Reading with My Kids

Review of “When my name was Keoko” by Linda Sue Park

This is a great book to read aloud with girls or boys ages 10-13. It tells the story of a Korean sister and brother during the Japanese occupation over the course of World War II.

The chapters switch back and forth from the perspective of each sibling which gives a great perspective on the different ways boys and girls perceived what was going on around them. During the occupation, the Japanese forced all Koreans to take Japanese names; they were forbidden to learn to write Korean and could only speak and write in Japanese. They spoke Korean at home, but never outside the house. Can you imagine not being able to learn to write English letters? When Keoko’s father begins to teach her to write Korean characters it feels really good.

Keoko is the Japanese name of the younger sister and the story is full of fascinating details about how she and the rest of her family tried to circumvent the Japanese.

This book raises lots of interesting questions to discuss with your kids:

1) What would you do if your town was taken over and you were told you had to change your name and start speaking another language?

2) The Japanese occupied Korea for many years; Keoko and her brother never knew anything else — do you think that made it easier or harder to resist becoming Japanese?

This is a great book for parents and kids who like to learn history through stories.

Review of “Dragon Keeper” by Carole Wilkinson

I just discovered the first book in this series. It tells the story of a young girl, Ping, who has a miserable life as a slave to a dragon keeper. Through a series of unexpected events, Ping helps the last remaining dragon, Long Danzi, escape and he then begins to train her to be a dragon keeper. The story takes place many years ago in ancient China.

This is a great book to read with kids in 4th grade – 8th grade. It may appeal more to girls since the main character is female, but there’s lots of action and adventure, so many boys would enjoy it as well.

The book raises interesting questions about friendship and trust.

If you and your child enjoy stories with adventure and magic, go get this book.

Review of “Wolf Brother” by Michelle Paver

This is a great book to read aloud with 5th-9th grade kids.

I can’t wait to read this book with my 12 year old son. Paver did a bunch of research about what archeologists can tell about life in northern Europe (Finland) 6,000 years ago. While it’s impossible to ever know what life then was really like, she makes some interesting assumptions and proceeds to craft a great story about a boy and several clans of nomadic people.

The main character is Torak who is roughly 12 years old. His father is killed by a super-naturally large bear at the beginning of the story and the rest of the plot revolves around Torak’s efforts to fulfill a deathbed promise he made to his father.

The action is great and non-stop. I really liked the characters and the way Paver wove in her interpretation of what life must have been like during that time frame.

I highly recommend this book to boys and parents who like action and adventure in a almost fantastical setting.

Review of “The Shamer’s Daughter” by Lene Kaaberbol

This is a terrific book to read aloud with 9-13 year old kids.

Review

This is a really intriguing book with some great stuff to talk about with your kids. The main character, Dina, is a Shamer like her mom. This means she can look into someone’s eyes and see all that they’ve every done that they’re ashamed of… it gives her power, but severely limits her relationships. No one really wants to be her friend and she finds herself shunned by other kids and adults as well.

It leads to some really interesting discussions with your kids. Would they want a friend who knows all that they’ve ever done that was bad? If they had the power, would they want to know that kind of stuff about their friends?

I thought the villain, Drakan, was well drawn and scary. My kids had never imagined a person who had no shame, so it led to some great conversation about the benefits and problems of shame and guilt.

All in all, a really great book. There are several books that follow, all part of “The Shamer Chronicles”, but we haven’t yet read them yet.

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

Dina is a Shamer like her mom and has the ability to see into the darkest corners of a person’s soul. When her mother is called away to help solve a horrible triple-murder, Dina steps in to help, never anticipating the evil villain that awaits.

Violence/Language/Content

Nothing too bad… a description of the murder scene, but other than a lot of blood, it’s not very troubling.

Book Length

235 (paperback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and kids aged 9-13.

Boys: 5 stars

Girls: 5 stars

Review of “Protector of the Small” quartet by Tamora Pierce

This is a terrific series to read aloud with 8 – 13 year old girls.

Review

I loved this series. As I finished each book, I could hardly wait to start the next. Keladry is a really cool girl throughout all four novels and I appreciated the example she set for others. She always tried to look out for people less fortunate and she never gave up when something was hard. In fact, the way she dealt with her fear of heights over the course the first three books is really admirable.

I also liked that several of the characters from Tamora Pierce’s “Song of the Loiness”  and “The Immortals” series made appearances. Those two sets of books are just as good, so if you haven’t read them yet put them on your list first.

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

Over the course of four novels, Keladry is a page, a squire and finally a Lady Knight. The road to her goal is pitted with holes and barriers, but with a strong will she perseveres.

Violence/Language/Content

Nothing troubling.

Book Length

• First Test, 206 (hardback)
• Page, 245 (hardback)
• Squire, 380 (paperback)
• Lady Knight, 409 (paperback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and girls aged 8 – 13 who like fantasy. This series has very limited kissing and teenage-girl angst, so it may appeal to boys as well.

Boys: 5 stars

Girls: 5 stars

Review of “The Magic Thief” by Sarah Prineas

This is a terrific series to read aloud with with 8-12 year old kids.

Review

The first two books in this series are terrific. (The third one is due out in 2010.) They’re full of excitement, good humor and terrific villains. I really liked the main character, Conn, as well as the wizard Nevery, the queen’s daughter, Rowan, and Nevery’s bodyguard, Benet. That quartet has many interesting interactions with each other and others throughout the story.

The magical world created by Prineas has interesting rules and spells – like the special stone all wizards must have in order to produce magic, and the spell Nevery casts which turns Conn into his “true self” (in the first book a rambunctious kitten and in the second, a black bird).

In both books, the plots twists in fun, unexpected ways. I highly recommend these books to kids and parents who like fantasy and magic. I can’t wait for the next one to be published!

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

When Conn picks the pocket of the powerful wizard, Nevery, he thinks it may be the last pocket he ever picks. But Nevery is intrigued by the fact that Conn survived touching Nevery’s locus magicalicus and makes him his apprentice. Soon Conn is swept up in the mystery of why the city’s magic is disappearing and trying to figure out how he can help.

Violence/Language/Content

Nothing troubling.

Book Length

The Magic Thief, 411 (hardback)

The Magic Thief: Lost, 411 (hardback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and kids aged 8-12.

Boys: 5 stars

Girls: 5 stars

Review of “The Devil’s Paintbox” by Victoria McKernan

This is a good book to read with 12-14 year old boys. Girls may enjoy is as well, particularly if they like reading about pioneer life and wagon trains.

Review

I came across this title on a list of recommended books for young adults, got it and really liked it. Without question it is for a more mature kid – I wouldn’t read it with my fourth grader. But I think older kids could get a lot out of it.

The lives of the two main characters, Aiden and Maddy, are really hard and felt very real. McKernan clearly did a lot of research to provide so much historical nuance. From the way the two of them survive after their family dies on the Kansas prairie, to their adventures on the wagon train, to life in a logging camp in Oregon, you get a gritty portrait of how life might have been for many pioneers. It really begs the question, would you and your kids have had as much courage as they did?

I recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn history through stories. It’s a great course on pioneer America.

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

Aiden and Maddy’s parents and siblings die on the Kansas prairie. After nearly starving over the course of a winter, they join a wagon train bound for Oregon. The book traces their journey on the wagon train and then life in a logging camp. It also touches on the impact of smallpox on the pioneers and Native Americans.

Violence/Language/Content

There are a few suspenseful scenes, some drinking and several fist fights. Two-thirds through the book Maddy drowns, which I found really sad and unexpected.

Book Length

357 pages (hardback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and kids aged 12-14 who like stories about pioneers.

Boys: 4 stars

Girls: 4 stars

Review of “Flygirl” by Sherri L. Smith

This book is fun to read with 11-14 year old girls.

Review

This is a terrific book that explores discrimination based on skin color and ultimately looks at what a person gives up by pretending to be something they’re not. Ida Mae can pass as white, but when she does, she has to give up a part of herself. She gains several good friends she may not have had otherwise, but because she is never be completely honest with them, it’s as though they only get to know part of her. It takes the whole book for her to decide she needs to be true to herself.

This book explores an organization I had never heard of (WASP) and the way these dedicated women helped during World War II. There’s lots of discrimination in the book — because of color and because of gender. Ida Mae just wants to be thought of as a good pilot. As far as she’s concerned, that’s much more important than the color of her skin or the fact that she’s a woman.

I highly recommend this book to girls and parents who like learning about history through fiction.

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

Ida Mae learned to fly from her father. During World War II she desperately wants to be a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot), but rules bar her from applying because she’s black. Deciding not to take “no” for an answer, she passes herself off as a white woman and joins.

Violence/Language/Content

Nothing troubling.

Book Length

275 pages (hardback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and girls aged 11-14.

Boys: 3 stars

Girls: 5 stars

Review of “Football Genius” by Tim Green

This is a terrific book to read aloud with 9-13 year old boys.

Review

There is very little not to like about this book… unless you don’t care for football. However, even if you’re not a huge fan, there’s enough going on off the field to keep things interesting. I love the idea that Troy’s ability to anticipate plays is not magic, it’s just some weird thing he can do. Kind of like the idiot savant who knows how many toothpicks fell to the ground when you dropped the box. Troy just knows.

It’s unfortunate that the quarterback on the Falcons during the time of the story is Michael Vick. I’m sure that when this was written, he had not yet been convicted. Fortunately, his name doesn’t come up a ton, but be prepared for questions from your kids if they’re aware of what happened.

I highly recommend this book to boys and parents who love football.

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

Troy has an uncanny ability to predict football plays before they happen. When his mom gets a job in the PR department of the Atlanta Falcons, Troy is certain he’ll be able to put his ability to use to help his favorite team. Unfortunately, it’s hard to convince the right people that a 12 year old kid can help.

Violence/Language/Content

Troy sneaks out of the house disobeying his mom. However, he does later confess.

Book Length

244 pages (hardback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and boys aged 9-13 who love football.

Boys: 5 stars

Girls: 3 stars

Review of “Princess Ben” by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

This is a fun book to read aloud with 10-13 year old girls.

Review

Don’t be put off by the name… Princess Ben is a girl whose name is Benevolence and it takes the whole book for her to grow into her name. I enjoyed this story of an unhappy girl who initially interprets the actions of her Regent Queen aunt in a very negative way. It’s only with some maturity that she is able to interpret the Queen’s actions through a different lens.

At its heart, this is a book about growing up and learning to question assumptions. Princess Ben goes through a tremendous transformation starting as an overweight, unhappy child and turning in to a much wiser, slightly slimmer teen. I liked her the whole way through, so it was interesting to realize that my assumptions about certain characters were as wrong as hers were.

I recommend this book to girls and parents who like fantasy and magic and an intriguing story.

What are you reading with your kids?

Plot

When her parents are assassinated, Princess Ben is left in the care of her mean aunt, the Queen Sophia. When she is locked in the tower to curtail her eating, she discovers a secret chamber with magical properties. With the help of a book, she begins to teach herself magic and gradually begins to feel better about her situation. However, when her kingdom is threatened, she has to start thinking beyond herself.

Violence/Language/Content

Nothing troubling.

Book Length

344 pages (hardback)

Who will like this book?

Parents and girls aged 11-13.

Boys: 2 stars

Girls: 4 stars