Posted in Award Winners, Chapter Books, So Many Good Books

Dory Fantasmagory

doryfantasmagory.jpgDory Fantasmagory (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014) by Abby Hanlon is fantasy in the mind of a six-year-old.
Dory’s older siblings want her to leave them alone! They call her Rascal and a baby and tell her to go away. But Dory keeps asking questions…of her siblings…and her imaginary friends. Her siblings make a plan to teach her “not be such a baby,” but it backfires in a great way.
Readers young and old will enjoy the humor in text and in pictures in this book. Oh, and here’s the author’s definition for fantasmagory – “a dream-like state where real life and imagination are blurred together.”
Dory Fantasmagory received the 2015 Golden Kite Honor Book Award for Fiction. Woo Hoo!
Author Abby Hanlon is also the author/illustrator of Ralph Tells a Story. Read how Abby herself was an imaginative kid here.

Posted in Award Winners, Chapter Books, Read-aloud, So Many Good Books

The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy

A Dog Detective
The Buddy Files: The Case of the Lost Boy (Albert Whitman, 2010) by Dori Hillestad Butler is so much fun! I love the voice of the dog. It’s a quick read–perfect for the child just starting to read on his own, but entertaining enough for an adult to read aloud. I must read more in the series. (And buy for middle grandson . . . shh, don’t tell him!)
King is at the P-O-U-N-D because his people are missing. He’s got to get back to his neighborhood to find them. When King gets adopted by a new family, they rename him Buddy. Then, his new boy, Connor, disappears! King/Buddy must solve the case!
After you are entertained with this story, go to Dori’s site to see the dog that owns her! You’ll also see what other books this award-winning author has written.
P.S. I’ve also had the privilege of meeting Dori–besides being a good writer, she’s a great person too!