School Ship Tobermory

School Ship Tobermory
by Alexander McCall Smith
Delacorte Press, 2016. Fiction. 218 p.

Ben and Fee McTavish are brother/sister twin children of marine biologists. They have spent much of their early lives being home-schooled on their parent's submarine, but when it is time for them to go to boarding school they are sent to a school that is on a sailing ship. They quickly make friends--and enemies--and learn the difference between port and bow. On their first semester voyage some students from the Tobermory are invited to be extras in a movie about pirates, but is the the piracy all on film, or is there something more sinister going on?

This is delightfully innocent book by the author of the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series. It is unusual because the kids actually make correct and responsible choices, demonstrating the good, obedient kids can have adventures, too. Hooray! Here is a book with the charm of the Penderwicks that will appeal to both boys and girls. It is a good choice for fairly young children who are reading at an advanced level or for a family read-aloud where there is a variety of ages of listeners. It is available from the library in print and as an audio download.

Comments

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013. 336 pgs. Fantasy Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life. He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines. Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...

Review: Growing Home

Growing Home Written by Beth Ferry Illustrated by The Fan Brothers New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 261 pages. This book has some entertaining characters! We get to read about Toasty, the goldfish who loves to eat cheese puffs, Ivy, a plant with magical powers, and Arthur, the spider who ends up with a broken leg. Jillian is the main human character in the book. She loves Toasty and Ivy, and would probably love Arthur, too, but she doesn't know about him....yet. Her parents own an antique shop, but they are facing some economic hardship. This charming story is about magic, teamwork, and friendship. I loved that there were all kinds of shenanigans happening. While we are on a journey where the fish, the plant, the spider, and the girl are working to solve one mystery after another, the author beautifully guides us to the realization that words are powerful, friendships can heal hearts, and books have their own magic power to help in all kinds ...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog