The Doll People: By Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin

         Do you sometimes feel like a little fish living in a big pond? Well imagine in you were only three inches tall! Welcome to the world of Annabelle Doll, and The Doll People, by Ann M. Marin and Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick. Annabelle is a six-year-old doll (she has been six since the day she was "born" over 100 years ago) living with her porcelain doll family in their dollhouse in the room of Kate Palmer. Annabelle and her family had been apart of the Palmer family since they arrived, in their dollhouse from England, as a gift for a girl in the Palmer family, years ago. They had spent over 100 years cooped up in the dollhouse with each other and no one else, that is until the Funcrafts moved in. Annabelle, who longed to escape the dollhouse was ecstatic when she met Tiffany, a new plastic doll, just her age. The two make it their mission to search the Palmer house for Annabelle's Aunt Sarah who has been missing for forty years. Together the pair read Aunt Sarah's journal and plan a search and rescue missions. The two determine that she must be trapped somewhere, and using the clues from the journal, are able to find her and reunite their family once again!
       This work of fiction describes a fantastical world, in which dolls who take the oath, come to life within the world of everyday humans. The storyline, which Martin and Godwin masterfully create, has the reader fully believing that every detail is real, and that everything they say could happen definitely can. The characters are each strongly developed, having their own unique personalities, Annabelle and Tiffany are brave and curious, Mama and Papa Doll are protective and worry a lot, and the list goes on. Each detail of fantasy comes to life throughout the novel, and the words are further enhanced through the inclusion of Brian Selznick's pencil sketches, that provide the reader with visually appealing images of what the characters look like, as well as various scene images.
       Being a child who LOVED dolls more than anything, this book was one of my favorites as a kid. I loved thinking that when I wasn't looking, my dolls came alive and caused mischief, just like Annabelle and Tiffany. This book is written to interest readers grades 3-5, with a little wiggle room up and down, based on reading level. Because the story is based on the life of dolls, I would say the general appeal is to girls, but the story itself is a mystery, full of action and great dialogue, so there is no real reason boys wouldn't enjoy it just the same. This book is the first in a four part series, followed by : The Meanest Doll in the World, The Runaway Dolls, and The Doll People Set Sail. Keep these fiction books in mind for children interested in well constructed mysteries or books about miniature worlds. By the time they finish the book, children will be sleeping with one eye open, watching and waiting to see their toys come to life!

For more books about tiny people living in a big peoples world, check out: The Borrowers By Mary Norton

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Doll-People-Ann-Martin/dp/0786812400

Magic Tree House #6, Afternoon on the Amazon: By Mary Pope Osborne

      "One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. Eight-year-old Jack and his seven-year-old sister, Annie, climbed into the treehouse. They found it was filled with books."
       Mary Pope Osbourne continues the prologue to tell how Annie and Jack soon realized the tree house was magical and could take them to the places they saw in the books by pointing and wishing to go there. Jack and Annie explore and learn about pyramids, pirates, dinosaurs, ninjas, and nights. They also discover that the tree house belongs to a magical librarian named Morgan le Fay, from the time of King Arthur, and she travels through time collecting books. In the Night of the Ninjas adventure (#5), Jack and Annie learn Morgan is under a spell and need their help to be freed.
       In this adventure, Afternoon on the Amazon, Jack and Annie travel in the tree house deep into the Amazon, encountering vampire bats, killer ants, a pesky monkey, and other Amazon critters. As the journey through the Amazon unfolds, Jack consults the book about the Amazon Rainforest, which tells them information they need to maneuver the dense foliage and the many creatures. Each time Jack consults the book, the reader learns a little bit more factual information about the Amazon, such as the rainforest is in three layers: the forest canopy, the understory, and the forest floor. Jack and Annie, running from a pack of ants, raft down the Amazon, run into a snake and a crocodile, meet a monkey who flings fruit, and eventually make it back to the tree house. However, Annie fears that if they return without the mystery item they are supposed to find, Morgan le Fay will be trapped under a spell forever. That is until the pesky monkey returns throwing fruit again, helping them to see that he had been trying to help them all along. Jack and Annie use the Pennsylvania book to return safely to Frog Creek, where it's business as usual, until their next adventure!
       In terms of fantasy, the Magic Tree House books fall fairly low on the scale, being that the key element of fantasy is the children's ability to travel through time and space by simply pointing at pictures in their magic tree house, a time warp style story. While some of the adventures contain more elements of fantasy, such as the dragon in Day of the Dragon King, many of the books are fairly informational and have elements that resemble a work of historical fiction. The educational information in each book is delivered by Jack reading it from the book of the place/time they have traveled, helping keep the reader immersed in the action, but still aware of the context where Jack and Annie have found themselves.
      Afternoon on the Amazon and other Magic Tree House are intended for younger readers who are just beginning to dive into chapter books. The publisher recommends the series for ages 8-12 and grades 3-7, but students in both 1st and 2nd grade who are reading above grade level will also enjoy these books, as the content is not too advanced and grabs the reader's full attention, transporting them to another time. The Magic Tree House series is a great adventure-based independent read for young readers, just beginning in the world of chapter books.
   

The One and Only Ivan: By Katherine Applegate

           The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate was named the winner of the American Library Association’s 2013 Newberry Award for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This novel tells the story of Ivan, a gorilla, who lives in the “Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade", which is conveniently located off I-95, with shows at two, four, and seven, 365 days a year. Ivan narrates his story of living in his “domain” all alone, and never getting to travel beyond its confines. Since Ivan was never taught any tricks to join in on the daily shows, he never leaves his domain and spends his free time drawing pictures.

            The cast in Ivan’s life includes: Stella the adult elephant, Ruby the newly arrived baby elephant, Bob the stray dog, several other cages animals, Mack the ringmaster, George the janitor and his artist of a daughter, Julia. Julia is the only human in Ivan’s life who seems to really show him she cares, she spends her evenings while her dad is cleaning, sitting outside Ivan’s enclosure talking to him and drawing pictures. She often gives Ivan crayons and paper through the small hole in his domain so that he too can draw pictures. Towards the middle of the book the young elephant, Ruby, joins Stella and the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade crew. Ivan and his motley bunch of friends begin to see the outside world through the eyes of Ruby, who was born in the wild. It is this insight that helps Ivan realize that the domain he always thought was good enough is unacceptable. This encourages him to use his artistic talents to reach the outside world in an effort to save Ruby from the same monotonous ill fate that has befallen him and the other animals. As a rule in children’s literature, Applegate ends Ivan’s story with the animals of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade finding a new home in a zoo, giving us our “happily ever ending” we hoped to find.

            Because this fantasy is told in first person narrative from the mouth of a gorilla, the sentences are delivered with a short structure, almost mimicking a poetic nature. The use of simple language falls perfectly in line with Ivan’s statement that gorillas waste less words than humans do, because humans toss away words like banana peels, leaving them to rot. Ivan is an endearing character that readers of any age could easily fall in love with. He always gives humans the benefit of the doubt, is incredibly patient, and never complains. These traits, coupled with his strong family-like bond with the other animals, helps us relate to Ivan not merely as a gorilla, but as an almost-human character.
            The One and Only Ivan is also a very cool text for young readers in that it has similar elements to the popular children's story Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White strung within it that could lead to interesting class discussions and comparisons. We can begin to compare characters: Ruby, the newest arrival is Wilbur, who knows a life beyond the farm, but finds herself facing a grim further, Ivan is our Charlotte, he uses his talents to reach outside of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade to save Ruby, Bob the wandering dog is our Templeton, the only one not stuck within the confines of captivity. The main commonality that the two books share, aside from talking animals with similar character traits, is the idea of the characters of both stories being trapped in captivity and one animal (Ivan & Charlotte) finally realizes the unfortunate future that will befall another character (Ruby & Wilbur) and seeks to reach out to the outside world (through drawing & through words spun in webs) to save their new friend. The activities and conversations that could accompany these texts if studied together are endless and could lead to a very exciting reading/language arts lesson for upper elementary grades. 

            Based off the publisher’s recommendations, The One and Only Ivan is suited for children ages 8-12; however, I think that this book could be enjoyed by this age group, as well as by middle-schoolers and adults. Because Ivan’s lighthearted sweetness it is easy to fall in love with his character, even as an older student or adult. This story would also make an excellent class read aloud as the sentences are structured as to flow smoothly when read both out loud and in your head. I highly recommend The One and Only Ivan as an animal tale for all ages (8+) and as an addition to the library of any upper-elementary or middle school classroom.

Picture Source: http://ritalovestowrite.com/category/fiction/