Review by OHS Substitute.

This multi-generational novel is an attention-grabber in which the variety of characters make it easy for the reader to identify with both characters and plot.

This first-person narrative in the voice of teenaged Charlie is multi-faceted and easy to read. Charlie is a sky-gazer, looking for UFO’s. It begins with the eighth-grade boy studying the night sky out of his bedroom window, searching for a UFO. He had begun this search in his seventh-grade year, looking for his mother. As the plot develops, Charlie’s parents are no longer together, probably because his father is a bully. Charlie greatly misses his mother. 

The plot moves forward at a gentle pace. (Is Mom up there? She’s coming back for me.)

At school Charlie suffers teasing and bullying because his name is Charles (Charlie) Dickens and because the small group of boys enjoy bullying. Charlie uses various methods to cope with being taunted and bullied.

Most attractive about this narrative is the voice of Charlie, who recounts events and feelings from his youthful and hopeful point of view. His friendships, his wistful wonder at the beauty of a girl at school, and his relations with his father and grandmother draw the reader into the novel.

Teen readers can relate to this novel: Charlie’s longing for his mother, his efforts to get along with his father, his earnest friendship with Seth, a new kid at school, his distant awe at the beauty of Jennifer Bennett, a girl at school.

Other readers can enjoy other characters, conflict, and the space between hope and despair that this novel evokes. One feels mpathy for a friendly neighbor who is morbidly obese and has a dog for company.  

Memories of driving cross state over the mountain passes of Washington came to mind while reading this book.

Trucker ( a semi-truck loaded with a shipping container) is full of himself.” Trucker was bigger and stronger and tougher than anyone else on the road.”(4) The mopeds, cars, and pick-up trucks all give him a wide berth. Then one day, Trucker makes his first trip over mountains. New road, new views, and new experiences. Trucker sees his first freight train. Trucker is impressed by the number of cars Train carries, but does not like the way everyone admires Train.

Trucker tries racing Train, but Train gets the right-of-way. Trucker finally pulls ahead when Train stops at the station. Trucker starts up another mountain pass. The mopeds, cars, and pick-up trucks can pass Trucker on this uphill grade, under his heavy load. As Trucker rests at the top of the pass, he notices the train gate is broken off down in the valley. Trucker zooms into action to speed past the mopeds, cars, and pick-up trucks on the downhill grade to stop the traffic at the train crossing since the train grate arm is broken. Trucker blocks the train crossing, also, blocking the other vehicles view. They are not happy. Once Train goes speeding through the intersection the other vehicles cheer for Trucker who kept them safe. “And Trucker started off, along with the others, happy to share the road.” (32)

This compact review of slavery and race relations in American history is an excellent introduction for younger readers, but it posits a number of ideas that could be included in much more critical (higher thinking) discussion.

The book outlines the early roots of slavery and procedes with quite a thorough chronological examination of major events regarding how discrimination and racism persist.  The work also reveals how racism continues to be a concern today and suggests ways to address this concern for dealing with the more subtle aspects of racial bias.

I appreciated the simple, clear rendering of the history of slavery and the awful history that followed the civil war.  The author also included a number of ancillary details that might not be illustrated in a standard approach to the subject.  For example, it was interesting to note how the leaders of the Black Panther movement recognized how African American women in the organization were the victims of discrimination within the ranks. 

I truly did not dislike any aspect of the work.  It is hard to find anything objectionable in a book that deals with the subject of slavery and the ways in which those roots still affect culture and society today (and into the future).  Perhaps this has something to do with what has been called “white fragility”.  

The ideas were presented in clear, readable fashion geared toward younger readers.  However, the style and delivery of the vital ideas and implications in the book made it useful for much higher level thinking/questioning.  I also found the “sideline” sections to be useful as additional information to supplement the main text.

Younger, less-informed readers will find the book accessible and readable.  Those older readers who are familiar with the sad history of racism in America will be surprised by the more complex issues that might be revealed (and discussed) along the way.

I recommend this book with enthusiasm, especially for the younger reader (middle school).  It is a great introduction for the subject of slavery and how those roots still affect our society and culture.  I gleaned a good deal from my reading of Harris’ book; it is an easy way to review the essentials while affording much more discussion about the complexities of racism even in these more “enlighted” times.

A circle gets caught in a geo-dome shaped jungle gym and cannot get out by himself. A parade of different shapes try to help and some also get stuck. Finally a straight and narrow line rushes to the rescue. With the help of a prism and sphere, line creates a lever to pop the shapes free. The line then convinces the jungle gym to make her spaces wider so the other shapes will not get tangled in her again.

A fun and engaging story to reinforce geometric shapes. The mixing of 2 and 3 dimensional shapes without any identifying the differences, however, undermines the math concepts.

With a message of mindfulness and meditation, Julia Denow replaces the traditional in-and-out breaths with words and page turns. The books starts with the here and now of self, pointing out where, what, and how the reader fits into the universe. The book then moves on to noticing the big and little things both evident and hidden in the world around us. Finally the book moves on to envisioning the limitless possibilities.

Beautiful illustrations help portray both the immediacy of what we experience around us as well and the grandeur of the the universe and our boundless potential. The multi-racial family makes a powerful statement about diversity by not incorporating race in the message of the text.

Three children greet the first, long awaited snow of the year with glee even though it’s slushy and wet. The lyrical text follows these children through the whole season of snow. The reader hears of Fluff Snow, Angel Snow, Snowball Snow, Driveway Snow and so on. Each type of snow provides another unique experience. With the slushy Spring Snow, the children appear to shoo the snow away with,

Soon it will be Spring Snow,
Grass and mud and rain snow,
Time to go away snow;
no more lingering.

The last page pictures the children peering at their bikes in their garden shed ready for a new season of adventure. A perfect read for kids anticipating the arrival of snow.

Trains Run! will appeal to train enthusiasts. With the repeated refrain:

Steam engine,
gas engine,
electric engine too.
Chooka-chooka! Vroom zoom!
Hssss! Whoo-oo-whoo!

The rhythmic text helps to paint a picture of the role of trains past and present, of where they travel, and their power and strength.

The illustrations capture a feeling of movement and the majesty of trains. Characters in the illustrations are of diverse race, age, and lifestyle.

Photoshop at its fantasy finest. Matthew Rake along with illustrator Simon Mendez work their magic presenting ten “What If” scenarios of ancient beasts who suddenly appeared today.

” WARNING! These extinct beasts are not alive today, and the encounters seen in this book are not real. But just imagine if they were…”(4) Dimetrodon, Inostrancevia, Sarcosuchus, Quetzalcoatlus, Ambulocetus, Andrewsarchus, Entelodont, Phorusrhacid, Smilodon, and Hyaenodon are each individually presented as if they were alive today and matched up with a present day animal in an illustration that looks look it was taken with a camera.”Now can you imagine what might happen if they arrived back in today’s world? Well, you are about to find out…” (6) The script goes on to mention the pair briefly before moving exclusively to the prehistoric animal. The information on these prehistoric nondinosaurs makes the book worth purchasing, while the past versus present aspect makes the book catch the reader hook, line, and sinker. A few of the matches are off a bit like the Quetzalcoatlus which only lived in North America and they have it pictured with giraffes in the wild, but I’m sure the young reader will forgive this. Each prehistoric animal is given a side bar with its name pronunciation, where it lived, length, weight, and a black outline drawing of the animal standing beside a human to show its relative size.

If nothing else, the photos are eye catching!

Video game players of HELLO NEIGHBOR just might want to know the background story behind their video game.

Here goes. Nicky’s family moves around a lot because newspaper editors (Nick’s father) are going the way of the print newspaper copy. It is summer when they move to Raven Brooks. Nick meets Aaron, the boy living across the street by reading notes Aaron posts in his upstairs bedroom window. They soon meet and begin playing pranks on the town together.

Little by little, Nick learns about Raven Brooks’ closed amusement park and the tragic death of a little girl there. Aaron’s father, Mr. Peterson, was the engineer who designed the park. Mr. Peterson was famous for designing amusement parks from around the world. Strange accidents soon began happening in the parks Mr. Peterson designed.

As the clues fall into place Nick will realize , “Maybe two kids with a bunch of missing pieces don’t make each other whole–the perfect machine with all its parts in place. Maybe they just empty each other out more.” (196)

Aaron’s father will tell Nick not to come back to their house. Later, by way of notes, Nick tells Aaron, “IT’S OK IF YOU ‘RE NOT OK.” (202) and Aaron tells Nick, “I make bad things happen.” (206)

My third grade friend who has played HELLO NEIGHBOR stated, “If you like the game, you’ll like the book.”

Love being in the great outdoors? This book will inspire the reader to trek in the Mojave and/or Colorado Deserts of Southern California in the Joshua Tree National Park established in 1994. The book is filled with photos, photo insets, graphs, charts, and maps dealing with the animal and plant wildlife, history, and activities concerning this national park. Even more information is given on this and other national parks in the online reference given through www.factsfornow.scholastic.com , keyword Joshua Tree on page 45.

Joshua Tree National Park has six mountain ranges, two deserts, oases, old gold and silver mines, many nocturnal animals, plus desert bighorn sheep, rattlesnakes, Costa hummingbirds, desert tortoise, numerous different cacti, creosote bush, sand verbena, desert willow, palm tree, and of course, the Joshua Tree.

On top of all that, “Joshua Tree is an International Dark Sky Park. That means the darkness at night is complete and stargazing is magnificent.” (37)

In 1863, Magdalys and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum in New York City are on their way south to find Magdaly’s brother, Montez, who has been injured in battle. It is thought that Montez is in New Orleans.

The civil war is raging as the Dactyl Hill Squad fly south on pterodactyls from New York City through Tennessee and on to New Orleans in Louisiana. Along the way they are shot at, meet Generals Sheridan and Grant, see the destruction of war up close, learn there are other dinotalkers on both sides of the war- some better than Magdalys, and feel the pressure of war. “Sometimes what you love and what you have to do don’t get along.” (122) Magdalys feels she should stay and help General Sheridan form an air corp with her dactyls, but she needs to find her injured brother, too. How can such pressure be placed on a twelve year old?

At Chickamauga the battle does not go well for the Union forces. General Sheridan asks Magdalys to fly to New Orleans to tell General Grant about their situation. Even though this is where Magdalys wants to go, the war will not make it an easy flight. They run into Confederate flyers. Magdalys may be the heroine of this story, but that does not mean she and her friends get out of this unscathed.

The children are hardened by war, needing to act as adults, and yet they are still children. Oh, how their lives have been changed forever in so short a time.

Real people, places, and events are expertly mixed with fictional people, events, and dinosaurs to make this one high flying tale.