When a young monster by the name of Harvey hears his parents discussing the new baby that’s due soon, his father refers to it as “another mouth to feed.”  Harvey misinterprets this to mean that the new arrival will be just a giant mouth, and his spends the rest of the book stressing over what that will be like, only to discover when mom does return from the hospital that it’s not just a mouth, but a regular monster with all the usual features, including three eyes.  A page in the back of the book describes what an idiom is, and the meaning of this particular idiom.  I’m not a fan of the artwork in the book, and the plot seems a bit blah.  There are better things out there to teach idioms.

In some respects this story is likely to “expire” soon, as its setting is specific to the recent aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, and it won’t be long before many young students won’t remember hearing about this in the news.  Still, the messages of the book (looking to the future and holding onto hope in the midst of crisis; generosity; games bringing children together) are easily transferrable to any crisis situation.  The book tells the story of a boy helping his mother build their new “home” out of a bit of tin and some blankets and poles, and then getting acquainted with his new neighbors when a girl produces a ball of rags with which they are able to get up a game of soccer.  An adult watching their play begins reminiscing with them about soccer greats who have played in the very stadium where they now have their temporary shelters, and before he goes, he offers them his own real soccer ball, autographed by one of those greats, as thanks to the children for restoring his hope in the future.

This story is just so utterly bland.  A short beginning chapter book, obviously intended for early readers, it’s got nothing about it to convince kids that reading is a worthwhile pursuit, worth their efforts to learn and their time to indulge in.  It tells the story of a young boy who is with his friend along the river one day when they discover a statue which comes to life and asks their help in finding his way to the city to be reunited with his statue girl-friend.  Along the way they meet some bullies on the subway, who get put in their place by the magic statue’s power to freeze them.  There’s just no character development to make the reader care about what’s happening.  It’s not bad. It’s just blah.  But it does have a sturdy binding.

It’s always dangerous to enter a fantasy world in the second book of a series.  There’s so much the reader is left trying to piece together and figure out as they go along.  As a stand alone, I would probably only give this a “Additional Purchase,”  but it was a good enough book for me to want to seek out the rest of the series to go with it (the first book, Happenstance Found, has been nominated for the Young Reader’s Choice award in 2012).  Happenstance is a boy with some kind of power he doesn’t quite understand, mysterious past he can’t remember, and an invented name that’s recently been invented for him.  Apparently in the first book he stumbled into the care of the man who is currently serving as his guardian:  Lord Umber, and adventurer of the first order, who will go to most any lengths to seek out and expand his knowledge of magical creatures.  As they set out together on one mission (in response to a mysterious plea for help), it seems to unfold into one adventure after another, with danger lurking around every bend.

Mac Slater, “cool hunter,” has won an all-expense-paid trip to New York City for himself, his best friend, and his dad, on a mission for some website, which tasks itself with finding the next latest coolest trend.  As the second Mac Slater book, it left the reader with a few holes as to character-development (presuming you’ve already read the other?):  we’re never told exactly how old Mac is, though early adolescence is implied, and we’re never clearly told exactly where Mac is from, though he describes this as his first trip to America and talks about being half a world away from home (I’m guessing Australia).  Set loose in New York with a full arsenal of high-tech gadgetry, Mac ditches his less-than-overly-protective dad, and pursues his goal with single-minded determination.  Along the way, he disses his best friend, lies, breaks promises, follows a stranger into unknown territory (even after reflecting that this is not a wise thing to do), and generally makes a whole lot of poor decisions.  In end he must choose between success at any cost or trying to regain some integrity.  As an adult I was less than impressed, but it’s likely to hold great appeal for its target audience.

As the 6th book in a series, it would probably just be an additional purchase on its own, but I liked it enough to think it would be worth seeking out the rest of the series.  Main Character, Zach Gaither, is apparently an alien, born on another planet but sent to earth as an infant, to be raised by humans as an undercover agent for the Galactic Patrol.  Now in junior high, Zack has only recently become aware of his true identity, and has presumably been on five previous adventures in that role.  Now it has come time for the Galactic Council to decide whether or not Earth should be invited to join the Galactic Union, but enemy aliens have decided to sabotage Earth’s chances, and have become aware of Zack’s identity.  Zack (along with his good friends, of course) must evade the enemy aliens while venturing off-planet to speak on Earth’s behalf before the president of the galaxy and many strange delegates from distant worlds.  The characters and engaging, the plot is action-packed, the illustrations are quirky, and there’s a good deal of humor throughout.  Likely to be a hit with kids.

Seriously?  This was painful to read.  The saddest part about it is that there are many sentences (or even whole paragraphs) that are actually very well written, with good voice and humor, but there’s no glue to hold the story together.  The characters are underdeveloped and the plot is disjointed, and it’s hard to even follow exactly what’s going on — let alone care.  To give in the benefit of the doubt, it is part of a series, and perhaps, if one had already read others, the characters might be previously introduced enough for a devoted fan to follow — in that case, it might work itself up to being an additional purchase, but I’m not willing to spend good money on other books in the series to find out.

Well, it’s got a sturdy, shiny binding, and it’s a cute story, which I’m sure would make a fine souvenir for children who had seen the play while visiting Washington D.C.  It tells the story of some children who are taking a tour of the White House, when George Washington pops out of his famous portrait and starts escorting them on travels through time to visit children and adults who lived have at the White House.  While dodging the secret service agent on their tale, the students witness the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, consult Mrs. Kennedy about redecorating the white house, crash Susan Ford’s prom, etc.  While it’s got lots of random White House trivia for readers to learn, it’s not exactly the kind of book that would be useful for research, but it’s also not exactly the kind of book that’s likely to have a wide appeal for recreational reading.

What a fabulous series for creating a bridge between graphic novels and traditional fiction chapter books.  I expect these books to have high appeal for reluctant readers who are fans of graphic novels:  The book is short (48 p.), with lots of full-page color illustrations in bold comic-book style.  The plot is action-packed, describing the initiation rites of Batman’s latest sidekick, a junior-high hero-in-training who is anxious to fill the shoes of the most recently retired (e.g. grown-up) Robin.  Setting out on his final test to see if he’s ready to join in on Bat missions, the young Robin-wanna-be faces repeated distractions which interfere with completing his given task, as he stumbles across others who need his help.  As an added appeal, the text of the story is sprinkled with traditional comic book sound effects (Crash! Thud! Whack!) in large, bright fonts, and the binding is library reinforced.  I’d like to get more in this series for my library.

A delightful and varied collection of poems, ranging from traditional nursery rhymes and the works of famous authors such as Shakespeare, to the original works of children (youngest age 2).  The poems are gathered into chapters that focus the reader on different traits often found in poetry, and roughly corresponding to Howard Gardner’s Intelligences: one chapter for word choice, one for poems that convey descriptive visual images, one that plays with the sound of words, etc.  The illustrations will draw kids in, the poems written by other children makes this a source for inspiration, and the organization makes it a tool for instruction as well.

An eight-year-old girl, frustrated with the experience of multiple moves in her short life, contrasts her own new-home transitions with the experiences of her grandmother, who has only lived in two homes in her 65 years.  The water-color illustrations are beautiful and genuine.  The text is a little rambling and the point seems a little unclear.

The illustrations are gorgeous!  The text introduces the reader to how to say hello in ten different languages.  Each of the cultures represented by those languages is beautifully captured in the dress of the characters.  I especially like that the book does not present these languages in the context of world travel, but in the context of a little girl’s walk through an urban neighborhood, greeting people she knows — reminding us of the diversity within our own communities.

A fun and informative book that answers the “why?” of an assortment of bodily functions — sure to capture the curiosity of many elementary school students.  The table of contents lists all the questions the book addresses, from “Why do you get hiccups?” to “Why do you throw up?” and “Why do you yawn?”  One to two pages answer each question with clear and complete explanations, including both the physical mechanics part of the why and the evolutionary advantages offered by each human trait.  Be prepared for protests from any parents who are of an anti-evolutionary mind-set, as the book explains that humans are not only evolutionarily related not only to chimpanzees and other primates, but all other animals including fish and bacteria.

The book design is better than its content.  It’s visually appealing and bills itself as “first-hand accounts of war from those who lived through it.”  But the text actually included few quotes from primary sources.  It included chapters about various individual who fought in a variety of capacities, for both sides during the American Civil War, but it was a bit dry.  Idid like that glossary terms were defined right on the pages in which they were used, as I know students are unlikely to actually make use of the glossary in the back.  Even though it claims to be a Reinforced Library Binding, I don’t trust the smooth finish of the cover to wear well.

I was disappointed.  I know this author has been popular among adults for a long time.  I think he needs to stick to what he knows best.  His narration for kids was stilted.  The characters did not ring true.  And it was boring.

A beautiful non-fiction book that encourages young students to observe the world around them and make predictions.  The format throughout the book repeats a similar four-page sequence:  the first two-page spread includes a close-up detailed photograph of some part of something in or around a pond, accompanied by the repeating question, “Look very closely.  What do you see?”  When the reader turns the page after making their guess(es), the see a full-page color photo that answers the question, along with information about that plant or animal.  The photos are gorgeous, the information is interesting, and the layout is fun.  It would make a good read-aloud for young students, and a good solo-read for older elementary students, useful both for curriculum connections and for recreational reading.

Wow! This book is fabulous!  I never thought I would be so fascinated with squid.  I think this book exemplifies non-fiction at its best:  it is full of information, but it’s not just stated or explained — the author truly is a storyteller.  I would love to check out other works by this author.  The book begins with the days when sailors returned from sea with unbelievable stories of encounters with monsters that those on land could only imagine.  It traces the development of early legends and the first maps that marked the unknown expanses of oceans with captions decreeing, “Here there be monsters.”  It continues to connect the dots between reported sightings and early evidence of a creature that only recently (and rarely) has been observed alive.  It does an excellent job of capturing the drama and the unfolding nature of scientific discovery, and reminding us that there are still mysteries that modern science has yet to fully uncover.  A fascinating read that fosters a sense of wonder.

Part of the Scientists in the Field series, this book centers around the issues involved in trying to protect and preserve the seahorse population, focused primarily on that in the coral reefs in the Philippines.  It does a good job of addressing the interconnected concerns of the biology of the seahorse itself, the health of its coral reef habitat, the needs of the community who make their livelihood from fishing these waters, and the wider world where seahorses are sought out for aquariums and medicines.  It does not over-simplify the issues, or support one cause at the expense of the others, but rather seeks to find ways to achieve sustainable balance that benefits all.  The photographs are absolutely lush.  The text understandable, but dense — definitely intended for older students.

Another title in this popular series that focuses on the unpleasant and sometimes downright gruesome aspects of history as a means of capturing students’ interest, this one tells about the primitive medical treatments used during the Civil War.  The book contains a lot of information, but is very readable and not intimidating: colorful cartoonish illustrations and small blurbs of information help to draw the reader’s curiosity.  A good selection of Non-fiction for recreational reading, as well as curriculum support.

It’s a cute book with brightly colored illustrations that tells of young Frog’s excitement over the pending visit of Goose and Gander with their new baby Gosling.  From the time Rabbit tells him the news, Frog is anxiously awaiting their arrival, only to be distressed when they arrive at how much crying the young Gosling is doing.  Though others try lots of ideas (hungry? tired? diaper?) to calm Gosling, it’s Froggie’s singing and dancing that eventually turn the crying into laughing.  It’s cute, and it will be a helpful book for young families with new arrivals that siblings need to learn to cope with, but there’s nothing super special/unique/creative to really say you need to have it if you’ve already got other new-baby books in your collection.

This book is a poem.  As such, it’s hard for me to say exactly what it’s about:  I’ve read it three times, and I’m still not sure how to describe what exactly it’s trying to say, but then, that’s kind of the nature of poems.  The illustrations are soft, and the text is lyrical, and the ideas give the reader things to ponder.  It is a book of simple beauty.  My first hesitation was to wonder whether children are really going to appreciate it, but then I decided I was underestimating kids.  Certainly not all kids are going to love this book, but I want to think some will respond to it.  Definitely a good tool for a poetry unit.

This popular character is back, sharing all her favorite things about Halloween, from the slightly skewed perspective of a farmyard hen.  The bright, simple illustrations are full of scenes that will be familiar to young children, but the text is full of Minerva Louise’s silly mistaken understandings of what she sees around her:  she thinks the children setting out tombstone decorations are planting a rock garden, the trick-or-treaters are farmers bringing feed-buckets to the house, and the children bobbing for apples have been working so hard they’re drinking down the water bucket.  Young children will laugh and delight in showing off their superior understanding as they correct Minerva Louise and explain what is really going on.

I think every child (and adult for that matter) should read this book.  First of all, the illustrations are fabulous.  Most importantly, the statistics it shares does a really great job of capturing a snap-shot of our planet, giving readers a real perspective as to where they fit in the world and how many other people out there share things in common and have very different experiences than our own.  Using the concept of shrinking the world population down to a village of 100 people, while keeping all ratios/percentages in tact, this book looks at a variety of statistics for the human race.  Each two page spread is dedicated to a different topic of the human experience (e.g. ages, languages, education, etc.), and using the village concept, it shares what percentage of the people on the planet fit different categories within that topic.  For example, the religion page tells us that if the world were a village of 100 people, 33 would be Christians, 21 Muslims, 13 Hindus, etc.  Throughout the book, historical perspectives are offered as well, telling how the make-up of the global village has changed over time.  Told in very simple language, it brings some of the great complexities of our world into comprehensible perspective.  A fascinating and valuable book for any library.

A great book for getting kids interested in our legal system, and setting them up to become fans of John Grisham’s adult books. At first I was skeptical of the idea of a “kid lawyer,” as not being realistic, but the title character actually comes across as both believable and likable.  Of course not actually a lawyer himself, Theodore is the only son of two lawyers, fascinated with the law himself, planning a future as either a lawyer or a judge, and friends with all the folks in and around the courthouse in his small hometown.  Well-known by his peers as someone knowledgable about the law, he does have friends and acquaintances approaching him for varied legal advice, but the bulk of the story centers around a big murder trial. Theodore becomes privy to some information that could be crucial to the outcome of the case, but he must find a way to let it be known without betraying the confidence of a friend.  Keeping in mind the youth of the target audience, who might not be completely familiar with various aspects of the legal system, the author manages to incorporate a bit of legal instruction in very understandable terms. I’m wondering whether this will be strictly a stand-alone novel or if it will be the beginning of a series — would love to read further adventures of this great character. Highly Recommended.

This early chapter book, based on the childhood of Tomie DePaola, shares the experiences of a second-grade boy during World War II.  Many of the events are common events of growing up in any time (e.g. having a big brother who is a bully, performing in a play, taking music lessons, etc.), and yet sprinkled the ordinary experiences of growing up are the effects of war on those at home:  grieving for a cousin who died, the flags with stars that people hung in the window to indicate sons or daughters who were fighting, gas rationing, etc.  Because it is all told from the perspective and in the voice of a young student, it is a wonderful way to expose young children to history in a way that makes it something they can relate to. Because it is based on the author’s actual experiences, it really rings true in the telling.