Book Review: A Lemon and a Star

A Lemon and a Star by Elizabeth C. Spykman
A Lemon and a Star 
by Elizabeth C. Spykman

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


The four Cares siblings run around the country side in 1907, running races, exploring the reservoirs, chasing after burglars, fighting their own private wars, and making secret trips into the city. They are constantly in trouble for dirtying their clothes, tearing their stockings, and coming home covered in mud, but they certainly have fun!
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Book Review: Edie on the Warpath

Edie On The Warpath by Elizabeth C. Spykman
Edie On The Warpath 
by Elizabeth C. Spykman

4 out of 5 stars


Eleven-year-old Edie is declaring a war on men! Edie is tired of being told to act like a little lady, while her brothers have the freedom to play games and have fun all up and down the countryside. She hears about the suffragettes and tries to join one of their parades, but instead gets into trouble with the police.
Her stepmother entrusts her with the care of the youngest Cares siblings, hoping that it will settle Edie’s wild spirit with some responsibility, but Edie tries to train the littlest girls to romp through the fields, climb trees, and explore the streams of the woods.
Edie’s rebellious soul is maddened every time someone tells her, “You’re only a girl.” Edie plans to find the perfect way to prove to everyone, especially her own family, that she is so much more than “just a girl.”

I absolutely adore Edie! She has the most disastrous ideas, and she is never boring. She has so much courage and hope in her little heart, and a beautiful capacity for trouble! She starts out with such good intentions, and I loved reading all the hilarious situations she finds herself in. Continue reading

Book Review: The Wild Angel

The Wild Angel by Elizabeth C. Spykman
The Wild Angel 
by Elizabeth C. Spykman

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


A sweet story about a group of siblings growing up at the turn of the century. They run wild through the country hills, chasing errant cows, and tracking down wayward lost dogs. They hate visiting their aunt and grandfather in the city, and sometimes find trouble at school.

The siblings see the world from their child’s point of view, and that gets them into difficulties because they don’t really understand how things work in the real world outside their comfortable family home. They are an unusual bunch of hooligans, with their own squabbles and childish secrets, but they all ultimately band together to protect their family. Continue reading

Book Review: Mary Poppins in the Park

Mary Poppins in the Park by P.L. Travers
Mary Poppins in the Park (Mary Poppins, #4) 
by P.L. TraversMary Shepard (Illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars


Mary Poppins is back again with Jane and Michael for adventures in the Park! An ordinary outing in the park turns into a magical and extraordinary adventure when you go for a walk with Mary Poppins.

I love how Mary Poppins can be stern with the children, but is also kind and loving. She has a no nonsense attitude, but secretly loves to take the children on nonsensical and silly outings!

The writing is enchanting, and has a beautiful charm in its simplicity! I love all the Mary Poppins books! Continue reading

Book Review: The Big Six

The Big Six by Arthur Ransome
The Big Six (Swallows and Amazons, #9) 
by Arthur Ransome

5 out of 5 stars

Joe, Bill, and Pete are fixing up their boat, the Death and Glory, with bunks, cupboards, and a little stove, so that they can camp out on the river all winter long. When someone starts casting off boats in the middle of the night, it gets blamed on the boys, and they have to prove their innocence. With the help of Coot Club members, Tom, Dick, and Dorothea, they start their own detective agency to track down the real culprits.

As always, I adore this interesting story, full of nautical knowledge and adorable characters. The plot really keeps the mystery moving as each clue comes to light, and the desperation and anxiety of the characters keeps the tension high, even if some of the plot points are a little predictable. The story is not so much about the mystery, as it is about how the characters follow the mystery. Continue reading

Book Review: Pinocchio

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
The Adventures of Pinocchio 
by Carlo Collodi

1 out of 5 stars

This is NOT Disney’s Pinocchio. It’s all violence, disaster, cut-throat assassins, hangings, imprisonment, thieves, bullies, greed, murder, more violence, and one ungrateful little puppet. Pinocchio really is a heartless scoundrel. He steals and lies and cheats, and then cries “Woe is me!” when someone steals from him, or lies to him, or cheats him. Well, you got what you deserved, puppet! Continue reading

Book Review: Strawberry Girl

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
Strawberry Girl 
by Lois Lenski

3 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

I liked this book about a family who moves to a new farm in Florida, during the pioneer days, determined to make the farm a success with a beautiful orchard and strawberry grove.
Birdie is excited to become a Strawberry Girl, but is worried that the disgruntled neighbors will make trouble for her family. When the neighbor’s pigs and cows trample over the new strawberry plants, Birdie’s father is outraged and vows to fence in his property to keep them out. This begins a feud between the two farmers, but the farmer’s children are eager to make friends. Only Birdie and her forgiving mother can make peace between the warring neighbors, and make both farms a success! Continue reading

Book Review: Marvelous Land of Oz

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum
The Marvelous Land of Oz (Oz, #2) 
by L. Frank Baum

2 out of 5 stars on GoodREads
 Tip is a young boy living in Oz, servant to a nasty witch. He fashions a pumpkin head that comes to life, and they travel to the Emerald City to meet the Scarecrow and Tin Man, falling into the middle of a revolution along the way.
I didn’t really enjoy this book, maybe because I listened to it as an audiobook, and I didn’t like the narrator. Usually I love the Oz books, but this one fell flat. The characters are so dry, the jokes aren’t funny, and even the imaginative setting of Oz felt like a rehash of the same old things from every Oz book. Maybe it was the narrator. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this book. Maybe because I’ve been reading the Oz books out of order, so I already knew some of the plot points. It’s a good story, but I somehow couldn’t enjoy reading it.

Book Review: Nurse Matilda

Nurse Matilda by Christianna Brand
4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads


The Brown children are the most ill-behaved, mischievous, naughty little children in all the world, and the only nanny who can possibly control them or teach them any manners is Nurse Matilda. With her magical walking stick, Nurse Matilda teaches important lessons like going to bed when you’re told, not chomping your food, closing doors after yourself, and putting on your best clothes when you’re told. Only the insane magical situations the children find themselves in could possibly teach them to say please and thank you!

I started rereading this one as a way to de-stress and help me fall asleep at night, but then I got so interested in the story that I stayed up late reading it!

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Book Review: On the Far Side of the Mountain

On the Far Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
On the Far Side of the Mountain (Mountain, #2) 
by Jean Craighead George

4 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Sam and his sister Alice are living alone on the mountain, away from the turmoil of civilization. They hike and fish and forage for forest berries and roots, and of course Sam has his falcon, Frightful, to do the hunting. But their peaceful life is thrown into chaos when Frightful is confiscated by government conservation authorities, and Alice disappears into the forest with her pet pig. Sam, heartbroken over the loss of his bird, must lay aside his grief in order to track down his little sister through the treacherous Catskill Mountains.

I loved reading about how Sam and Alice build a plumping mill to make acorn flour, and how they built a dam by watching the beavers. All the little details of their forest life are so interesting and well-described! Continue reading