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The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Children's Book - Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Published: 2009 Theme: Self-determination Best for: ages 11 and up, especially girls "Granddaddy and I sat motionless for a good five minutes and then quietly collected our things and moved on. On the way back, he spotted the rarest and most delicate object in the wild, an old hummingbird's nest, fragile and expertly woven, smaller than an eggcup." Imagine a children's book which mixes together life in a rural southern town in 1899, a big dose of Charles Darwin, the natural world, and the coming of age of a young girl. If you think this is an implausible mixture for a children's book...

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The Mysterious Benedict Society

Children's Book Mysterious Benedict

Published: 2007 Theme: Friendship, Commitment Best for: 11 and up "You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood...Best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family." There is quite a bit of wisdom to digest in this highly unusual children's book, not to mention many puzzles to solve. It is a book that is borderline fantasy...

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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Children's Book Carry On Mr Bowditch

Published: 1955 Theme: Historical Fiction Best for: ages 10 and up "The troops from Andover appeared in there dashing red uniforms, every button shining, leather gleaming...The church bells chimed. Then a great shout went up. For there was President Washington – a tall, commanding man, riding horseback to enter the town." Here's a children's book that is so informative, it's a little hard not to compare it to a dull textbook that might teach the same subject. The subject matter is navigation, discoveries, and life at the time of the American Revolution.

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Leaving Gee’s Bend

Children's Book Leaving Gee's Bend

Published: 2010 Theme: Courage, Racial Discrimination Best for: 11 and older "Would Mama like the colors I picked? Would she be mad about me taking them pieces from her apron? I turned the quilt in the air, looking at it this way and that. Soon I would be running out of thread.Wasn't but a few inches hanging down like the tail of a kite." Gee's Bend is indeed a real place. The women of Gee's bend have a tradition of creating quilts that dates back to early American history. In recent years, their quilts were discovered...

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Broken Song

Children's Book : Broken Song

Published: 2005 Theme: Courage, Immigrants Best for: 12 and up (PG) "How much he missed Rachel. Would he be able to hold out long enough for the revolution? Would he survive? Would he ever devote endless hours to practicing a Brahms concerto? Would he ever play games with his sister again?" Here is a painfully beautiful and difficult children's book that I must recommend particularly because I want my son and grandson to read it...

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The Ballad of Sir Dinadan

Children's Book - Ballad of Sir Dinadan

Published: 2003 Theme: Simplicity of Heart Best for: 11 and up "More animals appeared, and then from behind Dinadan came a gentle piping sound, like the wind whistling through chinks in a wall, but the piping kept time with Dinadan's song. Then, to Dinadan's wonder, it began to play in counterpoint to his own melody." Each children's book in the Squire's Tales series is a re-telling of an Arthurian tale. This one retells Tristam and Isolde, adapted for children...

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The Squire’s Tales: Books 3,6,8,9,10

Legend of the King Children's Book

Published: 2000-2010 Theme: Arthurian Tales Best for: 9 and up "Knight, holy man, family, poet--it is all that any land could want. If the knight will be honorable, the holy man true, the family loving..And if the poet will sing. After all, someone needs to tell the story of Arthur." I went on a "Knights of the Round Table" binge, reading all the remaining stories of the Squire's Tales that I had not yet read. Reading these children's books is somewhat like candy for the heart, mind, and soul.

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Stargirl

Stargirl - Children's book

Published: 2000 Theme: Nonconformity Best for: ages 12 and up "I see, I hear. But not with eyes and ears. I’m not outside my world anymore, and I’m not really inside it either. The thing is, there’s no difference anymore between me and the universe." Where do I begin to sing the praises of this fabulous children's book for teens? It is about the most essential message you can give to teens...

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The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf

Children's Book - Savage Damsel and Dwarf

This children's book is number 3 in the series, The Squire's Tale. Each Arthurian tale has its own drama and excitement, and this is no exception. The characters, Roger, the dwarf, and Lady Lynette, a very strong woman, are very well drawn.