13-14. Bethany the Ballet Fairy, and Jade the Disco Fairy by Daisy Meadows

These are the first two books in The Dance Fairies series. This is actually the second time I've read both these books because Lily has decided that she needs to read all the fairy books for her bedtime stories, just like Ruthie has. These are pretty good ones. Anything that combines dance and fairies is a popular hit with Lily. This time the mean Jack Frost has given his goblins the ability to freeze people (which doesn't actually hurt them, but lasts for a few minutes). I really liked the clothes in the disco fairy book. They made me laugh. They're fun, short reads.

12. The Princess Tales: Cinderellis and the Glass Hill

The Princess Tales are a series of short novels by Gail Carson Levine, the author of Ella Enchanted. Anything by Levine is awesome. These books combine and retell various fairy tales. They are witty and hilarious. This is the second one we've read as a bedtime story and they are definitely favorites with my girls. They make great read-alouds because they have short chapters, and lots of natural breaks which makes it easy to stop until the next time. I especially like the book design. They are skinny and tall little books that fit easily in your hand and have fun little pictures throughout. This particular book is a take-off on Cinderella with a little Rapunzel mixed in. This time the Cinderella character, Cinderellis, is a boy, incredibly gifted as an inventor. He lives with his two older brothers, who aren't mean as much as they just ignore him and are totally oblivious to any of his accomplishments. Meanwhile, in a nearby kinddom, lives a princess who's father is a little obsessed with random contests. He decides to offer his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who can climb up a huge glass tower and rescue her. Cinderellis decides to solve the puzzle in order to get his brothers' attention. It's a fun story. The characters are very likeable and it's an extremely creative story.

11. Stella the Star Fairy by Daisy Meadows

Yes, I read another fairy book. This is the Christmas edition of the fairy books. Jack Frost has stolen all the things that make Christmas great. Kirsty, Rachel, and Stella the Star Fairy defeat Jack Frost and his goblin minions. Ruth and I had fun reading it together. She obviously loves all things fairy and all things Christmas, so the mixture was a big hit.

10. Who Stole The Wizard of Oz? by Avi

Avi is a great author with incredible versatility. Everything I've read of his is very good. This book is no exception. It is a really fun mystery that also explores the true value of books. I really enjoyed the little puzzle that the main characters have to figure out to solve the mystery. Lastly, the characters are fun and likable. I found it just a fun, short book to read that helped me remember what I really like about children's literature, and especially children's mysteries.

9. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

First of all I have to say that this book defied all my expectations. This was the book for the mother-daughter book club last month. I had never heard of it, so I looked it up to see what it was about. I can't remember where I got the description, but it went something like this: "The story of Hurricane Katrina through the eyes of a young girl who can see ghosts and lives with her witch doctor grandmother in New Orleans." I groaned and decided I better read it before my daughters. I was looking forward to something totally depressing and weird. This book couldn't have been farther from that. It is really well-written and interesting.

It is about a little 12 year old girl named Lanesha who lives with an older lady who is a midwife and healer. This lady, named Mama Ya-Ya, took Lanesha in at birth after her mother died and the rest of her kin abandoned her. They have a very loving, positive relationship. The little girl can see ghosts, but in the book it doesn't seem creepy or weird, just the way it is. Lanesha loves math and approaches everything as a problem to be solved. So when the problem of Hurricane Katrina presents itself, she does her best to solve the problem for herself, her best friend, their dog, and Mama Ya-Ya. They live in Ninth Ward, one of the poorest areas in New Orleans, and have no way to evacuate when the city begins to flood. Even though this book is about a tragedy, it seems very hopeful and positive. I really liked it and so did my girls. A lady in our group who had lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, said the portrayal of the hurricane was very accurate. I learned a lot and would recommend it to anyone. And the author sent our group an autographed copy of the book, about 20 autographed book marks and two frozen cakes. What a nice lady!! (And very impressive that the librarian even tried to contact the author, way braver than I would be.)

5-8. Call Me Francis Tucket; Tucket's Ride; Tucket's Gold; and Tucket's Home by Gary Paulsen

These 4 books are the sequels to Mr. Tucket. I decided to just do one review because they read like one long book. This is great historical fiction. Francis Tucket leaves his friend Mr. Grimes and strikes out on his own with a wagon train headed west. Along the way he gets lost, gets robbed, and finds a small girl and boy that have been abandoned because of sickness. Later he gets kidnapped by Mexican banditos, finds Spanish gold and is rescued by Indians. The books are fast-moving and really interesting. I really liked the part about the Mexican-American war. I really hadn't thought that much about it. They're great quick reads, every one, and I loved them.