Nettie and Nellie Crook: Orphan Train Sisters

Abbott, E. F. Nettie and Nellie Crook: Orphan Train Sisters 
February 16th 2016 by Feiwel & Friends
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Nettie and Nellie's mother is barely able to take care of them, and their father is often gone. The twins, age 6,  try to find food for themselves and their younger brother, but large cities are difficult. A kindly grocer helps them out, but when their parents return, they are even more abusive, so the children are taken to an orphanage. Things are not much better there, but eventually are brought to the attention of the children's aide society and sent out west on an orphan train. There, they are lucky enough to taken by a local grocer and his wife and not separated. The grocer is kindly, and they have a nice room, but Mrs. Chapin is cruel and works them very hard. Eventually, they are removed to another family, the Darrahs, where they are treated much better and end up staying. Based on a true story, this is well-illustrated with period photographs. 
Strengths: The biographical information about the sisters at the end is nice, and the photographs add a lot. There is enough information about the historical background that readers will understand how the sisters ended up where they did. A nice introduction to this subject.
Weaknesses:I prefer the Joan Lowery Nixon Orphan Train series, because there is a little more meat to them, with mysteries and more excitement thrown in. This story was too similar to many of the orphan train books I've already read, but readers meeting the topic for the first time won't know this. Will probably purchase. 
What I really think: I will be interested to read the Based on a True Story book about Mary Jemison, Sybil Luddington, and John Lincoln Clem. It doesn't hurt to have fresh versions of standard historical characters, and the format of these seems to be attractive. 

Neri, G. Tru and Nelle: A Novel
March 1st 2016 by HMH Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Tru (Truman Capote) is a seven-year-old boy with unreliable parents who is sent to live with aunts in a small Southern town. Nelle (Harper Lee) is six, and has a father who isn't terribly involved, so she is allowed to run about by herself. The two share a love of detective stories, even though Tru is fussy about his clothing, since he danced on riverboats and earned money as an entertainer, and Nelle wears overalls and is usually covered in dirt. The two get involved in all matter of scrapes during the 1930s, especially when they investigate a robbery at the local drugstore. They also have some alarming run ins with the Ku Klux Klan. They enjoy hanging out together until Tru's mother remarries and sends him to a boarding school, but the friends write to each other and later work on some of their projects together. 
Strengths: This is very well researched, with lots of period details that make the small Southern town come to life. The addition of photographs of the characters at different ages, and the notes about their lives after the book, are informative. The story moves along at a good pace, and the eccentricities of the characters are described without slowing the story down. Neri clearly has a lot of love for his topic.
Weaknesses: At 336 pages, there is a disconnect between the age of the characters and the intended audience. It's very difficult to get middle schoolers to read about characters who are younger than they are. Just is. High school students, who might have an interest in Harper Lee, will most likely think this is too young, and middle schoolers haven't been introduced to either of these famous authors. 
What I really think: It will be very difficult to find readers for this book. I won't be purchasing. 

The Video Game Bandit

Dixon, Franklin W. The Video Game Bandit (Hardy Boys Clue Book #1)
April 19th 2016 by Aladdin
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Frank and Joe's baseball team is having a fund raiser so that they can go to Florida. Ellie Freeman's parents are hosting the event in their yard, and have caterers bring in food. When the auction begins, the bidding is fast and furious, and it looks like the fundraiser will be a big success... until the popular and hard-to-find video game console that Mr. Fun has donated goes missing! Frank and Joe are on the case, finding the chewed up box, interviewing the catering staff, and figuring out who stole the game! Will they be able to recover it in time to have it auctioned off to the highest bidder?

Strengths: This had a very strong Encyclopedia Brown feel to it, and I'm a huge sucker for anything like those! The clues are fairly easy to follow, there are a few pictures, and this was a fun, quick read.
Weaknesses: I can never tell Frank and Joe apart, unless they are being played by Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson. Sigh. There's a happy thought for your day!
What I really think: I prefer The Hardy Boys Adventures, but since I have so many struggling readers, I think I will purchase this series as well. An earlier incarnation, The Pumped-Up Pizza Problem (Hardy Boys: Clues Brothers #9) has seen a lot of wear and tear in my library, and this would make a good replacement. 

Weeks, Sarah. Cheese
January 5th 2016 by Scholastic Inc.
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Originally published as Oggie Cooder (2000) and Oggie Cooder, Party Animal (2009), Cheese capitalizes on Oggie's main hobby (and stress reliever) of charving-- chewing and carving cheese into different shapes-- and gives the book a new cover reminscent of the author's more recent works, Pie and Honey. 

Oggie lives with his parents, who run a local resale shop and get most of Oggie's wacky clothes as well as household furnishings from their attempts to stock the store at garage sales. It's a tough business, especially when a pipe breaks and is going to set them back $10,000, so Oggie is always on the lookout for contests he can enter. He doesn't win a trip to Florida for naming a bagel (Raisin' the Roof is so much better than Sunshine!), but he thinks he might be able to win the local version of Hidden Talents by charving a selection of states. That is, until neighbor Donnica Perfecto talks him into teaching her to charve, so she upstages him. She doesn't have Oggie's talents, though, and he is victorious, even though he chooses not to go on to the next level. 

In Oggie Cooder, Party Animal, Donnica's mother makes her invite Oggie to her pool party because Oggie's mother is helpful and is an influential part of the garden club that Ms. Perfecto wants to join. Donnica is not pleased and fears that Oggie will totally ruin her party, especially since her father has hired Bumbles the juggling bear instead of the local hot high school band, Cheddar Jam. (The books are set in Wisconsin.) Oggie also has to deal with a poetry project at school and has to write a haiku while trying desperately, with the help of his friend Amy, to memorize all of Donnica's rules for how he should and should not behave at the party. In typical Oggie fashion, however, he manages to save the day.

Weeks does a great job with humorous books, Regular Guy (1999) remains a staple in my middle school library. Oggie is goofy, with his seersucker pants and habit of making odd noises, and his attempts to fit in with his classmates will resonate with elementary aged readers).

The great thing about middle grade fiction is that it is often about kids who DO things. In Oggie's case, it is mainly charving, but he also gets into all sorts of different activities. Donnica's party in particular speaks to the sort of difficult situation many kids find themselves in when trying to fit in. 

Cheese fits right in with other timeless, humorous novels like Park's Skinny-bones, Dowell's Phineas McGuire and Paula Danziger's Matthew Martin series and delivers plenty of laughs. Just lock up the plastic wrapped, processed cheese slices if you buy this for your own children-- you might inadvertently start them on a new hobby!

This fell on the elementary side of the Pilkey line for me, and since it is very different from Pie and Honey, I don't know that the new cover is a great idea. 

Love and Gelato

Again, while I hate books where the parents die, sometimes it's done well. Or maybe it's that this is set in Florence, Italy and I'm a sucker for a travel book. Or it has the mother's journal from her study abroad time and I spent a year in Athens, Greece a while ago. (Let's put it this way. If I had had a child because of an indiscretion, that child would now be 30...) Anyway, I loved this one. 



Welch, Jenna Evans. Love and Gelato. 
April 12th 2016 by Simon Pulse
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Lina's mother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and dies within four months. While Lina is perfectly happy to live with her best friend, her mother and grandmother want her to go to Italy to stay with Howard, a very good friend of her mother's and... Lina's father? It doesn't help that Howard is the caretaker of the American war memorial and cemetery, but Lina is determined to head back to the states as soon as she can. She meets Lorenzo, a half Italian, half American boy her age who usually spends the summer in Texas, and he introduces her to the kids who might be her classmates at the American school. She likes the new people she meets, especially Thomas, a British boy who is model cute. Howard gives her plenty of space, as well as a comfortable room, and his coworker gives her her mother's journal. Lina is a little confused as to how Howard could be her father, and as to why her mother would have kept her from him, so the journal is a helpful link to her mother's thought process. She soon finds secrets that need to be investigated, and Ren helps her with this in between showing her the marvelous sites of Florence and introducing her to the fabulous food. Eventually, she finds out more about her past and is able to make her peace with it, and decides that staying in Italy might not be so bad after all. 
Strengths: Lots and lots of descriptions of life in Florence. If I had read this in high school I would have tried my darnedest to get to Italy even sooner than I did! The romance with Ren is sweet, and Howard is a great character. Lina's level of grief is realistic but not overly melancholy, for which I am thankful. I personally loved this book, and I think my readers will enjoy it as well. 
Weaknesses: This is on the long side, which might make it better for high school readers, but it is completely middle grade appropriate. It reads a lot like one of the Bloomsbury If Only romances. 
What I really think: I wish this had a better cover, but I won't have any trouble hand selling it to my readers who like romances or books with travel to exotic locales. 

Wells, Marcia. Eddie Doom at Grant's Tomb (Red Undercover #3)
April 5th 2016 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Read it, enjoyed it, having trouble coming up with coherent thoughts about it. My students love this series, and I think they will be pleased with this one as well. 

From Goodreads.com
"Eddie Red, the NYPD’s youngest crime-solving hero, smells trouble. Could he be the target of the elusive art thief Lars Heinrich, whose last robbery he ruined? If so, why won’t the police let Eddie help on the case? What are they hiding from him? In the thrilling third installment of the Eddie Red Undercover series, Eddie will need some luck of the Irish as he races against the clock (and bombs and runaway subway cars) to stop what could be one of the greatest heists in history.       Companion to Eddie Red Undercover: Mystery on the Musuem Mile and Eddie Red Undercover: Mystery in Mayan Mexico."

#WNDB Wednesday- OCDaniel, The Bitter Side of Sweet

King, Wesley. OCDaniel
April 12th 2016 by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Daniel is an 8th grader, a punter for the football team (which means he is on the bench most of the time), a great admirer of the quirky Raya... and someone given to "zaps"-- incidents when he just feels crazy and can't move on until he performs his rituals. His rituals also keep him up at night, but he tries his best to hide his state of mind from his friend Max as well as his family. When he gets a note from "a fellow star child", he develops a friendship with "Psycho Sara" who was briefly mainstreamed in his school but who suffers from bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and a host of other issues. She sees in Daniel someone who will understand, and also someone who can help her solve the mystery of her father's disappearance. She's sure that her mother's boyfriend has killed her father, and the two set out to investigate. Along the way, Daniel learns some coping mechanisms to deal with his OCD, and Sara learns some difficult truths about her own life. 
Strengths: Aside from Hesser's 1998 Kissing Doorknobs and Tashjian's 1999 Multiple Choice, I haven't seen much about OCD. I really enjoy King's adventure books (The Vindico Series, Incredible Space Raiders from Space!, and the new Dragons vs. Drones), and he knows his way around a middle grade story. 
Weaknesses: This read more like a YA story, i.e. rather slow paced and introspective. The mystery seemed a little improbable for middle school students to solve. This had a very John Green vibe to it, which is great if you like that sort of thing. I don't. 
What I really think: May buy to hand to students who ask for John Green's books, which I don't have due to language and content. 


Sullivan, Tara. The Bitter Side of Sweet
February 23rd 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Amadou and Seydou have been sent by their family to work on a cacao farm, but once they are there, they are mistreated and no money is sent to their family. They are regularly beaten for not picking their quota, and Seydou, who is only 8, is badly wounded in an accident. With the help of Khadija, an educated girl from the city who is also brought to the farm, the brothers escape and make it back to Khadija's mother, who is trying to expose the horrors of the chocolate industry. It is because of her that Khadija was kidnapped. Mother and daughter plan to go to France, but since the boys have no papers, they can't leave the country. After learning about fair trade farms, the boys ask to be dropped off at one so that they can work but not be beaten. 
Strengths:If you're looking for multicultural books about children in other countries, this would be a good one. Lots of details about what it is like for a child to be forced to work in the cocoa industry. I liked the humanity that Amadou showed throughout the book, even though being nice to others made things worse for him. The author puts a positive spin on this by informing children about things they can do to help. This would be a definite purchase for a high school. 
https://tarasullivanbooks.com/do-something/
Weaknesses: Might be hard to find a middle grade audience for this-- there are a few graphic things, but it's the length that may turn children away. 
What I really think: I will buy a copy to support this author and to give to motivated children. 

One of the reasons that I buy the vast majority of my clothes and household items at the thrift store is that I am not giving money to companies that produce clothing overseas and may use unfair labor practices. Yes, someone has paid the money to those companies, but my money goes to local concerns and even gives a tiny amount to charity. I also hope that buying things at the thrift store keeps them out of landfills. 

If we all did things that are small for us (like making sure our chocolate is fair trade, and recycling), the world would be a better place!

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin

Teele, Elinor. The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin.
April 12th 2016 by Walden Pond Press
ARC from Young Adult Books Central

John and his sister Page are living with their great aunt Beauregarde after the death of their parents in the grimy and depressing town of Pludgett. John works for the family business, building coffins, but he has managed to keep Page in school. When Beauregarde tells the two that Page will start working for Coggin Family Coffins, the two decide to run away. Luckily, they have just met Boz, and odd man who is associated with the Wandering Wayfarers circus, and he arrives just in time to drive them away from their aunt in a horse drawn fire engine. The two find the circus amusing, and John works hard to earn acceptance by the group by working on a steam driven vehicle called the Autopsy, but he is never able to make it work, and soon he and Page are on their own again. Luckily, they manage to find Maria, who runs a bakery and takes a liking to both of them. She puts John to work, but her nephew soon arrives and realizes that money is very tight. In order to help, John tries to create a new oven, but his efforts wind up blowing up the bakery! On the run again, they join up with an archaeologist, Miss Doyle, but are soon located by their great aunt and kidnapped. With the help of Boz, as well as others he has met on his journeys, John tries to create a vehicle that will steal the show at the Pludgett Day celebration and win his freedom and that of his sister. 

There are plenty of goofy moments in this book-- John is referred to as Dung Boy in the circus, since he first meets most of the performers after stepping in a horse patty, chicken poo is used for fuel for John's engines, and there are a lot of small, gross moments where boogers drop from people's noses into their soup. 

While Beauregard is nothing but evil, John and Page are fortunate enough to find a variety of caring people to help them. I loved Maria and the scenes in the bakery; it was somewhat reminiscent of the scene in The Box Car Children. If I were running away from home and hungry, I would certainly look for an alley to sleep in very close to a bakery. It was especially nice that Maria came looking for the children even after they burned her business to the ground. 

Like Ardagh's Eddie Dickens Trilogy, Wood's The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, or Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, The Mechanical Mind of John Coggins pits orphaned children against a variety of evil adults who think nothing of sacrificing them for an evil agenda. Using language much like Snicket's, in that the vocabulary is rather rarified and obscure, Teele draws a quirky, dangerous world full of intrigue and adventure for her hapless but resourceful characters. 

This was a bit quirky and gross for me, with rather annoying language. Very much like Snicket, in that regard. If I still had a lot of readers who wanted Snicket, I'd buy this, but will pass for now. The cover isn't great, either. 


Samphire, Patrick. Secrets of the Dragon Tomb
January 12th 2016 by Henry Holt and Company, LLC

This was definitely original-- Regency Mars. The characters were fine, the plot moved along well... and I can't think of a single student who would pick this up. I love anything with England in the 1800s, but my students don't. 

If you have readers who enjoy Steampunk, English history, or space colonies, definitely take a look at this. 

The wonderful Charlotte has a much more complete review at:

http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com

Blather-- Progress Report

It's been almost three weeks since my foot surgery, but I'm still not back to where I want to be. Not only can't I be on my feet for long or walk with any kind of speed, I'm having a lot of trouble concentrating and (*gasp*) took Friday off school even though I wasn't throwing up or unconscious. This is just not something I do.

Book reviews have suffered.

We had testing all last week, so the library was closed most of the week. I did get a lot of work done on my Makerspace plans, but it's just not been the best week.

We have testing for the next two weeks. Maybe by the end of that, my foot will be better and we can finish the school year with a flourish!

MMGM- Spaced Out

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.




Gibbs, Stuart. Spaced Out (Moon Base Alpha #2)
April 5th 2016 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Dashiell has had it with Patton and Lily, the children of the space tourists, but after he gets in an altercation with Patton that involves using the space toilet to defend himself, Dashiell is reprimanded by the base commander, Nina. When Nina goes missing it's a huge mystery. How far can she have gone on the space station? Everyone starts to investigate, and Kira and Dashiell find moon rocks in Nina's room, fueling the idea that she was going to try to sell them for tremendous sums of money. Still, where has she gone? The group goes looking outside the space station to try to find her, a jaunt which almost ends in tragedy because some of the helmets had been damaged by being used to play football! Dashiell has the help of Zan Perfonic, the alien who can "visit" him virtually and who is very handy when she scares Patton by showing him a vision of a terrifying space snake! Eventually, Dashiell is able to put together pieces of the puzzle and locate Nina, and also manages to find out what the evil Sjobergs are trying to do to the space station!

Dashiell is a great middle grade character. He means well and is intelligent, but is also easily frustrated and impulsive. He enjoys being with Kira, who is his age, but is irritated that his parents and the space station fans on earth think that the two should be a couple. He's not thrilled with the food in space, or the close quarters, but seems to get along well enough with his family, including six year old Violet, who is a bit too perky for a tween boy to have to deal with! 

The details about living in space, especially the information from a space safety guide that appear between chapters, are quite good, and the references to science fiction movies and television shows that don't do a good job at depicting the realities of life in space will be very humorous to readers who are familiar with them. The space toilet, and Dashiell's use of it when defending himself, is an exceptionally brilliant inclusion. 

The mystery is a good one, and Dashiell's use of available clues realistic. The interactions of the space crew go against protocol in some instances, but are probably very true to life of any group of people forced to spend extended time together. 

Gibbs is always a pleasure to read. His prose is facile and funny, and my students like his work every bit as much as I do. I love the fact that his series tend to be short enough that all of the books get read (something which just doesn't happen if a series is over about 4 books long), and that the publisher has kept the same style of covers on all of the books. Spaced Out is a great choice for readers who like mysteries, science fiction, or just an amusing read!

Roth, Ruby. The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids
April 5th 2016 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Copy provided by the publisher 

This introductory vegan cookbook aims to involve children in the process of creating their own food, in hopes of getting them to be more interested in the food. There are lots of kid friendly items in this cookbook, from "cheesy sauce" to small sandwiches and snacks featuring fruits and vegetables as well as some exotic things to spread on the fruits or stir into drinks. 

There's lots of information given on the different types of ingredients and why it is important to the planet to make smarter food choices. A lot of this information (as well as the information found on the websites listed) is fairly crucial to the recipes, because starting this book, I couldn't have told you what Bragg Liquid Aminos was, much less what shelf to find it on at the local health food store. 

The fun page layouts will appeal to children, with the vibrant clip art and hand drawn font. This is not in a spiral binding, which will make the book last longer, but also makes it hard to consult when making a recipe. Helpful hint: lay a clear pie plate over the recipe so that the book stays open but you can still read the recipe. 

Parents who are vegans themselves and want to continue the practice with their offspring will find this to be an amusing cookbook to use while trying to convince their children that almond milk and chia seeds constitute pudding. This will last until the children comes in contact with a DelMonte Pudding Cup. Bet those aren't in metal cans will pull tab tops anymore, are they-- a kid could take their fingers right off with one of those. 

*****Warning. Old Person Rant.*******


I prefer my recipes to be separate from page decorations, but I am very clearly not the target demographic for this book! The only thing I tried was the chia pudding, and my entire family thought it looked like... well, use your imagination.

Hipster parents have become my new nemesis. Really? Soaked raw cashews, red bell pepper, nutritional yeast, the aforementioned Bragg's... stuff, lemon and tumeric? Guess what this makes? Guess!

Cheesy sauce. Hahahahahaha. 

No. No, it doesn't. It makes a slimy goop that will stain whatever organic hemp bib your child will immediately regurgitate it onto. 

Feed the kid boxed mac and cheese and let them wear a plastic bib, and you don't have these problems. 

Okay, fine. I could feed my nonexistent grandchildren whole wheat pasta with melted actual cheddar instead of Velveeta. I can go that far. But not ground up raw cashews with weird stuff poured over gluten free ancient grain quinoa "pasta".

Next week: The benefits of double knit polyester! 

Eleven Things I Promised

Clark, Catherine. Eleven Things I Promised
April 5th 2016 by HarperTeen
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline
Also reviewed at Young Adult Books Central

Frances and her best friend Stella have planned to complete a 300+ mile bike ride for charity. Stella is the biker-- Frances is the half-hearted companion who would rather be doing something else. When Stella is hit by a car during a training ride and is unable to make the trip, Frances has to join the group alone. She also has a list of eleven things that Stella has on her "bucket list" that she feels she must do. The biking is hard enough, although Frances is able to keep up, but putting herself out there to ask a boy to dance, get her navel pierced, and drink alcohol are definitely outside her comfort zone. She also makes a few mistakes that threaten to get her kicked off the team, including spending the night with Stella's brother, Mason, even though the two are only talking. The only thing that keeps her on the team is her confession to the leader that Stella's injuries are graver than she has lead everyone to believe, and this is upsetting in the extreme. 

While Frances' wants to complete the ride so that she can donate money to childhood cancer research, her journey is equally about self-discovery. Stella has been the one of the pair to take all of the chances, and now Frances finds that she has to be the one who is daring, and without Stella's support. 

There is a little bit of underage drinking in this, but it doesn't end well for Frances (she call's Mason and is a teary-eyed drunk, and also loses her phone). The romance is clean, so this could be read by younger readers as well. Frances' attempt to connect with several different boys, and her feelings of awkwardness while doing so, will resonate with teen readers. 

Readers who liked the bicycle adventure in Jennifer Bradbury's Shift or Diana Renn's Latitude Zero will love the description of cross country biking. Downsides, like spandex shorts, protein cubes and road rash all make a prominent appearance, but the camaraderie of the road is evident as well. Because of the extent of Stella's injuries, and their impact not only on Stella but on Frances as well, this is also a good choice for readers who like problem novels by authors such as Lurlene McDaniel, Sarah Dessen, and Susane Colasanti.

It's unfortunate that this is only available in paperback-- I'm a big fan of biking myself, and the scene where Frances and her date go to prom on their bikes makes this a title that I can't wait to hand to readers!

A Variety of Sadness

Here's the question-- why can I never put together a post with a Variety of Happiness? 

Conklin, Melanie. Counting Thyme
April 12th 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young 
EARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Thyme and her parents move to New York City so that her five year old brother Val can participate in a drug trial. They hope that this will stop his neuroblastoma, but he has been very sick, and the treatment makes him worse. Thyme is not happy about moving away from San Diego and her friend Shani, but she tries to make things easier for her stressed parents by being helpful and nice to her brother. When she is, she gets slips of paper with amounts of time on them for her "Thyme Jar", which she can them turn in for activities that make her happy. The only thing she really wants to do is return home, but that is unlikely to happen. There is no solid conclusion to her brother's condition at the end of the book, but Thyme makes some peace with the fact that her family will be in NYC for the foreseeable future.

Strengths: This is well-written, has engaging characters, and the family dynamic is supportive and helpful. The NYC setting is very vivid, and Thyme's difficulties with moving to a new place and fitting into a new school, as well as dealing with her brother's illness, are very realistic. Teachers and librarians love this, given all of the five star reviews on Goodreads.
Weaknesses: Comedy is hard to write. Sadness is much easier. A very small percentage of my students want sad books. This might work for them, but I need many more happy books. 

Dooley, Sarah. Free Verse
March 15th 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young 
Copy received from the publisher

Sasha was abandoned by her mother, who wanted to be free of Caboose, West Virginia, the small, Appalachian coal mining town where they live. Then, Sasha's father died in a mine collapse, and her brother (who is ten years older and who was caring for her) dies in his job as a firefighter. She's sent to a decent foster home with Phyllis, who is understanding even when Sasha smashes her guitar. The two live next door to Hubert and his family, and Sasha discovers they are related to her. She befriends the son, Mikey, whose mother was addicted to drugs and ran off, but not before taking Mikey away on a harrowing trip, which psychologically damaged him. Sasha tries to go back to school and maintain some semblance of normality, but it's really hard. Her teachers, social worker, Phyllis, and everyone in her life is supportive, but life in Caboose is hard. Other mine accidents take their toll on Sasha, and when she and Mikey think that Hubert is involved in one, they decide to run away from home in order to get away from Caboose. This doesn't go as expected, and Mikey gets lost. Sasha's one hope is to win a college scholarship made possible by a poetry contest that she enters. 
Strengths: It's always good to see supportive adults, and the ones in this book do everything that they are supposed to do, no matter how intractable Sasha gets. The character are all well-described, and Sasha does grow and change. Teachers will love this, especially since it involves poetry.
Weaknesses: The poetry is not great, and the use of it to tell Sasha's story at a critical juncture impedes the flow of the narrative. I would have felt more hopeful for Sasha is her future were dependent on a math, science or medical career instead of a reliance on poetry! 
What I really think: Now I have a hard copy of this, but I'm not sure if it's worth it to process it and put it in the library. Debating. Also, I am worried for the author's mental health. All three of her books are super, super depressing. 

Guy Friday: Teddy Mars: Almost a Winner

Burnham, Molly. Teddy Mars: Almost a Winner (#2)

March 22nd 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books

ARC from Young Adult Books Central

Teddy is back after Teddy Mars: Almost a Record Breaker, and this time he is hard at work on a school Invention Convention project. He and friends Lonnie and Viva have an idea for a dog pooper scooper, and Teddy finds that he enjoys making the model and working out the problems with it more than he expects. Of course, he's also interested in working on his record breaking, but it ends poorly almost every time. Over spring break, Lonnie and Viva get sent to grandparents to keep them from being injured in the attempts, and Teddy realizes that he needs to spend more time on his project than on his record breaking. Meanwhile, his younger brother is becoming friends with the Grumpy Pigeon Man and taking Teddy's place, which he resents. In the end, an enthusiastic teacher, supportive family, and good friends who put up with his wacky antics help Teddy to achieve his goals, no matter how goofy they happen to be. 

This heavily illustrated chapter book is a great choice for readers of Lincoln Peirce, Holly Kowitt's The Loser List, and Fry's Odd Squad books. It's also perfect for handing to readers who are enamored of The Guinness Book of World Records, since Teddy often cites actual records. I can see the record book being used to check the records that Teddy talks about! 

Lonnie is very interested in science, and Viva is absolutely fearless when dealing with the boys and the frozen chocolate pudding faux dog poop! It's nice to see classmates working well together. Ms. Raffeli runs a very vibrant classroom, and a book that shows children interested in learning is always something I'm glad to see. 

Teddy's family is very busy-- with seven children in the family, things get rather hectic! I find it hard to believe that Teddy's younger brother, aka "The Destructor" is allowed to cover himself with pigeon poo and feathers-- there's got to be some sort of horrible disease you can get from breathing in the bird dander, if nothing else. Still, by the seventh child, you can see why the mother doesn't choose to battle about this one. 

Humorous books that appeal to elementary readers are always in demand, and the fact that this involves the Invention Convention will make this book one that many readers pick up to see if they can get some ideas for their own research. 

Can You Keep a Secret? (Fear Street Relaunch #4)

Stine, R.L. Can You Keep a Secret? (Fear Street Relaunch #4)
April 12th 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Emma and Eddie are on a camping trip with their friends. When Eddie finds a suitcase full of money stuck in a tree, they take the case and try not to tell their friends about the money, but they find out anyway. The group buries the case in the pet cemetery where Eddie works, but Riley later steals it and gives it to Roxie to hide. Emma has had odd dreams about werewolves, and when elderly relative Marta arrives from Prague, she tells her that she wasn't bitten by a dog when she was young; it was a wolf. Her mother just didn't want to scare her. Emma is sure that she is a werewolf, especially after Riley is maimed and killed. Eddie and Emma try to figure out who stole the money to begin with, and also to find out whether the man who hid it in the tree has figured out that they stole it-- a pretty good bet, since Eddie had carved their names into the tree where the money was hidden. Eventually, they manage to figure out a lot of things, survive despite the vicious werewolves and really, really gross cemetery scene. There is also a typical Stine twist at the end of the book. 
Strengths: Plenty of gross and scary stuff that manages to be completely terrifying because of the way Stine uses paranormal facets like werewolves. Are they real? Probably not. Is there real scary stuff? Yes, but maybe it's not real. Stine is the master of the bait-and-switch, although in his Fear Street books there are a few real murders. 
Weaknesses: I don't like the real murders, but my students do. 
What I really think: Never my personal favorites, but I'm glad to have new hardcovers for fans instead of the moldering, twenty year old prebound paperback versions!

Singleton, Linda Joy. Kelsey the Spy
April 1st 2016 by Albert Whitman & Company
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

In this sequel to The Curious Cat Spy Club and The Mystery of the Zorse's Mask, Kelsey has several mysteries that she is investigating. Her brother keeps running off with a mysterious box in his hands, solving the mystery of a broken grandfather clock leads to a tortoise being handed over to Becca's animal sanctuary, and bringing her spy notebook to school gets her in trouble with the Sparklers when it gets stolen and her secrets are revealed. Leo has a new friend, Frankie, and Kelsey doesn't think that he should be a part of the Curious Cat Spy Club. Her family problems continue as well, even though her mother has a new job, her father is still unemployed. There is a fund raiser for the shelter, and the Sparklers want to do face painting, but that doesn't work out well. Kelsey's dad saves the day with his baking. Kelsey's notebook is finally returned, and she manages to mend things with her friends. 
Strengths: This is a nice depiction of a small community, and is realistically done. The animal sanctuary is quite interesting, and the characters all have realistic concerns. 
Weaknesses: If Kelsey really is a fan of Harriet the Spy, she should have known better than to even keep a spy book. It does get brought to school by accident, but still.
What I really think: For some reason, none of the Whitman books have Accelerated Reader tests, so it's hard to get readers for them. May pass on this third book.

#WNDB Wednesday- Just Like Me

Cavanaugh, Nancy J. Just Like Me
April 5th 2016 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
E ARC from Edelweiss ABove the Treeline

Julia is not happy with the fact that she is being forced to go to summer camp with her "Chinese sisters" Avery and Becca so that they can bond, and also so that they can report back to a woman writing an article on them. Avery is a know-it-all geek, and Becca is a very loud, athletic type, but the two live close together and are fast friends. They also embrace their Chinese background. Julia likes her adoptive parents and doesn't want to think too much about the fact that she started life in an orphanage. After being assigned a "family history" project, Julia has taken to sleeping with the blanket that she was wrapped in at the orphanage, pretending it came from her mother. She got in trouble for claiming to be half Irish, half Italian and half Chinese for this project; it's one of the reasons her mother decides to send her to camp. The rest of Julia's cabin is full of girls who are not the nicest, although she does make friends with Gina, who has been in foster care for two years and understands Julia's difficulties in thinking about the past. Amidst all of the high jinks and mosquitoes of camp, Julia makes peace with her past and is able to face the future with confidence. 
Strengths: In an end note, Cavanaugh mentions that her own daughter was adopted from China, and this is evident in the details about Julia's feelings. The important message is that even though many adoptees will look similar, they each have very different experiences and reactions. Set against a summer camp, the message is less preachy, and the story works as a whole and is instructive as well as fun. 
Weaknesses: While it makes sense that this was set in a Christian summer camp (try finding another type that isn't a scout camp or outrageously expensive!), it didn't make sense that all of the music played at meal times was from the 1970s!
What I really think: I've seen an increase in the number of students at my school who do have been adopted from other countries, so I think this will be a good purchase. 


McCarthy, Meghan. The Wildest Race Ever 
March 1st 2016 by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Copy from public library

I've been looking for more nonfiction picture books for middle school students, and this one was great fun! After introducing a handful of the individual men who ran the race, McCarthy (drawing from newspaper articles of the time) describes the race that took place during the 1904 World's Fair. There are a lot of unbelievable details, like some of the runners being chased off course by dogs, one stopping and eating peaches and apples, and one being dosed with strychnine by his trainers! It's amazing that in just over 100 years, the sport has changed so much, and people are able to run the entire 26 miles-- in the first race, many stopped and many walked along the way, probably because there were only two water stations and no energy gels or chews! 

The clothing, of course, is very different as well. Check out this article on one of the runners, Felix Carvajal:
http://naturalrunningcenter.com/2012/08/04/running-footwear-attire-1904-olympic-marathoner/

Definitely getting this one, and predict that my cross country team will find it vastly amusing!

Dark Energy/ The Dark Knight

Wells, Robison. Dark Energy. 
March 29th 2016 by HarperTeen
ARC from Young Adult Books Central

Alice's father is an important NASA researcher, so when an enormous space ship crash lands in the Midwest, killing a large number of people, he is sent to investigate. Because he will be working long hours, and Alice's mother (who was an enrolled member of the Navajo) is deceased, he enrolls her in exclusive Minnetonka School for the Gifted and Talented so that she can be near him and not too far from her grandmother. She settles in fairly well, enjoys her two science loving roommates, as well as the amusing Kurt, but watches with horror as the drama with the spaceship unfolds. Originally, the ship was thought to hold 130,000 aliens, but only a few Guides come out, including Mai, who seems to be the leader. His children are Coya and Suski, who look very much like pale humans, and they are also enrolled at Minnetonka. Armed with translators, they quickly learn the ways of humans, and Alice comes to think of them as friends. At one point, Alice and her friends are allowed to explore the ship, and find some very disturbing scenes. This, along with the fact that genetically Coya and Suski seem to be descended from the Anasazi/Ancestral Puebloan people and their language is connected to Keresan, makes Alice wonder about the origins of the Guides. When a huge secret is revealed, there are bigger problems, and Alice and her friends go on the run to try to save themselves as well as Coya and Suski. 

I knew right away that this book would run into problems. Debbie Reese does not recommend it.
http://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2016/03/dark-energy-by-robison-wells.html

That said, I loved the huge plot twist-- I probably should have seen it coming, but completely did not! It ties in beautifully with Alice's heritage, and the fact that she and her friends go to her grandmother's home in New Mexico brings in more details about Navajo life. It is rare to see First Nations people in fantasy or science fiction books, and the author has a note at that back about the lengths to which he went to make sure the details met with the approval of tribal members he knows. 

The atmosphere of being in an exclusive, remote private school and having a cataclysmic event happen is very appealing, and even readers who don't necessarily want to read about aliens will be intrigued by the book because of it. Alice's father is from a wealthy east coast family, so she drives a very expensive car, and while she has lived mainly in Florida and gone to public school, she does well at making friends immediately. 

The aliens in the book are well done, and even the fact that they look human is addressed with humor. The technology to help them learn language is believable, and the things they enjoy and do not enjoy about US teen life are amusing. 

Readers of Jeff Hirsch's and Veronica Roth's dystopian books will enjoy this, as will readers who have watched too many books about alien invasions! Anyone who has read Falkner's The Assault will know that you have to be careful when aliens come to our planet-- not only can't you give them just a tiny bit of Australia, you have to be cautious if they want to set up tent cities in Minnesota! This is a fantastic choice for any reader who has an interest in life forms other than our own.


Marsham, Liz. Movie Flip Book (Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice)
February 16th 2016 by Scholastic Inc.  
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

To go along with the Batman Vs. Superman movie, here is a companion volume that delineates both the origins of Batman and Superman. Using stills from the movie and simple text, the back stories of the two superheroes are covered separately. Each has plenty of attention given not only to his origin story, but to the genesis and extent of his powers. Metropolis and its problems are discussed in Superman's section, and the troubles facing Gotham City are addressed in the section about Batman. The fact that Metropolis was the center of a Kryptonian invasion, which was thwarted by Superman, is covered as well, and some doubt is thrown on Superman's ability to fight on the side of good. The center of the book has a poster of the two superheroes facing off. 

There have been many retellings of both of these stories, so it's not surprising that a new one is in order to coincide with the new movie. I liked the fact that nothing was left out of the backstories-- Superman's included information about the Kents finding him and raising him in a small town, and Batman's included the story of his parents being shot and Alfred raising him at the Wayne mansion. This is a very good overview of both stories, and young readers who might want to see the movie because "all of their friends are going" will benefit from having the information. 

The formatting of the pages is very clean and clear-- stills from the movie are offset with a brief description, often highlighted by a white background that makes the text stand out from the pictures. There are headings for each section, and the right amount of information to make each topic understandable. I have many struggling readers who adore superheroes, and this seems to be written with them in mind. 

The movie looks a little violent for my taste, so this book might also be a good way to get younger readers up to speed on the story without having them actually see the movie!

MMGM- A Bandit's Tale

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday at Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe and What Are You Reading? day at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers. It's also Nonfiction Monday.

Hopkinson, Deborah. A Bandit's Tale: The Muddled Misdaventures of a Pickpocket.
April 5th 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Copy provided by the publisher 

When Rocco's family falls on hard times, and he doesn't help because he makes some typically bad choices, his family sells him to a padrone who offers to take him to America to earn money. Of course, once he gets to the US, he is kept in squalor and forced to beg for money while playing a triangle on the street corners, which isn't the easiest way to earn a dollar a day in 1887. Soon, he catches the attention of Tony, who runs a gang of his own. Since Rocco has a sweet face, Tony wants to use him to help fleece people, since Rocco can distract them while others pick their pockets. Soon, Rocco is getting his dollar a day easily and eating fairly well, and learning how to steal. When he makes the choice to try to steal a locket from a woman, he is caught and sent to the House of Refuge, where he is at least kept clean and fed, and given a little education. He balks at being imprisoned, however, and breaks out, only to find himself on the streets of New York during the Great Blizzard of 1888. He comes across Mary Hallahan and her father, who has broken his leg, and helps them back home. Soon, he is hired to help Mr. Hallahan, and is enjoying a somewhat stable and pleasant existence. When he offers to help the journalist Jacob Riis, he has to deal with people from his past, and decide how he wants to spend his life in America.

Strengths: Hopkinson always does a fantastic historical novel, full of action and adventure as well as lots of period detail and noteworthy historical characters. Adding in the blizzard is a great touch. This reminded me a bit of Napoli's Mulberry Street (and is set in the same area), and I'm very excited to hand it to students, since they can learn so much from reading historical fiction.
Weaknesses: It is so hard to get students to pick up historical fiction, no matter how hard I sell it. Sigh. 
What I really think: Glad to have  this book; hope students pick it up! 

Sports Illustrated Kids. Baseball Then to Wow!
April 5th 2016 by Sports Illustrated
Copy provided by Blue Slip Media 

If you could have only one baseball book, this would be the book to purchase! This is a complete overview of just about every facet of the game of baseball, from uniforms and equipment to players, teams and even ballpark food! While the short and wide format will make this somewhat annoying to have on the shelves, the book won't be there very often, and the size lends itself well to the two page timeline spreads. I loved seeing the progression of uniform styles, ball gloves, umpires uniforms, and even food served at various venues! 

I found myself spending a lot of time poring over the different team configurations and bases. I always maintain that teams that didn't exist before I graduated from high school aren't "real teams", but there were excellent descriptions of the extent of the American League and the National League with the years listed for all of the teams as well as any moves that the teams had made. I didn't even know that there was a team called the Tampa Bay Rays! I still don't understand how all of the championships work, but now I know that each league has three divisions. Very helpful!

For the diehard baseball fan, there are plenty of statistics and strategies, as well as brief bios of famous players. For those who like the celebrity aspect of the game, there's even an overview of baseball cards and player's merchandise at the end of the book. 

The formatting of this is really excellent. The pictures are clear and plentiful, and the text is clear and easy to read, even if some of it does appear to be in Comic Sans. I might have included an index, but this is clearly a book to be browsed for fun, and not necessarily used for research, even though it packs a ton of information into a few pages. 

My only problem is figuring out how much tape to use to reinforce this book-- the paper over board format will not hold up to the extent of use I think this will see!



Sports Illustrated Kids. My First Book of Baseball
April 5th 2016 by Sports Illustrated
Copy provided by Blue Slip Media

This bright, beginning reader book is well illustrated with photographs and accompanying large font. It walks the reader through the basics of a baseball game, from the various different positions on the field, to how the game progresses. Terms like home run, ball, and walk are all explained in simple terms, although I'm still not entirely sure what a seventh inning stretch is! The photographs of real baseball players are augmented by our cartoon narrator, who adds some comic relief. 

This would be a good book for a child attending a first baseball game, especially if it is being played by an older sibling. The explanations are simple and yet effective, and having the book at the game could be a good diversion when things are unexciting on the field. Parents who actually understand baseball will be able to augment this with further commentary, but those who don't know anything about the game (like me!) will find this to be a good way to introduce the sport to their offspring. I do wish that there had been some girls somewhere in the book, however.