Just Grace gets invited to Grace F’s sleepover birthday party, which will be outdoors with sleeping bags and tents in her backyard.  Grace worries about bugs, bears, and mean older sisters.  Forgetting to make Grace F. a birthday card, Just Grace invents a ghost inside a recycling bin to deflect attention.  The small lie snowballs and soon the whole school begins lining up to “see” the ghost.  Grace doesn’t know how to let people know there is no ghost without admitting she made it up.  Just Grace has a practice sleepover with her dad in their own backyard and realizes there is nothing to worry about.  She also finds a way to solve the ghost problem.  Just Grace books are told in the first person narrative.  The books are filled with list and drawings to explain and illustrate Grace’s view of things.

Little Chick hops into the farmer’s house one night and uses his computer.  At first, she browses and purchases a few items.  The second night she buys more.  The farmer and his wife don’t know what to think when packages start to arrive.  Little Chick gets more comfortable and continues to order even more expensive and outrageous items.  When she orders a boat, all the other chickens take off on a trip.  All alone, Little Chick goes online again to find a friend.  She takes photos of herself to post online with her name and age.  Soon she finds a perfect friend.  Little Chick rushes off to meet her, without telling her mom and dad.  All dressed up, she waits at the appointed spot in the woods for her friend.  The last page shows a huge, cunning fox sitting next to a picnic blanket.  The contrast to the naive chick is startling.  What a perfect book for showing how easily one can feel comfortable using the internet, yet how important it is to stay safe online!  Large, colorful, full-page illustrations portray the fun and innocence of Little Chick, right up to the disquieting ending.  Targeted towards younger students, this is a great message for all ages.

Loula is tired of her rowdy, triplet brothers so she asks her parents to make her a sister.  They hesitate saying making a sister is like making a cake – it takes special ingredients.  As they reminisce,  they tell her she needs a mama and a papa, butterflies in the stomach, a full moon, hugs and kisses, a candlelit dinner, and chocolates.  Loula resolves to make herself a sister!  With the help of Gilbert, the family chauffeur, she sets about gathering the ingredients.  First on the list is chocolate and Gilbert knows just the place.  Then they go for butterflies.  That evening, under a full moon, they prepare the dinner, including Loula’s favorite cheese tartines (French open-faced sandwiches).  Loula gives her cat hugs and kisses and releases the butterflies.  When the recipe doesn’t seem to be working, Loula remembers the mama and papa and rushes off to get them.  When she returns, she discovers an enormous dog devouring the cheese tartines.  Loula sees the dog loves everything she does and decides this is her new sister.  Her parents point out that the sister is a mister.  But as Loula plays with, teaches, and picks up after her new “sibling”, she determines that mister is the best sister!  Ink and watercolor artwork beautifully illustrate this adventure.  I enjoyed the fun twist.

In previous stories, Tallulah has learned much about ballet.  Now she is excited because she and her brother are going to dance camp.  Once there, she finds she is also going to take the dreaded tap class.  She loves the grace of ballet and hates the clickety-clack noise of tap.  Her roommate, Kacie, loves tap and hates ballet.  Both like being skilled in their dance choice and dislike being corrected.  It’s Tallulah’s brother, Beckett, who helps them realize that although they both have their favorite styles, trying something new involves coaching.  It takes patience and a willingness to try.  The watercolor illustrations are a good complement to the text showing action and dance moves.

This another of Natasha Wing’s “The Night Before…” books.  Following the format of The Night Before Christmas by C. Clement Moore, the rhyming text shares the hopes and fears of a preschool boy.  On his first day, Billy mostly hangs back and watches.  The others enjoy singing, dancing, dressing up, playing outside, and eating snacks.  At nap time he can’t relax until one girl shares her plush bunny.  When his mom arrives at the end of the day with his teddy, Billy decides preschool is fun and he would be back!  Colorful, pleasant illustrations portray Billy’s worries and all the fun to be had at preschool.  Originally published in 2011, this delightful story is a re-issue.

After enduring all kinds of hugs from all kinds of friends and family members, Little Hog has had enough.  He posts a sign stating “Hogs Hate Hugs” and signs it Little Hog.  The others are shocked.  Mouse has an idea and she shares it with Mommy Hog.  Late one day, Little Hog is walking through the forest feeling a bit lonely.  When he hears strange sounds behind him, he glances around and sees a scary “monster” getting close!  Panicked, he starts to run.  Then the monster trips and his mother and all his friends tumble out.  Little Hog is so relieved he decides he loves hugs after all.  Colorful and expressive watercolor illustrations add humor and details to the story.

“Spy Guy was a spy.  But not a very good one.”  Spy Guy needs help so he goes to the Chief, his dad.  In short rhymes, the Chief gives advice.  To sneak, don’t speak or squeak.  Spy Guy’s attempts fall short.  Finally the Chief offers Spy Guy a challenge – to sneak up on him.  After several tries, Spy Guy gets a hint from a spider and surprises his Chief.  Mission accomplished!  One last rhyme provides a closing rule, “The secret to spying is to never stop trying.”  Illustrations are large and expressive with plenty of white space to showcase details.  There is a spider on every page, watching the trials of Spy Guy.  Its inclusion in the artwork adds detail and interest to the story without using words.

In a tale told in rhyme, two scarecrows, Betty O’Barley and Harry O’Hay, decide to marry.  After making a list of everything they will need for the wedding, they set off to gather them.  The geese give feathers for a dress, the cows have bells, a crab brings a necklace of shells, and mice find rings from a curtain.  The only thing left are pink flowers.  While Betty rests, Harry goes off to find them.  Meanwhile, the farmer notices Harry is gone and replaces him with Reginald Rake.  Reginald quickly begins to woo Betty by showing her how clever he is.  He foolishly lights a cigar and tries to blow smoke rings.  A small fire starts when he drops the cigar.  (Everyone knows smoking is harmful.)  Betty is in danger yet Reginald runs off in a panic.  Just in time, Harry returns with pink flowers in a pail of water.  Disaster is diverted and the wedding takes place as planned.  The artwork is bright and colorful, filled with additional details of the insects and small animals found in fields.

A journey through the music and lives of the most influential classical musicians, these illustrated biographies (First Discovery – Music) include a CD and fragments of the musicians’ most iconic compositions. Ludvig van Beethoven is easy to read with great illustrations and photographs and paintings from this time period. On each page there are also recommendations of creative activities.

Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Award winning author, has used a simple rope connecting generations of family history.  For three generations that rope is first used as a jump rope, then passed down as a rope to secure suitcases onto a car for a big move from South Carolina to New York City, then as a clothes line, a pull toy and a string to hold up a sign at a family reunion.  Even though this is a work of historical fiction, the story is based on the Great Migration that her family, and six million other African Americans, experienced over generations from the early 1900’s until the mid 1070’s.  The rope is a symobl of “Hope.”  Written with such insight and poetic grace, this thoughtful and moving piece of storytelling will linger in the hearts of the readers for a long time.  So will the beautifully done James Ransome illustrations.

Alex the Ant Goes to the Beach is a delightful adventure story that both entertains and educates the young listener or reader. Facts about ant natural history, such as scent trails, scout ants, and their diet of ‘Yummy mold’ grown on decaying wood, are introduced seamlessly. While the book teaches knowledge and facts about ants, it is also playful and engaging for young readers, including sound play, interesting word choices, and some suspenseful moments. Appealing, fun illustrations make this book a gem!

In this idealistic vision of our world as run by children, the Dillons envision a world of peace, fairness and kindness, where everyone’s basic needs would be met. No one would be hungry, and everyone would have a place to live. Sick people would have medicine, and good schools would be universal. Unsurprisingly, this world is populated with smiling, happy children of many skin tones, wearing clothing from all corners of the world and representing a variety of religions. The figures on each spread are painted against a bright white background, making the children pop off the page in contrast. Well-meaning but saccharine, it feels like a gesture rather than a call to action. Sentiments such as “No bullying would be allowed” and “Kids would love school” reveal a wistful adult rather than an enthusiastic child.

Excellent introduction to the history of the Washington Monument .  Discusses a short history and geography of Washington , D.C., and then tells about the lengthy time it took to build and complete it, and how it was built.  Includes pictures, glossary, more books to read and critical thinking questions using Common Core.

Have you ever had the feeling of frustration when you almost reach your goal?  In Absolutely Almost, Albie has that frustration all day every day.  He almost gets it but not quite.  The frustration turns to pain when his parents don’t understand why things are so hard for him, and that’s just at home.  Their expectations for him are high and they compare him to themselves and how they did at school.  There’s an ideal he can never live up to yet hears every day.  At school he is constantly teased and bullied because he doesn’t ‘get it’.  He isn’t one of the ‘cool’ kids, for sure, and he doesn’t even have a friend.  He is suspended from an elite private prep school because he doesn’t meet their rigorous academic standards (this is in NYC), and starts anew in a public school.  Once there, it’s the same thing all over again, but another throw-away kid, one with a defect, such as a stammer, becomes a lunch companion.  Albie’s life, as seen from his perspective, is a sad one indeed.  The book is sometimes funny to read, but it’s more sad when you realize Albie is just one of the many kids in schools who have trouble learning in the traditional way, and is unpopular because of it, and whose best friend moves away.  Life is a continual struggle for them.  Albie’s in fifth grade and because his parents have busy jobs, he has a nanny named Calista.  Albie thinks he’s too old for a babysitter, but Calista becomes much more than that.  Calista is the first person to really listen to Albie, to learn of his fears, and she gives him the confidence and strategies to overcome those fears and to learn to speak up for himself.  This is such a touching story, and Albie is a likeable character, that this book would make a great classroom read aloud with followup discussion on bullying,  and how to handle stress and painful situations.

When the late night talk show “Stranger Than Fiction” starts talking about a devil-boy that sneaks into the bedrooms of young girls and steals their dreams in a small Appalachian Mountains town, Violet thinks she might have located her missing boyfriend, River.  River hasn’t been heard from since he left last summer and now it’s Christmas.  Thus begins a road trip that will takes Violet and her friends from the Appalachian Mountains to the North Carolina coast and then to Colorado.

This is a haunting thriller that suggests that the devil may be found in 17 year old River Redding and maybe his half-brother Brodie.  This is the sequel and supposed conclusion to Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.  The ending makes me suspect that there might be yet another book in this series.

Willa’s story begins like an ideal family.   With a blended family from two separate economical situations, her stepfather Jack and his ex-wife seemed to want to ‘do what’s best for the girls’ – the ‘girls’ being Willa’s two stepsisters. Willa, the main character, slowly explains the real story.

Willa lives with her mother, stepfather, and two stepsisters. Always feeling left out, Willa cuts herself to relieve the stress she feels in her home. Willa’s mother has worked hard to give her a good family life, but her past comes back to haunt her. Willa’s biological father murders his current wife and their children and is coming for Willa, but he is caught and killed by the police. The horrible deaths of her family shakes Willa’s world and she is not sure who she is anymore.  With this the family explodes going separate ways.

Willa goes in search of herself when she travels to Texas to attend the funeral of her sisters and there she meets her brother.  During this story Willa learns heartache and truths about her family.  She learns to be thankful for what she has but also how to stand up for what she needs.  The story ended in a good place and made the reader feel like Willa would go on to be a well-rounded person because of her experiences.  It made me think it could be real.

– review by Jodie T.

Henwyn is a cheese-maker’s son who isn’t so adept at making cheese, but longs for heroic adventure.  After being left in charge of cheese making and making a total mess of things, Henwyn is kicked out of his village.  He strikes out looking for Princess Elunid, of whom he has heard was captured by a giant and aims to rescue her.  The stories he heard of her were decades old and she isn’t the young princess she once was.  Henwyn hooks up with Skarper, a goblin who was also tossed out of his clan, and together they make plans to break into a fortress which was long ago boarded up by an evil king but is said to contain riches beyond the imagination.  Fighting goblins and boglins, they both find the adventure they’ve only dreamed of.  Lots of action and clever twists, and the ending quite different than expected.  There aren’t any illustrations but the descriptions Reeve has given are more than enough to paint a vivid  picture in the reader’s mind.

Author, Roland Smith, brings his Crypid Hunters saga to a conclusion with this the fourth book in the series. It begins with a recap of the characters, followed by “The Crypid Hunters Saga so Far…”  which is wonderful, if you, like me, have been waiting for a year between book publications.

The revelation of the previous books’ unanswered questions takes place over the course of five days. Day one finds Marty, Grace, Ted, Dylan, Wolfe, and Luther all heading down to the jaguar preserve in the Amazon to finally locate Marty’s lost parents after their helicopter crash. On day two, we are introduced to FBI Agent Crow (from Sasquatch , copyright 1998) who hitches a ride on the trip down river to the jaguar preserve. Meanwhile, Wolfe heads out into the forest looking for the helicopter crash sight and is captured by three indigenous blow pipe carrying natives. Day three finds Luther looking for some fun on the edge of the jaguar preserve when he, also, is captures by three indigenous blow pipe carrying natives. Down river Noah Blackwood has given Yvonne and her three mercenaries the go ahead to kill Ted and Crow making it look like an accident. By day four, Luther finds himself in a guarded native hut with Wolfe looking for possible ways to escape, which doesn’t seem likely, as they are unfamiliar with their forest surroundings. Meanwhile, Marty, Grace, and Dylan misdirect Yvonne and her crew away from them by using newly found tracking devices which Marty has attached to his dragonfly robot. Then Marty, Grace, and Dylan track down the dinosaur hatchlings so Noah can’t get his hands on them for his private collection of exotic animals and crypids. And finally on day five, Noah Blackwood’s secrets reveal him to be linked back to a World War II research facility deep in the Amazon rainforest. There Noah has been cloning people : natives, his daughter(s), and himself in a bunker which Marty’s parent stumbled upon (three books ago) and their helicopter shot down to keep it a secret. Marty’s develops a plan to rescue Wolfe and Luther from the bunker by having Grace, Dylan, and the hatchlings ‘accidentally’ get captured and taken into the bunker so that he can learn the gate code to the electrified fence surrounding the bunker using the dragonfly bot. More twists follow, but the reader will be pleased with the ending.

In this day and age of urban and apartment living, the best part of this 11.25″ X 9.5″ book might just be the photos showing how immense farms can be.  The canned and frozen corn in the grocery store comes from fields in Minnesota (and other states). The wheat in your bread comes from North Dakota, cotton from Georgia, and oranges from California.

Each of these four crops has four pages devoted to it. The two  left pages are full-page photos of the crop itself and then the crop being harvested. While on the right page states the farms’ location and what the crop is used for is stated in 2 or 3 sentences per page.