My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Title: My One Hundred Adventures

Author:Polly Horvath

Publish Date: September 2008

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Pages: 272pp

ISBN: 0375845828

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: Twelve-year-old Jane is ready for adventures and she finds plenty of it, thanks to the inhabitants of the Massachusetts beach town where she lives.

Plot Summary: Jane Fielding is twelve-years-old and lives an idyllic life on the Massachusetts shore. Her home is a permanent beach house that has doors that are always wide open, no matter the time of day or night, and is always delightful and homey. Jane adores her home and her family--her hopeless romantic mother who writes poetry and her three brothers and sisters. As much as she loves her home life, her day to day routine is almost monotonous and she longs for some excitement and adventure. When a disheveled man shows up for dinner, Jane’s prayers for adventure are answered as she learns from her poet mother that this man is her father.

Personal Response: I enjoyed this book. I liked how the protagonist, Jane, takes charge of her own self-discovery and becomes the storyteller instead of being the audience.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Self-discovery, along with self-discovery of the world.  

Age Range: 8-12

Subjects: Self Discovery, Adventure, Family, Family Relationships, Babysitting, Beach, Coming of Age, Friendship, Brothers and Sisters,

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Masterpiece by Elise Broach

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Title: Silverwing

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Publish Date: September 2007

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 224pp

IBSN: 1416949984

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Annotation: Shade is a young bat who get’s left behind when his family migrates for the winter.  On his journey to rejoin the colony, he meets new friends, discovers enemies, and all the

Plot Summary: A young bat named Shade decides he wants to prove his bravery by catching a glimpse of the sun.  In doing so, he breaks an ancient law and the owls retaliate and burn down their roost, forcing the bats to begin their migration. Shade gets caught in a storm and is left behind by his colony during the migration. Full of customs, the imminent war between the bats and birds, and the escapee vampire bat, provides a challenging journey for Shade to return back with his colony.

Personal Response: Love the animal adventure Kenneth Oppel takes his readers on.  Sliverwing is an exciting story with dramatic suspense and a thrilling plot and is not a typical fantasy story as the main character is a bat.  The ending of the novel leads the reader to the next installment, Sunwing.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Making your own way and facing your fears.

Age Range: 8 and up

Subjects: Betrayal, Friendship, Fear, Friendship, Enemies, Adventure, Fantasy, Family, Family Relationships, Bullying, Courage

Series: The Silverwing Saga

Silverwing (1997)

Sunwing (1999)

Firewing(2002)

Darkwing (2007)

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Sunwing by Kenneth Oppel

The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Awake and Dreaming by Kit Pearson

Title: Awake and Dreaming

Author: Kit Pearson

Publish Date: September 2008

Publisher: Penguin Group

Pages: 240pp

ISBN: 0143056379

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: Nine-year-old Theo in Vancouver, Canada and desperately wants a new family, in fact she dreams and wishes for one, and one day her dreams and wishes come true.

Plot Summary: Theo is nine years old and lives with her mother in Vancouver, Canada. They are extremely poor and Theo is often neglected by her immature mother, so she decides to go live with her aunt in Victoria. While aboard the ferry, Theo falls into a deep sleep. When she awakes, she finds herself in a big comfortable bed—in a big comfortable house with a wonderful and nurturing family with four perfect siblings who are always happy. At first, Theo is confused, but eventually she becomes accustomed to this new life with her new family—all her dreams came true and she has everything she ever wanted. Until she is awaken by a strong gust of wind, and her dreamworld is gone. Theo feels she cannot live without her new family and decides to go searching for them and is amazed at what she finds.

Personal Response: A beautiful story about finding happiness wherever you are. Kit Pearson does a fantastic job at weaving fantasy into reality. Theo is a charming character with applicable emotions. I found the prevalent theme of finding happiness wherever your at to be a wonderful message for youth and young readers may learn from Theo’s experiences.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Be thankful for what you have. No matter how bad your situation is, there is always someone in a worse situation.

Age Range: 9-12

Subjects: Adventure, Identity, Family Relationships, Dreams, Imagination, Poverty, Contentment

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The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service

Title: The Cremation of Sam McGee

Author: Robert W. Service

Illustrator: Ted Harrison

Publish Date: July 2006

Publisher: Kids Can Press, Limited

Pages: 32pp

ISBN: 155453092X

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Folktale

Annotation: A classic Yukon adventure poem about a man name Sam McGee who is constantly suffering from the cold—so much so that he convinces his companion on the trail to cremate him he should die.

Plot Summary: Sam McGee is constantly struggling with the cold while along an Arctic trail. One day, McGee persuades his trail companion (the narrator of the story) to cremate him if he shall die. That very same day, McGee passes away leaving the companion obligated to keep his promise. We follow the companion on his journey to cremate Sam McGee and to finally keep him warm.

Personal Response: A poignant tale brought to life by the evocative paintings of Ted Harrison. I really appreciated reading the forward by Pierre Berton, as it gave me insight on the creators of this book and into the story/poem as a whole. I found this tale to be humorous and touching as the narrator kept his bargain and finally gave Sam McGee some warmth.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: If you make a promise to someone, keep it.

Age Range: 9 to 12

Subjects: Death, Yukon, Adventure, Humor, Cremation, Journey, Cold, Poem

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Children of the Yukon by Ted Harrison

The Shooting of Dan McGrew by Robert W. Service

On Wings of Evil by Cora Taylor

Title: On Wings of Evil

Author: Cora Taylor

Publish Date: June 2005

Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited

Pages: 250pp

ISBN: 1550419293

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Annotation: This sequel to On Wings of a Dragon continues the story of heroin Kour'el, the bird girl, and Api'Naga, her great dragon, who have returned to their homeland.

Plot Summary: In this sequel to On Wings of a Dragon, Kour’el is back at her homeland with her trusty dragon, Api’Naga. With them, they have brought back the new Queen Galea. As the Queen takes her throne, she faces a new evil in her land, thus requiring the help of Kour’el and Api’Naga. The evil Queen Mariah has come back in a new form with assassination attempts on Queen Galea. On top of that there seems to be a strange black and white bird that is the focal point for evil against the throne.

Personal Response: In order to fully understand this novel, the reader must read the first installment to the series, On Wings of a Dragon (2001). Taylor writes vivid descriptions and creates interesting events with adequate twists, although sometimes too predictable. With parallel plots, the reader must stay closely in-tune to not only follow the storyline but to fully appreciate what Taylor has created. This fairly tale/fantasy follows the traditional guidelines of good verses evil. Kour’el is an interesting character (and great inspiration) for girls as she went from maiden-in-distress to heroin!

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Good verses Evil.

Age Range: 9 and up

Subjects: Fantasy, Fantasy Heroin, Dragons, Good vs. Evil, Medievil, Historical, Adventure, Mystery, Magic

Series:

On Wings of Evil (2005)

On Wings of a Dragon (2001)

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Magic Can Be Murdered by Vivian Vande Velde

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Minus Time by Catherine Bush