The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend is the outstanding story of friendship and mentorship. I am sorry to say I put off reading this 2016 copyrighted book for so long because of the cover illustration. I am not a sports person. The cover illustration shows a baseball player, sitting on a park bench next to a young boy. This book is not so much about baseball, but as the subtitle in tiny print states, about friendship. READ this book because it is baseball season or Black History Month or because you need a fill-good story, just READ this book!

This is a perfect book to share with intermediate readers, especially in this day of civil unrest-BLACK LIVES MATTER. Here is the story of a young Jewish boy, whose Russian grandparents escaped Russian oppression, and a ‘Negro’ (43) baseball player, Jackie Robinson, who was changing the face of American baseball forever.

Little Steve wanted to meet Jackie in the worst way. “The closer I came to actually meeting Jackie Robinson, the more worried that I’d be disappointed. I really wanted to like him and to have Jackie like me. But what if he was too busy to notice me? Or what if he saw me and didn’t care to get to know me better? Was it even possible for a boy to have a famous man as a friend? I was driving myself nuts trying to figure out who Jackie was… ” (62-3) Jackie Robinson was just the guy next door. Fame did not change his friendliness towards others.

The world needs more lasting interracial friendships like this one, whether or not one of the people is famous.

Protagonist, Peyton King, has been the target of taunts, teasing and bullying throughout her school career; she is lonely and looking for something to connect with. Fortunately she has her art that allows her to process the world surrounding her. At seventeen, she sets off on a journey that takes her from her home town in England to the western shores of Canada. Although her family does not approve of this, Peyton is determined to make a new start and meet some longed-for friends along the way. Readers learn, though flashback, about the types of bullying and self harm that Peyton must go through to be accepted by her peers. The tipping point and ultimate reason for Peyton’s escape to Canada is revealed slowly throughout the chapters. Present day Peyton’s journey is much more than one of escapism; she learns who she is and wants to be – she demonstrates true strength in her self by the end of the novel.

Author, Sara Barnard, brings together a likable cast of characters from all over the world; they are all travelers at heart, but the reasons for traveling are widely different. This is a quick read that even the most reluctant would be able to pick up and connect with. There is sex, drinking, and drug use; therefore it is best suited for high school libraries.

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.

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.

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.

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?”

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.

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.

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.)