read overall. I would recommend it.

"Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

Here is a review of another Newberry Medal winner.

Maniac Magee
 Author: Jerry Spinelli
Age Level: 11+ years
Newberry Award: 1990

This novel is essentially a tall tale about a boy who does his part to ease the racial tensions between blacks and whites in the town of Two Mills. Jeffrey Magee is orphaned at a young age and spends the next several years literally running, trying to find a place he can call home. He lives with his aunt and uncle for some time, but runs away from these feuding guardians. Next he finds himself in the racially divided town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania where he is taken in by a black family by the name of Beale. After performing several amazing feats, like making an inside-the-park home-run bunt with a frog, surviving Finsterwald's backyard, and untying Cobble's Knot,  he is nicknamed Maniac Magee. However, the presence of a white kid in the middle of East End is not accepted by everyone and he runs out of town to protect the Beales. He spends some months living in a bandshell at the zoo with an elderly man named Earl Grayson. He feels that he has finally found a home, but Grayson unexpectedly dies. Maniac is forced to run again. This time he ends up with the McNab family from West End - a family that is the antithesis of the Beales. After gradually winning the respect of his rival, Mars Bar Thompson, Maniac can finally return "home".

Like most characters from tall tales, Jeffrey 'Maniac' Magee certainly ranks among the most likeable and memorable. The author effectively draws his readers in and generates genuine concern for Maniac in his quest for his true home. Mr. Spinelli has also done an outstanding job of introducing the serious theme of racism while including enough humor to prevent the tone of the novel from becoming too somber. While the subject matter and character interactions were at times a little raw, overall this was an enjoyable read that could spark some very good discussion.

"Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

Here is a review of a very recent Newberry Medal winner.

Moon Over Manifest
Author: Clare Vanderpool
Age Level:  10+ years
Newberry Award: 2011

Abilene Tucker has spent the first twelve years of her life on the road with her father, Gideon. When he gets a job working for the railroad in Iowa, he decides to send Abilene to live with a friend in Manifest, Kansas. This "town with a rich past and a bright future" is the one place that Gideon felt he could call home. Abilene misses her father and can't understand why he has suddenly sent her away. Her desperate search to find some evidence of his former life in Manifest leads her to the home of Miss Sadie, the diviner. It is there that she learns about Manifest's rich past and a boy named Jinx. In the process of learning about her own roots, Abilene also helps the people of Manifest remember their story.

In her Acknowledgements page, Ms. Vanderpool writes, "All writers strive to create a good story with colorful characters, a vivid setting, and interesting plot twists and turns. But the elusive element is voice." In my opinion, the author has accomplished all of these things. This novel includes multiple narratives, which can sometimes be confusing, yet Ms. Vanderpool was able to weave them together fairly effortlessly and both story lines were entertaining. The characters were believable and several of them were quite memorable. Most importantly, Ms. Vanderpool seems to have captured the voice of those who suffered through the Great War, the trials of immigration, and the Great Depression.

This was a book worthy of the Newberry Medal and I would highly recommend it.

"A Year Down Yonder" by Richard Peck

Here is a review of another Newberry Medal winner.

A Year Down Yonder
Author: Richard Peck
Age Level: 10+ years
Newberry Award: 2001

This novel is the sequel to Mr. Peck's A Long Way From Chicago. Although it can be read and understood on its own I would highly recommend the first book as well. In this story, Mary Alice is 15 and has been sent to live with her grandmother yet again. This time she will stay for an entire year due to her family's continuing struggles to get their feet under them at the end of the depression. The chapters are filled with amusing anecdotes of rural life in general and Grandma Dowdel in particular.

I thoroughly enjoyed both of these books. Mr. Peck has a great sense of humor that is very refreshing in modern youth fiction. His characters are well-developed, believable, and captivating. This is another wonderful sample of historical fiction, my favorite genre. I would highly recommend this book.

Fun New Finds

My children received two books for Christmas that have become some new favorites in our household and I just had to share them with you.

The first one was perfect for my 19-month-old son who loves trucks. It is called Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker. Written in verse, this story takes place at a construction site where a variety of vehicles are getting ready to say goodnight at the end of a long work day. It is a sweet story with fun pictures that my son asks to read over and over.

The second book is titled Press Here and was written by Harvé Tullet. Each page of this interactive book asks the reader to press the dots, shake the pages, tilt the book, and more. My children have enjoyed this book quite a bit and giggle each time we read it. I highly recommend it!

"B is for Betsy" by Carolyn Haywood

I just finished reading this book to my young daughters. We all enjoyed it quite a bit, so I had to write a recommendation.

"B" Is for Betsy
Author: Carolyn Haywood
Age Level: 5-10 years

Betsy is very anxious about starting first grade. However, she soon discovers that school can be a wonderful place. This story relates Betsy's adventures as she goes through a year of school. She makes many new friends and learns some important lessons.

Despite the fact that this book is obviously dated, it is a delightful story. Children will enjoy the many little adventures Betsy has over the course of the story. As a parent, I appreciated the values that this book espoused: learning to be thankful, being generous, admitting wrongdoing, and asking for forgiveness. The stories were simple and wholesome. My only complaint is that the chapters tended to end quite abruptly. However, I would highly recommend this book to children in the primary grades. I intend to read more of Carolyn Haywood's books to my children, beginning with: Betsy and Billy, Back to School with Betsy, and Betsy and the Boys.

Christmas Books

Here are a few of my favorite picture books to read to my young children at Christmastime:

Room for a Little One
Author: Martin Waddell
Illustrator: Jason Cockcroft

Night Tree
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Ted Rand

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Author: Susan Wojciechowski
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch

The Polar Express
Author & Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg

Great Joy
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline

Stories from Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury


For older children and adults, I would recommend:

The Gift of the Magi
Author: O. Henry
Illustrator: P.J. Lynch

A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens