The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz #1)
Author: L. Frank Baum
Reviewer: Frank & Karen
Genre: Children's Classic
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "After a cyclone transports her to the land of Oz, Dorothy must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas" (King County Library System).
Opinions: My husband has begun to read this story to our children at bedtime each night.  I am grateful that he does this for our kids, but I'm also glad because I never read the story myself. You don't even know half the story of the Wizard of Oz if all you have seen is the movie. First of all the slippers are not red, they are silver. Second of all, a movie will never capture the full brilliance of L. Frank Baum's dry sense of humor and wonderful imagination. We recommend reading the Books of Wonder edition with the original illustrations which bring new life to a wonderful tale. Our most favorite characters are the flying monkeys.  They have more depth and purpose to them and actually talk.  Also, Dorothy is not as passive of a character as she is in the movie. Dorothy saves herself and then rescues the others. There were fantastic examples of the entire group working together to accomplish a goal, but overall it is a story about Dorothy and her journey and how she grows.  Overall, this is a fantastic book for a family to read together and we highly recommend it.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Historical Romance/Classic
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Some violence/Death
Premise: "
Opinions: This is a beautiful, but dark, tale of love and honor. I love to follow Jane as she discovers herself and the path the she wants to follow in life. I love the incredibly complex characters throughout the story and the twist of mystery within. This is not a frivolous story, but one of people who feel so real, people who make mistakes and poor choices and must pay for them. This is a story of a hard life and how to endure it and come out on top. If you want to read a story about a woman of great strength than read this book.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Title: Les Miserables
Author: Victor Hugo
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Classic/Historical Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: some intense scenes, cruelty and death (it has been a while since I've read this so I don't recall specific details of language)
Premise: "In this story of the trials of the peasant Jean Valjean--a man unjustly imprisoned, baffled by destiny, and hounded by his nemesis, the magnificently realized, ambiguously malevolent police detective Javert--Hugo achieves the sort of rare imaginative resonance that allows a work of art to transcend its genre." (Good Reads Description)
Opinions: I read the unabridged version in college. The size alone is daunting, but I have to say it was one of the best books I have ever read. In fact, if you want to get the true beauty of the story than I must insist that you read the unabridged version. Way too much is cut out of the abridged version (the story is still basically covered, but you miss the beauty, the majesty of the story). The depth of character is fully blossomed within the unabridged story, where as it is just beginning to flower in the abridged. This is a story about Jean Valjean and all the people that enter into his life who influenced it (for good or bad) and how he overcomes some of the greatest obstacles to find the true self within. The characters are poignant and the plot fascinating and heart-wrenching. This is a story of growth, love, sacrifice and so much more. This is a definite FABULOUS read.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: YA Classic Historical Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "In this literary classic, Louisa May Alcott chronicles the lives of the four March sisters, domestic Meg, headstrong Jo, sensitive Beth, and artistic Amy, who grow to adulthood living outside Boston while their father is serving as a chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War. The relatable heroines, through countless adventures, struggles, and tragedies, overcome character flaws as they grow up, grow closer, and try to better each other." (King County Library)
Opinions: I read this book in my early teens and absolutely loved it. It is a wonderful story dealing with love, war, poverty, internal struggles and so much more. It is overall a story of strength. I love the March family and the struggles they strive to overcome together. My two most favorite characters are Amy and Laurie, but I definitely connected with Jo as well. Not having had any sisters growing up I loved learning what life could be like, the goods and bads, of a family full of women. I love the antics. I love the unique personalities of each woman in the family and that they are flawed but strong. I love the lessons they learn and watching them grow throughout the story. Whether young or well-seasoned in life, I think that this is a story that will pull you into its heart.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The following is a review from a guest reviewer:

Title: The Secret Garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
Reviewer: Kristen
Genre: Children’s Classic
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "Ten-year-old Mary Lennox is indeed a miserable child. Upon the death of her parents she finds herself transported to the cold climate of England to live at Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire moors with an ailing cousin she has never met. How she hates this country and everything about it. But with the English sunshine, spring comes into Mary's bitter heart. She finds that she likes Misselthwaite Manor, its inhabitants, its gardens and especially its secrets." (King County Library System)
Opinions: Oh, how I love this book! I watched the movie all the time when I was younger, but didn’t read the book until I was in my twenties. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was absolutely enthralled by the story and couldn’t put the book down. Dickon was always my favorite character and I found I loved him even more in the book. Definitely a classic.