Books of the Week: Sarah Noble, Explorer, Giggler Treatment, Lunch Lady, My Weird School, Tiny Titans

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 9

The Courage of Sarah Noble
Author: Alice Dalgliesh
Genre: Fiction

Explorer: The Mystery Boxes
Editor: Kazu Kibuishi
Genre: Graphic Novel

The Giggler Treatment
Author: Roddy Doyle
Genre: Fiction

Lunch Lady and the Mutant Mathletes
Author: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Genre: Graphic Novel










Johnny Boo, age 6

My Weird School #11: Mrs. Kormel Is Not Normal
Author/illustrator: Dan Gutman/Jim Paillot
Genre: Fiction

Tiny Titans and the Science Fair!
Author: Art Baltazar
Genre: Fiction/Easy Reader

Books of the Week: James and the Giant Peach; Sarah, Plain and Tall; Mameshiba; Tiny Titans

Here are our favorite books this week:


Tintin, age 9

James and the Giant Peach
Author/illustrator: Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake
Genre: Fiction

After losing his parents in a rhino accident, James must live with his two evil aunts--until a giant peach with talking insects suddenly appears and takes James far, far away. Tintin said this is one of his favorite Roald Dahl books, and even though it's a bit different from the movie, he likes it just as much.

Sarah, Plain and Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Genre: Fiction

Caleb and Anna's mother dies just after Caleb is born, sometime in the late 19th century. When their father advertises for a wife, Sarah responds. She comes to the prairie all the way from Maine, but the children worry she'll grow homesick and leave. Tintin's response after a couple of chapters: "This is actually really good!" And then he finished it the next day.


Johnny Boo, age 6

Mameshiba: On the Loose!
Author/illustrators: James Turner/Jorge Monlonge; Gemma Correll
Genre: Graphic Novel

In their first book, the Mameshiba ("bean dog" in Japanese) rescue their pea-knapped friend and explore outer space. Johnny Boo has read this book every day (several times a day) ever since we got it from the library. I think we're going to have to buy it, along with the bean dogs' next graphic novel, Mameshiba: We Could Be Heroes, coming out next month. Oh, and the 9-year-old likes it, too, although I think he's only read it twice.

Tiny Titans Go Camping!
Author/illustrator: Art Baltazar
Genre: Easy Reader Fiction

The Tiny Titans (Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Aqualad, and Bumblebee) go to Sidekick City National Park for a camping weekend. While there, they roast hot dogs, fish with cookies, have a tea party, and encounter a few green beasts. Johnny Boo is excited to start reading his other library find, Tiny Titans and the Science Fair!, in which Barbara Gordon, Terra, and Wonder Girl join in the fun.

6-Year-Old Picks

Here are some of Johnny Boo's favorites from March and April:

Ricky Ricotta, Captain Underpants, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
Author: Dav Pilkey

Mr. Men, including...
Mr. Men: Favourite Stories and whatever other Mr. Men and Little Miss books Johnny Boo found at the library (there are about 49 in all)
Author: Roger Hargreaves

And there are new Mr. Men graphic novels!

The Franny K. Stein series
Author: Jim Benton

Balloon Toons: The Totally Awesome Epic Quest of the Brave Boy Knight
Author: Pranas T. Naujokaitis

Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School
Author: Nathan Hale

Toys Go Out, Toys Come Home, Toy Dance Party
Author/illustrator: Emily Jenkins/Paul Zelinsky

George Brown, Class Clown: Super Burp
Author/illustrator: Nancy Krulik/Aaron Blecha











And here's an example of the writing skills Johnny Boo's developed with the help of Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Astro-Activity Book O' Fun:

Phineas and Ferb and A Platypus' World

Some of us have a small obsession with Phineas and Ferb. At the most recent Scholastic book fair, each boy got a Phineas and Ferb book, as well as a Phineas and Ferb poster to share. Tintin also recently asked for a book on platypuses because he correctly assumed Perry the Platypus was not your average platypus and he wanted to see what they were really like. A couple of reviews:

The Phineas and Ferb Comic Reader #1: Nothing But Trouble
The Phineas and Ferb Comic Reader #2: The Chronicles of Meap
Author: John Green
Publisher: Disney Press (June 2010)
Category: Graphic Novel

The book we actually got from the book fair is two books in one, Nothing But Trouble on one side and The Chronicles of Meap on the other. (We also got Phineas and Ferb's Guide to Life but haven't delved into it enough to review it.) In Nothing But Trouble, Phineas and Ferb experiment with gelatin, but of course something goes wrong and out of a pool of gelatin emerges an enormous gelatin monster. The evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz gets involved and Perry steps in to save the day. In the second part of Nothing But Trouble, Phineas and Ferb and their family explore London. Candace uses Sherlock Holmes's method of deduction to bust her brothers (once and for all). There's a little bit of Big Ben and of course appearances from Dr. Doofenschmirtz and Perry the Platypus.

The Chronicles of Meap is about a cute little alien who has crash-landed in Phineas and Ferb's yard and needs help defeating his evil enemy. Phineas and Ferb (and Perry) come to the rescue and, with the help of the universal mustache translator, Meap can finally show his appreciation.

The boys liked this book so much that I had to hide it to stop them from fighting over it.

And a review by Tintin, age 9:

A Platypus' World

Author/illustrator: Caroline Arnold

Publisher: Picture Window Books (January 2008)

Categories: Picture Book/Nonfiction

In this story it tells about platypuses and their life. It tells about their habitats, prey, enemies, food, and how babies are made. I thought this book was great. I liked how there were little pink platypus babies. My favorite part is how they make the burrows. I would recommend this book to animal lovers.

Books of the Week – January 8, 2011

Here are our favorites from the past week:

Tintin, age 7

Babymouse #13: Cupcake Tycoon
Author/illustrator: Jennifer L. Holm/Matthew Holm

The latest installment in the Babymouse series, Cupcake Tycoon is, according to Tintin, the best one yet. Babymouse accidentally destroys the school library and participates in a cupcake fundraiser to help replace the damaged books. Unfortunately for Babymouse, it's a little rough going at first, what with her nemesis coming up with better plans and outselling her. Along the way, however, Babymouse uses her imagination to press on and even realizes that the grand prize maybe isn't the most important part of this whole fundraising thing. Once again, we loved Babymouse's daydreams, plus, cupcakes! And, at the very end of the book, we find out that coming in May are Babymouse #14: Mad Scientist and a new Holm graphic novel series about an amoeba named Squish. Tintin can't wait!

The Adventures of Daniel Boom AKA Loud Boy
Author/illustrator: D.J. Steinberg/Brian Smith

This week Tintin read Sound Off! and Game On! (numbers 1 and 3 in a series of 4), more than once each. Daniel Boom is a boy who lacks an inside voice and learns to use this to his (and the world's) advantage. Loud Boy and four others – his sister Chatterbox, Destructo Kid, Fidget, and Tantrum Girl – soon find that the things for which they usually get in trouble are their biggest strengths. They try to conquer the evil "Old Fogey," who can't stand noisy children and of course is in search of world domination. Johnny Boo picked these out for Tintin and, when Tintin got home from school, these were the library books he went to first (keep in mind, we usually have 50 out at a time).


Johnny Boo, age 5

Astroblast! Code Blue
Author/illustrator: Bob Kolar

Radar the monkey issues an emergency warning and must get his animal crew back to the snack shop before the surprise emergency occurs. Along the way, the reader (if he's in the mood for interacting instead of just listening to the story) must help the crew get back by matching, finding differences, and navigating through mazes. Johnny Boo loves the cute animals and the surprise ending.

I Can Read! The Chronicles of Narnia
Author: Jennifer Frantz

We've got a bit of a Narnia obsession here (and a little crush on the youngest Pevensie, Lucy). Johnny Boo has little Lego people that stand in as the four children and a wardrobe we made from a box. Occasionally he turns the rest of us into Pevensies (he's Lucy, Tintin is Edmund, Daddy is Peter, and I'm Susan). He's read all of the books in this I Can Read! collection and got the newest ones, adaptations of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, for his birthday this week. We saw The Voyage of the Dawn Treader a couple of weeks ago, so it's fresh in his mind, again. These books are based more on the movies than on the books by C.S. Lewis, and are full of photos from the movies. There are words in these that you wouldn't think a preschooler would know how to read, but I think since he's so into Narnia, the books have helped him master them. Also, it's cute to see him read these while his big brother reads the originals.

Other books we've enjoyed (or are still enjoying) this week:

Picture books

Toy Story: Ride 'em, Cowboy!, by Kate McMullan and Lorelay Bove
I'm Bad!, by Kate and Jim McMullan
It's Hard to Be Five, by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
The Fantastic Mr. Wani, by Kanako Usui
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!, by Dr. Seuss
Thesaurus Rex, by Laya Steinberg and Debbie Harter
Skippyjon Jones in the Doghouse, by Judy Schachner
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story, by Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown

Graphic novels

Ed's Terrestrials, by Scott Christian Sava and Diego Jourdan
The World of Quest, by Jason T. Kruse
Little Mouse Gets Ready, by Jeff Smith

Chapter books

Ivy and Bean (books 1 & 2), by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall
Sir Seth Thistlethwaite and the Soothsayer's Shoes, by Richard Thake and Vince Chui
How to Train Your Dragon Book 1, by Cressida Cowell

Chapter book/graphic novel

Pirates of Underwhere, by Bruce Hale and Shane Hillman

To see what other kids have been reading this week, go to Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.