the Tempest

The tempest is a book about a Lord Prospero and his daughter Miranda, who gets banished to an island by Prospero's brother and the king, where they live for many years. Years later, the king, Prospero's brother, and others are shipwrecked on Prospero's island and Prospero, having studied magic twists Fate so Miranda and himself end up on top.
Well this is Shakespeare, so this may be a bit confusing, but I have some ways on making it easier to understand Shakespeare (see my post on making Shakespeare easier to understand). Now, I Love Shakespeare, but it’s cool if you have a little trouble. It’s hard. The comedies can be a little easier in my experience, and more fun to read.  It's my second favorite Shakespeare book, after Midsummer nights dream. The play is fun to watch after you've read it. 

what's your favorite Shakespeare play? have you read the tempest?

-Caroline

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is an amazing book. I know you've probably read it, but i'm going to do a short synopsis. Harry is a 10 year old boy who lives with his aunt and uncle. On his eleventh birthday in the middle of the night, a huge man comes into the house and says he is a wizard and he is to go to the finest wizard school there is, to learn magic. On the magical train ride to Hogwarts, he meets Ron Weasley, they decide to be friends, Hermione granger, of whom their opinions change constantly but she ends up their friend, Neville Longbottom, a forgetful boy who always is losing his toad Trevor, And Draco Malfoy, a nasty little boy. He treats Harry’s newfound friend Ron as trash, and whom Harry and Ron decide to ignore.
Honestly, I don’t really want to go further with that. Because, either, you’ve read the book and know the story, or you don’t and I don’t want to spoil it. But this book is just awesome. It’s also really nostalgic to go back and read my favorite parts. I honestly think that reading this book at eleven is the perfect time to get introduced to the wizarding world. Your the same age as Harry and his friends, it’s not too intense, but for the younger group it is a little, and 11 is a magic number. 😉
What is your favorite chapter of the beginning of one of the best children’s series ever written?
-Caroline

Book Recommendations by Age

Alrighty yall, i've decided to make a post of my favorite book recommendations by age. I've attached links to the books i've already made reviews on. My goal is to eventually have reviews on all of them and I will update this post if I do.

8+
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
A Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

9+
Wonder R.J. Palacio
A Little Princess
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osbourne

10+
Hatchet Gary Paulson
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Anne Of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  Roald Dahl

11+
The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (1-4)
Artemis fowl by Eoin Colfer
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
I Funny by James Patterson
Treasure island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Yankees on the Doorstep by Debra Smith
The Yearling by Marjorie K. Rawlings
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

12+
The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Messenger by Lois Lowry
Son by Lois Lowry
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin
The Purple Mantle by Aliki Kafetzopoulou
Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Mister Max Finder of lost things by Cynthia Voight
Mister Max the books of secrets by Cynthia Voight
Mister max and the book of Kings by Cynthia Voight

13+
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke
Macbeth by Shakespeare
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Odyssey by Homer
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
War, Women, and the News by Catherine Gourley

Of Mice and Men by John Steinback

A Hobbit a Wardrobe and a Great War by Joseph Loconte

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Murder On the Nile by Agatha Christie 

Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin 

ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis 

I Even funnier!

Yes this is the second book in the I funny series. I even funnier is about Jamie, after winning the New York's funniest kid contest, and the northeast's funniest kid contest. Stevie is still a bully, Glinda and Jamie are good friends, Gaynor gets into trouble and Pierce is sill a nerd. there are new struggles and old ones but Jamie is still telling jokes.
This book is actually a pretty good sequel to the first book. Some aren't but this one is. Its got its ins, outs, and surprises and that's what makes a good book. This book also deals with cancer, something that is devastating and becoming more common. It also touches on Chemo therapy and things that come with cancer. But it's also not something that they spend forever on. Overall this is a great sequel and I will defiantly recommend  it.
Caroline!

The Mysterious Benedict Society by; Trenton lee Stewart (Books 1-4)

the Mysterious Benedict Society is about a group of kids gathered by a man named Mr Benedict originally to defeat Mr Benedict's twin brother Mr Curtain. Books 1-3 (I'll go over four later) are about the children and their adventures as a team, going against Mr. Curtain and his infamous Ten Men. The four children learn about teamwork, trusting each other, and blocking their deepest thoughts from the telepath Constance.
I loved this series so much, and it is defiantly a favorite of mine! and I was very pleased when I found out there is a fourth book.
The fourth book is a little later. The children are high school age-ish and are reunited after a while. Constance is battling a telepath who is constantly in her mind trying to discover the location of the children and tai a telepath that constance found and led to the house of Mr Benedict. The Ten men are trying to save Mr Curtain from the safe house/prison on an island in the first book. But the MBS knows their plan and is trying to stop it.
I know I was a bit vague about the first three books, I'm sorry, but its been a while. But I discovered/read the fourth book recently and discovered that I hadn't done a review of these amazing books! so despite my vague review, I would say that these books are for 11/12+. they are long, and a little bit tough, especially the first couple chapters of the first book (lots of names of unfamiliar countries and things), But such a fun and interesting read! I defiantly  recommend you read them no matter what age. let me know if you've read these books and your opinions of them!
Caroline!

I Funny by: James patterson

I funny is a book about a boy named Jamie Grimm. a handicapped middle schooler, who loves to tell jokes. he lives with his aunt and uncle Kosgrov or "smiley" as he calls them. They don't laugh or smile any. Not even their three children. Or their dog. Jamie has trouble with a bully at school: Steve Kosgrov. yup the bully is his cousin. Jamie stands up to Stevie a lot because he's not scared of him. Jamie has four friends over the course of the book; Gaynor, Pierce, (boys BTW) Glinda, and "Cool Girl" (girls). After school Jamie zips on over to the seaside diner. Owned by his uncle Frankie. The diner is like home to him. He tests out new material on customers, works the register and has a great time!
I funny is a book about living your dreams and not conforming into stereotypes. But for me its also a glimpse into life as a public schooler. which don't get me wrong, I have public schooler friends and family, it's kinds nice to know what it's like. Its also FILLED with jokes. mostly good ones ;). I think the first time I read it I was a little young to understand it, but after re-reading it recently it makes a lot more sense. I think its a great book and I would defiantly recommend! let me know if you've read this book and what you think!
Caroline!

Spy School by: Stuart Gibbs

Spy school is a book about a young boy named Ben Ripley, who gets accepted into the CIA spy school in Washington DC. He isn't allowed to tell anybody that is is a spy school, but that it's a science school. Ben is a little suspicious because it's January, but he is told that there was an opening and he was next on the list. On his first night, he is attacked by an assassin which he wards off with a tennis racket, but by the time help arrives the assassin is gone.
This book was great in my opinion. I can't wait to read the next one! there are 5 or 6 bookish this series. I really enjoyed it.  It's a longer book, but Ben is twelve, so about that age would be who I would suggest it too.  There is a lot of excitement and spy school is interesting, but it's also about trust and how some friends will be there for you and some friends will not. Its like that saying, you'll have lots of friends when you're rich and famous, but if you lose it all, the ones who stick around are your true friends; or something like that. so overall this is a great book, would defiantly recommend, let me know if you've read this book and what you think!
Caroline!

A Walk To Remember By; Nicholas Sparks

Happy June!
Last Year about february A Wrinkle in time came out. You are probably thinking, What does A Wrinkle in Time have to do with A Walk To Remember? Well I am getting there. So i emailed a few of my friends and asked them if they would read A.W.I.N. With me and then go see the movie together. So we read it and thus my Book Club was born. So we have been steady going for a while, we have been going for 18 months now. Ok this months book is A Walk To Remember. I started it late at night read ten pages, picked it up the next day and finished it before 6;00. i hope that reflects the fact that it is good. I enjoyed the characters, and to be honest I went in to the book knowing it was a romance. So knew they wouldn't be in love already..... ya know stuff like that! I was a little thrown off when he started saying how annoying and weird this girl was, i mean why would he say stuff like that. I started thinking that she was the weird girl no one likes and he would fall for a cheerleader or something. but overall I love the story, how he reacts to things, and her sense of humor. i hope I didn't   give some of the book away. I probably did. but there are always more surprises. :)
overall i absolutely loved this book.
how many of you have read this book?
i hope at least Olivia, Ana, Ava, and Lydia have! (they are in the Book Club I took forever explaining)

The Penderwick series

Honestly I fell in love with these books.  They are heartwarming.  The third and fourth books has some romance indications, but not hugely. Well I mean it says like dates and stuff but it is a kids book.  I defiantly think that this is for like a 7ish year old and up. I read them when I was almost twelve.  To be clear there are 5 books in the series, the first four are more of a quartet and the 5th is more like a very long prologue.  I love them all though.  They really are a true family, they have hard times, their father is a widower, its just all feels so true!  One of my favorite parts of the series is the club that the older Penderwick sisters have.
Have you read the Penderwicks? If you have, comment on what your favorite part is, and if you haven't, go read them! its is such a good series no matter what your age!