Life According To Og The Frog

Life According To Og The Frog by Betty G. Birney, 150 pages

“The adventures in Humphrey's Room 26 are hopping back into the spotlight, from the perspective of Og the Frog!  When Og the Frog first comes to Room 26, he doesn't know what to think. He misses his friends from the pond, there are all kinds of strange noises, and the water is his tank just might be too clean (you know, a little muck never hurt anyone). But the furry, squeaky fellow living next to him is endlessly entertaining, the kids sure are friendly, and--BING, BANG, BOING!--they put big fat crickets right into his tank. All of this gives Og lots of ideas for one of his favorite pastimes--making up poems and songs. But he gets stumped when talk turns to sending him back to the pond. Will he have to say good-bye to Tabitha whose whole life just changed like his? Or Mandy who just started seeing the bright side of things with his help? And Humphrey, who he's finally beginning to figure out? Og's frog's-eye view of the world is curious, sympathetic, and poetic, and the perfect companion to The World According to Humphrey.” This is a cute series for younger chapter book readers.  I liked this addition to the series and kids who like animal stories will probably like the series in general and this book in particular.

Frogged

Frogged by Vivian Vande Velde, 198 pages

Imogene isn’t your usual princess.  She is two weeks away from turning thirteen and her mother has given her an early birthday present, a book, titled, “The Art Of Being A Princess”.  Her mother hopes that if she starts reading it now, then by the time her birthday comes she will finally start to look and act like a real princess.  Instead, Imogene gets fed up with the book and goes for a walk down by the mill pond.  There she encounters a talking frog, who claims to be a prince under an enchantment and he needs her to kiss him to break the spell.  Although she is a little repulsed by the idea of kissing a frog, Imogene, as a princess, knows that she should try to be helpful and kisses him.  He does turn into a boy but, not, as it turns out a prince.  He is actually Harry, the wainwright’s son.  The worst part, however, is that when Imogene kissed him, she turned into a frog.  And, she realizes, the way to break the spell is to get someone to kiss her, who will then turn into a frog themselves.  Not happy with that idea, Imogene sets out to find another way to break the spell and has some interesting adventures along the way.  A really entertaining fractured fairy tale, kids who like funny magic stories will probably enjoy this.