A young Japanese American, Katherine Tasaki, turns in her library card and books to the librarian. She tells the librarian, Clara Breed, that she will be moving soon like all of the Japanese. Clara gave Katherine a stamped postcard and asks her to write so that she knows where they are. Clara went to the train station as the families are leaving and handed out books and more postcards.

The story is told partly through the postcards the children write to Miss Breed. They discuss where they are, things that happen and the living conditions. They also thank her for the books that she sends to them.

An author’s note at the end includes more information about Clara Breed, notable dates in her life, selected history of Japanese People in the United States as well as a bibliography and resources for further reading. The end papers include photos of Japanese Americans on their way to or at internment camps.

Max Patkin wanted to be a professional baseball player, but due to injuries he ended up being a baseball clown. Before there were team mascots, baseball clowns would entertain baseball fans. It started after Joe DiMaggio hit one of his pitches and Max chased him around the bases while making faces. When he could no longer play baseball, he took to entertaining the crowds.

An interesting look at a different side of baseball history. The illustrations are colorful and add to the fun of this true story. The author’s note at the end includes photographs of Max Patkin, information and a bibliography.

This is the 40th Anniversary Edition of this title- All Kinds of Families. It is in picture book format, but can and perhaps should be used for all age levels. “Children need grown-ups who take care of them.” Almost every kind of family imaginable is in this book in one place or another: big , little, new, old, multi-generational, grandparents, two mothers, two fathers, aunts and uncles, adoptees, step sisters and brothers, people with different last names, multi-racial, and on and on. The important thing is that people “living together, sharing good times and bad times… growing together.” Families are ever growing and expanding with marriages, births, and deaths. When families get together for holidays, birthdays, weddings, and sad times stories are told and retold.  “Their family feelings keep people close, like a strong, invisible circle.”

This book is a wonderful jumping off point for discussions on what family is for you and others. Illustrator Sarah S. Brannen has done her part to positive provide families from different ethnic and culture groups, as well as, different age groups. Very well done!

Opossums is a very informative book that is part of the North American Animals series. All aspects of the the animal’s life are explored, from its description to range and eating habits. We learn that they really do “play dead” when they are threatened (or hiss and screech, if needed). Information is presented in clear, short paragraphs with unfamiliar words in bold text, which is later explained in the glossary. There are several very good graphics, showing size, foods, enemies, range, et cetera. One graphic is slightly misleading (range) because the color chosen for the range on the map is similar to the color on the conservation status bar that denotes extinct in the wild, while the text below the bar says they are of least concern from a conservation standpoint. Other than that, the information is clearly presented and backed up with great photos. Nonfiction features include table of contents, graphics, index, glossary and website information.

This book is a good choice for reports or general interest. Students will learn some solid information, which might lead them to further research. Recommended

Twilight Sparkle discovers a huge hole in her library – missing information about the Everfree Forest! So, she enlists the help of her friends, who know that place as well as she to help her write a book about the forest and the creatures that call it home. Each pony writes a section of the book and entertains the reader with descriptions of interesting (and sometimes dangerous) creatures and places that the ponies had seen. Rainbow Dash ends the book with a challenge to the reader…visit the Everfree Forest if you want some danger and an adrenaline rush!

This is a fluffy little book that will appeal to the younger crowd. Avid My Little Pony fans will love it and reluctant readers might enjoy the graphic novel style. Additional purchase.

Three best friends (Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne) decide to enter the school talent show and begin to put together their act. Unfortunately, Annie takes over and make it all about her (aha! That explains the title). She decides the song, costumes and group name, which puts the other girls over the edge and they break up before they even really begin. Annie tries to work with two different girls and gets a taste of being left out of the decision-making. Lillemore and Lilianne try to stick it out as a duo, but those high notes are really hard without Annie. Luckily, Annie realizes her error and apologizes to her friends, who reunite and win the talent show – with a song, costumes and group name that they picked TOGETHER.
This story would lead very nicely into a a discussion about friendship and empathy. The three friends are multicultural and multilingual. The pictures are simple and the text includes word bubbles (always fun). Students will enjoy the story and learn something along the way! Recommended.

Germany is a very interesting place when we see it through the eyes of our youthful tour guide, Johann. He starts off by showing us where Germany is compared to the U.S. and within Europe. After we get the geography out of the way, Johann treats us to a tour of his home, his school and important places in his country (Berlin, the Black Forest, etc.). We learn about German foods and proper manners at the table, as well as celebrations and a recipe for potato pancakes (yum!). Johann also describes activities that are popular in his country, from skiing to a fun board game.

There is a timeline and many facts given in accessible “bites”. Students will want to dedicate some time to further research after reading about the history of the pretzel or all the familiar items originating in Germany (gummy bears, jet engines and garden gnomes are just a few!). There is also a traditional German tale and a guessing game. Johann ends with a page of information to use if you wish to travel to Germany and a comparison chart of U.S. and Germany.

Nonfiction elements include: table of contents, index, glossary, timeline, maps and website for further investigation. There are color photos and clean text, which is sometimes colored to stand out on the page.

This is a very engaging book that packs a great deal of information into 32 pages. It is part of the Follow Me Around series and when students read one, they won’t want to stop. So, buy the series and update your tired, old social studies section. The students will love them!

Seamus is our guide as we tour around his home country of Ireland. This book is part of the Follow Me Around series, which explores countries through the eyes of children. Along the way, students learn about the Seamus’ home, school, leisure activities, celebrations, and more. We learn about the capital, Dublin, as well as other cities and interesting places along the way. Ireland is known for many things: leprechauns, the Blarney Stone, four leaf clovers and limericks (there are five in the book!). But, Ireland is also a place with an amazing history and Seamus gives the us a few facts, which will send students off to other books and the internet for further exploration. Who wouldn’t want to learn more about bog people and fairy forts?

This book has the typical nonfiction elements: index, glossary, maps, table of contents and timeline. The pictures are colorful and the text is clean and succinct. This book and the rest of the series is recommended.

Our guide, Harisha, takes us on a tour of her home country of India in this installment of the Follow Me Around series. We learn much about Indian culture and history from Harisha’s perspective, including the foods she eats and her school life. Traditional celebrations are discussed and directions for an Indian mirror are given. There are many facts presented in short paragraphs with accompanying illustrations. We also learn to count to ten in Hindi and see several basic yoga poses, which originated in India. A timeline gives some basic historical information and a traditional Indian tale is introduced by Harisha.
There is a lot of information in this slim volume of only 32 pages. It is colorful and engaging to the reader. It is very accessible and students will enjoy the perspective of a child their age. This is a recommended purchase for those looking to update their tired social studies section!

Fausto is our guide through the country of Italy. The information is given from the perspective of a young boy, who takes us to his apartment and school, explaining his family’s activities and lifestyle. We learn about traditional Italian foods and famous people/things from Italy. Two large cities, Rome and Venice, are described and Fausto tells us about celebrations and leisure activities. Fun facts are presented in a couple of two-page spreads (You Won’t Believe This! and It Came From Italy). There is also a comparison chart (U.S. vs. Italy) and a Guessing Game with more facts.

This book does a great job of getting a lot of information out in a relatively few pages, keeping the reading engages all the while. The time-line only goes to 1946 But, that’s understandable when it starts in 753 BCE! There is a nice map at the beginning to help us get our bearings and a nice page of travel preparation tips for would-be world travelers.

The illustrations are crisp and well done and the text is clean and, at times, colorful. Typical nonfiction features include table of contents, index, glossary, time-line and web address for further exploration.

This is part of the Follow Me Around series, which is recommended for updating your social studies section. It is very accessible and engaging.

Ksenia is a child in Russia, who takes the reader on a tour of her country, culture and history. Starting with the question “Where in the world is Russia?”, Ksenia takes the reader to her home, school, Moscow and St. Petersburg. She then tells the reader about celebrations (with a fun recipe for blini) and leisure activities. Interspersed throughout are fun facts, counting from one to ten, comparisons between the United States and Russia as well as a time-line and information about travelling to Russia.

This book is part of the Follow Me Around series and includes the requisite nonfiction features: index, glossary, time-line, table of contents and map.

This is a great introduction to Russia and using a child as a ‘guide’ makes it very accessible and interesting for young readers. Students can use this book for reports or general interest and will definitely continue to explore information about the country. There is just enough to whet their appetites for more! This is a great book for those intending to update their social studies collection. Recommended.

Pig the Pug is at it again. We know he has a hard time sharing, but now we learn that he HAS to win or “it just ain’t fun”. One day, he and his long-suffering friend, Trevor (the dachshund) were eating dinner and Pig challenged him to an eating race. It’s a good thing that Trevor had apparently taken first aid, because he had to use the Heimlich Maneuver on his gluttonous pal, Pig. Instead of a thank you, Pig said exactly what we expected…”I win!” There’s a bit of Karma at the end of the story, because the bowl that Trevor dislodged from Pig’s throat ended up ricocheting off the wall and hitting Pig on the head. Does that stop his cheating? What do you think?

Illustrations are wonderfully goofy and kids will love the expressions on the faces of Pig and Trevor. White backgrounds make the dogs “pop” on the pages and move the story along.
This is a great companion book to Pig the Pug and can start some good conversations about friendship, kindness, and sportsmanship. Books that highlight these attributes are in high demand, and Pig does a great job of showing kids how you shouldn’t act! Recommended.

Part of a six book series on all things involving a horse and a rider, Intro to Eventing is a great introduction to three main events of the equine triathlon: dressage, cross-country and show jumping. The book starts with a story from the 2000 Olympics and then moves into the history of the sport. After that, the chapters move into each part of the triathlon with a discussion of what is is, equipment and attire needed, the scoring and some strategies. There are photos throughout and a page with further internet resources. Typical nonfiction features include a table of contents, glossary and index. Your horse-loving kids will keep this book checked out.

Readers who are car enthusiasts will enjoy Tesla Model S. This book, part of the “Car Crazy” series, is a high interest-lower level book. As such, there are usually four to six short sentences per page and lots of illustrations. Words that might be unfamiliar are bolded within the text and explained in the glossary. Other nonfiction elements include table of contents, index and nice box of tesla specs that will excite the readers (top speed of 155 mph? Wow!). Add this book to your collection for those lower level readers who love to talk about cars.

Squids is a great introduction to this wily cephalopod. The text is manageable and words that might be unfamiliar are bolded and defined in the glossary. There are plenty of photos, many labeled, that illustrate the information presented. The ‘chapters’ are well-organized around squid relatives, diet, life cycle, predators and anatomy. Typical nonfiction features include a table of contents, index, glossary and extra resources for further study. This book is part of “Ocean Life Up Close” series and a good addition for those libraries that need updated materials.

This book is set in the 1830’s near the Amazon jungle, when most of a scientific exploration party fails to return to the ship. Those that return bring something evil with them that might destroy the rest of the crew aboard the Polaris. The crew mutinies, kills the captain and abandon ship after attempting to blow it up. They leave behind the youngest crew members led by twelve year old Owen, the ship captain’s nephew. This ragtag bunch of kids decide that the only way to survive is to sail the ship themselves several hundred miles to the United States. Unbeknownst to them, there is a horrible creature below decks, who used to be an adult shipmate that was sickened in the jungle. He doesn’t look very human anymore and becomes less human as the trip progresses. They attempt to keep him/it trapped below deck, but that is where the food is. So, they face starvation, storms, and an angry, hungry creature on their journey to civilization.
Polaris is a book that keeps the reader immersed in the action and eager to find out what will happen next to the brave group of kids. Do they survive? What happened to the man below decks and will it infect them or will he/it eat them first? This story is equally historical fiction, science fiction and horror and will keep readers up at night as they devour this action-packed book.
The author’s note at the end explains the basis for his story – the 1830’s as a time of great scientific exploration (most notably, Charles Darwin aboard the HMS Beagle) and the ‘zombie bug’ fungus (a real Amazonian fungus that infects ants and directs them to march back to their colonies where the fungal spores are released from the hosts’ heads to the rest of the colony – this kind of stuff can’t be made up…it’s nature!). Fortunately, for humans…these kind of things don’t jump between species…we hope.

Zayd Saleem is living between two cultures. His family is Pakistani, but they are living in America. Zayd’s mother sees her son as becoming an outstanding violinist. Zayd sees himself as becoming a famous NBA Basketball Star. The extra orchestra practice time his family is paying for is held before school. This is the same time as the extra basketball practice time held in the school gym. Zayd begins skipping his before school orchestra to practice basketball. When Zayd’s mother finds out about him skipping orchestra, Zayd is banded from all basketball, in any form, for two weeks. This means he will miss the fourth grade team basketball tryouts for which he has been working so hard. Zayd is, also, required to make up practicing his violin for the practices he has missed.

Days before the tryouts, Zayd’s stomach hurts so badly his uncle mamoo is called to pick him up from school. During their time together mamoo tells Zayd he needs to tell his mother and father what he wants- basketball , not violin. And Zayd learns that mamoo is not being pushed into a marriage.

After their heart to heart talk, Zayd’s parents decide to let Zayd play basketball again in time for the tryouts. Zayd should, also, continue with his regular violin lessons during the school day, while discontinuing the before schools lessons.

The evening after the tryouts is grandfather’s birthday. The whole extended family goes out for a Chinese dinner. Zayd’s fortune cookie reads- “You must power forward to achieve your dreams”, which is quite fitting since he has made the basketball team.

Just enough basketball and family interaction to make this story believable.

Each of the 19 chapters begins with a different basketball action silhouette. There are seven illustrations and eight cameos sprinkled throughout the book.

Includes chapter 1 of the next book in the series – On Point.

I enjoy a good monster movie perhaps because I know I am safe and “watching the mistakes that created monsters warns us to take care of the people and the world around us.” (25)

In four brief chapters, Krystyna Poray Goddu gives her readers a brief history of some of the most famous movies monsters viewed in America. Frankenstein first appeared in a movie in 1910. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde appeared in 1931. Movie monsters can be shape shifters like wolfman, Maleficent, and characters from the Ghostbusters. They can also be the result of “scientific experiments gone wrong” (17) Some movie monsters are ‘gentle giants’ (9) like King Kong and Godzilla not meant for the human world, but brought here against their will.

In chapter 2, “Movie Monsters Everywhere” it states monster movies are especially popular around Halloween. Movie monsters come in the shape of toys( Mattel’s Monster High), shown on TV (Scooby-Doo), in movies, in games, and General Mills even has a line of monster cereals: Franken Berry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula.

Chapter 4 “Movie Monsters Forever” tells about how Godzilla, Frankenstein, and King Kong have each been made into multiple movies.

There is not much meat to this book, but readers who are viewers of monster movies will enjoy agreeing with the information that is provided.

Lastly, Goddu compares Frankenstein and Godzilla as though they were in an arranged bout. Who would wins such a bout? Spoiler alert: Godzilla do to shear size- 164 feet against Frankenstein at 8 feet.

Includes: Table of Contents, Glossary, Further Information, Index, and “download free, complementary educational resources for this book form our website, www.lernerresources.com.” (30)

Early readers getting ready for chapter books will love this sugary sweet new series about fairies from Candy Kingdom. In this first book in the Royal Sweets series, today is going to be Princess Mini’s first day at the Royal Fairy Academy.  Along the way there she and her flying unicorn, Butterscotch, hear a cry for, “Help,” from a very young, small troll. Princess Mini helps Gobo, the troll, out of the caramel thornbush just as the bell begins to ring to start school. Gobo says trolls and princesses are not supposed to talk to each other, but Princess Mini says, “fairy princesses are supposed to help other.” (15)

Princess Mini arrives at school as the last bell rings. Her first class is making sugar and spice candy using cinnamon or a dash of mint. The whole time Princess Mini is distracted by thinking about Bogo. At recess, a bit of intrigue begins as Princesses Cupcake and Swirlie come over to talk to Mini with negative compliments. Then, Prince Frosting almost overhears Mini telling her friend Taffy about Bogo. As the first day of school comes to an end, Frosting still does not know about Bogo, but he isn’t giving up on finding out their secret.

Mini and Taffy have just gotten Bogo to come out from finding when Frosting flies up on his unicorn. Bogo, though, is too quick to let Frosting see him. Afterwards, Taffy , Mini, and Bogo ‘pinkie’ promise “to a sweet secret friendship!”(65)

The reader will want to fly through the text, but want to slow down for the two or three black and white illustrations per chapter. The font is large and the chapters are short enough for beginning chapter book readers to feel successful.

Includes: Table of Contents, Word List (glossary, with pronunciation) , and questions.

Truly Lovejoy is back in this second installment of the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series. Readers do not need to have read book one, Absolutely Truly, in order to follow the storyline of this book.  The author references elements of book one, but provides context so book one details do not detract from this story. In the second book, Truly learns about her namesake and the history of the house she now calls home in Pumpkin Falls, New Hampshire. As the story develops, there are multiple mysteries that interconnect to reveal the rich history of the area and the founders of the town. Truly and her friends call themselves the Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes, and they work together to crack a maple syrup crime and settle a town feud. Along the way, Truly also investigates her family’s history, uncovering a local connection to the underground railroad and uses her quick wit to find her younger sister when she goes missing. With a complex mystery to solve, historically accurate details, and engaging and realistic family and friendship complications, this book will be a winner with mystery, historical, and realistic fiction readers.