Treasure Island


Robert Louis Stevenson - 1883
    From the moment young Jim Hawkins first encounters the sinister Blind Pew at the Admiral Benbow Inn until the climactic battle for treasure on a tropic isle, the novel creates scenes and characters that have fired the imaginations of generations of readers. Written by a superb prose stylist, a master of both action and atmosphere, the story centers upon the conflict between good and evil - but in this case a particularly engaging form of evil. It is the villainy of that most ambiguous rogue Long John Silver that sets the tempo of this tale of treachery, greed, and daring. Designed to forever kindle a dream of high romance and distant horizons, Treasure Island is, in the words of G. K. Chesterton, 'the realization of an ideal, that which is promised in its provocative and beckoning map; a vision not only of white skeletons but also green palm trees and sapphire seas.' G. S. Fraser terms it 'an utterly original book' and goes on to write: 'There will always be a place for stories like Treasure Island that can keep boys and old men happy.'

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain


Lloyd Alexander - 1973
    Alexander wrote a collection of short tales about the land of Prydain. These stories revisit familiar characters and reveal more about the history of this magical land. Here readers will find Dallben, destined to be an enchanter; Angharad, Princess of the House of Lyr; Kadwyr, the rascal crow; and Medwyn, the mystical protector of all animals. They'll learn the grim history of the sword Dyrnwyn and even find out how Fflewdur Fflam came by his enchanted harp. In The Foundling, Lloyd Alexander's land of fantasy and adventure lives on.

The Frog and Toad Treasury: Frog and Toad are Friends/Frog and Toad Together/Frog and Toad All Year


Arnold Lobel - 1987
    Not much really happens in these stories. The illustrations are beautiful but rather small. The eponymous friends carry on their friendship through mild misunderstandings and misadventures, always ready to forgive each other and forget. These gentle stories are among my favorite kids' books. I have fond memories of Frog and Toad from my childhood, and I never tire of re-reading them to my 4-year-old daughter. She seems to like them, too.

The Saturdays


Elizabeth Enright - 1941
    Actor Mona 13 recites poetry and Shakespeare at the drop of a hat. Engineer Rush 12, mischievous, builds Meccano bridges. Miranda "Randy" 10 dances and paints pictures. Oliver, 6, calm and thoughtful, is a train engineer. Father writes. Housekeeper Cuffy mothers.

Golden Sovereign


Dorothy Lyons - 1946
    Now, in Silver's first colt, a palomino, Connie sees her dream of starting a famous stud farm, bearing results. A mystery runs through the story - the mystery of the ancestry of a sad bit of horse flesh that Connie bought out of pity (and with a faint hope that the mare had... More seen better days). What with this constant building to a climax - and sound riding and training and showing material - and Wesley Dennis line drawings, Golden Sovereign will be a winner. - Editorial Review - Kirkus Reviews

The Silver Brumby


Elyne Mitchell - 1958
    Thowra, the magnificent silver stallion, is king of the brumbies. But he must defend his herd from the mighty horse, The Brolga, in the most savage of struggles. But that is not the only danger. Thowra needs all his speed and cunning to save his herd from capture by man. In a desperate chase through the mountains, it seems there is no longer anywhere for him to run to...

The Yearling


Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings - 1938
    Young Jody adopts an orphaned fawn he calls Flag and makes it a part of his family and his best friend. But life in the Florida backwoods is harsh, and so, as his family fights off wolves, bears, and even alligators, and faces failure in their tenuous subsistence farming, Jody must finally part with his dear animal friend. There has been a film and even a musical based on this moving story, a fine work of great American literature.--back cover

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain


Alice Dalgliesh - 1952
    So he isn’t afraid to set out alone over the mountain. But as Jonathan discovers one cold winter night, people aren’t always right…There are bears on Hemlock Mountain!

The Yellow Fairy Book


Andrew Lang - 1894
    48 tales from all over the world include The Emperor's New Clothes, The Tinder-box, How to Tell a True Princess, and The Nightingale, from Andersen, Grimm, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Germany, France, England, American Indians, and Iceland.

Watership Down


Richard Adams - 1972
    Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.

Basil of Baker Street


Eve Titus - 1958
    A devoted admirer of the great detective, he had learned his craft by listening at the feet of Holmes himself. The Mystery of the Missing Twins was one of the strangest cases in Basil's career. He had only a few crumbs of clues with which to find solutions to such baffling questions as: Who had masterminded the plot? Where were the twins, Angela and Agatha, being kept?

The One-Eyed Giant


Mary Pope Osborne - 2002
    Now, at long last, he is leading his men home across the seas. But many dangers await them – and none is more terrifying than Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant.

Meet Kaya


Janet Beeler Shaw - 2002
    Her father warns her that the horse isn't ready, but when a pesky boy insults Steps High, Kaya accepts his challenge to race. As they ride, Kaya loses sight of her little brothers. Her carelessness earns her a nickname that her friends won't let her forget.

Battlecry Forever!


Joanna Campbell - 1992
    But the only horse Leslie wants is Battlecry, a racer everyone else has given up on as wild and untrainable. Leslie knows Battlecry is something more. Beneath his unpredictable behavior is a spirited horse who would give his all to win races again—for her. Finally Leslie's parents give Battlecry a chance to prove his worth. Leslie doesn't know that by entering Battlecry in a race, she'll risk losing him forever...

Swallows and Amazons


Arthur Ransome - 1930
    Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett.