The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

First sentence:

"When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen."

Description:

"When orphaned Mary Lennox, lonely and sad, comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors, she finds it full of secrets. At night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. Outside, she meets Dickon, a magical boy who can charm and talk to animals. Then, one day, with the help of a friendly robin, Mary discovers the most mysterious wonder of all--a secret garden, walled and locked, which has been completely forgotten for years and years. Is everything in the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?" -- from Amazon.com

My thoughts:

I enjoyed rereading this childhood favorite. I liked how Mary "blossomed" as she started caring about others and let others care about her. I also liked how she and Dickon showed Colin a new way to live.

Date read: 6/21/2009
Book #: 35
Challenge: Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge
Rating: 4*/5 = great
Genre: Children's Literature

Publisher: Children's Classics
Year: 1911
# of Pages: 234
Binding: E-book
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The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban

First line:

"The tramp was big and squarely built, and he walked with the rolling stride of the long road, his steps too big for the little streets of the little town."

Description:

"'What are we, Papa?' the toy mouse child asked his father. 'I don't know,' the father answered. 'We must wait and see.'

So begins the story of a tin father and son who dance under a Christmas tree until they break the ancient clockwork rules and are themselves broken.

Thrown away, then rescued from a trash can adn repaired by a tramp, they set out on a perilous odyssey to follow the child's dream of a family and a place of their own.

What happens to the mouse and his child in their search for the magnificent doll house, the plush elephant, and the tin seal they had known in the toyshop is a tale to remember and return to." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

Although it's been many years since I had read this book, I still found it as poignant, funny and moving as I did when I was a child. I enjoyed the interactions between the tin mouse and his son in their quest to find a home and a family.

Date read: 6/16/2009
Book #: 34
Challenge: Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge
Rating: 4*/5 = great
Genre: Children's Literature

Publisher: Avon Books
Year: 1967
# of pages: 182
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

First sentence:

"Taran wanted to make a sword; but Coll, charged with the practical side of his education, decided on horseshoes."

Description:

"Taran is bored with his Assistant Pig-Keeper duties, even though his charge is none other than Hen Wen, Prydain's only oracular pig. He'd rather be doing something more heroic, like making swords and learning to use them.

When Hen Wen escapes and Taran goes after her, he finds himself farther from home than he's ever been. Soon he begins to realize that heroism is no easy task. With the dreaded Horn King on the loose and King Arawn gathering the forces of evil, Taran must look past his own dreams to warn the population of Prydain -- before it's too late." -- from the back cover

My thoughts:

I enjoyed rereading this childhood favorite featuring the characters Taran, Eilonwy and Fflewddur Fflam. I especially liked how Taran learned that being a hero takes more than swinging a sword and looking handsome. I look forward to rereading the next book in the series, The Black Cauldron.

Date read: 6/14/2009
Book #: 33
Challenge: Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge
Series: Chronicles of Prydain, #1
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genres: YA/Fantasy

ISBN-10: 0805080481
ISBN-13: 9780805080483
Publisher: Henry Holt
Year: 1999
# of pages: 186
Binding: Trade Paperback
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Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards

First sentence:

"On the outskirts of a pretty country village called St. Martin's Green, there stands a large, white house called St. Martin's Orphanage."

Description:

A home of her own. For ten-year-old Mandy, the old stone orphanage was the only home she remembered. Matron Bridie was kind to her, but there were thirty children to look after, and sometimes Mandy felt there was something missing. One day Mandy climbed over the high orphanage wall and found a tiny, deserted cottage in the woods. Here at last was her very own home. All through the spring, summer, and fall, Mandy worked to make it truly hers. Sometimes she "borrowed" things she needed from the orphanage. Sometimes to guard her secret, she even lied. Then one stormy night at the cottage, Mandy got sick, and no one knew how to find her -- except a special friend she didn't know she had. -- from Amazon.com

My thoughts:

I enjoyed re-reading this book as it was one of my favorite books growing up. As I read, I smiled at remembering Mandy's climbing over the wall, and even though I knew how it would end, I still worried when she was in the cottage while she was sick.

Date read: 4/13/2009
Book #: 27
Challenge: Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Children's Literature

Publisher: Harper & Row
Year: 1971
# of Pages: 188
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
LibraryThing Page

Stuart Little by E.B. White

First sentence:

"When Mrs. Frederick C. Little's second son arrived, everybody noticed that he was not much bigger than a mouse."

Description:

"How terribly surprised the Little family must have been when their second child turned out to be a small mouse. Apparently familiar with the axiom that "when in New York City, anything can happen," the Littles accept young Stuart into their family unquestioningly--with the exception of Snowbell the cat who is unable to overcome his instinctive dislike for the little mouse. They build him a bed from a matchbox, and supply him with all of the accoutrements a young mouse could need. Mrs. Little even fashions him a suit, because baby clothes would obviously be unsuitable for such a sophisticated mouse. In return, Stuart helps his tall family with errant Ping-Pong balls that roll outside of their reach.

E. B. White takes Stuart on a hero's quest across the American countryside, introducing the mouse--and the reader--to a myriad of delightful characters. Little finds himself embroiled in one adventure after another from the excitement of racing sailboats to the unseen horrors of substitute teaching. This is a story of leaving home for the first time, of growing up, and ultimately of discovering oneself. At times, doesn't everyone feel like the sole mouse in a family--and a world--of extremely tall people? " -- from Amazon.com

My thoughts:

I don't know how many times I've read this book, but reading it again for the Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge was a joy. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still laughed when I read about Stuart inside the piano, and I felt sad when his friend Margalo the bird left home.

Date read: 4/2/2009
Book #: 23
Challenge: Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge
Rating: 5*/5
Genre: Children's Literature

Publisher: Harper & Row
Year: 1945
# of Pages: 131
Binding: Hardcover
LibraryThing page

Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik

First sentence:

"It is cold."

Description:

"Enter the world of Little Bear. Children will be entranced by Little Bear's trip to the moon, his birthday party, and his wishes and adventures.

This is the first of the five classic books about Little Bear, introducing the funny and strikingly childlike bear cub and his friends. The combination of Else Holmelund Minarik's simple, yet eloquent, stories and Maurice Sendak's warm, tender illustrations have made this beloved character favorite among beginning readers."

My thoughts:

I read this book for the Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge. When I learned about this challenge, I immediately thought of this book. It was the first book I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. I stood in the children's section of our local library today and read it, chuckling to myself as I read the text and enjoyed the pictures, especially of Little Bear and his "space helmet" made from a box and his mother surprising him and his friends with birthday cake!

Date read: 1/2/2009
Book #: 1
Challenge: Childhood Favourites Reading Challenge
Rating: 5*/5 = excellent
Genre: Children's literature

ISBN-10: 006024240X
ISBN-13: 9780060242404)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 1957
# of pages: 63
Binding: Hardcover
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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

First sentence:

"Ba-room, ba-room, ba-room, baripity, baripity, baripity, baripty--Good."

Description:

"'We need a place,' she said, 'just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world about it.' She lowered her voice almost to a whisper. 'It might be a whole secret country, and you and I would be the rulers of it.'

It was Leslie's idea to create Terabithia, their secret kingdom in the woods where she and Jess reigned as queen and king. There no enemy -- not their teacher, 'Monster Mouth' Meyers, their bullying schoolmates, Jess's four sisters, or even Jess's own fears and Leslie's imaginary foes -- could defeat them. Jess's friendship with Leslie and the worlds of imagination and learning that she opens up to him change him forever and enable him to cope with the unexpected tragedy that touches them all."

My thoughts:

This was a beautifully written book on friendship, imagination, and courage as both Jess and Leslie learn to take risks. I felt I got to know the characters well in a short amount of time.

Date read: 12/2/2007
Book #: 106
Rating: 4* = great
Genre: Children's Literature

ISBN-10: 0590132008
ISBN-13: 978-0590132008
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 1995
# of Pages: 128
Binding: Paperback
LibraryThing Page