The Happy Hollisters   

A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Jack, age 12

There are so many reasons why I love this series. One of them is that the author (Jerry West) was actually writing about his children. Now, obviously, his real children did not have the adventures that the Hollisters had.

Doctors Who Conquered Yellow Fever (Landmark Book) (PK)

I wish to be a nurse, and so naturally I find books about nursing and medical discoveries to be fascinating. I have been reading my way through the Landmark books and saw this one and had to read it. I found Ralph Nading Hill’s writing to be interesting and engaging, while still being right to the point. He also wrote Robert Fulton and the Steam Boat for the Landmark Books, when I saw that, I knew I had to read it as well, and, at the time of writing this, I am loving it.

Boxers & Saints (PK)

A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Lucy – The Chinese Boxer Revolution was no joke, and this book indeed captures the anger and hate of the Boxers trying to rid their country of the foreigners or “Foreign devils” (as they referred to them) and the holiness and bravery of the Christians trying to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

The Strange Intruder (PK)

The Faroe Seeker (the sinking schooner) was coming home from a fishing trip, when the crew saw a polar bear on an ice chunk, near Greenland. They thought that they could sell it to a circus, so they nursed it back to life on their way home. When they were a few miles from shore a piece of wood got stuck in the propeller which then blew up the engine, crippling the schooner. That’s when the storm hit, and the polar bear was washed overboard.

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury (PK)

If there is one thing I’ve always loved, it’s a book with a soul. And this book has one. I love the stern contrast between the Lands of Luxury, a beautiful oasis, and Yarborough, the island of garbage. The fact that the Island is governed by tyrannical robots was also a fun addition to the storyline as far as villains go!

On the Edge of the Fjord

This story is fictional, but it feels as if it were true. Living in the U.S., Alta Halverson Seymour published this book in 1944. Because of that, there is no resolution on how the war ends for the Engeland family. By the end of the book, the war is still raging. We know that the family is reunited and as safe as they can be doing the dangerous work that needs to be done. The fact that there is no resolution does not, in my opinion, lessen the book in any way. As a matter of fact, I think that it makes it more incredible. 

Dahlia

A Plumfield Kids book review by Greta Masarik, age 13: Unlike some picture books about dolls, Dahlia is different. Where most books take the point of view of a girl who loves dolls, this book is from the point of view of a girl who strongly dislikes them. 

The Real Book About Whales and Whaling

A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Jack Masarik, age 11. This book is not my favorite book for many reasons, but the main one is that it starts slowly, explaining each and every kind of whale. But even with a slow beginning, it makes up for it in the other half of the book, which is about whaling. 

The Flying Tigers

 A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Jack Masarik, age 11 Listen Now: The Flying Tigers by John Toland is a Landmark book about a group of American fighter pilots led by and trained by Claire Lee Chennault—who was a former United States Air Corps acrobatic flier and flying school director. In 1937, after ten years of service,…

Archimedes and the Door of Science

I don’t care for math or the history of most mathematicians. When I started this book for the first time, I expected a dry history of a man I didn’t necessarily care for who liked something I didn’t. I was wrong. Before I even finished the first chapter, I was captivated.

The Winged Watchman

A Plumfield Kids Book Review by Jack Masarik, age 11  “The Watchman . . .The Watchman . . . Joris looked at it in despair. Winged Watchman . . . guardian angel . . . his breath came in wheezy gasps. He heard footsteps coming closer. Soon he would not be able to run anymore;…