Tag: children

The Hippo at the End of the Hall

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

When Ben receives a mysterious invitation to the Gee Museum, he has to investigate. For some reason, the pictures on the invitation stir up memories of his long-lost father. But that wouldn’t make sense, as he’s been gone for so long. When Ben arrives at the museum, it’s old and run-down, and the posted hours indicate that it’s barely open. But when he steps inside, he walks into a world of talking animals, magic, and adventure. Will he be able to save the museum from a nefarious developer and the owner of the other museum in town? The animals from the museum seem to think it’s his destiny.

What I loved most:

If you crossed the fever-dream quality of Alice in Wonderland with the vivid imagery of The Chronicles of Narnia, you’d get The Hippo at the End of the Hall. Magic abounds in this adventure, in a way that would be absolutely entrancing to kids. This is also a highly illustrated book, and the beautiful sketches help bring the characters to life.

Read this book if you like:

Adventures, magic, long-lost families, stories of destiny

Book details:

Rival Magic

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Antonia is serving as an apprentice to Master Betrys, a super-talented wizard. While Antonia has read all of the spell books she can get her hands on, and flawlessly recites complex spells… the power of her spells doesn’t seem to match the power of her knowledge of spells. And then everything gets way worse when some scullery maid girl named Moppe turns out to be super powerful, and now Antonia is competing for Master Betrys’s attention. When Master Betrys and her apprentices are accused of treason, will Moppe and Antonia be able to get over their differences? They’ll have to go on a quest, face creatures they thought were just legends, and not get petrified while they’re at it. This was such a fun middle-grade book!

What I loved most:

I really love when children’s authors find a way to write in beautiful prose that’s accessible to young readers. Listen to this gorgeous excerpt:

“From this perch high on the mountainside, the scattered fishing boats were like children’s toys bobbing across the blue. Far away but ever-present, the sea filled my vision, wrapping half the horizon in turquoise and azure. I’d never seen my home like this. It made something catch in my throat. Awe. Or maybe thankfulness. It was so beautiful.”

(Rival Magic, Chapter 9)

COME ON. The imagery. The actual picture painted in your head. This is the kind of thing that really pulls a kid into a story – when you feel like you’re seeing what the characters are seeing. I’ve read a lot of adult authors who do this well, but it seems harder to execute successfully for children. Absolutely gorgeous.

Read this book if you like:

Friendship stories, celebrating unique strengths, celebrating differences, teamwork, magic, fantasy creatures, quests

Book details:

  • Author: Deva Fagan
  • Publisher: Atheneum
  • Date of Publication: April 2020
  • Age Recommendation: 4th – 6th grade
  • Look up Rival Magic on WorldCat to find it at library near you!

Welcome to Unicorn School

~ rachelbenzine ~ 1 Comment

Plot:

Mira is so pumped for her first time at Unicorn School. Her older sister has gone for the last two summers, and it’s finally Mira’s turn! She’ll get paired with her own unicorn, and they’ll go on magical quests and earn medals and probably be best friends. This is going to be great! But then, on her first day, she gets paired with Dave. Dave is small, and rotund, and falls asleep in class, and doesn’t seem anything like the unicorn best friend that Mira has dreamed of. Welcome to Unicorn School is full of unicorns, glitter, and fart jokes… what more could you ask for? This is absolutely going to be a hit with all of the kids I know. 

What I loved most:

There’s such awesome diversity in this book. Mira is a person of color, as is her new friend, Raheem. Her other friend, Darcy, uses a wheelchair, and her inclusion in all of their activities is natural and presented as the norm. I love when books exhibit diversity as something to be expected, especially in stories for younger kids. 

Read this book if you like:

Like I said above… unicorns, glitter, and fart jokes (so basically the trifecta for elementary kids). Also read if you like laughing, adventures, summer camps, and donuts. 

Book details: