Books Completed 6/28

Lella:  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (155 pages), Roald Dahl, The Great Genghis Khan (73 pages), Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, Just Enough is Plenty, Barbara Goldin.

Marcus:  The True Gift (81 pages), Patricia MacLachlan, The Silver Thread (76 pages), Kathleen Duey

Both:  Trapped By A Teacher (45 pages), Mary Ann Duke, The Big Monkey Mix-up (65 pages), Pamela Jane.

Angelo and Completed Books 6/15

Angelo (48 pages), David Macualay, is the first book to every cause one of my children to weep.  I was reading on the couch and Marcus came out of his room with a sad look on his face and tears welling up in his eyes.  "What's wrong buddy?" I asked.  "He dies Mama, and it's so sad."  Although the ending was sad, Marcus loved Angelo and said it was one of his favorite stories.  Lella and I also read Angelo and I thought it was beautifully written with inspiring illustrations.

Amazon:
Angelo is an old Italian craftsman who restores facades of Roman buildings. Sweeping away feathers and twigs left "by generations of thoughtless pigeons" one day, Angelo comes face to beak with his nemesis. This pigeon isn't looking so good, though, and in spite of himself, Angelo takes her home and brings her back to health, grumpily commenting, "Mamma mia! I restore walls, not pigeons." It's not long before this lonely old man grows attached to the bird, though, and makes a touching, lasting gesture to her in the final hours before his death.

Books Completed Marcus:
Other than reading various anatomy books, he completed The Three Musketeers (GIC, 237 pages), Alexandre Dumas, Alien for Rent (71 pages), Betsy Duffy, Bicycle to Treachery (48 pages), Robert Quackenbush, Evil Under the Sea, Robert Quackenbush, The Great Genghis Khan (73 pages), Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.

Books Completed Lella:   
The True Gift (81 pages), Patricia MacLachlan, The Last of the Mohicans (GIC, 239 pages), James Fenimore Cooper, Captain Fact Dinosaur Adventure (102 pages), Jadven Knife, The Man Who Lived Alone (35 pages), Donald Hall, Three Names (31 pages), Patricia MacLachlan, All the Places to Love, Patricia MacLachlan.

Both:
Alien and Possum - Friends No Matter What (48 pages), Tony Johnston, The Roman Twins, Roy Gerrard.

Ragweed, The Wanderings of Odysseus, and Completed Books 6/10/10

The Wanderings of Odysseus:  The Story of THE ODYSSEY (114 pages), Rosemary Sutcliff, was by far one of the highlights of our history reading this year.  We read Mrs. Sutcliff's first book, Black Ships Before Troy:  The Story of THE ILIAD, several months ago and also loved her rendering of this epic poem.  Alan Lee's illustrations are splendid.  I HIGHLY recommend reading these two books aloud.  They are full of suspense and tastefully written.  Thank you Mrs. Sutcliff.

The next book we recently finished was Ragweed (178 pages), Avi.  Gabriella had Marcus and I laughing out loud yesterday in the car when she said to Marcus, "Cool dude!  Like, thanks!"  She was imitating how the city mice spoke to each other in the book.  Marcus and Lella enjoyed Ragweed and at the end of each chapter would say, "Just one more chapter Mama!"

Books Completed Lella:  Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (159 pages), Roald Dahl, Alien for Rent (71 pages), Betsy Duffey, The Roman Twins, Roy Gerrard, Pompeii...Buried Alive! (48 pages), Edith Kunhardt (Lella loved this book and read it three times!), The Book of Beasts, E. Nesbit, Miriam's Cup, A Passover Story, Fran Manushkin.

Books Completed Marcus:  The Rockhound Science Mysteries #2 (46 pages), Mark H. Newhouse, The Rockhound Science Mysteries #3 (46 pages), Mark H. Newhouse, Karate Kick (118 pages), Matt Christopher.

The Gingerbread Rabbit and Completed Books 6/3

Marcus:  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (155 pages), Roald Dahl, Lebron James:  King of the Court (48 pages), L.R. Jacobs.

Lella:  Andrew Lost with the Bats (82 pages), J.C. Greenburg, Andrew Lost in the Whale (84 pages), J.C. Greenburg, The Rockhound Science Mysteries #3 (46 pages), Mark H. Newhouse, Princess Madison and the Paisley Puppy, Karen Linamen, Second-Grade Ape, Daniel Pinkwater, Dogsled to Dread (48 pages), Robert Qackenbush, Luv Amelia, Luv, Nadia, Marissa Moss, Lorenzo the Naughty Parrot, Tony Johnston.

Both:  The Rockhound Science Mysteries #1 (46 pages), Mark H. Newhouse, Once I Ate a Pie, Katy Schneider, Laura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster, L. Numeroff, I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, Rose Lewis, and finally,

The Gingerbread Rabbit (55 pages), Randall Jarrell.

Marcus and Gabriella both enjoyed reading this story; a mix (sort of) between the Gingerbread Man and the Velveteen Rabbit. They both laughed out loud at parts and Gabriella said it was one of her favorite books.

Amazon:  This gentle story of a mother's fervent love for her only daughter, and the comical, suspenseful adventures of her rabbit cookie is carefully spun in Jarrell's flawless, slightly tongue-in-cheek prose.