Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon

What if the story of Cinderella has been wrong all this time?  What if all this time no one has gotten the details right?  The author writes this as being the real Cinderella story.  This is a story about a very happy family which consists of:  a dad, a mom and 4 little girls (Katrina, Cinder, Ella, and Beatrice).  Then something in the story happens that breaks up their happy family.  There is a change.  Soon things are not happy.  Cinder finds herself in a position to try to save her family and she’ll also have to save the entire kingdom from a very dark and evil prince.  That’s a heavy burden for anyone to bear but, Cinder will find she can do much to help.  I really liked this book.  It wasn’t the typical happily ever after book and yet it had a very satisfying ending.  It was a book that really makes you think about real life troubles and of family.  It was very hard to put down.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

This book was a bit unexpected.  Who would’ve thought of a castle that is alive and that can add rooms or switch around hallways?  That is exactly what this book did.  It was a fun adventure.  I grew to like Celie.  She is one of the princesses at the castle.  The castle likes her a lot and she finds the castle a big help when the castle and kingdom are threatened.   I enjoyed using my imagination and thinking of what it would be like to be in a castle that if it liked you suddenly your room was soft and luxurious.  Or if the castle didn’t like you it would seem to get smaller and cramped and military like.  It was so cool to cheer for the royal family that lived in the castle and hope they came out of it alright.  Jessica Day George makes a story feel real even though there is magic and things that are not typical in real life.  It seemed that it could happen.  I had fun with this book.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

This is a continuing story from Princess of the Midnight Ball.  This is a story about Poppy after the Princess of the Midnight Ball.  It sounds a bit like another fairy tale we all know.

Poppy is sent to a neighboring kingdom to promote peace.  She is in a new community.  There is a strange green light that happens on occasion here and she is cautious because of her background.  She is in a new adventure involving magic.  I enjoyed this book.  It was a fast, fun read.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I really enjoyed Inkheart.  Meggie is a little girl who LOVES books and so does her father. They both read a lot but her dad never reads out loud to her.  Mo’s job is repairing books and he has taught a deep respect of books to his daughter Meggie. Life as Meggie knows it changes as a mysterious acquaintance arrives at their home and gives a warning about someone named Capricorn. Meggie has never heard that name before.

This book is so full of adventure! The author is really good at building her characters. At first, I thought it ran a bit slow because she was building her character. I think she is wise though because I felt like I knew and could relate with her characters and feel she build a strong foundation for her story. It was great to get lost in the story. Once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down.

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

This is a book with grit. If I didn't know the author was a girl, I'd think she was a boy. This book is descriptive about hunting, aggressive and written in the view point of the prince. It's a new kind of writing for me. When I say that I don't mean it bad. It's just different that what I am used to. Mette is a great writer. She is very good.

This plot in this book is developed really well. It is intriguing and makes me ask questions right away. There's so much to this book of such great substance. I really did enjoy it.

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

This book is just as fantastic the other Bayern books.

Rin is Razo’s little sister. Rin lives in the forest with her mother and many brothers and their wives & children. She is very busy helping everyone.

Her mother is a great source of peace but she feels that her mother doesn’t know the real her. She has so many questions about herself. I love the way this books tells the story of Rin finding out more about herself.

The characters I love so much are back and even some unexpected characters surface. Rin is a favorite of mine. I really like her. This book is great!

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards

This is a sweet book that I wanted to last longer. Mandy is an orphan, but she is very well behaved. The place she lives is a very good place with a lady who really does a good job running it. The lady is very aware of the children and is loving.

During this book, I felt a desire to keep my things nicer and I actually felt motivated to clean my house! lol....maybe you'll have that luck too.

Mandy finds a place that she can be alone and longs to be there always. There is adventure and trouble that she gets into in trying to be in this place alone. Discover where that place is when you pick up this fun book.

Thanks Sue for letting me borrow your book!

River Secrets by Shannon Hale

This is a great book. I love the character of Razo. He is a fun, loving guy. This book follows him and what a fun adventure it is!

The Tiran people come and offer an exchange of people. A select few of the Bayern people will go to Tiran and another select few of the Tiran people will go to Bayern. This is done in hopes to promote peace among the two countries.

Razo finds himself among the group that goes to Tiran along with Enna, Finn and Talone. He wonders why. He doesn't think he has anything special about him. The people seem hostile and want war with his country. He discovers some things about himself he didn’t know about before.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book, it is great. I look forward to Forest Born on September 19, 2009 where the story can go on.

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale

This book doesn't disappoint. It is adventurous, fun, romantic, and thought provoking. Enna is Isi's (Anni's) friend. Enna's brother finds a piece of vellum and learns how to use fire. He seems to change because of it and not in a good way.

Meanwhile, Isi is having a problem with the wind. It is very loud and her husband finds her a place that doesn't have as much wind that is low in the castle.

War is on the horizon with a country that wants to take back their land from many generations ago.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book. It is a delight. I had a hard time putting this book down. It is wonderful!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I am officially a Shannon Hale fan. This book was wonderful and I want more. Fortunately, there are more books about this same place called, "The Books of Bayern." I will be reading them.

I was hooked on his book by page 2. I recounted what had happened so far from page 2 to my husband. When I said it aloud I realized that everything was intriguing and so much happens even by page 2. I relished every word and couldn't put the book down.

Ani is born with her eyes closed. She doesn't open them until her Aunt comes and tells her stories in the middle of the night. She is close to her aunt and her Aunt teaches her many things and stories that come in handy later on in the story. I don't want to say too much because there's much to be discovered on your own.

I highly recommend this book and would love to read it again--if I didn't have more of her books to try.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett illustrated by Tasha Tudor

After trying to read the last two books, this one was just beautiful.

This is a story about an amazing girl that is being dropped off by her father at a girl's school. Their relationship is described beautiful and you know they are close.

This is a little girl who doesn't give up. This girl has fortitude. She is strong and goes through much but still comes out a Princess.

This is good, beautiful writing. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

What a fun, little adventure of a book. Claudia decides to run away and Jamie is her brother of choice to go with her. Together they find themselves living inside a Museum. This book is surprisingly intriguing and fun to follow. The story is sweet and full of good secrets.

Black Potatoes by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

I really liked this book. It seemed incredibly full of facts about this period of time. I have a deep respect for the Irish and all they’ve been through. I don’t know how people could ever survive amid such lack of food…or perhaps lack of access to the food.

I must admit, I was less than pleased about the help they received. Irish seem to be a very hard working group of people. Their ill fortune should not have been so tragic. If other countries, especially England, would have been less selfish they could’ve helped prevent such a massive desolation. England wouldn’t let Ireland handle its own problem. It was like their hands were tied. It makes me wonder what the outcome would’ve been if the Irish’s hands weren’t tied. If they were able to use some of their own resources instead of being taxed to death and left without their other major resources that were exported to England. It is a sad time in Ireland and England’s history.

I would definitely recommend the book. It gave me such a desire to feel grateful with what I have and sorrow for those who didn’t have much. Even though it is sad to know some of the details, it helps to be informed. Being informed may just prevent it from happening again.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

Addie lives in a trailer with her mom. She would love to have a normal life and keeps waiting to have one. She loves her mom, but her mom is an “all or nothing” mom. This book is very effective in showing the effects of a mom who has some real problems and how it affects many people. This is a very good book. It is good to read about such an upbeat girl even though her world is far from ideal.

Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

Dragons, Dragon eggs, Volcanoes, Adventure!

This book is full of excitement. I had a really tough time putting it down. I struggled to keep all the dragons straight. There were many, but I think I followed pretty well. I felt very satisfied with this book. In this book, some things happened that I wanted to happen since the first book. I highly recommend this series, it is a quick, fun read.

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer

I always love the Artemis Fowl books. They have such great adventure and there are always little twists and turns that I just don’t expect.

I can hardly wait to see if he will write another. The end of this one suggests one.

This is the newest one and it has taken me a bit to get to it, but once I started reading it went quickly. I forgot how much I love the Artemis books until I picked up this one. Eoin Colfer has done it again. It’s a hit in my eyes.

I want Holly and Artemis to get together though!

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

There are a lot of twists and fun plots in the story. This book is so fun. I had a hard time knowing where the book would turn next. I had great wishes for Creel and became quite attached to her and her beautiful embroideries. My sons called it a girly book. One of them liked the book even though it was girly. I liked it--girly or not.

I like how the author keeps my attention. I like the story line. It is very appealing. I didn’t want to leave the story and was not disappointed when I did come back to the story. Great book!

Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

This story is a continuation from Dragon Slippers.

This story has many turns and twists and it kept my interest really well. There was a point in the book that seemed to get a bit unexciting, but that changed fast and soon I was enthralled. I enjoy Jessica Day George’s style of writing. I kept hoping that something would happen between Luka and Creel. I have grown quite attached to both of these characters and this story. I look forward to the next one.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Wow! I couldn’t keep away from this book! Wonderful, Marvelous! I love happy endings. It is so intriguing and I kept wishing for the Lass throughout the book. I was pulling for her and her brother Hans Peter. At first, I thought the stranger in her bed was a bit weird, ended in a great way. Ahhhhhh! A book of true love and magic—it’s a fun book!

The cover says: "It’s based on the Nordic fairy tale called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” and has romantic echoes of Beauty and the beast." I would definitely agree with that.

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

I could not put this book down. It was quite gripping. It had suspense and I never knew what would happen next.

This is a vampire book too by the same author as "Demon in my View" and "Hawksong." I liked this book too. It is one I often think about.

This book has some cool scenes and events that happen that I have often thought about later. This is a good book, but it really surprises me that it is a vampire book again. Really I do not search out vampire books...really!! lol