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11yr+

Audiobook review: Heart of a Samurai

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Title: Heart of a Samurai
Author: Margi Preus
Narrator: James Yaegashi
Length: 6h 15m
Format: Full length story
Age group: 10+

When 14-year old Manjiro, the son of a poor Japanese fisherman, finds himself shipwrecked on a deserted island with a rag-tag bunch of mates, he fears the worst. But rescue arrives in the form of an American whaling ship, and soon Manjiro finds himself amidst an international, possibly barbaric crew, sailing towards America. Curious, brave, adventurous, and aspiring above his lowly station to live by Samurai principles, Manjiro embraces this chance to learn about the wider world. Read more…Audiobook review: Heart of a Samurai

The magic begins when you open a book…

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This is perhaps most truly said of pop-up books, where the very act of turning a page mobilizes the mechanisms that get the book’s key characters and details leaping out at you, seemingly magically. With their hidden engineering and their vivid, 3-D imagery, pop-ups can entrance the most book-detesting kiddo. Especially because the latest pop-up book creators are taking their art and science to a whole new level. Read more…The magic begins when you open a book…

Some cool creativity-catalysts

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Wandering among the bookstands at Hubbub Boston earlier this year, my son picked up two books at the Usborne booth and begged me to buy them: Write Your Own Adventure Stories, and Write and Draw your own Comics. I parted with my cash somewhat grumpily (let’s just say it wasn’t the first purchase of the morning), but once we got home and took a closer look at these books together, I was super impressed. Read more…Some cool creativity-catalysts

Out of the desert and into wonderland, thanks to Brian Selznick

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Reading dry spells: Periods where nothing in the library entices, and the assigned books from school seem just another chore. Every reader has had those, and my boys have succumbed to them at various times. During one particularly arid spell, I was thrilled to discover Brian Selznick’s work on our public library shelves. These proved to be our ride out of the desert and back into wonderland. Read more…Out of the desert and into wonderland, thanks to Brian Selznick

Audiobook review: Nooks and Crannies

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Title: Nooks and Crannies
Author: Jessica Lawson
Narrator: Susie Riddell
Length: 7h 27m
Format: Full length story
Age Group: 9+

Tabitha Crum has two great joys in her life: (1) talking to her pet mouse Pemberly, and (2) reading mystery novels featuring a wise, fictional mentor – Inspector Pensive. Otherwise, she is a lonely child, bullied at school and sadly neglected by her parents. But wait! Excitement is just around the corner. When Tabitha and five other children receive invitations to the home of a wealthy countess, Tabitha is plunged into a delicious, real-life mystery.  Read more…Audiobook review: Nooks and Crannies

Audiobook review: Coraline

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Title: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Narrator: Neil Gaiman
Length: 3hrs 36 mins
Format: Full length story
Age Group: 10+

Neil Gaiman’s voice is perfect for narrating this slightly sinister tale about Coraline Jones. New to town and bored, Coraline goes exploring her new home on a rainy day, only to unlock a mysterious door. Like some contemporary Alice going through the looking glass, there on the other side Coraline finds a mirror-image of her world. At first things seem so much better in this new world, but soon they become very strange indeed. Read more…Audiobook review: Coraline