Tales from Maple Ridge #1 Logan Pryce Makes a Mess by Grace Gilmore illustrated by Petra Brown*

 I read the first book in this series last! (because of its availability via the library) I like this one the best.

Because their family farm is failing, Logan's father is searching for work. Before he interviews in the city of Sherman, he agrees to help the Mayberrys at their general store. To Logan's delight, his father & Mrs. Mayberry agree to allow him to help unpack orders. He will earn a dollar! When he shelves someone's order by accident, he fears he will cause his father to lose his job.

I love how Logan has a "Fix-It" shop where he invents and also love how the family is supportive of each other.

Perfect for beginning/transitional readers who are building stamina in their reading---short chapters with lots of picture support.

Consideration: Logan's friend Anthony says "Gosh".

*Highly recommend (I don't "highly recommend" all the books in the series. But even those are good books-just up to parent about some topics I mention).

Tales from Maple Ridge #6 The New Kid by Grace Gilmore illustrated by Petra Brown

 Oswald Robbins, who wants to be called Wally, is a new kid in the Maple Ridge one room schoolhouse, making the total number of students an odd 21. Judging him from his looks and mannerisms, the students label him as odd and suspicious. When a coveted book goes missing from the brand new school library, Wally is the number one suspect. Fortunately, Logan wants to investigate and makes a new a friend.

I liked this story the best out of the five I have read in this series.

Discuss: judging others, welcoming new & different people to a group, jumping to conclusions

-Borrowed from the library.

Tales from Maple Ridge #5 Lost in the Blizzard by Grace Gilmore illustrated by Petra Brown

 Even though it is still fall, the Pryce family begins to "winterize", preparing for winter. Tess observes how frantically the squirrels have been gathering and storing nuts lately and predicts winter is coming soon. The oldest brother Drew scoffs at her conclusion. A blizzard does blast into their town while Drew is in the forest finding firewood. Logan utilizes his newfound knowledge of a homemade compass to find him.

I like how in each book Logan is working on something in his Fix-It Shop. This hobby reinforces the importance of being innovative and being creative and also being a problem-solver. 

Consideration/discuss: When Logan's mom asks where Drew is, Logan lies because he doesn't want to ruin Drew's surprise of bringing in a lot of fireword. Drew's job is to find trees, chop them for firewood, and haul the wood back to the house. He had found a huge tree and was excited to surprise the parents with a huge load of firewood. He had told Logan not to tell because he wanted to surprise the family. So once again, lying seems to be almost justified. Good topic to discuss with children-is this wrong? What could Logan had done differently? Logan does not get into trouble for lying in the previous book nor in this book.

-Borrowed from the library.

Tales from Maple Ridge #4 The Ghost of Juniper Creek by Grace Gilmore illustrated by Petra Brown

 After skipping stones across Juniper Creek with his sister Tess and best friend Anthony, Logan calls his dog Skeeter to come home as the sun sets. Skeeter, however, remains in the dark woods. The three children enter it to convince Skeeter to obey. He is sitting at the base of a tree and peering upwards. A flash of white at the treetops causes the leaves to shake. Instantly, whatever it was disappears. The children think it is a ghost. Over the next couple of days the children hear about the ghost legend of Juniper Creek. Logan decides to create and to set a ghost trap. 

A second storyline is included. An astute thinker will perceive quickly how these two storylines mesh.

I think the illustrations in this series are adorable. This book's ending is humorous.

Considerations/discuss: ghosts  The conclusion is that they are not real. When Logan's little sister, Annie, asks what he is making, he lies. He doesn't want her to know it is a ghost trap and be scared. The author calls it a "fib", almost making it seem benign. Good discussion-is it ok to lie like this?

-Borrowed from the library.

Tales from Maple Ridge #3 The Big City

 When Logan's father travels to the city of Sherman, Logan is chosen to come along and spend the day with his cousins. Initially, he is enamoured with the city's energy and sights. However, as the day progresses, he realizes the rural life might be better.

A great chapter book for transitional readers who are developing stamina for chapter books

Consideration: one of the characters says "gosh"

-Borrowed from the library.

Tales from Maple Ridge No. 2 The Lucky Wheel by Grace Gilmore illustrated by Petra Brown

 Logan's teacher of Maple Ridge's one-room schoolhouse asks each student to contribute to the building fund so they can repair many issues that are popping up. Unfortunately, Logan lies to his family by saying he is going to contribute from the money he has saved in his piggy bank. He has no money. So when he finds a broken wheel along the road, he decides to repair it to sell it and give the money to the school. Eventually he confesses to his father that he had lied.

This book is perfect for new readers who are transitioning into chapter books & building stamina. Plenty of illustrations per page. I like that it features a boy main character within the historical fiction genre. So many historical fiction books for kids feature girls.

Considerations: Logan lies. But his father reprimands him. Lying is not condoned. Readers see the consequences of this sin through Logan. Throughout the book the word "lucky" is mentioned. "lucky wheel", "lucky day". Logan seems to think luck is what brings good events into his life.

Part of a series-more reviews of the other books forthcoming.

-Borrowed from the library.

Lucky Duck by Greg Pizzoli*

 Susan, the duck, is not having a good day. After each incident, she exclaims how she is unlucky. Then a wolf rings a doorbell and tells her she has won a soup pot. Throughout the day, he continues to drop in with more items that she has "won". The reader will be cringing at the duck's naivety! Just when the reader thinks he has predicted Susan's fate, the day really does transform into her lucky day!

Pair with My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza (I like My Lucky Day better.)

*Highly recommend.

Perfect for beginning/transitional readers.

-Borrowed from the library.

Earl & Worm series by Greg Pizzoli**

 I love this series! They are perfect for beginning &/or transitional readers (fluency, stamina, building confidence). 

Even though Earl & Worm are great friends, when they first met, Worm did not like Earl's disposition. Grumpy Worm eventually softens to Earl's friendliness. Together they navigate writing poetry, house cleaning, the affect of an unlucky penny, and watching a sunrise.

I am waiting for #3 to be published (Nov. 11, 2025). 

**Highly, highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Three by the Sea by Edward Marshall illustrated by James Marshall*

 Lolly, Spider, and Sam are enjoying a day at the beach. After eating they are too full to resume any activities. To pass the time, Lolly reads aloud to them from her reader. They declare the story too boring and create their own stories.

Fun and humorous! Perfect for reluctant and transitional readers

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Orris and Timble #2-Lost and Found by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Carmen Mok*

 Orris, a rat, and Timble, an owl, are best friends who enjoy meeting each night in a barn loft where Orris lives. Orris retells stories to him from the old books left behind in the barn. One night Timble does not come . . . and then another night he does not come. Orris begins to doubt the plausibility of their friendship. Afterall, owls typically eat rats! A sweet ending.

*Highly recommend. Peferct for beginning/transitional readers.

-Borrowed from the library.

Ready to Read-Tails from History-A Racoon at the White House by Rachel Dougherty illustrated by Rachel Sanson*

 Ready to Read Level Two

With words and sentence structures perfect for beginning and/or transitional readers, Ms. Dougherty relates how a raccoon named Rebecca lived at the White House with President Coolidge and First Lady Grace. Additonal facts about raccoons and the White House are included (for parents to read aloud to their beginning reader).

*Highly recommend for stimulating historical interest, for fluency, and for building stamina.

-Borrowed from the library.

Bat, Cat & Rat #1-The Cozy Home by Ame Dyckman illustrated by Mark Teague*

 Bat, Cat, & Rat move into a home. As they settled into sharing life together, they enjoy teasing each other and, of course, reading together.

A perfect series for beginning readers.

It looks like book #3, The Beach Day, will be published on April 29, 2025, and #4, A Great Fall, will be published on July 15, 2025.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Stella & Marigold by Annie Barrows illustrated by Sophie Blackall

 Short chapters about two sisters- Stella, who is seven and Marigold, who is four. Each mini story celebrates sisterhood, imagination, and typical frustrations experienced at that those ages. I laughed out loud while reading a few chapters. Each of the endings were a bit abrupt.

I love how this book portrays the loyalty, love, and friendship between sisters.💓

A great book for transitional readers who need to build stamina

Considerations: lying (in different chapters), their dad swears-no swear words are printed-just "he said a lot of bad things about drains" & the illustrations show swear word symbols.

-Borrowed from the library.

Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke illustrated by Emily Hughes

 Four seasonal stories featuring Beti, her parents, and her baby brother Jac, who live in a round house They choose to live off the land and make everything they need to survive.

 At times I felt disoriented because they are a modern family who is choosing to live without modern conveniences. Beti is fiesty and places herself into predicaments!

-Borrowed from the library.

Bibsy Cross and the Bike-A-Thon by Liz Garton Scanlon illustrated by Dung Ho

 I liked this book better than the 1st one in this series (Bibsy did not interact with her teacher nor her parents as much in this one).

Bibsy and her best friend Natia sign up to compete in a bike-a-thon to support their local library. When Natia becomes sick the night before the event, Bibsy is forced to change her perspective and attitude. 

-Borrowed from the library.

Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple by Liz Garton Scanlon illustrated by Dung Ho

 Bibsy loves to discuss. Unfortuantely, her third grade teacher, Mrs. Stumper, believes Bibsy talks too much. When Bibsy has gone "a stone too far", Mrs. Stumper removes Bibsy's paper apple from the tree to the ground. Will Bibsy be able to keep her apple receiving a hole punch (a wormy apple)? 

Bibsy annoyed me! Her parents seem to coddle her. 

This series is perfect for readers who are building stamina. The chapters are short (2-5 pages) with short paragraphs with a lot of white space separating them. Many illustrations are included in each chapter.

-Borrowed from the library.

Orris and Timble The Beginning #1 by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Carmen Mok*

 Orris, the rat, lives in a hole in an abandoned barn. One night he hears a screech. An owl is caught in a mousetrap nailed to the floor. Should he help an enemy? A sweet book about being noble and about friendship. I love the inclusion of Aesop's Fable.

Simple words, short chapters with full-page illustrations-perfect for transitional readers who need to build stamina  and to gain confidence.

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Ruby Bridges text set

 We will be studying the 1960s soon in American history. I am having my youngest son do a deeper study of Ruby Bridges. The following books he could use for his study-

1. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles-narrative picture book for grades 2nd-6th, junior high  It includes the prayer Ruby prayed over the angry mob. Her prayer made me emotional. *Highly recommend. I own this book.

2. Ruby Bridges Goes to School My True Story by Ruby Bridges -Scholastic Reader Level 2-perfect for beginning & transitional readers, full of photographs *Highly recommend. -Borrowed from the library.

3. This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges Written in 2020, Ms. Bridges encourages children of this era to stand vs racism  She recounts her school integration, exalts her father, shares about her sons, and points out modern racial issues. Lots of photographs-some show the hatred people had toward blacks & integration. She mentions Black Lives Matters & includes several photographs of their demonstrations. One photo has a preschooler wearing a t-shirt that states, "lightly melanated hella black". Ms. Bridges does NOT focus on how racial relationships have improved since 1961. She does place hope in this younger generation to break prejudice. This book should provide opportunity for an interesting discussion with my son. 

Suited for grades 4 and older.  Borrowed from the library.

4. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges 

published 1999 This longer narrative shares how Ruby Bridges participates in the civil rights struggle. Tons of photographs. The photographs do expose the hatred people had towards blacks and integration. *Highly recommend.  For readers in 5th grade & older.  -Borrowed from the library.

*I just read on-line that Barbara Henry, Ruby's teacher, is still alive (91 years old)!!

A book should be written about her!

Merlin and the Making of the King retold by Margaret Hodges illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman*

 Ms. Hodges retells three Arthur legends from the old Winchester manuscript. The three legends are tailored so younger children can comprehend them. The illustrations are lavish and rich. I especially relished the borders.

Warning for sensitive younger readers: The violence is still intense. The illustrations still depict blood and demise.

*Highly recommend for adventurous boys but seeing warning. 

-Borrowed from the library.

Mercy Watson Is Missing! by Kate DiCamillo illustrated by Chris Van Dusen**

 One of favorite author-illustrator teams!! I was so excited to read this book!

One morning when Mrs. Watson calls for Mercy, she cannot find her. Mr. and Mrs. Watson worry; Eugenia plays a jig on her accordian. Characters from previous books search for her plus a floundering new detective and his girlfriend. Humor abounds. Even though this a book for transitional readers, Ms. DiCamillo inserts a couple of challenging, interesting words.

**Highly, highly recommend (especially for transitional readers or reluctant readers).

-Borrowed from the library.