The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide

Bibliography
Diterlizzi, Tony and Holly Black. 2003. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0689859368.

Plot Summary
This is the first of the five books in the Spiderwick Chronicles series. Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace along with their mother have to move into the old and worn out Victorian house of their great-aunt Lucinda. They children find the house very creepy and find unusual things happening to them in the house. They find a secret library in the house and also find a field guide that introduces them to the world of Faeries. The children realize that there is much more around the house than they can actually see.

Critical Analysis
The Field Guide is a very enticing novel that is a real delight to fantasy lovers. The adventure of the Grace children begins from the very first page and does not end at the last page. This story begs for continued adventures, which the children will surely find in the sequels of the Spiderwick Chronicles. Children will find the setting of the story in the old Victorian house with many hidden secrets very exciting. Readers will identify with the characters who are normal kids with familiar problems in life. The plot is very believable yet takes the readers through a roller coaster ride into the magical world of faeries. The novel even has illustrations that will reinforce the visual imagery of the readers. The setting of the story holds the readers in suspense until the end. The ending simply introduces the readers to the problems the Grace children are yet to face tempting the readers to read the next sequel.

The novel is short yet gripping appealing to young readers.

Baby Mouse: Our Hero

Bibliography
Holm, Jennifer L. and Matthew Holm. 2005. Babymouse: Our Hero. New York: Random House. ISBN: 0375832300.

Plot Summary
In this second book of the Babymouse series, the unathletic Babymouse has to get over her fear for dogdeball. Dodgeball tournament is coming up and whatever excuse Babymouse has come up with she cannot make any excuses this time because it is part of the grade. As usual she has to play against the evil Felicia Furrypaws and she has her good old friend Wilson to help her. But at the Dodgeball tournament nobody can help Babymouse…she has to deal with the situation herself.

Critical Analysis
Babymouse is a cute graphic novel that will appeal to kids who love superhero’s. Babymouse is an everyday character who faces the normal perils that children face at school. Babymouse has weaknesses like any other kid, and this time the weakness is playing dogdeball. Babymouse has vivid and truly hilarious imagination. Children will be able to relate to the rodent character that has flaws but becomes a superhero at the end. The black and white illustrations with the mix of pink is very action oriented, continuously engaging, and speak a lot. The use of pink in the illustration may limit the readers to girls. Babymouse is a short and enjoyable graphic novel for younger children.

The Giver

Bibliography
Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver. New York: Dell Laurel Leaf. ISBN: 0440237688.

Plot Summary
Jonas, who is twelve years old, lives in perfect world where there is no sickness, no poverty, and no pains. He lives in a world where everything is mechanical and automatic; everything is already set in place and decided for everyone by a committee of elders. He and his sister were assigned as children to their parents to build a family unit. Nobody questions this world and everybody follows set of strict rules to run the community smoothly. When Jonas turns twelve he is assigned the honorable role of “Receiver of Memory”. Jonas slowly understands the depth and challenges of this role; he starts questioning his world. Through his teacher, the Giver, Jonas sees the world as nobody as seen.

Critical Analysis
Through the story of Jonas, the author, drives the readers through a fantasy world where nothing is normal. This book could be considered scientific fiction because its a world where everything from climate, to surroundings, to birth and death is controlled by human beings. This fantasy is based on the Utopian idea of a perfect world. The author, Lois Lowry, does an excellent job of creating and describing this fantasy world. Bits and pieces of this perfect world are disclosed throughout the novel keeping the element of awe until the end. The story is engaging and suspenseful from the beginning to the end. The ending is especially thought provoking keeping the readers guessing about what happened or what will happen; some readers might even find it unsatisfying. The story, especially the end, can spark a lot of rich discussions.

The Earth Dragon Awakes

Bibliography
Yep, Laurence. 2006. The Earth Dragon Awakes: The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 9780060275259.

Plot Summary
This is fictional story of two young boys Henry and Ching that experience the earthquake that truly happened on April 17, 1906. This earthquake was one of the most devastating ones that hit San Francisco and caused great loss of life and property. The boys see that their fathers were actually heroes in crisis.

Critical Analysis
This book is an unusual mixture of fiction and non-fiction. Readers get to experience the historic earthquake through the eyes of two young boys. The author gives two perspectives – one rich, one poor. The story shows that although people deal with crisis differently the disaster hit both the rich and the poor in the same way. Nobody was spared the wrath of the earth dragon. Laurence Yep has done careful research about this earthquake and gives important facts about it throughout the book. Emphasis is paid more on the historical part than the fictional part. The story is used as means for conveying the emotions and to give the readers a more personal journey through the earthquake. Young readers who like non-fiction might like the fresh approach to reading about earthquakes.

The Witch of the Blackbird Pond

Bibliography
Speare, George Elizabeth. 1986. The Witch of the Blackbird Pond. Laurel Leaf Books. ISBN: 04409955779.

Plot Summary
Kit Tyler who has been raised in Barbados is orphaned and has nobody to go to but her aunt who lives in Connecticut. Her upbringing is very different from the conservative and strict life of her Puritan aunt and her family. She realizes that she is not a fit there; whatever she does ends up with the wrong results in this new place. The only place she finds peace is in the meadows and with the old Hannah Tupper. Hannah Tupper lives alone in the meadows and is called the witch of Blackbird Pond. Kit is forbidden in meeting the witch, but Kit finds that Hannah Tupper is just an innocent old lady and is no witch at all. Nat, Kit’s young sailor friend, also likes to visit Hannah Tupper occasionally. When people find out Kit’s friendship with the so called Witch, Kit is also blamed of witchcraft.

Critical Analysis
The Witch of the Blackbird Pond is a thoroughly engaging story that readers won’t be able to put down. Kit is torn between staying who she is and what her relatives want her to be; but due to circumstances she is forced to blend in with the life of the relatives she is living with. Kit’s dilemma is very touching because she slowly starts understanding her new relatives and also can see their love for her, but longs for the freedom she is used to have. The historical conflicts of the time have been neatly woven into the conflicts of Kit’s life, without overshadowing Kit’s story. Preteen readers will enjoy the three budding romances that have been blended into the story making. A lovely story with a very satisfying end.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

Bibliography
MacLachlan, Sarah. 1985. Sarah, Plain and Tall. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Inc. ISBN: 0064402053.

Plot Summary
Caleb and Anna’s mother died just after Caleb was born. Caleb and Anna’s father, who is a farmer, advertises for bride in the newspaper. He receives a letter from Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton of Maine who agrees to come and stay with them for a month before they can decide to get married. Sarah describes herself as plain and tall and that she is. Anna and Caleb instantly fall in love with her. She tells them stories about her family in Maine and describes the life by the sea to them. The children who have only seen the prairie farms are amazed by her stories of the sea. Anna and Caleb know that Sarah misses her home in Maine and are worried that Sarah will leave. Sarah leaves one day for town and the children are worried she will never come back. The children are delighted when Sarah returns and marries their father.

Critical Analysis
Patricia MacLachlan has written an adorable and heart warming story. It is a short story that carries a lot of delicate emotions. The children’s memories of their mother and the family’s loneliness without a mother and wife can be somewhat sad for younger children. But the story quickly becomes lively when Sarah arrives on the farm to live with the family. Anna and Caleb are very loveable characters and readers will hope along with them that Sarah stays with them for good. The children’s longing for motherly love has been handled very beautifully in this story.

The timeline when the story happens, the language, the settings make this a classic historical fiction story. Children will find it amusing to read about how people lived, what they wore, what work they did, what kind of transportation they had, and how they communicated with somebody living far away.