Hardy Boys #1 The Tower Treasure

When I was a kid, my very cool dad used to read the Hardy Boys to me and my brothers. So of course, once I had boys of my own I was determined to read the series to them. Andrew and I just finished the first book. Thankfully, I couldn't remember the details, so the ending wasn't ruined! Andrew and I absolutely love mysteries, so this series will keep us busy for awhile.

Frank and Joe Hardy are the sons of famed detective Fenton Hardy. While on an errand for their father, they're nearly run down by a mysterious man. Later that day they find that their friend Chet's yellow jalopy has been stolen - Frank and Joe believe it was the same man who tried to run them over.

A few days later, word spreads through the town of Bayport that the owners of the famous Tower Mansion have been robbed of their jewels. A school chum's father is implicated in the crime, but are the mysterious man and the robbery connected? With some help from their father, Frank and Joe set out to help their friends and find the thief.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room

The second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events is my favorite. Granted, I've only just started book 9, so things could change.

Book 2 begins where Book 1 left off; Violet, Klaus and Sunny have narrowly escaped Count Olaf's dastardly plan to steal their fortune and are now headed to live with another distant relative. This relative happens to be Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, their late father's cousin's wife's brother. I think I've got that right.

Uncle Monty (as he prefers to be called) is a herpetologist - one who studies snakes - and turns out to be very welcoming. In fact, I relaxed a bit, thinking that maybe the Baudelaires had found a wonderful home with someone who was kind, generous and understanding of their recent misfortune. How naive of me to think so.

While planning an expedition to Peru in order to study snakes, misfortune finds the Baudelaire orphans yet again. Uncle Monty's assistant suddenly goes missing and a man named Stephano shows up at their doorstep, claiming to be a replacement assistant. The problem is that Stephano is actually Count Olaf in disguise.

Violet, Klaus and Sunny try desperately to tell Uncle Monty about the true identity of his new assistant, but their warnings fall on deaf ears.

I thought maybe I shouldn't spoil the ending, but then I realized that if you really wanted to you could read all about it on Amazon.com because there are plenty of spoilers there. So, I might as well spill the beans and save you an extra click.

Misfortune strikes yet again and the children find themselves without a guardian. Poor Uncle Monty is found dead in the Reptile Room. Count Olaf, I mean, Stephano, claims that Uncle Monty's favorite snake - the Incredibly Deadly Viper - is to be blamed for the death. The Baudelaire orphans know that the Incredibly Deadly Viper is, in fact, completely harmless and must find a way to prove that to Mr. Poe and the authorities before Count Olaf snatches them and leaves the country.

So, why is this my favorite book? An innocent man died for crying out loud! Trust me, I wasn't happy about that part. What I did love was that for once, Violet, Klaus and Sunny had found someone who cared about them. Someone who could give them a good home and help to ease the pain of losing their parents so tragically. In a series that promises nothing good will happen, something good did happen - even if it was only for a short time.

On a side note, have you seen the movie version? It's quite different from the books because they had to pack 3 books into one movie, but I thought Jim Carrey did a fantastic job with the part of Count Olaf. My absolute favorite is his interpretation of Stephano. Really, every time I watch it I laugh so hard I can't stop, and tears stream from my eyes. You should see it - at least once.

Horns and Wrinkles

This is another book that I decided to read based solely on the fact that the cover looked interesting. Yeah, that's right - I judge books by their covers! I'm not ashamed to admit it. I did, however, read the synopsis on inside jacket and found the story line to be just as intriguing as the illustrations which originally caught my eye.

In Blue Wing Minnesota, just off the banks of the Mississippi, lives twelve year old Claire and her obnoxious bully of a cousin, Duke. The town may be small, but as Claire soon finds out - it's anything but ordinary.

Claire loves adventure and certainly finds a lot of it on the day that Duke dangles her (by her ankles) off a bridge. Saved from the nasty fall by an elderly woman in a rowboat, Claire begins to witness some of the river magic that townsfolk talk about.

For instance, Duke suddenly grows a rhino horn in place of his nose for refusing to do an act of kindness. Not long after, Claire finds Duke's parents mysteriously turned to stone. Relying on the help of the old lady who saved her, three river trolls and some lying crickets, Claire must face an ornery Rock Troll in order to put things back the way they were.

This is book is filled with fantastic humor and beautiful descriptions. I couldn't put it down and I would certainly suggest it to anyone - children and adults!

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

I started reading this series years ago, when I worked at a bookstore and was aware of every new book to hit the shelves. I read the back cover and was immediately intrigued.

Lemony Snickett warns readers not to read the book, but to put it down right away because the story of the three Baudelaire children is a miserable one. I thought it must be some kind of joke, so of course I decided to read it.

As it turns out, Mr. Snickett wasn't joking. There really isn't anything happy in the story of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Tragically, their parents die and they are sent to live with a distant relative, Count Olaf. Nothing could have prepared them for the misfortunes they would encounter while under the care of this cunning and repulsive man.

Perhaps I should have given heed to the warning on the back cover of this book, but it's too late for that now. I'm immersed in the story and I must find out what happens to these brilliant, yet unfortunate children. I may as well mention that my 5 year old son is very much engrossed in this 'Series of Unfortunate Events', and thankfully, has not suffered any ill effects from the sad tales found therein.

Princess of the Midnight Ball

I have to admit, this book caught my eye with two things: the word "Princess" and picture of a girl in a beautiful dress. Had I grown up in the era of Disney Princesses, I would have been convinced I was one of them. I love the stories, the idea of living in a castle and of course, the beautiful clothes.

As you might imagine, when I picked up this book it wasn't for an intellectual challenge - it was for pure enjoyment and that's exactly what I found. It's a retelling of the fairy tale "Twelve Dancing Princesses" and just like all fairy tales, it's an easy read with a very predictable story line. I loved it! I will definitely be reading more from this author.

The Last Song

I've been reading like crazy, but never seem to make it to my computer before I begin the next book. So...I'm making an early New Year's resolution to blog about the books I've read for the last several months.

I read "The Last Song" several months ago for book club. I first read Nicholas Sparks when I was in high school, but I got tired of them quickly. It always seemed to be the same format, just different names, so I was really wary of reading this one.

It's the story of a teenage girl, recently graduated from high school, who is sent by her mother to spend the summer with her father in North Carolina. Still bitter about the divorce, Ronnie has adopted a rebellious attitude about life and immediately falls in with the wrong crowd upon moving to North Carolina. Before too long she meets a guy who is nothing like the guys she's been hanging out with, decides she can't stand him and eventually falls in love with him. in the midst of her summer romance, she also finds that she can let go of her hard feelings toward her dad and begin to rebuild their relationship.

The story is predictable from the beginning and yet I couldn't put the book down; I really liked it. I don't think I'll run to the library to check out all of his books, but I wouldn't be opposed to reading another one in the future.

The Blue Castle

I read this for Book Club a few months ago and absolutely loved it! I bought my copy online and received this older copy, which was a surprise, but I like it.

The story is about Valancy Stirling who, at 29 years old, is an old maid living with her mother and aunt. The family considers Valancy to be sickly and very plain. When she's not being overlooked, she's the butt of family jokes.

Early in the story, Valancy's doctor tells her that she has only 6 months to live. At first Valancy is devastated, and then she realizes that she's tired of being the person her family expects her to be and she decides to be the person she's always wanted to be.

Shocking her entire family (and the community), Valancy becomes outspoken and carefree, eventually leaving home for her own adventure.

I loved the humor in the book; it was a very easy read. I also loved the message that the author conveys; that our life is what we make it, and beauty truly comes from within.

100 Cupboards

I found this book randomly on a shelf at the library and was immediately intrigued. I think I've mentioned before that I judge books by their covers; I can't help it!

This is the story of a young boy named Henry, who is sent to live with his Uncle, Aunt and cousins in Henry, Kansas when his parents are suddenly kidnapped. Before too long, Henry discovers that beneath the plaster of his bedroom wall there are cupboards - 98 to be exact. Upon further examination, he learns that these are actually portals into other worlds.

I had a lot of unanswered questions throughout the book. I really wanted to hear the back story of these cupboards and the different worlds, but it didn't go into that as much as I would have liked. By the end of the book, Henry has only been into one cupboard; although he did let something out of a cupboard...

Overall, I really liked the story and I'm glad I had the second book so I could start reading right away. I did think the first one was a little slow - but maybe the author left it open so that he could write a prequel to the series. Who knows?

I have to say, these books are listed as being for readers from 9-12 years old, but I disagree. N.D. Wilson's writing style was pretty deep - even for me. And...it might be too scary for that age group. You never know though, my 5 year old loved the first two Harry Potter books and Voldemort didn't even phase him.

Dandelion Fire

The second book in the 100 Cupboards series definitely moved faster than the first and Henry is finally able to travel into some of the cupboards to explore other worlds. In this book, Henry discovers his own special power and a family he never knew he had.

There were times during the book that I struggled to grasp the author's descriptions, and I honestly wondered if my reading level had decreased over the last couple of years. However, that could have been because I still kept trying to read it while my kids were running around the house, and drowning out their noise can be a difficult task. I found that if I read at night, while everyone else was asleep, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story and read much faster.

The Chestnut King

This is the third and final book in the 100 Cupboards - and I really liked it. I think it was the longest out of the three and definitely the creepiest. Well, the whole thing isn't creepy - just parts of it.

Henry fights the evil and undying queen of Endor and she's just weird. The whole time I read this series I couldn't help but wonder if Hollywood would try to make a movie out of it. It seems like every book can be made into a movie these days.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Andrew and I just finished this and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Professor Lockhart has to be one of my most favorite characters - next to the Weasley twins of course :)

Surprisingly, Andrew isn't all all scared by Lord Voldemort, but I wouldn't suggest reading this to most 5 year olds.

When we got to the part that reveals Voldemort as the heir of Slytherin he told me, "I knew it was Voldemort the whole time. I was just saving it as a surprise for you Mom." Hilarious!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I just finished reading this with Andrew (my 5 year old) and it was just as magical as I remember it. This is my first time rereading the series, and I was surprised at some of the details I'd forgotten.

Andrew, Chris and I discussed it over dinner last night. It's amazing to me how much Andrew understood. I thought a lot of it would be over his head, but if you ask him to explain the book, he can do it in great detail. He keeps asking questions about how or why things work and I have to admit - he stumps me sometimes. Most of his questions have never occurred to me before. Are all children smarter than their parents?

The Golden Hour

This is one of those books that I randomly picked up from the bookshelf at the library. I find it strange how some books stand out more than others. The child in me still believes that books have the power to draw me to them - calling my name; it's the kind of magic that only exists in a library. Bookstores are wonderful, but in a library, I can take home any book I want; there are no price tags.

I loved this book from start to finish. It drew me in, and I never wanted to leave. Fortunately, I just checked Amazon and this is a series, with two more books to read! You can expect to see my review on them later on.

The story begins with Rowan and his little sister Nina who arrive in Owatannauk, Maine to spend a month of their summer vacation with Aunts Agatha and Gertrude. Neither one of them are thrilled at this prospect, especially since the Aunts seem to be a bit eccentric - Rowan is sure that Aunt Gertrude can read his mind.

Soon they meet two other children, Xavier and Xanthe, who are also visiting for the summer and they four of them become friends. Aunt Gertrude tells Rowan to explore the area - that is, everything except the Owatannauk Hotel. Fearing that it's haunted, Rowan nearly does stay away. Nina, Xavier and Xanthe have other plans, however, and they are suddenly dragged into an adventure filled with danger and excitement.

I considered reading this to Andrew because it's a fast-paced adventure, but a majority of the book happens during the French Revolution. That's probably a bit much for a 5 year old. I'm sure he would tell anyone who listed about the people who had their heads cut off, but they may or may not respond to that positively. I'll probably introduce my kids to this book when they reach Jr. High level.
I do have to say that this book increased my desire to learn more about Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. It's a gory subject really, but fascinating all the same. I wish I could remember what we talked about in History class, but apparently I learned what I needed to pass the tests and then promptly forgot the rest. Maybe I can sit in on my children's history classes?

The Westing Game

I debated on which book I should start with; after all, this is my very first post.  It turns out that I have too many favorites and I realized that if I didn't start posting then this blog would remain blank for another year.  So, without further ado, I will introduce you to a book that has been a favorite since Mrs. Clawson, my 6th grade teacher, read it aloud in class.


The Westing Game by Ellen Raskins

Truthfully, it's been a year or so since I read it, and although I may not remember all of the details clearly, I do remember the humor and mystery.  I also remember discussing the book over lunch with my classmates.  We were dying to figure out the ending and hated when Mrs. Clawson didn't have time to read more than a few pages.  If you haven't read this book already, pick up a copy soon - you'll love it!  But don't take my word for it ;)