August Book #2

Book: The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck
Age-range: 8 and up

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I'm so glad she told me about it. I may never have come across it otherwise. And, incidentally, I think it's a book that my nieces and nephews would love.

It's a little hard to explain the plot, but I'll try. There's a Land of Stories where all of the stories written about in books are actually played out before they are written. The Trueheart family is one of the last great adventuring families. The family has 7 boys, 6 of them have names that are variants of Jack, after their father, and the youngest one is named Tom. There's no explanation as to why this is. Anyway, each of the older brothers goes on an adventure into tales that you will undoubtedly recognize. But something happens and they disappear before their stories can be finished. Tom, who has just turned 12, is sent out to rescue them.

It's a cute, clever story that is great for a younger audience. I love the idea and I just found out there is at least one other book set in this world. So, if you read it let me know what you (or your kids) think. Happy reading!