Family Reads

Quick Pick: Ben and Me

Ben and Me

by Robert Lawson
© 1939, 114 pages Level 3 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

With a title like Ben and Me, how could we resist picking this book up from the library shelves (since, after all, our one and only shares his first name)? Little did we know what a historical gem we had found. Subtitled, An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos, this tale was "discovered, edited and illustrated by Robert Lawson" in 1939. Amos reveals himself as the small, furry assistant who was the real genius behind much of Franklin's work. From bi-focals and the Franklin stove to the discovery of electricity and the Declaration of Independence, readers will enjoy laughing at the witty narrative while learning about some of Franklin's famous moments.      

Library Mouse

Library Mouse

by Daniel Kirk
© 2007, 32 pages Level 2 (all about levels)Learn More on Amazon

 

Sam was a library mouse who lived in a little hole behind the children's reference books. Every night after the people left, Sam read and read and read. Soon his imagination was so filled up with facts, information, and images of far-away places that it brimmed over with wonder and fantasy. He decided he must write a story of his own. This book was so well-received by the library visitors and staff that he wrote several more: The Lonely Cheese and The Mystery of Mouse Mansion. After a while, his readers wanted to meet this talented writer!

"But mice, as a rule, are very shy when it comes to meeting people! Sam could not understand why people thought that writing and making up stories was so hard. If only they would try, they might find out that writing was really lots of fun."

It was this thought that gave Sam an answer to his dilemma, and also served to inspire many people who had never written a book before to tell stories that had never been told.

This story reminds me of the beautiful series of Anatole books, which have been family favorites for years. Library Mouse is sweet, smart, and full of vibrant, detailed illustrations. And if you're looking to encourage your readers to write, pair this tale with Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book, and watch the words fly!

Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler

Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler

by William Wise
© 2004, 152 pages Level 3 (all about levels)Amazon Reviews

 

Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler had me from the Author's Note: "It is a little-known secret that some small animals keep diaries of their adventures. Most often the animals are rabbits, hamsters, or white mice....I found Christopher's diary in a mouse hole, in the attic of a friend's house. Why it was there, I never learned. But I did read it—and if you read it too, you'll see how things turned out for him, small traveler that he was."

Christopher is born into humble beginnings. He spends his early days in an ordinary wire cage and his family is owned by a heartless mouse-breeder. Eventually their mother decides it is time to begin their schooling, preparing them for what lies ahead after they leave the cage. As she describes the different places they could end up, she instills a practical hopefulness and healthy curiosity about the world. "With people for company you'll never be bored. The things they say to their friends and relatives—and the other things they say when their friends and relatives have gone. Books? College? Listen to people, study them, and you'll end up with a real education!"

When Christopher is taken from the cage and sold to a pet store, his adventures begin.  Through a series of different owners, escapes, and daring feats, he learns not only about survival, but human nature as well. Eventually, his real-world tour finds him at the Metropolitan Museum, and he decides that he prefers safety and companionship to the risky life of getting by on his own. He makes a bold decision to reveal himself to the next person he sees, who is, thankfully, a sympathetic artist. Soon, he's adopted into a happy home with plenty of food, water, and gently loving hands—something he can only fully appreciate after all he's been through.

Christopher Mouse is a nice, tight Level 3 book. The chapters are a manageable length for before bedtime, and it's a plot-driven story with just the right amount of character development and setting details. It all adds up to a very satisfying read about a smart little mouse.

Gregor and the Code of Claw

Gregor and the Code of Claw

by Suzanne Collins © 2007, 416 pages Level 5 (tell me about levels)

 

Gregor and the Code of Claw is the fifth and final book in the Underland Chronicles. The series begins as a boy named Gregor (from the Overland—our world) falls unexpectedly into a strange new world, the Underland. Here he finds not only a different race of humans, but also giant rats, bats, cockroaches and more. He becomes the unwitting warrior who fulfills an ancient prophecy, and the adventures that follow find him learning not just about this peculiar place, but also himself.

To get you up to speed, in the previous book the queen of the Underlander humans declared war on the rats. At the beginning of The Code of Claw, Gregor learns of the Prophecy of Time, a prophecy foretelling his death. The prophecy also says that he must try and defeat the Bane, ruler of the rats, and that the Princess will help Break the Code of Claw, a code that the humans must learn to have a chance to win the war.

This book was very good. The plot flows along quickly, so there is never a boring moment. The story develops Gregor's relationships with the other characters in the series. This book is worth reading just for the climax of the story itself. Gregor and the Code of Claw is a wonderful fantasy book many readers will enjoy.