93:100 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

It's 1942, Bruno is 9 years old and is not happy to find out that his family is having to leave their comfortable house in Berlin and go to some house away from all his friends. It has something to do with his father being super important and The Fury trusting him with a super important job at Out-With.  Once they get there, it's worse than Bruno could have imagined with no one to play with and officers coming and going all the time. The he discovers the fence and there is a boy on the other side wearing striped pajamas who becomes Bruno's only friend, even if he must keep it secret.

As an approachable way to introduce some of the horrors of the concentration camps to children, this book is ok but really, it's best use is as a fantasy book.  The horrors are glossed over, Bruno acts much younger than his supposed 9 years with constant mispronunciations of things that would not have been common, especially in his own thoughts, and his sister is both too young too old for her supposed 12 years.  The fantasy is really that the commander's son would be allowed to walk right up to the fence and just have these playdates with a child on the other side with no idea why they were there and with no guards anywhere around ever. That does not seem plausible based on the books I've read by survivors.  The story itself is almost sappy sweet which, again, does not mesh with the horrors of the time and those living in the concentration camps. It's almost like it's trying to absolve those who perpetrated those horrors of their sins by making it seem like it was not so bad.  I'm glad I read it before giving it to my son to read. I don't want that history glossed over.

Page count: 216p/22,599p ytd/331,296p lifetime

79:100 The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Bobbie, Peter, and Phyllis have had a lovely life as a middle class family in the early 1900s.  Father works but spends time with them in the evenings, mother is always around and making up stories and playing with them, and there are servants that attend to the mundane tasks.  Until one evening some men come and father goes away with them and the next day they have to pack up and move away from the city.  Now there are no servants and mother tells them that they are poor and she must write and hope to sell her stories to keep them fed and there are many days where there is just toast and jam to eat. Now the children don't go to school and must find ways to amuse themselves so they explore this new town of their and are constantly drawn to the Railway which provides many adventures and surprises along the way.

Definitely a book from another era so I tried to read it with that in mind and leave the bulk of my modern day thinking out of it.  The children wandering all over the town so much by themselves were fine and I do think the bits about the general kindness of the people there was appropriate given the time but having the old gentleman from the train solve all the problems and just happen to be the grandfather of the boy they rescue....a bit too deus ex machina for my tastes but I know that was common enough in these types of tales at the time.  In all, a sweet story of a bygone age.


Page count: 156p/20,347p ytd/329,044p lifetime

17:100 The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Kenny, age 9, is part of the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan.  As a middle child and a bookish soon with a more physical older brother and more biddable younger sister, he has a hard time figuring out just where he belongs in the scheme of things.  Some days, he wants to be more like his older brother, Byron, but then there are days like this when they are packing up the family for a road trip to Alabama to drop Bryon off with their grandmother to try and keep him out of trouble at home and see if she can't help him learn to behave better.  However, the kids have never been in the deep South before and there are some lessons that hit too close to home.

I read this with my 7th grader and we both really enjoyed it.  There are some scary parts in it and the end section talking about how things like the church bombing were too common are hard for kids to read but I felt it was hard enough to try and open eyes to the racism that exists in our country without being too graphic for more sensitive readers.  Of course, with too many of children having to live through active shooter drills at schools, I think they are all too aware of at least what hate can do and that is a sad commentary on our society today,

Page count: 224p/4,646p ytd/315,551p lifetime

8:100 Maniac McGee by Jerry Spinelli

Jeffery 'Maniac' McGee probably would have had a nice normal life if an accident hadn't killed both his parents and left him an orphan.  He was then raised for several years by an aunt and uncle who hated each other and divided everything in the house, even him, as much as they were able.  One day it all became too much for him and he ran and ran and ran away.  When he finally stopped running, he was in a town which was very racially divided and he's white boy butt was on the wrong side.  But Maniac didn't care.  He found a family that was happy to take him in and for the first time in a long time, he had adults who cared about him and even siblings to play with.  But then trouble started and he ran again. And again. And again.  Every time trouble would start, he would run but he kept running to different parts of the same town.  Something there made him want to stay and eventually, he even found a way to have a home with the family he wanted to be with and who wanted him to be with them.

A sweet tale about someone who found a unique way of dealing with racism and the lemons that life gave him but I'm not sure that teaching kids to just keep running is the greatest thing.



Page count: 192p/2,117p ytd/313,022p lifetime

98:100 Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

The Fowl family has fallen on hard times since Artemis's father disappeared.  Artemis may only be 12 years old but he is a genius so he has studied hard, done his research, and found that fairies are real and there is gold to be had for one who is clever and daring enough.  So he waits and watches and finally makes his move one moonlit night and captures Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. 

My 12yr old ran through this series as he loved it.  My oldest did the same thing at the same age.  I thought the premise was good but the plot was slow, little character depth overall, and the twists and turns were very predictable.  Fun for kids but I found the execution lacking and won't be reading the rest of the series.


Page count: 396p/18,633p ytd/310,649p lifetime

87:100 George's Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy and Stephen Hawking

George's parents do not believe in the positives of technology, only its dangers to the planet.  There is no tv, no phone, no computers but George did manage to talk them into letting him have a pet pig.  Except one day the pig escapes into his neighbor's backyard and he meets Annie who introduces him to her father and their supercomputer, Cosmos.  With Cosmos's help, Annie's father is able to journey through the solar system to explore so much further.  Of course, George ends up accidentally telling one of his teachers about Cosmos and that teacher has been looking for Cosmos for his own purposes.

I really wanted to like this book.  I mean, a children's book written by Stephen Hawking and his daughter about space?!  It should be awesome!  My 12 year old loved the entire series and was finishing each one in about two days.  However, the plot was so unbelievably simplistic and predictable it was a slog to get through.  Yes, the science is sound but it was less woven in and more just graphs and extra information that broke up what flow there was in the story (which wasn't much).  I can't bring myself to try and read any of the others in this series but my son recommends them to the late elementary/middle school science geeks.


Page count: 295p/15,751p ytd/307,767p lifetime

82:100 Holes by Louis Sachar

Review from 2013:

Stanley Yelnats's family has always been unlucky because of a curse placed on them by Madame Zeroni generations back. Now the curse has struck him as he was arrested after some shoes fell out of the sky and landed on his head as he was walking home from school and it just so happens that they were the shoes of a famous baseball player who had donated them to a charity auction. Now Stanley is sentenced to Camp Green Lake where all the kids are forced to dig huge holes every day since "it's good for their character". Obviously the warden is looking for something but no one has any idea what. While at the camp, Stanley meets Zero and they start to become friends but Zero may just hold the key to removing the curse from Stanley's family.

A cute book and I love the weaving of all the different parts of the tale and then how it all comes together neatly at the end.



Page count: 233p/14,801p ytd/306,584p lifetime

64:100 Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

Moon Shadow has heard fabulous tales of his father, and especially the kites that he makes, but has never met him.  His father left for America before he was born and for 8 years all Moon Shadow has known of him has been his letters that he sends with money for them and the stories his mother tells him. 

Now his father has sent for him to come to America, the land of the white devils.  Of course Moon Shadow will go but he has no idea what to expect.  He and his father get to know each other and it is revealed that his father has had an important dream, to build an airplane and fly.  Windrider is willing endure much to make this dream come true even if no one else believe in it, but Moon Shadow believes and will be there to help him see it through.

We read this for my 7th grader's literature and enjoyed it.  It definitely put more emphasis on how Chinese and white people perceived each other in the early 1900s but also showed how people can move past prejudices when they are open to getting to know someone.  It showed the power of family and belief which is not limited to any one culture.


Page count: 317p/11,362p ytd/303,380p lifetime

54:100 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Opal and her father, a preacher, have moved to Naomi.  Opal is having problems making friends until the day she goes to the grocery store and adopts the ugliest dog with the biggest sense of humor and the greatest ability to make friends. Now Opal brings Winn-Dixie with her everywhere and as she does, she learns more and more about the people in her town and how much more they have in common than she could have ever imagined. Learning their stories has opened her eyes in ways strange and beautiful as she learns that a blind woman can learn to see with her heart, a librarian has fought off a grizzly with a copy of War and Peace, and an ex-con who has an amazing way with animals.  She is invited to the birthday party of a young girl and learns to see beyond the taunts of the boys who are just lonely. She even manages to finally wrest some tidbits about her mother from her father.  It really was a fabulous summer...all Because of Winn-Dixie.

This was a sweet book that has a lovely message of kindness at it's center.


Page count: 182p/9,294p ytd/301,311p lifetime

16:100 The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

From the last time I read it:
The 6th book in the Chronicles of Narnia.  Eustace and his schoolmate, Jill, have been pulled into Narnia by Aslan to find the lost Prince Rillian.  Unfortunately, due to Jill's showing off, Eustace is blown into Narnia proper before seeing Aslan and hearing the signs that they must look for if they are to be successful in their quest.  The owls learn of their quest however and pair them up with Puddleglum, the Marsh Wiggle.  A gloomy fellow but one who manages to keep them on the straight and narrow for the most part even with giants, sorceresses, and earthmen about.  Their travels take them to many places both above and below the earth but they persevere knowing that they are the Prince's only hope.

Just a nice adventure book.  It's more about the journey than rescuing the prince as that takes hardly any time at all but you can definitely see things being set-up for the Last Battle.


Page count: 243p/2,532p ytd/294,553p lifetime

120:120 Wings of Fire: Talons of Power by Tui T. Sutherland

Book 9 of the Wings of Fire series.  Only a few dragons know that Turtle is an animus and thankfully, the big scary dragon, Darkstalker, that his friends just woke up is not one of them.  Darkstalker is definitely up to something but Turtle is having the hardest time figuring out what since every time someone meets Darkstalker, they take an instant liking to him.  Turtle finally figures out the magic Darkstalker is using but every time he uses his own magic, he risks Darkstalker figuring out there is another animus around so he must be careful, more careful and more brave than he has ever been before in his life.  He has never wanted this power, has really just always wanted to be part of the background scenery, but he no longer has that choice as Moon's prophecy points towards very dire things coming if they can't stop it.

This one was really repetitive with Turtle's thoughts and while the plot was ok, I still slogged through it for that reason.  Not the best installment.


Page count: 336p/22,618p ytd/293,021p lifetime

112:120 Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

So here's the review I wrote back in 2008 (which I admitted to being in a crappy mood when I wrote it):

So my impressions of Prince Caspain (made before getting in such a horrid mood). Decent book but way too much emphasis on descriptive scenery with a decent nod to a plot and almost no character development. In all honesty, this would have been much better cut down and used to start an adventure book rather then being the entire thing. Just not enough meat on the bones of this one. On to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

And from 2013:
After re-reading it again and in a better mood, well, I can't say I was far off the mark.  It was a cute little story but yeah, not really much in the way of any kind of character development or much point other than crowning Caspian king.  It still feels like it could have been a few chapters in the start of a bigger adventure and just not enough happened to have it be its own story.

And from 2017:
Yeah, still think this could have easily been condensed and put into a different story. I'm glad that now that I've done this one with the youngest child, I don't actually ever have to read this again.


Page count: 223p/20,163p ytd/291,566p lifetime

104:120 Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Mom has left to go to a conference and let everything all ready for the family except for one thing, she told dad on her way out that he needed to get milk before breakfast the next morning.

Dad forgot.

So now there is no milk for cereal and the kids are complaining so Dad goes to the store but geez he's gone for a loooooooong time. And when he finally does make it back home, with the milk, he has quite the story to tell of why it took him so long which includes a time-traveling stegosaurus, a volcano god, and pirates.

A fun tale about what happens when you run to the store for milk.  I totally believe every word of it because I've had similar things happen to me.  Just ask my kids.



Page count: 113p/19,116p ytd/290,519p lifetime

95:120 The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Expurey

A pilot is stranded in the desert when he wakes one morning to find this strange little fellow who asks the most extraordinary questions and has the most amazing tale to tell of his little planet with it's three volcanoes (although one is extinct) where he can see the sun set so many times in one day and he has one perfect little flower with four thorns. He asks the pilot to draw him a sheep even though the pilot says he can only draw boa constrictors digesting an elephant. But the little fellow thinks the drawing is perfect and then starts telling all about his journey to Earth and all the other planets he visited and how they all had adults doing adult things who didn't listen or understand. Slowly, understanding dawns on the pilot and he starts realizing there is more to this little fellow (and life) than he originally thought.

I don't know quite why I never read this book when I was younger but this was my first time reading it and it was just lovely.  A simple tale that isn't really simple at all when you come back to reality after reading it, realizing that it has changed you as well as the pilot who told it.


Page count: 85p/18,046p ytd/289,399p lifetime

92:120 The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

My review from 2012:
An enjoyable romp through other areas in the Narnia universe that eventually lead into Narnia itself, but only briefly.  King Edmund, Queen Lucy, and Queen Susan make small appearances but are not integral to the story rather it's an adventure tale of two children running away from Tashbaan towards Narnia with two talking horses but who find out about a plot to destroy Narnia and must do the near impossible to get the news into the right hands.  You can definitely see the Aslan/God connection very heavily in this one as he orchestrates things for the greater good of the land he loves.



Page count: 224p/17,662p ytd/289,015p lifetime

81:120 Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

Life was simple for Jay Berry growing up in rural Oklahoma back around the turn of the century. He helped with the farm and when he wasn't needed, he went exploring in the wilderness.  Some days he would go to the store his grandparents own in town. Those are special times between a boy and his grandpa and there are usually treats to bring home to share with his sister. One early summer day though as he is wondering around in the bottoms he finds an animal that he has never seen before and one that doesn't seem to belong in the area.  As he recounts the details to his grandfather later that day, he finds out that it is indeed a monkey as he had suspected. A troupe had escaped when the circus train had derailed and now there is a reward for their capture. $2/ea for the little monkeys like what Jay Berry had seen but $100 for the special one.  Jay Berry has had his heart set on a rifle and a pony and this seems like the answer to his dream. But capturing monkeys is so much harder than Jay Berry had ever imagined and his dream could fall away before it's ever realized.

A simple story about a more innocent time (cliche but true), a boy and his dream but also about his growing up and maturing a little bit as well.  Well written, humorous to keep it from being too heavy handed (although as an adult it was pretty easy to see how it was going to turn out) and poignant too. I will admit, I bought it for my now 16yr old who loved monkeys because I had seen it on many children's classics lists but really had no idea what it was all about but thought he would enjoy it.  He never read it and I don't think he would have really enjoyed it if he had because it was definitely not the book I thought it would have been, especially with the cover our copy has. 


Page count: 280p/16,721p ytd/287,853p lifetime

80:120 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

From when I read it five years ago with the now 16yr old:
Haven't read this one in a few years and am enjoying it as much as I always do.  I remember as a little girl wishing that I could find a magic wardrobe and be transported to a magical land and have those adventures.  What makes things special this time tho is again, sharing these stories with my 11yr old.  He has watched the movies but it's his first time reading the books and he's loving them as much as I do.  Definitely one of those books in one of those series where if you haven't read it....WHY NOT????  Stop looking at reviews and go read it already.  And if you have children, go read it to them as well.

Now I'm reading these again my new current 11yr old (and one of his friends) and it's still magical. They are fast, sweet reads but I pick up new little nuances each time and the current child points out different things and leads us into different discussions which makes each reading unique and special.  I still say if you haven't read them, you should, and if if you have kids you should definitely read it to them as well.


Page count: 189p/16,441p ytd/287,573p lifetime

74:120 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Salamanca Tree Hiddle does not understand why her mother left her and her dad, only that something has happened and she isn't coming back and now her father has moved them away from the farm and the only life she has ever known and that she loves to the suburbs where her entire life has been turned upside down.  The first person her dad introduces her to is Mrs. Cadaver who Sal finds strange and does not understand why her dad wants to spend so much time with her. Then she meets Phoebe who lives on her block and is in her classes at the new school.  Phoebe's family seems like the perfect middle class family...until her mom disappears one day. It brings everything Sal has gone through flooding back.  Now she is on a roadtrip with her grandparents, following the path her mother took to Idaho and with so many miles ahead of them, she starts telling them Phoebe's story not realizing that she is telling her own story at the same time.

A poignant story about a girl trying to come to term's with the loss of her mother and upheaval of her entire life.  There is love and loss, friendship and family, basically life.  One of my older kids had read it years ago so it was hanging around and I've been trying to read new authors so figured I'd give it a try.  It was ok. The plot and writing were simple and straightforward with no major surprises.


Page count: 280p/14,871p ytd/286,003p lifetime

69:120 The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

It was a strange day at the zoo when Lindy, Tom, and Ben met Professor Savant.  They thought he was strange when he told them about Whangdoodles but figured he was harmless and they'd never see him again. Until Halloween when Lindy said she would knock at the spookiest house on the block and who should it belong to but Professor Savant. The children had been noodling over what he said and he invites them to come learn with him how to get to Whangdoodleland to try and meet the very Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. They will need to use every bit of imagination they possess and learn how to harness it properly to make the trip and it will take several trips to try and get to his palace especially since the Prime Minister, Oily Prock, does not want them to disturb the Whangdoodle and will do everything in his power to stop them making it to the castle.

A sweet tale of never giving up and remembering how powerful your imagination can be. I've seen several reviews compare it to Oz and Narnia and it's very easy to see why but at the same time, it's a much gentler story than those so even children who are sensitive would likely enjoy it.  Dame Edwards does not disappoint as this is just the kind of story you could see her Mary Poppins telling to children in her keeping.


Note, I see that some people have expressed concern about the children entering into secret packs with a stranger. First, the Professor is known the parents although the exact nature of the relationship with the children is not but he does make it a point to contact their parents and tell them he is giving them lessons.  As a parent, I think this can be used as a teaching moment about good secrets vs. bad secrets and to have a frank discussion with your child about how this is lovely in literature but not something you would want them to be keeping from you in real life.  If you are concerned about that content, maybe read it yourself and decide if it's the right thing for your family or not.  Not every book is right for everyone and you know your situation best.


Page count: 277p/13,784p ytd/284,888p lifetime

67:120 When the Sun Goes Dark by Andrew Fraknoi & Dennis Schatz

A book from the National Science Teachers Association explaining the science of eclipses in a concise and easy to understand way for middle school children. After seeing a partial eclipse, my 11yr old really enjoyed reading it and getting a better idea of the hows and whys of solar eclipses.  I read it so I could know what he knew and what else we could discuss about them,

Page count: 36p/13,331p ytd/284,435p lifetime