If you were to stumble upon an object that looked like a Genie’s Lamp, you would know what to do wouldn’t you? You would probably give it a few rubs with your hand and wait for the genie to come rumbling out of the end. He would grant you three wishes with a few conditions attached to them. But….what if you stumbled upon a magical object that you didn’t know the rules for. How would you figure out how it worked? Would you get frustrated and just give up or would you collaborate with your friends to figure it out?

In Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder, Henry, Emma, Roy, and Susan do just that. They discover a magical wall in a field. The wall obviously has rules for how it works, but what are they? Through many different wishes and adventures this team of adventurers work together to unlock the mysteries of the wall, and they meet many interesting characters along the way.

I loved the moments in this story where Laurel Snyder was writing directly to the reader. Within her writing she put out into the open the rules of books and how narratives work. This direct conversation to the reader made me think of Kate DiCamillo’s style of writing in The Tale of Despereaux.

I won’t call this book flawless, because there were a few jumpy moments in the story where the writing quickly sped up to move further into the story, and I felt like we missed some entertaining adventures from the group of kids. However, I really enjoyed this book overall and think that many students would love the adventure, magic, and mystery of this great chapter book.

Reviewed by Mr. Plemmons

When I was little, my Mammaw and I shared many stories and books with one another.  One book that she shared was a book that she had read as a child and fallen in love with called A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter.  I read this book when I was a boy and loved the character, Elnora Comstock.  She was poor but still found joys in life through her explorations of nature.

As I read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly.  I felt those same feelings and connections that I found in A Girl of the Limberlost.  Calpurnia Tate is a girl growing up in 1899 at the turn of the century.  She is a girl from a wealthy family of debutante traditions.  Calpurnia is the only girl of the family, so her fate seems to be sealed as living the life of a housewife her entire life.  Her grandfather, however, builds a relationship with her that stirs her in other directions.  He is a scientist and explores the natural world with the scientific eye of Charles Darwin.  His laboratory is filled with specimens and experiments, and he teaches Calpurnia how to keep a scientific notebook.  As her relationship with him builds and her curiosities for science grow, Calpurnia begins to question the expectations of her becoming a housewife and yearns to be a university student.  Will she be able to break through the firm traditions of girls being the wife, mother, housekeeper, and cook?  Will she grow as a scientist?  Will her parents honor her greatest wishes in life?  Join Calpurnia in her journeys and thoughts today by reading this book.

I always feel a deep connection with characters who break the molds that have been created for them by past experiences and traditions in their family.  I was the first person in my family to go to college and leave my small hometown of Blue Ridge, GA.  Unlike Calpurnia’s family, my family was very supportive of my efforts, but it was still difficult to go down a different path that what was the norm.  I encourage all readers who read books like these to think about their dreams and what they need to do in order to nurture those dreams and make them a reality.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate recently was recognized with the Newbery Honor for 2010.  For the most part, the writing was very engaging, especially during the times that Calpurnia interacted with her grandfather.  There were a few chapters where we learn more about the family that I thought were a little slow to read.  If you find yourself slowing down with this book, give it a few more pages or even chapters and things will pick back up.  In the end, I was very pleased and satisfied with this read and actually wanted it to keep going.  If you choose to read this book, I would love to hear what you think.

Reviewed by Mr. Plemmons

Have you ever wondered what really happened to the witch from Hansel and Gretel? You don’t really think she just disappeared after the story was over do you? Witches have a way of popping back up even when you think they are gone. In The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children, Keith McGowan gives us a modern update on what has happened to the witch in her last couple of hundred years.

The story opens with an excerpt from witch Holaderry’s journal. In it, we learn just how complex of a scheme this witch has in getting children she can cook for dinner. It seems that she makes it very convenient for today’s parents to easily hand over their children for her dining delight. From drop boxes outside movie theaters to her convenient “pick-up” service, Holaderry offers parents many options for handing over their kids. She knows that kids don’t just wander into the woods these days, and she has thought of every possible way to earn a meal.
This story lets us explore the witch’s thoughts through her journal, but it also focuses us in on one brother and sister and their story of trying to escape the clutches of the witch. This book is filled with sarcasm. If you like reading stories like Lois Lowry’s The Willoughbys or Lemony Snickett’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, then you will most likely enjoy this story. There is a lot of humor that can only be picked up if you are familiar with how sarcasm works.
This story also holds a lot of mystery for the reader to uncover. In fact, the author leaves many pieces of the story unanswered. Some might say that this is poor writing because by the end of the story, there are several loose ends of the plot still dangling in the air. Some readers might enjoy being able to imagine what might have happened to these loose ends, while others might get frustrated with this and not enjoy the story. I invite you to decide for yourself. Overall, I enjoyed reading this story and didn’t mind that there were pieces left untold. I will say that you should be familiar with the tale of Hansel and Gretel and know its German roots before you read this book.

Come check The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children out today and you might just start noticing things in your world that could be part of Holaderry’s plan to capture her evening meal!