Book Finder

The Potter children’s adventure to find the long-forgotten but wise Whangdoodle begins when they meet Professor Savant at the Bramblewood Zoo. Their journey to find the reclusive Whangdoodle makes for high adventure filled with extraordinary creatures. Told with a storyteller’s voice, this gratifying fantasy reads aloud well.

The Banks family, their children, and a most amazing Mary Poppins are brought to life through the narrator’s spot-on British accent.

K-10 no longer trusts humans but he’s still a special kind of dog just as his mother told him. K-10’s unique voice as well as that of the other canines come alive in this spirited narration.

Five children finally escape the confines of London to the white house in the country. There they meet the magical but grumpy Psammead. When their wishes become reality, the children find out that what you want is not always what you wish for. Originally published in 1902, Nesbit’s fantasy will read aloud to delight a new generation.

In this heartwarming story, Farah is trying to get used to a new country and language. She knows what’s happening around her, but without the words to say what she’s thinking in English, she feels alienated from her classmates. A trip to the apple orchard helps her begin to bridge those gaps, however, and she realizes that “Laughs sound the same as at home.” As she practices her first “outside-myself word,” she knows that she will be able to say more in time. Beautiful watercolor illustrations bring Farah, her classmates, and the apple orchard to life.

When lions are roused by the sound of guns, only one young lion (who readers come to know as Lafcadio) stays to dissuade the hunter. Rather than deterring the hunter, Lafcadio winds up eating him, becoming a crack shot, and entering the human world. Humor in wordplay and in line drawings creates contagious fun in this poignant tale of having ties to very different worlds.

Have you ever wondered why the leopard has spots or why a spider has a big butt? This collection of six stories uses African folklore and storytelling techniques to explain natural phenomena.

Meet the Hatchers through the voice of Peter, the oldest of son, tormented (as all siblings are) by his younger and perennially “cute” brother, Farley (better known as Fudge). Their life in an apartment in New York City sparkles with humor and plausible family scenes in this first of the stories of Peter, his family, and ultimately his neighbors.

What happens to a city kid who spends the summer in the country? Sheila Tubman (aka as Peter Hatcher’s nemesis) finds out as she confronts her fears ranging from dogs to swimming. Snappy dialog and recognizable characters come to life through Sheila’s narration.

It’s tough being the middle child, between an older brother and younger sister. Second grade Freddy says he sometimes feels squeezed like the peanut butter part of a sandwich but happily, he establishes himself as special nonetheless. Memorable characters and recognizable situations make this book both satisfying and appealing.

Now not only does Peter’s little brother, Fudge, decide he loves Peter’s sworn enemy, Sheila Tubman, his parents rent a vacation home with them! There, a grandparent from each family meets, fall in love, and decide to marry — making Sheila and Peter relatives. Rip-roaring humor abounds in this rollicking continuing family saga.

Andrew really wants to have freckles like his friend Nicky so badly that he buys a fake formula from his class enemy, Sharon. The results are unexpected and funny — presented with a keen eye for real children and their desires.

When the Hatchers visit Washington D.C. so that money-obsessed Fudge can see where it is printed, they run into distant cousins who then invite themselves to stay with their relatives in New York City. Chaos ensues when the families share close quarters, all creating lots of laughs for readers.

Jake (aka The Pain), a first grader and his sister, 3rd grader Abigail (aka The Great One), share vignettes in alternating chapters about life and living in their school and at home. Though they are indeed sibling rivals, each child is fiercely loyal to the other and confronts familiar school problems as a duo with verve and humor.

When Carmen Teresa receives a blank journal on New Year’s Day, she begins filling it with tales and memories from her loved ones. Finding that food is the common thread, the journal becomes a cookbook of stories, infused with Latin American flavor. Gentle lessons are conveyed along the way in this lovely book. Available in Spanish and English versions.

Harold the squirrel is living the life in New York City, feasting on nuts from a kind old man in the park. The old man never feeds, the rats, though. One rat, angry at this fact, tells Harold the only difference between himself and a rat is his fluffy tail. Determined to prove the rat wrong, Harold shaves his tail… only to be proven wrong himself.

Mother Paula’s newest (#469) All American Pancake House is about to be built in Coconut Grove, Florida, on a site where a colony of endangered burrowing owls live. Mullet Fingers, who has been quietly committing acts of sabotage at the construction site to save the owls, is befriended by Roy Eberhardt, the quiet, new kid in town. Together with Mullet’s stepsister Beatrice, the three make it their mission to expose the restaurant company’s wrongdoing.

When Mary Poppins arrived at the house on Cherry Tree Lane, life became much different and more exciting. The unique nanny stayed only until the wind changed leaving the family with many happy memories. Some echoes of the film are evident, however, the book remains a read aloud classic that stands apart and is rather different.

Having a four-year old sister like Ramona can be a real pain as 9-year old Beezus (aka Beatrice) knows all too well. Ramona likes to do things in her own often pesky, frequently funny, and always imaginative way. The movie version of the modern classic was released in March 2010.

How the Murray children search through time to find and save their missing scientist father continues to enthrall readers even 50 years after its publication. The author was awarded the Newbery Medal for what has become a classic time travel fantasy.

Theater mice perform in a space just out of human sight in a venerable old New York theater. Alas! The leading rodent taken to Brooklyn before she performs in the final play before the theater is destroyed. Humor abounds in this satisfying tale.

The murder of a young knight, a white wolfhound, and a faithful page in medieval France all come together to create a fast-paced, gripping mystery.

While visiting her father and stepmother in a lakeside cabin, Maggie notices a beautiful blue heron in the sky. Seeing this bird each morning helps Maggie through the tough visit, and she summons the strength to help the heron when it seems to be in danger.

The lives and times of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln are presented through written and pictorial information in a scrapbook-like format. A well developed, tragic portrait of Mary Lincoln emerges as her life is presented beyond the assassination of the President.