Co-authors Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige alternate chapter by chapter the star roles of Scarlett and Vivi, a senior and freshman respectively at Westerly College. Scarlett is aiming to become her sorority’s president while Vivi doesn’t even think the sorority life is her thing. But Vivi is destined to become a Raven, the nickname for the Kappa Rho Nu sisters. The Ravens are witches, each specializing in one of four powers, but bound in sisterhood, they can also draw upon the other powers. And sisterhood is the most important part of being in this sorority — above all else. Vivi arrives on campus, against her mother’s pleas, and is drawn to attend a party at the Kappa house. Vivi and Scarlett clash immediately. The current president assigns Scarlett as Vivi’s magic mentor, setting up internal struggles for both girls. But a previous mistake by Scarlett will bring evil magic to Westerly and all Ravens will need to work together to fight it off. This is the beginning of a series, though it reads like a stand-alone. Those readers who like the motif of sisterhood above all else or who are fans of magical tales with spooky spells, ancient myths and tense scenes will probably enjoy this tale.
Under Shifting Stars by Alexandra Latos
This novel is full of complex family dynamics within one household. Twins, Claire & Audrey, are very different – even their zodiac signs are different because they were born on totally different days; this has always allowed them to be individuals and not automatically seen as a duo. Within the past year, their family has lost a son and brother; they are all faced with tremendous grief and dealing with that grief in different ways. The twins no longer attend the same school because Audrey in not neuro-typical, but her main goal is to try to get back to the school her sister attends. Claire is desperately trying to figure out who she is and whether or not her body matches her gender identity. As the family attempts to deal individually, they begin to realize that the healing cannot happen unless they do it together.
I enjoyed the book; however the way that the author discussed all of the gender and sexual identity confusion made me feel like I was reading a textbook – terms blatantly defined rather than shown through development. I do feel many teens, and even adults, will easily relate to the emotions and feelings presented in this novel.
Sara and the Search for Normal by Wesley King
Seventh grader Sara Malvern wants one thing in life: to be normal. Called Psycho Sara by her classmates and a target of bullying, she battles anxiety, a bipolar disorder and depression. She continually refers to herself as being crazy. Troubled by her mental illness, she stops talking to most people, isolating herself even more. But then she meets talkative Erin in her group therapy class. Erin accepts Sara for who she is, calls her “bestie,” invites her over, and labels her a “star child.” Together these best friends build each other up using the tenets of star children. Reminiscent of Freak and Max from Freak the Mighty, this story of friendship and acceptance has the reader’s heart bleeding one moment and laughing the next. Other themes include family dynamics and abuse.
The cover is intentionally dark to represent the many dark themes in the book, but I believe the cover will keep readers from picking up the book on their own. It may need to be “sold” through book talks or by pairing it with OCDaniel by the same author.
Cardi B Groundbreaking Rap Powerhouse
Cardi B has risen to the top of music world with her determination, her showmanship and her shock value — two positives, one negative, postive wins. This is the love/hate relationship that seems to surround her. Love her rhythm, hate her lyrics. Love her come up from dancing on tables for money, hate her overt sexual overtones. The same love/hate follows with this text. Love that there is something relatively easy for students to grab and be interested in, hate the overly simplistic tone. High school students will feel like the language is dumbed down. Abdo is a strong publisher and while there are interesting sidebars, references and bibliography at the back, most student probably won’t linger there. The colorful pictures will entertain but the drama that is Cardi, the voice that is Cardi, is not reflected in this chronology of her life. Therefore this is an additional purchase for libraries that can afford it.
Defying the Nazis: The Life of German Officer Wilm Hosenfeld
What was it like to grow up in a strict German Catholic family in the early 1900s? This work chronicles the life of Wilhelm Hosenfeld – a teacher, husband, father, thinker, leader and always a man with a Christian conscious.
Wilm Hosenfeld embraced the Wandervogel message that, “German youth wanted to shape their own lives, through self-determination, self-responsibility, and inner truthfulness.” He embraces the youth hostiles, competitions and camaraderie with people his age. WWI erupts and he proudly volunteers to join the Prussian infantry and fights on Flanders Field for the fatherland. By 1918 he was tired and disillusioned with war and happy to return to his studies to become a teacher.
He meets his future wife at a Wandervogel meeting. Their shared interests include art, literature, music and the outdoors though they came from very different backgrounds: Catholic versus Protestant, upper class vs villager.
By 1923 Wilm establishes a night school in his village. It offered course once a week in the evenings to persons ages 15 to 25 in economics, history, civics, German language and literature. He wanted to captivate the minds of those engaged “in work that requires brute force”, exposing them to an awareness of the outside world and not just their rural area.
The change in German leadership in 1933 to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, led by Adolf Hitler, Wilm Hosenfeld believed would put an end to Germany’s problems. He joined the SA. However his beliefs are in conflict with Nazi’s cruelties. Who can he trust? Can he challenge those in charge? What will happen to his family? He helps those he can. But he cannot help every one. He is captured and tried as a war criminal by the Russians yet his moral and ethical compass always remained intact. Wilm “saw each person as a fellow equal human being”.
Among many awards and recognitions postumusually given Wilm these two stand out: in 2007 he was awarded The Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restitula by then Polish President Lech Kaczynski and in 2009 Wilm Hosenfeld was recognized with the Jewish honor as a “Righteous Among the Nations”. This young readers edition will be picked up by students who enjoy the details of this time period in history.
Insects by the Numbers: A book of infographics by Steve Jenkins
Steve Jenkins has done it again. This is a science book that every budding entomologist will love and so will those readers that aren’t super fans. Aspects of the insect world are brilliantly and succinctly described using simple infographics, illustrations and spare text. This book is chock-full of facts presented in an accessible way. Includes glossary, bibliography and table of contents. Buy this book right away. Highly Recommended.
Wreck This Picture Book: How to Make a Book Come to Life by Keri Smith
Wreck This Picture Book: How to Make a Book Come to Life is hilarious! Keri Smith’s definition of ‘wreck‘ is most likely different from your definition of ‘wreck‘. Keri Smith most likely means dilapidated rather than damaged. Books are not meant to simply sit on shelves. Books are living, breathing things that want to go on adventures. A book is waiting for a person to love it, take it everywhere with him, and do everything with him. Now that is how a book becomes dilapidated or a wreck. How many of you enjoy the feeling of holding a book, touching it’s paper, smelling it, and / or hearing the sound of its pages while they are being flipped? These are the actions books are waiting for to bring them to life according to Keri Smith. Now as a librarian and former elementary school teacher there are a few actions in this book that scare me: taste, fold, roll, fly, wear, drop, bump, spin, read it upside down… but if the book belongs to the child- why not? As a librarian and former elementary school teacher we want children to LOVE books, right? As a librarian, I always knew a book was enjoyed or truly loved when it came back dilapidated and falling apart, or “WRECKed” in Keri Smith’s words.
Keri Smith’s photographed 3-D textured, art style is fun and whimsical to behold! The books with faces on them remind me of Mr. Potato Head. The people made from wine corks are adorable. Plus, there are directions for how to make these cork people inside the book jacket. The front and back end papers each have a different list of items to locate inside this book.
“YOU CAN TELL A WELL-LOVED BOOK BY HOW WRECKED IT IS. HOW DOES THIS ONE LOOK NOW?”
Kitties on Dinosaurs by Michael Slack
If you need a story about never giving up, this story fits the bill.
Three cute cuddly kittens have conquered climbing everything on their island. Off in the distance, Dinosaur Island will be their next challenge, even though the narrator tries to talk them out of it. On their fourth try, ( the narrator tried to convince them to stop trying) the kittens succeed in getting to the top of the T. Rex, triceratops, and the brontosaurus. Ahhh, sweet success! This is short lived though when the kittens find out they have only climbed the island’s baby dinosaurs. The mother dinosaurs are not happy about it. BUT this is a success story. The kittens do not give up, even with the narrator’s objections.
My one problem with this story is Michael Slack’s choice of dinosaurs. The T. Rex was a fine choice. The triceratops was scary in appearance, but a plant eater back in his day. The brontosaurus was also a plant eater and other than its enormous height, not scary. Michael Slack draws them to be snarling scary dinosaurs. As the mother of a young boy who had me read every nonfiction dinosaur book to him in his elementary school’s library, I wonder just how many other children will notice this poor choice for frightening dinosaurs.
Jeanie & Genie: the First Wish, written by Trish Granted and illustrated by Manuela Lopez
Jeanie is a model student in her Rivertown Elementary School 2nd grade class – she’s quiet, attentive and follows all the rules. One day, a new girl named Willow joins the class. Willow is not like Jeanie at all! She’s talkative, messy, creative and a genie. Yep, a genie! Of course, Jeanie is the only one that knows and that’s because the girls became great friends first. What will happen next?
This first book in a series serves as a nice introduction to these likable, unlikely friends. Pencil illustrations are scattered throughout and the text is well-spaced and larger, making this an appropriate read for those earlier chapter book readers. The characters are diverse and fun and the story flows nicely. This is a nice addition to collections that need an update. Recommended.
Cat Has a Plan by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Fred Blunt
Cat and Dog each have plans and they involve a stuffed dinosaur and each other. There is some jealousy at play here as Cat and Dog take turns stealing a well-loved stuffed dinosaur from each other. Masks, traps, nets and sacks are used as they go back in forth in ownership of the dino. Finally, a plan goes awry and the poor stuffed dinosaur falls into Mouse’s hole. Mouse is thrilled with his new toy. Cat and dog are sad for a while, but quickly hatch a plan to work together. They realize that they can both act and with their masks, they stage a play to earn money to each buy a new stuffed dinosaur. Now, everyone (Mouse, Cat and Dog) are happy!
This Ready-to-Read early reader has about 100 words and those words are listed at the beginning of the book along with a note to adults and encouragement for the reader. At the end of the story, there are some simple questions to enhance learning, if necessary. Illustrations are bright and exuberant. This cute little book will start young students on their way to a future as readers. Recommended.
Max & Mo’s Science Fair Surprise by Patricia Lakin, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont
Best friends Max and Mo, the art class hamsters, watch as the “the big ones” put together their science projects and decide to do one of their own. They use physics they learn from one science fair poster to escape from their cage. After some research, which includes another science fair poster and a cool book about plants, they decide to put observe plant growth. These clever little rodents find their materials in the art room odds and ends bin and get to work. After a few days, their beans begin to sprout and they note the growth. They are doing a science fair project! And, the best part is that they get to participate in the school science fair with the kids. Nice work! The story ends with a directions for a simple science project for the inspired readers.
Max and Mo are likable class hamsters, who show would-be scientists how to work together and make things happen in the classroom. Illustrations are bright and fun and the this level one reader has a mixture of sight words and words to sound out and is a fun introduction to science projects. Recommended.
The Beak Book by Robin Page
This book is takes a close look at twenty one different birds’ beaks, their shapes and uses. Some beaks are for filtering and others are for crushing or tossing. Each beak is described and pictured in colorful detail. Budding ornithologists will devour the information in this book and will never look at birds (or beaks) the same way again.
The last few pages include size comparisons with the average adult human, where the birds live and what they eat. There is also a short bibliography and further reading noted on the last page. Highly recommended.
This is the Path the Wolf Took by Laura Farina and illustrated by Elina Ellis
Gabe is reading stories to his little sister and they begin somewhat familiarly. Red Riding Hood, The Three Pigs and other fairy tales flow from his book. But, then the stories always take a turn – to Sir Gabriel saving the day! While this is a totally satisfying way to end a story in Gabe’s mind, his sister has other ideas. She like the scary wolf and the ‘bad stuff’ that happens. But, Gabe doesn’t feel the same way.
Unfortunately, Gabe’s versions are a little boring and he realizes that there has to be some excitement and adventure in order to make the story work. Of course, everyone still lives “happily ever after”.
Fans of fractured fairy tales will enjoy this mix of familiar stories and young readers will delight in naming each as Gabe and his sister waltz through each tale. Cartoon like digital illustrations enhance the fun and Sir Gabriel, even though he is nervous, will still save the day! Additional purchase for those that want to refresh their fractured fairy tales.
The Whole Hole Story. Written by Vivian McInerny and illustrated by Ken Lamug
Zia has a hole in her pocket. This might be a problem for others, but not for Zia. The hole falls out of her pocket and grows. This might be scary for any other child. But, Zia knows that this is her imagination and she is in control. Therefore, there is nothing to be afraid of when she falls through the hole (somewhat Alice in Wonderland-ish). She turns that hole into a whole series of adventures. It transforms from a fishing hole to a swimming hole to a watering hole (complete with lions, giraffes and more) to many more holes and fun. Finally, she decides to take a rest on a tree branch and watches the hole shrink down small enough to fit back into her pocket, thus ending the Whole Hole Story.
This story is a heartwarming take on imaginative play from a child’s perspective and is reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon as Zia directs her tale. She is a confident young Black girl, who blithely moves from one adventure to the next. Illustrations are bright, bold and cartoon-like. Young readers will certainly enjoy hanging out with Zia in this fun, energetic bo0k. Recommended.
Spacebot by Mike Twohy
One quiet night, the family pup is snoozing in his dog house when something strange happens. The kitchen appliances notice it first. Then, the house looks up. Finally, the pup looks up (yep, that rhymes and so does the book!). A UFO lands and out walks a…robo-dog. The pup is thrilled! A new friend! But, this spacebot is actually a friend of the kitchen appliances, who greet him like a long-lost relative. He points up and they all start to fly, except the pup, who begins to feel a bit neglected. The appliances have a joyous space romp and are finally directed to return to their places in the kitchen, cords trailing. The spacebot turns to enter his UFO and stops to toss a red ball to the pup. This is no ordinary ball, though. It fits on his nose and he begins to fly!
Spacebot is a fun, rhyming frolic of a story. One must smile at the happy group of kitchen appliances as they soar around the night sky. Toaster loopty-loops and refrigerator nearly loses her magnets as they fly around with their electrical buddies. Pup’s disappointment is palpable until he is gifted with the magical red ball. Text is minimal and illustrations are dynamic as the story moves forward. This is a great book for the newly-minted reader and can be used as a read-aloud. Highly recommended.
Marsha is Magnetic. Written by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez.
I loved this story. Marsha is an adorable science “nerd” who views the world through her scientific mind. This is useful as she contemplates her birthday party. Using the Scientific Method, she plans her party. Step 1: Observe kids at school, Step 2: Question why some kids are popular and have friends and others don’t, Step 3: Hypothesis and build a creation, Step 4:Testing it out at school (and yes her magnetic suit does attract friends) and Step 5: Data which demonstrates that she has attracted friends by being her “scientific minded” self. Step 6: Conclusion is to just be herself!
This is a delightful read and the illustrator is mindful of a strong representation of children of color and diverse characters. The charming pictures add to the likability of this book, along with the easy to follow and application of the scientific method wrapped up in a story that children can relate to and enjoy! I recommend this book.
Tiny Monsters, The Strange Creatures That Live On Us, In Us, and Around Us. By Steven Jenkins and Robin Page
Another winning addition for any library! The combination of science and art propel Steven Jenkins and Robin Page’s books. Once again, the artwork is fabulous, as the details of each tiny creature is illustrated with minute details and enlarged for our viewers along with an actual size for each tiny monster. Each tiny monster has a paragraph describing them and a close up artistic illustrations.
My favorite page was the ending page. A two page spread on the infamous indestructible Tardigrade, also known as the Water Bear. In the year 2007 the European Space Agency sent tardigrades out in space. Our book reminds us that they can live for 30 years without eating or drinking! The illustration is also enlarged 1,000 times! This book is a wonderful addition of art and science for your collection.
Packs: Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer
There is more to living in a pack than mere survival or safety in numbers. Hannah Salyer showers us with her colorful images and sprinkles us with her words to inform us of the wonders of togetherness.
“Together, we are better.” Together various animals: harvest, speak, hunt, nurture, travel, work, sing, build, dance, and sleep.
The various animals included: wolves, bison, penguins, dolphins, monarch butterflies, ants, bats, lions, goldsaddle goatfish, wildebeest, bees, frogs, coral, flamingos, mongoose, zebras, crocodiles, and humans are better, together.
In her author’s note, Hannah Salyer, urges the readers of this book to be inspired to help save these animals and the planet we live upon together.
I am Benjamin Franklin, by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos (Ordinary People Change the World series)
Ordinary People Change the World series is highly recommended by this librarian. The wonderful combination of a fusion of graphic style and comic illustrations with the interesting format and dispensing of information about whichever hero the book features. High interest plus quality equate happy readers.
This story begins with Benjamin Franklin introducing himself and walking the reader through his childhood, full of family, experiments with play and nature, and his avid love of learning. His first attempt at writing was under a psuedoname for his brother’s independent paper press in Boston. He later set out to begin his adult life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He met his future bride, and worked to imporove himself by creating his “Plan for Future Conduct.” Rules to live by. He went on to begin the Junto Club where he pondered great questions of life. Later he opened his own print shop called, The Pennsylvania Gazette. He was a champion of free press! He authored the Poor Richard’s Almanac, a collection of good advice. “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
Benjamin encourages our readers to never give up, use their power to improve themselves, learn from failures and keep trying. We witness him with the kite and discovering the nature of electricity as well as drafting and editing the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson. An inspirational and delightful read!
If You Love Cooking, You Could Be… by Elizabeth Dennis
If You Love Cooking, You Could Be… offers the reader and food lover a few ways to enjoy their passion. They may not know there are other ways to enjoy cooking in addition to being a cook or chef. One, two, three, say, “CHEESE!”
Chapter One does indeed talk about being a cook and/or a chef. There is no need to wait until the young reader is older to learn their way around a kitchen. They can read and watch cooking shows. Cooks must be strong when working with the big pots and use teamwork because in a restaurant each team member cooks only at one station, cooking only one type of food. The young person can start learning now by taking a cooking class and/or working with an adult.
Chapter Two informs about recipe developers. Recipes have to come from somewhere. They are not all handed down from relatives. The recipe developer works much like a scientist experimenting with ingredients, cooking times, temperatures, and taking exacting notes so the same food is made every time.
Chapter Three deals with food presentation. Food Stylists, like a hair stylist, make the food look wonderful for photos in cookbooks, websites, advertisements, and more. They are not necessarily the photographer. The food stylist also must deal with the plates the food is present upon and the environment around the food. Is the food being eaten at a fancy dinner party or at a picnic? The food stylist must take all of this into account. (Take out your cell phones. If You Love Cooking, You Could Be… does not suggest this, but a young reader could get their beginning here.)
Try it! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat, by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Giselle Potter
This is a wonderfully illustrated book by the talented Giselle Potter (How to Build a Hug: Temple Grandin and Her Amazing Squeeze Machine, by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville). The main character of the true story is Frieda Caplan, Russian Jewish immigrant who came with her family to Los Angeles California in the 1920s. In the 1950s, as a young mother, she took a job as a bookkeeper at the Seventh Street Produce Market in LA. Soon, she moved into sales, which women were normally excluded. She then went on to own her own produce company in 1962 and specialized in exotic and rare foods.
What made Frieda special was her ability to convince others to try new and different looking produce, such as: red bananas, purple potatoes, kiwi fruit, dragonfruit, mangosteen, ect. She was able to use her enthusiasm to help others bridge into the world of unknown foods and adventure into new tastes. This is a delightful, easy to read, beautiful picture book worth adding to any library, public or private. Go Frieda!
If You Love Video Games, You Could Be… by Thea Feldman
As a parent have you ever wanted to tell your child, ” Stop playing that video game! How will you make a living?” This is the book that will give your primary-aged child an educated and profitable clue to answering that question.
This book is a winner. Natalie Kwee’s illustrations are simple enough to not cloud the issue of what is be conveyed and advanced enough to convey what is being stated in the text.
The book begins with the Glossary page next to the Table of Contents page. The three chapters are: Video Game Writer, Video Game Animator, and Video Game Programmer. As a parent, you will be happy to hear that a video game writer must be a good reader and good writer of stories prior to working with video games. As a parent, you will be happy to know a video game animator needs to be good at math. And as a parent, you will be happy to know a video game programmer must be a good problem solver and learn how to code computers.
As a child, they will see how to make their stories come to life, how their drawings can be made to move, and how to keep mistakes from happening in the final product.
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
In a new survival-story twist, 12-year old Maddie is left along to survive — not in the wilderness, but in her own home town of Millerville, Colorado. Maddie wakes up to discover that her whole town has mysteriously evacuated. Her mom thinks Maddie is at her dad’s house, and her dad thinks she’s at her mom’s house. Cell service is non-existent. Her only companion is the neighbor’s dog, George.
As the months pass, Maddie lives on canned food left behind in her neighbor’s homes. She takes paper and pencil with her and leaves thank you notes for the items she takes. As winter comes with no electricity and no furnaces, Maddie forages for supplies to keep from freezing. But hardest of all is her constant battle with loneliness; waiting, waiting, for her parents to come back for her. As Christmas comes, she drags the boxes of ornaments up from the basement and hangs shiny balls along the curtain rod. She wraps a rawhide bone for George and makes a Christmas dinner of turkey soup, canned cranberries, and canned apple pie filling. When singing “Silent Night” makes her cry, she switches to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” The silence is her biggest enemy. When skills are required of her that she doesn’t have, the library is her resource. Maddie is a strong, resilient protagonist who faces injury and natural disasters, but she is a survivor waiting for her happy ending.
Written in prose, “Alone” is for all readers. The writing is beautiful!
Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse by Jordan Quinn
This is book one in the series Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly. A curse has come upon the land and has a young dragon sets off to find the king for a cure. At the kingdom, she stumbles upon the prince’s pet dragon. They end up setting off on an adventure to save the land from the curse.
The story is geared towards younger readers and there is not a lot of text on the page, but the font is small. The illustrations are colorful and the frame size varies on the different pages. I story line and content make this a good choice for younger graphic novel fans.
A Friend Is… by Lisa Thiesing
This sweet book shows different ways that we can be friends. Each page only has a few words on it describing things that friends do together. The pictures compliment the gentle text. The text is written in a curlicue font that may make independent reading difficult for readers. This could be used as a read aloud and then a discussion of friendship.