The U.S. Civil War is part of the A Chronology of a Divided Nation series. Also included in this series are The Battle Over Slavery, Yankees and Rebels, and the novel The Songs of Stones Rivers. The series includes chronology, biographies, and cause and effect.

The U.S. Civil war title includes time lines, info-graphics, color illustrations and black and white photographs, maps, a glossary, an index, references to text and web resources, and questions aligned with the Common Core.

The Untold Story of the Black Regiment is part of a series including The Untold Story of the Battle of Saratoga, The Untold Story of Henry Knox, and The Untold Story of Washington’s Surprise Attack. Written for mid-elementary aged students, this particular title tells the inspiring story of the black soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War.  Many people do not that black soldiers fought in this war of independence, only to never realize freedom in their own lifetimes.

This book contains info-graphics, timelines, color paintings and maps, a glossary and index, and text and web references for further reading.

This is part of The Revolutionary War series that also includes Battle for a New Nation: Causes and Effects of the Revolutionary War, Patriots and Redcoats: Stories of American Revolutionary War Leaders, and A Rebel Among Redcoats: A Revolutionary War Novel.T

This title includes info-graphics, sidebars, fact boxes,  definitions, critical thinking questions, a table of contents, glossary, referrals to other books and internet sites, and an index.

Andrew Luck is the son of a professional football player and was a standout quarterback for Stanford, and was the first player chosen in the 2012 football draft.  Chosen by the Indianapolis Colts, Luck was to be the golden boy to deliver them to the promised land.  Luck set new records in his first year, but in four years he has not yet gone to the big game.  Luck is one of the premiere players in the league.  This book will be a big hit for boys in particular who are in grades three through five, who are just getting interested in sports.  Andrew Luck is a great role model for them to hero-worship.

T. A. Barron is a prolific writer and student of all things relating to Merlin.  In this small book, Barron has condensed the secret to a happy life in seven little words: Gratitude, Courage, Knowledge, Belief, Wonder, Generosity, Hope, and Love.  Sounds pretty easy, but to paraphrase Confucius, ‘life is simple, it’s people who make it confusing.’  And Barron seems to adopt this philosophy. After reading his book, it seems to be accurate.  We need to stop and think about what we have, what we need, who we need, and so on.  These seven words pretty much convey everything in life that is important.  This would be a perfect gift for a young adult, or someone who is confused and floundering.  It’s a great recipe for life.

This Christmas themed book is a spin off of “Where’s Waldo” with six characters to find on each page layout in addition to a list of toys to locate. It includes 15 colorful Christmas puzzles of searching for the hidden objects and characters. An answer key is included in the back of the book. This is a fun search and find book that will entertain primary readers.

Callum, a teenager who deliberately failed the Iron Trial, wants no part of the magic taught at the Magisterium. However, even with the lowest scores possible, Callum is selected to attend the school against his will. Teamed up with two other teens, Tamara and Aaron, the group will develop their magical skills through completing the most challenging tasks. The masters of the school are pleased to finally, after many, many years, find a Makar in the teenage group that will have the strength to battle the Evil leader. However, what Callum learns about himself is the greatest twist of all. This book is very action packed, keeping the reader wondering. Harry Potter fans will love the parallel events!!

There seems to be a disconnect with the age of kids who play with My Little Ponies and the age of the reader of My Little Pony; the reading age is higher.  Also, this is volume 7 of 8 and I haven’t had the opportunity to read the previous installments, so judging solely on this volume, I think it’s a pretty dark story.  Does My Little Pony really need to be in graphic novel form?  Really?  This is not something I would recommend school libraries spend their money on.

Eloise is a poor little rich girl who lives on the top floor of a hotel with a nanny and a tutor.  When her tutor comes to give her a math lesson, she gives him a hard time and is very disrespectful.  Not much is accomplished by the time it’s over, but the picture at the end does leave the impression that Eloise is smarter than she lets on.  As an elementary school teacher/librarian in a difficult school, this attitude really bothers me.  Eloise is allowed to get away being rude, disrespectful and uncooperative.  Granted, her tutor seems kind of lame; he must know what she’s going to do, yet he continues in the same manner.  Where is his creativity and love of learning?  I see this as a bad example of behavior and I hope kids don’t copy it.  I can also see it being funny if read by kids who are not like Eloise.  Beautiful illustrations.  Great reinforced binding, but pricey.

In this beginning to read book, the main character is a Hispanic girl who wants to get noticed.  She is tired of being lumped together with her two sisters.  When school picture day comes, she plans to stand out by borrowing her aunt’s big pink bow for her hair.  It does make her stand out and she does get noticed.  Very simple story.  There are some highlighted Spanish words which are also basic and a Spanish glossary.  Will probably purchase the other Sophia Martinez books.

In this Disney book, Minnie and the twins substitute as magicians for Penguini when he has to leave to get a bowtie.  All goes well until they make the audience disappear. Penguini comes back and fixes everything.  Very beginning readers, especially girls, will enjoy this Disney book; it’s colorful and has familiar characters.  It is also has library reinforced binding which will help it withstand the rigors of young children.  I think it’s a good book, however, the cost prohibited me from giving it an R rating.

Meta-Rise picks up right where Bot Wars, book one, left off.  Trout St. Kroix has found his long lost father and brother and has joined their team.  Trout’s dad is now the leader of the revolution; he’s half human and half robot and can see both sides of the issue.   This story is science fiction and futuristic in that robots do most of the heavy work humans used to do.  They even have human emotions.  But there is a division of alliances: one side is for making them unfeeling, as they were to begin with, and the other side to give them rights, as humans do.  What started as a disagreement and now evolved into an all out war, and as with any war, there are splinter groups trying to become leaders.  Mr. St. Kroix, the leader, has to watch his back as others try to jockey into position to take over.  Now it’s a question of who you can trust on your side.  The outline for this war story could take place anytime, anywhere.  Kade has chosen the future and as such uses technology that is believable.  Again, as with the first book, action is fast-paced and the characters are interesting, however, too much robot slang for my taste.  I wouldn’t mind some new, creative vocabulary introduced instead.

“Butterflies,

frogs, sharks, and

humans all begin life as

an egg. So does almost every

other animal. The eggs of some

creatures–including most mammals

–are nurtured inside their mother’s

body, where they develop into babies

that are born alive. But many more animals

lay their eggs — either one at a time, by

the dozens, or by the millions. Eggs come

in  a  fantastic  range of  sizes,  shapes,

and colors. Animals that lay eggs bury

them, carry them, guard them, or

simply leave them alone. And

each egg contains everything

needed to create a new

living creature.”

So begins Steve Jenkins & Robin Page’s latest book – EGG. This book might just be what every young reader wants to know about eggs, but was not sure to ask. Jenkins and Page share 54 different creatures which emerge from eggs from the millions of possibilities: fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and mammals. Too bad an index was not included or this would be an even better reference book for young readers.

Some of the eggs are shown life size(with magnification to show detail), while others are not. The egg is shown with an adult creature, too.  The size of an egg does not determine the size of the adult creature. Unusual locations for where eggs are laid are shared, as well as, how many eggs , who eats eggs, egg protection, egg packaging, carrying eggs, incubation, getting out of an egg, and inside an egg.

After the usual Jenkins’ picture/text format, at the back of the book are 54 thumbnail size pictures of the adult animal with its length, habitat, and diet. These are in alphabetical order.

Ursula Vernon, the creator of the Dragonbreath series, has another winner with Castle Hangnail! This book is twice the length of the Dragonbreath books for twice the fun.

Castle Hangnail is a proper ‘evil’ castle, full of dark dread because it is in need of a new master or mistress. If a new master does not come forward soon the Board of Magic will decommission the castle. Bedecked in a silver vulture necklace, 12 yr. old Molly knocks on the castle door to fill the position. Majordomo, the castle’s guardian, answers the door questioning whether 12 yr. old Molly is or should be the new mistress. He has his misgivings about her qualifications, but Molly does have an official invitation in her possession. There are five tasks the Board of Magic insist the new master must complete. Molly starts by looking for a book of spells in the castle’s library so she can prove she is a wicked witch. Soon, Molly discovers a spell for turning a cow into a dragon. She substitutes a word here and a hair there and is able to turn a local farmer’s donkey into a dragon.  The old cranky farmer makes up his mind to retire from farming and move to the big city to live with his daughters. This fulfills two of the tasks Molly needs to complete.

When the Castle Hangnail’s plumbing falls apart, through no fault of her own, Molly , as master of the castle, must get it repaired. The plumber’s bill is enormous. Molly enlists the help of the moles living under the castle’s grounds. The moles search for hidden treasure (36 old coins and 9 glass bottles, etc.) in exchange for some of Molly’s magic. Meanwhile, a real estate developer tries to buy the castle from Molly. No way. Two days later, the real estate developer breaks into the barn. Molly catches him trying to light matches and set the hay on fire. Molly’s shadow spell causes him to run away in fear.

Now three of the four tasks are completed. Suddenly, Evil Sorceress Eudaimonia shows up to claim the castle for herself. It was her invitation Molly gave to Majordomo, after all. Molly and her castle’s five minions ban together to fight off Eudaimonia. Molly uses her dark shadow to terrify Eudaimonia and take over the castle once and for all. The Board of Magic installs Molly as the master of Castle Hangnail.

Now all Molly has to worry about is whether or not her parents will let her stay there. After all, Molly is only 12 yr. old, but Molly’s friend and minions have a plan for that.

Fast paced, always wondering what will happen around the next corner, and minions that include: a pair of Minotaurs (Angus & Cook), a talking sewing stuffed doll (Pins) with a pet goldfish, and a talking walking suit of armor (Sir Edward), helped out by the castle’s bats and moles make for an exciting read!

Ahoy, mateys!  A selection of well-loved Mother Goose rhymes have been taken over by pirates!  Black Beard and scallywags stomp and roar about pirates and treasures.  “Yo-ho, pirate! Have ye any gold?  Yes, sir!  Yes, sir!  Three bags told!”  Grab your eye patch and parrot and join in some swashbuckling sea chanteys!

In this adventure of Loula, she overhears her mother say, “I can’t live with that MONSTER anymore!” and Loula immediately assumes she is talking about Loula’s dog, Mister, a Great Dane.  Loula knows Mister is a little too undisciplined most of the time and is determined to change his behavior – and quickly!  She enlists the help of Gilbert, the family chauffeur, and they take Mister through a series of lessons so Mother will allow him to stay.  Villeneuve’s water color and ink illustrations are amusing as they show each attempt and failure of trying to teach Mister some manners.  When they wearily return home, they discover Mother carrying a monstrous Venus Fly Trap out of the house!

A boy can’t wait for his father to return each summer.  His dad was a great pirate and would tell tales of the crew and their terrific adventures aboard their ship called Hope.  One summer, his father did not return home.  After receiving a telegram, his mother told him they were going to take a trip to see his dad.  They did not end up at the sea as he expected.  They ended up in Belgium.  He learned his father was a miner, not a pirate, and the mine in which he had been working collapsed, killing many.  His father was not dead, but the boy’s faith in his dad, the pirate, did.  When his father returned home to stay, the boy loved him as much as before, but still did not understand why his dad lied.  Later, when a letter arrived saying the mine was closing, the boy’s family returned to Belgium.  The boy noticed, for the first time, his dad’s boarding house was named “Hope”, which shook when the wind blew, like a ship on the seas.  His father had always wanted to be a sailor but could find no jobs on the sea.  When meeting his dad’s old friends, the boy noticed the similarities between them and the “sailors” in his dad’s stories.  Then he knew, his dad was, and always had been, a great pirate.  Imagining life on the seas had saved his dad and his “crew” when they had to find work underground.  An author’s note tells how, after WWII, many Italian workers could only find work as miners in Marcinelle, Belgium.  In 1956, a coal mine fire is remembered as one of Italy’s worst mining catastrophes.  Quarello’s expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations are a great match with this poignant tale of the love and imagination of a young boy’s father.

This book follows a child and her mother on a visit to an apple orchard where they take apples through the cider making process. They pick apples, wash them, put them in a shredder, help press the apples, then fill the jugs with cider. Then they attend the festival where there are many different kinds of apple dishes including muffins, pie, cobbler, fritters and more. Sweet illustration help describe the cider process.

Zig is a small, blue creature who lives in a lonely, rainy world. He grabs hold of a red umbrella and is carried away by the wind to a faraway place. He meets a tiny bird that needs his help to conquer a big roaring creature and free the tiny bird’s friends. The bird is so grateful for Zig’s help that a friendship develops, and Zig isn’t lonely any more. This book has very colorful illustrations.

The school dance is going to start, but Little Piggy is worried because all the other animals can moonwalk, cha-cha, boogaloo, etc… But Little Piggie is told by his Daddy, his Mummy, his grandma and grandpa, and his brother and sister that, “Us piggies, we’ve got no moves.” Soon Little Piggie believes what his family has told him. With a heavy heart, he attends the dance and watches the animals move to the music. Suddenly, his tail begins to twitch and twirl, and he starts moving across the floor joining the animals in their dances, and discovers he has a dance of his own. This is a great story to encourage students to disregard negative comments that others might say, and believe in themselves.

It is the day before the vegetable competition at the local harvest fair, and Max Monroe and the ghost of his great-uncle work together as a detective team to solve the mystery of the Zamboni sisters’ missing giant zucchini. They investigate people around town including Mr. Jordan who really wants to win the contest this year, and Edwena Whacker who makes the most delicious zucchini bread. Together they find clues to solve the mystery. This fun little mystery book is book two in the Ghost and Max Monroe series.

Dandy is very worried about the fifth grade spelling bee because his family has a history of winning the contest. When Dandy steps on stage and starts spelling, crazy things happen to interrupt him. The speakers buzz loudly, the microphone cuts in and out, and then thousands of bees swarm the auditorium making it impossible for Dandy to compete. Malcolm, his best friend, realizes that the contest is being haunted and the boys go into action to stop the spelling bee specter. This is book number 19 in the Ghost Detectors series. This is a fun story of the two ghost detector friends.

The eleventh book in the Faerieground series, it brings loyalty, trust, friendship and love into this fantasy of a war between the faeries and the crows. The faerie heroes go to battle to free the faerie Queen, Soli. This book ends in the midst of the war, leaving the reader to turn to book twelve for the conclusion. The illustrations are amazingly detailed watercolor images. The text is very simple, appealing to the low level readers as well as the reluctant readers.

The Prince of Peas is a parody of the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea. The art work makes this an excellent picture book to use with high school art students. The numerous inferences throughout the story both in text and illustration make this story  for a mature audience, rather than an elementary reader*.

“Princess Antoinette [ a rabbit] has decided to wed. The idea has been growing like a pea in her head.” The first prince, possible groom, is musician Prince Tristan [a cat]. He spends the night of the party playing with the musicians in the band, instead of holding Antoinette’s hand. Then, he fails the pea test under the seven mattresses because his dog does not like heights. The second prince, Prince Victor [a boar] finds his bed too skimpy, so goes out to sleep with his war horse. Antoinette gives the search for a prince one more try. Prince Philippe [a stag] is spotted saving a cat from drowning. after the ball Antoinette and Philippe hold ‘hand(s) as they bounce on his bed.” All the bouncing on the bed lets Queen Louise [a crow] know this is the right spouse for her daughter. “Antoinette is so happy, so pleased to be wed, that another idea takes shape in her head. [a page turn] The months, they pass by, the idea grows and grows… into a new little Prince with a pea for a nose!”

*The little prince has a green pea for a nose, one rabbit ear and one stag antler.   So my question is, did author Sylvie Chausse mean for this to be a simple retelling of the classic Princess and the Pea? If so, is Sylvie Chausse happy with the illustrations that lead me to think there is a hidden meaning, dealing in favor of interracial marriage, on the part of the illustrator Anne Letuffe. That aside, the illustrations are mixed media, using layers of drawn art with fabric for clothing , maps, textured paper, photos of actual peas and pea plants.