Horses Never Lie About Love, by Jana Harris

Jana Harris and her husband, one day 20 years ago, set out to start their own horse breeding farm. They had dreamed about it for a long time, and owned 2 horses of their own when they finally decided to buy several more horses.
Moving through the trials (and costs) of starting a breeding farm in the northwest, Jana Harris gives very vivid descriptions of all that they do to prepare, and everything afterwards.
After buying True Colors, a nearly wild Thoroughbred, they realize that maybe they are in over their heads with this crazy mare. She can barely be touched, let alone haltered, saddled, or ridden. Flinching at everything, keeping her in good health is also an issue; she won't stand having her feet picked up by the farrier. Her face is covered in scars from a fire that her previous owner lied about, and her weanling colt seemed nearly dead of dehydration when they first arrived.
What no one ever expected was for that mare to become a miracle; the local farrier calls her, "the anchor mare." The other horses depend on her, and become restless if she isn't around. She saves the other horses from a bad storm, and senses things that the other horses (or owners) don't. A loving mother, and mother to all the rejected or outcast foals and horses as well.

I really liked this story. My grandma gave the book to me after she was done reading it, and she highly recommended it. I really liked all the different descriptions, especially about the foals. It made me very interested in breeding, although it was pretty thorough in that aspect.
There were a couple bad words that she added in at sometimes random parts that weren't really necessary. Other than that, the author is good at including all the details, even all the horse people that enter, and exit, through the author's life. The author also included some details from her childhood, including how she got started with horses and how she came to acquire her own.
I couldn't help but laugh a little. Sometimes the author is just a little clueless, and very over-cautious, and worries about even the most far-fetched things happening. But what is funny, is even though they try and prevent every bad thing from happening, it usually does when they don't expect it.
One of my favorite parts was, in the beginning, two neighbor girls ride over on their ponies. It's pretty cold outside, but Jana looks down at the floor in her house and says, "I never liked this floor anyway," and lets the girls and the ponies inside the kitchen. Also the part where a rejected foal who can't seem to get along with anyone makes friends with a pigeon. The pigeon, every day, flies up and down the fence line, the poor colt racing after it. Every single day, until the colt moved away (the colt didn't belong to them).

Enchanted, by Alethea Kontis

Really the only reason we checked this out was because it was narrated by Katherine Kellgren. I personally wouldn't have checked it out because of the description, but Mom was sure it would be 'cute'.

A girl (Sunday) is the 7th 7th, or the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter. And as the poem goes, "Sunday's child is blithe and bonny and good and gay". Sunday, as it seems, is doomed to a happy life, whether she likes it or not.
One day, while waltzing through the woods, she happens upon a talking frog. Well, they get to talking, and.....you can probably figure out the rest. Of course he is a prince! She happens to not be so bright (she does know that he was a human turned into a frog, but how he got like that makes absolutely no sense) and wishes that he was human again. Of course. And after one meeting, Sunday decides that she is in love with him.
Katherine Kellgren's narrating is, of course, flawless, but she did make 'Grumble' the frog sound rather old when he was supposed to be a young prince.
One thing I did appreciate about this book was the bits of old fairy tales spun in.  A not-particularly-spoiler-example is when her brother goes to the market to sell the cow. Instead of selling the cow, he trades the beast for 5 magic beans.
Basically.....I would never recommend this book. While all the bits with her sister's was entertaining, it was the rest that was completely and utterly boring. Way too much romance, and it was a selfish romance.
When Sunday met Grumble, she loved him because he listened to her. She could tell stories to him and he would listen, which made her happy because she could dump her woefully dull life on him. In fact, she had nothing to complain about. And why did the frog love her? Still no clue. Other than he knew that she loved him, and that was enough to love her back.
I still can't figure out how the author thought this was a good idea. THERE WAS NO IDEA! Nothing really happened until the end, when the tiniest streak of evil appeared and there was actually conflict.
Maybe that is my problem with the story, is there was no conflict. Maybe if Sunday had a deep dark secret that the frog could never know, or if a troll had come barging through the house.
I was bothered that I knew the author loved her characters too much to hurt them. I knew that there was no way anyone would die. I have authors that love their characters too much to have anything tragic happen. Frankly I wished the Prince had died.

Chasing Redbird, by Sharon Creech

Zinnia, or Zinny, as she prefers to go by, has been feeling very trapped in her house of nine. Nothing is hers, no space is hers, and ever since her Aunt Jessie died she doesn't have any place to go when she needs to breathe.
One day she discovers a trail, one completely overgrown. After looking up maps, she discovers it goes all the way to the next town, twenty miles long, and takes it upon herself to clear the trail. It is her way of finding herself, and of trying to do something different.

This story was super sweet, and Creech's writing is impeccable. All writing rules are applied, but it also flows very nicely.
The only thing is, I'm not sure I would recommend it. I love this kind of genre, and it is very thought-provoking, and that is the way I write. However, my sister is not that kind. Another of Creech's stories, Walk Two Moons, she didn't like at all. She is not one for anything that is strange at all, or weird, or doesn't make a ton of sense.
For example: in Chasing Redbird, her uncle used to sing this song with Zinny's aunt. He would sing sort of a boogie, and she would respond with "Make the company jump!" We have absolutely no idea why; my sister wouldn't have liked that at all, but I like quirky things like that. I would describe Creech as.....a bit eccentric.

The Icebound Land, by John Flanagan

The third book in the Ranger's Apprentice series.

Will and Evanlynn have been taken to Skandia as prisoners, and become bound to Erack as slaves.
Meanwhile, Halt has decided that his promise to Will to rescue him is the most important thing in his life; he gets himself banished from the kingdom and is stripped of his Ranger title. Thankfully, the king, being merciful, only decides the banishment is for one year. Horace, still distressed that his friend hasn't been found, tags along.
After Erack sells Will and Evanlynn, Will becomes addicted to Warmweed, a strange plant that keeps the slaves working hard just for small doses. Evanlynn learns of what it does to a person after too long, and knows that they have to escape before Will dies.
Erack, who has always felt bad for Will after noting his courage at the bridge, helps Will and Evanlynn escape.

This book was not my favorite. Again, the wordiness of the author made the story drag just a bit, drawing out small things that didn't need attention brought to them. Each was a bit more complete, whereas this one was a bit just in the middle of other stories. I guess that is how the series goes, but because not a lot  happened in the book, it didn't seem like there was as much to tell.

The Burning Bridge, by John Flanagan

This is the second book in the Ranger's Apprentice series.

After the evil beasts in the last book have been killed, Halt knows that it is not enough to stop Morgarath, the vile man who plans to take over Araluen.
Gilan, Will, and Horace go on a scouting trip somewhere (can't really remember). Once in that land, they make an unusual discovery: all the people have disappeared.
While still trying to figure out what is going on, they come across a strange girl that tells them of what happened. Gilan decides this piece of information is vital, and goes on ahead of the three of them back to Araluen.
While still trying to get back to Araluen, Will, Horace, and the strange girl called Evanlyn, run into a pack of wargals that appear to be up to some funny business. The three kids decide to follow them.
They soon discover something that could mean everything. But it is risky; they could be easily be killed.

I really enjoyed this book I think more than the first.
The only thing I did not like was a certain part in which they come across several bandits. This is not a bad thing, but the wordiness dragged it out when it could have taken much less time.

The Ruins of Gorlan, by John Flanagan

This book is the first in the Ranger's Apprentice series.

Will, who was orphaned as a baby and left on the steps of the Castle Redmont, has now turned 15 along with four other orphans and now must choose a trade to work in. However, none of the trade masters want him as an apprentice for various reason; too small, too impatient, etc. etc.
Just before Will is certain that he is going to be left with a life in the fields, Halt, a ranger, takes him in as his apprentice.
Will is not sure of this at all. Ranger's are mysterious men, and their job is rather unclear to Will until he begins to learn.
Ranger's are almost like spies, as well as messengers and law-keepers. As the battle with Morgarath, the evil man who has been in hiding in the hills and building up his army, approaches, Halt teaches Will everything he knows.
Will also gets pulled into an unexpected adventure as he and Halt track down several savage creatures in order to save the kingdom.

I listened to this as an audio, and did not really care for the narrator very much. His voices are alright, but his narration in between the dialogue is rather boring.
There also is something about the authors writing style that was not my favorite. Maybe it is slight wordiness; for example, 'Alyss said, "Now can't we work this out without a fight?" Will knew she would say this; she was being diplomatic, as usual.' I just did not like the way they presented the characters in the beginning, because all of them said things that Will knew was 'usual,' making every character very very defined. I don't like that he pointed out that Alyss was being diplomatic, because just by her saying 'Can't we work this out without a fight' tells us that she is diplomatic without the author telling us so.
Other than that, the story was great and very original. I really do think the second book was better, though.

The Castle Corona, by Sharon Creech

After a thief has been spotted, the entire castle and royal household is in an uproar trying to figure out what was stolen.
Meanwhile, down in the village, two orphans see the thief drop something. A leather pouch. The contents are strange, and don't seem to be anything of value. But they know it is important.

This book is one of my all-time favorites! A wonderful mystery, with funny characters and wonderful main characters. I have listened to the audio countless times; the audio is twice as good as the book. Jennifer Wiltsie, the narrator, does fantastic voices, and has a wonderful voice in between all the dialogue.
The ending to the story is very satisfying; my only problem with the book is there were several awesome characters that did not come into the story as much as I wanted them to.
I can not sing of the praises of this book enough!

A Door in the Wall, by Marguerite De Angeli

Robin, recently crippled by some unknown disease, has been abandoned by his nurse after his father goes off to war and his mother has gone to serve the queen. However, a monk happens upon him and takes him to live at the monastery where he learns that even without the use of his legs, he is not useless. He learns to get around on crutches and turns out to be an incredible swimmer and carver.
The story ends with Robin using his abilities to save the kingdom in a very sweet ending.

The book was a little slow, but was a very cute story using the analogy that God will always open up a new door upon shutting another. I liked how the author made the dialogue rather easy to read but still has an old English feel, using thees and thous in an understandable way, rather unlike Howard Pyle, who is rather hard to understand and whose sentences are not easy to picture in an everyday situation.

The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke

Bo and Prosper have run away from their aunt, who wants to separate them, and are now in Venice, Italy.  They are accepted by a small band of children, all runaways, who are all taken care of by a boy named Scipio, the Thief Lord. None of the children know anything about the Thief Lord, who gives them stolen items to sell.
They are quite happy in the short time that they live in the small abandoned movie theater, but soon discover that a detective has been hired to find Prosper and Bo. Their lives are turned upside down as they work to escape from him, and also as they work to help Scipio in his plans to break into a house. The job is risky, but the mysterious Conte who has hired them offers much in reward.

I don't think I cared for this book that much, but I did like the first part of the book; however, I didn't like that there was magic in the second half of the book, because it was the real world until the author added that. The ending was alright, but some of it made me sad.
Scipio has no regard for his parents, and doesn't really seem content with any of his real life, which makes me angry. He reminds me of Peter Pan; however, because Scipio lives in the real world, it just made him sound immature.
The rest of the children I really loved, because they all took care of and watched out for each other.

The Project, by Brian Falkner

Luke, who lives in Iowa, finds himself in the middle of the flood season. Luke is a bit of a trouble maker and doesn't seem to have any problem breaking school rules with his best friend Tommy. Both fail to turn in a book report, which they were supposed to turn in by the end of the school year, claiming that the book they were supposed to read was, "The most boring book in the world." The principle makes them a deal, saying that if they can find that book on any of the "most boring book lists," that they would not have to do the report.
Luke does not find the book on any of the lists, but does find a book on one of the lists that intrigues him, because there is only one copy in the whole world, and it's whereabouts are unknown.
With the river rising, the library's book are endangered. Luke and Tommy offer to help transfer the book to higher ground. While moving the books, Luke sees the book he read about, called, "Leonardo's River," written by a man in the 18th century. However, he doesn't have time to read it, for so many other books need to be moved.
Later, the boys go back and steal the book, which does not seem to bother them at all.
They also discover that the book has been wanted by a man by the name of Erich Mueller, who knows that they have it.
After doing a great deal of spying, the boys learn that Erich Mueller has plans for a bomb in his briefcase, is German, and has kidnapped their teacher!
Luke finally reads Leonardo's River, which takes him forever because he keeps falling asleep, and discovers the secret to the book. In it, there is a brief mention of something that seems strange, a mention of being able to reverse time. After piecing clues together, Luke figures out that Leonardo Da Vinci must have made a time machine, but didn't want anyone to know about it. The author of the book had learned of it as well, so he hid the clues in the book.
The book disappears, and the boys are kidnapped by Mueller, who they learn is the child of a Nazi, and are taken to Germany. Tommy also magically happens to speak German.
The boys also figure out that Mueller wants to go back in time and give the plans of the bomb to Hitler to change history. Once arriving in Germany, the boys are astonished to see that Da Vinci already made the time machine, but no one knew how to use it. With the book, Mueller and his men use it to leave for the 1940s. Tommy and Luke follow, knowing that they have to get the plans back before they fall into Hitler's hands.
The boys manage to get the plans back and shred them into bits, but Mueller knows that Luke has an amazing photographic memory. Luke and Tommy race the men back to the time machine, with Luke and Tommy arriving first. They jump in and are transported back to present time, and then blow up the time machine as fast as possible.
The book has an intriguing ending, giving you the impression that the clues to the time machine were hidden in story.

I only sort of liked the book; however, I had some problems with the story. First, I didn't like that the boys didn't have any problem with stealing Leonardo's River. Second, I didn't like that Tommy happened to have every spy gadget under the sun, including night vision goggles and a lock-pick. Third, it seemed a little strange that Tommy was able to speak German (what are the chances of that?), and fourth, I did not like the beginning; the whole book didn't pick up until the very middle. Fifth, what boy has perfect memory? I just looked up photographic memory, and it is extremely rare.
So, over all, I had more problems with the book and I don't think I would recommend it just because these things bothered me. The idea was great, but a lot of things could have been changed. Like using a camera instead of having super hero memory. Or not being able to speak German at all. Or happening to find the book somewhere instead of stealing it.