Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

The book Chyrsanthemum is about a girl named Chrysanthemum, and she gets teased by her schoolmates almost all the time.

And then one day they went to musical school and there was a woman named Mrs. Twinkle, and her name could scarcely fit on her nametag like Chrysanthemum's, and her name was named after a flower, like Mrs. Twinkle.

And then when Jo, Rita and Victoria learn about it, they stop teasing Chrysanthemum, and start being nice to her instead of bullies. And then one day Mrs. Twinkle had a baby and named her Chrysanthemum.

Note from Mom:
Kevin Henkes is one of our favorite kid's book authors, and this is one of his best. You just can't help loving Cyrsanthemum, as well as her parents! A great book to help teach kids to love their individuality.

Nate the Great On the Owl Express

Nate the Great On the Owl Express is about Nate the Great, as you probably already know, and his cousin Olivia Sharp. And he is being a bodyguard for an owl named Hoot. And someone wrote a note about Hoot. The note says: "It will be a happy day when Hoot the owl flies away." Your Neighbor

At the beginning, Olivia Sharp thinks that it is a bad note about Hoot, and at the end, Nate the Great realizes that it's a get well note.

Buy Nate the Great On the Owl Express on Amazon.com

Nate The Great And The Stolen Base

Nate the Great and the Stolen Base is a really good book! I read it twice. And that was my third Nate the Great book. I'm looking for more Nate the Great books. Now let's get to what it's about.

It's about Nate the Great and Oliver, and they are looking for a stolen base. A plastic gloopy octopus with 8 arms. And some of the characters were Rosamond, Annie, Nate the Great, Oliver, Harry, Claude, Finley and Pip and Esmerelda belong to Rosamond's Rangers. And first base is a tuna fish can, and third base is a large dog bone. Rosamond is a very strange coach!

Buy Nate the Great at Amazon.com.

The Phantom Tollbooth

I liked The Phantom Tollbooth. It was about a boy named Milo, a bug named the Humbug, and a dog named Tock. Milo went into a world that had Dictionopolis and Digitopolis. Milo used to be discontented all the time in his room and he always felt bored, but at the end of the journey, he learned that there are plenty of things to do in his room. And he wanted to go on another trip.

Note from Mom:
The Phantom Tollbooth was one of my favorite books as a kid. Although some of the allusions were a bit over Caleb's head, he still enjoyed it.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book about a boy named Tom, his real name is Thomas Sawyer. And he gets into trouble all the time. He loves to go on adventures with his friend Huck, Huckleberry Finn. You will enjoy reading this book, and if you get into trouble a lot of time you will really enjoy it.

Huckleberry Finn is the son of the town drunkard. Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly, and his half brother Sid.

One of their adventures was going into a graveyard, and while they were there, 3 people came, one was called Injun Joe, a murderer. And another one was Dr. Robinson. And the last one was Muff Potter. They dug up a grave and found a little box in it, and they opened the box, and then.... (you'll have to read it to find out!)

You can buy The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on Amazon.com. Just click on the picture below.

Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The

Where The Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows is a very happy book, and near the end it is sad. You will like the all the adventures of this boy named Billy and his dogs Little Ann and Old Dan. The dogs are hounds. I read the book and I enjoyed it. My Mom read parts of the book to me. And there was a contest about who got the most raccoon hides, or skins. And Billy and his dogs won jackpot money, a gold cup, and a silver cup.

Note from Mom:Somehow I missed Where the Red Fern Grows while I was growing up, and so it was a real joy to read it with Caleb. Billy learns some important lessons about life and love and what's truly important in this classic coming of age novel. We're looking forward to seeing the movie now to see how it compares.

Buy Where the Red Fern Grows on Amazon.com. Just click on the picture!