Cobblestone Magazine

Cobblestone. April 2008. 29 (4).

Cobblestone is distributed by Carus Publishing. Winner of the George Washington Honor Medal, the 1996 Parents' Choice Magazine Gold Award, and the 2006 Parents' Choice Magazine Silver Award; Cobblestone's target audience is upper elementary grade children. Each issue of Cobblestone is dedicated to different occurrences of historical significance. The April 2008 issue details the Civil Rights Movement including historical events such as the Jim Crow laws; inacted to circumvent the rights established under the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments to the Constitution, Thurgood Marshall successfully arguing before the Supreme Court that "racial segregation in interstate commerce" was unconstitutional, and protests against the "whites only" set up of many public conveniences. Cobblestone is a well-written, interesting magazine packed with information. It is an excellent informational read and teaching tool.

Coral Reefs by Gail Gibbons

Gibbons, Gail. 2007. Coral Reefs. New York: Holiday House.

Coral reefs are usually located in water with a temperature between 64 degrees Fahrenheit and 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Coral reefs are made from the skeletons of tiny marine animals. Coral reefs come in three different types; fringe reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls. Coral reefs began to die out about 65 million years ago; at about the same time that dinosaurs became extinct, but began to come back about 50 million years ago. These and many other interesting facts can be found in author Gail Gibbons' fact-filled book about coral reefs and the sea life they help to sustain. Gibbons' colorfully vivid and Nemo-esque illustrations of coral reefs all over the world demonstrate the symbiotic relationship enjoyed by the reefs, fish and plant life. Facts gathered from marine biologist Dr. Kim Ritchie and Mote Marine Laboratory manager Nadine Slimak lend authority to this curiosity-satisfying book that is also a feast for the eyes.

Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown

Brown, Don. 2007. Dolley Madison Saves George Washington. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Born a simple, Quaker farm girl Dolley Payne grew up in Virginia. Because of their faith Dolley's family freed their slaves in 1783 and moved to Philadelphia where her mother opened a boarding house. Dolley lost her first husband, John Todd, in the 1793 yellow fever epidemic and met future husband James Madison through Aaron Burr; a boarder of her mother's. During her husband's tenure as Thomas Jefferson's secretary of state, Dolley served as hostess for the widowed Jefferson. When James Madison became president Dolley continued her reign as "the capital's leading hostess." But, it was during the war of 1812 when British troops set fire to the presidential mansion that Dolley proved she was brave and quick thinking as well as a marvelous hostess. Snatching important documents and valuable artifacts, she was preparing to flee when she remembered George Washington. Unable to remove the father of our country's painting from the wall, she ordered two servants to smash the frame and remove the painting. Only then did Dolley Madison flee for her life with George Washington rolled up safely at her side. The famous portrait by Gilbert Stuart hangs today in the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution thanks to the bravery and quick thinking of Dolley Madison. Using quotes from Dolley Madison, the people who knew her, and citizens who lived through the War of 1812 Don Brown paints a vivid portrait of the person Dolley Madison. His pen, ink, and pastel-watercolor illustrations lend an old-fashioned, soft-focus sweetness to the people, fashions, and Dolley herself, while the stark contrast of the black, white, and gray tone photograph of Washington's portrait allows readers to see the reality of the piece of history Dolley Madison saved.

Babymouse: Queen of the World! by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm

Holm, Jennifer L., and Matthew Holm. 2005. Babymouse: Queen of the World!. New York: Random House.

Babymouse's world is full of humdrum routine. Get up, get dressed, brush your whiskers, and try not to miss the school bus. What Babymouse really wants, or thinks she really wants anyway, is glamour, excitement, adventure, and most of all, to hang with the popular crowd. And so she does; in her imagination. Unfortunately, Babymouse's imagination kicks in at the most inopportune moments; during math drills, on her way to class, and in the middle of passing notes. Even more unfortunate, imagination can't take the place of what she really wants; an invitation to Felicia Furrypaws', the most popular girl in school, slumber party. So, Babymouse sets about wrangling an invitation and vows to let nothing, not even abandoning her real friend, get in her way. Matthew Holm's black-and-white pen illustrations; sometimes dotted, sometimes splattered with pink, compliment sister Jennifer's storyline in this graphic novel series of the Babymouse in all of us who just wants to wear a tiara on our perfectly smooth, glossy hair, dress in flouncy, pink ballgowns, and rule the world. Third through fifth graders will laugh along and thoroughly identify with Babymouse.

The Misadventures of Benjamin Batholomew Piff by Jason Lethcoe

Lethcoe, Jason. 2007. The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff. New York: Penguin Group.

Recently orphaned Benjamin Bartholomew Piff has spent the last miserable year as an inmate of Pinch’s Home for Wayward Boys. Cold, hungry, and tormented by Miss Pinch and the cook Mr. Roach; it is Ben’s 9th birthday and Ben is planning to escape. Captured on his way out the door, Ben is sentenced to kitchen duty and, after scrubbing out the huge, filthy pots used to cook what Roach laughingly calls stew, he discovers his birthday cake, brought by his caseworker and confiscated by Miss Pinch, cuts himself a large slice, places a single lighted candle atop the slice, makes a wish, and blows out the candle. That’s when, amazingly, his wish for unlimited wishes comes. Delighted, Ben begins wishing for everything he has been missing in the year since his parent’s death. Everything seems perfect until Thomas Candlewick, newly promoted president of Wishworks, the magical corporation in charge of granting birthday wishes, shows up at the door to Benjamin’s new, wish-filled house and informs him his wish globe, with the powerful unlimited wishes wish inside, has been stolen by Adolfus Thornblood, CEO of Curseworks and arch nemesis of Wishworks and all it stands for. Ben learns the theft of his powerful wish has also undone Wishworks ability to grant wishes and until he can retrieve his wish globe and unwish his wish for unlimited wishes no one’s wishes will come true. It is up to Ben to break through Curseworks' defenses, liberate his wish globe from the evil Thornblood, and un-wish his wish for unlimited wishes. In his first book of the Benjamin Bartholomew Piff series author Jason Lethcoe takes readers on a fantastic and imaginative journey filled with leprechauns, jinn, evil spider lords, flying chairs, and inventive, magic-folk sports. Along the way he uses birthday wishes as a way to address both the power of empathy and the destructivness of greed.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Lewis, C.S. 1950. The Chronicles of Narnia. New York: HarperCollins.

The wardrobe where Lucy conceals herself during the game of hide-and-seek is deep. So deep in fact that, as she moves further and further to the back of the wardrobe, Lucy begins to feel the prickles of pine needles and see a kind of weak, winter sunlight. Emerging finally into the light she steps into a kind of courtyard with a glowing street lamp and feels the crunch of snow-covered ground beneath her feet. When Mr. Tumnus the faun comes trotting along on his little hooves and invites her back to his house for tea, Lucy knows she isn't in England anymore. However, when she returns through the wardrobe to the big, country house she is sharing temporarily with her brothers Peter and Edmund and her sister Susan to escape the bombing in WWII London, and tells them of her adventure in Narnia with Mr. Tumnus, none of them believe her. That is until a few weeks later when they all find themselves hiding in the wardrobe to escape a house tour and they all feel the prickling of the pine needles, see the light and find themselves in the snowy courtyard with the glowing street lamp. They soon discover their coming has been foretold and their appearance in Narnia, where it is forever winter, will mark the beginning of a fierce battle between good and evil. In his first book of The Chronicles of Narnia series renowned author C.S. Lewis takes readers on a magical journey to a land where evil has held sway over good for longer than anyone can tell. Along the way we meet animals with human characteristics, both good and bad, and see through the eyes of Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, the power of honesty, bravery, and love and witness how their opposites; deceit, cowardess, and envy allow evil to flourish.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

DiTerlizzi, Tony and Holly Black. 2003. The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Something is not quite right about the once imposing Spiderwick estate. Uninhabited for many years, the Victorian mansion has fallen into disrepair. Despite their unease over the sniggering and scrabbling sounds that seem to be coming from inside the walls, it is now the new home, along with their mother, of the Grace children Jared, Simon, and Mallory. Abandoned by their father and with no where else to go, Mrs. Grace's great-aunt Lucinda, institutionalized for decades due to a belief that Spiderwick is inhabited by "creatures", has reluctantly agreed to allow the Grace's to live at Spiderwick. On their first night in the house the children discover a strange sort of nest in one of the kitchen walls next to an ancient and creaking dumbwaiter. Further investigation of the dumbwaiter leads them to a secret room at the top of the house where Jared finds an old field guide written by great-aunt Lucinda's father, Arthur Spiderwick. However, this field guide is not your everday kind of field guide. Instead of drawings and annotations about insects, flora, and fauna, Arthur Spiderwick's field guide contains information on how to spot brownies, faeries, boggarts, and other mythical creatures. The first book in The Spiderwick Chronicles is filled with, not only the danger of not knowing, but also the dangers of knowing. Are we safer living in blissful ignorance of the unseen dangers that surround us, or are we better able to defend ourselves if we are aware? The Field Guide explores the importance of respecting not only the world we live in, but also the beliefs and culture of those who are different from us. And, long before reaching the end of Jared, Simon, and Mallory's adventures, readers will think twice about who or what is responsible for their creaking walls, squeaking floorboards, and missing household items.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Choldenko, Gennifer. 2004. Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York: G. P. Putnam & Sons.

If you think being 12-years-old is tough; try being 12-years-old and having to live on Alcatraz Island among the murderers, thieves, and swindlers who are locked up there just so your sister can attend a special school. The year is 1935 and Matthew Flanagan, nicknamed Moose due to a recent growth spurt, would like to spend his time doing the things most 12-year-olds do; playing baseball, noticing girls, and hanging out with his friends. Instead, he is living on Alcatraz island where his father works as a guard and taking his 16-year-old mentally-challenged sister, who his mother tries to pass off as ten in order to make her eligible to attend an experimental school for children with special needs, everywhere he goes. Complicating matters are his worries about what hare-brained scheme his mother will come up with next to make his sister "normal" and what kind of trouble the warden's pretty, con-artist daughter will get him into. Set against the backdrop of Alcatraz Island, where, during the story's time frame, Al Capone was actually incarcerated, the author adds authenticity with details of the guards and their families who lived on the island prison and the problems and misunderstandings surrounding the mental state that would become known as autism.

Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff

Giff, Patricia Reilly. 2003. Maggie's Door. New York: Random House.

Childhood friends Nory Ryan and Sean Red Mallon have known each other for as long as they can remember. Unfortunately, just as they are beginning to feel something more than simple friendship for each other, a terrible blight strikes the potato crop, the main source of food and income for most Irish people, bringing poverty, starvation, and death to Ireland. Set in the mid-19th century where war, prejudice, and religious differences with the English have left the Irish people without any rights; including the rights to their own lands, Nory and Sean Red's families have no alternative but to leave Ireland. They set out for America and Nory's sister Maggie who left home the year before and is now living in Brooklyn, New York. The vision of Maggie's front door, and Maggie waiting to welcome them into a new life, sustains them during the long, dangerous, ocean voyage from Galway to New York. Through alternating chapters told from first Nory's point of view and then Sean Red's, the author adds authenticity by evoking images of the horrors that millions of desperate Irish people experienced due to the famine; the horrible, sickening stench of potatoes putrifying in the fields, bodies left to rot because those still alive hadn't the strength to bury them, and the fear of separation from both family and homeland. And yet, despite the horrors and desperation of this moment in history, Maggie's Door remains a story of hope, the resilience of the Irish people, and the power of kindness in dark times that will resonate forever.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife's Apprentice. New York: Clarion.

She thinks her name is "Brat" because that's what everyone in the village calls her. She has no idea how old she is and, as far back as she can remember, she has lived on her own, begging for food, covering her body with filthy rags, and sleeping in the dung heap for warmth. When the village midwife finds her asleep in the dung heap one cold morning she is re-christened 'Beetle' and pressed into service as the midwife's apprentice. Set in a medieval English village The Midwife's Apprentice follows 'Beetle' as she transforms from beggar who sleeps in the dung heap and wishes only for enough food to keep her from starving, to 'Alyce' a girl with friends, a purpose, and a future as a midwife. Cushman's attention to historical details; the townfolks' supersticious belief that the devil is walking about their village causing trouble and the midwife's use of herbs for both medicinal purposes and charms against misfortune and the curses of witches, give authenticity to this story of a young girl's triumph over seeminly insurmountable odds.

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

Springer, Nancy. 2006. The Case of the Missing Marquess. New York: Philomel.


Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes' mother has disappeared. Enola's initial search of the grounds at Ferndell Hall, the Holmes family estate, has turned up one fact; Lady Eudoria Vernet Holmes walked into the woods early in the morning and simply vanished. Enola, desperate to find her mother, wires her older brothers Mycroft and Sherlock for help.Unfortunately, when the brothers arrive, their anger at Enola's lack of schooling in the social niceties of Victorian England far outweigh any concern for their missing mother. Enola, whom the brothers have not seen for ten years, has been allowed to run wild. Riding her bicycle around the village, showing her ankles, and obviously not wearing a corset; she is a disgrace to the Holmes' family name and must be made into a lady without further delay. Enola, however, has other ideas. The ladies of Victorian England have no rights, no voice, and are expected to dress in nightmarishly uncomfortable clothing. Following clues her mother has left for her, and using the same talent for reasoning, deduction, and disguises as her brother Sherlock; Enola plans her escape. The author's use of coded-messages and clues combined with the heroine's refusal to conform to the outrageous strictures placed upon girls and women of the Victorian era will keep readers mesmerized.