The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois

I read this to the boys; a good, creative story with a smidge of science in it. Recommended.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Let me preface: the last book that my husband read to the boys was actually Around the World in Eighty Days. I was so annoyed with the writing style that I left the room after the first few pages. My husband convinced me to give it another try the next night and so I did and ended up running screaming from the room with my ears bleeding.

Anyway, this book was much better. It has a lot of fun word play and therefore is better for older children.

Angel Falling Softly by Eugene Woodbury

Did nothing for me.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I read this out loud to the boys. It started out very strong and then petered out. (The boys loved it. I was sick of it by the end.)

Hershey : Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams by Michael D'Antonio

eh.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

My husband read this out loud to us; it was an ideal family read-aloud. Highly recommended.

Mark of the Horse Lord by Rosemary Sutcliff

I read this out loud to the boys. I kept thinking that they would hate it because the prose was so dense and the story so complicated and subtly stated, but they loved it. I did, too. Historical fiction at its best.

Alexander the Corrector : The Tormented Genius Whose Cruden's Concordance Unwrote the Bible by Julia Keay

This was mildly interesting.

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer

This book made me terribly sad but I liked the ending.

The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

I don't normally blog about books that I don't finish, but in this case I read over 400 pages (which, incidentally, is less than half of the book) before I threw in the towel and I want some recognition.

The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth

This was a pre-read for Simon and it is a wonderful, sweet (not saccharine) short novel. Great for part of a study of Buddhism.

I, Freddy (Golden Hamster Saga Series #1) by Dietlof Reiche

Derrick read this to us; it was good fluff.

The Story of Science : Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim

This was a pre-read for Simon for next year. I thought it was absolutely wonderful: a gorgeous book with incredible illustrations and the "story" of science. It did an amazing job of integrating not only science and history but also art, music, and math. This is truly a must-read for kids 10 and up and adults. The only thing that kept me from swooning was I sense an ever-so-slight anti-Christian bias (not to mention two pathetic errors related to the New Testament).

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #4) by Rick Riordan

I read this to the boys; they loved it but I didn't think it was quite as inventive or funny as the previous books.

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

Dh read this out loud and we all enjoyed it. I'm still thinking about what it meant. . .

The Know-It-All : One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs

Mildly amusing but a little tedious. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically is much better.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

I didn't like this at all.

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

Not only has Eustace Conway lived in a teepee for the past two decades, but he has made his own clothes. Out of the animals he has killed. Using deer tendons for thread. So I thought this book would be fascinating. I guess I expected details on how exactly one makes thread out of deer tendons. But there is none of that. There's . . . a lot about his bad relationship with his father. Etc. This was so boring I barely finished it.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This was excellent fluff: the paperback, when it comes out, will be the perfect beach book. I like the way Meyer hints at LDS worldview (not doctrine!) in her books and plays with it. (I also like Uncle Jeb, who is clearly your crazy Mormon uncle who likes Bo Gritz and makes obnoxious comments in Sunday School. He even uses the boiling frog story in the book!)

My Grandfather's Son : A Memoir by Clarence Thomas

Derrick and I listened to this. Thomas always sounds like Eeyore, no matter what he is talking about. But this was a good listen, an interesting story.