Delphine and the Silver Needle

Moon, Alyssa. Delphine and the Silver Needle

March 2nd 2021 by Disney-Hyperion

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Delphine was found abandoned on the mouse doorstep of Chateau Desjardins and taken in by Meline, who raised her as her own. The baby mouse was accompanied by a scrap of fabric, as well as a silver needle, which is hung on the wall in her room in a place of honor. Delphine loves to sew, and takes tips from spying on Cinderella as she works. She is a talented seamstress, and after she makes a gown for a relative who visits the palace, she is summoned by Princess Petits-Oiseaux, who would like the young mouse to make her a spectacular gown for the upcoming ball. Thrilled to be at the palace, Delphine is a little less thrilled when Lord Alexander de Soucy  Perrault, of the Poirier Perraults, insists on following her around. However, when Dephine finds out about the Threaded, fabled mice who were phenomenal sewers, and realizes that she might be connected to them, she welcomes his help. He shows her a hidden room in the castle that has tapestries that tell the story of the Threaded, and her needle seems to be very similar to the ones depicted. When rats break a treaty in order to come after her, she knows there must be a connection. Taking off with Alexander, she follows clues to a music school, a monastery, and Chateau Trois Arbres. Will Delphine be able to be brave in the face of danger, find out about her past, and keep the evil King Midnight from taking her ancestral relic?

Strengths: This was really beautifully written, in a way that made me feel like a was a little mouse scurrying around Cinderella's chateau in a vaguely 1600-ish, French world. The clothing descriptions were elaborate, and even the crumbs sounded tasty! I liked that Delphine is plucked from her cozy world in order to find out who she really is, and that her background included some magic. Alexander is a good foil for her; he's a bit self-important and foppish to start, but proves a formidable ally when Delphine really needs one. The illustrations were not finished in the E ARC, but since I am a sucker for cartoon mice, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. This would make an excellent gift for a Disney-obsessed reader!
Weaknesses: King Midnight and his rats were a bit over the top in their evil, but then, aren't all Disney villains?

What I really think: This was really very well written, but hard for me to read because of my aversion to talking animals! I'm also not a huge fan of Disney tales; nothing against them, I just am not as wild about all things Disney as some people are. This is absolutely perfect for readers who loved the adventure in Fiedler's Mouseheart series, or who are Rudnick's A Frozen Heart, and would make a fantastic bedtime read aloud for anyone who wants a wholesome quest involving adorable mice. 

Redwall. *Shiver*. I haven't weeded the books because reading my way through all of them took the better part of a month. It's probably been five years since I had anyone read all the books in the series. 

MMGM- Wild River and Finish Strong

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Philbrick, Rodman. Wild River

March 2nd 2021 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Daniel isn't all that sure why he was chosen to go on an outdoor experience trip with four other students from the brand new middle school he will be attending, but he's glad to get a break from his responsibilities at home. Project Future Leaders also includes Mia; a quiet and studious girl, Imani; who says very little in order to keep her identity a secret, Deke; a monumental jerk; and Tony, a boy who just follows along with Deke's behavior. Their leaders are Sky, who runs white water rafting trips in Montana, and Cindi Beacon, a famous soccer player. Early on, they run into snags. The river they were originally going to travel was too shallow, so they head 100 miles over to the Crazy, and the satellite phone the leaders have isn't working. They start off in rafts, and it's an interesting trip for children from New Hampshire. Of course, things don't go smoothly for long, and when a local dam breaks, things become truly treacherous. Sky and Cindi are both swept away in the waters after getting the students to safely, and leaving them with a back pack of supplies. From the beginning, Deke is a self serving jerk who doesn't want to follow Mia's plan to conserve food, since he is sure they will be saved soon. This ends in one tragedy, and Imani, Mia and Daniel have to use their strategies not only to confront mountain lions, bears, torrential rains, and a lack of supplies, but also to keep Deke from being a danger to himself and others. When they find Cindi badly injured, Deke does step up to carry her, but will the group be able to locate help in time?

Strengths: Survival books are always popular, and there weren't many new ones for a while, so I'm glad to see the resurgence of this genre. Philbrick himself has the great The Big Dark (2016) and Wildfire (2019), which were both excellent. While there are some philosophical moments in this (Daniel and Imani are both dealing with some issues; Daniel's involve his father, who has bipolar disorder), this cuts right to the chase. It also offers teasers about the horrible things that will happen, which work very well for the target demographic. The Montana landscape is well described, and the children work together well to try to survive. The exception is, of course, the horrid Deke, who learns his lesson in the hardest way possible. The cover of this is fantastic, and I can see this being a wildly popular title. 
Weaknesses: I've read enough books about adventure in the wilderness that the minute the satellite phone didn't work, I thought "Abort! Abort!" I knew nothing good could happen. This was similar to Lambert's Distress Signal in that the adults made some bad moves. There were two deaths in this, if you have very sensitive readers. 
What I really think: While there aren't as many details about rafting as I had hoped, this was an excellent survival adventure with lots of details about survival tactics, some stupendous interpersonal drama, and children saving the day. If books like Henry's Playing with Fire, Behrens' Alone in the Woods and Disaster Days, Teagan's Survivor Girl, and Johnson's Ice Dogs are popular in your library, this is a must purchase title. 

McGillivray, Dave, Feehrer, Nancy, and Li, Hui. 

Finish Strong: Seven Marathons, Seven Continents, Seven Days

March 15th 2021 by Nomad Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In 2018, Dave McGillivray, long time running enthusiast, philanthropist, and race director of the Boston Marathon for the last twenty years. He has run the Boston Marathon every year since 1973. As if all of that weren't impressive enough, in 2018, he completed the World Marathon Challenge with his Team Hold the Planet. This book details the route, the challenges faced in different climates (running in Antartica!), and the difficulties of completing such a grueling task. Along with this narrative are side bars with encouragement for young readers, including my favorite: "No one can stop you from running--you just ...RUN!"

This would be an awesome book to have on hand for elementary and middle schools who do running programs such as Girls on the Run, Kids Run the Nation, or the Mileage Club. It has a great message about perseverance and overcoming ostensibly overwhelming obstacles that is especially important today! While this is a great overview of the experience Mr. McGillivray had, I found myself wanting to know even more information about how the challenge was set up, how the team found the funds to travel and compete, and more details about each course. 

I'm definitely going to be investigating doing the Dream Big Marathon with my students. We've done 100 Mile Challenges, with a distance line in the library and shoes for each runner that we move as runners progress, but I love that this also challenges readers to read 26 books and do 26 acts of kindess! 

Leighton, Abby. National Parks Maps

March 2nd 2021 by Gibbs Smith

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This was a beautifully illustrated book about the National Parks. Most parks have one page spreads with basic information about the location, year the park was dedicated, acreage, and a brief overview of the highlights of the park, although some larger or more well known parks have a two page spread. The drawings are beautiful and done in colors that reflect the individual parks, and the features of the park are noted on the maps. This is the sort of book that I want to take apart and make into bulletin boards! 

This is a great introduction to the parks and would be a great gift to a budding naturalist who wants to start building a bucket list and learning more about the parks. It's a shame that there is not room for some photographs or the parks, since those would be interesting as well, but this is a book of stylized maps, and a good way to whet an appetite for further research.

Daughter of the White Rose

Zahler, Diane. Daughter of the White Rose

February 16th 2021 by Holiday House

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In the late 1400s, Nell Gould is the daughter of a butcher. She was born on the same day as Edward the Fifth (Ned); the queen even sent her own doctor to attend Nell'smother when she struggled, and the two remained close. Nell's father became the royal butcher, with the task of feeding 73 people at the castle. Nell is allowed to play with Ned and his sisters, and her younger brother Toby befriends the young prince Dickon. When the prince goes off to school and writes her a letter, she begs to be allowed to read. She'd really like to learn Latin, like the prince, but it's not something that girls studied at the time, although her father is able to call upon a friend to teach her. All is not well in England, however, and the evil Richard the third is much too involved in the princes' fate. Ned's sisters are all betrothed, and even Dickon is used as a pawn, but when his father dies and he is king, things become very bad. He and Dickon are put into the Tower of London to await their fate. Nell and Toby are allowed to visit them, and things quickly deteriorate. End notes and a timeline help to give readers a clearer picture of the historical events and explain that Nell is fictional. 

Strengths: This had a lot of very exciting scenes, and moved very quickly. I don't have a lot of books set during this time period, and I recently had a student read all of the Carolyn Meyer Young Royals books, and I didn't have much else to hand her. Zahler's fairy tale books are very popular, and this was a really well constructed and engaging look at the events surrounding the death of these two young princes. 

Weaknesses: I felt like I should have known more history, and kept trying to keep all of the historical figures straight. I should have just read it for fun. 
What I really think: One of my very favorite books when I was in middle school was Elizabeth Kyle's Princess of Orange (1966), which is no longer on my shelves. Daughter of the White Rose reminded me strongly of this book, so I think I'm going to have to buy it. I have a slowly growing group of readers who like historical fiction, and the cover is gorgeous. (Also, my daughter is named Eleanor and goes by Nell!)
 

Cartoon Saturday- Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom

Swanson, Matthew and Behr, Robbi (illus.) 
Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom (Cookie Chronicles #1) 

March 2nd 2021 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Ben goes out to dinner with his aunt while his parents are paying the bills. He's a big fan of noodles, and although he has never been to a Chinese restaurant before, he has a good dinner. At the end, there is a fortune cookie for him that says "Live each day as if it were your last". Sure that he will die soon, he makes a list of activities he wants to accomplish. These include things such as finishing his model of the Taj Mahal... at 1:30 in the morning! He has to get the glue for it out of his parents' closet, waking them up, and his father comes up with his own list of things he wants to do, which includes asking Ben's mother to marry him again. The next morning, Ben's mother has her own plans, so she sends Ben's father off on a six hour round trip to get ice cream so that she can bake a cake. Meanwhile, Ben consults his friend Janet, who has her own list of things to accomplish, including getting a magic apple off of Mrs. Ezra's tree, and giving herself a hair cut. All along, everyone is surprisingly supportive of Ben's plans, although they also say that it seems unlikely that it really is his last day. 

Strengths: Notebook novels are always super popular in my library, even when the characters are younger than middle school age (Ben is 8). The pages of this were particularly well formatted; usually, notebook novels just have page decorations, but this had pages where the whole page was a black and white picture with the text on top of it. Very nice, and rather unusual. Interspersed are pages with more traditional text, so there is still plenty of reading to do. This reminded me a lot of Parisi's Marty Pants, where Marty has all kinds of misconceptions that young readers probably find hysterically funny. I also love that the illustrator and Ben are part Japanese. I have had several students who would see themselves in this book. 
Weaknesses: A tiny bit young, and really, who drives six hours for ice cream? (Not a serious complaint. Insert joking emoji.)
What I really think: My graphic and notebook novels took a big hit during the pandemic, and I'm afraid I might not be able to replace some of them. (Yes, Timmy Failure #3 might just not be in the library.) I was really impressed by the layouts and artwork in this, and the story was humorous enough that I think 6th graders will enjoy it. 

Swanson, Matthew and Behr, Robbi (illus.) 
Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom (Cookie Chronicles #1) 

March 2nd 2021 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Netgalley

When his aunt drops off yet another fortune cookie for Ben, he takes the message "Good things come to those who wait" to heart. If he had waited until lunch to eat the cookie, he wouldn't have had to give it to the bossy neighbor girl! With this new philosophy in place, Ben tries to wait for things instead of hopping right into situations. This means that he makes Janet angry when he waits for her to come to him, and she gets soaked, although HE doesn't get wet, so it might be a good plan. Unfortunately, it also means that he gets stuck with Walter for the class scavenger hunt. Walter is the kid with whom no one wants to work, and it's even more awkward because he and Ben used to be good friends. Ben really wants to win the scavenger hunt, and even forgoes waiting so he has a better chance of winning. Walter ends up having a lot of the answers, and Ben really does try to work well with him and be a good friend, even losing dodge ball because he is trying to protect the hapless Walter. It's not always easy to be someone's friend, though, and the two have a falling out. Will Ben be able to both win the scavenger hunt and stay friends with Walter. 

Strengths: The fortune cookie tie-in is a good artifice, even if it isn't as strong as the first book. The class scavenger hunt is fun, and there are some great universal truths in the book. (From the uncorrected proof: "Ben did love dodgeball. But he didn't love how dodgeball made some people feel bad.") This was a great school story, and fun to watch the principal, who shoots baskets and seems to be a very active part of school life. The pages are really well formatted, and all I'll need to do to get a student to check this out is to open the book and show them some of them. Looking forward to the third book, the Cookie of Perfection.
Weaknesses: Ben is in third grade, and there are some things that just seem very young. 
What I really think: I still REALLY enjoyed the page layouts, and it is a good, if somewhat young, story about friendship. The pictures will trick my middle school readers into reading it!

Guy Friday- The Wild Huntsboys

Well, here's a blast from the past! The Wild Huntsboys reminded me of Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon (2009) in many ways, which made me think of this picture from 2010 that I used for many years on Guy Fridays! I have three of the four books in my library still; the skateboarding one I suspect is long gone. Anyway, I've been blogging for a LONG time!

Stewart, Martin. The Wild Huntsboys 

March 9th 2021 by Viking Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Luka lives in a dystopian future, in Bellum, which is war torn and horrible. There is technology, when their aren't curfews, but his father has been killed in the fighting, and his mother frequently has to work away from home with the Civil Defense Corps. His younger sister, Elena, is young enough that she is evacuated to an island with other youngsters, but Luka is left to fend for himself. Before she leaves, Elena asks Luka to feed the fairies bread and milk outside of her bedroom window. He intends to, but when bombs are dropping on his neighborhood that night, he flings the food against a nearby tree. He doesn't believe that the fairies are real, but they are, and before he knows it, his house is marked by tiny bloody hand prints against the unbreakable windows-- that have hairline cracks in them. To make matters worse, Max is billeted in his house, and Hazel, a boy he has met out in the city, is spying on him. Not only that, but soon Jem, a fairy, has moved in as well and is threatening that he will eat Luka's eyeballs in three days when "the reckoning" rolls around! Hazel, who is a technological wiz, and Max, who has a strong sense of survival after having been bombed out twice, manage to subdue Jem by handcuffing him to Luka's wrist, but since the fairies will also claim Elena as their own, Luka must try to act to avert the fairies' wrath. He starts by trying to win Jem over by retrieving Jem's sword, but this brings him into contact with the Junkyard Knight and his Lost Boys, who wander the city collecting electronics and metal and generally wreaking havoc. This is a problem, because one of the things Luka needs to do is to find iron with which to fortify his house against the fairies. There are also government agents with which to deal: a Warden, who has to check on Luka when his mother is gone, and the shady Trenchcoat  who always seems to be around when Luka least needs him to be. Dubbing themselves the Wild Huntsboys, Luka, Hazel, and Max try to secure iron from various unsavory places in the city. At one point, they end up with part of a wing of a downed airplane that is the key to the survival of their entire city. With both the city and his sister's life on the line, will Luka be able to keep both safe?

There were several things to recommend this. First and foremost, there is excellent world building. Luka's existence in Bellum is raw and treacherous, and his home, which has been a haven against all of this, in endangered when he ignores his sister and angers the fairies. We don't know how Elena found out about the fairies, but when treated well, the fairies are a big help. When their lore is forgotten and they feel slighted, they exact a terrible toll from the humans. I loved that we see Luka being dismissive of this idea until he is faced with an irate fairy tethered to his wrist, threatening him all sorts of imaginative harm! 

The other thing that I loved was the scrappy, insulting, back-and-forth nature of all three boys. They are gross and dirty, and yell insults at each other and at the Junkyard King. This gave the book a lot of middle grade humor and a feeling of parent-free chaos that made me chuckle and will be adored by readers who are the same age. Stewart seems to remember what it is like to be twelve and translates a sort of Lord of the Flies feeling into a more humorous way of dealing with a dystopian environment. After all, when evil fairies are after you, no holds are barred!

For readers who want deeper philosophical themes to their books, we do have the touching bond between Luka and his sister, and an even more interesting bond that we see form between Luka and Jem. While Luka does take responsibility for slighting the fair folk, he also works hard to try to make amends. He certainly wins over Jem, but will it be enough to appease the leader of the fae?

I don't quite see the similarities to Adam Gidwitz mentioned in the book blurb, but this did remind me of Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Lexicon, and a  little bit of Older's Flood City. Of course, comparisons have to be made to Colfer's Artemis Fowl as well, but I have to say that The Wild Huntsboys had me rooting for Luka in a way that I never could champion the wily Artemis. I'll definitely purchase this for my library, and while it won't be the book for every reader, it will certainly delight the right one. 

Red Rover and Sally Ride

Krovatin, Christopher. Red Rover

March 2nd 2021 by Scholastic Inc.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

When Amy's family finds a dog chained up at the side of the road with tape over its mouth and eyes, they take pity on it. They free the dog, who is surprisingly calm, and seems well trained. The parents agree to take the dog to the vet, but the one nearby refuses to see the animal. Younger sister Katie seems to have bonded with the animal, and says that his name is Rover. The vet back home says Rover is in good health, although he has some hot spots that could be expensive to treat... but when the vet leaves the room and comes back, the spots are gone. Amy is trying to put together a top notch science fair project (after her one last year that featured a food dehydrator in an explanation of how mummification worked!), and notices that Rover seems to be able to turn off her iPad when he wants attention. While generally well behaved, Rover sends all the other animals around him into a tizzy, including family dog Stormy. As time goes on, Rover demands more and more attention, and bad things happen when his silent but insistent wishes are ignored. Stormy falls down the steps, Amy gets locked in the attic, her father is pushed into cabinets and sustains a head injury, and a "dog whisperer" is thrown through a picture window. Amy convinces her mother to get rid of the dog, and they take it to a shelter, but Rover soon reappears. After a significant house fire, Amy starts to research the dog's back story, and comes across an alarming amount of information about his evil doings. With the help of Becca, a vet tech, and Dola, who has spiritual connections, Amy tries to neutralize Rover's powers and save her family. But how long will evil stay in a kennel before it wants to go for a walk?

Strengths: Yes! This! My students all seem to want creepy, scary mystery books, and this was perfect. Not so scary that they won't sleep at night, but a nice psychological thriller with a good dose of science fair thrown in. I also really loved the tension created by the fact that it was a dog that was evil. Dogs are good, right? This poor one was abused. There is also a bit of a twist with the origin of the dog that was just perfect, but which I don't want to ruin. This was a bit like Oh's Spirit Hunters crossed with Bell's Frozen Charlotte crossed with Stratton's The Dogs. Anyone having a Scholastic Book Fair should just preorder an entire box of this title. 
Weaknesses: No! Paperback only! No! No! No! Come ON. The sappy, dealing with trauma and grief  "heartprint" books that would gather dust on my shelves are in hardcover, and this book, which I need THREE hardcovers of to keep up with demand, is in PAPERBACK? No.
What I really think: This has to be available in prebind. I went into this with some trepidation: Krovatin's The Gravediggers (2012) had such promise as a zombie novel, but got off to a slow start. The series hasn't circulated as much as I would like. This, though, was awesome. Right up there with Richardson's The Devil's Footsteps (2005), but with a better cover. 

Shepherd, Kat. The Cat's Paw (The Gemini Mysteries Book 2) 

5 January 2021, Yello Jacket

Library copy

I had a student who was a huge fan of The North Star who was waiting eagerly for this installment, so I rushed through it. I won't see the student again until March 8th, so wanted to make sure she had something to read!

These reminds me a little of Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson's  Mysteries in Our National Parks (1997), which I probably should weed but just can't, and also a bit of Scooby Doo. This time it was the gala at the zoo that alerted the kids to the missing red panda.  Definitely will get any further books in this series. 

Atia Abawi, Chelsea Clinton, Alexandra Boiger (Illus.), Gillian Flint (Illus.)

She Persisted: Sally Ride

March 2nd 2021 by Philomel Books, Penguing RandomHouse

Happy Book Birthday to this newest entry in the She Persisted series, which now has at least eight books! Between Chelsea Clinton's introduction, the wide range of woman portrayed, and the quick, fun text with great illustrations, I cannot stop reading these. I was a huge fan of the Childhood of Famous Americans books and read just about all of them in my elementary school library, so these are just the ticket for young, feminist fans of biographies. (There's already one about Nellie Bly for my daughter Nell, whose real name is Eleanor, after Roosevelt!)

That said, these are a bit young for my readers. I do want to mention O'Shaughnessy's. Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space October (2015). If you don't have this one for a middle school, you really should. It has so many personal photographs, and really feels like the way that all future biographies should be formatted!

Epilepsy Alert Dogs

Hoyle, McCall. Stella

March 2nd 2021 by Shadow Mountain

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Stella is a beagle who has worked as a sniffer dog at an airport with her handler, Connie, and we see this story from her point of view. Unfortunately, Stella makes a mistake, and Connie is killed in an explosion. We meet the dog when she is trying to settle in to her third home with Diane, but Diane doesn't understand Stella's needs. She takes Stella back to the canine facility where Connie worked, and Stella hopes to see her handler, but instead, she is almost euthanized, since she seems unable to settle into a new life. Thankfully, a friend of Connie's, Esperanza, is there, and offers to take the dog back to her sheep farm and train her. Esperanza has a young daughter, Cloe, who is used to her mother training dogs, but takes to Stella and wants to make her a pet. Her mother says that Stella is better off is she can get back to work, so puts her in a crate in the barn at night so she can be with the other animals, including sheep dog Nando. Because of her experience in the explosion, Stella is very skittish, and doesn't like storms or the obnoxious neighbor boys who have firecrackers. Interestingly, when she is out running errands with Esperanza and Cloe, Stella is able to tell that Cloe is about to have an epileptic fit, and is very restless, trying to relay this information to her humans. Esperanza is about to despair of ever training the dog correctly, when Stella saves Cloe from a very hazardous situation. When Stella's real talents are discovered, she is allowed to stay with Cloe as her new furever friend. 

Strengths: Dog books are always popular with my students, and I was super excited to read a book about a girl with epilepsy. There are very few of these out there, but a fair number of students with the condition. It was interesting to see different types of working dogs, especially Nando, who herds sheep. I also liked the back and forth between Cloe, who just wants a dog of her own to cuddle at night, and her mother, who believes that dogs need to work. The plot was cleverly arranged to get some action and adventure into it, and the characters were well developed. Really enjoyed this one. 
Weaknesses: I almost had to stop reading when Stella was at the canine facility and almost put down. Having lost Sylvie in September, this was just too hard for me to read. I went back to it after I finished the book, and it's very delicately done. I don't think it will upset younger readers all that much. I was just bringing too much of my own experience to the book. In the same respect, the book made me feel like I made Sylvie's life a decent one, even if she never got enough tasty treats! 
What I really think: It's fantastic that the author cites Alexandra Horowitz's work, and has a background in training dogs. This reminded me strongly of Tubbs' Zeus: Dog of Chaos, and is a great portrayal of a service dog. Definitely purchasing. 

Woltz, Anna. Talking to Alaska
February 4th 2021 by Rock the Boat

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Winner of the Zilveren Griffel literary prize for Dutch children's books. 

Parker had a beloved dog, Alaska, whom the family could no longer keep because one of her three younger brothers was allergic to it. She misses him, but is dealing with other trauma as well. When school starts for the new year, she is in class with Sven, who has epileptic seizures. These have been going on for a year, and despite many visits to the hospital, they are not under control. He has an elevator key so he isn't on the stairways, and when he has a petit mal seizure the first day, he has to explain to the class what is going on. Not only that, but he has a therapy dog who just happens to be... Alaska. Parker is incensed, and is determined to steal the dog back. When she sneaks into Sven's house, he wakes up, and the two talk. He doesn't know who she is because she is wearing a ski mask, and the two meet at night for while so Parker can visit Alaska, and the two share confidences. Sven is able to figure out who she is, and the two have an uneasy friendship. Sven helps Parker investigate who might have attacked her family's store and caused the family a lot of trauma, and Parker shows Sven that Alaska, whom he calls "the beast", might actually be the best thing for him. 

Strengths: I am always looking for books that show what it is like to live with medical conditions that are prevalent in the student population, such as ADHD, diabetes, scoliosis, or epilepsy, and I can't think of any other epilepsy books. Therapy dogs are hugely interesting to young readers, and Parker's pining for her dog is realistic. The secondary plot with the store having been robbed adds to the interest. 
Weaknesses: Perhaps things are different in the Netherlands, where this was originally published, but I don't think a student with a medical alert dog would leave the animal at home in the US. I think Zeus, Dog of Chaos offers a more realistic portrayal of a service dog for middle grade readers.
What I really think: This had more YA levels of angst, and was a bit slow paced. There are several situations (such as Parker sneaking into Sven's room) that seem unlikely. Despite the cute cover and the excellent coverage of epilepsy, I may pass on purchase. 

Laidlaw, Rob. The Dog Patrol: Our Canine Companions and the Kids Who Protect Them

2020 by Pajama Press

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central and reviewed there.

This short, well photo-illustrated book packs a lot of information into its pages! It covers the major topics of dog history, the needs of dogs, how to go about adopting a dog and getting along with it, and how to make a dog's life at home more comfortable. These are all great topics that middle grade readers should be keeping in mind before welcoming a pet into their home. I think that people tend to think "How will I like HAVING a dog" versus "How can I provide the best life FOR a dog?"

There are some excellent books that address the history or dogs and their behaviors, such as Horowitz Our Dogs, Ourselves ,  Albee's Dog Days and Keenan's Animals in the House (2007). I liked that this started with that history, but then covered other topics. There are lots of sidebars with bits of information such as "Why do dogs eat poop and roll in dead things?", "Separation anxiety", Avoiding fake rescues" that go along with the information in the chapters. There are also one page portraits of people who are involved in different philanthropic efforts for dogs, including some very young children. Photographs add interest to the pages. 

The book also includes a dog lover's pledge, further resources, and a glossary, which points out to me that I did not read closely enough and missed the New Guinea Singing Dog, on which there needs to be more information! There is also a gatefold center of a Jack Russell terrier with the parts of a dog highlighted. Not entirely sure I knew exactly what the withers were, so I learned several things reading this book! (Withers are the "bony high point between a dog's shoulder blades"!)

The Dog Patrol is a great book to hand young readers who are interested in learning more about adopting and dealing with dogs, and who want a good overview about protecting the best interests of man's best friend. 

Abby, Tried and True

Gephart, Donna. Abby, Tried and True
March 9th 2021 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Netgalley

When her best friend and neighbor, Cat, moves with her professor  mother to Israel, Abby is devastated to think about starting 7th grade without her. While Abby's brother Paul (who frequently calls her "Abs" or "Six-Pack") is outgoing and more than happy to help their mother Rachel with her online cooking show, Abby finds it hard to make friends. It's an added insult when a new family rents Cat's house, and Abby trips while walking her dog Miss Lucy and humiliates herself in front of a boy her age. However, Conrad turns out to be just a year older, very cute, and wants to walk to school with Abby and spend time with her. The summer winds to a close, and when Paul comes back from being a counselor at a camp, something is wrong but no one is telling Abby anything. Eventually, she finds out that Paul has testicular cancer. He will need surgery and then four rounds of chemotherapy. Abby is terrified for her brother, and finds it hard to make it through school days filled with projects and mean girls, but takes a little comfort in the fact that Conrad's uncle also had this type of cancer, was treated, and is now fine. While her extended, close-knit Jewish family gathers to support Paul, Abby struggles with her own worries about her brother while enjoying her growing friendship and romance with Conrad. Will Abby, her two mothers, and her brother make it through this difficult time? 

Strengths: It's a sign of a well-constructed book if I can write a review without consulting my notes. This story moves along logically and quickly, and contains a lot of wonderful inclusions. I liked the Florida setting, Abby's two mothers, one of whom was Jewish, visits from grandparents, and the inclusion of lots of food descriptions (middle grade readers are a hungry bunch). Abby's changing friendships will interest readers, especially since middle school often involves losing at least one friend, and a too-good-to-be-true romance with the boy next door, complete with sweet kisses, is a great tension reliever. The focus of the book, as well as Abby's life, is Paul's cancer diagnosis and treatment, the details of which are handled in an interesting and informative way. The author's not briefly details her own battle with cancer. 

Weaknesses: As someone who had few friends in school and who struggles even today with interpersonal interactions, I was annoyed by Abby's stubborn resistance to making making friends. She does make some progress throughout the book, and Paul is portrayed as being very resilient, even though he does struggle. It also seemed odd that Abby's teachers didn't seem to know what was going on with her. Having just read several articles about "toxic positivity", I can see that this will not be the way many adult readers feel about Abby's situation. 
What I really think: I very much enjoy Gephart's work, and Abby, Tried and True is a great addition to the very small canon of middle grade books involving relatives with cancer, which includes Harrell's Wink (2020), Swenden's Solving for M (2019), Dee's Halfway Normal (2017), Counting Thyme (2016) Gemeinhart's The Honest Truth (2015), Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, Lopez's Ask My Mood Ring How I Feel (2013), Schmidt's Send Me a Sign (2012),  Rallison's Just One Wish (2009) and Paulsen's Notes from the Dog (2009) and Scott and Borgman's Zits: Chillax (2013). I would not mind seeing a book from the point of view of a teen boy dealing with testicular cancer himself, if it is most common in males aged 15-35.

MMGM- The Serpent's Nest and Waiting for a Warbler

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Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at 

Teach Mentor Texts 

and 

Unleashing Readers

Henderson, Jason. The Serpent's Nest (Young Captain Nemo #3)

March 9th 2021 by Feiwel & Friends

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

It's Thanksgiving, and Peter and Misty REALLY want to spend time with their families for the holiday, especially after their adventures in Young Captain Nemo and Quest for the Nautilus. Gabriel, however, wants to take the Kekada (since the Obscure was damaged) and look for clues to activities he thinks might be tied to Maelstrom. The group is hanging out on the coast of Wales, at Cardiff Bay, preparing for the holiday, when they hear a distress call from the Tamerlaine, which is under attack from giant sea serpents! Luckily, another vessel comes out of the water, and Gabriel sees a girl on board who says that she will take care of it, The Tamerlaine is damaged, but the Kekada leaves it in good enough shape for the Coast Guard to handle. The girl turns out to be Cora Land, from Dinas Nautilus. This is a steampunkish, underwater community that the Nemos have long suspected existed. Cora's parents were killed, but she is being taken care of by Captain Ramoray, Nils and Minerva, who lead the population in the moveable, underwater city. Gabriel, Peter, and Misty are allowed to visit, and find out that the people of the city are raising the snakes, as well as Lodgers, in order to clean up the pollution in the ocean. Cora is enthralled by people on land, since she is never allowed to go there, and Gabriel finds the Nemo-inspired city interesting but unsettling. While Dinas Nautilus has every right to be concerned about the pollution in their environment, are the methods they are using working only to their own benefit? It's up to Gabriel and his friends to figure this out... and to get back to their families in time to have a great Thanksgiving meal. 

Strengths: Well, give me some pincher torpedoes and some killer serpents attacking a ship! What a great adventure, and Gabriel, Peter, and Misty work well as a team. There's plenty of action, but also some well developed intrigue, and a great environmental message as well. The world building of Dinas Nautilus is solid, with it's Victorian brass and ruffled collars. The villains emerge slowly, and have reasons why they think they are right, which is always the best way to develop complex villains. Cora and Gabriel get along well, since both have had very unique experiences growing up in the shadow of all thing Nemo. 
Weaknesses: I was a little surprised that Gabriel's mother and the school weren't mentioned much, although it was good to see his sister Nerissa. It also took me a while to realize that Dinas Nautilus was the piece of his family mystery for which Gabriel was searching-- I kept expecting them to head off somewhere besides the coast of Cardiff. 

What I really think: This, as well as Henderson's Alex van Helsing series, is hugely popular in my library. This is stated to be the last book in the series, although the ending does seem a bit more open. While I would like to know a little more about Cora, a three book series is perfect for middle grade, especially since it means that Mr. Henderson will have to find another topic with which to delight my readers!

Collard, Sneed B. III and Brooks, Thomas (illus.). Waiting for a Warbler

February 2nd 2021 by Tilbury House Publishers

Copy provided by the publisher 

Mr. Collard, a prolific writer whose books often have a scientific bent, is also an avid birder. He and his son have a blog, Father Son Birding, and the book Warblers and Woodpeckers is based on their adventures. 

In this book, illustrated in soft, nature tinted watercolors, we meet Owen and Nora, who are looking forward to seeing a cerulean warbler in their yard in the spring. They have made their yard an inviting place for the birds to visit, planting native trees and plants so that the birds will have enough insects to eat and places to stay. We also see the migration of the birds from the tropical forests to the US. When a storm threatens the Gulf of Mexico, the children worry that this might cause harm to many of the birds during their travels. Luckily, the cerulean warbler and other birds make it through, and Owen and Nora are able to observe them and take notes in their nature journals. End notes include information on birding, ways to help protect birds, and resource lists that include books and websites. 

Like his other excellent titles, Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science and Survival, Insects: The Most Fun Bug Book Ever, and Fire Birds, Mr. Collard uses his talents to combine fiction with lots of information about environmental issues. This picture book is for younger readers than most of his books, but still presents information in a way that is easy to grasp. I'm a big proponent of teaching children about nature from a very young age; I have a bee garden in my library and have worked with the local parks department to donate native trees to the park behind my house. It's good to see a picture book that espouses environmental responsibility in such an engaging way. 

Anderson, Jodi Lynn. The Memory Thief (Thirteen Witches #1)

March 2nd 2021 by Aladdin

E ARC provided by Edleweiss Plus

Rosie has always taken care of herself and her mother in their house overlooking the coast of Maine. Her mother is very detached and doesn't always recognize her daughter, although she is able to keep up with her data entry job and bring in enough money that Rosie can order groceries and supplies for them online. Rosie has coped with the stress of this by writing stories, and also by hanging out with her supportive friend, Germ. Germ, however, is starting to develop older interests, and tells Rosie that her stories are childish. Rosie burns her stories, which leads to her, as well as Germ, developing the ability to see the ghosts that live in her house. One of these spirits seems especially threatening, but some are supportive. Ebb, the ghost of a young boy, has always watched out for Rosie. He takes her to meet Homer, who tells Rosie some information about her and her family that might account for the new threats. Rosie's mother was the last witch hunter, and the Memory Thief, a witch, has stolen her memory to try to stop her from hunting any more witches. Rosie now has these powers, but must find out on her own what she needs to do. The ghosts help, as does a book her mother had hidden. Rosie must create a magical item she can use as a weapon, delve into the mysterious past of her family, and find a way to save her mother as well as many of the ghosts who surround her. Even after all that, Rosie has angered another witch, the Time Witch, and will have to face off against her, with Germ by her side. 

Strengths: This reminded me a bit of Harrison's 13 Treasures, in that it had magic that turned out to be a bit darker than I was expecting. This is also a great friend story, and Rosie's desire to get back a mother she never really knew added another layer of interest. I did appreciate that Rosie soldiered on so bravely and never really complained. There are lots of fantasy books out there, but a lot of those have something indefinable about them that causes them to gather dust on my shelves. A lot of that is due to bad covers, and this cover is very appealing. There aren't as many books about witches as you would suspect, and the world is introduced in a way that make sense, and also makes sense of the bad situation in which Rosie has been living. I'll be very curious to read the next two books in the series.
Weaknesses: Germ was a great, outspoken character and a fantastic friend, so I felt especially bad that she was saddled with the nickname "Germ". This was also a bit on the long side, and had a very intricately drawn magical world that will be perfect for fantasy fans but made my head spin a bit. 
What I really think: Normally, I would pop this happily on my order list and not think twice about it. Faced with trying to replace books lost in the pandemic (some 400 titles, most likely), and knowing that fantasy is a harder and harder sell in my library, I may wait a bit to buy this title. It's more of an investment purchase (13 Treasures is ten years old but still fits a need), so worth buying. Would definitely buy for a public library or one where fantasy is super popular. I did enjoy it.

For Younger Readers

Evans, Christine and Corrigan, Patrick (Illustrations) 

Snow Day in May (The Wish Library #1) 

March 1st 2021 by Albert Whitman & Company 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

 Raven is having a difficult time in school. Her best friend, Belle, moved away suddenly, leaving her to present their history day biography project on Nellie Bly all by herself. She finds a coin and a well in the woods, and in a moment of panic, she wishes that she wouldn’t have to present. She finds herself in the Wish Library facing the Librarian and her pet lizard. She explains about making wishes, and gives Raven a lengthy contract to sign in order to check out a wish, making very sure to outline how critical it is that Raven gets the wish back in time. The next morning, Raven and her sister wake up to a lot of snow! It’s localized to just her town, but school is closed and she doesn’t have to present. Of course, it also causes her airline pilot mother not to be able to get to work. Raven wants to return the wish and stop the snow, and when she returns to the well, she runs into her friend Luca, but is unable to stop him making another wish. What complications will arise in the next book? 

Strengths: This was a fun early chapter book with great illustrations! Raven’s unease at presenting in front of class will speak to many young readers. I loved the supportive, intact family, and her good relationship with her younger sister. Her friendship with Luca is also interesting. The Wish Library is well explained, and the pictures of it made me want to travel there, even if I had to face the Librarian! 

Weaknesses: I completely understand why wishes are always portrayed as being problematic and difficult; we don’t want children to think that they can just wish and have problems solved. But since wishes AREN’T real, why can’t we have a little more fun with them? The Librarian was a bit scary. 

What I really think: A bit young for my middle school students (even Raven’s clothes indicate a much younger perspective), but an excellent choice for elementary readers who like books like Ruth Chew’s Everday Magic books, The Magic Treehouse series or the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle adventures.

Jennings, Terry Catasús . and Anaya, Fatima (illustrations). 

Knight of the Cape  (Definitely Dominguita)

March 2nd 2021 by Aladdin 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Dominguita is sad because her abuela has had to move away from her to live with her sister because her memory is failing. She has some books that her abuela loved, including Don Quixote, and these comfort her. She's worried that her abuela will forget her, so convinces her older brother Rafi to help her make a book of her exploits as a knight errant in her Mundytown neighborhood. When school bully Ernie Bublassi (whose older brother is a nemesis of Rafi's) challenges Dominguita's assertion that she can be a knight, her quest goes into overdrive. She gets a helmet (a bucket), a lance, a squire (timid Pancho), and a steed (a stray dog, Roco), and a damsel-who-can-save-herself-thanks, Steph. Together, they travel the neighborhood, righting wrongs, and having adventures that Dominguita can share with her abuela. When she discovers a story about pirates, we can see where her next adventure might take us. 

Strengths: This was a cute adventure story that younger elementary school students will like. Dominguita's neighborhood has lots of fun cultural connections, and long suffering business people willing to provide a knight errant with lunch and provisions, and even let her stand a vigil over her armor and to knight her in the store before it closes. Her best friend has moved, and she has struggles to make friends, so it is good to see her making friends with Pancho and Steph. Her concern for her grandmother is sweet, and her parents and brother are supportive. 
Weaknesses: While it's cute that she takes in a stray, there are some safety issues that should have been considered. 
What I really think: This is a little too young for my students; I should know that anything with a child dressed this quirkily on the cover is going to be for younger students. The illustrations are a good addition to this early chapter book. 

Cartoon Saturday- Allergic: A Graphic Novel

Lloyd, Megan Wagner and Nutter, Michelle Mee (Illustrations). 

Allergic: A Graphic Novel 

March 2nd 2021 by Graphix

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Maggie has always wanted a dog. Her younger brothers Liam and Noah have each other, and her parents are expecting another baby, so she wants something that is just hers. The family goes to an animal shelter to adopt, and even finds a dog that is just perfect, but Maggie has such a bad allergic reaction that she breaks out in hives and her eyes close shut. She visits the doctor, and has to go for allergy testing, but the dog adoption is put on hold. Maggie ends up being very allergic to anything with feathers or fur, which is devastating to someone who wanted to become a vet! She investigates other animals, but none of them workout well. Luckily, there is a girls who moves in next door. Maggie's family hasn't lived in town long, and she and Claire hit it off right away even though Claire is a year older and in 6th grade. They spend lots of time together, usually at Claire's house, since she is an only child and her father is fairly indulgent with activities, such as making cupcakes or pillow forts, activities that would be too chaotic in Maggie's already busy house. When Claire gets a dog, however, Maggie is angry and refuses to speak to Claire. She ends up being befriended by a boy at school who has food allergies, which helps Maggie deal with her own allergies. The girls make up, and Claire helps Maggie sneak a mouse into her room. Maggie is allergic even to the tiny mouse, and when it has babies, that makes matters even worse. She has asked for a lock for her door, and so goes undetected for a while, but eventually her brothers rat her out. Her parents, already stressed by the rapidly approaching due date for their baby, take the mouse back to the pet shop. Will Maggie be able to make her peace with her new sister and find a new interest in life?
Strengths: This was very well done and will be hugely popular with fans of Raina Telgemeier's similarly anxious graphic novels. 5th grade is definitely a year when many students pine for pets (my daughter was in 6th grade when we adopted Sylvie), and readers will sympathize with Maggie's disappointment. There are a few students every year who end up with baby siblings, so that was good to see as well. Friend drama is always popular, and Claire and Maggie's relationship was well drawn. There was an especially touching scene with Maggie and one of her young brothers. Definitely purchasing one, if not two, copies!
Weaknesses: Maggie's grandmother, with her gray bun, dresses, round figure, and shawl like collars, looked a lot like MY own grandmother-- who would be 127 if she were alive today. I liked the fact that Maggie was darker skinned than her father, but would have been glad to have a more concrete ethnic heritage cited.
What I really think: There are not a lot of middle grade books dealing with allergies, and I would love to see more. I love that there is a depiction of an EpiPen. This is definitely something we see a lot in the student population, and including an asthma diagnosis would not go amiss! (I've had cross country runners violently allergic to contact with grass. That was interesting!) Looking forward to anything that these two artists do in the future. 

Grine, Chris. Secrets of Camp Whatever

March 2nd 2021 by Oni Press 

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Willow and her family are moving back to her father's hometown of Nowhere to live in the family home, that the locals say is haunted. She doesn't get to help renovate, however, because she is off to Camp...Whatever. To get there, campers have to get on a creepy boat manned by new director Mr. Tooter. Willow, who wears hearing aids and who knows sign language but usually can hear well with her devices, doesn't care for Mr. Tooter, who yells at her whenever he speaks. She meets Violet and Emma, who are in her cabin, and they join forces when odd things start happening around the camp. Mrs. Nim, the nurse, has hidden depth, as does Mr. Elric, and he introduces the group to some of the odder inhabitants of the area. Mr. Tooter becomes a problem, but is eventually subdued and improved by Mr. Elric, and Willow is ready to go back to her new town armed with the hidden information about the inhabitants. 

Strengths: There are a growing number of creepy fantasy graphic novels, and this is a good addition to ones like Escabasse's Witches of Brooklyn, Siegel's The Sand Warrior, Costa and Parks' Rickety Stitch, Stevenson's Lumberjanes, Steinkeller's The Okay Witch, and Blas and Aguirre's Hotel Dare. This also really reminded me of another graphic novel set in a community nears cliffs where there was a mysterious fog, the title of which I cannot for the life of me remember. (Also had three children on the cover.) Willow's hearing is addressed really well, and I wish there were more characters in middle grade literature shown with realistically depicted hearing loss. I had a cousin who wore a hearing aid much like Cece Bell's in El Deafo when I was growing up.

Weaknesses: My students aren't as fond of the creepy graphic novels as they are of the realistic fiction ones. 
What I really think: Just put in my last order of the year, and will keep this one in mind if there is money in the budget for it. 

Guy Friday- Hunter's Choice and Singled Out

Ghost in the Headlights, Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery

Duga, Lindsey. Ghost in the Headlights
March 2nd 2021 by Scholastic Inc.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Brianna has to move in with her uncle Shane at his dilapidated farmhouse while her mother spends two months in Nevada learning some new technology to help her with her job. Brianna's father died when she was small, so she spent her early years in Drury Gables, Pennsylvania, but moved away and hasn't seen her uncle since. She starts back to school right away, and is assigned Jacob, the mayor's son, to help her acclimate to the school. She's a bit standoffish with him because she is so unhappy with her situation, even though she always puts on a brave face when her mother calls, excited about her new opportunities. When Brianna thinks she is being followed when she gets off the school bus and heads up Shadowrun Road to the farm house, she shares this with Jacob, but is warned against talking about it. People are really upset when she discusses this at school, and for a while, her uncle has to drive her home. Before long, though, Brianna realizes that she is being chased by a ghost, and learns more and more about the girl in the orange satin dress who is chasing her. It is Elisa, who disappeared in October of 1994, and all that was ever found of her was one foot! Brianna finds some pictures, and using details from dreams she has and sightings of Elisa, she figures out what might have happened. Can she and Jacob bring peace to the ghost before it causes them harm?

Strengths: Yes! This has just the right amount of town and family history, serious ghost hauntings, and creepy blood and gore. Ravens in the bedroom with red eyes! Blood on the asphalt because the ghost is missing a foot! A prominent adult guilty of a horrendous crime! Even the cover has echoes of another great master of the horror/suspense novel, Dan Poblocki. (Check out the cover of Nightmarys. And, no, I didn't start both of these reviews with a "Yes!" on purpose. Total coincidence!)
Weaknesses: There's a school librarian eating a hot lunch in the library before she helps students for the last half of recess, and a town librarian sitting and knitting! While I can almost believe some librarians don't just try to snarf down granola bars or apples that way, I can't imagine a librarian anywhere knitting at work! But I did appreciate the town collection on microfilm.
What I really think: How I missed this author's The Haunting, I don't know, but I put it on order right away. Supremely bummed that these are in paperback (prebinds ARE available), but adding them to a growing collection of great new horror by K.R. Alexander, Joel Sutherland, Lindsay Currie, and Daka Harmon. I wonder just how much Mary Downing Hahn and Betty Ren Wright Ms. Duga read when she was in middle school!

Carter, Ally. Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery
March 2nd 2021 by HMH Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

April is back after the events of The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor, with her friends Sadie, Violet, Tim, and Colin. They are now being cared for by Gabriel Winterborne, since his reappearance, and since Izzy has left and Mr. Smithers is conveniently on vacation. Gabriel is very sad that Izzy is gone, and not taking very good care of the children. They are very self sufficient, but this becomes a problem after Gabriel speaks at the museum and April ends up falling onto the stage from the balcony, as she is wont to do. This brings the group to the attention of Gladys Pitts, from Child Protective Services. Every time she stops by, the house is in chaos, whether it be a burnt cake and trashed kitchen, or Gabriel not coming home. This has April, who has spent a lot of time in foster care, very concerned. She is especially concerned when Gabriel no longer even cares if she orders groceries or buys clothes for Violet-- she knows that a guardian not caring at all is a bad sign. She is also concerned that Gabriel is going to be injured when he is on a mission fulfilling his family destiny acting as The Sentinel. To follow up one of these reports, the group visits Reggie Dupree, who seems to be fairly helpful. When April finds out that her mother, Georgia is alive, she must act quickly to locate her, since she fears that Gabriel might be dead. This takes her to Winterborne Island with the other children, including a very well prepared Colin (who brings extra hats, food, emergency flares and even a pool noodle-- Rebecca Behrens would be very proud of him!) While the group finds Gabriel, he is badly injured, and when Ms. Pitts visits again, she separates the children and sends them to new foster homes. Will April be able to figure out what's going on in time to stay together with her friends, who are now her family?

Strengths: There is plenty of action, adventure and mystery in this installment of the Winterborn series. We learn lots more details about the family, as well as April's past. This includes some surprising connections that I didn't quite see coming. We get more of a feel for the talents of each of the children, and they work together well as an ensemble cast. I'd like to see more of the quiet but talented Tim, although smooth Colin is fun as well. I worry that Sadie DOES needs more supervision! This is an excellent choice for strong elementary readers who want a fast-paced, multi-faceted read, as well as for middle grade readers who like mysteries. 
Weaknesses: I didn't see the appeal of Gabriel, and his pining for Izzy and his neglect of the children didn't sit well with me. I missed Smithers, who is a man after my own heart. We all need boxes of EMERGENCY TEA. Younger readers won't care as much about this and will enjoy the fact that the children are taking care of themselves 
What I really think: This definitely felt like a bridge to the next book, but I love Carter's work and definitely need the whole series. Thinking this will be three books, but don't have any information. This is a great introduction to Carter's work for elementary school students who might not be as interested in the Gallagher Girls.