The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh

August 4th, 2007 · 2 Comments

Synopsis:
A shy 14-year-old Latin scholar finds a passage into Manhattan’s underworld, where, guided by an unhappy ghost named Euri, he hopes to find out how his mother died once and for all.
Review:
Greek mythology concerning the after life deftly mixes with New York City’s colorful history in The Night Tourist, a marvelous adventure tale that’s as [...]

Popularity: 29% [?]

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Tags: American Literature

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

July 22nd, 2007 · 6 Comments

Synopsis:
Harry Potter braces for his final battle with evil Lord Voldemort, knowing that only one of them will survive.
Review:
My biggest criticism of Harry Potter has always been his passivity. In the first few books especially, he spends most of his time being rescued or protected, simply because he’s “The Boy Who Lived.” And [...]

Popularity: 39% [?]

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Tags: British Literature

Essential Books For Children

May 31st, 2007 · 23 Comments

I want to start a conversation about what readers think are the books that no child should be without. I’m building a library for Superfast Baby, and here are my 10 must haves for boys and 10 must haves for girls:
Boys:
1. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
2. A House with a Clock [...]

Popularity: 36% [?]

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Tags: On Reading

The Trouble with the Magical Talisman

May 30th, 2007 · 8 Comments

Why is it that so many kids’ fantasy adventure books can be boiled down to:
“Children find a magical talisman that transports them to a wondrous world where they must fulfill their destiny or be trapped for ever.”
I swear I’ve read this book about a zillion times for work, and today was no exception. Some, [...]

Popularity: 14% [?]

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Tags: On Reading

One Little Building Block

May 24th, 2007 · 2 Comments

I just finished a work read that was a children’s book that makes me happy that people write for children. It was simply lovely.
Dostoevsky decoder & newish reader Meli has tagged me for a teeny meme, which goes well with a teeny work read.
Turn to page 161 of the book closest to you (no [...]

Popularity: 10% [?]

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Tags: On Reading

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

March 1st, 2007 · 1 Comment

Synopsis:
A little girl falls down the rabbit hole and steps through a mirror, finding herself in an illogical, marvelous world.
Popularity: 17% [?]

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Popularity: 17% [?]

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Tags: British Literature

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

February 14th, 2007 · 2 Comments

Synopsis:
Roberta and her brother and sister have to leave London for the countryside when their father is mysteriously sent away, but they discover a world of delight thanks to the nearby railroad.
Popularity: 13% [?]

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Popularity: 13% [?]

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Tags: British Literature

The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye

December 26th, 2006 · 2 Comments

Synopsis:
A princess is gifted by her fairy godmother to be ordinary—and who ever heard of a princess with mouse brown hair and freckles?
Popularity: 11% [?]

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Popularity: 11% [?]

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Tags: British Literature

Traumatized by Johanna Spyri’s Heidi

October 24th, 2006 · 1 Comment

Read a novel tonight for work–literary fiction. Gorgeous prose, interesting ideas. But not bloggable because it’s work, so you get a glimpse into the twisted past of the Superfast Reader, and link to the next book on my shelf.
I feel like all my childhood memories are from when I was eight, except [...]

Popularity: 14% [?]

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Tags: On Reading

How to Skim–and Why

October 21st, 2006 · 5 Comments

I have a fun little job where I get to read books before they are published. I won’t be blogging about them for various ethical reasons, but since I want to post every time I read a book, I think I’ll take the opportunity to write about reading. In these posts, I’ll also [...]

Popularity: 22% [?]

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Tags: On Reading