Kids Books - Specialty

Dubbed as one of the most beautiful books ever written, Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic "A Little Princess" revolves around a little girl named Sara Crewe who has everything. Her wardrobes are full to bursting with lavish attire, she is allowed extravagant porcelain dolls to play with, and her father is investing in some diamond mines in India that could make millions. Naturally, when Sara is sent to Miss Minchin's Seminary for Young Ladies, she is treated like royalty and with the utmost respect. In turn, impeccably-mannered Sara becomes a great favorite not only because of her money but because of her kindness. However, when her father dies and the diamond mine deal drains all his money but fails, young Sara Crewe is left with not a thing in the world to call her own except her doll. Forced to become a drudge and work day and night in rags for now-forboding Miss Minchin, Sara is dirty, alone, and worked to the bone. But what no one can take from Sara is her wherewithal, and even in the short little black dress smudged with dirt and torn to rags, Sara is a little princess in a class of her very own.

The book The Secret Garden was written by Frances Hodgson Burnett in 1911. It is about a rude and spoiled little girl named Mary. She came from India but isn’t Indian. When she was born she wasn't wanted By her father or mother, so they gave her to a lady to watch over her. Mostly, servants took care of Mary and had to do whatever she asked of them or demanded because people didn't want her to throw a fit or cry. This made her grow up, having everything her way and done for her. One day, a great number of people in the household had died from sickness or had fled away in terror and most everyone had seen to disappear. People later found Mary in her nursery and came to take her to live with her Uncle, who is depressed and ends up having no time to pay attention to or love her. Over time she slowly learns to do things on her own and not to rely on everybody else to do things for her. She finds out that there is a secret garden that her uncle’s wife used to love, but she passed away, Which devastated him. So, he shut away the garden and never wanted to see it again. He buried the key to the garden, and no one has seen it for 10 years. Mary later learns to like people other than herself and to enjoy nature and what it has to offer. She meets a kind boy named Dickon, who teaches her a lot about gardens and helps her learn about them. She starts to enjoy plants and animals and has the desire to learn more about them. She starts to spend more time playing outside and sees the beauty of nature. I truly enjoyed this book and rate it a five out of five. I would recommend it to anyone passionate about gardens/plants and classics. Thanks!

Warning! This review contains spoilers (not that it matters because there's absolutely no suspense in this book whatsoever). There's this little girl named Heidi, and both of her parents died when she was a baby. So went to go live with her aunt and her grandmother (on her mom's side). But then her grandmother dies. So, her aunt sends her to live with her grandfather (on her dad's side). Her grandfather lives in the mountains, and everyone who lives near him says he's really mean. But Heidi's aunt doesn't care and sends her to live with him anyway. Heidi then makes friends with a boy named Peter and his grandmother. After Heidi has lived with her grandfather for a few years, her aunt comes back. Then she basically takes her to live with some random rich people, so there daughter will have a companion. What I thought of it: This book was extremely boring. Heidi was an extremely irritating character. She basically prances around bringing joy and sunshine to everyone she comes in contact with for no apparent reason. It's like everyone loves her and no one knows why. Then, eventually, in addition to going around bringing joy to everyone, she starts going around and preaching to everyone. She's probably no more than 10 years old, and suddenly (after one talk with a girl's grandmamma) she knows everything about God. It's absolutely ridiculous. Also, she just magically learns how to read in two seconds. One minute she's completely illiterate, and the next, she's the world's best reader. What up with that? Not to mention the fact that she's a total jerk. Once some of her new friends come to visit her, she starts completely (and pretty much without a reason), ignoring her friend Peter. This causes Peter to become VERY angry. I mean some of his reactions were a bit extreme, but he definitely had a right to be mad. And Heidi just continues to prance around as if nothing has happened. I mean she never even addresses the fact that he's angry. Ever. But there was one thing that REALLY bothered me about this situation. When Heidi wanted Peter to do something, and he refused, she had the nerve to threaten him! And he listened! I really couldn't believe it. But for now, I'm going to take break from talking about Heidi, and talk about the other characters. Heidi's grandfather was completely inconsistent character. He was said to have been really mean, but he's never portrayed doing anything mean. As soon as Heidi shows up he pretty much welcomes her with open arms. Then when she leaves, he says he never wants to see her again. But then she comes back again, he's perfectly happy to see her. People are always saying how terrible he is, but we never see him do anything terrible. I mean the writer meant to write him as one of those "Don't judge a book by it's cover" character, but did a really bad job. I also didn't like the fact that Heidi's friend Klara just came to the mountains and magically got better. I mean the girl couldn't walk her entire life, and then she comes to the mountains and has the ability to walk by the end of the summer. Yet another unrealistic thing that happened in this book to add to the list. I could go on forever picking out the flaws in this book, but I think I'm going to go ahead and wrap this review up. I can't help but feel that this entire book was just completely dedicated to making Heidi seem like she was a perfect little angel, when in reality, she was a total brat. I mean they never addressed any of her flaws. But instead, they tried (and failed) to completely cover them all up. The morals of the story seemed to be: Trust in God and he will fix all your problems (which isn't a bad thing, but they could have portrayed that in a way that wasn't completely preachy. I mean they pretty much had the same conversation over and over with different people.), The mountains are a magical place and if you go there all your health issues will magically disappear, and Heidi is the best thing since sliced bread. You should love her with all her heart even though she doesn't really have any really good character traits. Overall, it was a very boring and preachy book, and I have no idea why this is a classic. On second thought, it being boring and preachy is probably the very reason it's a classic.

This book is incredible! It is sad, happy and heartbreaking all at the same time! I read it a while ago, and I want to read it again! Definitely recommended!

My IQ went up by 15 after reading this book. The knowledge put into this is absurd. A must read for good advice.

I really love the author of this book, Alan Gratz, because he writes wonderful historical fiction stories on hard topics, like wars, refugees, and depression, but he tells the truth and doesn't play it down like most books for kids. When you read his novels you just have to expect that there will be violence and sadness, but once you finish one of his books, you will be changed and more aware of the problems we still have on our earth, and you will want to help solve them, that is how impactful Gratz's books are. This particular book is about the American invasion of Okinawa in World War 2 and is told from two characters perspectives, one from each side of the war. It follows the progress of Ray and Hideki as they travel across the island of Okinawa through the war, seeing many things they never thought they would see in their life. Hideki is an Okinawan and was drafted into the "Blood and Iron Student Corps" and with only about two days of "training" the Americans arrived and he is given two grenades and the instructions "Don't come back until you've killed an American soldier." Ray is an American Marine who ran away from home to join the army, but it is not anything how he imagined it. He arrives on the island with a gun and an over-sized helmet and is told "Stay low, don't bunch up, and run." They learn many things about themselves and others as they make their way through the battlefield and the wreckage that ensues. They start to question what they have been told by others and make many decisions that they regret afterwards. I cannot even put into words how wonderful this book is, it raises awareness on all sorts of topics that aren't usually even mentioned in most books for kids. It had a wonderful message though it may seem a little violent or harsh at first. I would recommend this to 7th or 8th grade and up, since it does have lots of violence, but even if you may not like it even from the first few chapters, I encourage you to keep reading to the end, because I guarantee that you will put the book down and say, "I am glad that I kept reading that book."

I have not red it yet but its look interesting

This.. this... is a beautiful story about trust, believing in yourself, the horrors of war.. and most importantly, it's about the friendship between Annemarie and Ellen, and how families can get through the most horrible of crises if they just.. believe. This book takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark in the middle of World War II. The king is Christian X, who is loved by his people.. but unfortunately, King Christian X couldn't stop soldiers from Germany to be stationed in Denmark. It was either the soldiers or war, which King Christian X knew he couldn't win. In this time, Annemarie and her family are living a moderately peaceful, normal life.. until their normal life is shattered by a new law - that all Jewish people must be captured. One by one, the Jewish people start going missing, and Annemarie and her family need to protect Annemarie's best friend, Ellen, who is Jewish. So Ellen is disguised as Lise, Annemarie's oldest sister who died in the hands of Germany. But when a German soldier comes to investigate and Ellen is almost caught, Annemarie and her family know that the only way to save Ellen now is to take her (through a boat) safely to Sweden. But they learn people are being caught on boats going to Sweden.. but they will have to risk it. Annemarie MUST deliver a very important package to her uncle (who is driving the boat) that might save Ellen's life.. before it's too late! Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors, because she can write brilliant masterpieces.. honestly, I think this book is possibly her best yet. It's cleverly written so that it can make readers cry, laugh, rejoice, and feel horror, without missing a beat, constantly throughout the story. I felt like I was experiencing the pain of Annemarie, the fear of Ellen, and the author made me feel like I was basically in the story, watching the events happen. Oh, and the ending.. is very touching.. possibly one of the best endings I have read in any book. I would definitely recommend Number the Stars to any reader that understands the value of life, family, and friendship.

Melinda is hated, by just about everyone. She called the police on a party during the summer, and she won't tell anyone why, this makes everyone absolutely despise her, and she starts her freshman year off with no friends. What Melinda won't say about the party is what's killing her inside. She feels depressed and doesn't want to go on... with anything. As Melinda struggles with the past and the pain Andy Evans caused her, she soon realizes that to give up would be letting him win. This book inspired me to never give up, no matter how hard it is. Melinda could of given up any time but still, she continued with life and fought through the pain. She is a brave, inspiring person that almost anyone can look up to! This is a must read and you should read it as soon as you can, you won't regret it!!

I think this is the first classic book that I actually ENJOYED. I read the "kids" version for a book report in 3rd grade and really enjoyed it. The "full" version is even better. I liked how Jack London showed what BUCK thought at the moment since many other books hide the feelings of a dog. Overall, very fun to read. I'd recommend for Grades 5+