The Ogre of Oglefort

 Eva Ibbotson’s books twist and tangle fairy tales. So, when I picked up The Ogle of Oglefort, I knew the Ogre wouldn’t be a flesh-eating villain. But, I didn’t expect him to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown! Happily, Ivo, the boy hero, is every bit as brave and resourceful as any orphan should be, and the other characters (a princess, hag, banshee, troll, and mad scientist) are zany and fun.

PS I’ll write about more of her books. She is one of my favorite writers.

Do you ever get cravings? I do, for Jane Austen. I’d say it was a guilty pleasure, but it seems a lot of other readers love her, too. I listen to Nancy Pearl’s reviews on NPR and she recommended Keeping the Castle  (by Patricia Kindl) for Jane Austen fanatics. I read it in one night. Evil stepsisters, two handsome eligible men, a castle falling to ruin, and the need for a rich match to save the family’s crumbing castle. The heroine is a bit too full of herself to see clearly, like most Austen women. I got hooked when Althea’s mouth acts before her brain does. A pumpkin headed, yet very wealthy suitor murmurs, “You’re so beautiful,” and she answers, “And you’re so rich.” You won’t be able to resist this.

Ages: Girl romantics of any age

Dinosaur! was a big hit in the bookstore (Anderson’s Bookshop)I worked at when it came out in 2000. So, I was happy to stumble across it in the library. It begins quietly. A little boy takes a bath with his plastic dinosaur. But, within a page, they’re joined by a Jurassic cast of pteranodon, iguanodon, stegosaurus and more. What I loved best was when the cartoon creatures morphed into the beautiful artwork Peter Sis is known for. All I can say is,what a way to take a bath!
Ages: 2 and up

Have I got a treat for you! You don’t even have to read to love this book. Just look at the pictures. (Which, may I remind you, most preschool kids do.) I got this from the Iowa City Public library.

 Ice by Arthur Geisert.

Honestly, I had no idea of where the story was going when I began. (I like to be surprised, don’t you?)

 I’ll get you started. On a teeny tiny dot of an island lives, you guessed it, a colony of pigs. There’s a ship, a few shelters, and a reservoir with a little water. The pigs are hot, and so bothered, that they launch their ship in search of…icebergs.

He’s written lots of others, so just walk to the “G” (for Geisert) section in picture books for more.

One of my FAVORITE Newbery Honor books

I imagined a twinkle in Grace Lin’s eye as she wrote Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. There’s a dragon afraid of monkeys. Oh, he can’t fly either, like a proper dragon should. No-don’t start thinking about the the Wizard of Oz.  No wizard sends Minli on a quest, it’s a goldfish. Now do you see why I was intrigued? Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the moon. Can he help her find happiness for her family?

The full-page artwork was beautiful and made it more kid-friendly, too. It also reminded me that I wasn’t in North Carolina anymore. (Oops, another Wizard of Oz allusion…but I think you’ll enjoy this book in the same way you did Oz.)

PS This was a Newbery Honor Book

PPS The companion novel Starry River of the Sky is out.

Another great book from Ellen Potter

Sooner or later, you’re going to notice that I splurge when I read. When I like an author, I read all her books. I loved, as you know, the Knee Bone Boy, by Ellen Potter. For my next read, I picked The Humming Room because I was intrigued by its suggestion it was reminiscent of The Secret Garden. Brave words, I thought, to compare itself to my favorite childhood book.

Imagine living with a drug-dealing father in a trashy trailer. Picture yourself hiding when  men come to kill him and maybe, you, too. What do you do? Steal?  Lie? Hide when you have to? These are behaviors Roo must do to survive. So when you find yourself living with a distant uncle on a distant island, wouldn’t you keep on doing the same? Roo does. But, like all great books, there’s more mystery. Someone is held captive within the walls of the house, maybe someone who shouldn’t be freed. You’ll find yourself agreeing with the blurb when you finish the last page. It was another secret garden, one you never expected to find.

Recs for Anyone Who reads books to kids on Skype or Facetime

Have you ever read a book to a two-year old using Skype or Facetime? You’re sneaking peeks at the text, and at the same time, jiggling the pictures into focus. By the time you finish, you’re exhausted and your audience is long gone.

After many months of failure, I’ve finally found books that entertain for 32 pages!

The first book I’m recommending is an oldie-but-goodie. It’s The Story of Little Babaji,  by Helen Bannerman. The story is simple and the artwork rich and detailed. In short, Babaji outsmarts four ferocious tigers. The silly tigers chase each other round and round a tree until there’s nothing left but puddles of melted butter. Who comes along and collects it? Babji’s father, of course. In the end, everyone has a pile of Mamaji’s  pancakes, topped with tasty tiger butter.