The More the Merrier
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Review:
Beany takes in boarders and deals with the guilt of a petty theft.
Series:
Beany Malone
TitleSort:
More the Merrier
Literature
Welcome Stranger
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Review:
Beany sympathizes with Tony Lombard who is dealing with guilt from a hit-and-run accident.
Series:
Beany Malone
TitleSort:
Welcome Stranger
A Boy and His Pony
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1936
Review:
This book is about a boy and his horse. The boy and his horse like to go riding together. He got his horse for his birthday. And later on he saw a dog in the woods and brought it home. My four year old brother likes the story and so do I. I am six years old and I can read it. The other book that we have in the series is called "Blaze and the Indian Cave".
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Series:
Billy and Blaze
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
56 pages
Additional notes:
Reviewer age six
Review Date:
1999
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Boy and His Pony
Blaze and the Forest Fire
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1938
Review:
My children have really enjoyed these simple stories about the adventures of a boy and his horse. Best for first through third graders - especially those who become proficient at reading when very young and not able to deal with more complex or mature themes. My oldest daughter fell in love with these books when she was six. She gobbled them up and they were a great bridge for her between easy readers and chapter books. My son, whose reading proficiency grew much more slowly, enjoyed them much later on. Here is a sample of the language:
In a flash Billy had his feet in the stirrups again; and they were off as fast as the faithful pony could go. Blaze was breathing hard now, but the farmhouse was near.
The length is significantly longer than the "easy reader" type books - with approximately 8-12 lines of text per page (charming black-and white illustrations are on every-other page).
In this story, Billy and Blaze discover a forest fire while taking a ride through the woods. They give it their all to go find help - jumping high walls and wide rivers and courage and determination save the day.
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Series:
Billy and Blaze
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
50 pages
Review Date:
5-23-05
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Blaze and the Forest Fire
Blaze and the Lost Quarry
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1991
Review:
Billy visits with a friendly old neighbor who tells him of a quarry he used to visit as a boy the location of which had been lost to the townspeople for many years. With some clues, he and Blaze find the old quarry - a beautiful spot and a great place for swimming. They rescue and befriend a dog.
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Series:
Billy and Blaze
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
48 pages
Review Date:
5-23-05
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Blaze and the Lost Quarry
Blaze and the Mountain Lion
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1959
Review:
This book is a bit shorter than others in the series, and so might be a particularly good one for less-confident readers. It seems to average about five lines per page.
In this story, Billy and Blaze search for the lair of a mountain lion that has been troubling ranchers and rescue a baby calf from a ledge on a cliff.
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Series:
Billy and Blaze
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
48 pages
Review Date:
5-23-05
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Blaze and the Mountain Lion
Blaze and Thunderbolt
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1955
Review:
Billy and Blaze are on a family trip out west where they encounter Thunderbolt - a beautiful wild horse that is the envy of every cowboy. Rather than trying to capture Thunderbolt with fast horses and lassos, Billy makes friends with Thunderbolt slowly and eventually gains his trust.
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Series:
Billy and Blaze
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
48 pages
Review Date:
5-23-05
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Blaze and Thunderbolt
Blaze Shows the Way
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1969
Review:
Billy and Blaze befriend another horse and boy-rider team. Tommy and his horse Dusty are just getting used to each other and Dusty is a little nervous about jumping. Nevertheless they decide to try out for a pairs jumping contest.
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Series:
Billy and Blaze
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
48 pages
Review Date:
5-23-05
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Blaze Shows the Way
Perelandra
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1944
Review:
Perelandra is Venus. Ransom gets sent to Venus on a mission. Of course it takes him some time to get settled with the new surroundings again.
While Mars was an old and mostly ruined world Venus is brand new. The clouds hide a lush tropical paradise. And Ransom is to see to it that this world's "Eve", temporarily separated from her "Adam" for this adventure, is kept from the fall. There is no guarantee. In fact, Ransom bears the same, human, form as the tempter - none other than Weston. But he is more often called the Tempter and the Un-man. He is, like the serpant from Eden, a possessed thing.
Lewis explores original sin AND original good. Having read this in seventh grade, this was the first book that really made me think about the latter a lot. It is a fascinating 'world' to explore. There are incredibly lengthy debates that are actually exciting to read. How can Ransom convince her to choose good when she knows nothing of the other option? How does one justify the good to the just? It is an exploration in first principles.
This book could be read as early as 7th grade. But it would be better understood by high school age.
Click here for our study questions on this book.
Publisher:
Macmillan Pulblishing Co. Inc.
Series:
C.S. Lewis "Space Trilogy"
Binding:
Softcover
Number of pages:
222 pages
Review Date:
3-17-2001
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
Perelandra
That Hideous Strength
Subject(s):
Grade / Age level:
Copyright:
1946
Review:
Despite the fact that That Hideous Strength is the third book in the Space Trilogy none of it takes place in space. In fact it takes place in one of the most cozy, domestic settings you can think of. It is set in the small towns and College lounges of early 20th century England. The good guys live at St. Anne's - which is just a large home - and is named (here we go again with Lewis) after the Grandmother of our Lord. What could be more comforting?
This is NOT a comforting book. The intrigue and activity is startling. And 'Hideous' was a word well chosen.The National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments is abbreviated N.I.C.E. - but it is not. It is at once exciting, unfathomable and scary.
But to the story. We are back at College now. Our main character is Mark Studdock. A professor of course! He is just being brought into the 'in' crowd. This crowd is so much more progressive. And it is a key, he is sure, to some real recognition and power that he feels he deserves. That his wife, Jane, and he get estranged is not a big concern to him - he will have time to fix that later, when he is a big man. He is getting more and more 'in' as the book goes on. But N.I.C.E. has an air about it that makes the reader nervous (Lewis is a really good writer!!). There is something big going on at N.I.C.E. Mark is being promoted to the highest ranks. But they still won't tell him what is going on. And it all seems like chaos from within. And yet it is something he perversely wants more of. You are caught by a sense of it and then realize how good Lewis has made this allegory for sin and the subsequent seductive flirtation with evil that can spiral into the folly of Babel.
Meanwhile his wife has taken up residence with people at St. Anne's whom she slowly learns to trust. Jane is a very modern sort of girl. But she learns about other mindsets and sees the follies of her own while at St. Anne's.
"I thought love meant equality," she said, "and free companionship."
"...Yes we must be guarded by equal rights from one another's greed, because we are fallen. Just as we must all wear clothes for the same reason," said the director."Equality is not the deepest thing."
..."But surely in marriage..."
"Worse and worse," said the director, "Courtship knows nothing of it..."
That is SO TRUE!!! Five words is all it took! Lewis is introducing his characters to new ideas again. We get to listen in. By seeing both sides converse and contrast you can't help but stop and think for yourself from time to time.
And there is the Pendragon. And there is Merlin. And then there is Mr. Bultitude, the pig. Sorry, can't tell you more. You have to read it!
This book explores good and evil in a very modern setting. Despite the fact that the setting at first looks quaint and ridiculous (set in the 1940s or some such for goodness sake! - they didn't even have stem cells!) it becomes clear that the underlying ideas about science are very current and the quaint and ridiculous is how most of today's theories will look in a few short years.
This book is also rich and deep. And while the first reading will be occasion for more than enough discussion further readings are well warranted. Just look at the worn and used cover of mine!
This book probably should not be read before the second half of high school.
Publisher:
Macmillan Pulblishing Co. Inc.
Series:
C.S. Lewis "Space Trilogy"
Binding:
Softcover
Perspective:
Judeo-Christian
Number of pages:
382 pages
Review Date:
3-17-2001
Reviewed by:
TitleSort:
That Hideous Strength