Brian Jacques, prolific author of the Redwall series, passed away last weekend.  His contribution to fantasy for kids 10 and up is well known to his many fans, but for those who don't know his work so well, let me sum up; Redwall is an epic adventure series that takes place during the middle ages. It centers on Redwall Abbey, and the characters who live in and around it.  The characters are all anthropomorphic animals.  The storyline is vast and dramatic, covering a total of 22 action filled novels.  Wow.  He has been writing this series since 1986, and the series ends now with his passing; Redwall had many more stories to tell, I am sure.  So, in honor of Mr. Jacques, come read (or re-read) one of his fine novels.

History is the story of people and their lives.  All too often people learn history as a series of dates and place names that detaches them from the lives they are talking about: history is boring.  The stories of the people who lived history are anything but boring.  Patricia Reilly Giff uses her newest book Storyteller to reach into the past and bring it alive for her character and for us. 

Elizabeth lost her mother very young and has had no contact with her mother's family.  When she gets the chance to spend several months with her mother's sister, she has no idea that she will not only connect with her living family, but will also learn the story of a distant ancestor; a girl named Zee, who lived during the revolutionary war.  Giff takes us back and forth between the girls' stories as Elizabeth learns what scattered facts remain about Zee and her family and becomes enthralled by the idea that real history happened right where she stands and to someone she is related to.  Meanwhile we see the story of Zee unfold as her family is wrenched apart by the start of the Revolution.

Trout,Trout,Trout!: A Fish Chant by April Pulley Sayre is a wonderful look at the fish out there.  Realistic looking fish do extremely silly things as we chant our way through the names of these freshwater fish.  This one is fun to look at and fun to read out loud, and the faster the funnier. 

War is coming.  The Mouse Guard has had many roles over the years; once soldiers in the struggle against predators, they are guides and sentries through the mouse territories.  Now someone is using the symbol of the Black Axe to raise an army against the Guard's headquarters at Lockhaven.  It is up to the brave Guardsmice to stop the false Black Axe from destroying all they have struggled to preserve. In Mouse Guard - Fall 1152 David Petersen gives us a great graphic novel saga.  The trevails of the Guardsmice continue in Mouse Guard - Winter 1152.