I had forgotten about The Diamond in the Window, which is the first book in the Hall Family Chronicles. I wish I had the whole set. Diamond was one of my favorite books of all time--I had no idea that Ms. Langton wrote more books in the series. It looks like The Time Bike might be Book #6. I love this kind of Back to the Future fantasy, especially when there are puzzles to solve.

This was a nice story from "Down Under." Interesting characters and situation.

I hope I don't get students like the Herdmans in my class!

This story addresses city vs. country life--the grass is always greener elsewhere

This story dealt with blended family issues. The main character is an average boy with a talent for writing while his new stepsister appears to be the athlete that his father has been dreaming of. A suggested class assignment would be to write an ending for the play that the boy and his friends are writing that summer. How would the prince gain the respect of his father--and reconcile to his new stepsister?

I love historical fiction, and the fact that this story is based on true events about the live-saving station on Pea Island, NC in the late 1800s made it particularly interesting. I'm glad that our country has come a long way from the days when black men weren't welcome to work side by side with white men--now we have a black president! (I think we will come even farther when we don't notice the color of a person's skin, but that's my opinion--along with Dr. MLK, Jr!).

I read the prequel to the Elyon Chronicles before I read any of the others. It was a very interesting story, but I might have enjoyed it more if I already knew some of the characters.

Interesting story...

This book takes place in the winter. The main character is homeschooled--and in an unsocialized, independent, rather lonely way. As a former homeschool mom, I might have portrayed that differently--look at all the great things he was able to learn on his own. However, his father didn't really teach him at home, but that is part of the story...

This story had a nice summer theme. I would encourage young readers to imagine the back-stories of the main characters. Why do you think they acted the way they did?

This somewhat earthy tale of the Mona Lisa, told in the first person, was very well done, although I wish things had ended better for Elizabeth and her prince.

This is a heart-warming story of Appalachia in the 1950s, with S & H Green Stamps, Burma Shave, and community spirit. You will discover that "the real treasure of Way Down was its children."

This was a really funny book--it would make a great read-aloud, especially if you're good at Brooklyn-ese!

I really enjoyed this book about the courage of a young girl in the country of Maynor who used a special gift to lead a rebellion against the rulers who had kept them from living free.

This first book in the series has been a family favorite since my first child was in 5th grade. We read it together with every subsequent 5th grader (5 in all) and loved it every time! One of our favorite scenes involves a can of cling peaches--read the book and find out why!