Braille Book Review

January-February 2003

Books for Children--Fiction

Fiction

Redwall BR 13472
by Brian Jacques
3 volumes
The peaceful life at ancient Redwall Abbey is threatened by the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes. So young mouse Matthias resolves to find the legendary sword of Martin the warrior, convinced it will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy. Sequel to Mossflower (BR 13471). For grades 5-8. 1986.

Mattimeo BR 13473
by Brian Jacques
3 volumes
In this sequel to Redwall (BR 13472), the evil fox Slagar abducts several young animals including Mattimeo, son of the warrior mouse Matthias, from Redwall Abbey. Matthias and other fathers launch a daring rescue mission, leaving the Abbey vulnerable to the marauding crows. Violence. For grades 4-7. 1990.

The Luckiest Girl BR 13728
by Beverly Cleary
2 volumes
Shelley Latham is eager for new experiences when her parents let her spend her junior year of high school with family friends in sunny California. She enjoys dating a popular basketball player until he fails biology and loses his place on the team. For grades 6-9. 1958.

Edgar Allan BR 13768
by John Neufeld
1 volume
Twelve-year-old Michael, one of the four Fickett children, tells how a family decision becomes a problem in a prejudiced community when, in 1968, the Ficketts want to adopt three-year-old Edgar Allan--an African American. For grades 5-8. 1968.

Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth BR 13803
by Patricia Clapp
2 volumes
Constance Hopkins, a young English girl aboard the Mayflower, begins a journal in November 1620 that concludes after her marriage in February 1626, when life in Plymouth at last brings signs of happiness and an end to extreme hardship. For grades 6-9. 1968.

Moccasin Trail BR 13807
by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
2 volumes
1844, Oregon territory. Missouri farmboy Jim Keath ran away nine years earlier and lived for six of those years as a Crow Indian. Now, learning that his siblings are journeying west to take up land, Jim joins them on the dangerous trek. For grades 4-7 and older readers. Newbery Honor. 1952.

The Other Wind BR 13813
by Ursula K. Le Guin
2 volumes
Sequel to Tehanu (BR 8632). Alder, a sorcerer, has been having terrible dreams since the death of his wife, Lily--he sees her and others reaching out to him. His dreams will lead to the transformation of Earthsea. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 2001.

Jean and Johnny BR 13820
by Beverly Cleary
2 volumes
Jean Jarrett invites popular Johnny Chessler to the Girls' Association dance despite her family's warning about not chasing him. She learns from bittersweet experience that having a crush on a boy doesn't ensure that he has one on her too. For grades 6- 9. 1959.

Tuck Everlasting BR 13834
by Natalie Babbitt
1 volume (Reissue)
Winnie Foster is ten when she meets seventeen-year-old Jesse Tuck in the woods and learns that his family hasn't aged in eighty- seven years since drinking from a secret spring. She is mighty tempted to drink that water too. For grades 4-7. 1975.

Harley BR 13858
by Star Livingstone
1 volume
Harley does not get along with other llamas and does not want to be a pack animal. But Harley is happy when he becomes a guard llama, protecting a herd of sheep from hungry coyotes. He even befriends the cantankerous ram. For grades K-3. 2001.

Night Flying BR 13860
by Rita Murphy
1 volume
Like all the females in her Vermont family, Georgia can fly. She is preparing for her first solo flight as her sixteenth birthday approaches. But grandmother's rules are stringent, kindling Georgia's curiosity about her strange family. Her digging exposes secrets. For grades 6-9. 2000.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff BR 13863
by Paul Galdone
1 volume
Three clever billy goats outwit a mean, ugly troll that lives under the bridge they must cross on their way up the mountain. For grades K-3. 1973.

The Little Red Hen BR 13864
by Paul Galdone
1 volume
None of the little red hen's lazy friends will help her plant, harvest, or grind the wheat to bake a cake, but all of them want to eat it. Then the little red hen teaches them a lesson. For grades K-3. 1973.

The Three Little Pigs BR 13866
by Paul Galdone
1 volume
A retelling of the traditional tale about two foolish pigs and their clever brother, the houses the three build, and the wolf who wants to eat them. For grades K-3. 1970.

Sealed with a Kiss: Two of a Kind, Book 20 BR 13874
by Judy Katschke
1 volume
When Mary-Kate and Ashley's father cannot take them home from boarding school for winter break, the twins and some other girls spend two weeks stuck in a boys dormitory. It's more fun after Mary-Kate meets fellow basketball enthusiast Colton. For grades 4-7. 2001.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together BR 13875
by Mary Ann Hoberman
1 volume
Thirteen short, humorous, rhyming stories in two voices, for beginning readers or for a child and an adult. Intended to celebrate the joys of reading together, the stories are about "cats and puppies, bears and mice, snakes, telephones, snowmen, birthdays, friendships and more." For grades K-3. 2001.

Oliver and Amanda and the Big Snow BR 13931
by Jean Van Leeuwen
1 volume
Four stories about little pig Oliver, his younger sister Amanda, and their parents enjoying the outdoors after a big snowstorm. They have fun sledding, making snowballs, playing with icicles, and building a snow pig. A beginning-to-read chapter book. For grades K-3. 1995.

The Minstrel's Melody BR 13939
by Eleanora E. Tate
1 volume
Musically talented Orphelia, twelve, runs away from her home in Calico Creek, Missouri, to join Madame Meritta and Her Marvelous Traveling Troubadours Talent Show headed for the 1904 World's Fair in Saint Louis. In the process, the African American child learns that lynching has affected her family. For grades 5-8. 2001.

The Case of the Jingle Bell Jinx: The New Adventures of Mary- Kate and Ashley BR 13988
by Alice Leonhardt
1 volume
When the "Jingle Bells on Ice" skating show rehearsals are under way strange things happen. Items are missing from a locked dressing room, stage lights go out causing falls, and ice turns to slush. The Trenchcoat Twins are on the spot to solve these mysteries. For grades 4-7. 2001.

Toot and Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas BR 14019
by Holly Hobbie
1 volume
Delayed by a snowstorm, piggy Toot wants to be home in Woodcock Pocket in time to celebrate Christmas with his best friend, Puddle. A lucky charm and unexpected help from another holiday traveler help him on his way. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2001.

Goin' Someplace Special BR 14020
by Patricia C. McKissack
1 volume
Nashville, 1950s. An African American schoolgirl takes her first trip alone in a segregated city. Her grandmother's wisdom helps 'Tricia Ann cope with the prejudice she encounters on her journey to one place where all are welcome. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K- 3. Coretta Scott King Award. 2001.

A Fine, Fine School BR 14025
by Sharon Creech
1 volume
When a principal loves his school so much that he wants the children to attend classes every day of the year, his students decide to show him that free time is a good thing too. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2001.

Pirates past Noon: Magic Tree House, Book 4 BR 14107
by Mary Pope Osborne
1 volume
On a cold, rainy day in the magic tree house, Annie spies a book open to a picture of a sunny beach scene. Annie and her older brother, Jack, are transported to the days of deserted islands, secret maps, hidden treasure, and nasty pirates. For grades 2-4. 1994.


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