THE GREAT SWITCHEROO

The Five Chinese Brothers

Written by Claire Huchet Bishop

Illustrated by Kurt Wiese

Classic tale of five brothers who looked exactly alike and how they were able to avoid a public execution and prove the innocence of one of the brothers. Although each of the brothers looked exactly alike, each one possessed a unique and special power. The first brother could swallow the sea, the second had an iron neck, the third could stretch and stretch his legs, the fourth could not be burned, and the fifth could hold his breath indefinitely. The plot involves the first brother fishing in the sea when a little boy begs to go with him. He agrees on condition that the boy promises to obey him promptly. But when the first brother swallows the sea, the little boy begins to fill his pockets with the items left behind on land. Despite his warning to the boy that he could no longer hold the sea back, the boy refused to come return and was swallowed by the sea.

The brother was arrested, tried and condemned to death. He pleaded with the judge to return home to say good-bye to his mother and that is when the brothers conspire to use their talents to thwart the execution one by one. The town is amazed that the brother cannot be killed and are eventually convinced that he is innocent.

This book was originally released by Coward-McCann, Inc. in 1938 and was reprinted by Scholastic Book Services beginning in 1966. I grew up reading this humorous and clever classic and was happy to share it with my own children and students. Recommended especially for children in the five to eight age range, but it can certainly be enjoyed by any age. This book is available on amazon in multiple editions and in many formats.

Trouble with Zee (Tales of Friendship Bog Book 6)

Written by Gloria Repp

Illustrated by Michael Swaim

Another charming chapter book in this series which features family and friends of the frogs who live in and around Friendship Bog. They teach young readers much about life and growing up to be responsible adults. In this adventure, Pibbin accompanies Leeper and Riff to check on Leeper’s Uncle Zee. When they arrive, they are dismayed to find Captain Zee is the brutal leader of a captive worker colony of frogs who must wait on the dictator hand and foot. Pibbin is imprisoned and forced to find beetles, carry water buckets and search for orange ants. When Pibbin attempts escape, he is captured but Riff manages to evade Zee and eventually drops Pibbin’s carpenter saw into his hole. Pibbin finally escapes, but not without thinking about how to rescue Leeper. An adventure ensues as they meet friends and foe on the trail back home to Friendship Bog. What lessons do the heroes and villains teach their young readers? Will they all be safe in the end?

These chapter books are great for early readers because they contain large size text and some colorful illustrations to make reading easier and more entertaining. Great read aloud discussion choice or even chapter by chapter as a bedtime story for younger readers. Recommended for readers in grades two through six.

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The Adventures of Caroline: and the Time Machine

Written by Eric and Elena Oberst

Illustrations by Manoj Bhargav

Charming chapter book targeted for readers in the six to twelve age range. This book stretches more than one hundred pages, and is best suited for readers in the eight to twelve age bracket. Color illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are well done; they capture the dreamy quality of the fantasy tale.

Caroline is an inquisitive and imaginative eight year old who lives with her Auntie Ann since her parents mysteriously disappeared when she was four years old. On a cold morning in January, Caroline is bored and decides to go up to the attic, which is one of her favorite places to explore She rummages through one of the trunks and finds something new at the bottom of one of them. It is a box with dials, buttons and antennas that looks like an old radio. She experiments with the dials and sets it to June 15, 2015. When she goes downstairs for a snack, she finds the weather outside is warm and the birds are singing. Caroline has stepped six months into the future.

Discovering that the device seems to work, Caroline sets it back to the time of the dinosaurs. She gets more than she bargained for when she encounters T Rex. By quickly turning the dial, Caroline escapes but finds herself in the Pleistocene Age with Woolly Mammoths and Saber Tooth Tigers. Again she hurriedly sets her dial. This time she is about one hundred years in the past near her house where she meets a little boy named Tommy who wants to befriend her. Caroline sets the dial once more and arrives back at Auntie Ann’s house.

After doing some more research, Caroline tracks down her parents’ whereabouts on the day they disappeared. She is determined to go back to the past and find out what happened to them. But will she get more than she bargained for? Will Caroline be able to bring her parents back to her time or will she step into theirs?

This book is a delightful science fiction/fantasy time travel tale that has a broad appeal. Caroline is a strong, determined female role model who knows what she wants and goes after it. The short chapters with appealing illustrations make it a good choice for a class read aloud and discussion. Look forward to the next book in the series. Warning! The end of book one is a cliffhanger.

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P.T. And The Frozen Planet

Written by J. Tal

Periscopulous Telescopulous (P.T.) is an astronomer who is looking through his telescope one night when he sees a strange pattern with the letter V in the sky. He determines that it is a distress call from the Planet Vee, a planet inhabited by kids. Once upon a time, these round kids with V shaped faces lived a carefree existence, dancing, singing, playing and having fun. Somehow, which is not explained in the story, P.T. finds a diary written by Doctor Starr who is the Dean of Problem Solving on Planet Cee, a planet of tiny robots, in which it is written that the President of Planet Cee had appointed Doctor Starr to help the kids on Planet Vee. When Doctor Starr and his assistant named Guy arrive on planet Vee in their spaceship, they discover that all the kids have been frozen. They take their research back home to work on a solution. How do the scientists figure out what happened to freeze the kids and can they bring them back to life?

Doctor Starr will eventually choose five kids to teach the kids on Planet Vee that a healthy mind and body is the secret to good living. Continuing his research, the doctor decides that he will bring his plan to planet Earth, where many children would benefit from his advice.

This tale targets children in the two through seven age group and is written in rhyme. I think it might have been just as effective if written in prose because the rhyme is sometimes forced. At just over fifty pages, the length of this story is a bit long for preschoolers though young children will enjoy the colorful illustrations of the characters and scenery of the planets. The message of combining good nutrition and proper exercise is much needed and presented in an enjoyable way for kids. I would especially recommend this book for children in the five to seven year age range.

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Knights of the Square Table: Book 1

Written by Teri Kanefield

Six precocious teenagers from different backgrounds share one thing in common; they are all members of the San Francisco All Star Chess Club. The ninth graders are on the way home from Germany after a sixth place finish in an international competition when their plane goes down due to an avionics failure. They land on a remote island in the North Atlantic in the subarctic. More than sixty passengers face freezing conditions and lack of food supplies to survive. These six teens take charge and prevent disorder, using their multiple talents to create a source of heat, trap food in the ice, and calm the fears of panicked passengers. They even figure out a way to handle Veronica, a kleptomaniac who keeps stealing food from the other passengers. Thanks to their efforts, the survivors are eventually rescued.

But the story does not end there. These six friends gather together to figure out a solution to a nuclear missile crisis. When an Asian dictatorship threatens to fire a nuclear missile, the teens figure out a way to break into that country’s computer system and bribe them into entering peace negotiations to save face. I am sure the world is in for lots more from these indomitable teens in the next two books of the trilogy. This series is targeted for ages nine and older. While the inevitability of the solutions seems too simplistic in some instances, the characters are well-developed, each having strengths and flaws. Middle grade and young adult readers will find much in common with them. Plot is fast paced and I felt compelled to keep reading. Recommended for readers who enjoy adventure stories with clever protagonists and plots containing thought provoking issues.

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Iris and the Aloha Wedding Adventure

Written by Lynelle Woolley

Illustrated by Karen Wolcott

Another book in the Flower Girl World series. Iris Campbell and her mom are reminiscing about the time Iris served as a flower girl in a wedding with two other girls named Rosie and Starr. Though they had never previously met, the girls became fast friends and formed the Flower Girl Club. Iris is delighted when her mother informs her that the family will be traveling to Hawaii for her cousin Jay’s wedding and that she has been invited to be flower girl once more.

Iris immerses herself in Hawaiian culture. Each member of the family is assigned a task to prepare for the wedding. Hana, the bride’s sister and the other flower girl, decides to take a short cut because she is tired of string flower petals for the leis. She convinces Iris to conspire with her to ask the Menehune spirits to help. Instead they are hit with a massive storm that throws the wedding preparations in chaos and forces everyone to start over. Hana’s efforts continue to lead the girls into trouble. When Hana’s older sister is injured, Iris must take her place in the hula wedding dance. Each of the flower girls learn important lessons. Will the wedding celebration turn out to be successful?

This is a charming chapter book for young girls who a re learning to read and love weddings. I would certainly have enjoyed a series like this because, I too, was enamored with weddings at that age. Illustrations are charming, and the insight into Hawaiian customs and culture add to its value as a multicultural choice for young readers. Recommended especially for readers in the seven to nine age group.

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Teach Your Child to Fish: Five Money Habits Every Child Should Master

Written by Holly D. Reid

This is an excellent guide for teaching children how to handle and save money. The book has nothing to do with fishing. Written by a CPA, the language is not complicated but clear and easy to follow. As a bonus, the author includes a downloadable printable workbook to accompany the text. In the first chapter children are introduced to why we work and the kinds of tasks children might find engaging. Chapter Two explains how to be conscious about spending and how to do so wisely, stressing what is worthwhile and how we can help community, Chapter Three encourages children to save and invest and lays out different ways to do so. In the fourth chapter children learn how to be responsible with credit, how it works, and how to minimize debt. In the final chapter the author talks about how give generously to others in their community.

I particularly enjoyed the recommended activities section at the end of each section and the final thoughts in which the chapter is pulled together. While the author is a CPA, she also presents a strong Christian viewpoint and quotes scripture to reinforce her lessons. This book may serve as a reference manual to be implemented at many different stages in a child’s life. I particularly recommend it for parents of children in the eight to twelve age group.

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Bed-Bugged (Doodle bugged Mysteries Book 1)

Written by Susan J. Kroupa

First in a series of mysteries featuring a Labradoodle simply named Doodle. The dog has recently come from the pound to live with a master he calls boss and his daughter Molly. Doodle has been trained to sniff out bedbugs. Boss organized the Hunter Detection Company in the hopes of making a new start in the Washington, DC area. Everything rests on Doodle making it a success.

Ten year old Molly is smart; she will begin a special science school program at the end of the summer. Molly’s hobby is taking pictures; she keeps a secret album of memories for her Mexican mother, who she has not seen since the age of three. When intruders steal Molly’s album and her computer, Doodle is frustrated that he is unable to catch them. It does not take Molly long to realize that there might be a connection to work that her father Josh has recently completed. Like Doodle the young preteen is relentless in her will to solve the mystery. There will be unlikely connections to crime and family.

This story is told in the first “person” voice of Doodle. It is lots of fun to hear a dog’s perspective and humor as to the quirky habits and personalities of humans. While the book touches on serious issues like family relationships, immigration, and divorce, the overall tone is upbeat making this book appropriate for preteens, teens and adults. The plot contains unexpected turns and characters are well-balanced. Recommended for mystery fans, animal lovers, and anyone who enjoys curling up with an interesting read for a few hours.

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Alf The Workshop Dog: An illustrated, interactive, magical bedtime story chapter book adventure for kids (Once upon a NOW 1)

Written by Emma Calin

Illustrated by Michael “Miko” Abellara

Quite a mouthful for a title; first in a series of books. This chapter book of approximately sixty pages is available in kindle format, paperback and audio. An interesting feature is the quality code imprint set into the text which allows the reader to access video, coloring pages, and more background on the story. If this book is broken down into chapters for a read aloud, it could be used as a bedtime story.

The fairy tale adventure opens in the kingdom of Zanubia where Alfredo, a gentle and lonely boy, struggles in his role as prince. The king expects him to become a great warrior and conqueror. Alfredo is only at peace when the king is off to battle. Alfred’s mother allows him to sing and play in the forest where he meets a girl named Laura who becomes his friend. When Alfred grows up and refuses to fight, he is thrown into prison. Eventually Alfred is released with the expectation that he will become a merciless hunter and warrior. The king is dismayed when his son stands up for Laura who is accused of stealing. She escapes and Alfred follows., but they are not destined to be together. A golden crow warns the prince he must hide if he does not want to be killer. Alfred is transformed into a dog named Alf, who will lead many interesting lives while observing humans.

What will happen on Alf’s many adventures? Is Prince Alfred gone forever? Does Laura survive? What happens to the kingdom of Zanubia?

The length of this chapter book makes it a good choice for reluctant and beginning readers. Charming pencil drawings and those interactive bonus features keep things interesting. The plot is easy to follow and the characters believable. Great choice for boys and girls in the seven to eleven age range.

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