Flip the Bird by Kym Brunner introduces many readers to the practice of falconry. Mercer Buddie is fourteen and gets to capture his first hawk for his apprentice year of falconry. There is tension in the air – between Mercer and his older brother (an expert falconer and accomplished ladies man). More tension with Mercer wanting his father to treat him like an adult but he continues to shirk responsibilities, pout, and lie. The story takes a turn with the introduction of Lucy. Mercer crushes hard and sets on a course to win her heart. Unfortunately, this course involves Mercer acting like someone he is not and lying to his parents, Lucy, and himself.  With an animal rights activism twist, the conflict escalates to a fever pitch and Mercer’s worlds collide. Mercer must decide where he stands and what he believes. Packed with emotion, this page-turner will captivate readers and tug at their heartstrings. Brunner masterfully creates a world where Mercer and the reader discover the nuances of animal welfare, scientific research, animal husbandry, and animal rights activism. The reader also realizes, through Mercer’s mistakes, that lying – big or small – can have profound consequences. Flip the Bird is a great addition to a YA collection.

Emily Edelman really wants her very own cell phone for her twelfth birthday. Instead she gets a family trip to the ocean where her little brother fills her sandwich with sand when she isn’t looking and her big sister spends her tme sulking due to the confiscation of her mobile device.  Emily’s parents are a bit distracted and somehow end up with a cake that’s celebrating Emily’s eleventh birthday. Everyone, except Emily, has a good laugh about the bakery’s mistake. As Emily takes a break from family time, she strolls along the beach where she discovers an unusual beach rock. Later that night, she discovers that the beach rock isn’t quite what it appears to be.  The rock is a magical spell stone and Emily is a Stonemaster. Emily’s discovery lands her loved ones in danger and only Emily can save them. This humorous tale of adventure, fantasy, and friendship will have readers laughing out loud. A recommended purchase where you have fans of fantastic and humorous adventures.

Sherlock Holmes and the Disappearing Diamond by Sam Hearn is a combination mystery and graphic novel. John Watson starts school at the Baker Street Academy where he meets his new best friends, Martha Hudson and Sherlock Holmes. He also becomes acquainted with Baskerville, the academy’s trusty dog. Watson loves to write and Martha is a skilled social organizer. Sherlock can be counted on to use deductive reasoning to ferret out ordinary intrigues as well as solve the case of the disappearing diamond and make connections between the case and his school nemesis, James Moriarty This light mystery will have young super sleuths observing their surroundings with a critical eye. The art work adds to the story by revealing key details and by being fun and fresh. Recommended for young mystery readers who enjoy the graphic novel format.

The Force Oversleeps by Jarrett J. Krosoczka is sure to satisfy Star Wars Jedi Academy fans.  Victor Starspeeder returns to Jedi Academy for year two. He’s excited about the new year, but he gets off on the wrong foot.  Victor can’t seem to get up on time and he’s constantly running late. There’s a new kid at the academy, too. Victory is experiencing jealousy and envy – not exactly two qualities young Jedi should have. Meanwhile, there’s a rumor that there is Sith activity on the campus and a traitor in the midst. Christina, Victor’s big sister, is somehow mixed up in the rumor.  With a balance of action and humor, Jedi Academy fans will rush to check out this latest installment in the series.

The Backstagers And The Ghost Light by Andy Mientus is a phenomenal book about the backstage crew of St. Genesius. The backstage is a mysterious and magical world that connects all the theaters of the world, and it is easy to get lost or hurt in the backstage. After disappearing for a prolonged amount of time, they are left without a stage manager, and have to face the new production on their own. The schools production of Phantasm is set in motion, and supernatural occurrences come along with it. The five backstagers: Jory, Hunter, Beckett, Aziz, and Sasha, have to figure out who or what is sabotaging their play. With falling lights, failed auditions, and the stage’s ghost light exploding during the use of an Ouija board, things are going to get harder and harder. And what will they do when a charismatic new lead actress shows up and has deeper intentions than performing? I highly recommend this book for it’s mysterious charm, along with it’s casual LGBT representation. The relationship between Jory and Hunter is casual and realistic, and shows how relationships can be affected by new responsibilities. It also shows how the loss of a loved one can negatively affect a family, and that someone who cared about them deeply would do anything to get them back. This book would be great for anyone who likes theater, supernatural themes, ghosts, and friendship.

Review by Allison

Isaveth continues on her adventure to solve the murder for which her father was accused in the companion book, A Pocket Full of Murder. Isaveth finds herself the recipient of a scholarship to attend the most prestigious magic school, Tarreton College.  While learning sagery, she continues to gather information to clear her father’s name. The mystery takes many twist and turns. This who-done-it story is full of political intrigue, social inequity, and prejudice, friendship and loyalties. Readers of book one will look forward to the conclusion of the murder mystery which is wrapped up in book two.

Dazzle Ships by Chris Barton tells the story of how the Allied forces during WWI attempted to thwart the German U-Boat attacks on naval ships by using the concept of camouflage. After failed attempts to maneuver ships carrying munitions, food, military personnel, civilians and other supplies, a new, creative and outlandish idea was concocted. In this book, the reader will learn the brief history that lead to paining ships in dazzling designs and colors. The illustrations appropriate use of color, design, and pattern to fill the pages with camouflage to depict the story. Complete with timeline, author/illustrator notes and additional resources, this book is a great reference for students of history, art and the research process.

This graphic nonfiction work explores how the earth came to be, specifically the Big Bang theory and geologic activity.  It is rich in scientific vocabulary, concepts and history. The illustrations are cartoon strip style with two unlikely narrators: a groundhog and an earthworm.  The narrative is engaging as it is informative, explaining scientific concepts in an easy to understand manner. An added bonus is the use of figurative language and humor to propel the reader through the multi-layered story of the earth’s creation and explains many aspects of earth science. Rich with comparisons, diagrams, and facts, this is a fun addition to graphic nonfiction collections.  Additional purchase.

Director’s Cut by Vanessa Acton creates a story filled with paranormal activity, adventure, and mystery. Four friends set off on an adventure to explore an abandoned and rumored to be cursed country and western movie set. Unconvinced that the set is cursed, the friends disagree about the causes of the odd and unexpected events that transpire during their adventure and the days that follow. Ultimately, the friends decide that they must solve the mystery and right a wrong in order to lift the curse. Cover art will draw in reluctant readers and the approachable text will keep them turning the pages. Stronger readers will be disappointed by the simplicity of the plot and character development. Additional purchase.

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth is a fun-filled feline adventure.  Klawde, the overthrown alien warlord, is banished to the planet earth where he must find shelter, devise a plan to return to planet Lyttyrboks, and plot his revenge. Enter Raj, the human boy who, new to town, must endure survival camp and wants to adopt the stray cat, Klawde. With fun wordplay and interesting plotline, Marciano and Chenoweth create a fantastically unfriendly and devious feline villain juxtaposed with a vulnerable and likable  human boy. Will Klawde find a way to return home and reclaim his omniscient rule? Will Raj stand up to the mean campers and build lasting friendships in his new home town? Readers will laugh out loud as they discover the answers to these questions and many more. Monochromatic drawings are sprinkled throughout the text capturing the emotion and propelling action forward. A fantastically fun read!

Ultimate NFL Road Trip by Barry Wilner is about some of the most famous NFL stadiums. It is perfect for anyone who likes American football or traveling. The book contains lots of fun facts about the NFL stadiums. It also includes a glossary, online resources, more information, an index, information about the author, and map pages.

Review by Barrett

Auto racing super stats by Jeff savage was overall okay. The book was very informative, lots of facts although not page turning, The author Jeff savage did do a good job with this book if you are into cars or racing. This book is about racing different types of cars, world records, and lots of facts about everything to do with cars in general. In this book they talk about lots of things like NASCAR racing and drag racing. Another thing I love about this book is it has a ton of graphs showing cool things like most NASCAR wins in a row, most NASCAR career wins, cup series wins, best drivers in Generation-6 cars and most Indianapolis championship wins. It has different people who race, how many wins they have, and facts about them. One of my favorite parts of the whole book is that they also show some female racers. I personally think this is cool because I don’t normally see a lot of female racers especially in books. I would rate this good with 7 out of 10. Everything seems good except for that fact that it didn’t really grab my attention.

Review by Abigail

The author’s purpose of writing Hockey Records was to teach hockey and the amazing things people playing the sport have done. The author did accomplish this by giving information on hockey player records. The people that are most likely to read this book are hockey fans and just sport people all together. The way the book is special is all the details it had and the pictures it showed. All the facts are interesting.The book holds the reader’s interest by showing pictures and having facts. The book would go very nicely in a middle school library for its amazing facts and how easy it was for kids to read.

Review by Jordan

The book Computer Programming by Kelly Doudna is a very informative book.The Author’s purpose in writing this book was to teach people and give them more information about computer science. Something that caught my eye was the facts in this book and the history of it. You will be attached to this book at the moment you see it, the colorful pages and the pictures is very eye catching. This book is about technology subjects with STEM stories. You will also learn about incredible developments that could happen in the future. This book is a good book and I will recommend. It will catch your eye and it is very colorful. I would rate this book at 3.5.

Review by Isaiah

War carries many requirements and systems. Even the people who fight the war must go through training systems. I knew nothing about warfare until I read this book, Dirty Bombs And Shell Shock by Leon Gray. I never knew that war required so many things and that the outcomes could be extreme. The cover of the book caught my eye quickly, as if it was begging me to open it. The pages themselves were full of very specific information. Each individual page talked about a certain topic thoroughly. The pictures looked puzzling to me, but thanks to the captions, I was able to understand what each picture was saying. The call out cards also gave some additional information about the topic that really helped me understand the topic more. There was also a timeline of events similar to the topics and an index. The glossary gave the definitions of the unknown words, for which I was thankful. I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about war or be a soldier someday to fight these wars.

Review by Adalie

Susan B. Anthony when arrested for voting she stated that America was built only for white males. She concluded that the pronouns of he and him in the constitution and others never included women which is why women didn’t have the right to vote. She believed if this was true, women didn’t need to pay taxes either. Women stopped paying taxes to America as a protest for not being seen as equal in America´s eyes. You can read all about this and more things women and supporters of equal rights did to be seen as equal in the book, Women’s Suffrage, by Duchess Harris. The book goes over the fight for women’s rights in voting, education, careers, and more. This book is a good book and includes links to useful website to give more information. It also addresses African American women´s harder fight for rights in America. The book also goes over the fact not every women wanted suffrage or believed women needed suffrage. It also includes a page for Fast Facts, Important Dates, Stop and Think, Online Resources, Index, and a Glossary. This book is a good book to read if you want to learn about women’s suffrage. It’s also a good book to read if you want to think about women’s suffrage and ask questions about it.

Review by Natalie

If you want to know more about African Americans struggles and the Civil Rights Movement, then read the book¨The Civil Rights Movement¨ by Eric Braun. The book goes over the history and the start of the Civil Right movements for African Americans and how it affected more movements after like the Gay rights movement and Women rights movement. It also goes over key people in the history that helped the movements get as far as they got. It shows how there´s still a need for a Civil Rights movement with police brutality. The book’s theme shows that it’s an unfair and unjust way to treat someone. The book also includes a Table of contents, Timeline, and Index for helping understand the material. As well as pictures to help people understand and visualize the material. The book is a good book to read if you’re interested in the Civil Rights movement. It helps the reader feel as though Civil Rights movement didn’t happen too long ago and adds to the problems America still has with racism. It shows the violent sides of the Civil Rights movement on both sides, and how peaceful boycotts, sit-ins, walks, and other peaceful protests can help improve a situation over being violent.

Review by Natalie

Soccer underdog stories by Sam Moussavi is recommended to anyone who likes soccer. The book is about soccer teams and players that came out of nowhere and became stars. It also has a glossary, more information, online resources, index, and about the author pages.

Review by Barrett

SWEETIES by Cathy Cassidy is based on THE CHOCOLATE BOX GIRLS novels. Sweeties is a graphic novel about a teenage girl named Summer. Summer is in love with ballet and is really focused on winning the auditions for her dream ballet school. Summer is suffering from anorexic and possibly killing herself by starving herself and thinking she’s fat. She is focusing on her curve but is not realizing it herself because she’s focusing too much on the auditions and boys and just teenage life. She finally realizes what she needs to do with the help of several people including a boy named Alfie and finally gives up self judgment and starvation. I highly recommend reading this for teenagers who are having the same issue or for teens who need a story that will change their way of thinking.

Review by Rakaya

Uncovering Ancient Artifacts is a very informational book by Rachael L. Thomas about the ancient artifacts that archaeologists have discovered over the years. Thomas starts out by putting in you in a scenario that engages you with the book. “You’ve poured over maps and ancient writing for many months…Your research brought you here.” Throughout the book, different ancient artifacts as well as describe different archaeological terms and processes, such as how archaeologists preserve artifacts. The book includes many interesting features and has a timeline that leads up to modern day archaeology where it talks about new laws around archaeology. The extra features and additions like the timeline, make it easy to understand and more interesting. The pictures really add a lot as there is less text so a lot of the space is filled with pictures. Uncovering Ancient Artifacts is really good for beginning information on the subject. I enjoyed learning about artifacts that I had heard about before but not gone in depth with yet. It was very fun and informative. If you want more specific and in-depth information, this is probably not the book you are looking for. All around, this book is a collection of some of the most famous archaeological advancements in uncovering ancient artifacts and an introduction to archaeology. Recommended.

Review by Viveka

The nonfiction book Camp Panda by Catherine Thimmesh contains information on pandas and how the numbers of their population is decreasing because of us and what we are doing. The book’s main purpose is to educate people on how we are harming panda’s home environment. The author did an excellent job in informing the readers. This book seems like it would target any age of readers since the information can be useful for anyone who would be interested in the topic. This book is filled with accurate and relevant facts. This book is also filled with many photos, almost every page has at least one picture relating to the topic. Along with interesting facts, this book is able to hook you on to the topic. Every chapter starts with the book asking/ talking to the reader about the chapter’s topic. Many chapter leads give you imagery inside your head. For example, “Deep in the forest, high in the mountains-amidst the evergreens, the firs, the spruces…” In general this is a good book and did a good job in informing readers on the topic of the panda’s population.

Review by Bao-Han

Have you ever wondered about one of Great Britain’s most famous Queens, Queen Victoria? Victoria, Portrait Of A Queen, By Catherine Reef is an amazing book with tons of information. The book tells Victoria’s life story, with information about her friends and family. This book has bonuses like a table of contents and a list all the Kings and Queens of Great Britain. With even more bonuses also! In the book there are direct quotes taken from letters and from Queen Victoria’s diary. The book also has many, many pictures, there is also paintings and artwork. Some of the artwork was made by her children. Now, from reading this book, I personally know a lot about Queen Victoria. This author writes with perspective and feeling. It feels like this author knows who she is talking about and feels the pain and joy. With over 200 pages filled with beautiful pictures and lots of information, this book will not disappoint. I Highly recommend this book to lovers of Great Britain and Biographies and Non-Fiction.

Review by Mia

Freedom Of The Press by Duchess Harris is a very informational book about the first amendment. It tells about important things the press has covered and things they weren’t allowed to cover. There is a part about crimes committed at Watergate that eventually caused a president to resign from office. There was information about several different people’s ideas on whether or not newspapers should be censored. There was a section about libel and what it is. There were parts about freedom and protecting people’s rights now as well as in the future. The book has many features including a table of contents, a timeline, a facts page, a glossary, an additional resources page, a source page and an index. It also had a bunch of pictures and was written in a way that made the book easy to read. The book seemed very accurate and thorough and had a lot of important information and text features. It had a bunch of call out boxes and information about the smaller topics that were mentioned. If you like learning about rights throughout history I would recommend this book to you.

Review by Janelle

If the reader of Greenglass House was intrigued by the house’s various elements and wants some background to the house itself, this may be the book for them.

In September 1810, Lucy Bluecrowne’s father bought a huge house on top of a hill overlooking a river. There her father planned to keep Lucy, her Chinese half-brother Liao, and her Chinese step-mother Xiaoming safe while he was off at sea. However, this was not to be. A pair of time-travelers looking for a conflagrationeer and a special ironmonger / weapons maker put Lucy and Liao in harms way.

The time travelers go back and forth through time wheeling and dealing with a supplier for their evil buyer/employer. If they fail, they will suffer greatly in reputation and physically. Then there are the innocents – Liao and Lucy who might not want to travel time for crooks.

As the story weaves in and out of time various features of the Greenglass house are recounted, to the reader, and why the features are in the house in the first place.

Winifred, Fred for short, finds herself being picked up from school by Children and Youth Services and taken into foster care. Fred finds herself miles away from Philadelphia, in Lancaster, with a women she does not know, Margery, and a non-stop barking dog in the neighbors yard. Fred’s mother has been arrested for stealing someone else’s prescription drugs from the drug store where she works. Fred is a ‘glass is half full’ kind of girl where her mother is concerned and believes her mother’s story that it was all a misunderstanding, an accident. Mom will be in jail for awhile and so Fred will be in foster care for at least a month. Fred soon finds herself standing up to a bully and getting suspended from her new school on her first day, helping another girl (Delia AKA Lardvark) who is being bullied by the same girl, and the inhumanely treated dog (Toby) next door.

All the characters are so well developed with intriguing backstories slowly spooned out over the course of the story readers will not want to put this book down! Why is Margery so understanding? Why does the neighbor treat his dog so poorly? Why does Larkvark allow the daily bullying to continue?

“Maybe everyone hid pieces of themselves until it was safe to bring them out and show them to someone else.” (180)