The Graveyard Book

Growing up in a graveyard is normal if you don't know anything about the world outside its gates. Nobody Owens, or as his friends and family call him, "Bod" can only remember living in the graveyard, traipsing around tombs, and talking to people whose names are on the crumbling gravestones. What he doesn't remember is climbing out of his crib as a toddler, bumping down the steps to the open front door, and toddling down the road to his graveyard narrowly escaping the dreadful fate of his family. Instead of meeting an untimely death, Bod grows up in the graveyard learning about the world from its dead inhabitants. In addition to learning about reading, writing, and arithmetic, Bod learns about fading, haunting, and dream walking.

Bod slowly comes to learn that outside the graveyard lie danger that his guardians Silas and Ms. Lupescu, his parents the Owens', and his friend and witch Liza Hempstock cannot protect him from. The man in black, "The Man Jack" that was sent to kill he and his family is still looking to finish the job he started many years before.

The story is engaging and quite spooky and the characters are relatable for young readers- Bod goes through some of the same developmental milestones as today's tweens like testing rules and pushing boundaries with some astonishing consequences. If you set down to read this volume, prepare to get comfortable- bring a drink and snack because you won't want to put this down. I would strongly recommend this to fans of Avi and Margaret Peterson Haddix.


Gaiman, Neil. (2008). The Graveyard Book. New York: Harper Collins. 312 pages. ISBN 9-780-060-53092-1.

Ages 9-11
Rating: Outstanding
Winner of the Newberry prize 2009

Ponyo [Motion Picture]

Academy Award Winning director Hayao Miyazaki of My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service brings to the big screen another sure fire hit. Inspired by the story of The Little Mermaid, Ponyo is the story of an adventurous little goldfish whose parents are the keepers of the sea. The curious little goldfish wanders off during an outing with her father and sisters, catching hold of a jellyfish and floating to the water's surface- where she promptly gets marooned in a small tidal pool. To her aid, comes a young boy named Sosuke (pronounced: sews-kay). While rescuing the little fish he cuts his finger and when he picks her up she licks the blood from the wound and it heals instantaneously. Fearing that his daughter was kidnapped by humans, her father the wizard Fujimoto, sends wave spirits to rescue her. Upon returning home, the little fish refuses to be called her former name and demands to be called Ponyo. She fights with her family and wants desperately to be a part of the human world, so she steals her father's magical powers and transforms herself into a human girl and goes off in search of her friend, Sosuke. Her transformation sets in motion a series of unfortunate events as she has upset the balance of nature that only her mother, grandmamere can fix.

The story is simply about the innocent, pure love and friendship as only children can experience- it's not a romantic love, but love for the sake of love. The film explores the intertwined nature of the natural world- how humans can act as conservators of nature. Kids of all ages who enjoy Japanese animation, stories about friendship, and classic fairy tales will enjoy this beautifully hand drawn animated tale.

Ages 6+
Rating: Outstanding

Do You Know Where Your Water Has Been?

A behind the scenes look at the modern water sanitation system- you will never take your drinking water for granted again.  This informative volume is a part of a series from the publisher investigating the modern sewage system and what happens to stuff once we dispose of it. This book explains the uses of water in the sanitation system as a whole and the importance of having clean water. Water treatment plants are explained with the assistance of diagrams and photographs, so readers will come away with a clear idea of the process our drinking water takes from each flush to turning on the faucet.


Barnhill, Kelly Regan. (2009). Do You Know Where Your Water Has Been? The Disgusting Story Behind What You’re Drinking.  Mankato, Mn. : Capstone Press. 32 pages. ISBN: 978-1-4296-1995-0.

Ages: 9-12
Rating: Outstanding

Teen Ink

Initially Teen Ink was a print publication, but it has branched out and publishes some of the same content online on their website: http://teenink.com/.
The majority of the content of Teen Ink is generated by the teens that read the magazine and frequent the website and ranges from current news articles to original poetry, fiction, and essays. Additional categories include photography and art, college reviews, celebrity interviews, and book, movie, and music reviews. One of the features that makes the site social is the ability for readers to rate articles in addition to commenting on the piece. The publisher of Teen Ink also hosts a writing workshop every summer where youth can hone their skills with the help of some of the most talented writers in NYC. They also get to tour famous bastions of the written word like the New York Times newspaper and attend lectures by renowned authors and book publishers. 

In order to submit a piece to be published in the print or online version, the writer must be between the ages of 13-19. I included the site as a resource for tweens and rated it as 12+ because a lot of the content is acceptable for precocious tweens. The topics that teens write about for the magazine and site are far reaching and the writing is thoughtful and clearly written. The organization of the site is very clear and easy to navigate and overall visually appealing. Overall, the site is a useful resource for tweens that are interested in writing, reading reviews of media directed at teens and tweens, and popular culture.

Ages 12+
Rating: Outstanding

How to train your dragon

A riotous tall tale guaranteed to get giggles and out loud chuckles takes the reader on a wild romp, while Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III plays the reluctant Viking King's son. He's not the sort of kid who does things the easy way- he bumbles and fumbles and makes the everyone laugh. During his training to becoming a Viking warrior, Hiccup chooses the most unlikely of steed- the scrawniest, laziest, greediest dragon around. Although his training methods are unorthodox, and mocked by many, Hiccup may turn out to be the hero kids will root for.



Cowell, Cressida. (2004). How to train your dragon: the heroic misadventures of Hiccup the Viking. New York : Little, Brown. 214 pages. ISBN: 978-0-316-73737-1.

Ages: 8-12
Rating: High Additional

How to train your dragon [Motion Picture]

Although the premise of the film is not the same as the book, the film stands alone as a work tweens and adults will enjoy. It's just as witty and entertaining as Cressida Cowell's book. The film is based on the premise that the Vikings are at war with the dragons who attack their livestock- thus threatening their way of life. Hiccup is a blacksmith's apprentice (not a warrior in training) and after he shoots the one and only dragon his people have no information about out of the sky with his own cannon like invention, he learns that his talents lie elsewhere. He frees the dragon from the grip of his invention and slowly, they become friends. Through the relationship that Hiccup has with Toothless, his tribe comes to understand the dragons and make peace with them.

How to train your dragon [Motion Picture] 2010
directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
based on the novel by Cressida Cowell
screenplay written by William Davies, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders

Ages: 8+
Rating: High Additional

The dark-thirty : Southern tales of the supernatural

The hour before sunset is called dark-thirty in the south- these haunting tales reflect the horror of living in a time when African Americans lacked any semblance of political power. The stories explore many aspects of the African America experience from slavery and emancipation, to desegregation and the terror generated by the Ku Klux Klan.

McKissack, Pat. (1992). The dark-thirty : Southern tales of the supernatural. New York: Knopf. 122 pages. ISBN: 978-0-679-81863-2.

Ages: 8-12

Rating: Outstanding

Newberry Honor Book 1993

Coretta Scott King Award 1993