Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen

Woods Runner is a short, yet powerful tale of one boy's race to rescue his parents, who are prisoners of the British during the Revolutionary War. Samuel lives with his parents in the forests of Pennsylvania where they live a peaceful life with several other villagers. Samuel is relied upon by the village to provide meat for them and has become an expert woods runner and hunter. One day while he is out hunting, tragedy strikes; his village is burned down and his parents are taken captive by British soldiers. Hot on their trail, Samuel is determined to save them. Along the way he encounters injury and savagery and unexpectedly becomes the guardian of a little girl named Annie. The tale follows Samuel all the way to New York City, where thousands of prisoners are living in dismal conditions. Interspersed with facts about the Revolutionary War and how people lived during this time period, I found Woods Runner to be fascinating and suspenseful. I would recommend this for fifth grade and up.

Mockingjay is Here!

Has anyone read it yet? What did you think?

Beastologist: The Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers

Nate Fludd is a 10-year-old orphan whose parents perished in an airship accident in the Arctic. Sent to live with his adventurous Aunt Phil, Nate learns that he comes from a line of beastologists. His family has studied supposedly mythical creatues such as basilisks and gremlins for generations. Shortly after arriving he and Aunt Phil embark on a trip to Arabia to witness the birth of a new Phoenix. Featuring strong character development and high adventure this new series would be perfect for third and fourth graders who like fantasy mixed with danger. Book two is The Basilisk's Lair.

It’s THE UGLY TRUTH

It’s THE UGLY TRUTH

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper 304 pgs.

Wonderful first person narrative about Melody Brooks, an 11 year old wheelchair-bound girl, who hasn’t spoken or walked due to cerebral palsy, yet tells the reader about her full life in school: best friend Rose, new little sister, Penny, and dear Mrs. Valencia who cares enough to help Melody learn how to communicate with others. Excellent character development, realistic daily care of special needs children and the prejudices society has toward disabled people. I LOVE that you never feel sorry for Melody and readers can “hear” Melody’s smart and confident voice through her own words.

A Ratings Website

I just discovered this website that rates adult fiction, non-fiction and young adult novels. The administrator of the site is a book reviewer for a newspaper. There aren't a ton of ratings so far, but there are quite a few young adult novels listed. It might be a good resource to use when a parent (or kid) is looking for clean reads.

Amazon's Best Books of 2010... So Far

Here is the list of Amazon's Best Children's Books.