This book was reviewed by a Spanish language teacher at River Ridge High School. She notes that this book has an interesting plot about a boy, Hank, who wants to pet-sit to raise money to repair his bike which his dad ran over. But the book spends most of the time on one pet pig that he struggles to care for until a friend helps him with it. She thought that there were several holes in the story, like not providing information on what actually happened to his bike. It is not mentioned in the book itself; only in the synopsis at the back of the book. The story just starts abruptly with his first client showing up in his kitchen and asking if pet-sitting included sitting for pigs, too. She later realized that this book is the 2nd in a series of 4. Each book focuses on one particular animal that Hank takes care of and the first book probably explains what happened to his bike and the final book likely will tell the reader if he achieves his goal of earning enough money to buy a new one. There were some accent marks missing throughout the book, which may affect the communication between the past and present tense. She imagines that most readers would look past this. With that and that readers may feel the story is incomplete, she has reservations about recommending this book, especially if the library did not have all copies in the series.

Reviewed by OHS student, Aria E.

Set in a land of two kingdoms, Eldoria and Nezereth. The two used to share the sun and moon until one day when the moon was given to Nezereth and the sun to Eldoria. With their people suffering, Lyra and Vesper must live up the the prophecy’s word and combine night with day.

If you love fairytales, you are sure to love this book. The story is well written and the characters are well described in much detail.

This book was reviewed by a Spanish language teacher at River Ridge High School. She shared the book with her seven year old daughter. She notes that the book has beautiful pictures. The Spanish and English translations go well together. Learners of both languages could benefit from how meanings are expressed, especially prepositions, with many find to be challenging. It is about how a drop of water is a part of the world around us. She recommends this book.

What really caught my eye was when the girl was telling the story to the little boy saying robin hood snuck into the archer shoot-out in disguise and didn’t get caught when he was only wearing a hood. This book is about a girl on the run after committing a crime she didn’t commit. It was really good I really liked it when the girl told a story to the little boy when he was sick. I think for people that are really into adventures book then this is a book for you.

Review by Thomas

This book was reviewed by a Spanish language teacher at River Ridge High School. She shared it with her seven year old daughter. This book is about a little boy who saves a doll and takes such good care of her as if she were a real baby that he was rescuing. The story is cute, the illustration is lovely and the Spanish is great-accurate and useful for learning the language. She recommends this book.

This book was reviewed by a Spanish language teachers here at River Ridge HS. She read it with her seven year old daughter, and she states that this was her favorite book of the four she reviewed. She notes that it has beautiful pictures. The book containing both languages is so helpful. Some expressions do not translate directly. So to see how they are done is a very good learning experience. The book is based on the pretty well-know song as the title states, and celebrates diversity.

Top Elf is a fun holiday story. Santa is ready to retire and he decides there should be a competition for his replacement. The competition is open to anyone and any creature. A variety of characters, a pixie, a brownie, an elf, Santa’s children, and many more join the race to earn the title, Santa. Competitors must pass each challenge in order to remain in the competition. In the end, the competitors have an unexpected chance to save Christmas from an unlikely villain. Students who enjoy humorous holiday stories will enjoy this read. T

Some of the first wheel rides appeared in the early 1600s. In this informational text about Ferris Wheels, readers learn a little about the history of the Ferris wheel and some of the largest Ferris wheels around today. Each two page spread has 3-4 sentences and a photograph. The end of the book has a few more facts, a glossary, an index, and a code to access more information and crafts on abdokids.

This nonfiction book about otters from the series Awesome Animal Powers provides a general overview about otters. Each two page spread has 1-2 paragraphs of text and then a full page picture. Even though the cover says tool users, this was only briefly covered. The other topics covered in the book are where they live, what they look like, what they eat and their future. There are many informational text features used including text boxes, diagrams, captions, color words, glossary and index. An online resource from abdobooklinks offers more information on the topic.

A picture book about all the things that make us want to say thank you. Thank you is for morning and for blooms. Thank you is for hats and mittens and hands to hold. A sweet look at everyday things for which we might want to say thank you. The soft illustrations match the lyrical text and make this a very sweet book about being thankful.

A level 3 Blastoff Reader from Scholastic about long-tailed weasels. The text includes 2-3 sentences per page with an illustration, map, diagram or chart. These informational text features assist the reader in understanding the text. The end of the book includes a glossary, index, and books and websites where readers can learn more information.

A unique look at how some insects may be a little more like us than we think.

The author starts out with bugs aren’t like us. They don’t give kisses or hugs, they don’t make scrambled eggs and toast. But then turn the page and it goes on to give facts about an insect and how it is like us. “A mother short-tailed cricket lays extra, tiny eggs. Once her babies hatch, the special eggs will be her little ones’ first breakfast.” And it continues through the book stating different everyday activities that bugs don’t do, but when the reader turns the page it describes an insect that does a similar activity. The end of the book comes to the conclusion that bugs are like us.

The author includes further information about the different insects referenced in the book as well as a few books for more information. She also mentions the difference between the playful language that she used in the book and scientific language.

A fun look at the similarities between ourselves and bugs. It also introduces the reader to insects they may not be familiar with.

Flamingo is sad and worried that he will always feel sad or his friends won’t like him if he is sad. His friends, a girl and a potato, say that everyone feels sad sometimes. They try to cheer up the flamingo, but he is just sad. Finally a close to mean joke from Potato gets everyone laughing and although Flamingo is a still a little bit sad, he is okay with that.

A great book about it being okay to be sad. The friendship between the three is a comfort as they explore sadness and try to cheer up their friend.

A little boy opens a box at night and night slips out to brings with it shadows and nighttime things. When the night is tired and the boy opens the box, night goes back in and day slips out.

The text is descriptive and soothing. Darkness tumbles into the air. It dances and whirls around the room. It goes under the bed, under the chair – everywhere! Hello, Night! Max laughs. 

The illustrations complement the text with their calming colors.

The book is described as a reassuring bedtime book, but I can see it being used for descriptive language and visualization lessons.

Braced by Alyson Gerber is the touching story of Rachel Brooks and her courage and determination to overcome the challenge of scoliosis. Wearing a back brace and starting 7th grade is a recipe for social and personal scrutiny. She battles through hardships of strained family and peer relationships. Rachel faces this adversity with a tenacious spirit not to let her brace define her.  Gerber paints a heartfelt and realistic picture that can only come from someone who has experienced wearing a brace. Characters are authentic and believable. Gerber captures the emotions and experiences of the typical middle school girl. Once you start this book, you won’t want to put it down. Hand this book to fans of Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind. Highly recommended.

The front cover of this book will catch any action-fan by the eye. Trent Reedy’s book, The Last Full Measure is the third in the series Divided We Fall. This book is a roller coaster, though it is full of action there are moments where the reader sympathizes with characters in the story. It can give a glimpse of the pain people endure in their life, whether or not they participate in war. This story follows a fictional character, PFC Daniel Christopher Wright and his group of friends. Earlier books explain how he was part of the Idaho National Guard, and the events that concluded from this. He helped start a second civil war in the US, where states are splitting from the union and becoming sovereign countries. In the storyline, Daniel is inside Freedom Lake, his home town. Although Idaho is a free country, the policing and laws are not in place as they are in the US. A militia, the Brotherhood of the White Eagle, are acting as temporary police, and control many towns and cities including Freedom Lake. Daniel and his group of friends find out that there is a mask covering the Brotherhood of the White Eagle. They devise a plan to escape Freedom Lake and live on their own, rather then under the control of others. On the run from the Brotherhood, Daniel meets new people and makes alliances. He used to be all for the war, but as time has passed he’s just wanted to get out of it. Now his plans are to end it entirely. Trent Reedy had a lot of sources to insure the realism of his story, letting us believe this could happen. He describes the setting so closely you can picture the scenery and destruction of the war. If you like action with a mix of emotions in there, you will love this book.

Review by Josh

Ascent is the 3rd in a series of books focusing on Peak Marcello, a teen whose life revolves around mountain climbing. His summit of Everest with his father in the 1st story was not on Peak’s terms. In book two, both extreme action and characters are brought into Peak’s life as he attempted to climb in Afghanistan. For his 3rd major climb, he just wants to return to the natural art of climbing, to have a “clean” climb. But in extreme sports, it is rare anything is easy. This reviewer read Ascent as a stand-alone 1st and it can hold its own as that, though knowing more of the background story with his father Josh, Zopa the wise spirit, and other characters really gives the story depth. Once the climb begins, Smith’s pace in events picks up, though the mystery and twists in the 1st half of the novel keep readers interested too. This is an additional purchase, especially if your library already holds Smiths earlier Peak stories.

Serena plans a holiday vacation with her mother and older sister for a Romance Tour following the itinerary of their parent’s honeymoon. At the last minute, Serena’s mother cancels, but Serena is determined that the tour will go on. After arriving in Paris on a red-eye from New York, Serena discovers that her older sister made other plans as well.  

Serena finds herself staying with Jean-Luc, a friend of her sister’s boyfriend. Fighting a creative block, Jean-Luc accompanies Serena on her Romance Tour hoping to find inspiration.  Personalities and priorities collide, making sparks flicker with the possibility of a new romantic tour of Paris. Will Serena toss out her Romance Tour plans and make memories of her own or will she hold fast to the one thing she believes holds the keys to her memory of her father? Young adult readers will get lost in this tender romantic adventure.

Being LGBT I find it hard to find a relatable main character and Star-Crossed gives me that character. The main character starts to have a crush on a new girl and they become close friends. Later on in the book, the two realize they both have feelings for each other. I loved this book because it gave me a relatable main character, funny best friends, different relationships between different characters, LGBT characters, and drama! I highly recommend this book to anyone in the LGBT community.

Reviewed by Lily

Just Another Girl shows readers that perception is not reality.  Hope has spent years pining for Brady – her best friend who she’d like to move out of the friend zone and into the boyfriend zone. Unfortunately, Brady is already taken, by someone Hope considers to have everything.  Parker appears to have it all, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Parker’s life spiraled out of control when her parents abandoned her and her sister. Parker has been able to keep up appearances for most of the town with only a few close friends knowing the truth about her living situation. Only her boyfriend knows the full truth about how bad things have gotten. That is until Hope takes advantage of her friendship with Brady and manipulates him into divulging Parker’s secrets. Now Hope realizes that sometimes what you think you see isn’t the way things really.  Being able to see through a new lense doesn’t automatically mean Hope will be Parker’s new best friend, but it does allow her to have empathy for a fellow classmate. Readers will relate to all three characters – the unique emotional pull for each unique situation. Recommended.

Deadly wish is the second installment of the Deadly Flowers series.  In book two, we are reunited with Kata as she embarks on another mission.  She is living in the city and is using her ninja skills to obtain valuable items and information.  When she least expects it and when her guard is down, she is taken captive. Saiko has not forgotten what Kata has stolen from her and she is determined to get it back.  Kata must keep the cursed treasure safe and out of Saiko’s hands. Will she be able to escape without using another wish? Will the demon break free of his prison? Will Kata learn to trust friends or will her so-called friends reveal themselves as enemies?  Readers will embark on another journey filled with fantastic creatures, unlikely battles, and action that will keep the pages turning. Recommended.

This is an exceptional book, especially for students in 5^th-8^th grade who are interested in space and celestial objects.  This book provides numerous examples and illustrations of how scientists use geographic and geologic evidence, such as clues from craters impacts on the Earth’s surface, and the steps and procedures taken to determine if a collected sample is a rock, or in fact a meteorite and what kind of meteorite.  There are also fantastic descriptions and illustrations showing how craters are formed and the force required to create the crater. I also thought it was great to show scientists in the field and the gear, journal entries, measurements, and observations taken at the site of a meteorite impact.

This book also allows students to make connections with prior knowledge and learn through inquiry.  Students are able to make prior connections about dinosaurs and relate it to evidence that shows why or why not the dinosaur’s extinction may have been caused by a giant meteorite.  This book also integrates other aspects of science, such as observing patterns of meteorite impacts around the world, making inferences, and shows how infrared technology is being used help astronomers identify and track asteroids.  To conclude the book, inquiry and STEM strategies are introduced to ask the students the question of “what would we do if there was a huge meteorite that was headed towards Earth?” It allows student to think of criteria and constraints of how this problem would be confronted; some examples include bomb it, crash into it, push it, shoot it, vaporize it, etc.

This book keeps its readers engaged from start to finish with interesting facts, amazing illustrations and models, and content properly targeted to adolescent students to keep them engaged.   

Review by Jason

In the book One True Way by Shannon Hitchcock, a girl named Allie starts Daniel Boone Middle School. She meets another girl named Sam and finds herself beginning to fall for her. The book is an amazing depiction of what it was like to be part of the LGBTQ+ community in the late 1970’s. It accurately describes what people in the community look and act like. More specifically, it shows how they aren’t that much different than others. The characters are beautifully designed, showing how they aren’t all defined by gender and sexuality. The motives of the characters seem clear and easily relatable, making the readers truly feel like they know what the characters are feeling. It’s a nice and easy read that I believe all young middle school children should take the time to sit down and connect with at one point or another. All in all, I believe this is an amazing book worth the time and effort put into it.

–Reviewed by Guinevere

“Some Kind Of Happiness“ written by Claire Legrand is story about young girl’s real life mixed with mystery and fantasy, who tried to struggle with her anxiety and overwhelmingly difficult days all by herself, keeping her secret only in the notebook through imaginary stories.

      The book is best summed up in author’s pre-words/preview:

                            “If you are afraid, sad, tired, or lonely

                                  if you feel lost or strange

                          If you crave stories and adventure,

                       And the magic possibility of a forest path —

                                    this book is for you.“

   Finley, 11 year old girl, who has been sent to her unknown grandparents’ house (Hart’s House “enormous and white, the largest house I ever seen in real life…”), from her father’s side for the whole summer, until Finley’s mom and dad can solve their relationship problems.  This little girl tried to escape reality through her imagined tales, which helped her deal with real life problems, like dealing with her previously unknown cousins or her weird neighbors ( children of Bailey’s family ), who go on to become her best friends.  Through her stories, she creates an imaginary kingdom of Everwood – “towering green place full of sunlight”, where she pretends to be “an orphaned girl”, while everyone else had their own roles in the story.  Meanwhile she tries to uncover an old secret , why her father’s family got separated.  Her imaginary game ends up uniting the feuding families after years of avoiding each other.  This feud inspired her to seek out, what caused the falling out between these families ( Hart’s and Bailey’s ), which heavily involves her father.

This book spans three generations of her family, showing that family secrets can become huge issues, even between the closest family members.  But even with all the issues within the families, the children still love and cherish their parents, no matter their flaws.

In my opinion this story is very informative and educational to the young readers for several reasons.  Firstly, it shows how the reader can organize all their thoughts . Secondly, it introduces interesting words in a way that sticks with the reader, expanding their vocabulary in the process ( “ … one of my favorite words, a nine-letter word for “slow, heavy, rhythmic” : ponderous.” ). Thirdly, it encourages the young readers to use their imagination to create fun and adventurous games in real life.

Reading as an adult, it was interesting to see the world through 11 year old Finley’s eyes, especially the way she sees adults in her life, bringing me back to my own childhood and various games we used to play. It was fun.

I would highly recommend this book for young readers (middle school age) as well, as for adults.  This book manages to be both relaxing and breathtaking at the same time, gripping the reader with its mysteries and memorable plot . I really enjoyed this book.

Review by Marianna

“The Enemy” written by Sara Holbrook is a historical fiction story with some facts from real life. This book touches on many subjects, such as friendship, bullying at school, multicultural neighborhoods and family relationships. It takes place in 1954, in the U.S. during the Cold War.
In this book the author describes different points of view about Nazi’s and Communist’s at that time. It also shows the fear that adults and children felt, and how some of them stood up for what they believe is right.
Marjorie Campbell, a twelve year old girl, lives with her family in Detroit, Michigan. The main hero’s life is really confusing. She always worries about making the right decision. In her own family she stays on her mom’s side and helps her to hide a box of banned books (at that time) from others, including her dad and adopted brother, because they have different thoughts about it. At the same time, in Marjorie’s class comes a new girl, who moved with her family from some other country, and they looked like they were German. Marjorie likes this strange girl with a good heart and an accent, but her classmates ( including her best friend ) mark this new girl as a target for bullies. That’s why Marjorie struggles with her feelings and decision on what side she should choose. This book would be enjoyed by students and adults who like historical books. 

Review by Marianna