The New Year...

Image courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

An excerpt:

The New Year, like an Infant Heir to the whole world, was waited for, with welcomes, presents, and rejoicings.

~ From The Chimes:

 A Goblin Story of Some Bells 

That Rang an Old Year Out

 and a New Year In, 

written by Charles Dickens

Wishing you all a safe and happy New Year's Eve! Goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016! :)

All Aboard for Christmas Tales!

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

I love Christmas stories -- all kinds -- and have a large collection of them. I've shared most of my collection in previous posts. (See the links at the bottom of this post.) This year I went looking for Christmas books at our local library. Here are a few of the tales that I really enjoyed and wanted to share with you:

Picture books:

It's Christmas,

written and illustrated by Tina Burke, 2006

It's that time of year again. Burke describes (and illustrates) some of the joys of the holiday season in this sweet little book.

***

A Star So Bright:

A Christmas Tale,

written by M. Christina Butler

and illustrated by Caroline Pedler, 2007

On each page of this book, different animals see a bright star in the sky. The star (shown through a cut-out in the paper) grows larger with every page turn, and we, the readers, get closer to the manger highlighted by the star. Butler's rhyming text is enhanced by Pedlar's charming illustrations.

***

Christmas Wombat,

written by Jackie French

and illustrated by Bruce Whatley, 2011

A very silly carrot-loving wombat hitches a ride on Santa's sleigh and discovers that there are many, many carrots in the world. This story kept me laughing out loud with each turn of a page. When I finished reading it, I immediately handed it off to my boys (almost 17 and 10), who were equally amused! I just might need to buy this one to add to my collection. :)

***

Christmas is Coming,

written by Anne Bowen

and illustrated by Tomek Bogacki, 2007

Throughout the holiday season, Anna tells her baby brother about the various signs that Christmas is coming -- the first snow, the lights, the tree, and more.  On Christmas Day she is very excited by the gifts that Santa has brought, but looking at her baby brother she suddenly realizes that he is the very best Christmas present of all.

***

One Snowy Night, 

written by M. Christina Butler

and illustrated by Tina Macnaughton, 2004

Father Christmas gives Little Hedgehog a red wooly hat to keep him warm. The hat ends up warming the hearts of all of Little Hedgehog's friends -- and turns out to be the perfect gift. This cute "Touch-and-Feel Book" allows readers to feel the soft red hat.

***

Snowed Under

and Other Christmas Confusions,

written and illustrated by Serge Bloch, 2011

This book is filled with idioms, Christmas-related and otherwise, along with humorous illustrations that interpret those idioms literally. Bloch uses phrases like "deck the halls", "tied up in knots", and "red-handed" to tell his tale of a family getting ready for Christmas.

***

The Little Fir Tree,

written by Margaret Wise Brown

and illustrated by Jim Lamarche, 1954 (text),
2005 (illustrations)

Although this has the same title as Hans Christian Andersen's famous tale, Brown's The Little Fir Tree is a completely different story -- one that is heartwarming, not depressing like Andersen's. A little fir tree grows alone in a field, wishing he could be part of the forest... or at least part of something. One winter day a man finds the tree. He digs the tree up and brings him to share with a special boy and to be part of a great Celebration.

***

Lighthouse Christmas,

written by Toni Buzzeo

and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, 2011

Frances, Peter, and Papa recently moved to a lighthouse island off the coast of Maine and Frances is feeling lonely. Now a big storm is keeping even the supply boats away. Will it keep Santa away as well?

This engaging story is inspired by a true Christmas tradition, the Flying Santa Service.

***

December,

written by Eve Bunting

and illustrated by David Diaz, 1997

Simon and his mother are celebrating Christmas Eve in their cardboard house. They have a tiny tree and not much else, but when they meet an elderly woman with even less, they invite her in and offer to share what they have.

I love this book's vibrant illustrations and inspiring message.

***

Young adult fiction:

Let It Snow:

Three Holiday Romances,

written by John Green, Maureen Johnson,

and Lauren Myracle, 2008

This book is made up of three interconnected (and often hilarious) tales of teenage love and romance. A Christmas Eve snowstorm stops a train and transforms Gracetown into a winter wonderland. Strangers meet, old friends look at each other in a new way, and, in the midst of it all is a tiny teacup pig named Gabriel.

***

For more Christmas books, please check out my posts from previous years:

The Stories of Christmas

The Night Before

Merry Little Christmas Books

Have you read any of the books shown above? If so, what did you think of them? 

What are your favorite Christmas stories?

Scare Up a Good Boooooook

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

I love reading scary books -- the kind that make me shiver from head to toe -- whether it's Halloween time or not. I know that not everyone feels the same. However, if you, too, are a fan of the horror genre and are looking for a spine-tingling read, here are a few books that I recommend for various ages:

Picture book:

Hansel and Gretel,
retold by Neil Gaiman
and illustrated by Lorenzo Mattotti, 2014

A woodcutter leaves his children in the woods and when they try to find their way home, they stumble upon a house made of gingerbread.

As Gaiman recounts this well-known fairy tale, he doesn't stray far from the original story. He does add his own sinister touches, however, and his words pair well with Mattotti's dark, eerie artwork. This book, like all good picture books, begs to be read aloud. (I suggest reading it out loud in a dark room, with only a flashlight to see the words and pictures, for maximum effect!)

***

Middle grade fiction:

The Thickety: A Path Begins,

written by J. A. White, 2014

The same night that six-year-old Kara's little brother Taff is born, her mother is executed for witchcraft. Now, many years later, the siblings are still shunned by the people of their village. The villagers believe magic to be evil and fear it more than anything -- except for the dark and wild woods nearby, the Thickety.

I first spotted this novel at a book store. The title and cover art intrigued me, so I opened it up and began reading. After just a couple of pages, I jotted the title and author down in my "to read" list on my phone; the next time I visited the library I checked out the book. I really liked this fantastical tale and it is one that I would've enjoyed at age 10, as well. (It may have given me a nightmare or two back then, however!)

This is the first book in The Thickety series, which also includes The Whispering Trees (2015) and Well of Witches (coming out in 2016). I'm hoping to read the second book soon and will look for the third one next year!

***

The Night Gardener,
written by Jonathan Auxier, 2014

This Victorian ghost story follows a pair of young orphans who go to work as servants in a tumble-down house far from town. It does not take Molly and Kip long to discover that both the house and the family who lives there are not quite what they seem....

I saw that a reviewer on Goodreads wrote this about The Night Gardener: "Long story short, this novel is Little Shop of Horrors meets The Secret Garden." I thought that was a fitting description! I found this to be a delightfully creepy book and have recommended it to my 10-year-old, Ben.

***

Lockwood & Co.:
The Screaming Staircase,
written by Jonathan Stroud, 2013

For over 50 years ghosts have stalked the land, frightening the living, wreaking havoc, and even killing those poor souls unlucky enough to come in contact with them. Psychic Investigations Agencies have been formed across the country to seek out the horrifying spectres and destroy them. When the young agent Lucy Carlyle arrives in London looking for work, she is offered employment with the smallest, most unconventional agency in the city, Lockwood & Co. She and her coworkers, Anthony Lockwood and George Cubbins, quickly find themselves in the middle of a dangerous mystery. Can the three of them survive long enough to solve it?

This book is shelved in our library's middle grade section and also the young adult section. I personally feel that it is most suited for older children, teens, and adults. (I know I would've been terrified if I'd read the book when I was 8 or 9!) Ben had been planning on reading it, which is why we checked it out, but while he was working his way through another book, I read this one. I'm glad that I got to it first -- afterwards I talked with Ben about it and we decided that he should probably wait a couple of years before reading it himself.

That being said, I absolutely loved this book! And it truly scared me. Stroud is a masterful writer. (I adored his Bartimaeus trilogy, as well.) The main characters are very likable and well-written. In addition to the suspense that Stroud injects into every chapter, he also provides many laugh-out-loud moments.

This is the first title in the Lockwood & Co. series, which also includes The Whispering Skull (2014) and The Hollow Boy (2015). I have not read the others yet, but am eager to do so -- hopefully soon!

***

Young Adult Fiction:

The Ocean at the End of the Lane,
written by Neil Gaiman, 2013

When a man returns to his childhood home for a funeral, he finds himself drawn to the farm at the end of the lane. While there, images he hadn't thought of in years come flooding back, memories of the strange, frightening events he'd witnessed as a boy -- and a magical girl named Lettie who promised to protect him.

I found this book (which a friend aptly called "a grown up fairy tale") in the adult section of our library, but there is also a copy in the young adult section. I am a Neil Gaiman fan and was excited to read this when it came out. I was not disappointed. It is a beautifully written, haunting book that I plan to reread soon!

***

For more hair-raising book recommendations for kids and teens, check out my posts from previous years: Oh, the Horror! and Books That Go Bump in the Night.

Have you ever read any of the books listed above? If so, what did you think? I'd love to hear about your favorite spooky stories. I'm always looking for new ones to read!

Interview with a BookWyrm: Destiny

Destiny, reading A Discovery of Witches

Name: Destiny

Age: 17

Do you have a favorite reading spot? I love to read on my bed with soft pillows and soft blankets. Or outside, especially in autumn when the weather's nice.

What kinds of books do you like to read? I typically stick to fantasy and science fiction. I love romance novels, action stories, anything that gets me to read it with rigorous attention. Lately, I've been reading mythology, psychology and philosophy -- subjects I've always thought interesting. I would like to pursue a career in one of those three things so learning about them is both fun and educational.

What kinds of things do you like to do when you're not reading? I'm really into the arts -- singing, theatre, drawing... any kind of crafting, really. I love watching fantasy movies and action movies. I'm learning how to crochet, so I'm working on that as well. My friends are a big part of my life, so I try and see them whenever I'm not doing school work or the like.

Name three favorite books (or series): The Iron Fey [by Julie Kagawa], The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices [by Cassandra Clare], and Catcher in the Rye [by J. D. Salinger].

Who are your favorite authors? Deborah Harkness -- the author of The Discovery of Witches,
Rick Riordan -- the author of Percy Jackson & the Olympians as well as The Heroes of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles, and Shakespeare -- I mean, he's Shakespeare, need I say more?

What book are you reading now? I'm currently reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (by choice) for school.

Out of school I'm desperately trying to find time to finish Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, as well as The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

Name a book on your "to read" list: There are so many.... Not counting finishing the 5 different series I'm getting to the end of, I would say the next book on my "to read" list would probably be Peter and the Starcatchers [by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson].

Other than the books you've already named, what book (or series) would you recommend to kids or young adults? For both teens and adults I would recommend any of the "classic" novels or authors: C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carol, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin...

For those of the younger persuasion, read the Artemis Fowl series [by Eoin Colfer] or Harry Potter [by J.K. Rowling].

***

Destiny, thank you very much for doing this interview and sharing your love of books with us! I will be sending you a bookmark to show my appreciation. :)

For the rest of you: I am looking for more volunteers age 18 and under (or parents, volunteering their children!) to appear in future interviews. If you are interested, please message me on the Blue Sky, Big Dreams Facebook page. I will send you a list of the interview questions which you can fill out at your leisure and then return to me along with a photo of your child (or yourself) reading. (The BookWyrm's face does not need to show in the picture and I will only share the first name or first initial of the BookWyrm, depending on your preference. I respect your privacy and safety.) I will send out a handmade bookmark to each of my interviewees.

Banned Books Week 2015

Artwork courtesy of the
American Library Association

A few weeks ago, while preparing for this post, I looked through the American Library Association's "Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books Lists of the 21st Century".  I focused my attention on the lists from the past 5 years or so and then picked a few of those frequently challenged books to share with you here. Some of these books are ones that I had read previously and others are books that were new to me, that I specifically read for this post. There was only one picture book listed (And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell), but I have already written about that one in a previous post, so the following are all books for older children and teens.

Middle-grade fiction:

Captain Underpants (series), 

written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey, 1997

George and Harold love to play pranks and also create their own comic books about super hero, Captain Underpants. However, their school principal Mr. Krupp does NOT appreciate the comic books or the boys' pranks. Finally, Mr. Krupp comes up with a plan to stop George and Harold's shenanigans. Unfortunately for him, the plan backfires in a most uproarious way!

I have seen this book (and the rest of the series) before -- and I've heard people talk about it -- but no one in our family had ever read it before I brought it home from the library last week. The other day I was sitting in my living room, reading the book and laughing out loud at some of the very silly humor inside. My ten-year-old Ben walked in to see what was going on -- apparently, the sight of his mother reading Captain Underpants was hilarious. He fell to the floor in a fit of giggling that lasted several minutes. :) I told him he should read the book when I was done. He did and the giggling resumed! We are both eager to read more books from the series and see what wackiness Captain Underpants gets up to next.

This series has been challenged due to offensive language, being unsuited for its age group, and violence.  I'm thinking that the people who want to ban it must have no sense of humor....

***

Bone (series),

written and illustrated by Jeff Smith, 1991

When three cousins (Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone) are run out of town, they get lost in the desert. A storm of locusts sweeps through, separates the cousins, and deposits them in a strange land. Soon the three find themselves in the middle of an epic adventure complete with dragons, rat creatures, and ghost circles.

At the beginning of this year, I committed myself to a set of book challenges that involves reading about 65 different books. Over the summer I asked friends and family for suggestions for a graphic novel so that I could complete one of the challenges. My daughter Emmalie (19) recommended Bone. She and my son Nick (16) had both read the series before and really liked it. I checked all 9 books out from the library -- then ended up "fighting" for each issue because all 3 of my kids decided to read (or reread) them, too! 

I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about this story at first and wasn't sure it would be something I'd enjoy. I was wrong. Towards the end of the series, I could not put the books down. I just had to find out what would happen next. At the time I read it, I had no idea that it had ever been challenged and when I found it on the lists recently, I was surprised. I don't remember being at all concerned that my 10-year-old was reading it. (By the way, at our library this series can be found both in the juvenile section and the young adult section.)

 "Political viewpoint, racism, and violence" are the reasons cited for challenging this series.

***

Young adult fiction:

The Chocolate War,
written by Robert Cormier, 1974

Jerry Renault is a freshman at Trinity, a private Catholic school, with a poster in his locker that reads: Do I dare disturb the universe? Jerry begins disturbing his universe and making waves when he refuses to participate in the annual school fundraiser, selling chocolates. But then, when he challenges The Vigils (a secret society of bullies at school), his actions lead to all-out war.

This book has been around since I was a young girl, but I had never read it until this week. I found it to be a powerful, haunting book about the evil that can be found in the world. It reminded me somewhat of Lord of the Flies, which is another frequently challenged book that I reviewed here. Parts of the book made me uncomfortable -- but I believe that was Cormier's intention, and that we should feel uncomfortable about cruelty towards others.

This book has been challenged for the following reasons: nudity, offensive language, being sexually explicit and unsuited to its age group.

***

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,

written by Sherman Alexie,
with art by Ellen Forney, 2007

Junior is a young adolescent living on the Spokane Indian reservation. He loves to draw cartoons, he lives with a variety of medical issues, and is picked on by almost everyone. Determined to receive a good education, Junior decides to transfer to an all-white school in a nearby town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Now considered a traitor by others on the reservation, he must learn to navigate a world that's very different from the one he calls home.

Nick was assigned this book for an English class back when he was a freshman. He read it, then told me that he found it "interesting" -- which is pretty high praise from a guy who normally only reads non-fiction. :) I decided to give it a try myself, and am very glad that I did. Alexie wrote this book beautifully, somehow managing to make it both funny and heart-breaking at the same time.

This book has a long list of reasons that it's been challenged for: being anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, being unsuited for its age group, violence, and depictions of bullying.

***

Looking for Alaska, 

written by John Green, 2005

Eager to escape a dull existence in Florida and seek his "Great Perhaps", Miles Halter (who has a fascination with famous last words) transfers to a boarding school in Alabama. Suddenly his boring life becomes anything but -- thanks mostly to a girl named Alaska who steals his heart.

This, his first novel, has been out for ten years now, but I only discovered John Green's works fairly recently. I am a big fan. I read Looking for Alaska about a year ago now, when I was systematically checking out book after book of his from the library. As he often does, Green weaves a tale here that not only made me laugh out loud but also wipe tears (many tears) from my eyes. The story is both silly and profound. It's hard to believe that a 200-page novel can contain so much truth about loss, suffering, and the meaning of life, but it does -- something I've come to expect with Green's writing.

Offensive language, being sexually explicit and unsuited for its age group are among the reasons cited for this novel being challenged.

***

The Perks of Being a Wallflower,

written by Stephen Chbosky, 1999 

Charlie is a freshman, a shy, socially awkward boy trying to navigate his way through high school. As the blurb on the cover of the book says, "Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor."

As a wallflower myself, I've been wanting to read this book for many years now. I finally had my chance this week. I found it to be a thought-provoking, poignant read and now I'm hoping to watch the movie sometime!

Some of the reasons why this book has been challenged over the years include homosexuality, drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, being sexually explicit and unsuited for its age group.

***

The Hunger Games (trilogy)

written by Suzanne Collins, 2008

Frequently challenged for "anti-ethnic" and "anti-family" themes, insensitivity, offensive language, and violence, this series (one of my favorites!) was featured earlier on Blue Sky, Big Dreams in this post.

***

Have you read any of the challenged books above? If so, what did you think of them? What are some of your favorite challenged books?

If you're looking for more banned or challenged books to read, please check out the following links to some of my previous posts:

Banned Books Week 2011: Picture Books

Banned Books Week 2011: Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

Banned Books Week 2012: Picture Books

Banned Books Week 2012: Middle Grade Books

Banned Books Week 2012: Young Adult Books

Puppy love

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

An excerpt:

     I suppose there's a time in practically every young boy's life when he's affected by that wonderful disease of puppy love. I don't mean the kind a boy has for the pretty little girl that lives down the road. I mean the real kind, the kind that has four small feet and a wiggly tail, and sharp little teeth that can gnaw on a boy's finger; the kind a boy can romp and play with, even eat and sleep with.

     I was ten years old when I first became infected with this terrible disease. I'm sure no boy in the world had it worse than I did. It's not easy for a young boy to want a dog and not be able to have one. It starts growing on his heart, and gets all mixed up in his dreams. It gets worse and worse, until finally it becomes almost unbearable.

~ from Where the Red Fern Grows,

written by Wilson Rawls

I am more of a cat person than a dog person myself, but puppies sure are cute and hard to resist! I can understand this kind of "puppy love", having felt it when I was younger, only for a kitten. I wanted one SO badly. I had to wait many years, but my dream finally came true when our family adopted the best cat ever, Hobbit. :) How about you --  have you ever experienced puppy love?

Fiction for Animal Lovers

Image courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

Our family loves animals. You may have heard me say that my 16-year-old son Nick lives and breathes animals -- all day, every day. But the rest of us are fans of "all creatures great and small", too. We love our pets (a cockatiel, a leopard gecko, and two fire-bellied toads), we enjoy watching wildlife whenever we spend time outside, we visit zoos several times a year, and we all get excited whenever there's a bird or a squirrel at one of our backyard feeders. Are you an animal lover, too? If so, this post is for you!

Over the past few months, I have read several fictional books featuring animals. Some are realistic fiction and others are pure fantasy. A few of them are picture books and the rest are for older readers. I enjoyed all of these stories and am happy to share them with you here:

Picture books:

One Gorilla,
written and illustrated by Anthony Browne, 2012

This beautifully illustrated book counts primates, a different species on each page. I just love the vivid, lifelike pictures that make counting fun. This book wasn't around yet when my Nick was a toddler, but if it had been, I'm sure that we would've owned a copy and read through it daily!

***

Slow Loris,
written and illustrated by Alexis Deacon, 2002

Slow Loris is soooo sloooow. The people who come to the zoo -- and even the other animals -- all think that he is too boring. But Loris has a secret....

This story introduces readers to the slow loris, a real animal. It presents facts about the primate, but then offers a surprise and some very amusing illustrations of Loris, the fictional character. This is another book that Nick would've loved when he was younger.

***

Birdsong,
written and illustrated by Ellie Sandall, 2010

This story begins with one bird on a branch, singing its unique song. On every page a new bird with a different song arrives. When a large bird with a very loud voice arrives, it clears the branch... with comic results.

While both the story and the colorful illustrations in this book made me smile, my favorite part was reading the birdsongs aloud. Who can resist calling, "Kitcha kitcha Kee kee kee," or answering "Urrah! Urrah! Rah rah ree."?

***

Middle grade books:

The Wind in the Willows,
written by Kenneth Grahame, 1908

A story of the friendship between a Rat, a Mole, a Badger, and a Toad, this book has been a favorite classic of many readers for over one hundred years now. 

When I was a girl, I remember watching Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, partly based on The Wind in the Willows. I also had a big book of Disney stories that included Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, based on the movie. But I never read the full text of The Wind in the Willows until recently. My son Ben received the book Return to the Willows (shown below) from his grandparents. He wanted me to read it out loud to him, but after some discussion, we decided to read Grahame's book first and then Kelly's.

Written in the language style from over a century ago, this book is not an easy read -- despite the fact that it is considered a children's story.  There were many times when I had to pause in my reading aloud to explain the meanings of words to Ben, words such as "imperiously", "contemptuous", or "reminiscence". Once we moved past that difficulty -- or, at least, got used to it -- we both found the tale enjoyable. Ben especially liked hearing about the absurd Mr. Toad and all the trouble he gets into throughout the book!

***

Return to the Willows,
written by Jacqueline Kelly
and illustrated by Clint Young, 2012

One hundred and four years after Grahame's The Wind in the Willows was published, Jacqueline Kelly wrote this sequel to the classic story. She brings back all four friends, along with many other characters from the first book, and a whole host of new adventures.

I believe that Kelly did a wonderful job matching the rich language and the "feel" of the original story. It is clear that she knows and loves that story, and she pays homage to it while creating something new. The story can, in fact, stand by itself -- one would not have to read The Wind in the Willows before reading this one. I am glad that we read both books, but I have to say that Ben and I actually preferred this book to the first. The story seemed to go a little faster and many of the situations that Mole, Rat, Badger, and Toad encounter had us both laughing out loud. In addition, Young's illustrations throughout the book are delightful.

***

The Underneath,
written by Kathi Appelt,
with drawings by David Small, 2008

Deep in the woods, where the only human is a violent, scary man called Gar Face, a pregnant cat befriends a lonely chained-up hound dog. She soon gives birth to two kittens and the four animals become a family.  Their world is a dangerous one, however, and the cats must stay out of sight, in the Underneath of Gar Face's ramshackle house. If the man discovers them, he will use the felines as alligator bait....

Though this is a middle grade book, I do not recommend it for children under age 10 -- even older children or teens may be bothered by some of the darker scenes. I found the book a little confusing at first, because the point of view jumps around. The story also travels back in time, thousands of years ago, and there is a magical element to the story that I didn't understand at first. Ultimately, however, Appelt's poetic writing and her message about the power of love drew me in to the story.

***

Young adult books (these are also filed as middle grade books at my library):

Redwall,
written by Brian Jacques, 1986

Redwall Abbey, inhabited by a community of peace-loving mice, is suddenly under attack by Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat. Matthias the mouse must learn to become a warrior and somehow save his friends and beloved home. 

There are 22 books in the Redwall series and this is the only one that I've read so far, but I'm hoping to try more of them in the future. I was first introduced to this book about ten years ago, when we were visiting family and my father-in-law read the first couple of chapters to my kiddos at bedtime. I kept meaning to get ahold of a copy so that we could finish the story, but that never happened. Finally, this summer, I checked it out of the library and read it. I liked the story, though I think I would've liked it even more as a child. I knew it would appeal to my 9-year-old son Ben, so once I'd finished it, I recommended it to him. Sure enough, he loved it and can't wait to read more!

***

The One and Only Ivan,
written by Katherine Applegate, 2011

Inspired by a true story, this fictional tale centers on Ivan, a gorilla who lives behind a glass wall at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade. He rarely thinks about his past life in the jungle, focusing instead on his friends Bob (a stray dog) and Stella (an elderly elephant) or on his finger paint artwork. But one day a baby elephant named Ruby arrives at the mall. Taken from her family, Ruby helps Ivan see their home, and his art, in a brand new way.

This is probably my favorite of the books in this post. I was drawn into it immediately and had to keep reading until I'd finished. I also shed a few tears before I was done. It is a touching, bittersweet story that has stayed with me long after turning the final page.

***

Silverwing,
written by Kenneth Oppel, 1997

The first of a trilogy that includes the books Sunwing and Firewing, this is the story of Shade, the runt of his Silverwing bat colony. While migrating south for the winter, Shade is separated from the others and thrown off course during a storm. He encounters a host of other bats on his journey to find his colony -- but are they friends or enemies?

Throughout this fictional story, Oppel presents many real facts about bats, which is one of the reasons I liked the book. I also enjoyed the characters and the adventure aspect of the book. I have not yet read the rest of the trilogy, but I plan to!

***

Hoot,
written by Carl Hiaasen, 2002

Middle school Roy has just moved to Coconut Cove, FL and already he's being bullied. One day he notices a barefoot boy running past. Roy sees the boy more than once -- always barefoot, always running. As he sets out to discover who the boy is, Roy finds himself caught up in an effort to halt the construction of a chain restaurant that would destroy the colony of burrowing owls living on the site.

This was another favorite of mine -- Ben and Nick are both big fans of the book, too. It was a quick, humorous read that kept my interest throughout.

***

Where the Red Fern Grows,

written by Wilson Rawls, 1961

Young Billy's dream is to own a pair of coonhounds to take hunting with him, but his parents can't afford to buy one dog, let alone two. Billy goes to work doing odd jobs to earn the money himself and finally, after two long years, is able to buy a pair of pups. Old Dan and Little Ann turn out to be the best dogs a boy could ask for and Billy soon begins training them to hunt for raccoons.

I remember classmates of mine reading this classic when I was in elementary school, and in my early 20's I watched the 1974 film based on this story, but I'd never read the book myself until just last month. I have to admit that it was difficult for me to get into the story at first. In most cases, I am opposed to hunting and I did not like reading the passages that were strictly about that sport. (I felt sorry for the raccoons!) When I was finally able to get over that aspect of the story, however, I liked the rest of it. I especially appreciated Rawls's descriptive writing of the woods where Billy lives and hunts, and of the deep love that grows between the boy and his dogs.

***

Have you read any of the books above? If so, what did you think of them? What are some other books about animals that you suggest reading? I am always looking for new books to add to my to-read list!

If you are interested in more of my animal book recommendations, please check the following links:

Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Things

A Passion for Penguins

Groundhogs for BookWyrms

A Penguin Obsession

Wild About Animals? (This post features non-fiction books.)

You can also click on "Wild Things" and "Not-So-Wild Things" in the Labels section on the right to find even more.