Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

one sentence summary:
Alice finds he self in a strange, strange world.
review:
This is a super fun adventure. I highly recommend you read it, the Disney movie does not count. Well written and guaranteed to increase any child's vocabulary this is perfect to read with your kids, or nieces and nephews. the novels are written in a rather disjointed fashion with one vignette moving into another with no real transition. Which in my opinion makes them even more fun to read! It is full of entertaining phrases that kids seem to pick up and repeat ad nauseum. It is a particularly fun book to read out loud if you are one of those awesome people who give the different characters different voices. I recommend it highly to those people.
10/10
10/10

Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt

One Sentence Summary:
a young girl meets an immortal family (not Bella and Edward, but well written)
Review:
As a grown up this is a quick read, but when I first read it I was maybe 9 and easily enchanted this was by far my favourite story. It is well written, enjoyable even as an adult, the plot is great and the characters are the real strong point. It teaches new readers lessons about life and death and what can happen if you don't keep a secret. I recommend everyone read this, preferable to a child, or as a child.
10/10
10/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett

One Sentence Summary:
The story of a little girls fall from wealth
Review:
I loved this story when I was younger and it still resonates with me today. The way that Sara used her imagination to escape the reality of her life resonated well with me because I had done a very similar thing as a child, escaping the bullies in my imagination. The writing is really great, with characters you can relate to and using language that your average fourth grader will have no problem reading on their own. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants an entertaining and heartwarming read.
10/10

10/10

if you enjoy this check out Louisa May Alcott, E. Nesbitt, and L.M. Montgomery

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

One Sentence Summary:
a little boy visits different planets.
Review:
This is a Children's book and as such will be reviewed with the illustrations taken into account. It is a fun read, full of whimsy and illogic. The story is well thought out (with a few exceptions in plot) and the illustrations are awesome! From all accounts the translation from the French is accurate. This story packs a lot of real-grown-up-world lessons into an idealistic template that everyone should read at least once.
10/10
10/10

if you enjoyed this I recommend everything by Edith Nesbitt ... also E.B. White

The Alex Cross Series - James Patterson

One Sentence Summary:
Alex Cross is a police detective, his life sucks.
review:
I no longer feel the enthusiasm I once did for this series, it has gotten repetitive and the story line has gotten a bit convoluted. That said I do feel an attachment to the characters and thus will continue to read the series. The first 8 books are all rather original and enjoyable, fun reads full of intrigue. Cross' family dynamic adds a layer to this mystery series that sets it apart from the rest of the genre. The writing is solid, though a bit repetitive, the character development is solid and the plots are quick and to the point. I recommend it as beach reading for anyone who doesn't like smut.
6/10 (the first 8 books get an 8/10)

 

 

 

The Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis

One Sentence Summary:
There is a magical world called Narnia which is full of unrest and struggle.
Review:
These books were a corner stone of my childhood. They are very well written, though the do have a fairly obvious Christian allegory running through them. The stories are all really well thought out, as are the characters. Lewis describes the world of Narnia with such vividness you really want to travel there. Full of adventure and great characters I highly recommend this series to any middle schooler looking for something to read over the summer.
8/10
8/10

If you enjoyed this check out:
George MacDonald
Madeline L'Engle
L. Frank Baum

The Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus Series - Faye Kellerman

one sentence summary:

a hard hitting cop meets an Orthodox Jew and falls in love. 

Review:

This series starts with a punch and 20 books later is still going strong. The real strength in the series are the characters of Rina and Peter, they start out knowing nothing of the world the other is from and gradually build a world together. Each novel has a hard punching crime fiction type plot, as well as religious conflicting undertones and amazing reflections of human nature. The writing is really good for the genre, better (less repetitive  than many of the "best" authors in the genre (yeah I am talking to you James Patterson). I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys crime fiction and/or is interested in a relationship where one person is Orthodox and one is not (because really that is what the whole series is about).  

8/10-6/10

If you enjoyed this series check out:

J A Jance

Sara Paretsky

Linda Fairstein