The Children's Hour - Children's Book Reviews - Middle Grades

CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEWS
MIDDLE GRADES
NOTABLE BOOKS 2004

Middle Grades

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Dragon Rider
written/illus. by Cornelia Funke, translated by Anthea Bell, (The Chicken House, $12.95), 528p, Ages 8+.
A young silver dragon, fearing destruction from humans, embarks on a dangerous journey to find the Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas where all dragons can live in safety. Firedrake befriends Ben, a runaway, and together they manage to keep one step ahead of a man made, gold plated creature bent on destroying them.

The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story from the Netherlands
written by Louise Borden, illus. by Niki Daly, (Margaret K. McElderry Books $18.95), 48p, Ages 8-12 yrs.
During World War II, a young boy in Holland leads two children to safety in Belgium. They skate 16 kilometers along the frozen canals to outwit and escape the German soldiers. Good historical fiction.

Mistress Masham's Repose
written by T. H. White, illus. by Fritz Eichenberg, (The New York Review Children's Collection, $16.95), 260p, Ages 8+.
Maria is a ten-year-old orphan living on her family's deteriorating estate with guardians who mistreat her. When she discovers an entire community of Lilliputians (as in Gulliver's Travels) living on the grounds, she has her hands full keeping them from her greedy guardians. They soon devise ways to help each other. First published in 1946.

Kidnapped
written by Robert Louis Stevenson, illus. by N. C. Wyeth, (Atheneum, $18.95), 64p, 10+.
After the death of his parents, wealthy sixteen-year-old David Balfour is kidnapped by his evil uncle and sold into slavery. After escaping, David becomes involved with the struggle of the Scottish highlanders against English rule. In this abridged edition, the language is truer to the original classic.

The Secret of Castle Can't
written by K. P. Bath, illus. by David Christiana, (Little, Brown & Co., $16.99), 304p, Ages 10-14.
Two heroines learn courage and devotion in this funny and adventuresome story. Lucy Wickwright, a maidservant to the Baron of Cant's daughter Pauline, discovers that she is actually the true heir of Cant. When a revolution begins in the kingdom, both girls must make some difficult choices.

LionBoy
written by Zizou Corder, (Dial Books, $15.99), 305p, Ages 10+.
Young Charlie Ashanti returns home to find his parents missing. He sets out from London in search of them, and with the ability to speak the language of cats, Charlie finds himself aboard a circus ship learning to train lions. Unfortunately, he seems to be one step behind his parents. This is the first of three books filled with adventure and suspense.

The Saint of Dragons
written by Jason Hightman, (Eos/HarperCollins, $16.99), 304p, Ages 10+.
Simon St. George, raised at the Lighthouse School for Boys, realizes that he is descended from a family of medieval dragonslayers, when a father that he has never known shows up and decides that he should enter the family business.

The Westing Game
written by Ellen Raskin, (Puffin Children's Books, $5.99), 192p, Ages 10+.
The older middle grader will probably enjoy this book. Sixteen characters are invited to the reading of Samuel W. Westing's will. They must play a dangerous Westing game involving blizzards, burglaries, and bombings in order to win the two million dollar estate.

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