Tag Archives: Kristen M.

100 Chapter Books Read-Along: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

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Some of the books on the 100 Best Chapter Books list are ones that I read as a kid and remember liking quite a bit. In a way, it scares me to go back and read them as an adult in case they aren’t as good as the younger me thought they were. Luckily, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien is just as good as I remember — maybe even better! I even think that it might deserve to be higher than #33 on the list.

It is primarily the story of Mrs. Frisby, a widow and a mouse, who lives in a brick in the middle of a farmer’s field. Though her family must relocate before the spring plowing destroys their home, she can’t move her family because her youngest is recovering from pneumonia. So she goes to visit an owl for advice. He seems to think that she can get help from some mysterious rats that live under a rosebush by the farmhouse. So she travels to ask for help and ends up getting much more, including the history of the rats and, surprisingly, her husband.

Mrs. Frisby’s story was compelling, especially for a mother to read. But the really interesting part for me was reading the tale of the rats and their journey to and from NIMH — the National Institute of Mental Health. I wish that I had read this book with Z but there just wasn’t time to fit it in. I will definitely offer it up as a bedtime story in the next year or two though.

Verdict: Buy

But as many times as I read The Secret of NIMH as a child, I must have watched the film ten times more. It makes sense because it came out in 1982, when I was seven. I didn’t have a chance to watch it yet but, since it’s almost our spring break, I have a feeling that Z and I will be watching it soon!

Next up is The Westing Game which I had never heard of before but, as always seems to happen now, I have seen referenced a few times recently. It sounds like a fun story (the adventures of Sam Westing’s sixteen heirs after they are challenged by him to unravel the secret behind his death — via Wikipedia) so I’m hoping for another stellar read!

*****

Schedule – April through August

note: dates are not necessarily set in stone – posts may go up a day or two before or after

  • April 30 - #9 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)
  • May 15 - #17 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)
  • May 31 - #38 Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996)
  • June 15 - #58 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (1930) — 1st in a series
  • June 30 - #100 Love that Dog by Sharon Creech (2001)
  • July 15 - #42 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (1957)
  • July 31 - #19 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932)
  • August 15 - #18 The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (1964)

100 Chapter Books Read-Along: Ozma of Oz

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I’ve now read both of the Oz books that appear on the 100 Best Chapter Books list. Ozma of Oz is the third Oz tale and it’s one of the two books that was borrowed from to make the 1985 film Return to Oz with Fairuza Balk. (The other was The Marvelous Land of Oz, book two of the series.)

The full title of this book, at least on the title page of my old Reilly & Lee Co. version, is Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tiktok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein. This is the first time that I’ve ever thought that Catherynne M. Valente’s titles are reasonable lengths. ;) And it’s interesting that it assigns Ozma the leading role in the story when it’s actually Dorothy’s tale for the most part — but Ozma is a queen so I assume that’s why she gets top billing!

There’s a lot to like in this book. There are a few new characters to enjoy, like Billina the hen (actually Bill but Dorothy didn’t approve of that), but none so wonderful as Tiktok the Mechanical Man. I first read these books when I was very young and I thought he was the most fantastic thing ever. He was the first “robot” in literature but I didn’t know that, of course. He was just a kind but slightly helpless fellow who was loyal and brave and at the mercy of a little girl who needed to remember to wind him up regularly. And this time, as I read this book with Z, he felt exactly the same way about Tiktok. In fact, this book was a wonderful one to read together. I seem to have a very good chicken voice in my repertoire. Z was creeped out by Princess Languidere, she of the interchangeable heads (and personalities), and furious with the Nome King and brokenhearted at the apparent loss of the Tin Woodman. He actually clapped with joy when the Woodman was found again. It’s amazing for a book that is 105 years old to still get this kind of reaction from a young reader. I couldn’t be happier at how well this story has held up over the years.

Verdict: Buy

I’m definitely going to keep reading the Oz series in order now that I’ve started, at least through the books that I own. If you’re looking to start the series and would like a version of The Wizard of Oz with a completely different look, check out the newly released version from Harper Design with art by Michael Sieben. It’s colorful and has fun fonts and lots of smiles.

The next chapter book is one I’m really, really looking forward to — Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I might have only read it once or twice as a kid but I watched the movie dozens of times and loved it so I’m going to pair this read with a watch. (The film is streaming on Netflix right now and I’m even willing to do a TweetChat viewing if there’s interest.)

*****

Schedule – April through July

note: dates are not necessarily set in stone – posts may go up a day or two before or after

  • April 15 – #33 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (1971)
  • April 30 – #9 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)
  • May 15 – #17 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)
  • May 31 – #38 Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996)
  • June 15 – #58 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (1930) — 1st in a series
  • June 30 – #100 Love that Dog by Sharon Creech (2001)
  • July 15 – #42 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (1957)
  • July 31 – #19 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932)

100 Chapter Books Read-Along: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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100 Chapter Books Read-Along: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Three of the Harry Potter books made it onto the 100 Best Chapter Books list. The first book is number 3 on the list, and this one, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was number 12. (Goblet of Fire was number 98.)

I guess it’s obvious from the title of this book which plot this has — it’s the one with Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban and, presumably, heading to Hogwarts. This happened to be where Z and I were with this series so we read it together at bedtime over the past few weeks. The first thing I noticed about this book was that this is where they start getting longer. There were times when the story could have been a bit tighter, as evidenced by the loss of Z’s attention. But it was also the first story where Z wanted to look ahead to learn things that he couldn’t wait to find out. It was important for him to find out what the white orb meant to Lupin and what was going to happen to Buckbeak and how Hermione was going to all of those classes and what animal James Potter was as an animagus.

I have a hard time comparing books within this series. I know a lot of readers have their favorite but I really can’t separate them like that. It’s interesting that only three of the books made this list. Is this the second best in the series? Some think it’s the best. Reading it aloud, I know that there were some small problems with the writing but the adventure was irresistible. I think that kids are going to love these books for generations to come.

I got the chance to talk to Kazu Kibuishi, the illustrator of the new covers that Scholastic is releasing, last week and hear a presentation he gave at Z’s school and he was really awesome. He hopes his new covers will bring more young readers to the books, books that he loved reading too. I’m sure they will if they’re all as gorgeous as this first one!

Verdict: Buy (the box set)

I loved this experience and I’m so excited about the next book in my project, Ozma of Oz. It’s been a favorite since I was a very little kid. I read The Marvelous Land of Oz, second in the Oz series, a couple of weeks ago in preparation and I’m ready to stay in Oz a while longer.

*****

Schedule – March through July

note: dates are not necessarily set in stone – posts may go up a day or two before or after

March 31 – #83 Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum (1907) — 3rd in a series
April 15 – #33 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (1971)
April 30 – #9 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)
May 15 – #17 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)
May 31 – #38 Frindle by Andrew Clements (1996)
June 15 – #58 Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (1930) — 1st in a series
June 30 – #100 Love that Dog by Sharon Creech (2001)
July 15 – #42 Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (1957)