36. Ice Drift by Theodore Taylor

Ice Drift is about 2 Inuit brothers (age 10 and 14) in the 1800's who are out ice fishing on an ice floe when it unexpectedly breaks away from the mainland. They end up being stuck on the floe for 6 months all by themselves. It is amazing how they survive. I read this book for my book club and also presented at the book club. I found the author, Theodore Taylor's life almost as exciting and interesting as the book. I was glad I got a chance to look him up. I thought this book was fascinating because it showed me how little I knew about the Inuit culture and the behavior of ice and weather in the Arctic Circle. I was also awed at how the older brother knew how to butcher a seal, and use every little part of it to keep the two of them alive. Finally, I liked the depiction of family love. The older brother realized that while he did all the stuff to keep them physically alive, the younger brother helped by needing him to do it all. And their mother and father both went to great lengths to try and find and save them. It was a very quick read but worth it, a great survival adventure novel.

35. Shannon the Ocean Fairy by Daisy Meadows

This one book is representative of about 100 of these fairy books that I've read. I've really only read about 20 but it feels like 100 sometimes. The positives: they have cute pictures spread throughout the books (they're chapter books), they all have similar plots so little kids can easily follow them, they all have the same main characters. My little girls love these books. From probably Kate on down, they have all read these books at one time or another. (These have consistently been Ruth's picks for bedtime stories for about a year. As an adult, they can be a little monotonous at times because they are so similar, but they are better (at least for me) than reading the same book every night. They also read well as bedtime stories (a chapter a night). I also find that the characters are likeable and nice, even to the bad guys. I like that. The negatives: they are all the same basic story. I remember when I first ran into these books, and they were such a big hit with my girls that I googled them to find out more. Apparently there was a big scandal in England, because it turned out that they were written by a publishing house by a bunch of different authors, all using the same pen name. It made me laugh that people were so worked up about it. I thought, how else could they come up with about a 100 of them in 2 years. Anyway, I think they are good books for what they are.

34. In Control, Ms. Wiz? by Terence Blacker

This is another Emma pick. I'm not sure how she picks books, but they're always interesting. This is one of a series of books with a lady that is kind of like Mary Poppins meets a Roald Dahl story. It's a fun story about an English town that is trying to close down they're local library because of budget cuts, and Ms. Wiz arrives on the scene and helps the kids revolt, with the help of storybook characters that she can make jump out of books. It's fun and very Emma. Quirky is probably the word.

33. Sticks by Joan Bauer

Joan Bauer is another one of those authors that amazes me. Every book I read of hers I love. She likes to focus in on a profession and see the whole world through those eyes. She has a book about selling shoes, one about waitressing, and one about growing prize-winning pumpkins. This one is all about pool tournaments and the math involved. It is so interesting and well-written. And the main character, named Mickey, comes to terms with loss and disappointment by using pool. It's a great book and I would recommend any of her books.

32. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

This book is for all you runners out there. I'm not a runner; in fact, I've always considered myself anti-running. (Our family motto has always been, I only run if I'm being chased.) But this book made me remember how fun running can be when you're a kid. It made me want to try running again. And Sharon Creech is one of those authors that just amazes me. Her prose writing reads like poetry and her free verse writing just flows. This novel is written in free verse in the rhythm of running or a heartbeat. Amazing!! The heartbeat also refers to the fact that the main character's mom is pregnant. So I have to say that this book was a little hard for me to read, but it was so good, I just couldn't stop. Mesmerizing!! Kaylyn you have to read this book.

31. Do the Funky Pickle by Jerry Spinelli

This book took me back to 7th grade dances, fights, first loves and social structure. I remembered how much I really hated junior high, and yet I loved the school part of it and I had good friends that I still remember fondly. That's how this book is. The 4 main characters all have things they struggle with in middle school, and yet they have each other and they all have subjects or things they really like about school. It is a well-written, fun read but it made me glad that I don't have to go through that age again. My one complaint with the novel is that the point of view floats around between the four main characters. It was a little confusing at first. But once I got used to it, it was fine. Just a little warning.

30. Shakespeare's Scribe by Gary Blackwood

This novel was Kate's pick for her bedtime story and we finally finished it. It's the second in a three book series about an orphan boy named Widge who lives in Shakespeare's time. In the first book, which I read years ago, Widge eventually becomes an actor in Shakespeare's acting company. So in this book, Widge and the rest of the company are forced to leave London and take the show on the road because of a plague outbreak. While on the road, Shakespeare breaks his arm somehow (I can't remember how because I read it a chapter a night over 2 months time) and Widge becomes his scribe as he tries to write the play, All's Well that Ends Well (Widge is the only one who has experience in dictation). Widge is also forced to face some of his own personal demons like who his parents are and if he's a strong enough actor to retain his place in the company. I liked the book and I think Kate did too. It probably would have been better if I had been reading it a little faster, but other than that I thought it was a pretty good historical fiction, and the parts about the plague were really interesting. I think the whole series is definitely worth a read.

29. The Fairy House: Fairies to the Rescue by Kelly McKain

This is a book that Emma picked as her bedtime story. As fairy stories go, it was all right, but it's not my favorite fairy series. This particular one was about the main little girl dealing with a girl bully in her class. The fairies help her, but they're not that nice. I know that you can't just be mowed over by bullies, but I don't think stooping to the bully's level is the way to handle it either. Eventually, the girl stands up to the girl and everything works out, but the part in the middle kind of bothered me. However, I will give it an A for cover design. The fairy on the cover has a sparkly piece of material for a dress. I think that is what drew Emma. She's very visual. And the illustrations are ok. But I think there are better fairy stories out there. I've read a lot them (with 5 daughters). Emma seems to like them and I wouldn't ban them or anything, I just think you can do better.

28. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange

This novel is for all you Twilight fans out there. Wasn't Edward modeled after Darcy? So what's better than Darcy as a tortured, love stricken vampire? I liked this book. I like the author's style of writing (better than Stephenie Meyer's actually, sorry). And I don't really mind that the novel is relatively bloodless, and that you know Darcy is a vampire and Elizabeth doesn't. I actually like to read books where I know part of the ending, but that's just me. And it is definitely less silly than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It's an interesting twist that I think works as a sequel.

27. Whom the Lord loveth: The Journey of Discipleship by Neal A. Maxwell

This is a collection of short essays by Elder Maxwell on how we can become better disciples of Christ. When I say short, I mean really short, as in 4 pages or less. I liked this format because it was almost like reading a thought of the day and using the essays as a jumping off point for my own thinking on whatever the subject might be. It also makes it easy to pick up the book any time you have a spare minute. Elder Maxwell was a masterful writer and had a talent for using large words in complex sentences without being wordy, or sounding showy. The way he combines words really makes your mind twist and bend to understand all his subtle meanings. He discusses everything from "Intellectual Humility" to "God's Character and Purposes." There is just so much good, interesting stuff that I would highly recommend picking it up.

26. Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange

I think this is one of my favorite Jane Austen retellings that I've read recently. It is a retelling of Persuasion from Captain Wentworth point of view via his diary. It is a fun, quick read. It actually starts before Persuasion does and tells Anne and Wentworth's backstory, when they originally met and fell in love (kind of a prequel to Persuasion) and then follows the story line of the original book. Wentworth seems very likable and the extra characters used to fill out the story are interesting and likeable too. Amanda Grange is great capturing the original story but making some interesting additions of her own that make the whole thing exciting to experience again.

25. Katie Kazoo Switcheroo: Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade? by Nancy Krulik

Emma chose this book for her bedtime story. These books are always pretty funny. They are an adventure in gaining perspective, or walking in someone else's shoes. Katie Kazoo always starts out not understanding someone in the story and then she experiences their life and gains a little perspective. This time she makes a new friend who has a big family (5 kids, huge!!). Katie, an only child, is jealous until she experiences the family first hand. My favorite quotes, "Wow! Katie was amazed. Emma had five kids in her family. That was a whole basketball team." and "'You know how to sew?' Katie was amazed. 'Sure. My mom taught me,' Emma said. 'When you have so many kids, the big ones have to know things like that, so they can help out. Next I hope my mom's going to teach me to cook. That looks like more fun than sewing.'" I broke out laughing when I read these pages. I asked my Emma if that is how she felt in our BIG family. She didn't think it was as funny. Ah well!! At least she doesn't have to patch her brother's jeans like the story's Emma does. But it is a good idea. I'll have to start doing that. She also comes to better understand her band teacher. A good read-aloud.

24. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy by Maya Slater

This is not my favorite rewriting of Pride and Prejudice. This is not my least favorite version (there have been some that I had to put down because they were pure trash). There were glimpses of interpretations that were interesting. But mostly everything was taken too far. I just can't buy Darcy as a frequenter of whore houses. Sorry. That would make him not respectable in my eyes and ruins his whole aura. I did like that Darcy felt sorry for Lydia and that Wickham was evil. But I really didn't get or like the whole Byron side story. What was that? And Georgina wasn't really likable at all. I don't know. I wouldn't really recommend this book. It was interesting, but may not be worth your time. There are better retellings out there, if you're looking for that.

23. Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George

I've been reading this book to Mary before bed for a couple of months. She chose it, but it is one of the books Grandma Payne bought her for Christmas. Jessica Day George is also one of the authors that we've seen and heard from several times at the library book fest. I really liked it. It is actually the second in a series of three books, and I haven't read any of the others, but I may go back and read the first one. Mary really liked it and so did I and I think Ruth even liked it (since she was forced to listen to it, being in the same room and all). Thumbs up all around. It is a fun story about a country which enslaves dragons to try and wage a war of agression, and the dressmaker who tries to stop them. It was funny and inventive, the characters were likeable, except for the bad ones, who weren't, and the story had lots of twists and turns. I would recommend it for anyone who likes dragons or adventure stories.