A young boy and his father cross the border to Mexico every Saturday. Each week they cross the Rio Grande. On this visit they go to Tio Mateo at his jewelry store, plays soccer, has a sweet treat from the paletero, and visits the pharmacy. On their way back home, they make one more stop, they check in with and drop of supplies for friends on the bridge who are refugees and stuck between the United States and Mexico. The watercolor illustrations by Erika Meza are colorful and eye-catching.

In the 2nd Chicken Little book by Sam Wedelich, Chicken Little still asserts that she is not afraid of anything and definitely not a big bad wolf especially because she has never seen a wolf. One day Chicken Little and the wolf collide and Chicken Little runs away. While trying to decide what she saw and if she is afraid, the rest of the flock is debating fight or flight. Chicken Little decides to investigate why the wolf is always running and discovers that the wolf is just misunderstood and wants to belong.

Written in Spanish and English, a young girl recounts her visits with her abuelo in Cuba. On her visits they sell fruit in the street while singing the names of the fruit. Other vendors are singing about their wares as well. The girl’s favorite visit is on New Year’s Eve where she wishes for friendship between the two countries and more visits with her family. When she returns home she misses her abuelo, but knows that they can continue to sing rhymes through the letters they send each other. The colorful illustrations by Sara Palacios are vibrant. The author’s note at the end talks about Spanglish, travel restrictions between Cuba and the United States, the singing vendors in Cuba, and New Year’s Eve in Cuba.

A young girl and her cat are outside on a dark night when they see a firefly. The night starts to clear and they see stars in the sky. The book then starts to look at natural and artificial light. It introduces vocabulary with bold text and a glossary is included at the back of the book. The text is broken up with diagrams and illustrations. There is a lot of information in the book, but it does not always flow smoothly from one concept to another. It introduces a firefly at the beginning of the book, but does not talk about how a firefly produces light. The book does focus on how light behaves and how we see light. The illustrations complement the text and help further explain the concepts. Overall I think this book is a good introduction for explaining the concepts of light.

Hayden Vargas has the reputation around school of being “experienced“, and she also happens to be extremely attractive. The other girls may be jealous of her looks and hence spread these rumors, but regardless, she is sought out by a wallflower classmate Emmaline Martin, who wants to pay Hayden for lessons in seduction. Coming from a poor family with an alcoholic mother, and a deceased father, Hayden can’t pass up the chance to earn money so takes on the challenge. Emmaline’s handsome, popular jock brother Nolan gets in the way. He doesn’t want his sister’s reputation marred by being seen hanging out with Hayden. Before too long, however, Nolan falls for Hayden. Finally, he begins to defend her.

This story is filled with “slut shaming” of Hayden by the other girls, as well as by the golden-boy jock Nolan. Hayden tries repeatedly to defend herself from this slander but why should she have to? The reader never learns what it is that she actually did to earn this reputation. There is a reference is to making out with a boy in 8th grade. But the rumors have tanked her reputation.

The story is hard to read given the mean girls and the sexist, drunk, vulgar boys. There is also sexually explicit language and images.

Running refers to Marianna Ruiz’ father who is a US Senator running on the Republican ticket for US President. As a 15 year old Cuban American from a family of immigrants, Mariana faces a new reality. Public scrutiny, 60 Minute style tour of their home, tabloids printing doctored photos and made up scandals about the family. Marianna, who has led a sheltered and privileged life to this point, but as tensions rise in her family, Marianna begins to learn things about her father that she did not previously know.

As she learns more about her father’s political positions on environmental issues and immigration, her opinion of him changes. He is not the man she thought he was. It is normal for a teen to disagree with a parent’s views, but iMarianna found it very hard to stand up and speak out against her father with their family in the national spotlight.

Running is a good coming of age story, especially for students who are interested in politics and current affairs.

After the Shot Drops is an contemporary urban story regarding two friends Bunny and Nasir who have been best friends since childhood. But things change when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship at another school across town, leaving Nasir feeling abandoned and betrayed. It’s not all roses for Bunny, either, as he tries to fit in with his new, privileged mostly white peers. Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir doesn’t understand wonder why the people in their neighborhood are so ramped up over Bunny’s scholarship when Wallace is the one who needs help and support.

Things go south when Wallace makes a sport bet against Bunny, leaving Nasir in a miserable situation. He has to make an impossible, and potentially dangerous decision.

The story is told from alternating perspectives and deals with themes about the responsibilities of great talent, the importance of compassion, the value of friendship, the importance of family, and the need for courage in difficult situations. While basketball may be what hooks in the reader, and there is plenty of basketball in the novel, it is the relationships that make the story. This book will appeal to YA readers who enjoyed Slam, The Hate U Give, Hooper, All American Boys, or The Crossover.

Larry the Llama LOVES to dance. He is part of a herd and is “grey and unexciting”. He hides his love of bright colors and dancing from the rest but is sad as he cannot share this love with others. When others find out his secret he runs away and feels very alone and sad. After a while he finds a group hosting a carnival event where they dance and sing and have fun. He immediately feels at home. He wants to return home but what will the rest of his herd think? Find out when you read this book about how being different is exceptional.

As with the first 8 of the books in the series, book 9, Grime and Punishment will be popular with students who enjoy goofy humor and overall silliness. We meet up again with the half policeman, half dog only to find he has been fired from the police. With the help of his friends will he be able to become part of the again? With the creation of a personality amplifier helmet getting in the wrong hands of the evil Petey the Cat all chaos ensues. The entire town is attacked by not only Petey but a crazed, out of control, giant lunch sack!

This book is great for students who may not enjoy reading. It is an obvious must purchase if the series of popular at your school. With the multiple endings and flip animations elementary students who love graphic and comic books will enjoy this one.

When a family has their dinner and prepares for bed, what does a farm cat see and do? This picture book with rich colors, clean lines and pages where you see something new every time you read it is a lovely depiction of what a nocturnal pet can see while one is asleep. It also shows what an average family might do at night as well. With a clear progression from evening to bedtime, nighttime to morning, the author shows that life continues after one goes to sleep.

This book is another lovely, quiet, bedtime story. Parent will enjoy reading it to their student. Students will enjoy the readability and beautiful images.

Three good friends, a hippo, a worm and a lightbulb band together to form a secret society dedicated to their favorite animal, the rhino. They create a clubhouse and have meetings in order to work on becoming more “rhino-like” until one day Ivy knocks on the door with a plant delivery. Ivy is not the type of CHARGING, STRONG AND POWERFUL rhino they expect and they are surprised. When they invite her into the clubhouse for lunch they realize that what they truly enjoyed about their secret society was the making and sharing of snacks and sandwiches so they decide to open a sandwich shop instead.

This is a sweet story about three friends who realize they are creative individuals as they are and do not have to try to become something else in order to have fun and be successful.

Beetle is a goblin-witch who lives with her grandmother. She studies hard with her grandmother but does not attend school. Beetle is a lonely character who regularly goes to the mall and meets up with her ghost friend, Blob Ghost. BG is anchored in some way to the mall and cannot leave. When her childhood friend, Kat, returns from private witch school Beetle finds out Kat’s aunt is purchasing the land that the mall is on plans on tearing it down to build the family home on. What will happen to BG? Beetle has to solve the mystery as to why Blob Ghost cannot leave the mall. She also wants to reconnect with Kat and become friends (possibly more) again.

While this graphic novel is labeled grades 3 – 6 in Titlewave I would level it at grades 5 – 8 as there is a young romance between Beetle and Kat with kissing. This is a cute book that would be a nice addition to any middle school library.

Another sports fiction book from Mike Lupica for students to enjoy. The Turnover is a multi-generational sports story with a little mystery mixed in. Lucas is part of an all-star youth basketball team that is coached by his grandfather, a former college player himself. He thinks the world of his grandfather who has been a big part of his life since his father died when he was very young. While the story revolves around the success of the team and a possible championship future it is also intertwined with the story of Lucas and his Gramps. He is given an assignment to write a biography about someone who is not in Lucas’ immediate family and thus his Gramps is a perfect person to write about. Why is it then that Gramps does not want to be researched. What is in his past that he wants to keep secret?

Like most of Lupica’s books, I enjoyed this one as well. Titlewave recommends The Turnover to grades 4 – 6 but I feel that readers up to 8th grade, even reluctant ones, would enjoy this title, especially if they like basketball.

Trevor loves to play war based video games, especially ones based on World War II. This is because his great-grandfather fought in Europe and was part of the liberation of a town in France. Jacob has a very close relationship with his great-grandson Trevor and tells him stories about his experiences during the war. When Jacob is invited to France to be recognized for his involvement in liberating the town he invites is grandson and great-grandson to follow his footsteps through Europe ending in the town. While in France, Trevor soon realizes they are being followed by people who don’t really want them to be there. These followers begin to sabotage their experiences making it dangerous for the three of them to be in France and Jacob starts to become anxious about going to the town. What will happen when they arrive? Will it be safe? and will Trevor’s beloved great-grandfather have the closure he truly needs.

This was a great multi-generational story that many would enjoy. While Titlewave labels it as grades 3-6 I feel that readers up to 8th grade would like this story, especially ones who are familiar with Korman’s prior titles.

If you enjoyed Esperanza Rising you will enjoy this one as well. While this title has the feel of a fantasy at times in reality it is a realistic fiction of a young man who is a dedicated soccer player in Mexico. Not only does Max enjoy soccer he loves his father and grandfather who are often coming and going from the house for extended times because of their jobs. When Max’s dad has to travel to another town to get a copy of his birth certificate so he can try out for the elite soccer team, Max searches through his fathers belongings to see if he can help find the documentation he needs. He soon realizes there is a mystery behind his birth and where his mother is. When someone comes to the house needing help and is grandfather and father are both away, Max volunteers to help even though he knows little about what to do.

This is another great book by Pam Munoz Ryan that many will enjoy. I would highly recommend purchasing this book for your library.

Close friends, sloth and squirrel decide to get jobs as pickle packers so they can earn money to purchase a bike. They run into some issues when squirrel goes too fast and sloth goes too slow. Their work becomes disastrous and soon they find themselves sadly, without jobs. Working together, these unlikely friends must find a way to earn money for a bike.

This is a story that will make you smile. It focuses on teamwork, determination and perseverance. The artwork is fun and inviting and makes you want to read it again.

Given an assignment in art class to draw what you love, Sophia struggles until her teacher explains “perspective” and what it means in art. When she completes her project she is so proud that she want’s to put it up on the refrigerator. This entails going to the family “committee” to see if it is acceptable. Each committee member questions if it is quality enough until grandmama who finally sees Sophia’s perspective.

This is a beautiful story that teaches ways to see art from different points of view. It also show determination and family. The artwork is bright and engaging. It was an enjoyable book. Your school art teacher will enjoy this addition to the school library.

When X comes to school he finds out that his alphabet class is going on a camping field trip!Having never gone camping before he is unsure as to what to bring. First he thinks of an x-ray machine (0f course) and then a xylophone but when those two items don’t work out what does he do? As all of the alphabet letters start filling the bus with their supplies X is at a loss. What happens will make you smile.

This fabulous alphabet book has wonderfully expressive letters who show true friendship and happiness. This will be a great read-a-loud for youngers learning their alphabet. So fun!