This month's book reviews

A boy can't believe his best friend would just disappear

Eleven-year-old Ben along with his mother and senile grandmother has gone on a picnic in the woods at the edge of the Shellrock River. Ben's best friend, Ring, and his mom and dad are also there. They're all just eating and having fun when Ring decides to go down to the riverbank to wash off the front of his messy shirt. He rolls up his pants and walks out into the water. He just keeps walking and slowly disappears beneath the surface of the water. The picnickers aren't too concerned at first. They know Ring is a good swimmer and think that maybe he is just trying to fool them.

When Ring doesn't reappear, Ben and the grown-ups panic and rush down to the water to look for him. Within half an hour the fire department is there to help look. No sign of Ring turns up. If he has drowned, no body can be located.

Ben is devastated. He can't bring himself to believe Ring is dead and will never return. It just doesn't make any sense. Ring is a jokester and does weird things, but why would he suddenly disappear and leave everybody thinking he was drowned. He was too good a swimmer to do a dumb thing like go into the river and just give up. But what happened to him, and why were all of them, especially Ben, left "dangling" by Ring's disappearance?

Days go by and, finally, weeks go by, and there is no further word on Ring. Ben, who had no real friends before Ring came along, tries to adjust to not having Ring and his strange antics around anymore to make life interesting. But some strange things start to happen. Ben discovers candy wrappers, Ring's favorite kind of candy, in a hiding place where the two of them had gone at an earlier time to watch migrating whooping cranes. Reports of a homeless boy who fit Ring's description appeared in the newspaper, but the boy had a different name. Ring's mom and dad had left town but all their belongings were still in the old schoolhouse where Ring and they had lived.

To find out what really is happening, you have to read the book. Only then, will you, like Ben, no longer be left "dangling."

 

An orphaned girl must tame her unbroken colt
if she is to be able to continue her schooling

Harriet Gibson was called out of school. Her mother was at home badly injured in an accident between her buggy and an automobile. Harriet, or Harry as she preferred to be called, returned home to find that her mother was dying. After her mother's death, Harry found out that she was to go live with her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Clayton. Harry knew that her mother and Aunt Sarah had never gotten along. But since they were her only relatives, she had to go live with Sarah and Clayton on their farm.

Harry found out quickly that her Aunt Sarah did not appear to like her and resented her living with them. Sarah was critical of Harry's mother, something that Harry could not accept. Her Aunt and Uncle had only begrudgingly allowed her to bring her young colt to live with them on the farm. Harriet knew that she had to train the wild young colt so that she could ride him to her school, which was now 7 miles away from her new home.

Harry tied to get along with her mean-spirited Aunt. But nothing seemed to please Aunt Sarah. One discovery made life bearable. Harry found that her Uncle Truman lived in a small house at the edge of the farm. He was a Civil War veteran who had lost one arm. The house he lived in was the one that Harry had been born in before her mother and father had moved to town. Truman did not like Sarah much either and he was protective of Harry.

Whether Harry could continue to live with her aunt and uncle remained in question. The colt did not seem to be responding to her efforts to train him. Would she have to give up her dreams of schooling and live unhappily on the farm? This story, set in early 1900's Vermont, is based on a diary of a real person who lived in close to that period in New England.

 

Boy thinks spiders, especially
huge tarantulas, make great pets

Sixth-grader Bobby Ballinger's family had just moved from Illinois to a town in New York. They had to move because his dad got a better job. His older sister, Breezy, was outgoing and very active in everything, so she had no problem adjusting to a new school. Bobby on the other hand was very unhappy and missed his old buddies. His new classmates thought he was strangely withdrawn. They would have been astonished to find out he was worried about his pet tarantula, Thelma, because she hadn't eaten anything since the family's move.

When his new classmates did find out about Bobby's pet, the class bully named him the "Spider Boy from Illinois." Bobby didn't mind being thought of as different because of his interest in spiders, but he resented being taunted with the name "Spider Boy." He knew how important spiders were to ridding the earth from insect pests and how fascinating their hunting habits were. Besides, the tarantula he had as a pet seemed to like being handled and petted. She might be pretty big as spiders go, but she was really harmless.

Bobby's science teacher paired the kids in class up to prepare outside reports as a class project. Bobby was paired with a girl named Lucky. At first he resented being paired with a girl. He found out though that she was the fastest runner in the school. She also liked science and was even interested in his spiders. It turned out that having Lucky as a friend helped turn things around for Bobby. But Chick Hall, the smart aleck bully, just wouldn't let up on him.

Spiders play a big role in what happens between Bobby and Chick. How that enmity becomes even more complicated before it is finally resolved makes up most of the rest of the story. Also, when you finish this book you will know a lot more about spiders than you did before reading it.

 

If you like spooky old mansions, assorted aliens,
and space travel, this one is for you

Every kid in town knew about Morley Manor. It was the darkest and gloomiest old mansion in Owl's Roost, Nebraska. When Old Man Morley died, someone bought the old mansion to tear it down and build a new house on the site. Everything in the house was put up for sale with the sale scheduled for a Sunday afternoon. The manor was to be torn down the next day. Sixth grader Anthony Walker and his younger sister, Sarah, decided to go to the sale, explore the scary old house, and, maybe, buy something if it was within their budget. Luckily, their parents were gone for the day and grandma was sound asleep.

Anthony found an old box, the size of a cigar box that had strange carvings on it. It was locked but Anthony thought he could open it if he got it home. It took some haggling, but he finally got the box for the little bit of money that he and Sarah had with them.

When they got home, Anthony eagerly worked at opening the box. Prying it open was difficult, but once it was opened, there was another box inside. Printed on the second box was "Martin Morley's Little Monsters." Below that in small type was, "Open not this box lest my curse fall upon you." Naturally, Anthony opened the box, since he didn't believe in curses. Big mistake!

He found five compartments with a different little statue-like figure in each one. They were tiny five inches tall monsters. By accident, Anthony discovered that if he got the figures wet enough they actually came to life. Once alive, the little monsters convinced Anthony and Sarah to go back to Morley Manor where the little monsters could be brought back to full life size. Back at the mansion was where the real adventure began.

It turns out that the manor contains some kind of a gateway into outer space. The kids and their monster companions become deeply involved in saving Earth from evil aliens. Besides dealing with good and bad aliens, the kids have to go to the Land of the Dead and deal with ghosts. Their mission to save the Earth has to be accomplished before Morley Manor is torn down. Otherwise, they will be too late.

All of this rushing around through space and time might leave you the reader just a little tired. I know it did me.