Tap the Magic Tree

Tap the Magic Tree

by Christie Matheson

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson is a wonderfully crafted picture book about the magic of nature and the changing seasons. It incorporates beautiful collage and watercolor images and allows the reader to lend a hand progressing the story as they flip through the book. It is an interactive story that engages the imagination and observation skills of the reader. The anticipation of what will happen next blends well with the book’s simple text that instructs the readers to tap, shake, wiggle their fingers and blow kisses at a bare brown tree trunk to help it grow. With a surprise on each page, this is a delightful book to read out-loud. Great conversations can be developed about the animals on the page, pollination of flowers to apples, eggs to chicks and practicing basic learning concepts like counting and colours.  

Recommend Reading:  Ages 3-6

Foundling

Book One: Foundling

Series: Monster Blood Tattoo

by D. M. Cornish

Set in the rich fantasy world of Half-Continent, this novel is a mix of fantasy, horror and steampunk. I found myself rooting for Rossamund Bookchild, a young orphaned boy with a girl’s name, who wishes for monster hunting adventures on the high seas only to be tasked with the mundane future of being a lamplighter. He lives in a dangerous world of predatory beasts, combated by old-tech weapons like flintlock pistols as well as advanced innovations in alchemy and surgically enhanced humans. With pages filled with detailed maps and drawings, Cornish gives life to a world so complex that it comes with an appendix and lexicon. Adventure, mysterious villains, steadfast friendships and no romance this longer read is a good alternative for a younger advanced reader. If you enjoyed this title be sure to read the rest of the series, and these readalikes: The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart, The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott and Airborn by Kenneth Oppel.  

Recommended Reading: Ages 10 - 12 

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer

By John Grisham

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer is the first in a series by adult fiction writer John Grisham. I picked this book up mainly because I wanted to see if Grisham could write for a younger audience. Grisham is known for his mysteries and thrillers not for writing for children. I was sceptical to say the least. After reading only a few pages of Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer I was convinced that Grisham knew what he was doing.
Theodore's parents are both lawyers and have their own law practice. Theodore has been learning about the law his whole life and fancies himself quite the junior lawyer. He even helps his friends out with his knowledge of right and wrong. One day Theodore and his family are pulled into a high profile murder case; believe it or not Theo investigates and saves the day with his armature attorney skills. Grisham is able to make the characters believable and this fast paced story exciting and gripping. You will want to continue through the series once you get started.

Daytime Nightime

by William Low

What do you see during the daytime? Butterflies, robins and rabbits.  What do you see at nighttime?  Bats, raccoons and the moon. 

With lovely, colourful illustrations and very simple text, this book is great for toddlers.  Your kids will have a great time recognizing the different animals, and they might even add their own ideas of other things that you can see during the day and at night.
    

A Tale Dark & Grimm

by Adam Gidwitz

You may think you know the story of Hansel and Gretel - the Brother Grimm's fairy tale about the siblings who were almost eaten by an evil witch who lived in a gingerbread house.  But you've never heard this version before.  The author weaves the story of Hansel and Gretel into eight other classic Grimm-inspired fairy tales.

Full of adventure, warlocks, hunters, dragons and a narrator that interrupts the story with advice to the reader, this is a great adventure story for kids looking for a well-written fractured fairy tale or horror story.  As the narrator states, 'It may be frightening, it's certainly bloody, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart, but unlike those other fairy tales you know, this one is true.'

You'll want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens to Hansel and Gretel next

The Night Gardener

The Night Gardener

by Jonathan Auxier

Irish siblings Molly and Kip are orphans who travel to England to find work.  Cold and starving, they make their way to an English manor house in the dark, “sour” woods – a house that local inhabitants avoid like the plague.  Dominating the landscape around the house is an gnarled old tree which seems almost to be part of the house itself.

Molly and Kip become servants at the house for the Windsors and their two children.  Although Penny is a lovely girl who adores Molly, Alistair is a bully.  The mistress of the house is a hard taskmaster.  But beyond the hardships of servant life, Molly and Kip discover that there is something disturbing going on in and around the house.  Upon waking during the night, Molly is terrified to discover someone creeping through the house while the rest of the family is asleep and unaware.

Visits from “the night man” happen regularly, but the house has even more secrets to offer, including a kind of dark magic that keeps the Windsors, and perhaps even Molly and Kip, tied to the house.  As life grows more and more alarming, Molly and Kip must find a way to remove themselves, and their masters, to safety.

For those who like a good, creepy ghost story, The Night Gardener is perfect.  Grades 4-7.

The Boundless

The Boundless

By Kenneth Oppel

Will Everett is a passenger on the Boundless.  At more than seven miles long, the Boundless is the longest train in the world.  His father is the engineer and Will is very fortunate to ride on the maiden voyage of this massive machine.  

But Will, left to his own devices while his father works, witnesses a murder.  The perpetrators work on the train and know Will is a witness.  The chase is on as Will tries to make his way to the front of the train to tell his father.  As he passes through the 987 cars he finds allies in Maren, a circus performer, and Mr. Dorian, the ringmaster.  These unusual passengers and their colleagues help to hide Will from the criminals.  

Meanwhile, on board the train there is also a highly secure funeral car containing a treasure that everyone wants.  The motives of many of the train’s passengers are called into question as Will races against time to find his father and foil the criminals.

Fast-paced and full of fun, this adventure novel also touches on some Canadian history.  The story begins in Craigellachie, the historic site of the last spike of the Canadian railroad, and the book is set in the early days of cross-continental train travel.  There’s a bit of Canadian mythology thrown in too, as Will encounters the mysterious Sasquatch living in the forests along his route.

Adventure, mystery, history and myth are all rolled up into the story of The Boundless. A fantastic read!  Grades 4-7.