Heidi – Johanna Spyri

“Heidi” is one of the most beloved children’s stories of all time, but I’d wager that more people are familiar with it through the movies than they are from reading the actual book. While the movies are great and I enjoy watching them, I think you haven’t really experienced “Heidi” until you’ve read the book. Heidi is an orphan who has been raised by her aunt Dete. When Dete is offered a job that won’t allow her to have Heidi along, she decides it’s time for someone else to take over the task of looking after the child. Heidi’s grandfather … Continue reading →

The Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobel

I love taking trips down Memory Lane to recall the books I enjoyed as a child. Today’s middle grade books aren’t quite as innocent as they used to be, and it’s refreshing to go back in time and remember books that were just simple, light stories. One of my favorites was Encyclopedia Brown. Published in the 1960s, they weren’t fresh from the press when I came along (I was born a decade later) but the appeal is timeless. Encyclopedia’s father is the chief of police, and every so often he gets a case he can’t solve. When this happens, he … Continue reading →

The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald – Clifford B. Hicks

One of the books I remember the best from my growing up years is “The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald.” Alvin is a boy with a brain so magnificent, it sometimes surprises even him. The inventions he comes up with are truly out of this world, such as the alarm clock which wakes up soundlessly by pulling a string on his toe. (He delivers the newspaper, and he gets up early enough that he doesn’t want to wake up the rest of his family with a loud clock.) He invented a Sure Shot Paper Slinger to help him get those … Continue reading →

The Secret Life of Devon Delaney By Lauren Barnholdt

If Devon Delaney’s mom is right about karma coming back to bite you, then Devon knows she’s in big trouble. Devon isn’t unlike most kids her age. She’s not aloud to wear makeup; she isn’t part of the popular crowd, but she does have a great best friend, and she’s got a crush on the most popular boy in school–Jared Bentley. The problem is, he doesn’t know she’s alive. When Devon gets sent to live with her grandma for the summer, while her parents work out their “issues,” she befriends a girl named Lexi. Caught up in the whole “summer … Continue reading →

Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot – Dav Pilkey

From the author of “Captain Underpants” comes another series with just as much fun and zany action but a lot less underwear – Ricky Ricotta! With a name that’s a double pun (Ricotta’s a kind of cheese, and he’s a mouse, plus don’t forget Desi Arnaz’s character in “I Love Lucy” – he played Ricky Richardo) this little mouse is destined to be our next hero, along with his giant robot friend. It all begins in a mouse town called Squeakyville. Ricky lives there with his mother and father, and while he’s content, he wishes he had a real friend. … Continue reading →