The Legend of Spud Murphy

At the start of summer vacation, Will and his brother Marty cause enough trouble to receive the worst punishment of all: they must spend a few afternoons a week at the library. Not only do the boys detest reading, they have a great fear of the infamous librarian Mrs. "Spud" Murphy and her gas-powered, potato shooting gun. Why would a librarian have such a weapon you ask? To shoot potatoes at children who make noise, of course.

Will and Marty's first afternoon in the library only confirms their fears about this terrifying woman. How are they going to survive all summer with Spud Murphy looking over their shoulders? Banished to the children's section, the boys have nothing to do but read. Will, who plays by the rules, accepts his fate. Marty, who breaks all the rules, won't rest until he's found a way out of the children's section. Who will win this battle of wills, Marty or Spud?


I thought this was a hilarious story - very entertaining. I highly recommend it!

The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

I am a huge fan of Eoin Colfer, so I'm surprised that I haven't included any of his books in my posts. I'll get around to it though - I just need to brush up on my favorite series, Artemis Fowl. I want to remember all the details before I review it. :)

I was pretty excited to find this book written by Mr. Colfer - it's illustrated and it's only 7 short chapters long. Since Andrew and I have been reading some pretty long books, I thought we could shake it up a bit.

Will Woodman is a kid who comes from a great home with good parents. The only problem is, he has to share those parents with 4 brothers. How in the world is a boy supposed to get some quality time in with all those siblings clamoring for attention too? Will needed someone to listen to his troubles and since his parents weren't available, he turned to his Grandpa. It was perfect. I mean, what else did Grandpa have to do with his time? He might as well lend a listening ear to his grandson.

Each Saturday, Will and Grandpa swap sob stories but oddly enough, Grandpa's stories always top Will's. How can you compete with a man who's been bitten on the head by a shark, had his backpack stolen by a badger and survived a week of using tin foil for toilet paper?

Fortunately, Will is able to have some uninterrupted time with his father where he explains his frustration regarding story-topping Grandpa. As it turns out, Will may have a story that not even Grandpa can beat.

I loved this book - with Eoin Colfer's fantastic sense of humor and a great moral to the story, you can't go wrong. A must-read!

The Treasures of Weatherby

The Treasures of Weatherby is a quick read - I was able to finish it in an evening. I enjoyed the story and it definitely held my interest, but...it wasn't what I expected. The synopsis on the inside cover makes it sound like the story will be much more adventurous than it actually is. Despite the disappointing ending, I still think it's worth reading.

The main character is a 12 year old boy, Harleigh J. Weatherby IV, who lives in the rundown - but famous - Weatherby castle. Harleigh's father is rarely ever home, so he spends most of his time with is overbearing Great Aunt Adelaide and his tutor, Uncle Edgar.

One day, while Harleigh is searching the grounds for the famous Weatherby Maze, he meets a girl about his age who has somehow found a way onto the castle grounds. Her name is Allegra and Harleigh although finds her to be exasperating at times, they become friends over the course of the summer. The trick is, Harleigh has to keep her a secret from his Great Aunt Adelaide. Visitors aren't allowed on the castle grounds and they certainly aren't allowed inside.

While sneaking around the castle, Allegra stumbles onto a mystery - someone is trying to steal the hidden Weatherby treasure. Harleigh doesn't believe her at first, but once he does, it's up to him to keep the treasure safe.

There really wasn't much of a mystery - the kids seemed to figure everything out very quickly. In my opinion, the main point of the story was how Harleigh was able to grow - not just physically, but emotionally and I really liked that.

The Magic Treehouse Series

I debated quite a bit on posting about each of these books individually, but since there are over 40 books in the series - all of which follow the same format - I decided to save myself some time and write about them collectively.

Andrew and I love these books. And I mean LOVE them. I remembered shelving all of these while working at Waldenbooks and at the time, it was a chore - there were so many of them! However, I knew that they were popular and always wondered what they were like.

When Andrew was in preschool, he started bringing home scholastic book orders and they had the first 12 in a set - I bought them immediately. What can I say? I just had a hunch that we'd like them.

I was right. We devoured those books and couldn't wait to bring home more from the library. Every night when I read them to Andrew he would say, "Just one more chapter, please! I just want to find out what happens!" I, myself was dying to know what would happen, so I usually gave in. I'm such a pushover!

The beginning of the series introduces us to Jack and Annie who are brother and sister. On their way home from school one day, they discover a treehouse in the woods that is filled with books. Just FYI, I was hooked right then and there. I've always wanted a treehouse and I love books! What's not to love about this series? Anyway, Jack and Annie find - accidentally - that if they point to a book and say, "I wish I could go there!", that the treehouse will actually take them to that place.

In each place they travel to there is a task to complete. Sometimes they need to help someone and other times they need to solve a puzzle. Jack is a thinker and always consults his books before making a move. Annie is the exact opposite - she's impulsive and thinks with her heart first. Together, they make a good team and always complete their task just in the nick of time.

I love the values that are taught in these stories. Teamwork, kindness, selflessness, service, problem solving, perseverance - I'm sure I could go on. Mary Pope Osborne is also very careful about her research and weaves each story around facts that she herself has researched. I just can say enough good things about the series. Read them! I know you'll love them!

Surprise Island

In the second book of "The Boxcar Children" series, the Alden children have reunited with their grandfather and discovered that he's not so bad as they thought. In fact, he is a kind and gentle man who adores them.

Mr. Alden, a wealthy man, owns a small island not far from where they live. He surprises the children by telling them that they will be spending their summer break on the island. He let them buy all the supplies they would need, including dishes! I personally thought this was very cool.

Can you imagine? Spending your summer on an island with only minimal adult supervision - setting up a little house, cooking your own meals and exploring to your heart's content. When I was a child, this sounded glorious! It's possible that I had a small obsession with having a home of my own...

Of course, there is a small mystery that needs solving, but it seems that mysteries are what the Alden children love best.

The Boxcar Children

This is the beginning of a series of books about the four Alden children. Their parents have died and they are afraid to go live with a grandfather that they know almost nothing about. In fact, they think he doesn't like children at all. They run away from home and find an old, abandoned box car which they turn into a home.

I remember reading this in elementary school and I loved how resourceful Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny were. They found old dishes and knew how to cook for themselves. They even built their own swimming pool! I'm pretty sure I imagined doing all those things on my own. Not that I wanted to leave my family, but when you're a kid, taking care of yourself seems like a dream come true.

I've been reading this series to Andrew and he really looks forward to them. He says his favorite characters are Henry and Jessie, but for no particular reason.

I'm not quite sure how many books Ms. Warner wrote, but it's going to take awhile to get through this series! Not that we mind; who doesn't love a good mystery?

The Tale of Despereaux

I read this book a few months ago and thought it was a beautifully written story. I was a little surprised to find how different the movie was from the actual book, but then again, why should I be? Isn't that the way it always goes?

Despereaux Tilling believes in courage and bravery. How many other mice could say the same? It's because of these beliefs and his love for a princess that Despereaux is banished to the dungeon - a place where only rats survive.

A few of the characters were much more sinister in the book than they were in the movie, but I suppose they had to soften things up a bit for the kids. My 5 year old, who is currently obsessed with sword fighting, will love this book!

The Monster in the Backpack

Laugh out loud funny! That's how I would describe this book. When Andrew and I read it for the first time, we laughed at every page.

On the way to school, a sweet, unsuspecting girl opens her backpack to find that a monster has taken up residency in the bag. As if that weren't shocking enough, she discovers that he's also eaten her lunch!

A normal, orderly school day is turned upside down by this fun-loving monster and leaves the poor girl trying to trade backpacks with another classmate.

My bookshelves are pretty full, but I would definitely make room for this one!

My Father's Dragon

A little boy in our Primary said during his spotlight that this was his favorite book, so of course I had to check it out. Andrew and I loved it!

It's a funny and lighthearted story about a boy named Elmer who saves an enslaved baby dragon from Wild Island. It's a fast, easy read and full of fun illustrations.

Elmer and the Dragon

This is the second book in the series and it's just as great as the first. It's a continuation of the story about Elmer and the baby dragon he rescued. On their way home from Wild Island, they're caught in a storm and forced to land on a sandbar until the storm passes.

The next morning, they discover a new island inhabited by canaries. Elmer and the dragon discover that the king of canaries is dying of curiosity and they help him to discover just what it is that he's so curious about.

The Dragons of Blueland

This is the third book of the Elmer and Dragon series, and we loved it!


After the dragon returns Elmer to his home in Nevergreen City, he heads back to Blueland and finds that a group of men have discovered his family and plan to capture the dragons and sell them to the circus. The dragon rushes back to Nevergreen City and asks Elmer to help save his family.

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

When I took this book off the shelf, I didn't even bother to look at what the story was about. As it turns out, this is a modern day retelling of Hansel and Gretel. If the original story doesn't disturb you (we are talking about cannibalism here), then you'll love this book!

As a child, I never really thought about how gruesome the fairy tale was - I think I was more interested in the gingerbread house covered in candy. Somehow, reading this book it suddenly clicked for me and I found it a little creepy. Of course, it didn't bother my 5 year old at all and he couldn't wait to finish it. So, I have mixed feelings. I liked it and yet...I was a little creeped out.

Ballet Shoes

I've wanted to read this book since I heard it mentioned on the movie "You've Got Mail" - that was quite some time ago. One day, while in the library, I happened to look at just the right spot on the shelf and saw it sitting there; I might have let a small squeal escape my lips. I grabbed it from the shelf and put in in my bag, amazed at my good luck. Someone else could have come along at just that moment, looking for this particular book, and I would have had to fight them for it! I did, however, make it home from the library without any unfortunate accidents. Can you imagine a fight in the library? Hushed and yet intense arguments - 'I found it first!' and, 'No you didn't - can't you see it's in my hands?' I wonder if the librarian would have kept her voice to a whisper as she tried to break up the fight...

Kathleen Kelly's recommendation did not disappoint - I loved this book! My 5 year old son wanted to read it with me, which was a little shocking - normally his interests revolve around video games and tormenting his brother. We only read one chapter each night, so it took some time to get through, and some of the language was hard for Andrew to grasp. Who am I kidding? I had to reread a few sentences here and there!

The book is set in England in the early 1930's and is about 3 orphan girls who were adopted by a man called Great Uncle Matthew. Affectionately called Gum by the girls, he is a geologist and found each of them while on different expeditions. While they are still young, Gum leaves on another expedition and doesn't return. The girls are cared for by their nanny and guardian, Silvia, but after a few years, they begin to run out of money.


Without giving away too many details, the girls eventually attend a school for dance and stage training. Each of the girls develop their own talents - but I'm not going to spoil the fun. Pick up a copy and read it for yourself - you'll be glad you did!