Yes! Even More Holiday Suggestions! Whew!

What a rash of good books, right?! I read two historical fictions and a fun fantasy this last weekend that I know one of your readers will fly through!

"The Floating Circus" by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer begins with two brothers in an orphanage. The oldest, Owen, is a daredevil, while his younger brother, Zach, is kind and quiet. While climbing the highest tree on the orphanage's yard on a dare, Owen falls and injures his arm, rendering it useless. After healing the two boys are put on an orphan train to the West, but Owen fears no one will adopt Zach if he has a handicapped brother and jumps from the train. With the help of a freed slave, Solomon, Owen gets a job on a circus paddleboat. All the elements of a Mark Twain adventure are here--life on the river, learning compassion and acceptance and just growing up. A marvelous, exciting book for anyone but great for your reluctant reader! Why not look up the history of the floating circus?

"The Leanin' Dog" by K.A. Nuzum. It's the 1930's and Dessa Dean has suffered a terrible tragedy. While walking with her mother in the woods , a massive snowstorm made them lose their way home. Dessa Dean's mom died as Dessa Dean lay next to her. Dessa Dean suffered frostbite on her ears and can no longer leave her house, as it brings back those memories of her mom. One day Dessa hears scratching on her door and finds a brown dog. Will Dessa Dean be able to lure this dog into the house? And will her big, gruff father chase away the dog as it growls menacingly at him? This remarkable dog will help Dessa conquer her fears, reunite her with her father, and bring back the spirit of the holidays. Again, check out the history of the 1930's while you're at it!


My last book is a fantasy called "The Fairie Door" by B.E. Maxwell. I will give you the description of the book by Amazon, as they can report it more succinctly.

"Long ago the Faerie Queen created portals between our world and hers, so that children could summon help from faeries whenever the need arose. But a wicked entity called the Shadow Knight is endeavoring to control the doors between the two worlds, and only evil can get through. It falls to two imaginative eleven-year-olds—Victoria Deveny, from 1890 Britain, and Elliot Good, from 1966 America—to thwart his plan.

The Faerie Queen dispatches the youths on separate quests to retrieve orbs of power that will ultimately defeat the Shadow Knight. Their bravery and friendship are tested as the children travel to fantastic realms and face life-threatening dangers—from dragons to flying pirate ships to a wicked sorceress queen—before they're reunited to confront the dreaded Shadow Knight." You fourth through sixth graders will be waiting on pins and needles til the sequel comes out, guaranteed!