Fletcher and Teresa read books in 2014

A few years ago I started a thread for my kids' reading but it fizzled out. I'm going to try again this year and hope that they write some good reviews. Fletcher is 9 and Teresa is nearly 7.

Fletcher is finishing off 2013 reading the fourth in the Dragonkeeper series, Blood Brothers. And I have no idea what Teresa is reading because she is on the other side of the world from me right now!

Fletcher's books
1. The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan - 5 stars

2.dragonkeeper -4 stars

3.dragonkeeper:garden of the purple dragon - 5 stars

4.dragonkeeper:dragon moon -5 stars

5.dragonkeeper:blood brothers - 4.5 stars

What a great idea Cushla. I'll be along regularly to see what they're reading.

Oh, lovely! I'll be making notes for future reads for Charlie...

Hi Fletcher, hi Theresa! ;-)

Would you like me to put an entry for this thread in the Threadbook too?

That'd be nice, Jim! Thanks.

Hi Diana, Amber and Paul. I will try to keep up to date here but we will see!

Great! I'll call it cushlaskids so it shows up with your entry.

Amazing to realize that when I started following you, it was when you had started your Swiss adventure and the kids were still too young to really read much of anything on their own...

Suz, I know. It's amazing to me too. Teresa wasn't quite 3 back then and Fletcher was an extremely reluctant reader. Thank goodness T has got over her Berenstain Bears phase - I will always associate them with Switzerland and the ISB (our ISB not yours) library, which was otherwise excellent. And now she has finished her Rainbow Magic phase... I wonder what saccharine book series is yet to come!

This is a great idea. I'm looking forward to seeing what they choose to read.

This is a great idea, Cushla! I have a 9 year old too, so I'll be keeping my eye out for ideas for him. He just finished reading the first book of the Shadow Children series, Among the Hidden and he gave me a copy for Christmas. It's a pretty good dystopian story.

I'll be following with interest too - looking forward to seeing what they are reading and reading reviews!

Book review #1 from Fletcher: the Burning Bridge by John Flanagan. 5 stars.

This is the second book in the series,about a ranger's apprentice that is in a war between his kingdom and the Skandians and the lord of rain and night,Moragrath.
Moragrath has learnt how to control wargals
(bear-dog creatures) thus using them as an army.
In the end,Moragrath is killed in a duel,after challenging
A boy named Horace.after that, the aprentice Will is taken prisoner by the Skandians after Halt (his mentor) promises to find him. And that's about it.

I really liked it, more than the first one. I would recomend it to people who don't mind a bit of gore and are looking for fantasy books about war - age 10 +.

I am reading the next one in the series now. There are 12 books altogether.

Great review, Fletcher! I had heard of this series but didn't know anyone who had read it. It sounds like one my son would like. He's almost 10. It's nice to find a series you like with lots of books, isn't it?

My daughter (age 10) just read Among the Hidden yesterday. She has been on a dystopian kick. I don't know if she would like The Burning Bridge though, since she doesn't like gore. (Thanks for the heads up.) Currently her reviews are at k8lovesbooks but she will probably start a 2014 thread tomorrow. I'll make sure she sees yours, Fletcher.

Following with interest. Happy New Year!

Hi! What types of books are you reading right now Fletcher? I'm reading a lot of dystopian books.

Hi. Thank you for visiting.
Right now I am reading books about assasins and war.
Um.....
Uhhhh......
Oh,yeah. I just remembered what I was going to say.
If you like dystopian books you should try skulduggery pleasant. Its about magic,and I can't think of anything to say so this is

THE END

What a lovely idea! I am looking forward to following Fletcher and Teresa's reading!

I just reviewed City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. I think you might like the book, Fletcher.

Hi Kate,It looks like a good book.I will look for it in my school library.

#19 Hello,and thanks for visiting.

Fletcher will be back to do some more reviews soon but meanwhile, I wanted to start a list of Teresa's books read this year. She is reading a mixture of chapter books (Thea Stilton is a favourite at the moment) and picture books from the library. Yesterday we came home with 38 library books and made a good dent in them.

At bedtime I am slowly reading The Wind in the Willows with her - I bought a beautiful big page edition of it from the Children's Bookshop in Auckland when Fletcher was little and it's been on the shelf for years. We are right near the start and Mole has just met Rat. I read it when I was little but have forgotten it, and have been surprised at the very old- fashioned language - I don't have to paraphrase much with Teresa but I have been in this! (Examples to come when I have got the book out of her bedroom...6.15 is my blissful silent time for the day so I am not going in there to get the book!)

I'll make two lists to make it easier for anyone reading to see which is which.

Teresa's books in 2014

L = library ; M = bought at Marsden Books ; C= Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie.

Picture books

1. Christopher Nibble by Charlotte Middleton - 8/10 L
2. Don't Spill the Milk! by Stephen Davies - 8/10 L
3. Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants - Giles Andreae - 9/10 L
4. Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope - Lisa Moser - 8/10 L
5. No! - Tracey Coredroy - 7/10 L
6. The Toucan Brothers Tor Freeman - 8/10 L
7. Chickens go to Town - Leslie Helakoski - 7/10 L

Chapter books

Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants - What a great title!

Yes Lisa and a great book!

Very quick comments and pictures coming. Reviews from Teresa, typed by me, otherwise we would be here all day!

Christopher Nibble - 8/10


Christopher Nibble is a guinea pig who lives in Dandeville. Every guinea pig in the town he lives in loves dandelion leaves. After a while they run out because they have eaten all of them. They have to make do with chewy cabbage!! But Christopher finds out that there is one left. He knows he can't eat it because it is going to grow and make seeds...

I liked it because it was very funny about the cabbage. I think kids from about 4 to 7 would like this book.

Don't Spill the Milk - 8 out of 10

OK back to Cushla's reviews, not Teresa's (but the points out of 10 are from her). 7 year olds do not have much attention span...

A beautifully illustrated story about a girl in Niger (probably) who carries a bowl of milk to her Dad who is looking after the sheep in the grasslands. There's a good page of explanation at the back about where the book was set and what was shown in the pictures. I didn't know there were white giraffes and that they're endangered!

Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants

The King's golden undies are stolen by a giant. 6 year old Sir Scallywag has to get them back. Great pictures, several of the king's bare bum which is a guaranteed winner. and an ingenious 6 year old who pole vaults onto the giant to save the day.

Giles Andreae wrote Giraffes can't dance, Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs and Rumble in the Jungle (and lots more) , both of which F and T really liked.

I didn't know about white giraffes either!

Great reading, Teresa, keep it up!

Nice review of Christopher Nibble, Teresa! I love guinea pigs. We used to have some, and they are very cuddly.

And I love dandelions.

My childhood books were nowhere near this fun.

^ that is exactly what I hear a lot. (about the availability of cool kids books now ...rather than the dandelions :))

Just found this thread Cushla- was trying to find yours to congratulate you on your new neighbours!

Hi Kathy, Lisa, Katherine and Megan - we have been reading loads but I have got slack in putting them in. We took a big pile back to the library today and got out another 30, so I should have some good reviews to come soon.

#29 Katherine I don't remember the picture books being so fun when I was little - I think I probably didn't keep reading them much once I started on chapter books, which was pretty early. I was reading all Mum's Famous Five at 4 and Enid Blyton was a big part of my reading experience (the Malory Towers series, St Clares, Noddy...) - all extremely English and jolly hockey sticks!

Having said that, there are still loads of classic picture books that I do remember vividly, which directly contradicts what I just said. I must have read both. I got really excited when I found the classic picture books section in the Children's Bookshop here when Fletcher was very small - Harry the Dirty Dog, Corduory and The Story of Ferdinand were 3 that I hadn't seen for 25+ years.

I will stop my blathering on and organise dinner.

The only picture books I remember are the ones from a book club that my mom subscribed to when I was little. I had Harry the Dirty Dog too, plus The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, Petunia, and Gus was a Friendly Ghost. Sadly I don't see them in my library. Did I lose them? I seem to remember them getting a bit musty at one point. :-(

Petunia!!!!!!! Sorry, excuse the 6 !s but I am leaving them there. I loved that book and I haven't thought of it or seen it since I read it - I am about to search the library catalogue.

OK, there are multiple copies but none at Karori where we usually go. But I'm surprised one of the kids hasn't had it out from our Central library trips.

We used to get Lucky Book Club and Arrow Book Club. The kids still get them but they are overloaded with branded books (like Barbie and Disney) and toys. Drives me crazy.

I loved the illustrations in Petunia - the way she held her head. For a goose, she had lots of personality. I'm glad it brought back such good memories. :-)

>32 labfs39:: Charlie and I just read The Little House for the umpteenth time yesterday - it's a staple and holds an honored place on his book shelves.