Nim's Island by Wendy Orr

Again, I have no idea why this was on my to-read list. It appeared with many others at the library with my name on it, so I figure I read about it somewhere. Perhaps because the movie came out this month. I haven't seen the movie, but it's getting bad reviews, so I'll probably wait for the rental. It could be a contender for Pages & Popcorn because it's fairy short (125 pages) and easy to read.

I enjoyed the Swiss-Family-Robinson-like setting and the adventurous plot once I let go of all my grown-up logic and needs for literary quality. Wendy Orr reportedly began writing this story as a nine-year-old, and it retains that childlike sense of adventure, even if it is a tad predictable and nonsensical. I can see imaginative kids internalizing the settings and using it for their own creative play.

Three and Many Wishes of Jason Rid by Hazel Hutchins

I don't remember what I was looking for, but I found Nancy Keane's extensive website of themed book lists. Since I'm always looking for wishing stories to go with my first grade unit, I fished this oldie (1983) out of the library.

What I liked about it was that the kids were aware of traditional wishing stories and how wishes usually go wrong, and they used that knowledge to try to make responsible wishes.

It's pleasant enough, although the wishing-for-three-more-wishes loophole is a bit dubious, and even young readers will see the solution long before the kids in the story. But the baseball content is attractive, and the length (87 pages, with some pictures, but not too many) will be great for those looking for short chapter books.

Elvis and Olive by Stephanie Watson

I grabbed this one out of the galley pile at the store one day when I needed something to read at lunch. It’s solid realistic, opposites attract, friendship fiction, if somewhat exaggerated. Each of the girls is an extreme- the straight-A good girl from a health-food yuppie family, and the off-beat, free spirit, untruthful girl with a questionable history. There are plenty of morals, and you won’t miss them, but I’m sure kids will be amused by Annie’s antics, and may identify with her slice-of-life friendship with Natalie.