It's Here!
Welcome to the 3rd annual Middle Grade Summer Book Club and I think I have some GREAT books lined up for kids to read this summer... we have some mystery, chic books, and some great ones for guys & girls!
This year the giveaway will run differently for the Summer Book Club! Please be sure to return each week to get the answer to that weeks question - you can join the giveaway & the book club at anytime during the 5 weeks that this event runs.... so stay tuned & make sure you return each Tuesday or Wednesday to join in!
Week 1: The Cats of Tanglewood Forest
by Charles de Lint
ISBN: 978-0316053570
$13.48(hardback)
$ 8.89 (kindle)
About the book:
The magic is all around you, if only you open your eyes....
Lillian Kindred spends her days exploring the Tanglewood Forest, a magical, rolling wilderness that she imagines to be full of fairies. The trouble is, Lillian has never seen a wisp of magic in her hillsuntil the day the cats of the forest save her life by transforming her into a kitten. Now Lillian must set out on a perilous adventure that will lead her through untamed lands of fabled creaturesfrom Old Mother Possum to the fearsome Bear Peopleto find a way to make things right.
In this whimsical, original folktale written and illustrated throughout in vibrant full color by two celebrated masters of modern fantasy, a young girl's journey becomes an enchanting coming-of-age story about magic, friendship, and the courage to shape one's own destiny.
This would be perfect for readalouds and independent readers—it has a classic, timeless feel to it. And check out some of Charles's exquisite artwork on this Pinterest board!
My thoughts:
I have to say I LOVED The Cats of Tanglewood Forest. The writing is beautiful and the images I received in my mind's eye exquisite. You have the story of a little farm girl who is being raised by her aunty, who speaks to the forests animals and ends up turning into a kitten. Her adventures as she travels the forest, meets a witch (or two), her experience living with the Bear People are exciting and draw you along in the story. I ended up staying up into the wee morning hours reading to finish this story. The end of the book is not at all what I expected and the choice that Lillian has to make in the end of the book would be very hard to make - it will make your kids stop and think "what would they do if they had to make the same choice?".
The writing for this story remind me of The Water Baby or even some of George MacDonald (Sir Gibbie, The Princess & the Goblin) or even CS Lewis's wonderful Narnia Chronicles. This would be a great story to while away a slow summer afternoon (or several) or a rainy/stormy day - or even a long trip on the airplane..
Week 1: The Cats of Tanglewood Forest (order) (my review)
Week 2: Leviathan (order) (my review)
Week 3: The Lily Series: Lily Robbins, MD (order) (my review)
Week 4: Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel (order) (my review)
Week 5: The Phoenix Files (order) (my review)
Week 6: Unleashed (order) (my review)
The annual Summer Book Club Giveaway!
You can enter our great Summer Book Club Giveaway which will be drawn on August 1st - just in time for the last few weeks of summer when kids start to get bored and need something new to do. This year we will be running it a little different since I am officially without a computer until further notice (thanks to Malware & a nasty virus which wiped out my registry).
How to Enter:
Each week return to CCB to read that week's review and enter that week's entry question. Each week there will be a mandatory question (as well as the usual provide your FULL Contact information) - without the contact information your answers and entries will be deleted. You'll also have the opportunity to enter via Tweeting, posting on FB and Sharing on any of the numerous linkies that are available. The non-mandatory entries are extras that you have the choice of getting extra entries.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: I was offered a copy of the book to read and review on CCB. I was not required to post a positive review and no $ exchanged hands. Thanks for reading CCB!
Dr. Timson is a college friend of Will's father, and he's leading an archeological dig at the base of the mountian, a villiage and an area once used as a holy place for the Native Americans that lived there.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 13 years old, my oldest sister, who is 6 years older than I am, had a molar pregnancy. She was very, very sick & we really did not think she was going to survive. It is the first traumatic event I remember in my life. From that young teenager's point of view, the thought of losing my own flesh & blood, my sister, whom I admired, was terrifying. Now, at 48 years old & the mother of 4 grown children myself, I know what that must have been like for my mother to have gone through. The thought of losing a child is my biggest fear & something I cannot fathom.
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