The Secret of the Old Clock - 9.3 stars

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene.  This is the first book in the Nancy Drew mystery series.  We are introduced to Nancy Drew, an 18 year old sleuth.  By happenstance she is put on the trail of locating the lost second will of Josiah Crowley.  The first will leaves all of his estate to the greedy Topham family to the detriment of all of his less well off friends and relatives.  Nancy puts herself in harms way multiple times before finally solving the mystery to the detriment of the Tophams.  It was a fun family read.

Recommended Age: 7 and up  

Lourdes - 10 stars.  I like mysteries.  I also like that Nancy is always like - hey why don't I do this instead of doing a wrong choice and not getting the old clock.  She never gives up.  She's always up for anything.  She won't let anyone stand in her path because she is friends with the people who don't have as much money as her.  She wants them to have money.  So she gets the will.  And because Nancy never gave up on what she wanted to accomplish for her friends and other people.  Except not the Topham family because the Topham family was mean.  Like the Topham girls were all "oh no, now I have to get a job."    

Sabine - I give Nancy Drew 10 stars because I liked how she saves some people because they didn't have a lot of money.  And I also liked how she never gave up.  One of the funny parts was when she always wanted to go somewhere and see what the thieves were doing.  Also I liked how she found the will.  

Finn - I give this book 8 stars.  I didn't hear the whole story (because I was at hockey).  But I didn't like how Nancy was like - "Oh the Tophams are going to have to sell their home.  Yay, I made them do this!"  And she also asks her dad to listen to the reading of the will and see the Tophams cry.  It was funny when Nancy doesn't tell the police officers that she stole this clock and then one of the officers asked if he could drive to the police station with her and she's like "oh no, he's going to see the clock.  So she tells the truth but leaves parts out about stealing it."  I think kids would like this book because it has lots of different choices she has to make.  It would also be good as a choose your own adventure book.  I like those.    

Amazon link:

The Red Pyramid - 8 stars

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.  Reviewed by Finn .  The Red Pyramid is the first book in Riordan's Egyptian mythology series.  In this book, estranged brother and sister, Sadie and Carter, each tell the story from their own perspective.  Their mom is dead and their dad was trapped in a magical sarcophagus by Set a/k/a the Red Lord (god of the desert and chaos).  So Carter and Sadie set out on a mission to stop Set from starting the apocalypse.  They are helped on this journey by gods like Isis and Horace.  As a team they must fight Sobek (crocodile god) and magicians from the House of Life that just have the wrong view of things.

I like this book because it is interesting how Riordan uses places in the world and connects them to Egyptian mythology.  Like the Washington Monument and Cleopatra's Needle in London are obelisks.  Other kids will like this book because it is funny and informative (in a not boring way).  It was funny when Carter nicknames the Set animal (a dog like thing) Jeffrey.  It was also funny because there is this monkey named Khufu who belonged to their uncle and Khufu would only eat things that end in "o", like Doritos, Cheetos and Cheerios.  He also liked to play basketball and roots for the L.A. Lakers.  Why?  I don't know.  I mean they are terrible.  Look at their records.  They are not good.  Anyway, I've read almost all of Rick Riordan's books and this is one of my favorites.

Ages: 9-14

Amazon Link:

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad - 8.3 stars

Henry's Freedom Box tells the amazing story of Henry "Box" Brown.  Henry was separated from his family as a child and forced to work in his master's tobacco factory.  He worked hard and when he fell in love with another slave, their masters allowed them to marry.  But then his wife and three children are taken from him and sold when her master falls into debt.  Losing his family was more than Henry could bear and so he reached out to an abolitionist who helped mail Henry in a wooden box from Richmond to Philadelphia.  Henry is stuffed in this box with few air holes and only a bit of food for 27 hours!  As a slave Henry never knew his birthday, but he considered his real birthday the day he obtained freedom.  

Suggested Age: 4-10

Finn - 9 stars.  My favorite part was when Henry mailed himself in the box all the way to a free state where there was no slavery.  And I liked how he managed to survive being upside down in his box for like 16 hours.  I think kids would like this book because Henry was really brave.  He even burned his hand with acid so he wouldn't have to go to work and could mail himself that day.

Sabine - I would give this book an 8 because I liked that Henry wanted to mail himself in a box.  And the part I didn't like was when his family got taken away from him.

Lourdes - 8 stars.  I liked that it told all about Henry's life and how he survived in that box.  What made me sad was that slaves didn't get to know their birthdays.

Amazon link:

50 Books You Should Read by Age 12

Our family has looked through multiple lists like this on the web, so we wanted to make one of our own.  Here is the Kline & Manning Family’s 50 Books You Should Read Before You Are 12 (presented in no particular order).

A Wrinkle in Time


Where the Wild Things Are
 

The One and Only Ivan


The Lemony Snicket series


Charlotte’s Web


The Hobbit


The Lorax


Wonder


The Harry Potter series


The Runaway Bunny


The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore


The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe


The Fantastic Mr. Fox


The Giving Tree


The Story of Ferdinand


The Day the Crayons Quit


Grandpa Green

Love You, Forever

The Polar Express


Holes


The Monster at the End of This Book


Bud Not Buddy


I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark


The Percy Jackson series
 

Circus Mirandus


Black Stallion


Penguin Problems


The Guardians of Childhood Series


The Boy Who Loved Math


What to Do with an Idea


Echo


Land of Stories


Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy


How to Train Your Dragon series


The Mixed Up Files of Basil E Frankweiler


Flora & Ulysses


Bridge to Terabithia


Green Eggs and Ham


A Sick Day for Amos McGee


Corduroy


The Golden Compass


One


What Do People Do All Day

The Cay

 

The Trumpet of the Swan


The Grouchy Ladybug
 

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH


Llama Llama Red Pajama


Knuffle Bunny series

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits and a Very Interesting Boy