What’s The Nine-Year-Old reading this week?
Our mostly-weekly survey of the tidbits that cross The Nine-Year-Old’s desk. This week, The Nine-Year-Old’s imagination is taken over by hybrids, superheroes, and aliens, but not, at least as far as I can tell, by hybrid alien superheroes. Yet.
Upside Down Magic by Sara Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins
What the book’s about: Nory can do magic, but she can’t control it. Instead of being able to change into a dragon or a kitten, Nory becomes both at once (a dritten). Worse, she can’t seem to control her own behavior in dritten form. When Nory’s upside-down magic starts to alienate her family and friends, she is sent to Dunwiddle’s Upside Down Magic Class to learn to do magic right. But is doing magic right really what’s important?
Why The Nine-Year-Old picked it up: When The Nine-Year-Old first saw this book on display at the library, I knew she was a goner. Who knew kittens came in hybrid dragon forms? If the number of times I’ve seen her shaking her head and laughing over this book this week are anything to go by, there’s some great storytelling going on between those covers.
Wonkenstein: The Creature from My Closet by Obert Skye
What the book’s about: Whenever twelve-year-old Rob’s parents give him yet another boring book, he tosses it into the makeshift science lab he calls a closet. He’s got better things to do than read. But then the pile of junk in his closet starts to wobble, and out tumbles Wonkenstein, a creature made up of characters from some of those books Rob’s been so carefully avoiding. Keeping Wonkenstein out of trouble requires a little bit of magic and a lot of help from his friends. It might even require reading a book.
Why The Nine-Year-Old thinks you should pick it up: “The monster is a cross between Willy Wonka and Frankenstein, and that makes Frankenstein a lot better.”
My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons
What the book’s about: Life is rarely fair. Luke is the one with the encyclopedic knowledge of all things superhero-y, but it’s his teacher’s pet older brother Zack who gets turned into the superhero. Zack doesn’t know anything about superpowers or choosing a proper superhero name. The name Star Guy isn’t exactly going to strike fear into any criminal’s heart. Can Luke get over his rage long enough to help his brother figure out how to use his new-found super powers? And will Zack ever get a proper cape?
Why The Nine-Year-Old thinks you should read it: “There’s a green alien with a wispy beard, and the book won some awards. Also, that way you can read My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord.”
Have you or your Caterpickle read any of these books? What did you think of them?
Related Links:
- What’s The Seven-Year-Old reading this week? (Caterpickles)
- What’s The Eight-Year-Old reading this week? (Caterpickles)
- What’s The Nine-Year-Old reading this week? (Caterpickles)
- More Book Reviews on Caterpickles
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One Response to “What’s The Nine-Year-Old reading this week?”
[…] Ten-Year-Old first met Lauren Myracle through her Upside-Down Magic series. Ten didn’t feature adorable cats on the cover, but it did have a protagonist exactly The […]
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