Millie Magnus for Mayor and Bridge to Bat City

Mazique, Brittany and Glenn, Ebony (illustrator). 

Millie Magnus for Mayor (Millie Magnus #2)
September 2, 2025 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Millie is back after her introduction in the beginning chapter book Millie Magnus Won't Be Bullied, and immediately sees a HUGE problem. She overhears her mother, the mayor, talking about plans for tearing down the local playground. This is horrible! She gathers her friends in The Moody Bubblegums, Atticus and Poppy Anne, and try to come up with a plan to save their favorite place. They also loop in Greta, a cool fourth grader, and her group, The Real Chill Pickles. Millie thinks that there needs to be a leader, so gets herself voted the "mayor" of the project. This doesn't go over all too well with Greta, who thinks that she should be the leader since she is older, and the groups' momentum stalls.  Millie confides in Josephine Draper, her mother's assistant and also Millie's caregiver, and Josephine tells Milie to talk to her mother about the project. She doesn't, but does apologize to Greta. The groups make buttons and posters to take to the community press conference, even though they are not supposed to crash a press conference. In the end, it turns out that Millie's mother is working to make the playground bigger and better. The next book, entitled Millie Magnus is Jealous, is likely to revolve around the new relationship between Millie's widowed mother and Mr. Longfellow, an architect. 

Accompanied by fun illustrations (Extra Spicy chicken glory needs to be seen!), Millie's story reflects the exuberance and misguided intentions so often seen in early elementary school students. While she's not quite as off the mark as Amelia Bedelia, it's apparent early on that the beloved playground is not in the danger Millie suspects. Millie would benefit from some guidance in peer relationships, and is lucky to have Josephine to keep her sassy ways in check. The tensions between Millie and Greta reminded me of Stella Diaz's struggles with her Sea Musketeers in Dominguez's Stella Díaz Dreams Big. Leading a group is not always an inherent skill, so seeing this modeled in literature is great. 

Young readers who enjoyed Millie's exuberance, as well as her pet chicken, Extra Spicy, will be glad to follow Millie's attempts as she deals with situations in her life, rather like a Junie B. Jones (Parks, 1992) for the new millienium. Millie's would find co conspiritors in Allen's The Magnificent Mya Tibbs, Draper's Sassy, Sheth's Nina Soni, or Watson's Ryan Hart in Ways to Make Sunshine.

Cline, Ernest. Bridge to Bat City

April 9, 2024 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Ohio Digital Library Copy

Opal Flats moves from Lubbock to Austin, Texas after her mother, a talented seamstress, passes away from a stroke. Opal, who is 13, is on the heavy side, obsessed with Buddy Holly, and very sensitive to music. Her father died in the Vietnam war, so her Uncle Roscoe, her father's brother, takes her in. Roscoe still runs the family farm, which was started in 1865, even though he doesn't like farming, because he wants to protect his family's legacy. Not far from the farm is a cave that is home to a colony of bats. Muckerno Limestone has been trying to buy the farm in order to mine the area, but Roscoe doesn't like the environmental impact the company has. Opal starts to notice that the bats seem to like it when she plays music, and even chitter in response to it, and she names the bats after streets in Austin, because they seem to especially enjoy the television program Austin City Limits. When the cave where the bats live is blown up by Muckeno, they fly out to Roscoe's farm, unaware that the Flats are losing their home to foreclosure. Roscoe and Opal string up clotheslines in the barn so that the bats have somewhere to stay during a storm, but everyone needs a long term solution to their displacement. Roscoe and Opal move to Austin, where they find a bridge under which the bats can live. The flocks of bats, however, panic the population of the city. Can Opal convince the citizens of her new home that the bats are an asset? 

Strengths: There are lots of good details about Austin's music scene in the 1980s, and despite the sad beginning, is an upbeat story. Opal does seem to have some actual exchanges of information with the bats, (she knows, for example, that many of them are orphans like she is) if not conversations, so this does have a fantasy aspect to it. Uncle Roscoe, despite his poor financial planning, is a good choice for a guardian for Opal, and the two have a great relationship. Their move to Austin improves the quality of their lives, since Roscoe is able to get a job at a newspaper as well as at a Radio Shack (I hope he retired before he lost both of those 1980s gigs!) The illustrations are a nice touch, and showcase musicians of the time as well as historical figures like Nancy Richards and Molly Ivins. Texas readers will enjoy this look at their recent history. 
Weaknesses: Don't know what in the Sam Hill Cline was trying to do with the folksy language, but I think it would have limited appeal with my readers. It got tiring hearing about how socially awkward Opal was, and the names were a bit twee (Flats on her father's side and Sharp's on her mother's? Sigh.)
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want folksy, Southern tinged books like Tubbs' Luna Howls at the Moon or Lloyd's The Witching Wind.  I will pass on purchasing. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons- Champion and Time to Win

Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem, Obstfeld, Raymond and Laroche, Ed (illustrator)
Champion: A Graphic Novel
September 2, 2025 by Ten Speed Graphic
E ARC provided by Edelweiss plus

When Monk makes the poor decision to add graffitti to a rival school's mascot sign, he is caught. His coach and parents decide to implement some restorative justice, so he and his teammates have to clean up the paint (which is at least chalk based), and Monk has to write a report on basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The report can't be about his basketball playing, however, which confuses Monk. He seeks some help from people in his life, like Lark, who is on the girls' basketball team, and Sissy, who hires him to work in her store. All of the people in his life are a little concerned that he is laser focused on basketball, and no longer seems to have interest in art, even though he's very good. As he starts to delve into research on Abdul-Jabbar, he learns a lot about the Civil Rights movement, and the sports legend appears to him and has conversations. He even takes Monk back to different places and points in history so that he can understand how difficult the struggle was, and how Abdul-Jabbar was involved in a lot of things, not just basketball. Monk meets many road blocks; his notes and files on his computer disappear, his work hours are cut, and he angers Lark by not coming to her game. When he finally finishes his research, he decides to present it in a unique way, and with the help of his teammates, creates a mural about Abdul-Jabbar's life on the side of Sissy's store. 

Strengths: I wanted to buy this graphic novel for this quote from the coach alone (from the E ARC): "Reality check: There are over 18,000 NCAA players, of which only about 4,000 are eligible for the NBA draft. Of those, only 60 will get drafted." Of course, Monk replies that he will be one of the 60. There are so many of my students who think that they have a chance to play professional ball, even though they aren't particularly talented, so maybe they will take away the message that it's important to have other plans for careers. My students are also ridiculously fond of LeBron James and ONLY want to read books about him, so this might tempt them to investigate another basketball player who has a wider impact than sports. This had an older, more serious illustration style to it that I enjoyed, and that will appeal to middle school and high school readers. 

Weaknesses: This was fairly text dense, and I'm afraid that some of my readers might give up early on. 
What I really think: I'm always interested in more sports graphic novels; the Jake Maddox ones are quite short but very popular. Champion is a little more complex and a good choice for readers who liked Soria and Williams' Who is the Man in the Air: Michael Jordan or Smith, Barnes, and Anyabwile's Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist or Justice. Don't forget that Abdul-Jabbar also wrote the Sasquatch in the Paint series. Sadly, I didn't find out about book three until it was no longer available! 

Shah, Amar. Time to Win (Play the Game #3)

August 5, 2025 by Scholastic Inc.

Library Copy

Raam is now on the school team with Beast, the Moore twins, and Jason. He's glad to finally be able to play basketball, but feels like everyone is questioning his suitability to be on the team. His best friend Cake also seems angry, and the two don't spend much time together. There are problems at home as well. His mother's Indian dance studio is having financial difficulties, and losing students. His father is very worried about this, and interviewing for more stable jobs. When he gets one offer that means the family would have to relocate away from Orlando and Raam's grandparents who live there, Raam is very worried. Jason is very mean on the court, and causes several painful but not too serious injuries, but things do get a little better after Coach Demer has the boys doing some team building exercises at the Orlando Science Center. Raam gets more insight into Payton's life when the team stops by his house to pick up uniforms, and Payton's father can't stop talking about building his son's brand, and the clothing line and training app they are releasing. When Raam's mother loses another student, she asks Raam to help her studio compete, but Raam breaks his toe fooling around. Cake has to step in, but the mother's team wins, which helps the studio remain solvent. Raam's father decides not to take the job, and Raam is glad that he can remain at his school, near his grandparents, with his family intact.

Strengths: It's important for middle grade sports stories to have two things: lots of sports action, but also another plot to move things along. Raam's family issues are great for this; young readers will relate more to parents who are arguing and struggling with finances than they will to having all the parents die. My students love these books for all of the celebrity mentions, like when one of Raam's favorite players comes to his team's game, and the two later meet at an Indian dance festival that the Orlando Magic is hosting in its facility. Not sure whether this was a real player, but probably was; I don't pay attention, but my students certainly do. These are a great length and move along quickly. I like to suggest titles like this for book projects; kids who like sports do so much better on projects when they LIKE the book they are reading! 
Weaknesses: There are a lot of references to current players and contemporary trends that will cause these books to be dated in a few years. It's a fine line to walk. I also don't understand why these books aren't available in hardback! Scholastic tends to publish its most popular titles only in paperback, which doesn't make sense to me at all. Luckily, prebinds of these books are available. 

What I really think: Three books is perfect for a middle grade series, and I would love to see another sports title from Shah. It would be great if he could write standalone basketball books similar to the ones Fred Bowen writes (with his own insider, celebrity spin); I'd buy three of every single one! 

Guy Friday- Gone Viral

Soto, Gary. Gone Viral.
January 6, 2026 by Clarion Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Jason decides to put together a band, he informs his best friend Sean that their new names will be Metallic Z and Half-Lo, respectively, and together they form Gormax. Gormax will embrace the musical philosophy of John Cage, who in 1952 performed a piece entitled “4’33” that was essentially silence. Jason, aka Metallic Z, argues that in the current age of noise, this style would gain new appreciation. He seems to be right. With the help of Chase Stravinsky, their eleven year old agent (nicknamed White Socks), the boys inform their parents, and school principal, Mr. Kidman, that they will be dropping out of school. Soon, Chase has them booked for a gig in Cologne, Germany and billetted in a fancy hotel. Their performances involve a lot of swaying to silence with “implied feelings”. They are a hit, and find themselves in a wide range of European and world cities, performing and eating copious amounts of junk food. Chase arranges for them to be joined by a girl from Tulare, near their hometown of Visalia, California, and soon Samantha (who changes her name to Skylark), and her cockatiel, Zep (who can play a tiny harmonica), are gathering even more fans than Gormax. From wearing kilts in Scotland to having Cal Tech name a planet after the band, the two friends have a kaleidoscope of goofy experiences. But, like many band stories, theirs soon has an end. Skylark, who has developed a crush on Principal Kidman’s daughter, Priscilla, quits the band after Zep goes missing. Gormax struggles to gather audiences at progressively smaller venues, and when Chase’s investments literally sink (the island with their Bitcoin goes down), the two return home. Principal Kidman makes them repeat seventh grade, which they do willingly, and there is a happy ending for Skylark and Priscilla, as well as Zep.

N. B. This is considered a "modern fantasy" and is purposefully silly and over the top, according to the publisher. It is very different from Soto's other work.   

Strengths: Readers who enjoy goofy, nonsensical adventures that are told in a slap dash, episodic, non sequitur style will revel in Gormax’s pell mell exploits. Perhaps aimed at attention spans more used to TikTok videos than connected prose, this story feeds readers a constant stream of places, people, and anecdotes, sometimes within the same paragraph. It’s also a lesson in wish fulfillment; the boys are supposed to keep up with school work, but do so only cursorily, find the skateboards that were stolen from them when they were ten in a huge pile in Amsterdam, have pizza delivered to their hotel by robots, and get a chance to travel the world. This is a fairly happy tale, with no time for introspective navel gazing or processing of grief, even when the band’s run comes to an end, which sets it apart from the current middle grade trend of depicting anxious characters processing loss.
Weaknesses: Gormax’s initial appeal is a focus on silence and body consciousness, which is an interesting premise, but the addition of Skylark and Zep, with their more traditional performances, negates this. There was significantly less cohesive plot and compelling character development than is generally found in novels for children.
What I really think: Like Soto’s 2023 Puppy Love, Gone Viral shows a significant change in style for Soto’s work. If you are a fan of Soto’s books like Taking Sides, Baseball in April and Other Stories, and Fire in My Hands, I would read this before purchasing for a school library, as it is more reminiscent of Kinney’s Wimpy Kid books or Daniel Pinkwater’s chaotic adventures. 

A Year in Nature

Happy New Year! We are truly living in the future now that it's 2026. If my 11 year old, 1976 self asked what life would be like fifty years in the future, I would have to say that while technology has really taken off (Texting pictures to people! MP3 players with a thousand songs on them! E Books! Streaming movies!) and there is almost a complete lack of fashion, most things are still the same. There are no flying cars, jet packs, or enough silver spandex clothing to be concerned about. 

I'm not sure that overall, 2026 is an improvement. 

That said, patting myself on the back for 14 solid years of posting at least one book review every day. Not that anyone really cares, but there is a sense of accomplishment in the continuity. 

 

Mettler, René. A Year in Nature: Explore the Countryside, Month by Month
March 18, 2025 by Post Wave
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In this beautifully illustrated, oversized French import, the reader is transported to an idyllic countryside with rolling hills and two amazing châteaus. This starts with a complete but succinct explanation of the seasons, and how they change in Europe and North America. After that, every month gets a fold out overview of the temperature, length of day and night, and a description of what the prevailing weather conditions are. There is even a "Gardener's Basket" which lists what foods are being harvested; who knew that Brussels sprouts had such a long winter growing season! On the other side, the plants, trees, animals and birds that pepper the landscape are described, along with what changes are occurring because of the weather. The real draw to this book is the two page spread of the countryside that shows a view from a hill complete with a winding country lane, far off village, fields, and a river. 

Mettler, who first published this book in 1997, wrote and illustrated many books dealing with nature and the environment, including Flowers, The Rain Forest, and Animal Camoflage. His attention to detail makes these illustrations come to life, and each feather on a bird or leaf on a flower is painstakingly drawn. These should really have been made into wall posters, since they are the sort of picture I could stare at for hours. 

The information about the seasons is equally complete, although there is an inordinate amount of discussion about hedgerows that tipped me off (along with those châteaus) that the scene was set in Europe. The temperatures also indicate that this takes place a bit further north than where I live (82 degrees in July sounds lovely and cool!), but also might indicate that climate change is indeed warming this up. I am a little suprised that the text was not updated with some information about current conditions. 

Seasons are a big topic for younger readers, and I enjoyed that this gives good basic information about the reasons for the changes. I can see an interested reader consulting this book at the beginning of each month and checking to see how the world outside compares with the description in the book. Combine this with Barnum and Frost's A Stroll Through the Seasons, Jenkins and Jones' Squirrel's Busy Year, and Duvoisin's classic 1950 The House of Four Seasons to give your young reader a good overview of the changing natural world. 

A few more picture books to end the year

Smith, Zadie, Laird, Nick, and Fox, Magenta (illus.). In The Wild

June 10, 2025 by Viking Books for Young Readers

Copy provided by Edelweiss Plus

Kit is going to camp, and her pets are not happy. Her bird Derrick, cat Dora, dog Bob, and guinea pig Maud are all concerned for her safety, and worried that she will feel lonely. The trip also puts a crimp in their rugged schedule of judo, naps, and practicing of "signature moves". When Kit is packing for her journey, Maud looks at the lists and realizes there isn't anything that says "no Mauds", so she hops in Kit's back pack! Arriving at camp, she hopes out and is amazed at how different the park is from home. There's grass, sky, and a very talkative hedgehog named Harvey. There's even a hawk that whisks Maud away, but she's able to rescue herself by performing her "signature move"! Harvey and Maud have a great time hanging out while Kit is frolicking with other students. While it was fun to get away from the routine of home, Maud is ready to go back home when camp is over. There, she and Kit recreate the fun of camp for their friends, complete with a tent and popcorn!

Maud's perspective on being out "in the wild" is a good one, she she really hasn't left the house! This means that everything, even the dirt beneath her paws and the open sky, is new to her. It was fun to see that she didn't spend her time trailing after Kit, but instead made a friend and was able to have a parallel experience to her owner's. I was expecting that she would stay close to her human, so this was a nice surprise. 

Fox's illustrations do a good job of contrasting Kit and Maud's time, and cleverly show Maud and Harvey doing their activities at the bottom of the page while Kit and her friends are going about their business on the top. There are lots of good details in the pictures. While we don't spend much time with Derrrick, Dora, or Bob, we see enough of their personalities that it would be easy to see more books of Kit's adventures that include them. 

Reading books about new experiences is a good way to introduce young children to them so that they are prepared for things that might otherwise surprise them. Keep In the Wild on hand to pop into a back pack for a camping adventure along with Weston and Warner's Good Job, Bear, Mann's The Camping Trip, Tariq and Lewis' Fatima's Great Outdoors, or Braddock's On the Trail. 

George, Kallie and Holzewarth, Devon. Sand Cakes

April 22, 2025 by Tundra Books

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

A little girl is enjoying her day at the beach, playing in the sand and running an exquisite sand bakery. She makes rock sprinkled cakes, seaweed pies, sand tarts with shells, and buns covered with sea glass. She offers these delicacies to passersby, who all wrinkle their noses and turn her down! Even the crabs turn her down. This makes her angry, but doesn't stop her from continuing to line up treat after treat on the beach. Eventually, she gets a surprise customer... the tide comes in and the ocean gobbles up all of her sand confections, making the girl very happy. 

Told in exuberant, rhyming verse, this tale begs to be read aloud, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear a little one chanting lines from this while making similar sand treats in a backyard pile! It's too bad that the people to whom the girl offers the treats decline them; don't they know that the proper response to to take the treat, put it to their face while saying "om nom nom", and crumpling it down their front? 

The illustrations have lots of details, and the bakery items are quite pretty. The endpapers are also beautifully drawn, and the front and back pages are even different. 

Tuck this title safely in a waterproof tote to read at the beach along with Jonker's Just One Wave, Ree's Sora's Seashells, Schertle and Lavallee's All You Need for the Beach, and Soman and Davis' Ladybug Girl at the Beach. 

Starstuff: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Celebrate New Possibilities

Alexander, William (ed.) Starstuff: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Celebrate New Possibilities 

May 20, 2025 by MIT Kids Press

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Like the Young Adult collection by this group, Tasting Light: Ten Science Fiction Stories to Rewire Your Perceptions, Starstuff showcases middle grade authors who turn their hands to envisioning what science will look like in the future. The authors puts their own personal twists on this theme, while offering readers glimpses of the future that are timely and sometimes worrisome. Let's take a brief look at what is included. 

Jenn Reese, whose middle grade novels Every Bird a Prince and Puzzleheart lean towards magic, hands us a "To-do List for the Apocalypse". River doesn't understand why her mother needs to move her to California after divorcing her father since there is an asteroid on its way to Earth. Her mother, who got a job teaching psychology, is also a citizen scientist, and when she gets an alert while they are driving to their new home, the two stop in Colorado to set up a station to record the asteroid as it passes close to the planet. Using the backyard of Jamila and her father Rahesh (who is also divorced from his husband), River finds out the real truth about the asteroid and makes peace with her new life. 

In "Calm Down, People", Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe) introduces us to Orquidea Bandana, who is a on a space mission to show consumers that space travel is safe even for people who might be deathly allergic to bees or possibly in the early stages of multiple sclerosis, like she is. Bandana saves the day with her knowledge of EpiPens and inhalers when the captain is stung by one of the blue orchard bees on board, and helps Spacerino Exploration Travel show that space tourism isn't dangerous. 

Zinn and Charlie break into the Athanatos research facility in "The Whistleblowers" after Zinn's grandfather needs the EternaLife medicine that Charlie's mother has developed but has since found out can cause cancer. Kekla Magoon, whose Robyn Hoodlum series was set in a dystopia future, writes a thrilling tale about medical ethics gone wrong and kids doing what they can to save the ones they love. 

With people living on space stations, there has to be a way to get supplies to them. In Alexander's "Aesop's Elevator", which is written in the second person, our narrator loves living in the tiny apartment that is part of the space elevator that his mother designed, although his sister Addy would love to return to Earth permanently. When rocket entrepreneur John Jay Jordan threatens this existence by making a bet that his rockets can provide supplies more quickly, the narrator has to step in to discover who has sabotaged the elevator. Alexander, the editor of this volume who has written a lot of books with which I am not familiar, will be known to middle grade readers for his The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: The Legend of Memo Castillo.

Maddi Gonzalez, who has written several of the Goosebumps graphic novels, contributes the only graphic novel style story with "Zabrina Meets the Retro Club", which finds Zabrina meeting members of a group she has only known online at the M.A.L.L.: the Multimedia Augmented Liminal Location. Her friends Ada, Brandi, Carol and Dina are glad to finally see each other in real life, although Dina is joining the group as a robot, since she is sick at home. Since Zabrina wears thick glasses, the two can't enjoy the virtual reality headsets, but everyone is glad to be able to hang out together. 

Kallen and his friend Ryla are on the spaceship Whistle Pig in "The Most Epic Nap in the Universe" and are determined that they Kallen will opt out of his hibernation cycle so the two can hang out together and Ryla won't get older that Kallen is. Their plans are thwarted by Kallen's mother, who doesn't want to miss out on time with her son, but the two manage to wake Kallen up and get into trouble, some of it involving the marmots that help the hibernation process. Capetta has done some young adult books, along with the elementary fantasy novel, Hocus and Pocus and the Spell for Home. 

Eliot Schrefer, who wrote Young Adult thrillers before turning his hand to books like Endangered, offers 

an interesting look at "A Proposal to the Animal Congress". In a text message format, narrated by an AI hawk and rabbit, the animals try to find the best way to minimize suffering for all animals. 

Artificial Intelligence is used again in Robertson's "Of What We Never Were" when we see Stacy, who is clearly struggling at school, constantly texting her best friend Adam, who is not with her all day for reasons that become clear later in the story. 

Fran Wilde (Gemworld, Bone Universe, The Canarvier Files) takes us on a wild ride in Red, Right, Returning as fifth grader Ollie Vere struggles with taking her prepilot test along with her twin sister Ella and best friend Luiz. When she presses the "optimize" button too many times, complications ensue, her anxiety rises, and the test seems even more  difficult. 

Finally, Lucy's class gets to submit ideas for a Space Treaty Organization contest in 2068, and while her teacher Mr. Gupta initially has reservations about whether a time capsule is a good use of the opportunity to send an object into space, Lucy's project is chosen, and she and her teammates must work to figure out what they can include in such a small space. Years after including information on DNA cartridges, Lucy comes across her own time capsule on a mission and adds additional items. 850 million years later, the capsule is found again, and this afterthought inclusion allows a future society to bring Lucy's clone to life in "The Traveler" by Wade Roush. 

While some of these stories were more effective than others, they all included a respectable amount of scientific information, although this sometimes overshadowed the narrative flow. It's hard to find science fiction that doesn't devolve into dystopia, so these stories will be a big hit with readers who enjoy futuristic adventures that try to predict how science and technology will change and impact our existence. It's hard to find science fiction short story collection for middle grade readers, but if they enjoyed novels like Mbalia's Last Gate of the Emperor, Warga's A Rover's Story, or Rodkey's We're Not From Here, Starstuff will hit the spot. 

MMGM- Roman Soldiers: Discover the World of the Ancient Roman Army

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Evans, Tegen and Froese, Tom (illustrations).
Roman Soldiers: Discover the World of the Ancient Roman Army

20 May 2025 by Nosy Crow

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

While this books looks like a picture book, with its vaguely cartoon style illustrations, it is packed with information not only about the soliders and army, but also about every day life in Ancient Roman times. 

Because most children don't get introduced to ancient history until middle school, this book does a great job of providing all the necessary details about Roman soldiers in a succinct way. It discusses who was able to serve, how armies were organized and equipped, how soliders trained and fought in battles, and what calvary soldiers did. There is even information about what happened during a siege (including information about not only catapults, but ballistae and onagers as well!), a bit about ancient medicine, and living conditions for soliders. There is a complete index at the end of the book, which is beautifully decorated with the same mosaic pattern found on the end papers. 

While this is a larger format book (10.25 x 0.41 x 11.48 inches), the font is still very small, since there is so much information on each page. This gives plenty of room for detailed portrayals of uniforms, equipment, and fortifications, but does require some patience and good eyesight! 

When I taught Latin years ago, one of the most popular historical topics was always anything about the Roman army. One of my students did a project that included a Romanc shield made out of a plastic sled and half a Leggs Egg! He wasn't the best student at the language, but his project was top notch. This book would have plenty of information to provide for similar projects on several different aspects of the Roman military. Even I have to admit that their fighting formations are rather clever. 

Young historians will appreciate the British Museum's wealth of information in this book, and will also enjoy Ruzicka and Tuma's Ancient Rome for Kids, Ralph's Secrets of the Dead about Ancient Egypt, and Marx's Hide and Seek History: Ancient Greece. Sasek's This is Rome is a good overview of the general time period, and there are also plenty of Dorling-Kindersley books on many Ancient Roman topics. 

Archive of the Unexplained: Area 51

Foxe, Steve and Bueno, Fran (illus.) Archive of the Unexplained: Area 51

August 5, 2025 by First Second

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

When TJ's great uncle passes away, his parents take him to the funeral. Afterwords, he is a bit bored with the reception at the house, and wanders into his uncle's study, where he finds a file marked "CIA debriefing". Intrigued, he tells his mother he is just looking for something to read, and discovers a bookcase that opens and leads to an underground office. He finds out that his uncle was involved in the investigations into Area 51, and reads the files eagerly. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, motivated by the Cold War, set up Project Blue Book to investigate whether or not aliens were a threat to US security. While problematic, this group lasted until 1969. Centered near Roswell, N. M, this secure area was all too close to the site of WWII era atomic bomb testing, since people didn't quite understand all of the ramifications of nuclear fallout and radiation. Many instances of "alien sightings" were investigated, but eventually the focus of the group became to get people to be less worried about the threat of aliens! From 1970-2007, the government did not investigate anything about aliens, at least on the record! TJ reads information about Bob Lazar's claims in 1989, the "weather balloons" of the 1950s, and anecdotal evidence about "Men in Black" that takes on a different feel when he is approached by real Men in Black! He hides with the files in the bathroom so he can finish reading them, but is eventually flushed out and must surrender the files. When he tries to tell his parents about his adventure, the secret door is stuck. 

This graphic novel will be a big hit with Sullivan's Unsolved Case Files or books that showcase Area 51, like Smith's Project Mercury, Murray and Smith's Alien Summer, Miller's Out There, or Fleming's Crash From Outer Space.  While this story leans a bit more towards the idea that aliens did have an active presence in mid century America, I have to side with Fleming's research that shows that Yes, Virginia, it was just a weather balloon. 

The style of illustrations looked very much like comic books; not surprising, given Foxe's body of work that includes book adaptations of X-Men stories. This goes well with the topic, and enjoyed TJ is his funeral suit finding the secret basement and hunkering down to read in the bathroom. There's a lot of historical information, even if this veers into science fiction territory when TJ is chased by the Men in Black. 

Graphic novels are a great way to get tweens reading about historical events, and this will have a lot of comic book appeal for readers who enjoyed History Comics. 

Absolutely Everything and Indoor Kid

Alexander, Damian. Absolutely Everything  
September 9, 2025 by Graphic Universe ™
Copy provided by Edelweiss Plus

Marcella has a nice life; a cozy apartment in a building where her friends Jen Chu, Nigel McNamara, and Jonah Williams live, two dads who love and support her, and a love of writing. As 6th grade starts, however, things are getting difficult. She can never remember to catch her bus at 6:45 a.m., often getting distracted by things in her room. She struggles to pay attention to class, and is embarrassed when her teachers call her out after they have asked her to participate several times. Her best friend Jen is starting to think that boys are cute, and caring about what she wears to school, instead of thinking about the books that she and Marcella liked to role play when they were younger. On top of everything else, her dads are moving the family to the apartment across the hallway because it is bigger and has better sunlight and a balcony. When a teacher she likes assigns a 500 word personal essay on any topic, Marcella can't think of a thing to write about, even though she has enjoyed making journal entries, and her teacher has been complementary about her writing. Jen is increasingly involved in ballet, and even though her friends and parents try to help her with the writing assignment, Marcella always gets distracted by something else, doesn't do the work, and gets even more stressed. She even misses Jen's ballet recital because she is trying to get work done on the project. Eventually, Ms. Kimani calls home and tells Marcella's dads what she is seeing in school. Marcella admits that she is struggling, and is lucky enough to get an appointment with a therapist, who helps her. 
Strengths: Even though middle school classwork and homework isn't that hard, students have struggled in recent years, so Marcella's experiences in this graphic novel will resonate with many readers. It was good to see that her fathers supported her, and immediately got her into counseling when a teacher brought her struggles to their attention. It's good to see portrayals of students living in apartments, and Marcella's building sounds like a great place to be. Alexander's artwork is brightly colored and similar to other artists like Telgemeier, Galligan, and Fajardo, but is different enough to be unique. The cover is very appealing and shows the mood of the book right away. 
Weaknesses: Young readers who have had to move to other states or countries will have little sympathy for Marcella's move across the hallway. It would have been informative to see Marcella prior to middle school, because her prevailing mood is so miserable. 
What I really think: An author's note states that Marcella is based on characters that Alexander has drawn over a number of years, and that her story is based on his own struggles with ADHD. He didn't see stories that reflected his experience when he was growing up. Now, every other middle grade book is about a character with anxiety, so this would be a good choice for readers who enjoyed Libenson's Invisible Emmie, Scrivan's Nat Enough, or Vivat's Frazzled. Most of the characters like Marcella are female, so it would have been nice to see another book with a male character with these struggles, like Todd's Timid.  Alexander's Other Boys is another look at his difficult middle school years. 

Heagerty, Mat, and Dubois-Thompson, Lisa. Indoor Kid

October 28, 2025 by Oni Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Arnie lives in Muscletown with his athletic parents and sister Lily. Sports are everything in Muscletown, and Arnie doesn't have much luck with them, although he is good at board and video games. The popular kids are known as the Brohemians, and they wield such power that they can challenge other students to "Muscle Matches", and if they lose, ban them from the local Boyle Park and make them wear pale blue ball caps embroidered with "Loser". Arnie has suffered this fate several times, along with his friends Kayle and Chris. When he stands up to Benton, the ringleader, he is banned from the park for life. When a game piece falls into the yard of his downstairs neighbor, Arnie goes to retrieve it. While he doesn't do well at sports, he loves them, and realizes the neighbor is the elusive Mort Cohen, who disappeared after a short but stellar career that ended when he played poorly at the Super Bowl in 1985. Mort admits to his identity, and tells Arnie the story of a magical medal that will grant sports prowess to its owner, but only for six months. When Arnie explains his current dilemma, Mort gives him the medal, making him promise to use it for good. Arnie is soon showing off his new skills, but Mort doubts Arnie's motives when he posts videos on a MeTube channell. Once he does well in dodgeball, he becomes popular, and ditches Kayla. After Kayla and Chris try to steal the medal, Arnie understands how he has gone wrong, and offers to give it to them. Instead, they suggest that he challenge all five Brohemians to a Muscle Match. If they lose, they will no longer be able to ban people from the park or make them wear a hat. Will Arnie be able to win against all five of the super sports players? And what will happen to the medal?

Strengths: This was a goofy graphic novel with bright illustrations and an interesting premise. A medal which bestows athletic super powers on its owner would be something that a lot of middle school students would appreciate. There are many sports shown; the Brohemians all have one sport in which they excel, and there are basketball games, baseball, field hockey, and a number of other sports. It's difficult to find graphic novels that involve sport, other than the Jake Maddox graphic novels. Readers who like somewhat goofy books about struggling characters may enjoy this. 
Weaknesses: Muscletown lets five children ban people from a public park and the school lets them force classmates to wear a hat that says "loser"? If this were set in the 1970s, I would believe it, but it's hardly acceptable behavior for the 2020s. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed the magical realism and underdog character in Mercado's Chunky or Bycel, Korson, and Scott's Sports Heroes: Stephen Curry. I'm not sure it's the graphic novel that my sports fans want to read. 

Ruby René Always Gets Her Way

Iman, Ashley and Jose, Gladys (illus.) Ruby René Always Gets Her Way

June 24, 2025 by Kokila

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In Ruby René Had So Much to Say, Ruby finds out that it is all too easy to get in trouble, even when you're just trying to do the right thing. She's finally harnessed her energetic questions and love of trivia and is the voice of the school announcements, where it is great to share her fun fact of the day. When she gets sick and has to miss a couple of days of school, she is flabbergasted to find that another student has been announcing in her absence. Yanin has done a good job, and keeps showing up for announcements even though Ruby is back. The two girls warm to each other and are soon finishing each other's sentences. They get along well, until Ruby referes to Yanin as her sidekick, and doesn't give her a chance to do anything but listen to Ruby's great ideas. Yanin avoids Ruby, and then ignores her entirely. Hurt, Ruby is sad when the principal tells her that Yanin wants the girls to take turns doing the announcements rather than doing them together. Neither girl is as good alone, and eventually Ruby realizes that she hasn't really taken an interest in Yanin or asked her any questions. The two are able to reconcile and continue to work on the morning announcements together. 

It's not just elementary students who need to learn to listen to others and work collaboratively; there are adults who only want to talk about themselves and their own ideas! It's easy to get caught up in wanting to share what's in our own heads, and hard to cede the floor to the ideas of other's. Ruby doesn't do anything malicious; she just doesn't always THINK. This is definitely something that need help navigating. 

There are a lot of words on each page, but this makes it perfect for third graders (as well as younger children), who seem to be the hot spot for troublesome relationships. The illustrations will appeal to this demographic, and the text is helpful without talking down to young readers. 

There's no shortage of books about friendships, but this look at Ruby's relationship with Yanin definitely is more instructive and timely than many other titles. I can't think of any books from my own childhood that address issues of getting along with others, but there are now a lot of books on this topic, including Horáček's A Best Friend for Bear, Hest and Denton's Billy and Rose: Just the Way We Are, and Agee's George and Lenny are Always Together. 

North for the Winter

Merry Christmas! My students, no matter what their religious background, often start requesting titles about this holiday right after Halloween, and it's hard to keep up with demand. I still have an extremely worn copy of the first graphic novel I ever bought, the 2006 Manga Claus, and North For Winter will be a good follow up for readers who enjoyed the odd mix of holiday themed characters and action. 

Podesta, Bobby. North for the Winter
September 2, 2025 by First Second
E ARC provided by Netgalley

In 1955, Virginia Kay and her father move from Arizona to Denver, Colorado. On the trip, the father (who was a pilot during the war) narrowly misses an animal on the road, and has to change a flat tire. Virginia goes off into the woods in search of the animal, and encounters a flying reindeer. When the animal sniffs her, she accidentally grabs a medallion of its collar. Her father isn't happy that she ran off, since they have recently lost her mother. Arriving at Aunt Frances' apartment, Virginia doesn't feel at home, but soon comes to terms with her cozy bedroom in the pantry, and makes friends with neighbor Benny Alvarez. In alternating scenes, we also see the men working at the Continental Air Defence Command Center (CONAD). Benny takes Virginia on a tour of Denver, including Gisser's Department Store, where his sister Gloria works in the toy department. Virginia is obsessed with the reindeer, and talks Benny into investigating the woods with her, and he even gets Gloria to drive them. The medallion is a compass, and Virginia ends oup flying with the reindeer. They show up on the CONAD radar, and almost get hit by a plane. Arriving back at the department store, they are met by manager Mr. Albright, who along with workers Joy and Noel are actually elves. Mr. Albright knows Donner, and tells Virginia that since she has the compass, Donner doesn't know where to meet up with his team to pull Santa's sleigh. If Santa doesn't make his deliveries, children will stop believing in Santa, so it's important that Virginia fix things. Unfortunately, she has to deal with a man they call the Tracker, who is trying to capture Donner. It's a tricky situation, and Virginia and Benny drive Benny's family car to the cabin (even though they are about 12!). Things escalate with the Tracker, and get pretty dark. With CONAD on high alert because of the odd radar sightings, will Virginia be able to save Christmas?
Strengths: In my mind, the 1950s are the Golden Years of Christmas, so it makes perfect sense to set the story during this time. I loved the note at the end about the serendipity of Colonel Harry Shoup and CONAD tracking Santa! The illustrations, including the color palette, have enough details from that time period to really sell the setting; the clothing, the cars, and the decorations at the department store. This gets a little dark, which is perfect for middle school readers; the Tracker seems like a real threat, and at one point Virginia jumps of the roof of the department store, just trusting that Donner would magically arrive and safe her. (He does. Whew.) Virginia and Benny, aided by a reluctant Gloria, are a wonderful detective team. The mix of history and fantasy reminds me a bit of Walsh's Red Scare: A Graphic Novel. My favorite part has got to be the description Joy and Noel give about Santa's marketing, brand strategy, and decentralization of manufacturing and staff! 
Weaknesses: This is one book where the mother REALLY didn't need to be dead. Couldn't the entire family have just moved to Denver for someone's job? I loved Aunt Frances, but can't we even have HOLIDAY books without all the middle grade parents dying?
What I really think: I'll probably buy this one because the demand for Christmas books is high, and this one had a cinematic, quirky middle grade approach to Santa and his reindeer. You could not pay me enough to have this in an elementary library. Another reviewer thought it would be great for grades 2-4, but I think the dark tone of this one better suits children who have already decided that Santa does not exist. Because I told my daughter from a young age that I didn't believe in Santa, she was crushed to find out that I was right all along. When she was in 6th grade! Not my fault, but I wouldn't want to have to explain this one to any tender youth. 

Howe, Harriet and Christians, Julia (illus.) The Street Where Santa Lives
September 2, 2025 by Tiger Tales
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

When an older man with a long white beard and red jacket and hat moves onto her street, a little girl is determined that he is Santa, even though her sister Liv thinks it's embarassing to call him that! The little girl spends time with the man (after he tells her parents she's no bother), and the two talk and plant things in the local garden. When the man fixes the girl's bicycle bell, this leads to the creation of "Santa's Workshop" where neighbors can bring in small things for the man to repair. The girl helps out. As the weather turns colder, Santa doesn't show up at the workshop, and the girl is concerned. With her parents, she knocks on the door and finds out that Santa is ill. Posting flyers, the girl alerts the neighbors that Santa needs help, and they all descend with soup, food, and medicine to take care of their friend. Santa feels better just in time for Christmas. 

I loved this because years ago, when my daughters were young, there was an older, portly man with a beard in our town who drove a red pick up truck and wore a red jacket and stocking cap. The girls were convinced that he must be Santa Claus! It's good to see the girl and Santa interact with so many people in their neighborhood; in addition to the garden, the neighborhood has parks, a restaurant, and a lot of folks out and about. That feeling of community is especially fun for young readers who might live in suburban neighborhoods where people are never outside!

Christians' artwork is delightful, and gives a certain European feel to the pages, with great use of light and attention to detail. The use of dark blue gives the pages set at night a very cozy ambiance. 

There's a fine line between believing in Santa and not, and books that "explain" different aspects of Santa's life can help youngsters explore the reality of this gift giving jolly old elf. Pop this fun title under the tree with Sharff and Kaban's When Santa Came to Stay, Barnett and Smith's Santa's First Christmas, or Stewart and Beckett's How the North Pole Works for readers who are looking forward to Christmas. 

12 Strays of Christmas and Candy Corn Christmas

McKearin, Natalie. 12 Strays of Christmas
October 7, 2025 by Scholastic Inc.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Holly Bell has had a bad year; there has been a trifecta of bad things occur in her life. Her father has died, her dog Ginger has died, and her mother has moved her and her brother Nick from Michigan to Chicago for her new job. Nick has settled in okay, and has a new best friend, Nick, but Holly still misses her friend Cara and hasn't really made any new friends. When she is forced to do a service learning project, Alex suggests that she come to the animal shelter where he volunteers. She meets another girl from school there, Angelina, who seems to hate her, and a tussle involving giving a dog a bath ends with her cell phone being ruined. Not wanting to bother her stressed out, rarely home mother about it, she takes her savings and buys a flip phone. She tries to find a job, but since she isn't 14, she can't find anything. Alex, whose mother has a Christmas shop in the mall, says that they always need help, but Holly finds Alex annoying. Holly, who is desperately grieving so many things in her life, finds just about everything annoying, with the exception of her father's old record player, which she uses to listen to a wide array of rather old music since she can't use her phone. She eventually connects with Angelina, only to find that her Dad and Alex's mom are getting married. Holly also finds a dog at the shelter who reminds her of Ginger, but again, she doesn't want to bother her mother. As Christmas and the wedding approaches, Holly begins to realize that it is too hard to do try to deal with everything on her own, and eventually asks her mother for help with processing the difficult move. 

The cover of this is adorable, and Christmas books are always in demand. I was hoping that this would be like Taylor Garland's Secret Snowflake or The Twelve Pets of Christmas, but be aware that this is more in line with the current trends in middle grade literature to make as many books as possible deal with the grieving process. That said, it's likely I will buy a copy of this because it's so hard to find Christmas books. I was a bit surprised at how old some of the music was; if Holly is 13, her father was likely in his mid 40s, so must have had very eclectic tastes in music. 

Fenske, Jonathan. Candy Corn Christmas
September 9, 2025 by Little Simon
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

A leftover bunch of candy corn lingers in a plastic pumpkin in the pantry with baking supplies. They are all rather sad until they realize that Christmas cheer is in the air. They venture out and find a winter wonderland of snowflakes, trees, and reindeer, and meet a sugarplum who tells them that it is Christmas. Let loose from their confines, the candy corn take full advantage of the delights of the season and cause a lot of chaos, sliding down the roof of the gingerbread house and crawling up the tree. A bossy candy cane takes umbrage at their antics and tells them to scream. Disheartened, the corn prepare to leave, but Santa comes down the chimney just in time! He reminds the Christmas candy that there is room enough for everyone, and after a frightening nibble at one of the candies, declares that they are sticky, striped, and sweet just like candy canes. Feeling welcome, the candy corn participate in the holiday activities a bit more calmly, and help their new friends decorate the tree. 

Told in well crafted verse, this is an absolutely delightful book that will bear multiple rereadings between Halloween and Christmas. I am super picky about poetry, and this absolutely passed the "read out loud" test. There are clever rhymes, fun word choices, and phrases that are destined to become family favorites. Even though I enjoy a bit of seasonal candy corn, I can see "They were the candy time forgot. They did not mold. They did not rot." working it's way into my grandchildrens's parlance. Especially when they find out that I have a bag of Thanksgiving Dinner flavored candy corn from 2021 in my freezer! 

Fenske has illustrated many books, including Perl's Carrot and Cookie books and his own I Will Race You Through This Book, so the illustrations are rich with details that will make young readers giggle. From the Muffin Man mix on the pantry shelves to the candy corn cannon balling into a cup of eggnog, there are all sorts of amusing gags and references. The candy corn all have expressions on their face, and it's necessary to look at all of them to see what other stories are unfolding. 

Clearly, there should be more Christmas books about sentient candy. Lacking those, you can read this along with Scarry's classic The Sweet Scent of Christmas or edgier, humorous holiday themed books like Sharff's When Santa Came to Stay or Ardagh's Bunnies in a Sleigh. 

How to Make a Bedtime

McKinlay, Meg and Blair, Karen. (Illustrator)
How to Make a Bedtime
Published January 28, 2025
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

It's time for bed, and a little boy and his parents (who is portrayed as a bear) poetically discuss the elements of what make a bedtime. A sloshy bath, followed by cozy pajamas, leads to looking for a teddy bear to take to bed. After some searching, the boy and his bear are tucked up tight, but it's still not time. Some songs, a hug and a kiss, and even a story are necessary. The sleepy little boy makes no objection to putting his head down and falling asleep as the parent bear trundles away.

Books about bedtime often involve some youngsters that aren't too keen on turning in, like Alves' Time for Bed, Little Owls, Strasser's So Tired, So Wide Awake, Shea's Oh, Are You Awake, and Cummins' Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheepover, so it's refreshing to see a clearly tired child (who can barely keep his eyes open!) patiently put up with the parent's protracted ritual. Of course, it's awfully hard to say no to a lullabye or a couple of bedtime books!

The text is in rhyming verse that flows smoothly. The language is somewhat more poetic than many picture book, with lines like "cloud-soft" pajamas, "purpling sighs", and "snuggly slumbery snory", but is otherwise fairly simple and calm, which will make for a nice bedtime read.

The pictures have a definite chalk pastel feel to them, which makes the pages look as cozy as the text makes the story sound. The little boy looks a tiny bit like Sendak's Max in Where the Wild Things are; something about his nose, perhaps, although he acts nothing like him. The story is just long enough to make this book a frequent entry into a nighttime line up.

I'm a little confused as to why the parent was a bear. I had come to terms with that, but then the final page shows the bear walking down the stairs like a human, then getting down on all fours to cross the room.

MMGM- Black Diamond Kings and Welcome to Kittyville

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Smith, Charles R. and Brandon, Adrian (illus.)

Black Diamond Kings: Heroes of Negro League Baseball

May 6, 2025 by Candlewick

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Very few authors pair sports with poetry, but Smith has several titles that do this very things. His other Sports Royalty books, including Hoop Queens, Hoop Kings, and Soccer Queens follow a similar winning format. Luminaries of the game are given beautiful two page spread illustrations and a poem that encapsulates what makes the player special. These would be fantastic for read aloud, since Smith's free verse poems are full of motions, images, and sounds that lend themselves to being heard. 

There are several players from the Negro Leagues of whom readers may have heard, like Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell, but many others that are all too close to being forgotten. The poems don't give a lot of information about the players' lives, so it's good to see short biographical paragraphs at the end of the book. These are complete with the years when they were active, positions, and whether they were right or left handed. Oddly, the years of birth and death are not included, nor are teams for which they played always mentioned. 

There is some additional information on the Negro Leagues, including why they were called that, and the disparities in treatment. As of 2024, Negro League players have been added to Major League Baseball statistics, so that was good to see. 

It is very hard to find books on sports for any age level, but especially for younger readers. This is a good addition to books like David A. Kelly's Ballpark Mysteries, Barnes' Who Got Game: Baseball,  or picture books like Sorrell's Contenders. 

Martin, Paul and Roy, Camille (illustrations)

Welcome to Kittyville (The Agatha Case Files)

September 9, 2025 by Twirl

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Young Agatha has come to Kittyville with the dream of becoming a detective. She is thrown right into her first case when she happens upon Dr. Poodle, who has had her suitcase with the plans for her latest invention inside it. Agatha starts her investigation, and the format of each case is innovative and fun. When we turn the page, there is a two page spread of the train station with lots of characters and details. Opening the left hand side, there are instructions for things to look for that give some clues as to who the culprit may be. On the right hand page, there are four possible suspects who give statements, as well as an eyewitness. Next, we have some help to "Crack the Case Open". Three clues focus on who the culprit might be, but for those readers who still need help, there is a page number where the answer is located. 

There are eight cases altogether, including finding out why Dr. Poodle's robots on the loose, investigating a missing painting, a mess at a museum, and a break in at the bank. Agatha also hones her skills at a carnival caper, circus antics, and even at the awards ceremony that the mayor holds for Agatha to thank her for solving so many of the town's mysteries. Someone thinks she is not that great a detective and steals one of her presents, but of course Agatha is able to identify the culprit. Now that Agatha has several cases under her belt, I'm sure we will see more of her adventures. 

The illustrations remind me a bit of Richard Scarry's Busy town, with cityscapes full of details and different animal characters. While many of the primary colors are used (a very Scarry trait), there is also a smattering of more trendy color, like the turquoise on the cover and a particularly interesting dark teal for grass and foliage, which gives the book a very modern feel. Agatha, with her bright red hair and blue overalls, is easy to find. The cutaways of the buildings are fascinating, and we get to see the underground and sewers as well as apartments and stores. My favorite scene is probably Agatha's party at the museum, even if the turkey , duck, cow, and poodle are all the same size! 

Readers who are not quite ready for Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown mysteries will find Agatha's cases a good warm up for those stories. I appreciated the instructions for what to look for, and was able to solve most of the cases, although I don't have a lot of patience for figuring out mysteries. While some of the clues were obvious (a bird's feather at the scene means the culprit is probably a bird), some of the other clues took a bit more thought (looking at the types of shoes characters were wearing or determining what tools were used in a break in). This would be a great way to encourage critical thinking in a young child. 

This would make a great gift for a budding young detective along with a magnifying glass and fingerprint kit, as well as some more traditional early reader mysteries like Roy's A to Z Mysteries, Kelly's Ballpark Mysteries, Butler's Kayla and King books, or Random House's Time to Read The Boxcar Children series.

Elena Camps

Medina, Juana. Elena Camps
June 17, 2025 by Candlewick
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Elena has just gotten a tent, and is so excited that she attempts to construct it without first consulting the instructions. Things don't go particularly well, as she gets tangled up in the flaps, forgets the poles, and generally struggles to get her structure upright. Elena gets very angry and stomps around, but her friend, the little red bird, gently suggests that the instructions might help. Elena, who didn't want any help in the previous book featuring her exploits, Elena Bikes protests at first, but eventually heeds the advice. After studying the schematics, Elena manages to get her tent set up, and is prepared with her teddy bear print pajamas and bunny slippers to spend the night in her new hideout.

Young readers will laugh as Elena disappears into an ocean of tent fabric again and again with an exuberant "Ga-BUNK" and "Ga-BOING" and giggle as Elena's predicament worsens. Will the average three year old see a mirror of their own meltdowns? Perhaps not, but the adults certainly will. This would be an excellent reminder for such times. I can see saying to my grandson "Remember when Elena forgot to read the instructions, but they ended up being really helpful?"

This is a very short beginning reader book, and it has just the right amount of large, clear text accompanied by simple, bright illustrations. The words are not always at the bottom of the page, which I think is a good choice; it's easier to associate the words with specific illustrations that way. 

Stylistically, this reminds me a big of LeSieg's In a People House, illustrated by Roy McKie. It even has the same sort of slapstick humor, which is always amusing to the very young. 

I've been collecting a number of camping books, and deserves a place in your backpack next to books books like Hedviga Gutierrez's Hiking 101, Paprocki's C is for Camping board book, Watt's Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping, Gamble and Jasper's Goodnight, Campsite, and Sadler and Bollan's P.J. Funnybunny Goes Camping, which should have more attention than the more popular It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by these authors!