I loved the delightful writing style with all the humor and silly situations that Martin goes through. Poor Martin is quite clueless when it comes to the workings of a farm, and forgets the proper place of each animal. This leads to a lot of ridiculously funny dialogue with various farm animals.
This would be a wonderful book to read aloud, with different voices for the cows, sheep, pigs, and ducks all around the farm.
I found the plot to be interesting and surprising, despite its simplicity and straightforward story-telling style. A very enjoyable read!
The Finches’ Fabulous Furnace by Roger Wolcott Drury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
One cold winter, when the Finch family moves into their new house, Mr. Finch and his son find a tiny volcano in the cellar, pumping heat and steam into the house instead of a furnace. They decide to keep it a secret, so as not to alarm the ladies of the family, but when the summer heat makes the volcano unbearable, Mrs. Finch and her daughter are determined to know why their house is always so hot! The townsfolk begin to suspect that Mr. Finch is hiding something huge in his cellar, and they pester him for answers. Mr. Finch has to decide whether or not the volcano is a threat to the town, but his children have something to say about that too!
I loved all the clever little details about a family living in a house with volcanic activity! The snow melts off their roof, and their plants bloom in the winter. There are strange updrafts and strong winds surrounding their house as the steam rises from their cellar. All those details were so fun to read about! Continue reading
Help! I’m a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I remember loving this book when I was a kid, and I fantasized about spending the night in a library.
Jo-Beth and Mary Rose are sisters who get stranded in a library during a blizzard. The library displays and mannequins depicting literary characters are creepy in the dark, and there are weird noises coming from upstairs. The sisters find an injured librarian, and have to use all their common sense to help her and get themselves rescued from the blizzard.
The simple writing style makes this a perfect book for young children who are reading chapter books. While the sisters are mildly frightened at every mysterious sound in the old library, the reader never really feels scared. It’s just suspenseful and interesting enough to keep you guessing, but will not give a kid nightmares.
I really love that each of the characters have their own prickly and funny personalities. Their dialogue is hilarious!
