Ages 9-12 Books - Page 12

The People of Sparks (Books of Ember)

Jeanne Duprau

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 102 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When teenagers Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow lead their people up out of the Earth, fleeing their dying underground city of Ember, everything is new and a little frightening to the refugees--the sun and the moon, birds, trees, fire…and the people of Ember are strange to the 322 citizens of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth to survive the time of The Disaster. How can they feed and house the 400 Emberites, the leaders of Sparks wonder, when they have just begun to be able to feed themselves comfortably? But if they don't, these underground people with no survival skills will surely die in the wastelands. They take them in as best they can, but grumbling and bad feeling grows on both sides. Lina returns from a failed search for her persistent vision of a city of light to find the town, egged on by the power-hungry young thug Tick, once again at the point of war, forgetting how the Earth has been destroyed before. But Lina has seen the devastation left by The Disaster, and so she risks a brave move of reconciliation, and when Doon exposes Tick's trickery, the two sides join as the new people of Sparks.

In this exciting and solidly constructed sequel to The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau moves the story on entrancingly, bringing along her cast of characters from underground and adding new dimensions and relationships as the action escalates to a satisfying conclusion that still allows for further volumes in this fine fantasy. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

Dark River (Warriors: Power of Three #2)

Erin Hunter

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Warriors Has Returned! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Warriors has been my all-time favorite series since I first began the Into the Wild, yet the repetitive and sometimes laborious plotlines of The New Prophecy made me think that it may be time to stop. What has urged me on? The brilliance of the newest Warriors series, Power of Three! Dark River is by far the best Warriors book since The Darkest Hour, and I'm so happy! Although The New Prophecy featured seemingly repeats of characters from the original series, Dark River is fresh and new. I am never bored by the three new protagonists (especially Jaypaw...I find his talents and defiant nature interesting and exciting!) Although Lionpaw's relationship with Heatherpaw could have been a repeat from Graystripe and Silverstream, Leafpool and Crowfeather etc., Erin Hunter made it unique by adding the underground tunnels as an engaging and ultimately terrifying meeting place for them. I have to say that I have yet to be as interested in Hollypaw's subplots, but I hope to be in future books.
Lionpaw and Jaypaw are the main focus in Dark River. The true story begins as Lionpaw struggles with his feelings for the WindClan apprentice Hollypaw while Jaypaw becomes distratced from his medicine cat duties by a mysterious stick washed up from the lake covered in strange markings. Lionpaw and Heatherpaw discover a secret entrance to an underground labyrinth of tunnels through which a trickling river flows. Intrigued, they decide to meet each night in the tunnels secretly. Jaypaw is troubled by the mysteries the stick seems to hold, and frequent, unidentified voices calling out to him in his mind. Hollypaw's main subplot is her invesitigation of Lionpaw's nightly disappearances and her fear for her brother, as well as her snooping into the business of RiverClan, which has recently settled on the island because Twolegs are attacking their original camp. WindClan fears that they may try to steal their territory, and ThunderClan fears that, in turn, WindClan will steal theirs.
Eventually, two WindClan kits disappear. WindClan blames ThunderClan, and launches an attack. Lionpaw and Heatherpaw know that the kits are actually in the underground tunnels, and launch a rescue mission along with Breezepaw, Jaypaw, and Hollypaw, who follow. Frequent rain has swelled the river, and the tunnels begin to flood. Jaypaw, guided by the voices of the the ancient cats who once stalked the tunnels, leads the cats to the kits. They just barely escape with their lives in a thrilling climax, ending the tensions between WindClan and ThunderClan.
This amazing, unique, and clever installment is a marvelous read for any Warriors fan. I am pleased to say that I will cotinue to follow the lives of Jaypaw, Lionpaw, and Hollypaw for the next four books!

Editorial Review:

The three children of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, grandchildren of the great leader Firestar, have thrived in their apprenticeships: Lionpaw's strength and energy serve him well as a warrior in training, Hollypaw hones her understanding of the warrior code, and Jaypaw explores his mysterious powers and connection to StarClan as the medicine cat apprentice.

With more experience comes both power and danger: Lionpaw makes a friendship—and a discovery—that must be kept hidden; Jaypaw learns a secret that could benefit ThunderClan by damaging others; and Hollypaw knows something that could avert a battle, if she could convince the rest of her Clan.

The three are torn apart as each discovers darkness: in themselves, in the Clans, and in the past. And, as conflict begins over what it means to be a warrior, rising tensions threaten to overflow, washing away the peace that has existed for many moons.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Visual Guide (Star Wars)

Jason Fry

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

GREAT BUY!!!!!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you are a Star Wars fan than this book is definitely for you. It goes over the characters, story, and technology of the new movie and the TV show. I think this book is excellent in every way!

Editorial Review:

Since the first time we heard Luke Skywalker ask Obi-Wan Kenobi "You fought in the Clone Wars!?" in Episode IV: A New Hope, fans the world over have been wondering exactly what the Clone Wars were and what clones in combat would look like. On August 15th, 2008, with the theatrical release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, much will be explained. The Clone Wars take place between Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm is now bringing the wars to life in an all-new CGI animated series.

The theatrical release will launch this groundbreaking computer-generated animated series, which will then debut on Cartoon Network and TNT in the fall. New characters like female Padawan Ahsoka Tano join old favorites Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, Count Dooku, General Grievous, and others as the Jedi cross lightsabers with the dark side yet again.

© Lucasfilm Ltd. ® & (tm)

Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths

Bernard Evslin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not a Mature Source 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is more of a "Mythology for Children and Beginners" resource. Most of the more obscure Greek myths (and in many cases, the more interesting ones) are left out entirely; of the myths which are included, only one version is presented of each, obscuring the fact that in many cases there were multiple versions of each myth, each version interesting and useful in its own right. I would recommend for the enthusiast Edith Hamilton's carefully researched "Mythology" - there is far more Greek material presented in that book than in this and in a more engaging format.

Editorial Review:

The earth breeds giants and ogres of indescribable horror -- the heavens hold omnipotent gods and goddesses, abounding in courage, strength and wisdom.



Zeus, the almighty king of the gods, who cannot resist feminine beauty -- mortal or divine, and his jealous and vengeful wife, Hera.



Perseus, fearless mortal warrior, who takes on an impossible challenge: slaying the monstrous Medusa, whose glance turns men to stone.



The Minotaur, half-man and half-bull, the horrible fruit of a queen's unspeakable desire, who annually destroys the young victims sacrificed to his terrifying power.



A fantastic world of spells and curses, magic and mystery, forces that create and destroy at will.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Kate Dicamillo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 219 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Miraculous and Touching Story. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a great story about a porcelain rabbit who doesn't move but thinks deeply about his surroundings which are constantly changing. During his "travels" he meets many different people, including a vagabond and his dog, a fisherman, and a little boy whose sister is very ill. There is a very surprising and memorable ending, but you have to read the book to discover it.

Kind of dark for kids 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I wanted to like this book. I truly did. I love Kate DiCamillo, and there is something so precious about a selfish little rabbit doll. And I do appreciate what DiCamillo wanted to do with this story.

The only problem is that this came out as rather, well, dark and depressing and I just don't know how comfortable I am reading this to small children. There is absolutely no happiness in this book whatsoever until one finally reaches the bittersweet ending. Maybe I'm just this person in lala land who likes happy stories, but I found this too harsh for its intended age group. Heck, even I was depressed after reading it.

Still, DiCamillo is a fantastic writer and the story goes along in a very intelligent manner with fascinating characters.

So... if a kid can put up with a dark fairy tale, this is probably worth a read.

Editorial Review:

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

The Little House Collection Box Set (Full Color) (Little House)

Laura Ingalls Wilder

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

beautiful set of first 5 books 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

These are handsome books - heavy stock paper, full color Garth Williams' illustrations, with Williams' illustrations on the cover (not the more modern real-life photos from other sets). This set, for some reason, only has the first 5 books, but the last 4 are available a la carte in the same nice full-color/heavy-stock/etc format. Not sure why they don't package all 9. This is a really nice collector's edition and very gift-worthy.

The set only has the first 5 books, but has gorgeous color illustrations 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House of the Prairie series of books only contains Books 1-5 [a puzzle indeed, why couldn't the publishers have made the entire series available?]. The books in this set, in order are: Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, and By the Shores of Silver Lake.

Though it is not the complete set, this boxed collection is worth splurging on as it is a full-color collector's edition. The illustrations by Garth Williams are beautiful and truly evoke the wonderful world written about by Laura Ingalls Wilder all those years ago. The paper is of high quality and has a glossy finish to it, the text type is large enough that it won't strain one's eyes, and is sturdy enough to be held and read over and over again.

I believe the other books in the series not included in this set are also available to be purchased individually[also illustrated in full color by Garth Brooks]. The missing titles are: The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.

Fans both young and old will enjoy these timeless stories of family,community, faith and challenges, and this sumptuously illustrated boxed set is sure to be a keepsake for collectors, and something that can be passed down.

Editorial Review:

Set during the pioneer days of the late 1800s and early 1900s, Laura Ingalls Wilder's books chronicle her life growing up on the Western frontier. For the first time in the history of the Little House books, these new editions feature Garth Williams' interior art in vibrant, full color. Come along for the adventure with this collector's set of the first five Little House books.

Nancy Drew Starter Set (Nancy Drew)

Carolyn Keene

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Inspiring adventures 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I adored these books as a child, they made me an avid reader. I'm buying them now for my granddaughters. I'm so happy to be able to share this with them!

Nancy Drew Starter Set 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Good set, hard cover, nicely packaged, my daughter loved it, she already read a couple of the six volumes.

Great gift 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I purchased these books for my grand daughter who is 7 years old and already an avid reader.
I enjoyed these books growing up so I hope she will get as much enjoyment out of them as I did.

Nancy Drew Starter Set 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We gave this as a birthday gift to a 9 year old. She asked me for them!
She and her parents were thrilled that she received them. I loved the price also. I would have paid just as much for a CD or DVD for her. Her mother said she knew she would read them over and over.

Editorial Review:

Teen sleuth Nancy Drew has been solving mysteries and delighting fans for over 60 years. You won't believe her daring escapades and narrow escapes.

What better way to introduce a girl to Nancy Drew then with the first 6 titles published in the series? This starter set includes; The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase, The Bungalow Mystery, The Mystery at Lilac Inn, The Secret of Shadow Ranch, The Secret of Red Gate Farm -- all at a great price.

The Willoughbys

Lois Lowry

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

You and your kids will love this one 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is a really good book. I read it first to see if it was okay for children, and had to ration myself to a couple of chapters per day to make it last--(you know how you hate to have a good book end.) I really liked it and my brother's children LOVED it (ages 6-12). I read it to them and we had discussions about words (English and German) as well as about love, sadness, men taking care of babies, parents, etc. I think it is worth buying. I don't know if it stimulated their interest in "The Secret Garden" or other "classic" children's books but we had a fun time reading it and laughing together and wondering how it would turn out AND I really liked the illustrations.

Editorial Review:

Abandoned by their ill-humored parents to the care of an odious nanny, Tim, the twins, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, and their sister, Jane, attempt to fulfill their roles as good oldfashioned children. Following the models set in lauded tales from A Christmas Carol to Mary Poppins, the four Willoughbys hope to attain their proscribed happy ending too, or at least a satisfyingly maudlin one. However, it is an unquestionably ruthless act that sets in motion the transformations that lead to their salvation and to happy endings for not only the four children, but their nanny, an abandoned baby, a candy magnate, and his long-lost son too. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious and decidedly old-fashioned parody pays playful homage to classic works of children's literature.

The Prophet of Yonwood (Books of Ember)

Jeanne Duprau

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 70 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. If only they can be interpreted correctly. . . .

As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town—her great-grandfather’s peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes—all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?

In this prequel to the acclaimed The City of Ember and The People of Sparks, Jeanne DuPrau investigates how, in a world that seems out of control, hope and comfort can be found in the strangest of places.


From the Hardcover edition.

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

Jeanne Birdsall

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 87 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Intensely boring 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 10 people found this review helpful.

Finally got around to reading this book, and while it's better than anything I've ever had published, it certainly does suck the life force from one, doesn't it? I kept turning the pages--- after all, a National Book Award and all---- yet on each new page a canvass of nothing is painted with a palette of low-affect dialogue exchanges and sight words. Dreadful. I don't know who these people are, gushing about this book, and I see an actual young person has chimed in with some praise, but in the universe I inhabit, kids tend to like books in which something worth mentioning actually happens. Honk if you agree.

Editorial Review:

This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will—won’t they? One thing’s for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget.

Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day.


From the Hardcover edition.