Novel: Millicent Min, Girl Genius Author: Lisa Yee Target Audience: 8-12 years Genre: Contemporary; humor Publication Year: 2003 Setting: Rancho Rosetta, California; 2000s A Favorite Quote: “I have been accused of being anal retentive, an over-achiever, and a compulsive perfectionist, like those are bad things.” My One Sentence Summary: When […]
Monthly Archives: September 2016
Novel: One Crazy Summer Author: Rita Williams-Garcia Target Audience: 8-12 years Genre: Historical fiction Publication Year: 2010 Setting: primarily Oakland, CA; 1968 A Favorite Quote: “Big Ma doesn’t care if President Kennedy’s face is on the half-dollar or if the airport is now officially named after him. She calls the […]
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Novel: Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution Author: Ji-li Jiang Target Audience: 11-15 years; 5th-9th grade Genre: Memoir Publication Year: 1998 Setting: Shanghai, China; begins in 1966, start of the Cultural Revolution A Favorite Quote: “Many friends have asked me why, after all I went through, I […]
Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang
Novel: Catherine, Called Birdy Author: Karen Cushman Target Audience: 10 and up Genre: Historical Fiction Publication Year: 1994 Setting: England; Medieval (1290s) A Favorite Quote: “I am near fourteen and have never yet seen a hanging. My life is barren.” My One Sentence Summary: Fourteen-year-old Catherine (called Birdy by her loved ones) keeps a candid diary of her life, including […]
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
Novel: Ella Enchanted Author: Gail Carson Levine Target Audience: 8 to 12 years (but I find it much-beloved by older readers, too) Genre: Fantasy Publication Year: 1997 Setting: Kingdom of Kyrria; during the reign of King Jerrold and Queen Daria A Favorite Quote: “That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay […]
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Novel: The Secret Garden Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett Target Audience: 9 and up Genre: Classic Publication Year: 1911 Setting: Yorkshire, England–specifically, at Misselthwaite Manor on the moor; around the turn of the century A Favorite Quote: “At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it […]
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Novel: Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective Author: Daniel J. Sobol Target Audience: 8 to 12 years Genre: Mystery Publication Year: 1963 Setting: Idaville, a town in the USA; set around the time the book was written–1960s A Favorite Quote: “An encyclopedia is a book or a set of books giving information, arranged alphabetically, on all […]
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective by Daniel J. Sobol
Novel: The Boxcar Children Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner Target Audience: 7 to 12 years Genre: Mystery Publication Year: 1942 Setting: USA, a rural area outside of a fictional town named Silver City; 1920s or 30s A Favorite Quote: “One warm night four children stood in front of a bakery. No one knew […]
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Novel: My Side of the Mountain Author: Jean Craighead George Target Audience: 9 and older Genre: Survival Publication Year: 1959 Setting: New York (the Catskill Mountains); I didn’t notice a specific date, but references made by the main character indicate it takes place sometime in the 1950’s. It surprised me to realize this as an adult–as a […]
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Novel: The Phantom Tollbooth Author: Norton Juster Target Audience: 9-12 years Genre: Fantasy Publication Year: 1961 Setting: The Lands Beyond; during the exile of the Princesses Rhyme and Reason A Favorite Quote: “Are you the giant?” asked Tock doubtfully. “To be sure,” he replied proudly. “I’m the smallest giant in the world.” My One Sentence […]