Nancy Drew Notebooks and Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew

Hello, Nancy Drew! How cool is it that my baby girl is a detective fan? Although not old enough to read Nancy Drew on her own, she is old enough to read Nancy Drew Notebooks, a lovely chapter book about 8-year-old Nancy Drew and her BFFs, George and Bess. These plucky third graders are ready for crime fighting action. Nancy keeps track of her "mysteries" in a blue notebook. This series was published from 1994-2005. A follow up series that seems to be quite similar in nature is Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew 2006-?

 Ivy loved the concept of Nancy so much that she is having a Nancy Drew Mystery Party for her sixth birthday party!

Rainbow Magic

Ivy officially will finish the Magic Treehouse series next week. Yup, that's right. All 56 of them. She has begun preparing for this dreaded day by becoming obsessed with the Rainbow Magic series. Daisy Meadows is a pseudonym for one of four writers: Narinder Dhami, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman, and Sue Mongredien. The series stars Rachel and Kirsty, two best friends who are friends with the fairies. There are over 20 different types of fairies, including Jewel fairies, Weather fairies, Pet fairies, Petal fairies, and Sporty fairies. Over 150 books have been published, so they should keep Ivy busy for a while. 

The end of an era and Cinderella

My days of blogging for Ivy are coming to an end. My goal was to create a blog for Ivy until she was five. I did not expect for her to graduate from picture books so soon; I thought I might have another year or two, but no! I am so proud of Ivy as she graduates onto literature, but I am also sad. It is the end of an era that I have loved so much. I was happy when she wanted me to blog about a picture book tonight. Deborah Underwood's Interstellar Cinderella is an adorable adaptation of Cinderella about a young girl who just wants to fix fancy rockets.

Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.

With a little help from a fairy godrobot, Cinderella is able to go to the ball. However, the prince's proposal is not what she really dreams of; find out what makes this interstellar girl tick. Ivy loves the sassiness and girl power theme in this one! 

Tallulah's Tap Shoes

Ivy, a die hard ballerina, loves any book having to do with ballet. Even though she is outgrowing picture books, she still loves Tallulah and was happy with this new one. Tallulah is thrilled to be going to dance camp with her little brother, Beckett. She is less than thrilled she has to take tap, since it is not as elegant as ballet and she is not nearly as good as a fellow classmate, Kacie.

Kacie, in turn, can't stand ballet because it is not as cool as tap and she just can't seem to get her steps right. Will the two girls be able to recognize themselves in each other and grow from the experience? Of course! Ivy gives her approval! Another reason Ivy loves this book is the French dance terms thrown in with illustrations - a chance to practice more steps.

Zen Shorts

I could have posted this a year ago, as Ivy and her dad have been Jon J Muth fans for well over a year. When Karl, Michael, and Addy find a giant panda bear with a red umbrella in their backyard, they do not realize the wisdom and friendship that blew in with the wind.

When each child visits Stillwater, he blesses them each with a story fitting to their question, problems, or just general moods. These beautiful Zen stories are told with the backdrop of alternating water colors and ink drawings. This books is a hit with Ivy for its meaningful stories, the art, and the fact that a giant cuddly panda is talking.

A Violin for Elva

Ivy asked me to post this entry today. Yesterday at the Blue Bunny in Dedham, we read A Violin for Elva.

Ivy just adored this bittersweet tale of a girl named Elva who dreamed of playing the violin. She asked her parents for one, but they said no. Days of longing for a violin turned to weeks, then months, and then the dream was put on hold by life. Elva never forgot her dream. One day she wakes as an old women and purchases a violin. She then purchases lessons. The book ends with her performing in a concert; she is clearly the oldest, but probably the happiest person there. Her dream came true. This blog is dedicated to Ivy's Gigi, who was a violin player. Ivy will be starting violin lessons in the fall -her choice!

Disney Princess Collection

Last year Santa left a copy of Disney Princess Collection for Ms. Ivy. I think it was her favorite present. Since that fateful day, Ivy has poured over the pages in this book. Poor Matt has read each story at least 100 times; he is always trying to avoid the story when Aurora falls in love. Perhaps it is the longest? This book has been a pillar for Ivy, carrying her through good times and bad. In fact it no longer has a cover because it has been loved so much.

Magic Treehouse

Report just in: Ivy is officially up to #49 in the Magic Treehouse series. I am horrified that this series will be coming to a close (until the next one comes in!). Ivy reads a Magic Treehouse book every day. My darling girl has her nose buried in a book constantly. She even reads walking down the stairs and during dinner, two habits we are trying to break. Ivy loves the missions in these books, and is quite interested in the concept of greatness, as mentioned in Stallion By Starlight. Mary Pope Osborne is amazing. Not only is each book fun and packed with facts, there is generally a life lesson or observation central to each book. Jack, Annie, Teddy, Kathleen, Morgan, and Merlin have become part of our lives.

The Worst Princess

Another princess book? Another anti-princess book? Princesses are all the rage. Ivy just adored this new book by Anna Kemp. Sue, your standard princess awaiting Prince Charming, is beyond excited when he finally arrives. Horrified to learn that she is expected to sit in a tower (she just left one) and try on dresses all day (she already did that), she finds an unexpected friend in a dragon. Both commiserate and discuss the fact that the prince is a "twit". The ending left Ivy giggling with joy. She has read it three times tonight.

Atticus' Corner

Don't forget to check out Ivy's brother's favorites!

http://atticuscorner13.blogspot.com/

The Dandelion's Tale

Kevin Sheehan and Rob Dunlavey have teamed up to create a lovely new yarn, The Dandelion's Tale. An adorable sparrow befriends a dying dandelion with only ten seed pods left. She worries she will be forgotten forever.

The two decide the best way for Dandelion to be remembered is to tell her stories to sparrow who will lovingly etch them into the earth with her beak. Sparrow dutifully writes the poetic words of Dandelion. Sadly that very night Dandelion passes away during a summer storm. Sparrow sings a song of sorrow, but is pulled out of her sorrow with a special realization. Ivy and I just loved this book.

The Bobbsey Twins and the Ghost in the Computer

80's flashback alert - I had to explain to Ivy what a floppy disk was when we read this Bobbsey Twin paperback. Ivy just adored this adventure. She felt it was just packed with excitement...clowns, ghosts, hidden formulas, and even a tree house. What's not to love? The Bobbsey twins befriend young Rodney Blake, a boy with a passion for computers, on the day of the school's fun fair. When a ghost is spotted at the school, Freddy's prize is stolen, and Bimbo the clown disappears, the plot begins to thicken. Although not as well written as a mother would like, Ivy is just loving these paperback Bobbseys. She is also learning a lot of words related to solving crimes. A little sleuth in the making.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes

Dubose Heyward's classic was one of my favorites when I was Ivy's age. The illustrations are so lovely, and the story itself is heartwarming. A brown country bunny had always dreamed of being one of the five Easter Bunnies. However, she grew up to have 21 children and was so busy she felt her dream would never come true. She raised each of the babies to learn a specific chore to help the household run smoothly - I think this is Ivy's favorite part.

One day she took the bunnies to see the new Easter Bunny be chosen. What happens next will have to be found out when you read The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.

Surprise Island: Boxcar Children #2

I never read the Boxcar Children as a child, but I really wish I had. Ivy just adores the resourcefulness of these children. Each book is a mystery, but the mystery is not as important as how the children are able to survive on their own. Ivy loves to think of the talents of each of the young heroines. Henry is the builder, Jessie is the cook, Violet the musician/artist, and Benny is the finder of childhood fun. One of her favorite games is to play the Boxcar Children. Atticus is, of course, Benny. I am Jessie, and Ivy is Violet. Matt is Henry, who is often away building something or foraging for food. In this book, the children are left to summer alone on Surprise Island. They befriend the handyman, Joe, but there is something special about him that makes the children think he is more than he appears to be. Also, the children have discovered numerous Native American artifacts while on the island. If they let the public know, will Surprise Island be overrun with curious tourists? Read to find out more about the Boxcar Children in this Gertrude Chandler Warner classic. 

The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus

Ivy really enjoyed this new book about Peter Mark Roget, creator of Roget's Thesaurus. Replete with lovely illustrations of Roget's life, this picture book tells of the remarkable creation of the thesaurus, or "treasure house" in Greek. Each page contains pictures with little word bubbles filled with synonyms, reminding us that we can always turn to a thesaurus to find the right word...