Kids Books - Children

A fiery governess + her cool-tempered master = a sizzling romance After being raised in deplorable conditions from a young age, Jane is only too happy to embark upon her own independent journey; this path leads to none other than Mr. Rochester, the overseer of his gargantuan residence. The timespan of the novel sees Jane establishing numerous relationships--and particularly one of passion with Rochester--as she strives to establish herself and maintain her position as her own person. Yet her life simply cannot be as simple as she had hoped; secrets surrounding the manor eventually emerge, testing her personality amid an abrupt but drastic change in the history of her employer. Jane must decide whether a life with Rochester is warranted or even feasible--and, perhaps more importantly, whether she can personally overcome the barriers between her and her happiness with little more than her personality. As a whole, this novel is indeed worth a read; the author, Charlotte Bronte, lived in the 19th century, and her work reveals some aspects of how life was in that period; although it is ultimately a work of fiction and thus not entirely accurate, I found that the general notions and customs upheld are reflective of the first half of the 1800s as well. More than the glimpse of history, however, this book is also intriguing. There are some slower portions and chapters that approach a literary stall, but I believe that Bronte compensates for this with other sections. It has an appreciable balance of spirit, challenges, and dramatic tension, with Jane's time at Thornsfield (Rochester's residence) deserving a special mention. I wouldn't say I'd read it again, but it is definitely worth at least one read. I would recommend this to those searching for a warm yet almost tense (though not in a negative way) novel.

Lots of adventure, that's just how I like my books. If you don't like adventure, fantasy then this probably isn't a book for you. But anyways, it shows friendship, and trusting your friends in hard situations. I hope you like this book as much as I did if you ever read it (I recommend you read the books before this in the series first).

Berta Berdette, who always felt like she's just a plain and unworthy compared to her younger sister, Glenna who was very outgoing and beautiful. This also had caused the girls' parents to treat them differently due to their personalities. But everything would change, deaths too plus also finding the suitors for both of the girls but delayed for Berta herself. This story is kind of depressing than of what I read of Janette Oke's other books but still I still do enjoy because it gives me the different outlook of how people live due to their past of growing up, their personalities differences but can still set the differences aside and learn and possibly love them for who they are. - Happy Reading!

Amelia Grafton, a girl who lived through the American Civil War of 1861-64. Like all of those other people, Amelia had to fight through to get additional information during the war against the North (Union) and the South (Confederate). Josh Dechart, one of Amelia's good friend who you will see more often among with other characters. Jinny Pearl Beale, a sweetheart for one of Amelia's brothers but not anymore, was also a woman soldier and spy, inspired from the Belle Boyd, another woman spy and a soldier. While reading this book, I can see that the Grafton have each other's backs, feelings about the war, different perspectives from each different character. - Happy Reading!

This book is really sad but sweet! But so far I'm only on page 15!

Nora has a big secret. The secret is that she's a genius! Nora learned to read in kindergarten, and could easily solve jigsaw puzzles when she was a baby! But Nora doesn't like people to make a big deal about her intelligence. So she tries not to show that she's a genius. When she takes the Connecticut Mastery Test, she purposely gets a few questions wrong so it'll seem like she's an average student. Another thing Nora dislikes is how her classmates make a big deal out of their test scores. Especially her friend Steven. So on 5 of the tests, she deliberately gets D's. When Nora's parents find out, they get angry and call the school. Then, Nora has to take an IQ test, and she accidentally reveals how smart she is. What will happen then? I like this book because it's exciting and also funny. I recommend this book to people who enjoy realistic fiction books.

This book is really cool. Its kinda like a modern adaption of The Original Boxcar Children. The Orphans are recruited by a secret society and are supposed to return artifacts to the right place. The children go on an adventure around the globe. Its a fun and exciting book and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good adventure!

Final adventure in the series featuring Daine and her friends. This book possibly be one of my favorites from this series, beautifully and expressive written by Tamora Pierce. As you would meet more new characters as we go through our last adventure with Veralidaine Sarrasri as we learn few of the shocking secrets that Daine never even knew about in her lifetime. Now sixteen, she started to find the romance and friendships with the characters. Again, like I said before, this book is possibly one of my favorite from this series of "The Immortal" as there'll have the plot twists, not something that you would expect from this book and you may want to sit in your comfy seat and read all day, reading and being with Daine. - Happy Reading!

This is a book about a little girl called Sara Crewe. She had servants, closets full of clothing, and a great dad. Her mom died when she was born, but she did not miss her, because she never saw her. Sara loved telling stories and she loved reading books. She was a pretty girl, with long lashes and eyes with a queer color. Her life was better than everyone else. One day, Sara's father told Sara to go to a boarding school for young ladies. She didn't like the place because it was dull and ugly on the inside, with a very ugly and strict teacher who only cared about wealth. Before the day of of leaving each other, Sara's father bought her a doll that Sara loved, who was called Emily. In the boarding school, everyone liked her, except some of the big girls that were popular before Sara came. She cared for a mother-less girl called Lottie and even made a friend called Ermengarde. I'm not going to tell you the rest, but you can read to find out! I recomend it for 7-13 year olds.

The experience of discovering one’s roots, as anyone who has done so can attest, is deeply grounding and often offers a change in perspective. Mai, who is known as Mia to her friends, has a name that captures the duality of life as a native of the California sand and sunshine with Vietnamese roots. The events in this book, however, occur in the latter location, where she accompanies her grandmother (Ba, in Vietnamese) to follow the trail of her Ong, or grandfather, who disappeared and was never heard from again during the Vietnamese War. It is the summer before 7th grade, and she is nervous about what is happening at her home, for some reasons that are often attributed to this age (read: crushes). Moreover, she dreads the prospect of spending most of her summer with her grandmother and people from Ong’s former village, to whom she may or may not be related. Alone, since her mother has decided, of course, to stay in California to prosecute an all-important case; her father, meanwhile, has left to practice surgery on children living in rural villages in the distant mountains of Vietnam. A detective has found possible evidence of where Ong went in the form of a former guard of his, when Ong was captured and sent to the North of Vietnam. The detective and his loquacity factor heavily in this story. However, the process of getting the guard to where Ba is, and persuading him to tell all of what he knows, takes forever. During which, Mai is forced to stay in a new and unfamiliar village acclimating to her surroundings. Understandably, this is something she’s none too happy to do. A moving premise. A fresh narrator. A summer that will be like no other. The themes that resonated with me were finding one’s roots, especially those that are far away, perhaps in another country. Learning about Vietnamese culture? A welcome addition. Seriously, learning about your culture, and your grandfather whom you never knew, only heard about is almost as fresh and engaging of a plot as is possible. Mai’s distinctive voice (teenager in a new, unfamiliar country) mostly helps the story along, but there are instances where it muddles up the story and the experience. All the reduced relative clauses and casual narration may force a few rereadings of those offending lines. What is supposed to be an easy read turns into a moderately-difficult one. The same can sometimes be said about the plot and pacing. While most of the time it emphasizes Mai’s new experiences and her becoming ever closer to her heritage and the people who are a part of, and near it, some of these just demonstrate her snarky attitude, acting as filler for the plot. Without trodding into spoiler territory, I can say that some of the things she brings over, while slightly funny, do nothing to move the plot forward (perhaps because the author felt the book would be too short to be meaningful?) This isn’t true, as Ba’s poetic stories—about meeting Ong, naming her children, learning about his disappearance—usually stretch for a page or more, but offer a deep and resonant connection to this person, searching for her husband after all these years—if anything, just to let go and move on. They end the chapters they are introduced in with a sense of finality, as both we and Mai ruminate over these words. Another possible gripe is that aside from Mai and Ut and Ba, many of the massive cast of characters are not fully developed. So if you enjoy picking up books with many diverse characters, you are out of luck. Let me introduce you to some of them. Her dad and mom could very well be totally absorbed by their work. We hear, very rightly, from Mai’s thoughts, that her father should be accompanying his mother on this trip, instead of leaving Mai to “take care” of her grandmother. We already see the connection between grandmother and granddaughter, so wouldn’t it be good to also see the bond between mother and son, even through a few sentences near the end? Instead, we only get a brief comment about how Mai’s father, Mua, meaning rain in Vietnamese, likely thinks his name is strange. I mean, come on. This book is definitely recommended for anyone who wants to learn about Vietnamese culture or Vietnamese history (particularly the Vietnam War), or has Vietnamese roots, or really anyone who has ever learned, or are planning to learn about one’s roots and the lives of one’s ancestors. Though not everyone will like the narration style or slightly-jumbled events, most all will like the heartfelt, original story of this poignant middle-grade novel.