As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
309 pp.
| Candlewick
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-9071-7$16.99
(2)
4-6
A generations-old secret related to their great-grandfathers splits nine-year-old "soul mates" Stuey and Elly into alternate realities. From here Hautman unfolds a dark tale involving families falling apart, woodlands being destroyed, and suspicion landing on innocent parties, but it's also a tender story of the friends' continuing connection. This is an intricately woven, affecting novel about the power of friendship, the corrosiveness of secrets, and the mysterious possibilities of the world.
40 pp.
| Quarto/Lincoln
| June, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-78603-136-5$17.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Sean Qualls.
Young Zazi and Ziwelene find a photo of their great-grandfather, Nelson Mandela, at their grandmother's house, which inspires them to ask her about him. The book's question-and-answer narrative seems contrived ("Why did Grandad go to jail?"; "What is justice?"), but Grandma Zindzi's answers are nimbly worded. Qualls's acrylic, collage, and colored-pencil art has a stateliness worthy of the book's subject.
244 pp.
| Little
| September, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-0-316-44712-6$16.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-316-44710-2
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Sophie Blackall.
A mother tells her son the "real story" of the bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh: the boy's great-great-grandfather, Captain Harry Colebourn (author Mattick's great-grandfather), bought Winnie in a train station and made her a mascot for his Canadian Army battalion during WWI. A deft blend of historical research and gentle, heartwarming fiction enhanced by Blackall's art. "Colebourn Family Archive" appended.
(3)
4-6
Dragon's Guide series.
Illustrated by
Mary GrandPré.
Dragon Miss Drake and her human "pet" Winnie travel back in time to the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair to meet great-granddad Caleb and solve a jewel heist. A mischievous wish-granting imp complicates matters. The growing dragon-human teamwork, San Francisco–specific history, a nicely integrated fantasy framework, and light comedy combine for a cheery continuation of the series.
32 pp.
| Red Chair
| January, 2016
|
LibraryISBN 978-1-63440-042-8$16.99
|
PaperISBN 978-1-63440-043-5$6.99
|
EbookISBN 978-1-63440-044-2
(4)
K-3
Family Snaps series.
Illustrated by
Tracy Bishop.
A young boy is uncomfortable around his elderly great-grandfather, but his mother cleverly explains how each of Poppy's quirks, such as failing memory and wrinkly hands, can be explained by a lifetime of love. With expressive illustrations providing some humor to keep the saccharine analogies from growing tiresome, the purposeful book could quell some young kids' fears of the elderly.
200 pp.
| Scholastic
| April, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-81223-8$16.99
|
EbookISBN 978-0-545-81267-2
(3)
4-6
Allie has never won anything, despite belonging to a family of intense overachievers. When she learns about a creative competition at her school, she becomes determined to win it, no matter the cost. The comically dramatic first-person voice and lovably flawed characters keep the moral about friendship from becoming clichéd, instead turning it into an optimistic, relatable unifying theme.
208 pp.
| Dial
| January, 2016
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-3986-4$12.99
(3)
4-6
Danny Dragonbreath has always struggled to breathe fire, but when he wakes up with a mysterious chill, the problem is worse: "I usually get smoke when I try! Now all I get is frost!" Danny and friends consult Danny's great-grandad, and a quest for a cure ensues. Fans will appreciate how Danny's powers deepen in this eleventh silly adventure; generous green-tinged cartoons enliven the narrative.
(4)
4-6
Lewis Dearborn is a loser until his great-grandfather's deathbed mandate--"Libertalia. You!"--transforms his sad existence into a pirate fantasy. His family moves into Great-Granddad's historic mansion, where he has unexpected roommates: seven dead pirates seeking a pirate haven called Libertalia. With lots of aye!s and sword-swishing, the pirates encourage Lewis to be bold and fierce. A charmingly funny, if too-neatly resolved, romp.
40 pp.
| Candlewick
| March, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-4601-1$16.99
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Bagram Ibatoulline.
An Italian immigrant tells his great-granddaughter the family's history by showing her his "diary"--the contents of the matchboxes that he collected before he could write. His storytelling is so captivating that it will probably escape readers' notice that the girl isn't much of a character. Realistic acrylic gouache paintings on mottled tan pages simulate photographs of an earlier time.
234 pp.
| Peachtree
| April, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56145-626-0$15.95
(4)
4-6
When his estranged great-grandfather offers to buy Socko's mom a suburban house--if they become his caretakers--she jumps at the chance to escape the impoverished inner city. Socko mourns leaving his best friend behind and struggles to adjust to the strange new situation. Although the story is slow, it provides an interesting examination of the limits of helping others.
32 pp.
| New Mexico
| May, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8263-5026-8$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Noël Chilton.
Luz's abuela arrives for a visit and to teach her granddaughter how to make tamales (recipe appended). While the two prepare the dish, Abuela tells the story of how Luz's great-grandfather learned to make tamales from a favorite aunt. The story, in both English and Spanish, is wordy, but the family connection comes through. Chilton's layered illustrations reflect the multigenerational dynamic. Glos.
(2)
K-3
As his "great-grandkid" narrates Grandpa Green's life, the old man himself depicts its major events in his own felicitous medium: topiary, rendered by Smith in multimedia shades and shadows of evergreen. Meanwhile, Grandpa creates a new work that's revealed--in a double fold that recapitulates the book--to be the boy. A thoughtful, eloquent, and elegantly illustrated book to explore, consider, and read again.
Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2011
122 pp.
| Random
| May, 2009
|
LibraryISBN 978-0-375-95841-0$11.99
|
PaperISBN 978-0-375-85841-3$4.99
(3)
1-3
Stepping Stone Fantasy series.
Illustrated by
Lesley Harker.
Tam searches for his baby sister, stolen by the fairies with a goblin baby left in her place. Their great-grandfather sets Tam on his way with a favorite object (Tam's treasured kaleidoscope) to give the Fairy King. This contemporary-set story, illustrated with delicate line art, neatly incorporates elements of Scottish folklore.
242 pp.
| NYRB
| September, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59017-290-2$16.95 New ed. (1927, Macmillan)
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Rowland Hilder.
This newly edited precursor to The Box of Delights first introduces readers to young Kay Harker. While searching for a treasure that will elevate his circumstances and clear his great-grandfather's name, Kay encounters pirates, witches, and even King Arthur. The prose is dense, but readers looking for classic fantasy tales will be charmed by this story and its old-fashioned black-and-white illustrations.
40 pp.
| Simon
| June, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-689-81170-5$14.95
(4)
K-3
Ready-to-Read series.
Illustrated by
Sucie Stevenson.
Meeting the textual needs of new readers, Henry and his big dog Mudge visit Great-grandpa in a retirement home. The progressive plot (they take a group of great-grandpas on an unapproved outing) is both sentimental and unrealistic. Still, the action unfolds quickly and illustrations that mirror the story give numerous clues concerning the events and unfamiliar vocabulary.
70 pp.
| Viking
| September, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-670-03642-0$$13.99
(4)
1-3
Illustrated by
Frank Remkiewicz.
The newest book in this popular series has Harry unhappy about the upcoming holiday season until his class visits his great-grandfather in a nursing home to share winter holiday traditions with the residents. The story is more didactic than usual, with a great deal of the text explaining different traditions. Nevertheless, Harry's many fans won't be deterred. Reading list.
149 pp.
| Avon
| August, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-380-97623-4$$15.00
(4)
4-6
After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Kendall makes his first visit to the pueblo where she grew up and finally learns from his great-grandfather, an Acoma Indian, about the inherited "magic" that compels him to run. Although the prose is sometimes stilted, the story provides a respectful look at a Native culture and at a boy trying to discover where he belongs.