Roverandom

Tolkien, J.R.R. Roverandom. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995.

Plot: A dog named Rover gets changed into a toy by a wizard. In attempt to regain his normal dog form, he meets a sand wizard, travels to the moon, discovers where dreams are made, and confronts the wizard in the palace of the sea king.

Genre: Animals, Toys, Fantasy, Fiction

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Similar Titles: The Hobbit, Father Christmas Letters, The Velevateen Rabbit

Personal Thoughts: The story behind the story is amazing. Apparently, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the story to console his son after the boy lost his favorite toy, a black and white dog, at the beach. Also, the story hints at some elements, such as dragons and wizards, that would later become a defining characteristic of Tolkien's works (most notably, The Hobbit), so the book gathers interest from a historical standpoint. The copy I managed to get also has watercolors made by Tolkien himself to go with the story. Colored plates raised the price of the book, but they are well worth it.

Bunnicula

Howe, Deborah and James. Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery. New York: Athenum Books for Young Readers, 1979.

Plot: When the Monroes return from the theater one rainy eventing, they bring a new companion - a little black and white bunny. Harold, the Monroes' shaggy dog, seems to welcome the new (but slightly boring) member of the household, but Chester, the well-read and eccentric cat, suspects something. His suspecions are confirmed when drained, white vegetables appear over the next few days. Could the tiny rabbit be hiding a terrible secret? Harold watches in shock as Chester tries to eliminate the rabbit named Bannicula. What begins with vegetables could end with the world!

Genre: Animals, Mystery, Fiction

Reading Level: Ages 8-11.

Similar Titles: Howladay Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nighty-Nightmare, Bunnicula Strikes Again!, Bunnicula Meets Edgar Alan Crow.

Personal Thoughts: I'll admit it. I read this book when I was a tween (way back when tweens were not called "tweens"; they were just "kids"). I managed to finally find a copy when I was twelve, but I still liked it. While younger readers will probably enjoy it more than older ones, it still manages to provide an entertaining mystery.

The Gravyard Book, by Niel Gaiman

Gaiman, Niel. The Graveyard Book. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.

Plot: When a two-year-old unwittingly escapes his family's murder by crawling into a graveyard, he becomes adopted by a couple, the Owens', who never had children during their lifetimes. The boy, named "Nobody" by his ghostly adopted parents (since he looks like nobody but himself) lives and learns in the graveyard. Tutored by long-deceased professors, guarded by the nocturnal Silas, befriended by the strange Liza Hempstock, and taught by the gray-haired Miss Lupescu, Nobody learns how to survive in the world of the graveyard and eventually confront his family's killer.

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Fiction

Reading Level: Aimed at teens, but satisfying for adults.

Similar Titles: The Jungle Book, Coraline

Other Information: Personally, I find this book fascinating. It manages to be macabre without being gory, sentimental without being corny, fictional but believable. As a winner of the John Newbery Metal for Children's Literature, it should be included on public libraries' collections. Gaiman is also apparently working on a screenplay, although movie details are vague.