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There are certain people in northern Scotland who know about a mermaid who inhabits the great pinnacles of rock that rise out of the sea not far from shore. Realizing that she must be protected, they always speak well of her. Young Eric, however, has refused to do so and speaks harsh lies about her. Soon, however, his boat smashes on the rocks and he is in serious peril. What happens to him after this? You’ll have to find out when you read Mermaid Summer by Mollie Hunter.

The Place of Lions by Eric Campbell is a survival story with some beautiful descriptions of Africa in general and lions in particular. On a journey into Tanzania where his father is to take a new job, the plane carrying Chris and his father crashes. His father has a broken leg and Chris is a little banged up, but not hurt too badly. The plane has crashed near where a pride of lions is staying and Chris is witness to incredible danger there. The older male is being challenged by a young one and only barely manages to maintain his supremacy after a fierce battle. Chris has, in the meantime, decided to go for help. Not far off poachers have machine-gunned elephants and incurred the wrath of two men who love Africa and are dedicated to preserving its wildlife.

The poachers find Chris but first drive away and then decide to kidnap him. Chris has been followed across the plain by the old, dying lion and a mysterious connection has been made as both head for a hill where the lion hopes to die and Chris hopes to find help.

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Monkey Island by Paula Fox is a crazy homeless settlement. The main character, eleven-year-old Clay Garrity ends up there because his parents have fallen victim to a series of unfortunate business dealings. Then, Clay’s mother mysteriously disappears. Clay then embarks on many adventures through this wild and crazy settlement. A wonderfully half-mad, sometimes drunk, philosopher named Calvin together with a young black adult, Buddy, help Clay survive on Monkey Island while he searches for his missing mother.

Monkey Island is an American Library Association notable book.

Tuesdayis a picture book by David Wiesner that appeals to a wide age range and its possibilities are endless. For those of you unfamiliar with this treasure, we start before the title page as we see frogs, peacefully at first on their lily pads and then slowly levitating. After the title page, we join a pond turtle as he looks up in amazement.

The book proper begins at sundown where text says: “Tuesday evening, around eight.” The frogs start flying solemnly at first and then with increasing glee as they fly through the town, entering houses, startling dogs and a man enjoying a midnight snack. The time is the only text given as the night continues.

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On her way home from buying strawberry’s at the market, the grey lady is being chased by a long-legged, slightly blue character-a strawberry snatcher. The clever grey lady eludes the Strawberry Snatcher at every turn. When the strawberry snatcher is totally frustrated, he discovers a patch of blackberries to eat.

The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang has superb illustrations with the grey lady becoming part of the environment, hidden from the viewer as well as from the strawberry snatcher.

Redwall by Brian Jacques is an fantasy story kind of like The Rats of NIMH, Wind in the Willows and King Arthur. When you hear that it’s about mice and other creatures defending a monastery against an outlaw band of rats, don’t get too squeamish. It is a great story.

As with many fantasies, the story has the forces of good under siege by the forces of evil. There are deeds of heroism, vanity and cruelty. There’s a rich heritage of peace and good deeds in the monastery which contains an ancient tapestry retelling the deeds of a previous hero, Martin the Warrior. But it is Matthias, an inept and insignificant mouse, who answers the call to rescue the monastery from the horde led by Cluny the Scourge, the one-eyed rat embodiment of evil.

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Once Upon a Dark November is a children’s book by Carol Beach York. If you like mysteries you may really like the work of Carol Beach York. Her stories are not difficult to read but they usually pack a wallop. Once Upon a Dark November starts with a peaceful scene: a woman putting down her reading, climbing the stairs and then stating cheerfully, “Auntie’s coming!” She then releases a frightened child from the locked attic. We then switch scenes and times and come upon Katie, doing light housework after school for Mr. and Mrs. Herron. Truthfully, she has a crush on Mr. Herrron, her teacher. Life goes on until Mrs. Herron announces ominously that their cousin is coming. Then the mystery really takes off with murder and mayhem.

Here’s a great story to read out loud, since it’s really about friendship, self-expression and discovering the meaning of home. A Newberry Honor book, The Cricket In Times Square by George Selden tells a story about the adventure of living in the big city. It all begins when Chester, a cricket from Connecticut, finds himself being transported on the subway by way of a picnic basket into the city of New York. He finds himself in the Times Square subway station, which is filled to the brim with bustling people. Luckily, Chester finds a place to hide under some newspapers, and is soon discovered by young Mario Bellini. You see, Mario is working at his parent’s newsstand when he finds Chester, and he has to plead with his mother and father to let him keep the cricket.

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Imagine that your family was moving to a new location. Except, instead of moving with the help of a truck, all of your earthly belongings were loaded onto an ox-drawn wagon. Imagine that you are travelling from your home in Illinois westward. Imagine being surrounded entirely by grass and trees- - no buildings, no shops, no churches. Your father tells you that you have arrived at your new home. But your mom is homesick and pregnant, and you don’t know what is going to happen, because your house hasn’t even been built yet. This is Zoe’s story. Read Dandelions by Eve Bunting to find out what happens.

Here’s another picture book for you. The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry depicts the beautiful, endangered rainforest in full color. Walking through the forest are two men: one tall and one small. The larger man tells the smaller man to cut down a giant kapok tree, and then leaves the smaller man to do his bidding.

The tree towers above the small man, who is having trouble cutting it down. Soon, he grows tired, and sits at the base of the ancient tree to rest. Soon, he falls asleep, and the animals of the rainforest approach him, one by one. They whisper reasons not to cut down the tree into his ears. When he wakes up, he sees all of the creatures that have gathered around him. He notices that among the animals is a human child as well.

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In The Table Where Rich People Sit, a picture book by Byrd Baylor, a girl takes a look around her and sees that her family’s house is not what she thinks it should be. It dawns on her that her parents don’t realize how poor they really are, so she calls a family meeting. The family gathers around the table, and the girl points out that the very table at which they are sitting is in terrible condition. It is dilapidated and worn, because the family has gotten so much use from it. She tells her family that they are not sitting at a table where rich people should sit, and proceeds to instruct her parents to seek better jobs in order to earn more money.

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Babe was a character in a book before he was put onto the silver screen in the movie that uses his name as a title. Well, if you liked the movie, “Babe”, you should really enjoy the book-remember what they say-”the book is always better.” The book begins with Farmer Hogget winning Babe in a fair by guessing his weight. Little does Babe know, however, that the Hoggets would like to turn him into pork chops when he grows up!

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