2 comments about Judy Moody & Stink: The Holly Joliday.

1. The flashiness quotient has been upped for the first ever team-up between Judy Moody and her younger brother Stink. How does that flashiness make itself known? Well,
   
   Exhibit A: A holiday theme. This makes it clear that, just like Christmas, this sort of thing doesn't happen all the time.
   
   Exhibit B: Color illustrations. A first for the Moody family. This is especially different for Judy herself, who's simple brown paper bag covers stood out precisely for their lack of a wide color palate.
   
   Exhibit C: Sparkly cover. This would normally not be a good thing for me (just call me Glitter Magnet), but the saving grace is that it's not the rub off on your hands kind of glitter - it's a permanent, part of the paper sparkle. (Note to book cover designers: consider this technique for new glitter-applying standard?).
   
   But enough of that - on to the story. The Holidays are nigh and the Moody children are making their Christmas wish lists. Judy's is a sprawling masterpiece that cannot be contained by standard paper, while Stink (spurred on my an unexpected visitor) has just one gift in mind - snow. Judy takes great big sisterly pleasure in telling Stink that in Virginia, there's no such thing as a white Christmas.
   
   In the meantime, Judy and Stink take part in the annual Holiday program at their school. Judy's class puts a new spin on Christmas with a Hawaiian theme, while stink puts his own unique stamp on the event.
   
   On the Eve of the big day, Judy and her brother place a bet on the likelihood of snow by midnight. All they have to do is stay awake to find out.
   
   While not quite as winning as previous Judy Moody and Stink solo adventures, "The Holly Joliday" will be read eagerly by fans of the series. Some good fun.



2. Great Book. My daughter wanted Judy Moody and Stink Books for Christmas. This combination book with a Holiday theme worked out perfect for her Christmas gift! Great Book!

5 comments about 'tis The Season (Main Street).

1. The edges of the book were not cut smooth. They were rough and unvevnly cut. This was a Christmas gift and unfortunately I had to give it to her this way. It definitely looked like a defective product.



2. I am 10 years old and I love these Main Street books.
   
   
   After I read the review that said that this was defective, I really disagreed with that. I disagreed because I have all of the Main street books, and they all have the same kind of pages. Rough and not smooth on the edges. They are all like that and when I am just looking at them, I like to feel the edges of the book.
   
   They are the greatest books I have ever read. The books are written so detailed and specific. The characters face there own problems and the friends always help each other get over it and make them feel better if they are feeling blue.
   
   What's different about 'Tis the Season is that Flora and Ruby, the two main characters, know more people than the last two books and get to know more about what happens in Camden Falls. It seems like a nice place to live because all the stores and homes are really close and it's safe to wander about by yourself and talk to people.
   
   I can't stop reading these books and I can't wait until the next book comes out.



3. I am a 41 year old woman and I consider reading to be a gift from God. I will soon be teaching school and I read everything I can get my hands on as I feel it is important to be a good role model for my future students in learning to read. When I was young I read The Little House on the Prairie series and I loved them! I have read each one of those books at least 5 times. This book was a truly wonderful book. It was so refreshing to read about the innocence of childhood through the world of these young girls. This is the first Main Street book I have read but I loved it so much that I ordered all the rest of them and I even pre-ordered the next one called Best Friends. If you have never read one of these books I suggest you start with the first one. Since this is a series it is always best to start that way! However, I can tell you a little without giving it away. It is about 2 sisters who live with their grandmother. Grandma owns a store and the girls help out there. They make friends who have their own lives highlighted and this makes for several nice subplots. Although the book is intended for young girls I enjoyed it because of its innocence and also it was very good! I stayed interested the whole way through and did not start reading other books like I usually do. Sometimes I will have 4-5 books going at one time. After all my years of reading I guess that I get bored with some of the adult reading. These books are wonderful and I will keep coming back for more!



4. I love this book for what it teaches but be careful if your children don't know all the secrets of Christmas yet. Might be a good idea for parents to read first. Hope that makes sense.



5. I loved this book. I love this series. It is a reminder of the simple yet exciting stories that I read when I was a girl.
   
   Flora and Ruby are orphaned when their parents died a year ago. They went to Camden Falls to live with their grandmother, Min. The books are about their adjustment to living there. I enjoyed 'TIS THE SEASON immensely because it was about Christmas. The traditions of a small town were fascinating and the kindness for others was overwhelming.
   
   But this book wasn't dripping with honey. There is a particular story line of one of the kids in the book having to deal with abuse. One scene actually brought me to tears. The complex problems of the children are written with simplicity, and the problems are just a fact of life and not written with too much drama. I liked that because I think kids need to know that these things do happen in life, but we have to have the strength to live through them.
   
   I loved the description used in the book. Ms. Martin described the decorating of Camdem Falls and I wanted to live there. This is another successful book in a wonderful series!
   
   Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

1 comments about Judy Moody's Double Rare Way-Not-Boring Book of Fun Stuff to Do (Judy Moody).

1. Great tool to practice writing and reading and very entertaining for a third or fourth grader! An absolute must have!

5 comments about Great Joy.

1. This is a wonderful Christmas - or anytime - story. Without being preachy, it presents something important concerning the attitude we all should have towards those less fortunate in life. The illustrations are delightful.



2. This book is beautifully illustrated, wonderfully written and carries a message everyone should hear. As an aspiring reading teacher, had one of my professor's read it to our class and then I bought one for myself and one for my mother in law, a kindergarten teacher. It is enchanting!



3. This proved to be an excellent choice for the "round robin" style Christmas meeting of our book discussion group. All members of the group are adults, and they were enthralled with the book's simple story line so sensitively presented, it's page size illustrations that forced readers to fully examine each picture through the "fog" that seemed to bring the illustrator's Russian background to the fore. This is a winner.



4. As a public librarian I have long felt that Kate DiCamillo is one of the best authors writing for children today. Her book Great Joy is another terrific addition to her body of work. Paired with the wonderful illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline again, DiCamillo gives us a lesson in what it means to care for those less fortunate than ourselves, even when that person is a stranger.
   
   While I wouldn't place Great Joy as equal to her best work, Because of Winn-Dixie and the Tale of Despereaux, it is a worthwhile read and it has something to teach.



5. I purchased Greatest Joy for my small rural library and it was received with rave reviews from my patrons. It is a fast read and the illustrations are beautiful. The children loved it.

1 comments about Christmas Catastrophe (Geronimo Stilton).

1. As usual Geronimo is up to his wonderful self. My daughter & I love these books, wonderfully written and illustrated.

5 comments about If You Take a Mouse to the Movies.

1. I have purchased the full set of Laura Numeroff books for all 4 of my children. They were the favorite books of my son who passed away at the age of 10 due to brain cancer a few years ago. I am now purchasing the books for my grandson due in December. I have pre-ordered her new books. These are the greatest books!!! Every child (family) should own them!!!!!
   Pam Roundy



2. My 5 year old son absolutely loves all of the books in this series. I have read them to him since he was 2, and now, he is reading them on his own. They are so clever and cute....it is fun to read them over and over again.



3. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, then what happens? Your child will have fun finding how one thing leads to another. This book provides endless entertainment for all.
   
   Reasoning: The first reason that someone should buy this book is it shows how to care and be responsible for pets. More then 50% of American families own pets but not many of them know how to treat them so many of them end up dieing. The next reason some one should buy this book is that cheery attitude of this book can help kids out with their problems and make them feel better. The next reason is that the many people can get good advice from this book and the pictures are easy to understand making this book fun for kid's worldwide.
   
   This book's unexpected sequences of this book are loveable. The responsibility it takes to raise a pet is accurate. The cheerful pictures and vocabulary building is excellent for your child to excel socially and academically. This book is a must have!



4. I have purchased this great book before as a gift. Its on my list of gift books.



5. My daughter truely enjoyed this book. Pretty much the same format as pigs n blanket.

2 comments about Holly The Christmas Fairy (Rainbow Magic).

1. My 6 year old daughter got started on the Rainbow Magic Fairy books about a year ago and has been obsessed every since. These books are perfect for readers that are ready for chapter books. If you are new to these books, you should also check out the Rainbow Faires and the Weather Faires - they are my daughter's favorites!



2. The book description says this book is for 9- to 12-year-olds, but the story and difficulty seem about right for a 7- or 8-year-old. A girl in 7th grade is way above it.
   
   That said, for younger kids this story of good friends Rachel and Kirsty and their adventures in Fairyland is sweet and enjoyable. The `tweens help Holly the Christmas Fairy recover Santa's sleigh and reindeer, which have been stolen by the greedy Jack Frost and his goblin henchmen. The girls travel to the mall to confront the villain, who is impersonating Santa, and then to Jack's ice castle home. It all ends happily ever after, with a ride with Santa in his sleigh and presents all around.
   
   Every page is illustrated with expressive line drawings.
   
   This title, and the whole Rainbow Magic Fairy series, would make a nice introduction to chapter books for fairy-loving girls.

5 comments about The Polar Express.

1. This is a great book!!! I have loved it since I was a child!



2. Please get this book if you have kids. Must read before you watch the movie, and a true treasure to add to your home library. One of the best picture books ever printed.



3. You are better off purchasing the limited edition, which comes with the cassette and cd. I found the limited edition set in Marshalls (after I made this purchase), for less than what I paid for just the book. I ended up giving my nephew this book and the casette tape which came with the limited edition. I kept the cd and other book for my son, who still reads along with the cd, a month after Christmas.



4. This is a beautiful classic children's book. It is the perfect gift for any age.



5. I am a fan of Chris Van Alsburg and I believe that this is one of the most spectacular things he has ever written. What makes this a timeless work of art is not only the peaceful, dusk-cover pictures that evoke romantic images of the North but the precious concept of pure faith demonstrated through such a simple holiday symbol as the bell.

5 comments about Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (p.s. so does May.) (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)).

1. Another story in the series by Park! Keeps you laughing - and will take you down memory lane as Junie B. gets ready for Christmas & will remind you of ALL those "fun" lyrics we made up to Christmas songs! She's still irrepressible & even though her language is "becoming more adult" there are still enough "Junie B.-isms" to keep you in stitches. If you're collecting the series, get going to the cash register!



2. Junie B. does it again...she makes us laugh during one of the most memorable holidays in a young child's life!! We see a soft side of Junie B. which rarely shows itself, but allows us to get to know her that much more AND teaches us a life lesson! My daughter and I loved reading this together!



3. I have never seen my child go through a book this fast!!! We got it for him last night at about 6:00pm, and by 9:00am this morning he was like, "Wow, that was a great book!" He couldn't put it down. He read it at dinner last night, before he went to bed, when he woke up he immediately grabbed this book, he read it through breakfast, and he finished it in the car on our way to the store this morning. I am SHOCKED! All this from a kid who refuses to read anything for more than 20 minutes (which is the amount of time his teacher requires all the students to read their assigned books for homework). I'm buying him the Junie B. Dumb Bunny book for Christmas. It is the only other one rated 5 stars on this website.



4. These books are Christmas gifts for our granddaughter. She loves thenm and I was pleased with the quick delivery of them from the vendor.



5. Thank you, Barbara Parks for letting America's favorite first grader learn a splendid Christmas lesson in Junie B., First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (p.s. so does May.)!
   
   Even at holiday time, Junie is up to her expected tricks, and there's an awful rivalry with Tattletale May. But, alls well that ends well, with tons of laughs on the way to a heartwarming ending.
   
   Brava, Barbara Parks!

5 comments about Christmas in Camelot (Magic Tree House, No. 29).

1. What happened? Magic Tree House series books 1-28 were great, with educational tales filled with historical relevance that used just enough magic to make the story work. Buy the complete set of 1-28! However, the Christmas book (#29) and apparently all the following books are pure magic, fantasy drivel with no redeeming qualities. Did Mary Pope Osborne hope to capitalize on the Harry Potter craze? (I'm basing this on heresay, since I haven't read Harry Potter.) I slogged thru this book, cringed and gagged thru #30, and made my wife read the next ones to my 5 year old. I'm going to tell him there aren't anymore, because they are too awful to buy and read.
   
   I very, very disappointed in what happened to this series. Please, please Mary Pope - get back to writing good stories and not this nonsense.



2. The magic treehouse series has been and continues to be a wonderful series for my son. Educational and interesting, these books capture his attention and inspire his imagination. It is so rewarding to see your child be enthusiastic about reading stories and reading in general. I have and will continue to suggest these books to other parents.



3. Book arrived in a timely manner. Was suprised it didn't have a dust cover as that was not stated in advertisement. However, book was in good shape.



4. A wonderful adventure and an enchanting tale for the Christmas season, although this story can certainly be enjoyed at any time of the year. Once again, Mary Pope Osborne has done her own magic with book # 29 in her Magic Tree House series.
   
   How exciting for a child to travel to Camelot with Jack and Annie on their quest. The story is fun, scary, thrilling, and upbeat. It certainly held my grandson's interest from the beginning to the end.
   
   The illustrations by Sal Murdocca are beautifully done. They add so much to the total enjoyment of the book.
   
   Denise Hillman Moynahan
   The Great Cavern of the Winds: Tales from Backbone Mountain



5. I orderred this fpr my grandchild and they loved it. I personaaly haven't read it yet. But they say it is good.