Author Archives: designpointaaron

AUTHOR: Eleanor Estes

GENRE: Fiction

SUMMARY: Meet the marvelous Pyes— There is Mrs. Pye, the youngest mother in town; Mr. Pye, a famous bird man, who handles all the nation’s important bird problems; Rachel Pye, who is so reasonable she can make unreasonable ideas sound like good ones; Jerry Pye, who knows about rocks of all sorts and plans to grow up to be a rock man; Uncle Bennie, who is Jerry and Rachel’s uncle—even though he’s only three years old. Lastly is Ginger Pye, the “intellectual dog,” who Jerry bought for a hard-earned dollar. The most famous pup in all of Cranbury, Ginger knows tons of tricks, is as loyal as he is smart, and steals the hearts of everyone he meets… until someone steals him!

AUTHOR: R.J. Palacio

GENRE: Juvenile Fiction

SUMMARY: August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER begins from Auggie’s point of view but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.

AUTHOR: Patricia MacLachlan

GENRE: Historical Fiction

SUMMARY: Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna’s point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer Papa’s advertisement for a wife and mother. Before Sarah arrives, Anna and her younger brother Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she sing? Will she stay? Sarah, Plain and Tall gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.

AUTHOR: Priscilla Shirer

GENRE: Fantasy Fiction, Adventure Fiction, Christian Fiction, Religious Fiction

SUMMARY: In this second book in The Prince Warriors trilogy, the Prince Warriors face new challenges on earth and in the unseen realm of Ahoratos. The enemy, angry about his last defeat, is targeting them with weapons and tactics they had never imagined, including the flaming Olethron. The kids must turn to Ruwach and the Source, who can give them more pieces of armor to help them stand strong against this deadly threat.

AUTHOR: C.S. Lewis

GENRE: Fantasy

SUMMARY: When the Pevensie children go to Narnia for the second time it is as if King Arthur had come back to England today. This story takes place a year after the children had gone to Narnia the first time, but they find that hundreds of years had passed in Narnian time. During that time Narnia had been conquered by a people called the Telmarines and all of the old Narnian creatures had died or had been in hiding for years.

The story actually begins with one of the Telamrine rulers, Caspian, who was only a child and had been usurped from his throne by his evil Uncle Miraz. As Caspian flees for his life, he finds the Old Narnians in their hiding place. They rally around him when he promises to create a Narnia for both men and beasts, forming an army to attack Miraz. Failing their initial attacks miserably, they blow a magic Horn which had once belonged to Queen Susan and was supposed to bring help to those who blow it. The help comes in the form of the children who had once been Kings and Queens of Narnia.

The children are sitting in a railway station when they feel themselves being tugged back into Narnia. They are somehow transported to Cair Paravel, their former castle, which is now a ruin. There they are found by a dwarf who brings them back to Caspian. Together with Caspian and of course, Aslan, who also comes to help, they defeat the Telmarines and set Caspian on the throne of a united Narnia. At the end of the story, Susan and Peter are told that this will be their last trip to Narnia as they are growing up.