House of Many Ways

by Dianna Wynne Jones


This is the last book in the Howl's Moving Castle series.  I think this one may have been my favorite.  Charmain Baker is asked to take care of her Great Uncle's house while he goes to recuperate from some disease.  She is a teenager from a well respected family, and as such has not done one practical thing in her life.  Along comes Peter, who was supposed to begin his apprenticeship with her uncle.  Having no where to stay, he takes up residence in the rather strange house.  Meanwhile, Charmain applies for and gets accepted to work in the royal library while Princess Matilda's good friend Sophie Hatter Pendragon is visiting.  It becomes apparent early on that for some reason the King and his daughter are searching for something.  Also, there might be much more to Sophie and her very odd child "Twinkle" than meets the eye.

Audience
I thought this one was written a little younger than the others.  I'd still go with 10 or 11 on the whole.  The story sticks to a single setting, and if you know the characters the action is not hard to follow

What I Loved About This Book
Twinkle and Sophie cracked me up.  Everything they said and did got a laugh from me.  I think I love this book so much because I relate to Charmain.  I love to read and I'm cranky when I'm interrupted.  I loved the way she managed, but still seemed real in her struggles.  Basically this book was entertaining and enjoyable from start to finish.

Cautions
This book is kind of slow.  I would recommend just enjoying the ride, not trying to figure it out.  I wanted to know what happened at the end-something the author leaves to the imagination.

Castle in the Air

by Dianna Wynne Jones


This is the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle "series." I put the word in quotes because you don't need any one book to understand the others.  I thought they were both fun reads.  They both focus on a mythical place similar to Arabia where magic is commonplace.  A young man named Abdullah gets a flying carpet and while using it finds a beautiful princess.  He falls instantly in love with her, but there are complications.  She is engaged to someone else.  On top of that Abdullah does not really know how to operate the carpet, it seems to move only when he is asleep or does not want to move.  When Abdullah goes back and sees his true love kidnapped by an evil djin, he rushes to save her.  The problem is he has no idea where she's been taken.  This adventure follows Abdullah as he makes some unlikely friends and has a hilarious adventure through an unfamiliar country called Ingary.  All of our friends from Howl's Moving Castle come back and spend time with us, but not until the very end.  The style of the dialogue and the story are all very rooted in the Arabian side of story and myth

Audience
The book says ages 9-12 but I would go closer to 12+.  There's nothing bad, it just seemed like a lot of setting change and jumping around that was loosely connected.  I have some 9 year olds that might enjoy it, but overall this book is complex enough that I would leave it to teens

What I Loved About This Book
Dianna Wynne Jones is incredible.  I love her work, her wit, and her world building.  This book is no exception.  The characters and there rules are well fleshed out.  I was laughing at the tongue in cheek way Abdullah narrates the story.  The characters are still outrageous and heartwarming.  The kind of outrageous that makes you think of someone you know.

Cautions
The whole style and feel of the book is very different from Howl's Moving Castle.  If you're reading to find out more about Howl and Sophie, you will be disappointed.  Even though they appear at the very end,  this is not their story.  I think I liked it a little less because I was expecting it to be a book like the first one and it's not.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo

When I started doing literature circles with my students, I thought they wanted action packed, exciting books.  This book is not action packed or exciting, yet it is my students' favorite.  It is the story of a ten year old girl and her single father moving to a new town.  The father is burried in work, and one day sends Opal to get groceries for him.  While she is in Winn-Dixie grocery store, she finds a dog she names Winn-Dixie.  With a dog for a constant companion Opal feels a little less lonely.  Soon she gets to know the people of the town.  She learns that Miss Franny Block has the best stories and she is lonely too.  She learns that Amanda Wilkerson has a reason she always looks sad.  Most of all, she learns that she can heal from her own heartache.

Audience
I loved this book.  My third graders cannot get enough of it.  The reading level is probably closer to 4th grade, but I think this is the perfect age to start with it.

What I Love About This Book
I was crying when I read it.  What a beautiful story.  I loved that in the end Opal learned that her dad needs her just as much as she needs him.  This book focuses a lot on how we all have burdens, and the joy that comes from sharing them with good friends.  All the characters and relationships are different, but there is a sweetness and innocence to the whole story.

Cautions
Abandonment is a major theme, and alcoholism is mentioned a few times