Dyan Sheldon

An amiable witch boards the bus at London's Paddington Station in this charming picture-book, bound for her sister's house, where a birthday tea awaits. Bearing many gifts for the celebrant, the happy witch, oblivious to the general grouchiness around her, bursts spontaneously into song, only to find herself being reprimanded by the outraged conductor. In the scuffle that ensues, as the conductor attempts to eject the witch from the bus, the witch attempts to hold on to her bag, and the show more other passengers all become involved in the argument, the witch's gifts spill out and fill the bus with every kind of wonderful thing, from friendly kittens to blue moons. Serving an impromptu tea to her fellow passengers, and to the driver, the witch proceeds to ignore the conductor, whose continuous protests at this unconventional state of affairs go unheeded by all...

Quirky and appealing, with a friendly and generous nature, this is one witch I wouldn't mind bumping into on my own daily commute on New York City's subways! I enjoyed the story in A Witch Got On At Paddington Station, with its madcap humor and sense of fun - the conductor's outraged (and futile) insistence upon proper decorum was a particularly amusing touch - and I appreciated the artwork as well. The bright colors, the starry flourish when the bag bursts, and the slightly cartoon-like style all were well suited to the text, accentuating the matter-of-factly absurd entertainment. Recommended to young readers who enjoy stories of magical occurrences in the everyday world, as well as to tired commuters in need of a smile. show less

Publisher's blurb:
"Celeste and Sorrel, Reuben and Orlando: high school friends who hang out together all the time. When Sorrel gets hit by a car one rainy night, it’s not surprising the others fall apart in various ways. But it’s not just grief they’re struggling with – it’s parents. Unfair, demanding, challenging parents who are, quite frankly, making their lives a misery. That’s why Sorrel decides she’s not going to be properly dead till she’s sorted out her friends' lives show more and can leave them with a clearer sense of what they want out of life."
My comments:
An interesting ghost story in that you are never quite sure that Sorrel IS actually a ghost and not a wishful figment of the friends imagination until the 3 others get together and compare notes. In that way, the author eases us from the tough reality of their friends' death and their demanding parents, into the supernatural fantasy of a friend wanting to do something for each of them, one last time. show less

Whether because of self-doubt, or too much awareness of how others at his school view him, Josh is painfully aware he's about as far from the popular crowd as possible. That realization, however, doesn't make much difference when new girl Jena Capistrano moves to town. He's more than smitten and when they start talking and she begins relying on him for friendship and emotional support, it's a dream come true.
However, when you're a teen guy with self-esteem issues and find yourself on the show more razor's edge of ambivalence, the line between dream and nightmare can become very thin. The longer they hang out, the more conflicted Josh becomes...Does he tell her how he feels and risk losing her friendship? Asking his friends just makes things worse for they're as clueless as he, but add in their own mental jumble when giving him advice. Somewhere in this confused mess, he loses sight of his oldest friend, Ramona until it's almost too late to wake up and smell the coffee. Following his ambivalent journey could be really annoying, but it's done so well and he comes across as so sympathetic that everything works and the ending satisfies. show less

“Once upon a time,” Lilly’s grandmother says, “the ocean was filled with whales. They were as big as the hills. They were as peaceful as the moon . . . .”

Lilly loves hearing the story of the whales her grandmother loved when she was a little girl. Grandmother tells her about bringing a gift for the whales, and, in return, once or twice the whales sang for her.

Great-uncle Frederick scoffs at Grandmother’s stories, insisting they are nonsense. But Lilly dreams of the whales and in show more her dreams, the whales are as large as mountains and as blue as the sky. In her dream, the whales sing with voices like the wind. They leap from the water and call Lilly’s name.

In the morning, Lilly goes down to the ocean and walks to the end of the old pier. She has a gift for the whales. She drops a yellow flower into the water and calls out, “This is for you.”

And then she waits for the whales.

Is Great-uncle Frederick right, that it’s all nonsense? Or will the whales come, just the way they did for Grandmother? Or will the whales come, just as they did for Grandmother?

Will Lilly ever hear the whales call her name?

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Young readers, ages four through eight, preschool through primary grades, are the target audience for this captivating picture book. With their atmospheric qualities, the illustrations bring Lilly’s story to life.

Enriched by the exquisite paintings of Lilly and her family, of the ocean, of the moonlight, and of the whales, this ethereal homage to the magic of fairy tales come true is borne on a song of a whale. Here the young reader sees the promise of a whispered dream realized. The beauty of the illustrations and Lilly’s poignant story combine to make this a book young readers are sure to ask to hear again and again.

Highly recommended. show less