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Children's Books

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AUGUST 30, 2007
The Wright Twist by Josie Daval

   The Wright Twist  is a story about 12 year old tomboy named Lee Twist. Lee is the middle child in a family of five children. It is the summer of 1905, in Dayton, Ohio, and Lee and her brothers and sister are enjoying their time off from school.

  Lee and her brothers have many adventures throughout the summer, including taking care of a cat that literally has nine lives, becoming "swamp monsters," in the mud after a rainstorm, and observing the Wright brothers work on their airplane. Lee and her brothers, Will and Lin, had heard talk of the Wright brothers, but they wanted to see for themselves what an airplane really looked like. The Twist kids are able to see Orville and Wilbur work on their invention, and eventually Orville and Wilbur catch Lee and her brothers spying. Orville and Wilbur enjoy having the kids around, and Lee even makes a few suggestions on how to make the plane work better.

Even though it is summer and there is no school. there is still work to be done. Lee and Lin work on the farm, and Will works at NCR, the big factory in downtown Dayton. Will works with some interesting characters, including Charles Kettering and John Patterson.  He also works with Mr. Charles Palmer, a big fitness and exercise advocate, whom no one at NCR likes.

This is a fun book and an easy read that will be enjoyed by both girls and boys alike. It isn't necessarily a book about the Wright brothers, as it is about a young girl who befriends the Wright brothers. Readers will enjoy all of the adventures Lee gets into, especially when she has to shimmy down the drain pipe to get out of Mr. Palmer's office with a horse in it! You will want to read the book to understand what that means! I do think that children in Dayton will enjoy all of the references to the familiar landmarks like Huffman Prairie, NCR, Far Hills Avenue, and more. This book is recommended for children in grades 5-8.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Mrs. Rose

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AUGUST 22, 2007
Legend of The Worst Boy In The World by Eoin Colfer
Growing up with four brothers can be an interesting experience to say the least.  Will Goodman was the second of five boys in his family.  Trying to get his mom or dad's attention was next to impossible, so Will believes.  Will decided he needed someone to listen to him.  He found the perfect listener who has a lot of free time--Grandad.  Grandad and Will spend time working around an old lighthouse.  As they talk, Will and Grandad swap sob stories but Grandad's stories always "outshine" Will's stories.  Will does come up with a good one...a family legend.  Read this book and discover how the title fits the legend.  This book is most suitable for children in grades 2-4.  It has a particular appeal for boys.  It is so funny, especially if you have brothers.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Mrs. G

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AUGUST 14, 2007
I Believe in Unicorns by Michael Morpurgo
A young man recalls as an eight-year-old boy, he did not like school, books or even a good story.  Tomas was a boy who loved the outdoors.  However, after his mother persuaded him to go to the library, Tomas became captivated by the world of stories and fantasy found in books.  Tomas was drawn to the storyteller of the library as she read to children each week.  They met for stories gathered around a huge, life-sized model unicorn.  The storyteller became known as the "Unicorn Lady."  Tomas entered a new world of discovery  at his library.  Living in a land and time of war, Tomas and his family experienced a frightening day as their town was invaded.  After the invasion, people from the town found each other among the rubble.  One building with serious destruction to its structure was the library.  The wonderful "Unicorn Lady" and Tomas' father ran into the library and saved an armful of books.  Soon other people ran into the building to get books.  People of the town agreed to take the books into their possession to protect them until the library was rebuilt.  This book is a powerful story based on events the author heard about in a recent trip to Russia.  This book is most appropriate for children in grades 3-5.

Add a comment  (0 comments) posted by Mrs. G

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