Peter Pan ★★★ by J. M. Barrie

How wonderful it was to see for once that a book has been translated to film so beautifully!  As a child, I saw Peter Pan the animated film, the TV version as well and I was delighted to see that when I finally read the book that no one was left out and that the plot and stories were fully there.

We all as we grow older wish that we could at times return to our childhood, and in way, with Peter Pan we can.

DATE READ: June 30 - June 30
NO. OF PAGES: 147
Type of Book audiobook
SOURCE: Public Library

Runaway Dolls by Ann Martin

352 pages on audiobook  5 hrs. on 4 discs

What a very cute continuation of the tales of Doll and Funcraft families.  After finding the long lost baby doll for the Doll family, Annabelle and Tiffany runaway because they feel that they must protect Tillie Mae.  The adventures that they encounter as well as their creative solutions to their problems kept this reader entertained thoroughly.

Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

First, I never realized that there were separate adventures for Alice and I was startled to find that one of them included Humpty Dumpty.  This was a fun few hours reliving a story from childhood.

★★½

GENRE: Classic
CHARACTERS: Alice, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, Humpty Dumpty
Series/ Progress: Alice's Adventures 2/2
DATE READ: October 12 - October 12
NO. OF PAGES: 126
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI
SOURCE: Overdrive, Library

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Okay, I admit it, I'd read Alice.  But to my defense there really wasn't anything new that I had seen in cartoons and films.  A cute little story but maybe a bit violent for kids?

★★★

GENRE: Classics
CHARACTERS: Alice, White Rabbit, Mad hatter, Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts
Series/ Progress: Alice's Adventures 1/2
DATE READ: October 2 - October 4
NO. OF PAGES: 126
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI 
SOURCE: Nook

Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum

While visiting Glinda, Dorothy and Ozma find in the all-knowing book that in a remote area of Oz the Skeezers and Flatheads are at odds and that a war may break out.  Ozma and Dorothy venture to the Flatheads first trying to prevent warfare but are captured and held prisoners until Ozma's magic helps them escape.  Fearing that they need to visit the Skeezers to prevent the war, Dorothy and Ozma are trapped in an underwater bubble when the Flathead Super Dictator uses unauthorized magic and turns the Queen of the Skeezers into a swan.  Fortunately, Glinda and the Wizard arrive and effect the release of all the Skeezers along with Dorothy and Ozma.  

This is the last of the original Oz series and I feel that it was one of the best.  Several authors have continued the tales but Frank Baum wrote no more.  I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my adventures in the Land of Oz and hope that future generations will visit as well.

★★★★

GENRE: Childrens
CHARACTERS: Ozma, Dorothy, Glinda, Skeezers, Flatheads
Series/ Progress: Wizard of OZ 15/15
DATE READ: September 9 - September 9
NO. OF PAGES: 78
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook

Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum

In this next to last Oz book we are introduced to a new area of OZ where the Hyups live.  There Kiki Aru steals a magical word which causes instant transformations and runs away to see the world. He encounters Ruggedo, the deposed Nome King, who persuades  Kiki to work with him to revenge himself on Ozma and take over OZ.  In the meantime, Dorothy and Trot, along with their friends, are endeavoring to find something special for Ozma's birthday.  

The adventures of all climax in the Emerald City at Ozma's birthday party.  A cute tale.

★★★

GENRE: Classics
CHARACTERS: Kiki Aru, Ruggedo, Gugu, Dorothy, Wizard, Glass Cat, Trot
Series/ Progress: Land of Oz 14/15
DATE READ: August 7 - August 9
NO. OF PAGES: 77
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI , AlphaKit
SOURCE: Nook stockpile

The Meanest Doll in the World by Ann Martin

Anna Belle Doll, Tiffany Funcraft, and Auntie Sarah Doll leave the Doll House to explore the attic but fail to return before their human owner, Katie, awakes so Annabelle and Tiffany hide in Katie's backpack.  They are taken of to school and share an adventure before jumping back into the wrong backpack.  At the home of Katie's friend they meet other living dolls that are being terrorized by the Princess Mimi Doll.  Tiffany and Annabelle help the other dolls free themselves from Mimi's cruelties.  But when Annabelle and Tiffany manage to get back home, they have company.  

So much fun!

 ★★★

GENRE: Children's
CHARACTERS: Doll Family, Funcraft family, Princess Mimi
Series/ Progress: Doll People 2/4
DATE READ: June 26 - June 29
NO. OF PAGES: 260
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, AlphaKit
SOURCE: library

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

I overheard my great-nephew's (4 yrs old) Mom start talk about reading this book  so I picked it up from the library to see what it was all about.

How imaginative to have a town named Chewandswallow, where there are no grocery stores but each day your food is delivered by the weather - you could get soup or milk showers,  snow of mashed potatoes or peas, storms of hamburgers!  So much fun but don't read it on an empty stomach!


 ★★★

GENRE: Childrens
CHARACTERS:
Series/ Progress: Chance of Meatballs 1/2
DATE READ: April 15 - April 15
NO. OF PAGES: 27
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: Library

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Continuing the stories in Oz, hoping to finish this year, I've found new characters mixed with the old and wondering why, after the success of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz,  Hollywood abandoned the stories.

Patchwork Girl is made by the Crooked Magician to help his wife with the household chores but she and the magician's friend are accidently petrified. The Patchwork girl along with several others set out to finf the ingredients to fashion a cure.

New generations should read these.

★★★

GENRE: Children's Classic
CHARACTERS: Patchwork Girl, Ojo, Shaggy Maan, Dorothy, Scarecrow
Series/ Progress: Wizard of Oz/#8
DATE READ: January 5 - January 7
NO. OF PAGES: 116
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: Nook

Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Having watched the movie and knowing the story didn't make this children's book any less enjoyable.  Seeing the little boy and his desire to believe that Santa is real makes this story touch even the heart of those older.

The love  of Christmas and belief in Santa will always make this story a classic.

 ★★★★★

GENRE: Children's
SUBJECT: Santa
Setting: North Pole
CHARACTERS: Santa, Conductor, little Boy
DATE READ: November 29 - November 29
NO. OF PAGES: 32
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI, 
SOURCE: Public Library

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L Frank Baum

I've been reading all the books of Dorothy and the Land of Oz and I have to admit that the last few, I had no idea what to expect and the stories  have been fun, making me smile.   These would be great to be read to children or by adults just for their own enjoyment.

It's great to see Dorothy's old friends and her other adventures.


★★★

GENRE: Children's fantasy
SUBJECT: interior of the earth
Setting: Mangabooland, Gargoyle land
CHARACTERS: Dorothy Gale, the Wizard of Oz, Zeb, Jim the Horse, Eureka the Cat, Ozma
DATE READ: September 4 - September 5
NO. OF PAGES: 86
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI,
SOURCE: NOOK stockpile

The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum

 ★★★¼

GENRE: Classic
Setting: Oz
CHARACTERS: Tip/Ozma,Pumpkunhead, Glinda, Mombi, Scarecrow, TinMan
DATE READ: March 20 - March 22
NO. OF PAGES: 90
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI 
SOURCE: Nook

PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.25

Tip escapes the witch Mombi after taking a box of magic items.  He creates Jack Pumpkinhead and a Sawhorse who come to life with special powder from the box.  They are his companions as he travels to the Emerald City where he befriends the Scarecrow.  The adventures and revelations  that follow are worthy of Dorothy and the original story.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

 ★★★½

GENRE: Children's, Young Adult
SUBJECT: good vs. evil
Setting: the city
CHARACTERS: Ophelia Jane Worthington Whittand, Marvelous Boy, Alice Worthington Whittand, Miss Kaminski (Snow Queen), Malcolm Whittand
DATE READ: March 1 - March 4
NO. OF PAGES: 220
Challenges: 75, Category, TIOLI 
SOURCE: ARC from publisher

PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.33  

Ophelia is in the museum while her father works on a special exhibit.  Bored, she starts to explore and discovers a boy who is locked in a room.  He tells her his story and she works to free him and find the sword he needs.

The adventures that Ophelia encounters are entertaining and seem to be exactly what an 11 yr old would want to do.

Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

 ★★★★ 

GENRE: Classics
SUBJECT: unusual land
Setting: Oz
CHARACTERS: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion
DATE READ: February 4 - February 5
NO. OF PAGES: 74
Challenges: TIOLI, CATEGORY, RANDOMCAT
SOURCE: Nook Stockpile

PLOT:....................................................................4.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.00
STYLE:..................................................................4.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................5.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.88  

Having watched the movie just about every year for many years, it was extremely interesting to read the story behind it.   The story had several differences which increased the fun of reading his story for the first time.  It's sad that the Golden Cap and China Town were lost in the adaptation.

Good Night, Maryland by Adam Gamble

 ★★★★

GENRE: children
SUBJECT: Maryland
Setting: Maryland
CHARACTERS:
DATE READ: December 28 - December 28
NO. OF PAGES: 20
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?:   no, grandchildren's

PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.25 

This was a delightful little board book that showed a number of items of interest for the kids - paddle boats in the harbor, the Baltimore Oriole bird, blue crabs, National Aquarium, RR museum. All things that I can show my grandchildren when they come to visit. The book will be a good reminder of what they can see until they get here!