Skeleton Man

Author: Joseph Bruchac
Publisher: Harper Collins
Copyright Date: 2001
Number of Pages: 114
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary: In this book a native american child named Molly experiences a great adventure. As she was growing up her parents always told her to trust her dreams and her thoughts. One day both of her parents go missing and she is brought to live with a supposed uncle whom she had never met before. She is suspicious from the very beginning. At night the man locks her in her bedroom and she has bars on her window. She goes to her teacher for guidance but she just takes Molly to a counselor and the counselor determines that the child has a chemical imbalance of some sort. Discouraged, but not without hope, Molly decides to trust her dreams. One day she escapes from her room and enters her supposed uncle's study. In his study she discovers a picture of her mother tied up in what looks like a tool shed. So Molly distracts her uncle and then goes to the tool shed. There she discovers a trap door, under which her parents are found. Suddenly her supposed uncle appears and she runs away and tries to escape. In the end Molly gets away and her parents are freed.

Personal Response: This book was very entertaining. It kept me guessing. I was actually surprised by the ending because it turned out that she hadn't just made up the story after all. This book was very well written and entertaining.

Potential Problems: In this story Molly is locked in her room every night and there is a lot of implied evil in this book. It may be too dark for some children.

Recommended to: I would recommend this book to a child that enjoys mystery books.

The Blue Stone Plot

Author: Susan Blackaby
Publisher: Picture Window Books
Copyright Date: 2008
Number of Pates: 62
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary: Rufus and Silvia work with their uncle at a pottery shop. One day a mysterious man comes in with something for their uncle. Mischievous Silvia finds out that it is a paper with some numbers on it. Throughout the next few days more men come in, they all wear the same blue stone ring as the first man. One day the children's uncle leaves the shop and tells them to keep watch over it. Instead of staying at the store they follow their uncle to a mansion. There they discover that there is a meeting to overthrow the emperor. Their uncle is a spy for the government that is sneaking. The other people in the group begin to suspect the uncle. In the end Silvia and Rufus come to his rescue by distracting the people until the officers of the emperor come and put a stop to the meeting and the plan to take over the government.

Personal Response: I thought that this book was very enjoyable and easy to read. I think that this book would be better for younger readers. The storyline is good and interesting and the mystery is intriguing.

Potential Problems: In this book the young children do not listen to their uncle after being told what to do and then they receive an award for it by saving him.

Recommended to: I would recommend this book to a young reader that is struggling with reading. This would be a good first chapter book for a reader that enjoys pictures to go along with the words.
Recommended to:

Squanto Friend of the Pilgrims

Author: Clyde Robert Bulla

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Copyright Date: 1954

Number of Pages: 112

Reading Level: 4-10

Summary: Squanto had heard a great deal about the white men. When they arrived at the shores of his tribe he was very interested in them. He approached them slowly. The first group of white men that he meets are friendly and take him with them to the different tribes in the area so that Squanto can communicate with the other Indians for them and communicate their intentions and help them trade with the Indians. The group of sailors and tradesmen then offer Squanto a trip to their homeland with them. Squanto is very excited by the opportunity. However, he is stranded in the Americas for a great deal of time. At first he is put on display for people to pay to see him. Later he becomes part of the community and people become accustomed to him. He ends up wanting to go back to his homeland so he can live with his tribe and his family. Another group of white men take him with them. One of the people is extremely evil and ends up capturing Squanto and several other Indians. He is sent to a slave trade and he almost is kept as a slave. Two great white men pay the money for him and then let him go. Finally Squanto goes back to his homeland but his tribe is gone. He finds out from neighboring tribes that his family line had all died out due to disease. They invite him to live with them and he does for a portion of time. Pilgrims come to the land and in the end Squanto helps them learn how to survive. 

Personal Response: I thought that this book was very well written. It was written simplistically enough for a young child to be able to understand it but the plot and the storyline was interesting enough to hold older children's attention. It is realistic and historically accurate. 

Potential Problems: In part of this book the Native Americans are treated like animals. They are sent on a ship to a slave trade. This may not be appropriate for younger children. 

Recommended to: I would recommend this book to children that want to learn more about the pilgrims and the Indians. 

A Single Shard

Author: Linda Sue Park
Publisher: Clarion Books
Copyright Date: 2001
Number of Pages: 148
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary: Tree-ear is a young man that lives on the streets. He was left there with Crane-man, a homeless man that lives under the bridge, at a very young age. Crane-man taught him how to be respectful and honest and to work hard for things. Tree-ear had always had a fascination with pottery making and he liked to watch the old potters at work. One day he was sneakily watching Min, the best potter in the village, when Min went back to the house. Tree-ear snuck out of his hiding place to examine the potters work. Then Min appeared out of nowhere and started beating the boy for stealing. In shock the boy dropped the potters work. Tree-ear began to work for the potter to repay him for his accident. He works for him for nine days chopping wood. At the end of the nine days Tree-ear goes back to the potter and asks if he could help him regularly. The potter agrees and the boy begins to work for him. Tree-ear began to learn more and more about making pottery. Then it is heard throughout the village that the great emissary would be coming to look at the potters work and grant a commission. All of the potters begin to prepare, including Min. On his way to the potters house Tree-ear sees that one of the other potters is up to something. He eventually finds out that the other potter has learned a new skill and he begins to worry for Min. When the emissary comes and examines everyones work he stays at the other potters stand the longest but he likes Min's work the most. A month later the emissary has chosen the other potter for his new technique but he visit's Min and tells him that if he brings a work to him at the capital he would change his mind. The Potter first dispares knowing that at his age it would be an impossible task to travel to the capital. Then Tree-ear offers to do it for him. They begin their work to create the new works. When they are ready Crane-man, Min, and the old potters wife see him off and he begins his journey. Everything goes seemingly well until Tree-ear is attacked by bandits that think his pack is full of rice. When they discover that they are just pots they throw them over the edge of a cliff. Still, Tree-ear goes down and recovers a single shard that shows the potters new technique. He brings it to the emissary and a commission is granted to Min. In the end, the potter and his wife accept Min as their son when he returns and Crane-man is killed.

Personal Response: I think that this book was amazingly well-written. I thought that this story would be boring because it is about pottery makers, but I came to appreciate the art and the people that created them and still do. This book is a great tool to help others be empathetic.

Potential Problems: This books portrays a homeless boy struggling to find food, without a home or family. Also, the man that raised him is killed at the end.

Recommended to: I would recommend this to anyone young or old. It is a fantastic book and could be enjoyed at all ages. However, I would not recommend it to younger children as they would not understand it and they would probably not be interested in it.

Living With My Stepfather is Like Living With a Moose

Author: Lynea Bowdish
Publisher: Douglas and McIntyre Ltd.
Copyright Date: 1997
Number of Pages: 55
Reading level: Ages 9-12






Summary: Matt's mother got together with a man named Frank. Frank is an absolute klutz. He trips over everything and Matt thinks that he is constantly making a fool of himself. His mother has the brilliant idea of making Matt and Frank spend time together. One disaster after another occurs as Matt tries to teach Frank how to bowl and play basketball. Finally his mother suggests that Frank take Matt to the movies and Matt agrees to it whole heartedly thinking that there is absolutely no way that Frank could screw that up with his klutzyness. However, he was very mistaken because Frank's laugh is so embarrassing to Matt that he goes home feeling awful. All of Matt's friends seem to like Frank, and his best friend says that Frank is a good sport and that he's not that bad. Eventually his mother gives up hope and believes that Frank and Matt will never get along. Then Frank asks Matt if he wants to come bird watching with him. Matt discovers that he's not very good with birds. In the end Frank wins the father son baseball game for there team and Matt realizes that his stepfather isn't that bad and he is a good sport.

Personal Response: I enjoyed reading this book. It was entertaining, humorous, and it had a good message for children that are unsure if they like a new parent. It was well written and the few pages that had pictures on them were rather entertaining.

Potential Problems: I couldn't find any potential problems in this book.

Recommended to: I would recommend this book to a child that has a recent stepparent and is deciding whether or not they like them. It is a great book to show that stepparents are not all bad.

All Alone

Author: Claire Huchet Bishop
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 1953
Number of Pages: 95
Reading Level: Ages 9-12






Summary: A young  shepherd-boy named Marcel was sent by his father to the Little Giant which is a field in the French Alps of Saucie. He is to spend the entire summer up there alone to care for the cows. The town that he is from is a town that believes that you need to mind your own business so that you don't get yourself into trouble. Marcel is warned by his father that there is another boy in the Alps on the Big Giant and that Marcel should not talk to or acknowledge the boy. When both boys are alone at night they yodel to each other as a way of saying goodnight. One day Marcel awakes from a brief unexpected nap to realize that he has twice as many cows as he had  before he fell asleep! When he looks at the bells on the cows he realizes that three of the other boys cows had wandered onto his land. He assumed that the other boy had fallen asleep also and so his cows hand wandered away. At first Marcel remembers his fathers words and thinks of shooing the cows off of his land but he realizes that if he does this the other boy's cows will surely fall to their deaths. Instead of shooing them away he cares for the cows and brings them down to drink from the river all by himself. The other boy is at the river and they fight at first but then a great storm comes and they realize that they need to stay until the storm passes. However, a great tidal wave from higher up the stream comes from the storm and the boys have to flee to safety, the only option is to go to the Big Giant with the other boy.  When the storm passes they realize that they are stranded on the mountain as both paths to the Little Giant or the village are blocked. The boys stay on the mountain together for a whole week before they are rescued. The town had worked together to clear the path the Big Giant. The Little Giant had been destroyed in the storm and if Marcel had been there he and his cows would have been killed. In the end a great festival is thrown in honor of the resurrection of the town and their ability to work together. The town will work together from then on and everyone is joyful.

Personal Response: I really liked this book and I thought the meaning was wonderful. It teaches about working together and the value of friendship. It was well-written and the story flowed very smoothly.

Potential Problems: I couldn't find any potential problems in this book.

Recommended To: I would recommend this book to any child that needs to learn how to work with others. This would be a great tool to use to talk about how working together leads to a better world.

Shoeshine Girl

Author: Clyde Robert Bulla
Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell
Copyright Date: 1975
Number of Pages: 84
Reading level: Ages 7-10






Summary: Sara Ida is a young child that was sent to live with her Aunt Claudia because her parents couldn't handle her anymore.  Sara was very resentful of her parents. She didn't understand why her parents sent her away. She believed that her parents simply hated her and were very unjust. In reality, Sarah's father was busy with work and her mother was getting sick. Also, Sara's friend had stolen a dress from a store and her mother didn't want Sara to be around that kind of influence. Sara also was prone to stealing because she did not feel comfortable unless she had money in her pocket. At first she resents living with her aunt. Her aunt wont give her any money. She decides to borrow some from the young girl that lives next door after she sees her little piggy bank. The girl lets her but the next day Sara gets in trouble with her aunt because the girls parents had noticed that their daughters money was gone. Sara proclaimed that if Aunt Claudia had given her money she wouldn't have to borrow it from anyone. Aunt Claudia says that in order to have money she would have to earn it from a job. Thinking that her Aunt was just playing games with her Sara runs off to the town looking for a job. At first she wanders through the stores but she decides that nobody will hire her. When she works up the courage to ask the pet store people for a job they tell her that she is too young, but Al the shoe-shiner was hiring. Thinking that her Aunt wont allow her to work there she tells her, surprisingly she thinks its a good idea. The next day Sara starts work. When she earns money for the first time and walks into a store she looks around and decides she doesn't want to spend her money unless its for something very important. Sara and Al become friends and she learns how to treat someone with respect. One day, after Al had gone to get more polish he is hit by a car. Sara decides to keep the shoe shine booth open and many people come and give her extra tips for Al. Sara brings the money to Al's wife instead of keeping it for herself. Eventually Al is healed and can come back to work. Then Aunt Claudia tells Sara that her parents have sent her a letter and want her to come home. At first she doesn't want to go back to her family, but when her Aunt tells her that her mother is very sick and her family wants her to be there Sara is more understanding. In the end Al comes to see her off at the station and he gives her his little trophy.

Personal Response: I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very well written and the message that Sara learned was very important, especially in today's world. Sara discovered the importance of money and not to spend it away quickly. She also developed a respect for others and she learned the value of work. She also learned how to serve others.

Potential Problems: In this book the shoe shiner named Al is hit by a fast moving car. The book doesn't show the gory details but the fact that he is hit by a car is shocking and some parents might not want their child to read it.

Recommended To: I would recommend this book to all children because it includes an important message that all children should learn.