Grimm's Fairy Tale: Rumpelstiltskin

Author: Written down by the Grimm Brothers
Title: Rumpelstiltskin
Publishing information: Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales, Barnes & Noble Publishing, 1993,
Reading level: All ages
Number of pages: 235-238
Genre: Fairy Tale

Summary of Plot: A Miller tells the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The greedy king tells the Miller’s daughter to spin all the straw in the room into gold, or she would die. The first night the girl is helped out by a little man, for the price of her gold necklace. The king is pleased and puts the girl in a larger room of straw. The little man comes back and helps her with the payment of a gold ring. One more night and the process is repeated, but the Miller’s daughter has nothing to pay with. The little man makes her promise that he could have her first born child. The deal is made and the straw turned into gold. The King marries the Miller’s daughter, and a year later they have a child. The little man comes back to claim the child. The Miller’s daughter is given three days to guess the little man’s name, or she loses her child. She searches everywhere for unique names, but cannot guess it. The night before the third day a messenger over hears the little man say his name is Rumplestiltskin. When the Miller’s Daughter names the little man, he stumps his foot into the ground and falls through.

Reaction to this book: I remember reading this story as a kids and being confused on what the moral of the story is. I still have no idea what it could be. Are we learning from the Miller’s daughter? She lies about being able to spin gold into straw, and she is rewarded for the lie. The Little man makes a unfair deal and pays for that in the end. I think that the story is a fun one to tell, the repetition of three, and the chant of “that is not my name”, and song the little man sings revealing his name.

Recommendation: I think everyone should know the fairy tales, and everyone should read them.

Cowboy Tales

Author: John R. Erickson
Title: Cowboy Tales
Publishing information: Mavrick Books, September 1994, Ages 9-12
Number of Pages: 92

Genre: Comtemporary Realistic Fiction
Summary of Plot: This book tells stories from the point of view of a Ranch hand, Ranch hand’s wife, a bronco, the ranch dog, and cow-horse. Life on a ranch can be difficult, but through the voice of a different unique character, if can be quite interesting.
Your Reaction to the book: My Husband recommended this book. This was the book he read repeatedly as a child. I like how this told many stories with different voices for each tale. The tales also have good morals at the end.
Potential Problems: tobacco, smoking, cursing are mentioned but are only small parts of the stories. In one of the stories, the Ranch hands talk to the Devil. This could present a problem for some people.
Recommendations: Boys who love cowboys! This book tells you everything you need to know about being a cowboy, such as how to learn from your mistakes, and deal with cow, or hard situations, with a level head.

When You Reach Me

Author: Rebecca Stead
Title: When You Reach Me
Publishing information: Wendy Lamb Books, July 14 2009, Ages 9-12
Number of Pages: 208
Genre: Modern Fiction
Summary of Plot: Miranda lives in New York with her mother in the 70’s. She receives notes that she believes comes from the future, it ask her to tell a story and claims it will help save her life and her friends. The book starts by jumping around, her mother practicing for the game show, where she hides her spare key, when her best friend stops talking to her. You understand later why it feels like it is jumping around. Later you learn how it works in a chronological order. The soon story starts following a consistent time line. Her friend stops talking to her and her makes new friends with a girl and boy in her class. She gets a job during lunch with her new friends. Her favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. During a conversation with a kid on her block they discuss the possibilities on time travel.
Your Reaction to the book: There were a lot of mention of the book A Wrinkle in Time, but I don’t think that it affected my understanding of this book. I love books that hides its foreshadowing carefully, and that you have to return to the beginning of the book to catch on to the hints. The story to me was about her seeing the world from a new perspective. She learns to view people in different ways, situations from a different view point. It was a nice book with a great twist.
Potential Problems: Every book has a problem, whether it contains some mixes messages or don’t clarify a problem. I believe book can be great even if they have these flaws. At the beginning Miranda struggles with harshly judging others, but becomes a better person by the end of this book.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to people who like A Wrinkle in Time, or to people interested in time travel. I would also recommend this book a wider variety of kids who like anything from science fiction, modern fiction, and non-fiction

Alctraz versus the Shattered Lens

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Title: Alcatraz versus the Shattered Lens
Publishing information: Scholastic Press, December 1, 2010, Ages 9-12
Number of Pages: 304
Genre: Science Fiction
Summary of Plot: This fourth book of the Alcatraz series starts with Alcatraz learning about exploding teddy bears! Why you might ask, well because the Librarians are attacking. The Free Kingdom Mokia is near defeat, and it’s up to Alcatraz Smedry to save them. Why, because he is a Smedry. Alcatraz in this book learns more about his family’s power and his own ability to break things. He ends up the leader of the falling city, with his help of his friend Bastille, a Crystalian Knight, and his Uncle Kaz, who has the ability to get lost; he tries to hold against the Librarians until more help arrives.
Your Reaction to the book: I love the smart-aleckiness, the sarcasm and the puns. You can’t go a page without laughing at something. This is the fourth book in the series, so don’t try starting with this one, start with Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians. This book is fast past and will keep anyone interested. Even though I would ladle this Science Fiction, I would not say it filled with science fiction elements
Potential Problems: This book doesn’t review from past books. It doesn’t slow down to explain things, but it will be explained along the way. The author releases this and encourages the reader to continue to read.
Recommendations: Kids who do not enjoy read, or find it boring should definitely pick up this book. If a kids does not find this book, or any other book in the series fast past enough, then they did not read it.

Winger

Book Summaries

Author: Jerry Spinelli
Title: winger
Publishing information: Harper Collins Publishing, 1997, 9-12
Number of Pages: 228
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Summary of Plot: In Palmer’s small town each summer there is a Pigeon shooting day. Once the kids turn ten they are able to become “wringer”. They run out into the field and wring the necks of the birds that have been shot down. On Palmer’s ninth birthday he becomes “one of the guys”, and their ambition is to become wringers and bully little kids. Palmer though does not want to hurt the pigeons. A couple months before the festivals, Palmer meets a pigeon outside his window. He takes it in a takes care of it. His friends have suspicions, and think he has betrayed them. He sets his neighbor agrees to set the pigeon free for him, but set him free where they catch the pigeons. Palmer saves his pigeon from being shot and finally stands up for the pigeon.
Your Reaction to the book: I thought the concept was ridiculous. There were a lot of plot holes. Palmer’s character was not believable. He tries to solve his problems by himself, and the other characters have too much freedom for their age group. It is definitely geared towards a younger group.
Potential Problems: Bullying is very propionate in this book, but it is never addressed or resolved. Spinelli leaves his book hanging at the end, and Palmer does finally stand up for himself. But we never know if this action resolves the problem he is having of being bullying by his old fiends. Palmer never goes to this parents for help, they play a very minor part in the story. When kids read book where the character is independent, and making stupid choices, what are they learning?
Recommendations: 9 – 12 year old boys.

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery

Author: Graeme Base
Title: The Eleventh Hour
Publishing information: Harry N. Abrams, September 2003, Age 9-12
Number of Pages: 32
Genre: Picture book

Summary of Plot: For Horace’s eleventh birthday he invites eleven friends, makes Eleven treats and they play eleven games. At the Eleventh hour they go into dining hall to eat, but all the food is gone. So Horace makes sandwiches and they have a picnic.
But there is more to this book than that; throughout the book are clues to solve the mystery of who at the food. The pictures are filled with color and details.
Your Reaction to the book: I loved each picture, each page because they were filled with so much detail. I liked that each animal is dressed up and the costumes were well crafted to the character.
Potential Problems: there are a lot of words in this book for it being a picture book, and it takes a while to get into the story because you have to get through all of it before you understand why the author used some words or pictures as he did.
Recommendations: for all ages, I think anyone could enjoy this book. whether it was read aloud or silently.

The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan
Title: The Lost Hero
Publishing information: Hyperion Book CH, October 12, 2010, Ages 9-12
Number of Pages: 576
Genre: fantasy

Summary of Plot: This book is about the new generation of Heroes. When Jason wakes up holding a girls hand, Piper, he can’t remember how he got there. They are on a field trip with their school. Leo, who says they are friends from school, is with them. They are attacked by storm spirits and are saved by Annabeth, the hero from Percy Jackson. She is on a mission to find Percy who has disappeared. This story takes place in the same camp Half-Blood, as the Percy Jackson series does, but it is from the new hero’s point of view.
When they get to Camp Half-Blood, they are sent on a quest. While on the quest they run into old villains who have been dead since the Greek and Roman time. They learn that the goddess of the Earth is waking up and is seeking revenge on the Greek Gods. She is raising old enemies from the dead, including the giants who were created to destroy each of the Greek Gods.
Roman mythology is tied in throughout the book, and we learn that Jason is not a son of the Greek Gods, but the Roman versions of the Gods. We also learn that there is another camp for the Roman children. The two side will have to come together with the Gods to defeat their enemy.
Your Reaction to the book: I thought this book was fun, but I didn’t know too much about Roman mythology to catch all the references. I knew that they reflected mythical stories. I like most about it was the story was still in the same realm as Percy Jackson, but with different characters. There was a hint that Percy Jackson, would show up in later books in the series.
Potential Problems: There were some fighting and violence, with mythical beings. A real religious person might not enjoy this book because the appearance and talk of Greek Gods.
Recommendations: I think that this book would be enjoyed the most by independent readers of the age of 10-14 who are looking for an adventure book and has some understanding with mythology.