Levi's Review of My Side of The Mountain

My Side of The Mountain

Reviewed by Levi Stewart, Author Jean Craighead George

My Side of The Mountain is a book about a boy named Sam Gribley who runs away from his city life to make a home in the wild. He builds a home in a tree and learns to find food, and even tames a falcon. There's more to the story, but I won't spoil it for you. I really like this story. I have always dreamed of doing the things Sam does, but I would never be able to leave the comforts of my home permanently. My Side of The Mountain is a great book that you can read over and over again (I know I have!).

The book is about 175 pages long, but has pretty small text. I would recommend  it for everyone, but especially ages 9-12. It will take some knowledge to understand what it's talking about, and there are some diagrams in cursive, but it's not difficult to grasp the general concept. I first read it when I was about 8, and have read it lots of times since. I just read it this summer. Overall, I really love this book. 10/10. I would love to read more books like this!
 

Life of Pi

Such a famous book! I have been meaning to read this one for a long time. Ashlee chose it for our book club book this month, so I finally read it.

A far cry from Pi's circumstances!

Life of Pi is a book about a young man named Piscine, who goes by Pi. His father is a zookeeper, and when the family decides to move from India to Canada, they emigrate on the cargo ship that is bringing some of their animals to zoos in the U.S. and Canada. Disaster strikes and (as shown on the cover of most editions of the book) that's how Pi ends up stranded in a lifeboat with a tiger. But as the title suggests, there is more to the story than just Pi's time on the lifeboat. It's really the story of his life.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing was very well done -- I was surprised, disgusted, moved and provoked to deep thoughts. Knowing that I was going to get to discuss the book with friends was icing on the cake. 

Our discussion was rich - there is plenty of meat in this book (pun intended!) for talking about the human experience and I can see why its considered a classic. Ashlee, who chose the book, has read it many times over and always finds something new in it, which I can relate to! I've only read it once, but already in our discussion I was finding new things to think about and angles I hadn't considered. 

The book was also made into a movie in 2012. I hear they did a really great job, but that of course the book is better. So, I might watch it now that I've read the book. 

In some ways this book reminded me of The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, and the Odyssey. All three  stories have direct applications of the hero's journey specifically to life's journey in general.  

Levi (who is in 7th grade) said he was interested in reading it, and I wouldn't have any problem with that. I don't think it would appeal to readers much younger than 7th grade, but I could be wrong. The book has a high vocabulary and plenty of survival violence and peril. The story incorporated more religion than I was expecting, no swearing or sexual content, except to talk briefly about animal's needs to reproduce. It's definitely the sort of thing I could see English teachers enjoying teaching and book clubs enjoying discussing! We had a good time -- and Ashlee brought bananas and coconut cream pie. 

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks

Horse riding lesson

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I picked it up from the library because it's by Faith Erin Hicks and I have liked her books in the past (One Year at Ellsmere, and Friends with Boys especially!) There was a great ensemble cast to this book. Although the front cover has just one of the main characters on it, (kind of two, if you count the horse, I suppose!) there are a bunch of awesome characters in this book. 

I was never super into horse books (it was all about the Babysitters Club, for me!) but that didn't stand in the way of my enjoyment of this book. My dad loves horses and our family owned a few now and then (see the picture above). Even though I didn't ever consider myself a horse girl, many sweet moments, some silliness, and some real conflicts made the book compelling. It's realistic fiction.

Norrie is always stirring up drama.

Sam's brothers tease him like crazy.

What happened with Victoria to make her change stables?

I loved all the positive sibling relationships in this book. Victoria's sweet older sister, Norrie's sweet older brother, even Sam's brother's eventually have some sweet moments.  I loved that Victoria's mom was an accountant, haha! Yeah, accountants know better than to buy horses.

Ride On is set in middle school, and as far as romance goes, there is just the barest hint of a crush. It's a super sweet book. Some themes of Ride On are friendship, growing apart or growing closer, what it means to you to be around a good friend, working hard, competing. I loved it, and my kids did, too. 

Ride On on Amazon

Have you read it? What did you think?

The Beatryce Prophecy

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Well, when I hear that Kate DiCamillo has written a new book, I'm interested. She has been writing amazing books for a long time. Maybe her most famous is Because of Winn-Dixie? The first book of hers that I read was The Tale of Despereaux, for which she won a Newbery Medal. 

The Beatryce Prophecy is her newest book, and it was illustrated by Sophie Blackall, who recently won two Caldecott Medals. 

The Beatryce Prophecy is beautifully written and illustrated. Much like the other novels by DiCamillo that I have read, there's quite a bit of danger and suspense! However, I wouldn't call the book fast-paced. Like its protagonists, who walk through the woods, this story takes its time. Each one of our favorite characters has a tragic backstory. 

In the medieval countryside we meet Answelica, an ill-tempered goat, and Beatryce, a girl who can't remember much but can read, which is forbidden. We meet Brother Edik, a monk who doesn't quite fit in at the monastery, and Jack Dory who lost his parents to highwaymen. As their stories begin to intertwine and weave around one another's, they become happier. 

This is a realistic fiction book marketed to 8-12 year olds -- what is called a middle grade book. It seems to me that with its meaty plot and foreshadowing, combined with the simple writing style (which doesn't skimp on big vocabulary) and beautiful illustrations, it has a lot of the qualities that are loved by kids who love graphic novels. My kids read and enjoyed it, as did I. I received an advance reading copy of the book.

Surprise! The New Top-Selling Book of Everead!

I've been blogging about books here on Everead since July 2008. I just love to talk about books, and when I found out I could get a little bit of credit for recommending them to people, I became an Amazon Affiliate. 

In 2014 I wrote a post recommending some books for a friend's 13 year old son, and that post really took off. I mean, I think that at least for a while there it would come up on the first page of results if you searched google for "books for a 13 year old boy." Apparently the favorite book from that list was Wildfire Run by Dee Garretson, because that was the top-selling book of Everead for over 4 years. (See my posts about it here.) 

But recently I took a look at the reports on my Amazon Affiliate account, and folks! We have a New Bestseller! 

Drumroll please...

Crunch

by Leslie Connor!

I couldn't be more pleased to have another excuse to talk about Crunch. I first read it in 2010 and there are at least 6 posts that mention it here on Everead now. I met Leslie Connor at an SCBWI meeting, and heard her speak at KidLitCon. It's a pleasure to make you aware (or more aware) of this fine book of hers.

Like Wildfire Run, Crunch is a hidden gem of a book. Not many people know about it, but it is absolutely worth reading. I'd particularly recommend it for fans of The Penderwicks books.

The premise of the book is that the Mariss family has 5 kids, and they run a bike shop. 14-year-old Dewey is our main protagonist. His dad is a truck driver, so his parents take a short drive together. All of a sudden . . . the gasoline crunch of the 1970's hits. The Mariss parents are stuck away from home longer than expected. Dewey and the rest of the kids aren't just locking the doors, watching TV and waiting for them to get home, though. They've got to keep the bike shop running and because gas in short supply, the shop is doing big business. Then, things start to go missing.  

Crunch is a middle-grade realistic fiction novel, great for ages 8+, and it would be a fantastic book to read aloud. It is a standalone book, not part of a series. It won top honors from Cybils judges.

As I said in my original review, I felt this book was completely real. So authentic, and uplifting. It gives the reader a lot to think about. I don't often re-read books, but I have read Crunch at least twice. I haven't read Crunch in years, but one quote from it has stuck with me all this time. In fact, I said it to my husband in the kitchen the other day. It's an aphorism that Mr. Meriss shares with Dewey: "An ounce of maintenance is worth a pound of repairs."

I'm also a fan of Leslie Connor's book Waiting for Normal. The "strawberry shaped objects" of that book have stayed with me. Connor has been hitting it out of the park for a long time, and I really need to catch up on her recent releases! She's won numerous awards for The Truth According to Mason Buttle and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T Cook. Those two books go together, I hear. A Home for Goddesses and Dogs came out in early 2020.   

Benjamin (age 12) has read Crunch multiple times, and says "It's really good." He's hoping I'll read it aloud to the family in honor of it's new status. I'm on board! I think Jubilee would love it, since she really loves biking. She asked 

Well, discovering that Crunch is the new top seller of Everead was perfectly timed, for me. See, I hope to get a bike for my birthday this year. 🚲 And since about March of this year, I think we've all been thinking a little bit more about what happens when supply chains hit snags. 

Haven't heard enough yet? Take a look at some of the five star reviews on Amazon. 😉

6 Books My 10-year-old Loved

The other day Benjamin was looking for something good to read. I popped over to the Cybils website and we browsed the shortlists from 2017 for some books. We put them on hold at our library and once he had read them all, I asked him to rank them for me. "Which one should I read?" He picked one and then I asked him to put the rest in order for me.

Benjamin said, "It's kind of hard to rate them, because they're all really good."

One of the books was non-fiction: Two Truths and a Lie: It's Alive! by Paquette and Thompson. I love the premise of this book. Each chapter has three short articles about interesting plants/animals. The kicker is that one of them is a lie! The idea is that this gives the kids practice reading critically and checking the sources of an article that appears to be non-fiction. The boys ate it up, and Jubilee has asked to get in on the fun and had me read several chapters to her.  Of this book, Benjamin said, "I know you've read part of this, so decide."

In 5th place...
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. This one is realistic fiction, and Benjamin prefers fantasy. But he likes a good test of his wit, and The Parker Inheritance is "a puzzle book, like Under the Egg and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Something you can kind of solve along with the character, but it's still a story and has all those plot twists." He mentioned that it has themes of History and African Americans.

In 4th place...
A Properly Unhaunted Place by William Alexander. According to the cover, this author has previously won the National Book Award. So that's a good sign. Benjamin said, "Truthfully, I couldn't decide between this one and The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart. It's actually kind of about respect." (Oooh, he's picking up on themes! Because he said this, I asked him about themes in each of the other books.) "But not in a 'respect your elders' way. It's about ghosts. It has plenty of action in it; and things that can happen to the narrator and the reader is like 'What?! That can happen?!' It's written in the first person."

In 3rd place...
The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis. Benjamin said, "This one is really good. It definitely includes magic, as you can tell. It ends on a very happy note—all of these books do, but this one was, like, a really nice ending. Plenty of action and you get to experience the book from the viewpoint of a dragon which isn't often explored." (And yes, when he said "which isn't often explored" I was duly impressed.) He said this one has a theme of Family. I've listened to the first chapter or so of this on audio already.

In 2nd place...
Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood. Benjamin said, "It has some magic performed in really intriguing ways. It also has a mystery inside of it." He has already checked out the Jinx trilogy by this same author, because he liked this one so much. He said this one has the theme of Problem Solving.

In 1st place...
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh. Benjamin said, "Read this. It has the right amount of action, scariness, and . . . 'tradition' almost? And it's very good." When I asked him what the theme was, he said Tradition. That's a little more nebulous than the others, and since this one is his top recommendation, I think I'm going to have to read it.

I think I'll start right now.

[UPDATE from Alysa: I just finished Spirit Hunters. It is scary! It's really well written, and it does have a happy ending, as Benjamin promised, but it is more violent than I was expecting it to be. It reminded me of the one single Goosebumps book I read in childhood, which was enough for me. So I don't know if I would recommend it for a 10 year old? I just don't generally recommend scary books. If I were going to recommend a scary book, this one is actually really good - great interplay between tension and happier moments,  strong, well developed characters. It has a very satisfying ending, but sets up well for a series and book two, Spirit Hunters 2: The Island of Monsters is already out. And I kind of want to read it despite my trepidation when it comes to reading in the horror genre . . . so maybe that's recommendation enough? I don't know if I would even classify Spirit Hunters as horror, maybe a horror/realistic fiction/fantasy blend. Hmmm.]

30 Books for the Advanced 4th Grader

Hello! 

As Benjamin finished 4th grade, his teacher sent home a reading log with enough space for 30 books. Benjamin is an advanced reader, and he definitely read more than 30 books this summer. Some of these were re-reads for him, many of them come from series, and a good chunk of them are graphic novels. I hope getting to peek at his reading log is helpful to someone looking for books for their 4th or 5th grader. 

I told Benjamin he ought to do a post for me, and he was enthusiastic at first, but after typing the names of 30 books he decided not to write any comments. Haha! It was a good thing he typed them up, though, because he misplaced his reading log (in typical 10-year-old boy fashion). Since it was typed, we were still able to return the reading log to his teacher (phew!) and he got those 2 free homework passes he was hoping for. 

Benjamin's Summer Reading Log

Hi everyone. This is Benjamin. You may know me from some of my mom's posts. If you don't, click here. I decided to write this post because, why not? I'm a pretty advanced reader, and here are 30 books I read this summer.

Book Covers Link to Amazon!

the one and only ivan by katherine applegate

secret coders paths and portals by gene luen yang

(but read Secret Coders first)

alcatraz smedry VS. the kights of crystallia

( but read Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) and The Scrivener's Bones: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians) first)

Story Thieves


story thieves the stolen chapters

story thieves secret orgins


Story Thieves: Pick the Plot


Olympians: Ares


Olympians: Hermes


Explorer: The Lost Islands


The Secret Science Alliance


Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts book 1

(but read Spirit Animals Series SET , Books 1-7 . 1. Wild Born , #2. Hunted , #3. Blood Ties, #4. Fire and Ice, #5. Against the tide, #6 Rise and Fall, #7. The evertree first)


Spirit Animals: Fall the Beasts book 2

In Real Life


The Keepers book 1


The  Keepers book 2


The True Meaning of Smekday


Princess Academy


5 Worlds: Book 2

(but read 5 Worlds Book 1: The Sand Warrior first)

Darth Paper Strikes Back

(but read Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda 1) first)

Secret of the Fortune Wookie


The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppet


Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus

(but read Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue! (Origami Yoda 5) first)

Sidekicks by Dan Santat


Dragonwatch


Astronaut Academy: Re-entry


The Amulet of Samarkand


The Phantom Tollbooth


American Born Chinese


Explorer: The Mystery Boxes

Thanks, Benjamin! As I scrolled through my photos to find some pictures of Benjamin reading this summer I noticed that none of the books he's reading in these photos made it onto the reading log. So, if you're curious, they are Crunchby Leslie Connor (my review here), The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: 2 Fuzzy, 2 Furious by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale, and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson.