I picked this book up when I was on vacation. It reminded me of a previous vacation to Yosemite National Park a few summers ago. I can't resist books with connections to places I have visited. The story starts out with the main character, 12 year old Lizzie Durango, describing the wolves she has been studying at the zoo where she lives. Her father is the head zookeeper at a California wildlife park not too far from Yosemite National Park. She is right at home at the zoo with their house actually on the zoo property. The wolves are a new exhibit and they fascinate her. One day she discovers a strange boy is actually living behind the elephant enclosure and befriends this runaway named Tyler. They become fast friends and discover that as the wolves began to get sick and die, something mysterious might be happening instead of natural causes. Through some sneaking around they find themselves in the middle of Yosemite National Park having to survive in the wilderness at night with practically nothing but a bit of water and some scraps of food. A side mystery is the legend of naturalist John Muir's lost cabin that no one has ever found in Yosemite. They are hopeful that they can figure out where it was in the park. I enjoyed this book and found the details very interesting about wolves and John Muir and Yosemite. They mystery ended a bit flat for me and I found myself thinking...is that all there was to it? The characters were a delight and the general plot made this book a fun read. I will still recommend the book despite the ending though! Age Range: 9 - 1410 - 14 Grade Level: 4 - 6 Reading Level: 4.65.2 Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher:Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (October 11, 2016) Rating: 4 out of 4 This book reminded me the of mystery series set in a zoo by Stuart Gibbs where Teddy Fitzroy who lives at FunJungle solves mysteries there.
I read Absolutely Truly when it first came out in 2014 and really liked this cozy mystery. I have repeatedly put it up on a display stand in the library hoping someone will check it out but it usually continues to display instead of going home with someone. I have wished that a sequel would come out....because I really love cozy mysteries and expect lots of sequels as you get to know the characters. So, I was delighted to find book 2 at a book store when I was on vacation over spring break. It came out in 2017. That is really too long for such a charming book! The book features a family of seven who move from Texas to Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire to help run the family bookstore. The father is suffering from injuries in the Afghanistan war and is no longer able to serve as a pilot for his career. In the first book, the family settles into the family home, school and bookstore business and in the process solve a mystery involving a first edition copy of Charlotte's Web. The season is winter. In Yours Truly, the main character, Truly Lovejoy, a junior high girl, helps her friends figure out who is sabotaging the spring maple syrup production at the local farms in Pumpkin Falls. Truly's cousin visits over spring break and causes jealousy among her friendships and my favorite plot point was when Truly discovers a diary that leads to the discovery of a station on the Underground Railroad. This book has a little history, some mystery, and a touch of growing up angst. There are a lot of fun details about the family, book store, and town they live in. I think I like cozy mysteries because they allow me to be a bit of a snoop and experience the life of the character and their family and community. And they are never too scary and usually resolve well. I am not sure if the loose ends of the mystery tied up exactly the way I expected but I overlooked it just because I enjoyed the book. If you are looking for lots of adventure and thrills then this is not the book for you. This is a quiet and charming story about a family and their lives in a small town. I happen to really love this type of book. I only hope the next book comes along faster! Age Range: 10 - 14 Grade Level: 4 -8 Reading Level: 5.2 Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (January 31, 2017) Rating: 4 out of 4
I thought about Miracles On Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen when I read Yours Truly. It was a Newbery winner in 1957. This is a story about a family who move from the city to a Pennsylvania farm to help the father who is suffering from post traumatic disorder after coming home from WW II. The daughter, Marly, experiences life in the country and with the arrival of spring gets to be part of the maple harvest. It is another charming story of family who are helping the father to heal after serving in the military. I really enjoyed this book. I think reading both books would be a interesting book experience.
Age Range: 10 - 14 years Grade Level: 4 - 6 Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Square Fish, Media Tie In Edition, (November 7, 2017) Rating: 3 out 4 Summary:Meg Murry and her family receive a surprise visit from an unearthly stranger out of another dimension in time
I decided to reread A Wrinkle in Time before I went to the movie but, I haven't made it to the movie yet and so I can't compare the movie and the book. I imagine it has changed a bit and an new artistic flair has been given to the movie edition. This is my third time reading this book. I read it in sixth grade and I don't think I understood it very well. I read it again when I began my career in the library media center and I think I enjoyed it and of course understood it. Now, the third time around, I realized that I didn't remember much of the details. What I did notice is that there is a lot of fantastic and amazing scenes that will probably translate very well on the big movie screen. The director received a large budget for the special effects and the making of this film. This was a TV movie in 2003 and Madeline L'Engle was alive at that time. She said it didn't translate as well on television because they just didn't have the budget for special effects. A granddaughter of Madeline L'Engle appreciated the new version and felt that the changes from the book were appropriate for this new version. So I am looking forward to viewing this movie when I have some time to see it. What was funny about the book were some of the words they used which are out of style these days. Moron was a name they called Charles Wallace many times. Sometimes I would have to reread because the writing seemed awkward to me. This book didn't connect with me as much as other books I have read. It was good but I did plod through portions of it. Fantasy is not my go to genre and they don't tend to be my favorite reads. I rate it a good which is a 3 out of 4 for me.
