Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Illustrated Stories for Children) by Washington Irving, Arthur Rackham

With disturbingly eerie illustrations by Arthur Rackham, this is a great introduction to the classic legend based on the original story by Irving of the small town of Sleepy Hollow in New York. Take a step back and see a bounty of fields and Dutch heritage, a glimpse into a time left behind when the streets we now know so well weren't yet laid down and the swaying grass could hide witches, goblins, and other creatures conjured from superstitions brought over from Europe and twisted to flesh out new worries found in a new land. See the changes of old tradition merging into a new culture blooming forth. Whether you know the legend and just want to revisit it again or you're on your first foray into this story, this is a great version to read before maybe taking the chance and visiting the actual village of Sleepy Hollow. Will you be able to follow Ichabod's ride for his life? You'd be amazed at how much is still there if you know where to look.

The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson

This classical children's story is absolutely lovely. Simply written about a Parisian hobo who is quite happy to live a carefree life under the bridges of Paris among fellow homeless who scrape a living out of the detritus of the City of Light with no ties until the day he meets three children, who along with their mother are trying desperately to survive the winter. Unable to resist the urge to help this family Armand's fate as a drifter is put in jeopardy when he begins to follow his heart and make it his goal to make this Christmas magical.

This is a must read for any child on the rewards of generosity and love given unselfishly. A look at the truth that bad things can happen to good people and that a helping hand is always welcome. Written with care and thoughtfulness, it is a wonderful book to add to any child's library. Illustrated with lively views of Paris and the characters we meet, this really is a little treasure box of hope that can never grow old.

The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner and Other Stories by Terry Pratchett

If you have ever read any Terry Pratchett and wondered where it all started, this second volume of short stories he wrote as a teenager will give you a glimpse into the ground floor of what would become one of the most celebrated writers of our times. The wit and humor that came to pervade his better known stories can be seen being crafted here, and though not as devastatingly cunning as his later works, there is no mistaking the raw talent that is underlying these stories. This would be a great collection to start a young reader on who hasn't read any of his Trucker series as one of the stories included is very similar, if not the basis for the series itself. This would also be a great gift for any Terry Pratchett fan who would love to read more that they might not have known of. The only reason this is a two star review is that quite frankly I have become spoiled; all these years of Discworld novels etc have made this book a little too bland for me but there are a few gems in here that made me chuckle and that is really all I need to make me say you should be picking it up for yourself. Young Terry Pratchett is sure to enchant just as his older self did.

The Lost Property Office (Section 13, #1) by James R. Hannibal

Jack Buckle's brain works in a different way than the average person's. His senses are heightened, more aware. Sounds bring images and smells and tastes. Needless to say Jack is good at finding things but the additional information can be overwhelming at times. Especially now that he along with his younger sister and mother have arrived in London in search of their father who vanished mysteriously. As his mother tries to find out more, Jack tries to keep his sister occupied, until the day she vanishes. Being lost in London on her trail exposes Jack not only to all the cacophony of a large city filled with so many people but to one individual in particular who has been waiting for Jack to appear. The Clockmaker knows about Jack's special talent and has set in motion a scheme of revenge that will reveal a secret society that holds in its history the very beginnings of Jack's family line and the truth about the Great Fire of London. Jack is at the cusp of an inheritance that will bring him into direct conflict with the very people who need him the most and with time running out for his father Jack will have to decide just how much he is willing to sacrifice to save one and all.

This is an exciting adventure travelling through London's great history with touches of magic and an almost steam punk flair. The Lost Property Office is a great new look at the detective genre as well. All in all, I would definitely recommend this for your young readers as it promises to be a series that will grip the imagination.

Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods by Tania del Rio, Will Staehle (Illustrations)

The publisher was kind enough to send me an ARC but the review is my own.

This is the sequel to the first Warren the 13th and is well worth the wait. As we learned in the first book, the Hotel is capable of walking and Warren has enhanced the hotel to provide his visitors with panoramic views as the Hotel travels around the land. Everything is going well until Warren and his friends become the focus of the Queen of Witches who sees the Hotel as the perfect way to spread her control and power. With the Hotel under her control no one could stop her so she spreads the word that she will reward who ever can bring it to her.

With witches attacking, mimics invading the Hotel, and Warren becoming separated from his friends while trying to catch up to the Hotel, who can say what will happen. Only adventure is guaranteed as our friends try to stop the evil and in the meantime survive the Malwoods where even the trees hide secrets. Along the way we'll meet the last free member of an enslaved race, a man who loves his snakes, and riddles that will have Warren doing his best to keep going and save the day.

Another great addition to your child's adventure bookshelf. These books are excellent stories and the illustrations are just as enticing. Full of humor, kindness, and wit, they are a great gift for your favorite young reader. The first book in the series is available now, the sequel will be available this upcoming March from Quirk Books. A definite recommend.

The Nethergrim (The Nethergrim, #1) by Matthew Jobin

Once a great evil, the Nethergrim, filled the land with creatures of darkness that served it and decimated the countryside of all it surveyed. A great knight and powerful wizard were able at last after great loss to defeat the evil and save their people. And so was laid to rest the legend of the Nethergrim. Until now. Edmund's brother has vanished into the night with no trace and he is not the only child missing. Creatures are said to have been seen lurking in the darkness closer and closer to the villages and animals are being found eaten. As fears start to escalate a secret is revealed and a man who has lived with it preying on his mind sets out on a journey to set to right wrongs and defeat the encroaching evil once and for all. While Edmund's fledgling powers in spell crafting may be the only advantage they have over an enemy that is cunning and has much to lose. 

This is a well crafted story that is full of fantasy, adventure, betrayals, and decisions made that will reflect the courage and cowardice of each character. I would recommend this for any reader but this would be a good series to introduce to boys especially. 

A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans by Laurence Yep, Joanne Ryder

In San Francisco there lives a dragon by the name of Miss Drake. She has cared for a family for a very long time and has watched generations come and go. When her favorite pet human passes away she becomes depressed and locks herself away to grieve. When Winnie the granddaughter of her human pet shows up with her mother to take over the house, Miss Drake is scandalized to find that Winnie thinks she owns HER! The ridiculous notion is only the beginning, Winnie tells her that her grandmother specifically asked her to take care of Miss Drake so she would not be alone. Will Miss Drake be able to train her new pet and learn to love again or will Winnie prove to be the very cause of the magic world's downfall?

It will be no surprise that Yep has delivered a thoughtful story about the ways that grief can manifest itself and how love can be a powerful reminder that though we have lost someone special they never are truly lost to us after all. Would recommend this for young readers who like fantasy and may not be ready for something heavier like Harry Potter just yet.

Home Sweet Motel (Welcome to Wonderland, #1) by Chris Grabenstein

This was an ARC but the review is my own.

Chris Grabenstein outside of being known for his Mr. Lemoncello's Library series and co authoring several books with James Patterson such as the I Funny series, is a genuinely nice man, so I've been told since I've never had the pleasure of meeting him face to face. I have known for quite a while that his books are devoured by young readers so when I had an opportunity to read his new book I grabbed at it. Well, I have to say that I think everybody has hit the mark. This book was funny, entertaining, with a bit of high jinks thrown in to round everything out. This is the kind of book you don't mind buying your kids because you know they're gonna read it cover to cover.

P.T. Wilkie is an 11 year old who gets to live the ideal life, his family owns the Wonderland Motel and his living room has a snack machine, the pool has a frog slide, and the soda machine still gives out glass bottles. Best of all P.T. has the gift of the gab just like grandpa. Everything would be great if only the Motel had more customers. When the bank tells his family they have a month to pay off a loan, P.T. and his new friend Gloria realize they're gonna have to think up something huge to get the cash in time. But with Gloria's business savvy and P.T.'s story telling magic there's nothing to stop them. But when their ideas start causing resentment with their neighbors on the strip and lead to a possible jewel cache on their property from a robbery decades ago stirring up a hornet's nest, they may have bit off more than they can chew. Or have they? 

Go grab your copy first week of October to give your kids a sweet treat. Hey, Halloween is just around the corner!

Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket (Ivy Pocket #2) by Caleb Krisp

This is the second installment in a trilogy and yes, they do need to be read in order and are worth the wait!

Krisp makes me think of a blend of Lemony Snickett and Edward Gorey. He has a wonderful turn with phrases and his quick paced wit conjure up adventures that would thrill the bravest of hearts. His Ivy is a mad dash mixture of what I imagine Amelia Bedelia would be if she was written for an older audience as a young girl. She is charmingly irreverent, brave, and whimsical and will delight any young reader.

In this second book we find that Ivy, having been " adopted " by a couple who runs a discount funeral home has, far from finding a safe haven, unknowingly stepped into the midst of a great mystery revolving around the couple's daughter and a young man who simply vanished off the face of the earth. With pleas from the family of the missing gentleman to help them find answers, Ivy finds herself with her hands full as she fights off the nefarious Miss Always and her locks, french baguettes can come in quite handy thank you, and when the local librarian unwittingly gives Ivy the potential tool to help rescue her lost friend Ivy jumps at the chance as only a true friend would. Using the Clock Diamond Ivy finds that not all is as it seems and that the rescuer may indeed be the one in need of rescue after all. But not to fear for Ivy has the cleverness of a great spy and the ability to outwit anyone whom she faces. 

These books are hysterical, full of wonderfully descriptive adventures, and a heroine who cannot understand why anyone would ever call her abilities into question. After all if she can cure face moles by sticking a toad on them what can't she do? Add these books to your child's summer reading and sit back and listen to them giggle.

Grayling's Song by Karen Cushman

Grayling is the daughter of a wise woman, a hedge witch who uses nature to help those who come to her with concerns and afflictions for help. Her mother's powers are strong as is her nature and where her mother leads Grayling follows. But when the day dawns where an evil darkness burns down their cottage and causes her mother to take root in the ground, Grayling is the only one her mother can turn to for help. Grayling must set out to find other folk who like her mother use their magic to help free her before she is turned fully into a tree. Grayling will face her fears of inadequacy and her lack of magic to set out on a journey into the unknown world beyond the comfort of home.

Along the way she will meet other cunning folk who have been transformed into trees by the darkness. Her search will bring her a weather witch, a girl of indeterminate character, and an enchantress who sees no point in meddling in the affairs of mere witches. But with her new found friends Grayling will discover that far from being a weak girl she is on the brink of becoming a leader who will help unravel the mystery of the darkness that is stealing grimoires and leaving such destruction behind. Along the way they will face obstacles that will challenge their determination and reveal secrets that lie just underneath the veil of darkness.

This is a great fantasy story by an author whose writing brings history to life. Grayling's story is a lovely story about a young girl becoming a young woman secure in her abilities and the difference she brings into the lives of others. Cushman has infused the story with traditional folklore and believes and has left us a story that will warm your heart and fit right on the shelf next to your favorites for years.

The Executioner's Daughter (The Executioner's Daughter #1) by Jane Hardstaff

Moss is the basket girl for the executioner at the Tower of London who is also her father. Due to a mistake that occurred years ago, Moss and her father have spent her whole life locked behind the walls of the Tower and she dreams of the life she could live if only her father wasn't so determined to stay for reasons he will not share. But as Moss dreams of leaving her feelings of being trapped only grow and soon she begins to determine to leave her life behind no matter what fears her father may have. When she falls across a hidden way out to the Thames River bank Moss decides to take her destiny into her own hands and strikes out to find out what the world holds but as she nears her twelfth birthday someone is watching her and waiting for the day to arrive when they can finally claim her as their own. As Moss learns the truth about life outside the Tower and about her family's past she begins to uncover secrets that may cost her her life.

A wonderfully suspenseful authentic look at life for the various characters who lived along the Thames and the shadow of the Tower during Tudor times. As you watch Moss turn into a young woman with questions and she explores up to Hampton court you get a feel for what challenges faced the regular people of England. A definite recommend for anyone interested in historical mysteries or Tudor England.

The Adventures of Lettie Peppercorn by Sam Gayton, Poly Bernatene (Illustrations)

This is about a young girl called Lettie who will discover just how special she really is. It all begins one day when a snow merchant presents himself at Lettie's inn and declares he is there because she and only she is the right customer for his wares. What the snowflakes set into motion is the adventure of a lifetime as Lettie sets out to find her missing mother and uncovers a story years in the making which will reveal a story about the powers of love and the destruction of jealousy set in a world where alchemy is alive and well. Where young men carry their future on their shoulders and evil grannies greedily grasp for treasures they cannot comprehend. A world where the first snows fall for a very special reason. Full of imagination, laughs, and warmth, this is a lovely book for a young reader to add to their collection.

Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly

This is the sequel to Connolly's first book Monstrous and takes on the adventures of Greta who was one of the young girls saved by Kymera from the mad king of Belladoma. However Greta has been changed by her experiences and returns to a brother she keeps secret so that they will not be separated and sent to orphanages when it is found out their parents have disappeared. He too has been changed by life and as they steal to get by Greta's friendship with Ren and the King of Bryre helps her in this time of sorrow. So the shock of betrayal is great when the King announces his plan to aid the failing city of Belladoma which is being brought to ruin by the Sonzeeki, the sea monster that lurks beneath its cliffs. Greta's objections to helping the very people who selfishly allowed the sacrifices of her friends causes a rift and when her brother is kidnapped and she asks for their help, they believe her story to be an effort to stop them from aiding the ailing city. Greta is left with no choice but to go after Hans herself. Greta's search will lead her from a witch's house that stalks the forests to the very epicenter of her worst nightmares. Her past is not done with her and if she wishes to reunite her family and friends she will have to face the most frightening creature of all, her fears.

This is a deftly weaved continuation featuring sea monsters, child eating witches, and creatures fantastical and cruel. Forgiveness, understanding, and compassion are the bones of Greta's story as she comes face to face with the people she believes to be so repulsive. In the end this is a story about a young woman forging herself into what her destiny calls for, a hero.

Included in this edition is a novella called Precious which is about Princess Rosabel who we learned was Kymera's first life. As we watch her rebelling against her parent's strict watch to protect her from a wizard she doesn't believe exists anymore, we are given a more intimate view of the acts that lead up to the very moment we began Monstrous. This creates a more solid bedrock for these stories to grow on.

Absolutely recommend these books for 10 and up who are not ready for teen reads but need more to sink their teeth in. Fairy tales for the real world.

"Tumtum and Nutmeg: Adventures Beyond Nutmouse Hall" by Emily Bearn

TumTum and Nutmeg are two mice just trying to live a quiet, peaceful life at their beautiful mansion Nutmouse Hall. But in these three adventures they are doing everything but enjoying a restful day. In the first adventure they must face the terrible presence of Aunt Ivy who is so dreadfully afraid of mice that she is determined to exterminate the Hutmouses no matter what she must do. Their second adventure sees them having to rescue their friend General Marchmouse from a cage full of gerbils at the local school using pogo sticks and some elegant ballerinas. The last adventure takes them to the wide waters of the Pond where rat pirates will hold them hostage and their only hope will be their wits and some chocolate liqueurs.

These tales of full of adventure and danger and silliness. A perfect combination for those readers just starting on their own adventure of reading stories for the love of it.

"The Book of Beasts" by E. Nesbit

This is a beautifully rendered illustrated edition of E. Nesbit's short story. The story itself stays pretty much true to the original and is a perfect fantasy addition to add to any child's library. 

When Lionel becomes King he is brought to the Palace and discovers a huge library that is now all his and is overjoyed as he loves to read. His counselors however warn him that this library is full of books that would best be left unread. But what happens when Lionel comes across a book called The Book of Beasts, why he opens it of course! Out pops a butterfly and a bluebird of happiness, but what else lingers between the pages? When Lionel unintentionally lets lose a dragon he finds out that sometimes things are better left alone. Will he be able to rescue his kingdom from the dragon alone or will he need help that only the book can offer. Great story.

"The Enchanted Castle" by E. Nesbit

This is a classic tale of four children who stumble upon a fairy tale castle inclusive of a sleeping princess just like in their fairy tales. Except she's not really a princess but the housekeeper's niece but there is a magic ring that grants wishes. So the four intrepid youngsters decide too each have a turn but things are not as simple as wishing, for everything has a price and the magic that lives at Yalding is an ancient one that is more powerful than the children could ever know. From bringing cobbled together coat creatures to life and causing unsuspecting invisibility, to growing spurts that would make your mom swoon this has a little bit of everything for the child who's imagination, like the children in the book, knows no bounds. 

Noel Coward considered Nesbit to be the most talented writer at being able to evoke the hot summer days of a child's childhood, of the charming, evocative stories she wrote with such a light hand and charm. H. G. Wells wrote her a note in which he said he esteemed her and bowed before her after having read her book The Phoenix and the Carpet. Other great writers like George Bernard Shaw and Rudyard Kipling were fans as well, so what are you waiting for. Before J. K. Rowling, there was E. Nesbit.

"The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, #1)" by Maryrose Wood

Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, she has just been hired at Ashton Place to take care of three children who were recently found in the woods on the estate. No one knows where they came from but they are more like wolves than children. They have been given the names Alexander for the eldest, Beowulf who is the next eldest, and little Cassiopeia who bite is far worse than her growl.

Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies in time for Lady Constance's Christmas party where they will be expected to mingle and dance the Scottishe, a country reel. Although the children are progressing nicely there are still questions that Penelope cannot answer and when the children come across a secret room that may hold more than dust bunnies Penelope begins to see there is more at work at Ashton Place than her young charges education. 

A mystery is unraveling around Penelope and the children and what the reasons are are still unclear but Penelope is about to come to the understanding that sometimes the people you are uncertain of may be the only ones who can help.

"The Night Parade" by Kathryn Tanquary

Received this as an ARC from the publisher but the review is my own.

This is a really lovely tale based on Japanese folk lore and tradition. The whole time I was reading this book I could not help but wish that Hayao Miyazaki would direct a film adaptation; it fairly screams to be on the big screen.

It surrounds a young girl named Saki who along with her younger brother, father, and mother have traveled to her grandmother's mountain village to attend a traditional celebration where reference for ancestors is shared among the living. Such preparations and rituals are of little interest to Saki who is focused on being able to communicate via cellphone with her friends in Tokyo. Being part of their group is all she can focus on so when she meets a similar group in the village she tries to fit in with them but this leads to actions which desecrate an ancestral shrine that the family has taken care of for as far back as the village has existed. Saki, in trying to prove herself cool has unwittingly called down upon herself a death curse and the only way she can possibly alter her future now is to attend the night parade where the spirits of the land journey to attend festivals of their own. 

In her quest for redemption Saki will meet creatures she never dreamed existed and come face to face with the importance of her family's past and the knowledge that in her struggle to fit in with her friends in Tokyo she has missed the importance of her family's experiences and uniqueness. She must find the strength in herself to be genuine and stand tall on her own no matter what fears or enemies she needs to face in order to lift the curse.