The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

What a charming and heartwarming tale!  I thoroughly enjoyed The House with Chicken Legs.  At first, the story seemed a bit dark and strange, which I guess is to be expected when the central character is learning how to help the dead cross over, but Marinka's struggles to find her destiny and make a few friends drew me in.  Living in a house that is alive and travels where it pleases would seem to be a wonderfule adventure, but such is not the case for Marinka.  Her love for her grandmother fights with her reluctance to follow the role set out for her and leads to near disaster.  In the end, the house becomes the unlikely hero of the tale.  This book was an entertaining and satisfying read.

Belle's Journey: An Osprey Takes Flight by Rob Bierregaard

I don't often choose to read nonfiction, but something about the cover of Belle's Journey caught my interest.  I was pleasantly

surprised by this book.  The design was attractive, with a perfect balance of text and illustration.  The narrative style made it easy to read and understand.  I learned a lot about ospreys; did you know they migrate all the way to South America for the winter?  If you are interested in birds or even just a little curious, this book would be a good choice!

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds was an interesting read.  Told in 10 short stories, it is a picture of the lives of 10 students after the bell rings and they begin their walk home.  The reader gets a view into the inner lives and thoughts of these students and the challenges they face.  The opening line:  This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy-- really grabbed my interest, but I felt it set the reader up for a bit of a disappointment at the end.  I kept waiting for the bus to fall (and it did, metaphorically), so I probably missed some of the nuance in the stories.  Still, it was a good read, if a bit unexciting.