Three Middle Grade Books we WISH were e-books

Rating: none

review by BB

Isn't it frustrating when you hear about a book and want to read it—but it's not available as an e-book? Most new books are available for either Kindle or Nook (or both). But there are lots of books that are not-so-new, new-ish, new-enough... and they can't be downloaded onto any e-book device. Here are some middle grade books we'd love to see in e-book form.

Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
This short book is a wonderful combination of fiction and true history. Charlotte Parkhurst was a real person who lived in the time of stagecoaches. She was an orphan who loved horses, and oh yeah, a female. Back then, females couldn’t be horsemen, and especially not stage coach drivers, who encountered lots of danger and physical hardship. But that’s what she wanted to do! So what did Charlotte do? She dressed as a man and went on with it. Freedom (see title) is the name of her horse. This is a great story of courage, strength, and inspiration. A friend who lives in the small central Califonial town of Corallitos told me that Charlotte Parkhurst is buried in the graveyard down the street from her house. You can find the cemetery on Freedom Road.

King of Shadows by Susan Cooper
Nat Field is a kid with a talent for acting. He's part of a troupe that gets to go to England to perform in a Shakespeare play! But when he gets there, he comes down with a strage fever and is sent to the hospital. His fever is really strange. What his troupe doesn't know is that Nat has actually changed places with a Shakespearean actor from Shakespear's real time! The kid lying in the hospital is the Shakespearean kid and Nate gets to meet the Bard himself and act in the original Globe Theater. A fun read that actually teaches you what it was like to live back in the early 1600's.

The Flying Flea, Callie, and Me by Caroll Wallace and Bill Wallace
The narrator of this fun little book, Ideal for fourth graders, is a cat. A farm cat. Farm cats are supposed to chase birds. But this cat’s best friend is a bird named Callie. The cat saved Callie when she fell out of a tree and Callie is afraid to fly. So the cat has to teach Callie to fly. Callie and the cat go through this experience with the help (and sometimes criticism) of the other animals in the farmyard. Even though we all know Callie is supposed to fly away at the end, it’s sad to see her go.