The fond childhood memories I had of this series did not entirely hold up to my adult critical lens, but I still believe that Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree books are an incredibly imaginative and worthwhile read. When three children move to a house in the woods, they find a special tree that grows many different fruit and every day plays host to a different magical land. Though the series’ three books are all quite similar, as a young child I was fascinated by the depiction of the various magical lands at the top of the tree. Some parents have objected to certain elements of the book, primarily a story line centring on Dame Slap, an abusive, unreasonable teacher; however, barring such objections, these books will be a delight primarily to children under ten.

3.5/5

It’s interesting that the subject matter of the Pooh books would most likely appeal to older pre-schoolers or younger school children who would be unable to read the books themselves. Parents and children would therefore most likely read the book together, potentially echoing the bond of Pooh and Christopher Robin. The book is remarkable for its endearing innocence and naive charm, but the stories of Pooh and his various stuffed toy friends may bore older readers for these same reasons.

4/5

You can buy the book here.

From the Robin Hill School series, Picking Apples is the basic story of a class field trip to (drumroll…) pick apples! As a book, it seems like it’s only purpose is for reading practice, because the characters have no more development than names and pictures, and there is no real semblance of a story arc. A plot thread about one boy who does not want to pick apples is introduced but never really attended to, and the pictures are adequate but not outstanding. The book is mostly easy to follow for the young readers to which it is aimed, but overall, it fails even as reading practice by using non-traditional names, some of which I had trouble pronouncing.

2/5

You can buy the book here.

As a pre-teen, I was a fan of Paula Danziger’s books for older readers,  so I thought it was interesting to see her writing for a younger audience. In her short book about Amber Brown, a seven year old girl who is tired of waiting around for her friend Justin, Danziger shows all the spark that I loved about her young adult novels. The main characters of Amber and Justin were very well established, and the theme of dates and times were used throughout to good effect. The book had a playful rhythm, incorporating the repetition common in picture books by allowing many lines to reiterate and build on the words used in previous lines. The story used an effective stream of consciousness style, which young readers about the same age as the main character will identify with and enjoy.

4/5

You can buy the book here.

I have to admit, when I spotted a magazine called New Moon Girls, my first thought was that it was a Twilight fan zine. I ended up pleasantly surprised. New moon girls is a magazine with content written by and for preteen girls. It includes both creative and informative pieces, and the overall content is excellent. The issue I looked at included a book review of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, as well as articles centred around the theme of taking pride in yourself. These included travel stories by girls, and pieces on women who have interesting jobs. The magazine demonstrated a real respect for its readership by discussing mature themes such as cyber-bullying and lies in advertising (or BADvertising). New Moon Girls offers interesting articles that treat preteen girls with intelligence and respect, and I wish I had known of it at that age.

5/5

Go to their website!

The series:

While the content of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia may be more attractive to an audience of children, the quality of Lewis’ writing and the depth of his imagination makes this series about the adventures of various children in a magical land a must-read for all ages. The Christian allegorical content is evident, which may alienate other religions, but the allegory is informed much more by the Western philosophical tradition than by the specifics of Christian theology. On the other hand, though he mostly keeps girls out of battles, allegations of sexism and racism are largely unfounded. The characters are all interesting and well-developed, and school-age boys and girls will enjoy the magic and adventure. The narrative style works well as a read-aloud, but competent novel readers can also enjoy it by themselves. 

Series rating: 4.5/5

The magician’s nephew: Though one of the last to be written, this book explores the origins of Narnia and introduces the characters of Polly and Digory (both later appear in The last battle, and fans of The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe will recognize Digory as the old professor). Adapting various creation story mythologies, Lewis entangles his characters in an experiment that propels them to other worlds, where they witness Aslan’s creation of Narnia and accidentally release an evil force into the young world. This is one of my favourite books of the series; though Polly and Digory are considerably aged before reentering Lewis’ mythology, they are both likeable but flawed characters, as compelling as the more famous Pevensie children of later books.

5/5

The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe: This book was the first written, and the most well-known in years to come. It introduces the four Pevensie children who, stumbling into Narnia through a wardrobe, defeat the white witch to become kings and queens of Narnia. Like all of Lewis’ books, the world and characters are richly drawn, but the most compelling aspect of the book is the redemption of Edmund Pevensie. Edmund, a selfish disagreeable child, starts out in league with the white witch; he is seduced by the witch’s promises into betraying his siblings, but after realizing his mistake devotes himself into defeating the witch. I would argue that Edmund is one of the most well-developed and likeable characters in children’s literature.

4.5/5

The horse and his boy: Of all the books in the series, The horse and his boy is by far the most dispensable. Having little impact on Narnian mythology as a whole, the book’s events take place in Calormen and Archenland, two neighbouring countries to Narnia. Lewis once again reprises a boy and girl character team as the main characters, but Shasta and Aravis are less vivid than they could be, if only because the reader (and most likely the author) has less investment in their story.

3.5/5

Prince Caspian: This is my favourite book of the series. The Pevensies return to Narnia to help crown the rightful king, Caspian, whose throne has been usurped by his evil uncle. Prince Caspian depicts a Narnia in despair, but the low beginnings only increases the final payoff, and at times it is also the most joyful of the books. The four children, having returned to Narnia, are all more experienced and mature, and therefore their characters are more stable. However, this book would not be a good entry point to the series, because it requires the reader to be familiar and interested in Narnian mythology from the start. I enjoy it for its familiarity and its Narnia “inside jokes”, but those very qualities would alienate it from new readers.

4.5/5

The voyage of the Dawn Treader: Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace return to Narnia, as they and (now King) Caspian sail to the edge of the world on a quest to find seven lost Lords. Lewis’ imaginative powers are at a height in this, the fifth book in the series, as all sorts of other lands are explored by the characters. The allegory here is downplayed, and children will delight in the odd wonders that Lewis envisions, reminiscent of Gulliver’s travels. Additionally, this may be the most emotionally resonant of the books, as each land brings new challenges and feelings, and it echoes at times the structure of a dream.

5/5

The silver chair: Critics of Lewis’ overall portrayal of women will enjoy the character of Jill from The silver chair who eschews the more feminine qualities of Lucy and Susan Pevensie. The silver chair explores a darker side of the Narnians; much of the plot is built around the power of small mistakes and the strength needed to make up for them. While the Pevensie children verge at time on archetypes, Eustace and Jill, who star in The silver chair are flawed but strong, and from an adult perspective, are the characters that most resemble actual children. The story rests on Eustace and Jill’s quest to find Caspian’s lost son with only a few clues to guide them and a warning that things are not always as they seem.

5/5

The last battle: Though a critical success, the final apocolyptic entry to the series may be too dark for some younger children who have become attached to the various characters. While Lewis does assemble a kind of happy ending, the fates of the characters are not always what readers have come to expect, and I would recommend this volume only to mature, older children. Attempting to give the series satisfactory closure, Lewis reunites all the principal characters from other volumes in a final battle that literally pits good vs. evil. Though the stakes are higher than in past books, the large cast size prevents any significant time spent with any one character, which is the book’s main weakness.

4/5 

Buy the series in one convenient volume here.

A wrinkle in time is remarkable not only for the quality of its writing, but for the depth of its scientific content. L’Engle’s writing does not shy away from addressing difficult concepts, but she presents these in such a way that children will be more accepting than confused by the odd events. The science is so connected to the story that children will absorb the principles with the narrative, rather than needing to think things through. Meg and Charles Wallace’s journey across time and space to rescue their long-lost father contains both Christian and anti-Communist themes that will be evident to adult readers; however, L’Engle’s most important and obvious message is the importance of love and family. As for child readers, they will mostly enjoy the story for itself. A wrinkle in time is ideal reading material for older children, especially girls who are competent, avid readers.

5/5

You can buy the book here or the whole series here.

This is a good book to recommend to school-age girls who are not only avid readers but also interested in history. As Ever, Booky is the third book in a series about a girl named Booky and her family growing up during the Great Depression. The 1930’s atmosphere is very present, and the struggles of Booky’s family are consistent issues in the novel. Girls who are fans of the Anne of Green Gables series may find similar themes in the Booky books. However, while an entertaining and informative read, the characters can feel too universal at times. Though Booky herself has a distinct personality, some of her family are drawn rather thin. The situations, while real, are not explored as deeply as they could be. While this is a good book, it does have additional unused potential.

3.5/5

Buy a recent edition of the book here.

Disney sometimes gets a reputation for relying on marketing to the neglect of quality, but it is hard to make that case about their music. The soundtrack to The Lion King contains all the music from the film, as well as some “adult” versions of songs (sung by Elton John) that will appeal more to parents. Both the music and lyrics are well-written and will be enjoyable to both boys and girls of any age. The Lion King is not one of my favourite Disney movies, but I enjoyed the soundtrack even as a teenager, and it’s still one of the best mixes of children’s music that Disney has put forward.

4/5

You can buy the re-released soundtrack here.

Hear a song:

I’ve never read J. M. Barrie’s classic tale of the boy who never grew up, but listening to Roe Kendall’s narration made me wish I’d chosen the print version of the classic. This recent audio recording is targeted towards younger children—younger school-age, or potentially older pre-schoolers—that would be too young to read the book themselves, and Kendall’s voice is reminiscent of how the book might be read by an older woman in a British nursery. However, while the voice is clear and expressive, the tone was grating and the voice work was an admirable effort but ultimately fell short. For such an exciting story, I would have liked a more exciting and even a more youthful narrator for this CD version. The story is wonderful, but all things considered, I would have rather read it myself and imagined the proper voices in my head.

2.5/5

Download from Halifax Public Libraries.