Pippi Longstocking

I don't know how to review this book.  As a child, it was always one of my favorites.  Pipi was wild and such a free spirit.  And she had a monkey.  How can you not love a monkey?  I read this dozens of times growing up.  I loved how she just did and said whatever and nevermind the consequences.  I loved how she transformed the two kids from next door from uptight, perfect children into kids not afraid to have fun.  But then....
I re-read it again last week and realized I really hate that kid.  I wanted to spank her or tranquilize her, one of the two.  She is an unruly spoiled brat.  She lies without a single thought to what she is saying and it is not even remotely amusing.  She has the manners of a wild boar and I cannot begin to imagine the mess her house was.  But I still love the monkey.  I could just do without Pipi.  I cannot imagine ever letting my own children play with her.  And my kids are not perfect little angels.  But sending them to play with Pipi????  May as well give them a bottle of gas and a lighter and tell them to go play in the middle of the interstate.  Plus did I mention those manners and complete disregard for adult authority?
I guess that is the point of the book.  If you are raised on the high seas and your father is a cannibal king, you cannot be expected to know much of anything about manners and being good.  You are pretty much destined to be  a lying, crazy, monkey-owning heathen.  I guess I can say that it was okay.  Loved it as a child but as an adult and a parent, I am hoping my kids don't pick up the same manners that Pipi Longstocking had.
[book:Pippi Longstocking|19302]

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I grew up watching this series on tv and loved the books when I was young.  My two older girls have read all the books and my youngest is on the 3rd or 4th one now.  So I decided to re-read them as well. 
This is the saga of Laura Ingalls and her family.  This is actually the second book in the series.  Laura and her family leave the Big Woods and head for the open country of the west.  Pa feels like the woods have become too crowded and wants to be somewhere that he can hunt enough meat for his family and not be covered up by neighbors.  So they head west into Indian Territory.  Almost immediately they encounter problems when they try to cross a stream that almost takes their wagon.  But they make it through.  Once they reach a good spot with water nearby and plenty of game, Pa tells them that they are going to settle here.  He builds a barn for the horses, a house for the family and they begin to live and grow up on the prairie.  Life was a struggle for them.  There are wild animals, wildfires, sickness and few to no doctors, Indians and the constant threat of injury.
My kids were struck by the differences of life then and now.  They were awed that the girls did not have their own rooms.  What do you mean the whole family slept in one room?  What about the bathroom?  No stove?  How did they do that?  They appreciated what they have a whole lot more after they read the books.  Life was so dangerous, even when they were not doing things we would consider dangerous.  These books are timeless and I would recommend them to anyone from about 2nd grade and up.
[book:Little House on the Prairie|77767]

The Hobbit

This is kind of like the first Lord of the Rings books if you will.  It introduces Bilbo Baggins, a lovable but kind of pain in the backside Hobbit.  He is more worried about how much food he has in his house than anything else.  Bilbo goes on a quest to find treasure that is guarded by a dragon.  Along the way, he receives help from Gandulf the Wizard, who is kind and good but keeps tripping off on other errands, as well as elves and dwarves. 
The characters in this book are so colorful and believable.  When I was young I was terrified of giant spiders that could talk (hmmmmm.....wasn't there one is a Harry Potter book?).  There are trolls and evil wolves and wonderful eagles that can talk and save the day.  It is a magical trip for anyone EVEN if you are not into this genre of writing.  It is not my most favorite but I still really enjoyed this book.  Part of me wanted to help Bilbo Baggins on his way and another part of me was rolling my eyes and hoping he got eaten by a troll.
Super book that I think anyone from 3rd grade and up would enjoy.  And I hear there is a movie coming out soon?  I might just have to see it.
[book:The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again|5907]

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

By far, this was my favorite book in the series up to this point.  There is going to be a wizard competition at Hogwart's and somehow Harry's name gets thrown into the pot to compete.  There are tons of visitors and new characters and there is a shocking twist toward the end.  There are mermaids and dragons and magical mazes with danger lurking at every turn.  We see Hermione and Ron begin to realize that they DO have feelings for one another and poor Harry, well he just can't seem to ever find a girlfriend can he?
Through it all, you have the ever present Lord Valdemort skulking around and making plans to get Harry and take control over the magical world.

The writing was great.  The characters are funny and even more developed this time and I did not feel this book dragging like the last one did.

Recommended for 5th grade and up if it is the un-abridged version.

[book:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|6]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Year three is here for Harry, Hermione and Ron.  They return to Hogwart's to find it in a semi-lockdown mode because Sirius Black is on the loose.  Dementors guard the grounds and drain away your happiness if they attack you.  The book was an easy, fast read and did keep you turning to find out what happens next.  The characters are, for the most part, the same as the previous books with a little more development. 
I enjoyed the book but did feel from time to time like it was trying to slow down.  It picked up the pace though again pretty quickly and moved on. 
Harry has to decide in this one who is really telling the truth about some things and who is lying.  You learn a lot more about Harry's parents and their past and you learn about Azkaban Prison.  As always, Lord Valdemort lurks in the background waiting to kill Harry. Harry, Ron and Hermione have to help Hagrid save one of his magical creatures when Malfoy makes it attack him and the creature is sentenced to death. Add a dose of wererwolves, time turning and missing rats and you have a fun, surprising and sometimes funny book.
Would recommned for about 5th grade and up for the complete un-abridged version.  3rd and 4th grade would enjoy the abridged shorter version as well.
[book:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban|5]

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Okay I have a confession to make....I read this book years ago and finished it up late one night.  I went to sleep and woke up in a panic because there was a T-Rex roaming our neighborhood and he was pulling the roofs off houses and then picking people up from inside and eating them.  I know, I know...me and my weird dreams.
I saw the movie before I read the book.  Saw it when it first came out at theaters and enjoyed it so much that I went and bought the book to read.  Loved the book even more than the movie.  It was so well written and so descriptive, I could smell the jungle air and the animals.  It took me no time to finish it, evidenced by the fact that I could not put it down until I was done.  It was super.  The pace is super fast, the detail is magnificent, the characters are well thought out and solid.
Is there such a place in existence?  Perhaps something the government of some country is funding?  Maybe so, maybe not.  But it was a wonderful book and the differences in the book and movie are minute.  You will love the book if you loved the movie.  Maybe more like I did.
[book:Jurassic Park|7677]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Ah....the old Harry Potter.  I know I am getting old.  I remember when this series came out and all the hooplah over how the people who read this book were all promoting witchcraft and devil worship.  Lol....so be it then.  I liked this book a whole lot.  My girls have read it as well as the rest of the series and honestly, they have yet to pick up a stick in the yard and try to call forth demons.
Poor Harry Potter.  He is an orphan stuck living with a hateful aunt and uncle and their terrible son.  They make him sleep under the stairs in a little storage spot.  He is banned from any kind of normal activity and is the family secret.  Until......Harry finds out he is a wizard.  He is whisked off to wizard school at Hogwart's and finds his life changed 180 degrees from what it was.  He is kind of a star at Hogwart's.  His parents were killed fighting Lord Valdemort and Harry is the only one to ever escape an attack by the all powerful dark wizard. 
Harry is on the quest for the sorcerer's stone and without realizing it, he is guided through the adventure by the adults that are training and teaching him.  They are training Harry to be a great wizard but he does not fully understand everything that is happening all the time.  He makes fast friends with Hermione and Ron and the three of them are never far from each other in this book (or in any of the later books).
Great book and the ones that follow are just as good.  Great writing that will keep you interested and most of the time, the books flow at a good pace so you don't feel bogged down. The full un-abridged versions would be good for probably 5th grade and up, although, my 3rd grade daughter is reading them now and has no problem.  They do make abridged versions for younger children but I think you miss a lot of the interesting characters and things that go