Great Books Part 2

LaCrosse Library

Having thoroughly combed my bookshelves and those of my extended family and culled our very favorites, here is end of my list of great books.

Easy Readers – We’ve come a long way from Dick, Jane and Spot in the last sixty or so years, although I do find those humorous to read now and again.  The transition that Theodore Seuss Geisel began has exploded into thousands of great books for beginning readers.  While a good reading program is helpful when teaching a young child to read, these books will help encourage their progress.

·         Cat Traps by Molly Coxe.  Hungry Cat sets all kinds of traps hoping for something to eat.  Will he ever get a snack?  Very easy words for the youngest readers.

·         Biscuit and others in the series by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Pat Schories.  These delightful stories feature a playful pup and his young mistress.  Colorful pictures and repetitive words make it easy to follow Biscuit on all his adventures.

·         Henry and Mudge and others in the series by Cynthia Rylant.  A little harder reading than Biscuit, Henry and his oversized dog have plenty of adventures of their own.

·         Bookstore Cat by Cindy Wheeler.  Mulligan lives at the bookstore.  He helps choose books and entertains the customers.  He is also in charge of keeping birds out of the bookstore.  When a pigeon walks in one day, it is up to Mulligan to get him out.  A funny book and one we have enjoyed time and again.

·         Nate the Great and others in the series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.  Nate the Great and his dog Sludge solve mysteries around the neighborhood.  These are great books to transition from easy readers to more complex chapter books.  I love Nate’s blunt style and the fact that he always tells his mother when he is going out.

Elementary Level Books  - Our collection of elementary level books has blossomed over the last few years as my oldest begins to read.  Here are some old and new favorites.

·         The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin.  Johanna is visiting her grandparents in Holland when war breaks out with Germany.  Her grandfather is the caretaker of the metal statues in the clock tower who ride out every hour.  When the Germans invade the town and proceed to gather up all the metal for ammunition it is up to Johanna and her grandfather to protect the little riders.  This short book is great for readers just getting into chapter books on their own

·         Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfeld.  When Rufus writes ‘Caius is a dumbbell’ on his wax tablet at school, he and his friends have no idea they are about to get mixed up in a mystery that will take them into the dangerous world of Roman politics.  Set in ancient Rome, this is a rollicking adventure.  Don’t miss the sequel, The Mystery of the Roman Ransom.

·         101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith.  Everyone is familiar with the story of 101 Dalmations – a family of puppies gets stolen and the mother and father go off to rescue them, bringing back more than their own fifteen puppies.  But few people have read the book, and it is well worth reading.  Like any book adaptation, the movie is bound to miss a lot of the subtler nuances of the story.  I highly recommend it.

·         The Railway Children by E. Nesbit.  Three privileged children and their mother are forced to move to the countryside when their father is mysteriously taken from them.  Their new house has all kinds of adventures waiting for them; most involving the railway line that runs near the house.  This is a very sweet story told with humor.

Middle School – Harder and more thought-provoking than Elementary age books, middle school level books start to reveal a larger, more complex world.

·        Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.  Another stirring tale of Roman Times, this book takes place in Roman Britain.  After Centurion Marcus Drucillus Aquila is wounded, he undertakes a new and more dangerous mission: to find the lost Legion of the Ninth behind Hadrian’s wall and restore its honor.  A bold adventure and a favorite in our family. ·        The Phantom Toll Booth by Norman Juster.  Milo is bored; until the day he drives his toy car through a tollbooth which has mysteriously appeared in his bedroom and is transported to another world.  Joined by the watchdog Tock and the Humbug, Milo is off to the Mountains of Ignorance to rescue Rhyme and Reason.  With all its math and grammar references, this is an amusing read.  Even reluctant learners might just learn something. ·        The Lamplighter by Maria S. Cummins.  Homeless, unloved and unloving, little Gertie is taken in by the kind old gentleman who lights the lamps on the Boston streets.  Under his gentle ministration, Gertie learns what it is to be loved and to love in return. 
·        The Spanish Brothers by Deborah Alcock.  Set at the time of the Spanish Inquisition, two brothers follow divergent paths.  One will become a persecutor, the other will be persecuted.  This book is very touching, but parents should review it first if your child is very sensitive.

High School- with the idea in mind that at the end of high school students should be equipped to continue a life of learning, I have chosen a few of my favorite books from high school and beyond.

·         The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.  All of fashionable England is in an uproar over the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel who steals French aristocrats out from under the very noses of the revolting commoners.   Lord and Lady Blakeney are no exception when it comes to speculating the man’s identity.  But when Lady Blakeney is given the choice between her brother’s life and helping to reveal the identity of the Pimpernel, which will she choose?  This is a very suspenseful book which makes the ending so much better.

·         The Conquering Family by Thomas Costain.  I was first encouraged to read beyond the realm of novels in high school.  This was one of the first histories I read.  Starting with the conflict which eventually led to the ascension of Henry II to the English throne, The Conquering Family is the first of a four volume series chronicling the lives of the Plantagenet kings of England.  With plenty of anecdotes, and an accessible writing style, Costain makes dry history very interesting.  The other titles in this series are: The Magnificent Century, The Three Edwards, The Last of the Plantagenet.

·         The Devil’s Brood by Sharon Kay Penman.  As a companion to the above mentioned history by Thomas Costain, Sharon Kay Penman offers up the same history in novel form.  In The Devil’s Brood Henry II is involved in a struggle against his rebellious sons.  Well researched, Penman’s books are an engaging read.

·         Bleak House by Charles Dickens.  Most students encounter Dickens at some point during high school.  Often they struggle through the well-known story of Oliver Twist or A Tale of Two Cities and never learn to enjoy Dickens’ as great stories.  Bleak House features a cast of characters brought together in strange ways by a court case that has been slowly working its way through the British judicial system for more than half a century.  The way Dickens weaves the characters and the plot together is absolutely amazing, and there are plenty of amusing characters who keep the story from getting too dull.