Book Review

Summary: Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world. For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Mrs. ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

She warms up with some practical jokes aimed at her hapless parents, but the true test comes when she rallies in defense of her teacher, the sweet Miss Honey, against the diabolical Trunchbull. There is never any doubt that Matilda will carry the day. Even so, this wonderful story is far from predictable--the big surprise comes when Matilda discovers a new, mysterious facet of her mental dexterity. Roald Dahl, while keeping the plot moving imaginatively, also has an unerring ear for emotional truth. The reader cares about Matilda because in addition to all her other gifts, she has real feelings.

Today I finished reading Matilda by Roald Dahl. I had read this book before, but gave it a quick re-read. I love this book, It is probably my favorite Dahl book. I highly recommend this book for any child's library.

Book Review!

Summary: The Diary of a Nobody, an English comic novel written by George Grossmith and his brother Weedon Grossmith with illustrations by Weedon, first appeared in the magazine Punch in 1888 – 89, and was first printed in book form in 1892. It is considered a classic work of humour and has never been out of print. The diary is the fictitious record of fifteen months in the life of Mr. Charles Pooter, a middle aged city clerk of lower middle-class status but significant social aspirations, living in the fictional 'Brickfield Terrace' in Upper Holloway which was then a typical suburb of the impecuniously respectable kind. Other characters include his wife Carrie (Caroline), his son Lupin, his friends Mr Cummings and Mr Gowing, and Lupin's unsuitable fiancée, Daisy Mutlar.  The humour derives from Pooter's unconscious gaffes and self-importance, as well as the snubs he receives from those he considers socially inferior, such as tradesmen. In The Diary of a Nobody the Grossmiths create an accurate if amusing record of the manners, customs and experiences of Londoners of the late Victorian era.


I picked this book to read because it was on the BBC novels list and it was FREE on the Kindle. It was actually very humorous and fun read. It took a few minutes to get use to the English humor, but it picked up quickly. I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for something light and funny!

Book Review

Summary: Artemis Fowl is the first book in the series. Artemis Fowl, the main character and anti-hero, and his bodyguard, Butler, kidnap LEPrecon Captain Holly Short, a fairy elf, to ransom her to "the People," the various fairies who have moved their entire civilization underground to hide from humans, for one ton of twenty-four carat gold.

Lately I've been reading quite a bit of YA book series. There are 9 or so books in the Artemis Fowl series, so I decided to give the first book a try. I enjoy the beginning and the ending of this book, but the middle sort of dragged on. It was a little too sci-fi for me, so I probably won't read any more of this series, but this was still a fun book.

Book Review

Summary: A family curse. A mysterious murder. A ghostly black dog whose footsteps appear at the scene of the crime. First published in serial form beginning in 1901, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the greatest mysteries ever written. Only one man in all the world—Sherlock Holmes—can handle a case of this caliber. He is the only hope of the Baskerville family, who summon him to put together the pieces of a puzzle that threatens to destroy them. The situation is grim. Rumors of a curse on the Baskerville family put fear into the hearts of the remaining members. With few clues for Holmes to work with, the heir to the Baskerville fortune receives a disturbing letter from an unknown sender, warning him of future danger. A mysterious man in disguise follows the detective's every step. It appears that time is running out before the killer will strike again. Can the great detective's mind uncover the secret at the heart of the Baskerville murder? Or is he contending with a curse and a killer from beyond this world? A beloved and intricate tale, The Hound of the Baskervilles is filled with terrifying twists and turns, all of the most nail-biting elements of a timeless mystery that has stumped all but the inimitable Holmes for many generations.

A couple weekends ago Teresa, Mom, and I watched the first season of the BBC show Sherlock. It was so much fun to watch. With the popularity of movies out too, Teresa and I were wondering if the books are as good. So I decided to give one a try. I found The Hound of the Baskervilles on dailylit.com (where you get free book straight to you e-mail). This book was quite entertaining. An old fashion mystery that left you guessing until the end who the was committing the crime. I would defiantly recommend this book!

Book Review!

Summary:

This story is about a fox named Mr Fox. In order to feed his family, Mr Fox steals chickens, ducks, and turkeys, each night from three mean and wealthy farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The farmers are fed up with Mr Fox's theft and try to kill him. One night, the farmers wait outside Mr Fox's foxhole in an attempt to ambush him. When Mr Fox emerges from his home, the farmers fire at him. However, the farmers only succeed in blowing off Mr Fox's tail.

Determined to catch him, the farmers use spades and shovels to dig their way into the foxes' home. However, Mr and Mrs Fox and their four children escape by digging a tunnel deeper into the ground. The farmers then use bulldozers in order to dig deeper into the ground, but to no avail.

The three men therefore decide to watch the entrance to the fox tunnel with shotguns at the ready, while the farmers' men patrol the area to make sure the foxes do not escape.

After three days of starving, Mr Fox comes up with a plan. He and his children dig a tunnel into Boggis' chicken house. There, they steal some chickens and depart without leaving any sign of their presence. They also raid Bunce's storehouse of ducks, geese and vegetables as well as Bean's underground cellar of cider.

Along the way, the foxes meet Badger and other digging animals who are also starving due to the farmers' siege of the hillside. Mr Fox, feeling responsible for the whole affair, invites the other animals to a feast made from the loot. At the feast, the animals decide to make an underground town where they will be safe, while discreetly obtaining food from the farmers.

Meanwhile, Boggis, Bunce, and Bean keep guard on the tunnel entrance in pouring rain, unaware that Mr Fox and his friends are stealing their food right under their noses. The book ends with the indication the three will be waiting forever.

I acquired a box set of Roald Dahl books during Border's going out of business sale (I had a gift card that I needed to use up). Slowly but surly I am reading my way through them. Today I started and finished this book today. This was one of Roald Dahl's book I haven't read before. There wasn't much to it, but I thought it was very a cute little book! Now to decided which book to read nev

Book Review

Summary: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.

The story was originally inspired by Roald Dahl's experience of chocolate companies during his schooldays. Cadbury would often send test packages to the schoolchildren in exchange for their opinions on the new products. At that time (around the 1920s), Cadbury and Rowntree's were England's two largest chocolate makers and they each often tried to steal trade secrets by sending spies, posing as employees, into the other's factory. Because of this, both companies became highly protective of their chocolate making processes. It was a combination of this secrecy and the elaborate, often gigantic, machines in the factory that inspired Dahl to write the story.

I've read this book several times. I happened upon the movie and decided to read the book again. It is so good, it's one of my favorite Roald Dahl's books. His books are a must to any children's library!

Book Review!

Summary: The Alchemist details the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago. Santiago, believing a recurring dream to be prophetic, decides to travel to the pyramids Egypt to find treasure. He then tells a lone gypsy about this treasure. As he leaves, the gypsy mentions one thing: If he does find the treasure, she wants 10 percent of it. On the way, he encounters love, danger, opportunity, disaster and learns a lot about himself and the ways of the world. One of the significant characters that he meets is an old king named Melchizedek who tell him about discovering his personal legend: what he always wanted to accomplish in his life. And that "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motto of the book. During his travels, he meets a beautiful Arabian woman named Fatima who explains to him that if he follows his heart, he shall find what it is he seeks. Santiago then encounters a lone alchemist who tells about personal legends. He says that people only want to find the treasure of their personals but not the personal legend itself. He feels unsure about himself as he listens to the alchemist's teachings. The alchemist states "Those who don't understand their personal legends will fail to comprehend its teachings." It also states that treasure is more precious then gold. 

I thought this book was a simple and delightful little book. It only took me a few days to read through it. But it's a great little adventure story full of life's little lessons. I would recommend this book to people of all ages!

Book Review

Book Description: Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more then character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tried to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment - and redemption.

I have seen bits and pieces of the movie version of this book, but had never read the book until now. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It was very captivating and had small interesting chapters that made you not want to put the book down. This is a perfect book for any child's library. 

Book Review

Today I finished reading The Secret Garden. I grew up watching the movie, but had never read the book before. I love that it's about these soiled children who become less selfish by being outside and being in each others company. It was such a sweet children's book!

The Secret Garden, written by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is a charming book about a girl named Mary Lennox. She is a spoiled and sickly child who lives in India. When her parents die because of a cholera epidemic, she moves to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her rich uncle in England. Things are a definite change for her. Slowly she becomes stronger and starts to take an interest in the outdoors. She meets all sorts of people like Martha, Dickon, and Colin. Martha is a maid on the grounds who has taken a fancy to Mary, and Dickon is her brother. Dickon is quite an unusual fellow. He possesses the ability to talk to animals and is able to grow anything with a little bit of soil. Colin, who you will meet later in the story, is a child who has basically given up the will to live, believing he is doomed to be a hunchback like his father. Strong-willed Mary reprimands him and takes matters into her own hands. Mary has all kinds of adventures with strange sounds at night, funny accents, and a locked garden. The Secret Garden is a wonderful book about friendship, determination, and perseverence.

Book Review

Today I finished The BFG by Roald Dahl. I got a box set of his book when Border's was going out of business.

Description: When orphan Sophie is snatched from her bed by a Giant, she fears that he's going to eat her. But although he carries her far away to Giant Country, the Giant has no intention of harming her. As he explains, in his unique way of talking, "I is the only nice and jumbly Giant in Giant Country! I is THE BIG FRIENDLY GIANT! I is the BFG." The BFG tells Sophie how he mixes up dreams to blow through a trumpet into the rooms of sleeping children. But soon, all the BFG's powers are put to the test as he and Sophie battle to stop the other Giants from tucking into the children of the world. The RAF and even the Queen become involved in the mission.

I thought this book was very cute. Not my favorite Roald Dahl book, but still very good. I love that even though his book are full of make-believe characters and stories, the stories always have a good moral to them.



Book Review

 

Today I finished Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne. When I was little I had a few little book about Pooh but had never read the first book. I found this book at Border's when they were having there going out of business sale and because one of the book on the BBC Book list.  I thought this book was a very cute. It's a must addition for any child's library! It's crazy to think, this book was written almost 100 years ago and still charming audiences.

Book Review!

Tonight I finally finisehd Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I have seen several versions of the movie but had never read the book until now. It's on the BBC list of books and free on Kindle now, so I decided to finally read it.

 

Quick Summary: Little Women is the story of The Marches, a family used to hard toil and suffering. Although Father March is away with the Union armies, the sisters Meg, Jo, Amy and Beth keep in high spirits with their mother, affectionately named Marmee. Their friendly gift of a Christmas holiday breakfast to a neighboring family is an act of generosity rewarded with wealthy Mr. Laurence's gift of a surprise Christmas feast. However, despite their efforts to be good, the girls show faults: the pretty Meg becomes discontented with the children she teaches; boyish Jo loses her temper regularly; while the golden-haired schoolgirl Amy is inclined towards affectation. However, Beth, who keeps the house is always kind and gentle. After certain happy times winning over the Laurences, dark times arrive as Marmee finds out about her husband's illness. Worse is to come as Beth contracts scarlet fever in her Samaritan efforts for a sick neighbor and becomes more or less an invalid. The novel tells of their progress into young womanhood with the additional strains of romance, Beth's terminal illness, the pressures of marriage and the outside world. This is the story of their growing maturity and wisdom and the search for the contentedness of family life. It was written in 1867 and is a fictionalized biography of Alcott and her sisters. It has become a much loved classic tale and, while some of its issues seem outdated, many of the trials of the sisters are all too relevant today as evidenced by its continued following.

I thought this book was very very long, but completely wonderful!! It's such a sweet story about sister's growing up and their love for each other. If you haven't read it before, it is a must read classic!

Book Review

From Wikipedia: ((Spoiler Alert) The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980.

Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two ugly, smelly, nasty, stupid people who spend their lives playing nasty tricks on each other. They also enjoy being cruel to animals, which they do by luring birds to glue-smothered trees so they can be baked into bird pie, and tormenting their pet monkeys, Muggle-Wump his family, by getting them to stand upside down, one on top of the other. They hate children, and Mrs. Twit often carries a walking stick in her right hand that she uses to hit children and animals.

One day, the arrival of the Roly-Poly Bird from Africa allows the monkeys and the surviving birds to get the revenge they have craved for years. They glue the carpet and furniture to the living room ceiling while the Twits are out. On the Twits' return, two ravens swoop over and drop glue from paintbrushes held in their claws onto the Twits' heads. When the Twits go indoors and see their furniture upside down, they stand on their heads, believing they are upside down, and because of the glue on their heads, they remain stuck that way. With the Twits out of the way, the Muggle-Wumps are able to return to their native Africa with the help of the Roly-Poly Bird. Eventually, the Twits' bodies collapse into themselves, until there is nothing left of them but their clothes.

I have read several of Roald Dahl's books and was excited to read this one. With my Border's gift card from Christmas, I got a box set of Roald Dahl books! My first selection was The Twist's. It was a disgusting but very funny little book. And when I say little I mean it took me less than an hour to read it. I started and finished this book on the plane from Jackson to Dallas. For such a small little book, it had several life lessons. The main lesson being good prevails over evil. Another lesson from the book can best be described by reading the quote below. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book. Enjoy!

"If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely." - Ronald Dahl, The Twits

Book Review!

This is one of the most delightful books I've read in a while. I simply loved this book! I grew up seeing the movies but had never read the book until now. I look forward to reading the rest of the series soon! For those who don't know what these books are about, I've included a the summary below.

Summary: 

When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, send for a boy orphan to help them out at the farm, they are in no way prepared for the error that will change their lives. The mistake takes the shape of Anne Shirley, a redheaded 11-year-old girl who can talk anyone under the table. Fortunately, her sunny nature and quirky imagination quickly win over her reluctant foster parents. Anne's feisty spirit soon draws many friends--and much trouble--her way. Not a day goes by without some melodramatic new episode in the tragicomedy of her life. Early on, Anne declares her eternal antipathy for Gilbert Blythe, a classmate who commits the ultimate sin of mocking her hair color. Later, she accidentally dyes that same cursed hair green. Another time, in her haste to impress a new neighbor, she bakes a cake with liniment instead of vanilla. Lucy Maud Montgomery's series of books about Anne have remained classics since the early 20th century. Her portrayal of this feminine yet independent spirit has given generations of girls a strong female role model, while offering a taste of another, milder time in history. 

Book Review!

Summary:

Bridget Jones's Diary is a novel by Helen Fielding. Written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes (often humorously) about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic relationships.

I decided to re-read this book. I read it about 10 years ago before the movie came out in 2001.  It was funny when I read it the first time, it was even funnier now. Now I'm closer to the characters ago, a can relate with the characters daily struggles. If you need a quick and easy chick read, this is a good one!

Book Review!

Tonight I finished The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jaequeline Wilson. This book is on the BBC Top 100 Novels and is also the first book for me to read on my new Kindle! Here is a quick summary:

The book is the "autobiography" of Tracy Beaker, a ten-year old tomboy. Tracy is living in a childrens residential care home (nicknamed "the dumping ground") where she has been placed as a result of adult neglect. She is unhappy because she hasn't seen her mum for a long time, she doesn't get on well with the staff or the other children at the care home, (especially a girl called Justine Littlewood) and has been rejected by two couples who tried fostering her. From an adult's point of view, Tracy has "behavioural problems" and she is always telling tales. A recurring story that Tracy likes to tell is that her mother is a glamorous Hollywood movie star, and that she is coming to collect her someday. Among other things, Tracy's autobiography details her life so far, her being "deprived and abused" in the children's home (for example, she is deprived of Mars Bars and Smarties) and the types of revenge she would like to take upon her enemies. She is very imaginative and believes that her mum will come home one day. She often portrays a deep and complicated mind.

I thougth this book was very cute and interesting. I had never even heard of this author until I decided on this book, and I chose it mostly because it was only $5 to send it to my Kindle. ((Another little note, I am loving my Kindle!!)) This book as in the form of a diary, that the main character, Tracy Beaker's social worker got her to start writing in. It was kind of fun being in the narrator's thoughts throughout the whole book. The only thing about this book is that it totally leaves you hanging, sort of knowing how it's going to turn out for Tracy, and sort of still wondering what really happened in the end. So now I want to read the rest of the books in this trilogy!

Book Review

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I finished this book on the plane to New York City! This is such  a great book. I have read it several times during the Christmas season. Although there are several movie versions, the book is much better. This is a great holiday read!

This is a summery from  SparkNotes:

A mean-spirited, miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his counting-house on a frigid Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers in the anteroom because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for a fire. Scrooge's nephew, Fred, pays his uncle a visit and invites him to his annual Christmas party. Two portly gentlemen also drop by and ask Scrooge for a contribution to their charity. Scrooge reacts to the holiday visitors with bitterness and venom, spitting out an angry "Bah! Humbug!" in response to his nephew's "Merry Christmas!"

Later that evening, after returning to his dark, cold apartment, Scrooge receives a chilling visitation from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, looking haggard and pallid, relates his unfortunate story. As punishment for his greedy and self-serving life his spirit has been condemned to wander the Earth weighted down with heavy chains. Marley hopes to save Scrooge from sharing the same fate. Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him during each of the next three nights. After the wraith disappears, Scrooge collapses into a deep sleep.

He wakes moments before the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Past, a strange childlike phantom with a brightly glowing head. The spirit escorts Scrooge on a journey into the past to previous Christmases from the curmudgeon's earlier years. Invisible to those he watches, Scrooge revisits his childhood school days, his apprenticeship with a jolly merchant named Fezziwig, and his engagement to Belle, a woman who leaves Scrooge because his lust for money eclipses his ability to love another. Scrooge, deeply moved, sheds tears of regret before the phantom returns him to his bed.
The Ghost of Christmas Present, a majestic giant clad in a green fur robe, takes Scrooge through London to unveil Christmas as it will happen that year. Scrooge watches the large, bustling Cratchit family prepare a miniature feast in its meager home. He discovers Bob Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim, a courageous boy whose kindness and humility warms Scrooge's heart. The specter then zips Scrooge to his nephew's to witness the Christmas party. Scrooge finds the jovial gathering delightful and pleads with the spirit to stay until the very end of the festivities. As the day passes, the spirit ages, becoming noticeably older. Toward the end of the day, he shows Scrooge two starved children, Ignorance and Want, living under his coat. He vanishes instantly as Scrooge notices a dark, hooded figure coming toward him.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge through a sequence of mysterious scenes relating to an unnamed man's recent death. Scrooge sees businessmen discussing the dead man's riches, some vagabonds trading his personal effects for cash, and a poor couple expressing relief at the death of their unforgiving creditor. Scrooge, anxious to learn the lesson of his latest visitor, begs to know the name of the dead man. After pleading with the ghost, Scrooge finds himself in a churchyard, the spirit pointing to a grave. Scrooge looks at the headstone and is shocked to read his own name. He desperately implores the spirit to alter his fate, promising to renounce his insensitive, avaricious ways and to honor Christmas with all his heart. Whoosh! He suddenly finds himself safely tucked in his bed.
Overwhelmed with joy by the chance to redeem himself and grateful that he has been returned to Christmas Day, Scrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound Christmas spirit. He sends a giant Christmas turkey to the Cratchit house and attends Fred's party, to the stifled surprise of the other guests. As the years go by, he holds true to his promise and honors Christmas with all his heart: he treats Tiny Tim as if he were his own child, provides lavish gifts for the poor, and treats his fellow human beings with kindness, generosity, and warmth.