Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
File Size (Pages): 1513 KB (272)
Published: 2012 (first published 1997)
Challenges: Eclectic Reader, E-book, I Love Libraries, Snagged @ the Library, Readers to the Rescue
Genre: Children's, Fantasy
Edition: E-book
Source: Library

Description: At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy's gift -- the "gift' of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it's hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse -- once and for all.

In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at anytime anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom'and she'll have to obey?  (from Goodreads)

Thoughts: I read this book to fulfill the Eclectic Reading challenge and had heard a number of good things about the book that I felt that I needed to check out this book. 

I felt that the first half of the book was disjointed and I didn't know where the book was headed, but I did enjoy the second half of the book and felt that it was better than the first half.  While the first half felt disjointed to me, one could definitely see elements from the Cinderella fairy tale.

Bottom line: Felt that the first half was a bit disjointed, but saw many elements of the Cinderella fairy tale in the second half.  I would highly recommend the book for middle-grade readers and recommend the book for adults who enjoy fairy tale retellings.

Rating: 3.2/5

If you have read this book, what did you like or not like about it?

The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Last Battle (The Chronicles of Narnia #7)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 229
Published: 1994 (first published 1955)
Challenges: Classics Club, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Children's, Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-market Paperback
Source: Church Library

Description: The last battle is the greatest battle of all. Narnia... where lies breed fear... where loyalty is tested... where all hope seems lost. During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge - not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to theChronicles of Narnia. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: After reading the other 6 books in the series, I think that I expected a different end and that my expectations were somewhat elevated as to how the series ended, not that I didn't enjoy the journey.  I think that while my expectations were inflated, it was a good way to end the series  This might be a series to revisit down the road by reading the omnibus copy that I own.

Bottom line: The story itself seemed to be ok, but felt it to be a little slow at times.  Overall it was a satisfying ending to the series.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2015:  2,940

If you have read the book, what did you think?

The Silver Chair - C. S. Lewis

Title: The Silver Chair (The Chronicles of Narnia #6)
Author: C. S. Lewis
Pages: 272
Published: 1994 (first published 1953)
Challenges: Finishing the Series, Classics Club, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Children's, Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Church Library

Description: A prince imprisoned - a country in peril. Narnia... where giants wreak havoc.... where evil weaves a spell... where enchantment rules. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends are sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts:  Really enjoyed this book, as it seemed to have a better flow to the story than The Dawn Treader and seemed to be less contrived than the previous book and more of what I have usually experienced with other narrative fiction that I have read.

I think that the biggest reason that I enjoyed the book was the introduction of Jill Pole.  She gave the book a lightness to the book that really allowed me to enjoy reading the book.

Bottom line: A good continuation of the series that retains the magic of the earlier books. Recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Pages for 2015: 2,711

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (The Chronicles of Narnia #5)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 288
Published: 1994 (first published 1952)
Challenges: Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library, The Classics Club
Genre: Children's, Classics, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Church Library

Description: Lucy and Edmund, with their dreadful cousin Eustace, get magically pulled into a painting of a ship at sea. That ship is the Dawn Treader, and on board is Caspian, King of Narnia. He and his companions, including Reepicheep, the valiant warrior mouse, are searching for seven lost lords of Narnia, and their voyage will take them to the edge of the world. Their adventures include being captured by slave traders, a much-too-close encounter with a dragon, and visits to many enchanted islands, including the place where dreams come true. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: For some reason, I found this book to be difficult to get through.  Maybe it was the fact that the story seemed to be too chaotic and disjointed for liking and that maybe if I were closer to the age of the main characters, I may have enjoyed the book a more than I did.

Bottom line: For me at least, there were parts of the book that felt dull but also there were parts that were enjoyable and entertaining.  It was a nice continuation of the series and towards the end of the book, I finally could see the illusion that Lewis was aiming towards.  Recommended.

Rating: 2.75/5

Pages for 2015: 2,335

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

Title: Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia #4)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 240
Published: 2001 (first published 1951)
Challenges: Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library, The Classics Club
Genre: Children's Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Library

Description: The Pevensie siblings travel back to Narnia to help a prince denied his rightful throne as he gathers an army in a desperate attempt to rid his land of a false king. But in the end, it is a battle of honor between two men alone that will decide the fate of an entire world. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I enjoyed this one much more than The Horse and His Boy in part due to the fact that story was less fantastical, but more a bit more based in "reality".  I think it also helped that the Pevensie siblings (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) made an appearance for a good portion of the book and that there was a definable good vs. evil story.  

Bottom line: I enjoyed this book much more than The Horse and His Boy and thought it to be better thought out and more coherent.  It is a good continuation of the series and introduces characters that become important in other books as well.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2015: 687

The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia #3)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 241
Published: 1994 (first published 1954)
Challenges: Back to the Classics, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Official TBR, Readers to the Rescue, Snagged @ the Library, The Classics Club
Genre: Children's, Classic, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Narnia... where some horses talk, where treachery is brewing, where destiny awaits. On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about the book, as I had great expectations of the book and found it to be ho-hum.  I was unable to find a rhythm with the book and just couldn't get into the novel itself.  It felt more like a separate story than the other two book and didn't particularly like the fantastical element in this book, even though the first two had that same element in them.   And honestly I just couldn't see were the book fits into the overall story.

Bottom line: While I wasn't enamoured with the book, I felt that it was a really good continuation of the series and I look forward to seeing how this book connects to the rest of the series.  Recommended.

Rating: 3.25/5

Pages for 2015: 447

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia #2)
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 206
Published: 1994 (first published 1950)
Challenges: Classics Club, Finishing the Series, I Love Libraries, Readers to the  Rescue, Snagged @ the Library
Genre: Classic, Children's, Fantasy
Edition: Mass-Market Paperback
Source: Library

Description: When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are sent to stay with a kind professor who lives in the country, they can hardly imagine the extraordinary adventure that awaits them.

It all begins one rainy summer day when the children explore the professor's rambling old house. When they come across a room with an old wardrobe in the corner, Lucy immediately opens the door and gets inside. To her amazement, she suddenly finds herself standing in the clearing of a wood on a winter after-noon, with snowflakes falling through the air. Lucy has found Narnia, a magical land of fauns and centaurs, nymphs and talking animals -- and the beautiful but evil White Witch, who has held the country in eternal winter for a hundred years. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: Unlike the previous books (The Magician's Nephew), I quite enjoyed the read and felt engaged with the book.  I really liked how the story flowed and how the book continued the series.  It had a faster pace to it than The Magician's Nephew).

I really liked how the book built on The Magician's Nephew and how it could also be a stand-alone, based on how the book ended.

Bottom line: I quite enjoyed the book and liked the pacing of the book.  A very enjoyable read and a good continuation of the series.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2015: 206

The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis

Title: The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia #1) *
Author: C.S. Lewis
Pages: 220
Published: 2002 (first published 1955)
Challenges: I Love Libraries
Genre: Children's Fantasy
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Polly's hand went out to touch one of the rings. Immediately, without a flash or a noise, she vanished. When horrible Uncle Andrew starts experimenting with magic, Digory and Polly find themselves in another world, and at the beginning of an incredible adventure, as the doorway to the magical land of Narnia opens This is the first adventure in the exciting Chronicles of Narnia. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I saw a set of books while volunteering at my church library and since I had not fully read the series in its entirety from start to finish and took the opportunity to read them.

Even though I do know that the books are geared towards the middle grades, I wasn't exactly wowed with the book and the book to be a little slow at times, even though it was cute.  It definitely does give the reader a good introduction to the world of Narnia and serves as a launching point to the rest of the series.

Bottom line: As I said earlier, the book is a solid introduction to the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia series.  It would be an excellent introduction to fantasy to that are a bit young to read the Harry Potter series and other fantasy books that are geared to older readers.  Recommended, but strongly recommended for young readers who are interested in fantasy.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2014: 28,152

* I will be posting the books in their chronological order rather than the publication order.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

Title: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket #1)
Author: Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (illustrator)
Pages: 155
Published: 2007 (first published 1964)
Challenges: Classics Club, I Love Library
Genre: Children's, Classics, Fantasy
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last!

But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!

Thoughts: I got this book because I hadn't read this book for quite sometime and also due to the controversial cover that was released in early August, 2014.

Personally, I thought that the book was okay, but what I liked about the book is that the messages that Roald Dahl put into the book are very timely and relevant even today's culture.

The message that spoke the most clearly to me was about Mike TeaVee and his addiction to TV, as he seem to find his creativity from something that doesn't allow for too much creativity.  The book is definitely quirky, but it is well-written and has a strong message to say for its readers.

Bottom line: While the book didn't move me as an adult, I can definitely see where children between Grades 3 and 5 can get something more out of the book; well, I suppose one hope that they do.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 4.25/5

Pages for 2014: 24,172  

The Dirty Cowboy - Amy Timberlake

Title: The Dirty Cowboy
Author: Amy Timberlake; pictures by Adam Rex
Pages: 32
Published: 2003
Challenges: 2012 Support Your Library
Genre: Children's
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description (from book): Telling is faithful dog to make sure nobody touches his clothes but him, a cowboy jumps into a New Mexico river for a bath, not realizing just how much the scrubbing will change his scent.

Thoughts:  I read this book due to some news that this book had been removed from district's two elementary schools in The Annville-Cleona School District in Pennsylvania. And honestly, I didn't see anything wrong with it. Since its a children's book, everything that needs to be covered up is covered up.  While it didn't blow my mind away, it was a wonderful story about a cowboy who got dirty and when he noticed his own stench, he decided to take a bath.


Honestly, I don't see what the one parent thought that the book needed to be banned from two elementary schools and what the big deal was about.  Like I said before, anything that didn't need to be seen was hidden from view, either through blurring or through various objects in front.  Its funny how one parent can cause a book to be removed from a school.  


I realize that I am not a parent, but honestly if you have an issue with a book that your kid brings home from school, maybe you should either not allow them to sign things out from the school library and only allow them to sign out items from the public library that you approve of or go into your child's school library with your child and sign out a book with you there.  I honestly think that some parents have way too much time on their hands to make a child's book an issue.


Bottom line: If your kids like stories involving either the characters getting dirty or cowboys, they will enjoy this, if you don't mind the subject matter.


Rating: 4/5


Pages for 2012: 9217

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Title: Little House on the Prairie
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 352
Published: 2004 (First published 1935)
Challenge(s): Historical Fiction Challenge 2012, 2012 Where Are You Reading
Genre: Classics, Historical fiction, Children's literature
Edition: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5

The adventures continue for Laura Ingalls and her family as they leave their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin and set out for Kansas. They travel for many days in their covered wagon until they find the best spot to build their little house on the prairie. Soon they are planting and plowing, hunting wild ducks and turkeys, and gathering grass for their cows. Sometimes pioneer life is hard, but Laura and her folks are always busy and happy in their new little house. (via Goodreads)


Thoughts: Read this book over the course of a month and quite honestly, I should have finished this book sooner, but due to the fact that I focusing on basically one book for the past month, I basically ignored this one.  While this was probably the second book that Wilder wrote, it felt like it was her first that she wrote, due to some minor grammatical issues that I had in the early part of the book; some of it didn't seem to flow properly, but overall it is a nice introduction to the travels that the Ingalls family would take over the next 10 years or so. 

Interestingly enough, the family actually went to Kansas before returning to Wisconsin again (during which time the events of Little House in the Big Woods take place, or most of them) and then left from Wisconsin to Minnesota, etc.


Bottom line: This book is good for young readers, probably ages 8-12, especially since they are developing a more broad language and also they are looking for books that don't emphasize pictures as much and probably need a challenge.

Page total for 2012: 352

Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Title: Little House in the Big Woods
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 238
Published: 2004 (first published 1932)
Genre: Classics, Historical fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 4/5

Wolves and panthers and bears roam the deep Wisconsin woods in the late 1870's. In those same woods, Laura lives with Pa and Ma, and her sisters, Mary and Baby Carrie, in a snug little house built of logs. Pa hunts and traps. Ma makes her own cheese and butter. All night long, the wind howls lonesomely, but Pa plays the fiddle and sings, keeping the family safe and cozy. 

Thoughts: This is one of those books that you read when you were young and you come back later and read, either to your own child or by yourself.  While it reminds oneself how much simpler life was almost 140 years ago, it also reminds one that it was also a much harder existence because one had to make everything one ate and wore; there was no grocery store to get butter, cheese, milk and bread and one couldn't just hop in ones car to go and get a new outfit at the local store.  Its an enjoyable read at any age.

13835 / 15000 pages. 92% done!

The Long Winter - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Title: The Long Winter
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 352
Published: 2004 (originally published in 1940)
Genre: Classics, Historical fiction, Children's literature
Rating: 4/5


The adventures of Laura Ingalls and her family continue as Pa, Ma, Laura, Mary, Carrie, and little Grace bravely face the hard winter of 1880-81 in their little house in the Dakota Territory. Blizzards cover the little town with snow, cutting off all supplies from the outside. Soon there is almost no food left, so young Almanzo Wilder and a friend make a dangerous trip across the prairie to find some wheat. Finally a joyous Christmas is celebrated in a very unusual way.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed it, but like the family, I found the winter to be a tad tiresome.  When I did find it tiresome, I went to the internet to find out how much of the story is true and actually is very faithful to the events of the winter of 1880-81 in the De Smet, S.D. area.  What I found fascinating was that nobody in the area died, although if it had lasted longer there probably would have been some deaths.  The reason that I classified the book as young adult because the book is longer and also Laura was 13/14 during the time period that the story takes place, despite the fact that the storyline is fairly simple and straight forward and is geared towards readers ages 8 to 12. 

1313 / 15000 pages. 9% done!