A Year Full of Holidays

A Year Full of Holidays by Susan Middleton Elya               Hardback Book:  32 pages              

What a cute book!   Told in rhyme it is a story about a little girl’s 5^th birthday party in August and how she wants to know how long it will be before her next birthday party.   Her mother tells her there is something to celebrate in every month until her next birthday.  Good thing she was born in August cause the U.S. doesn’t have anything going that month other than IT IS GREAT BECAUSE IT IS STILL SUMMER!   A few weeks after her birthday the little girl notices her Dad is home on a Monday (Labor Day) and he is barbecuing then she starts school.   A few weeks later it is Halloween!  Then a little later than that it is Thanksgiving (oops they forgot Veterans’ Day!).   Next comes Christmas, then she gets to stay up late for New Years and Valentine’s Day (opps left of Presidents’ Day)  then St. Patrick’s Day, then Easter followed by Mother’s Day and Memorial Day then Father’s Day followed by the 4^th of July – then they went camping on vacation and THEN it was her birthday again!     Very good book.   I would recommend it for all little ones to learn about all the fun to be had in a year.   

Finally

Finally by Wendy Mass, 296 pages

Rory is finally 12 years old and she has a list of things that her parents told her she could do and have when she turned 12, like get a cell phone, a pet, contact lenses, start shaving, and go to her first girl/boy party.  Rory can’t wait, but it seems like everything she wants to do or have contains a problem.  Growing up is harder than she expected.  This is a really funny coming of age story.  Kids who like realistic fiction will want to read this.

Taking Off

Taking Off by Valerie Tripp, 193 pages

“Maryellen has big plans for her birthday, and she's glad when her old pal Davy shows up to help. If only Wayne the Pain would buzz off - but he's stuck to Davy like glue. Maybe her sister Joan was right when she said that girls can't be friends with boys in fourth grade. Then, on a family vacation, Maryellen finds out that Joan's not so sure about her own plans. One thing's clear: If Maryellen's going to invent a flying machine, become famous, and get Joan's wedding off the ground, she'll need all the help - and all the friends - she can get!”  This was a typically sweet American Girls story.  Girls who like the genre will enjoy it.  I didn’t feel like there was as much history in this one as there are in some, but the story touches on some historic events that may be of interest to kids who like historical fiction

The Last Present

The Last Present by Wendy Mass, 246 pages

This is actually the last book in the Willow Falls series and I haven't read the first three.  Nevertheless, it was a fun read and I have decided to go back and read the other ones.  In this book Leo and Amanda, who are best friends, have discovered that they will have the ability to go back in time in an attempt to save their friend, Grace, who has fallen into what appears to be some sort of coma.  Angeline, who has orchestrated other oddities on their and others of their friends' birthdays, has also found a way to orchestrate this.  With little instruction but a lot of ingenuity, Leo and Amanda will probably succeed, but find out that what they are doing may not be in Grace's best interests after all.  I definitely liked this book well enough to read others by the author and would recommend it to kids who like fantasy and magic.

The Penderwicks In Spring

The Penderwicks In Spring by Jeanne Birdsall, 339 pages

For fans of the Penderwicks, this book takes place a few years after the previous book, with a new sibling, Lydia, who is 2.  The books focusses on Batty, previously the youngest Penderwick, who now has not only Lydia, but younger brother, Ben, as well.  Lydia is now in fifth grade and missing Rosalind, who is in college, and Jeffrey, who isn’t always welcome because of his crush on Skye, and Tommy, who also stays away since he and Rosalind broke up, and also Nick, who is in the armed forces and away fighting in the war.  Batty finds out near the end of the school year that she can sing.  She concocts a plan to surprise her family with her newly found voice at her birthday party, which is a few weeks away.  This plan means that she needs to talk to Jeffrey, which should be easy since he’s supposed to come for Skye’s birthday, but could be more difficult of his crush interferes with his visit, and also means she needs to hatch a scheme to make money for voice lessons since it’s supposed to be a surprise.  In the midst of all of this, there are several minor crises and one kind of large crisis but in true Penderwick style, all is resolved in the end.  I love the Penderwicks and would give this to any kid who likes stories about everyday life.