Owly: Volume 1

Ruton, Andy. Owly: Volume 1. Marietta GA : Top Shelf, 2004.

Plot: Owly is a lonely owl living in a forest. Despite his good intentions and generous nature, he remains widely distrusted among other birds. His life begins to change after he finds and assists a drowning worm. As he breaks from his routine to assist the worm, he gradually finds acceptance and adventure. Ruton clearly spent considerable time producing a book with a cute story, lovable characters, and attractive graphics. Yet, he also adds an additional challenge. Most of his work is done in pantomime, with little or no written dialog. The lack of written words do not inhibit the story. If anything, Ruton manages to use the lack of diction to draw more attention to the emotions portrayed by the characters.

Genre: Comics, Graphic Novels

Reading Level: Aimed at ages 9-11, but younger children and adults will enjoy it as well

Similar Titles: Yotsuba&

Personal Thoughts: It always annoys me when people treat comics as a lesser or inferior writing style. A good comic often takes as much effort as a good novel. Yet, like novels, everyone thinks they can make a comic.

Personal rant aside, the novel manages to produce a likable story reflecting on the glory of the everyday.

The Secret Garden

Burnett, Frances H. The Secret Garden. Philadelphia: Lippincott 1962.

Plot: Bratty Mary Lennox finds herself shipped to her uncle's manor after her parents die in colonial India. She does not fit into the manor's household, but she did not fit in well in India, either. Still, she enjoys exploring the garden, especially after she hears about a garden hidden and locked away. With the help of an energetic robin, she discovers the garden, which brings her and the other unwanted members of the manor together. They rebuild the garden and manage to solve the mystery behind the garden's original disappearance.

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Genre: Fiction

Similar Titles: The Little Princess, Ann of Green Gables, Little Women

Personal Thoughts: Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present the rarely-seen school book with a happy ending. Seriously, nearly every required reading novel from fifth grade onwards seems to end with the character losing a pet, mother, father, and/or friend. Then people wonder why kids suddenly stop reading. Okay, the rant is now done.

Anyway, the book manages to offer a mystery without the usual spies, skeletons, or murders. Instead, it presents a realistic look at manor life in the Victorian era from the perspective of a child. The characters are flawed, but endearingly so. Tragedies occur, but they do not remain crippling, figuratively or otherwise. The ending manages to be happy, but not sappy. This was one of the few books I enjoyed from my tween school years. As a side note, the story provided a basis for at least two films and a musical.