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The Secret of Pooduck Island

Author(s):

Alfred Noyes

This is a story with many layers waiting to be discovered. On the surface, it's about a lonely boy who likes to spend time with his squirrel friends. The townspeople think him strange, but he is better understood by the priest. The squirrels and the boy have interesting adventures and the tale is engaging in itself. It's not hard to see, however, that there's more to the story than this - but what exactly is "the Secret"? An Indian with a beautiful old rosary and a very sad tale adds to the mystery.

The Annotated Innocence of Father Brown

Author(s):

G.K. Chesterton

Martin Gardner (notes)

As an avid Chestertonian, I am frequently asked which G.K. Chesterton title I recommend for young people to read.

The Magic Tree House Series

Author(s):

Mary Pope Osborne

In this series, 8 year old Jack and his 7 year old sister Annie travel to a different time period in each installment. The series begins with Dinosaurs Before Dark in which Jack and Annie find a tree house that has mysteriously appeared near their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. In the tree are lots of books. In one particular book, Jack and Annie see scenes of various places and time periods. At the page of the dinosaurs, they say they wish they could go there. Then, presto-magic, the tree house plops down in the middle of dinosaur time.

Andries

Author(s):

Hilda Van Stockum

Yet another delightful story to read aloud with your family from one of my very favorite authors. Andries is a troublesome 10 year old orphan who comes to live with his bachelor uncle in a large lonely house near the Dykstra home (which is quite the opposite - small and overflowing with children). Although his reputation as a troublemaker precedes him and is firmly cemented in the townspeople's heads, the Dykstras, who are less quick to judge, discover that he is really kind-hearted, but lonely.

The Drovers Road Collection

Author(s):

Joyce West

Drover's Road is a sheep "station" set way back in the hill country of New Zealand in the 1920s. Gay (Gabrielle) Allan, who lives at Drover's Road with her cousins and her uncle, writes of their happy childhood, of their adventures on the farm, on horseback, and exploring the hills and caves surrounding Drover's Road, in an "upside-down world" (to those of us from the Northern Hemisphere) where at Christmastime the house can be decorated with fresh flowers from the garden and the weather is very warm. It is a world filled with family, humor, hard work and horses.

The Happy Little Family

Author(s):

Rebecca Caudill

The Fairchild family - Father, Mother, Chris, Althy, Emmy, Debby and Bonnie - live in the hills of Kentucky in the early 1900s. We are particularly treated to simple stories of everyday life through the eyes of four-year-old Bonnie: her frustrations with trying to keep up with her older siblings, the love of her understanding father, the importance of "little" things, like sunbonnets and arrowheads. The large text, comfortable length and engaging storyline make it a great choice for young readers.

Up and Down the River

Author(s):

Rebecca Caudill

Six year old Bonnie and eight year old Debbie decide early one summer that they want to get rich. Nosing their way through magazines they decide upon some simple investments - selling a few items around to their neighbors and raising ducklings. They keep up the projects all summer, but the rewards don't turn out quite the way they expected. Rejoin the Fairchild family for a charming summertime in a time and place where the pace of life was a little slower and the joys of childhood were many.

The Railway Children

Author(s):

Edith Nesbit

Rebecca, Peter and Phyllis are three British children (around the turn of the century) who live in a large, beautiful house in London with their lovely and creative mother and their very attentive father. One night their lives change dramatically when their father is mysteriously called away. The children and their mother have to "play at being poor" for awhile, pack up only what seems necessary and move to a house out in the country near a railway station. The story tells of their adventures in and around the railway station and the gradually unfolding mystery regarding their father.

Between the Forest and the Hills

Author(s):

Ann Lawrence

Described as "a historical fantasy", this story is about the Roman town of Iscium, located in western Britain. As the Roman influence and protection disappears, the town leadership bends over backwards to stay out of the limelight and avoid trouble with the Saxons.

Homer Price

Author(s):

Robert McCloskey

These clever and humorous stories of the adventures of a brainy, problem-solving small-town boy make great reading for grade-schoolers (especially boys) or a terrific read-aloud. This is suitable for rolling-on-the-floor type laughing (not terribly well-suited to bedtime!). A real classic! The sequel, Centerberg Tales is just as good. Older children may also appreciate allusions to liberal naming of townspeople after characters from the Iliad.