Lucky/ The Palace of Glass

Hill, Chris. Lucky. 
February 23rd 2016 by Chicken House
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Lucky is a young red squirrel who finds himself being taken care of by a gray squirrel, First Daughter. Lucky has been found out of his nest by dogs who patrol the park and turned over to the Cloudfoots who live in Albion Park even though he is not one of them. He is small, and the leader of the squirrels, Ma, despairs of him being able to make the Patrol to help defend the squirrels against the Northenders, who live among concrete and are rougher. With the help of Maizie, who hopes to move up in the ranks by ingratiating herself to First Daughter, Lucky learns the skills he needs to survive and fight against the Cloudfoots nemeses. When Lucky and pal Nimlet meet Tarragon, the niece of the Northenders' chief, they learn that the other squirrels are really very much all alike, and that Tarragon's uncle might be engineering the struggle for his own glory. Despite the dangers of the park, the young squirrels manage to forge an uneasy peace among squirrel kind. 

With its battle tactics and territorial disputes, as well as the hierarchies among the squirrels, this will be a good choice for readers who like other books about animals such as Sutherland's The Wings of Fire series (dragons), Hughes' The Unnaturals (genetically engineered animals), Iserles' The Taken (fox), Fiedler's Mouseheart (rodents) or Perkin's Nuts to You (more squirrels), Holt's The Last Dogs or Lasky's Horses of the Dawn. 

This book stood out to me because the characters were well-developed and easily distinguished from one another. The clan dispute is understandable-- the Cloudfoots inhabit and better territory, and the Northenders want it-- but easily resolved when the squirrels realize that they all can work together. The author's note about the current endangerment of native red squirrels in Europe because of an earlier importation of gray squirrels adds a sense of realism to the struggle. 

The supporting characters are interesting as well. The dogs who patrol the park don't eat squirrels and keep other dogs from doing so, although they can't be everywhere all the time, and one squirrel, who has not been a sympathetic character, does come to grief at the paws of an overzealous Scottie. There are also a few deaths during skirmishes, which makes this an older middle grade book despite the appealing fellow on the cover. 

Know a child who won't read anything but Erin Hunter's The Warriors series? This is a great book to read until the next book comes out!


Wexler, Django. The Palace of Glass (The Forbidden Library #3)
April 12th 2016 by Kathy Dawson Books
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

After ending up with her uncle in The Forbidden Library and being involved in a rip roaring adventure in The Mad Apprentice, Alice has come to realize that her uncle caused her father's death and is determined to neutralize him. When he leaves for a few days, she decides to take Ending's advice and travel to the Palace of Glass to obtain the book, The Infinite Prison, which can then be used to trap her uncle. Traveling through the kingdom of the fire sprites, she meets Flicker, and he travels with her through the land of the Ice Giants. They are all set to do Alice in, but she saves them from the Bluechill, and the leader's daughter, Erdrodr decides to join Alice in her adventure. They find a lot of prejudice against readers in their travels, and face lots of obstacles, like turtles who are jerks, but finally end up at the Palace. She asks for the book and it is given to her immediately, but then she is offered visions of her past, including some of her father and mother, and loses valuable time getting sucked into them. She returns home after Geryon does, and he is angry, but she uses the book to trap him. The problem? Other readers may take over her library, and the Ouroborean is set loose and might destroy everything anyway. Clearly, another book is in the works. 

While the Forbidden Library doesn't seem like the nicest place to be (as opposed to Shulman's New-York Circulating Material Repository from The Grimm Legacy ), the world building is quite complete. Like Delaney's The Last Apprentice series, there is also a nice feeling of ambiguity about who is good and who is evil, which adds a layer of interest to the characters. Should Alice hang out with Isaac, who serves another reader? Is Uncle Geryon as evil as Alice thinks he is? Is Ending a creature of good or a creature of evil? Those sorts of questions keep the reader guessing about which side should triumph.

Unlike some fantasy books, this had a clearly defined goal, and the characters made steady progress toward achieving it, which I really appreciated. While there are some descriptions of the different worlds through which Alice passes, they never drag down the plot. There is a lot of action and fighting, and Alice is triumphant most of the time, which is a nice change from forces of equal potency fighting all the time and ending in a draw!

Alice is a great character who does a good job of assessing her situation and using the forces around her to her own advantage. This series is a great one to give to readers who enjoyed Sanderson's Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians, Yansky's Alfred Kropp, Funaro's Alistair Grim series, or Jink's How to Catch a Bogle series, although The Forbidden Library takes place a few years later, in 1932.

MMGM- Roxbury Park Dog Club

So why is it that fun stories with good messages like the ones below are relegated to paper-only releases when Depress Fests like Pax  and Maybe a Fox get all the buzz, but no children will (or perhaps should) read them? This sort of thing, along with Maker Spaces and social media, make me wish that I hadn't joined ALA.

Should have stuck with teaching Latin. Oh, wait...

Maple, Daphne. Mission Impossible
May 3rd 2016 by HarperCollins
ARC from Young Adult Books Central

Kim is a bit apprehensive about starting middle school, especially since her best friend Sasha has met a new girl, Taylor, and insists on bringing her into all of their best friend activities. Kim is excited about working at the local dog shelter as part of a community service requirement, especially since she is really good at comforting and controlling animals. Kim struggles in school a bit, and the hardest part of the volunteer experience is writing an essay about how her work has helped the organization. This should be easy, because when the girls find out from Alice, who runs the shelter, that it is in financial trouble, Kim comes up with an idea: the girls can walk dogs for people and bring the dogs to the shelter for play time. If they charge, the dogs get socialized, the shelter has money, and people will have more exposure to dogs that might then be adopted. Kim tries to balanceaall of her activities and keep her friendship healthy as well. 

This addresses lots of valid middle grade concerns in a constructive way. Kim's concern that she will lose Sasha to Taylor is a situation with which many middle school students struggle. It's nice that she and Taylor eventually become friends, especially since Kim is the one who realizes that Taylor is a bit scared of some of the larger dogs. The scene where she is trying, very constructively, to being this up with Taylor is an especially good one-- Taylor is very defensive, and the girls almost have a falling out until Taylor admits her fear. Kim's older brother and parents are concerned, but try to let her figure things out on her own. 

The super cute covers of this series will make girls want to pick these up, especially since the dogs are adorable! 

There are a lot of books where girls have businesses walking dogs-- Margolis' Girl's Best Friend, Greenwald's Welcome to Dog Beach, and even Coco Simon's Cupcake Diaries books. There are also books where girls make money babysitting, baking, and having nail salons. Readers of those books will appreciate how Kim and her friends combine the business aspect with community service! What I'd like to see now is a book where BOYS have a business of some kind!

Maple, Daphne. When the Going Gets Ruff
May 3rd 2016 by HarperCollins
ARC from Young Adult Books Central

Sasha is enjoying her work at the dog shelter but really, really wants a dog of her own, particularly Mr. Smashmouth, with whom she has bonded. Her single mother is very strict and overly concerned with cleanliness, making Sasha bring clothes to change into so that she doesn't get dog fur on her "school" clothes, so she does not want a pet. It doesn't help that Sasha is not very responsible, forgetting to do chores, bring things to school, and has trouble getting class assignments done. A typical Sasha incident goes something like this: for a school project, the girls decide to make Turkish delight, they gather the ingredients and start cooking in Sasha's kitchen, and eventually the entire kitchen is covered in rose scented goo. Sasha tries to clean up, and does admit her mistake to her mother, but things are still a mess. Taylor and Kim try to help Sasha out as best they can, but it's up to Sasha to prove to her mother that she can juggle everything-- school, ballet, the dog shelter AND owning a pet. 

It was fun to read about Sasha's life, since most of it was different from anything I've experienced. Tween readers will love finding out more about ballet, will sympathize with the parental strictures, and will worry about Sasha's relationship with her friends. Fans of Schroeder's It's Raining Cupcakes, Malone and Nall's You're Invited series or Singleton's The Curious Cat Spy Club will enjoy the business aspect of the dog walking business as well as the friend and parents drama included. 

This series would make a great birthday gift for a tween with a dog-- a creative tween could make up quite a cute package with the books and some dog themed items!


Animal Planet Animal Atlas
May 24th 2016 by Animal Planet
Copy provided by Blue Slip Media

This large format book (13"x 11") is a great introduction to biomes of the world and the animals that live in each one. Since this is a topic covered in our seventh grade sciences classes, I was very glad to see it. Starting with a brief description of the eight different types of biomes, this book then discusses what biomes appear on different continents and describes the different animals found there. There are fun sidebars by animal narrators, and short facts about endangered animals and "surprisingly human" characterists scattered throughout. The maps are large and colorful, and the information is arranged in a graphically pleasing fashion. There is an index and list of definitions at the back. While there's not enough information on each animal to make this a good resource for projects on a particular animal (a project that comes up frequently), this would be a good starting point for deciding what animal to research, and would be very useful in a classroom setting to introduce the topic of animal habitats. 

My only objection is the size of the volume-- I understand that it needed to be bigger to fit in all of the maps and information, but it does make it difficult to keep in the library, especially since children area unlikely to check out such a big book. I may give this to our seventh grade science teachers to keep in their classrooms. 

In Real Life/ Wolf Hollow

Love, Jessica. In Real Life
March 1st 2016 by St. Martin's Press
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Hannah is a high school senior who has always been "the good kid"-- her older sister Grace seems to have a drinking problem, and isn't the most responsible college student. This is why when their parents go out of town for spring break, Hannah's friend Lo comes to stay with the sisters as well. Maybe not the best plan. Hannah has had the same best friend, Nick, for four years, but they've never met. Nick lives four hours away, and while they talk daily on the phone, circumstances have never worked out for the two to meet in person. After a revealing call that Nick makes to her while drunk, Hannah feels that he likes her as much as she likes him... and not just as friends. Feeling like cutting loose before the end of her senior year, Hannah decides to take a road trip to Las Vegas to see Nick's band play and to figure out how he really feels. He's hiding some things from her, and after a frenetic, frolic filled weekend on the Vegas strip, Hannah and Nick finally get each other figured out. 

Hannah is certainly more careful than the characters in Hiaasen's Skink, and Grace had actually met Nick's brother Alex. The two had also talked on the telephone and knew details of each other's lives, such as what schools they attended. Hannah does not go alone to meet Nick, and they are always in public places, so I didn't worry quite as much about the issue of the two having connected with each other on line. Since internet safety is a huge concern, it was good that the author observed some of the standard safety guidelines with her characters!

This was a light, enjoyable romance. Yes, there was some tension about the dissembling that Nick did, but he and Hannah seemed to have a real connection, and it didn't take long before most of the obstacles were removed from their path. There was just enough teen angst to give the story an edge, but not enough to make it overwrought. 

While there is a lot of underage drinking, as well a few Vegas style highjinks, this stopped blissfully short of becoming instructive in any area, and is middle grade appropriate even though the characters are in upper high school and college. 

Fans of Dessen, Colasanti, Kantor, Jennifer E. Smith and Bloomsbury's If Only romances will find this tale of meeting Prince Charming after knowing him virtually to be a great 21st century tale.

Wolk, Lauren. Wolf Hollow
May 3rd 2016 by Dutton Books for Young Readers
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Annabelle lives in a small, rural town in Pennsylvania in 1943. Her school is crowded, but she shares a desk with her friend Ruth, who is quiet and pleasant, much like Annabelle's life. When Betty Glengarry moves to town to be raised by her grandparents, that changes. Betty waits for Annabelle on her walk home, and demands money or things, and hits Annabelle when she stands up to her and refuses to give her anything. Betty also threatens Annabelle's younger brothers, and carried through with the threatened beatings. Annabelle capitulates, but even that doesn't really help. At one point, Betty hits Ruth with a rock, and the blame for Ruth losing an eye is placed on Toby, a WWI vet who lives in an abandoned smoke house and is considered harmless but potentially dangerous by the community. When Betty goes missing, Toby is again blamed, and Annabelle gets involved both in the search for the missing girl and in protecting Toby from people who mean him harm. 

Strengths: This will probably win the Newbery this year. It is lyrical, has that sad, nostalgic vibe going, and feels a little bit like To Kill a Mockingbird. 
Weaknesses: This is very slow paced, and uses language that adults love but younger readers (and I) find to be pointless and boring. (E.G. "At times, I was so confused that I felt like the stem of a pinwheel surrounded by whir and clatter...") That's on the very first page, where it is crucial to have "something happen" and hook middle grade readers. There is also a very disturbing scene where Betty kills a bird. While there wasn't anything inappropriate, the topics discussed require a certain maturity to understand. 
What I really think: Authors of adult books really need to do their homework before switching markets. I just don't see the target demographic being interested in this book. 

The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle

Fox, Janet. The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle
March 15th 2016 by Viking Books for Young Readers 
ARC from Baker and Taylor

Kat and her brother and sister are sent away from London to Scotland, where a distant uncle lives. Their father is often away doing mysterious things, and their mother is trying to survive the Blitz. Scotland is damp, dark, and spooky, and their uncle is gravely ill, so they are met by his wife, Lady Eleanor, who is beautiful but creepy. She has opened a school for children who are escaping the cities and has engaged teachers for them. Kat finds many odd things, from the nightly infusions of drugged cocoa to the ghostly children who seem to wander about the grounds. Along with brother Rob and an American boy, Peter, Kat tries to investigate the creepy castle as well as the disappearances of several children, including her sister. Lady Eleanor's plans are told in alternating chapters, so the reader knows her evil intentions, even if it takes Kat a while to figure out exactly what they are. 
Strengths: This was really quite a masterful Gothic novel. It reminded me a little of The Snowstorm as well as The Little White Horse. This had all of the elements that a Gothic mystery needs-- absent parents, creepy relatives, run down castle, children left to their own devices. I enjoyed it tremendously.
Weaknesses: My students are not fond of historical Gothic novels. I'd like to say that I could hand this to readers who like Mary Downing Hahn or Dan Poblocki, but it's got a different flavor to it. 
What I really think: May have to buy a copy; at least it will be a book that sticks around for years and years, and the occasional reader will pick it up. 

My Weird School Fast Facts

Gutman, Dan. My Weird School Fast Facts: Sports
                      My Weird School Fast Facts: Geography
June 21st 2016 by HarperCollins
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

A.J. and Andrea from the My Weird School series narrate these collections of random facts. Their pictures appear before the facts they present, and the two carry on a joking back-and-forth about how boring and irrelevant the other is as they offer up tidbits of information. 

In Sports, the chapters are broken down into the major sports like football, baseball and basketball, with additional chapters devoted to golf and other sports. There are random things mentioned, such as how referees have to wear black underwear in case they split their pants. There were a lot of things mentioned that I had never heard before, so it was an interesting read. 

In Geography, there are chapters devoted to The Earth, Continents, Water; Mountains, Deserts and Forests; The Fifty United States; and Natural Disasters. Again, A.J. and Andrea both chime in with snippits of knowledge. 

These would make great gifts for reluctant readers, because the information is funny and intriguing, but also short and well illustrated. These aren't quite what I would pick up for fun; I'd rather read a 300 page book on the history of Cadbury chocolate, instead of short unconnected facts, but my students don't. Gutman is always fun to read, but I wish he would come out with some more stand alone fiction. The My Weird School series is definitely on the elementary side of the Pilkey Line. 

Guy Friday- Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat

Paulsen, Gary. Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat
May 10th 2016 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Jordan, who is prone to nose bleeds caused by stress, takes shelter in the school bathroom when a storm approaches and the overly protective administration buckles down the school. He is quickly joined by Avery, who spent his first day of school sleeping behind the stage. Mason, a go-getter who has a finger in every pot, and Taylor, the boy whom he is tutoring, both show up, and Regan joins them. Devon is also there, but he spends his entire time playing air guitar, something for which he is known in the school. The storm precautions wear on and on, but the boys discuss each other's activities and personalities, and are sad when they have to leave the restroom. 

This is a very short book-- the E ARC was 150 pages, but the story was only half of that-- the rest of it was the same story written as a play. This would be why Paulsen deliberately chose sexually ambivalent names, but the fact that it is set in a bathroom rather limits the casting to one gender or the other. 

I was looking forward to this, since Paulsen's recent books like Liar, Liar have been so hysterically funny. This had moments, but overall seemed a bit contrived. While I know that 8th graders definitely ponder their impact on their world, and their position within it, I don't know how much they actually discuss this with others; this level of joint introspection seemed suspect to me, and I couldn't believe that a stuffed cat that smelled like vomit in a bathroom full of tween boys wouldn't have ended up in the toilet by the end of the lockdown. 

Our 7th graders do a Paulsen author study unit, so I will buy a copy of this, but I wasn't blown away by this. 


Cube Kid. Diary of an 8-Bit Villager Warrior
May 17th 2016 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Copy provided by the publisher

I mention this in case anyone knows of a middle grade reader who likes Minecraft. There must be a lot of them, because I even see t-shirts and hoodies printed with Minecraft characters. There have been several different books published, but none of them make a lot of sense unless you are familiar with the game. Since my experience is limited to downloading a free app and having a digital pig swimming in a blocky pond, this book was very hard for me to follow. 

This is fan fiction, but even so, I would have liked a little more plot and, well, sense. There is a lot of dialog composed of "hurrrg", and there are a lot of characters that I don't understand. Perhaps an overview at the beginning would help? This would make the books appeal to children who were not allowed to play Minecraft but wanted to know more about it. 

My daughter and I discussed this. She said "Why would you read a book about Minecraft if you didn't know anything about it?" I replied "For the same reason you read Disney picture books, but I didn't let you watch the movies. The books let you be familiar enough with the basics so that you could converse with your friends."

Still waiting for this, apparently. I'm sure many of my students will want this, but I'm not sure if I want to add Minecraft books to the library collection. 

Cube Kid left a nice comment. I'm sure that these are popular, and they'd be fantastic gifts for kids who had this interest, but since the only versions I could find are paperback, this just doesn't seem like a good fit for a school library.  There is a series of three so far: 
Diary of an 8-bit super warrior (Minecraft)  coming out in August 2016, and Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior: Path of the Diamond coming out in December 2016.

Basil of Baker Street

Titus, Eve. Basil of Baker Street
May 17th 2016 by Aladdin (first published 1958)
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

I've mentioned before that I am a sucker for cartoon mice, and this is the book that may have started it all. I was pleasantly surprised to see it reissued with the original Paul Galdone illustrations. Since the Ruth Chew reissues have been so successful in my library, I'm definitely ordering this as well as Basil and the Cave of Cats!

Basil is a mouse who emulates Sherlock Holmes to such an extent that he moves an entire mouse community into Holmes' cellar so he can watch his idol at work. Basil's Watson is Dr. David Dawson, who tells the story. Neighbors of Basil's, the Proudfeet, are distraught when their twins daughters, Agatha and Angela, go missing. A ransom note is delivered, Basil sizes up the man who delivers it, and soon he and Dawson are off to the seaside town of Mousecliffe-on-Sea to hunt down the Terrible Three, who are behind the kidnapping. Disguised at seagoing mice, Dawson and Basil chat up a local shopkeeper and locate Harry Hawkins, who has been acting suspiciously. After several escapades, including a run in with a barn owl, the twins are located, taken back to London, and reunited with their parents, who issue a strong warning against going off with men who offer them candy!

Since I read this when I was six, I always thought of it as a children's book, but this is actually a very solid middle grade mystery. The author intended it as an introductory bridge to interest young readers in the Sherlock Holmes' stories, and this is certainly a great way to do it. I certainly didn't get all of the fantastic references to places in London (reinvented for mice) or Sherlock Holmes' capers and habits, and this takes on another level of interest since I know these things now. Younger readers will be captivated by Basil and his methods of detection, as well as by the charming illustrations by Paul Galdone. 

The plot is simple enough for younger readers to follow, but has much to offer older readers as well. The London setting will be interesting to students who have read (or have had read to them) classic stories such as Mary Poppins or Peter Pan. I haven't seen the Disney movie version of this, The Great Mouse Detective, but children who have seen that will find it interesting to compare the movie to the book. 

It's rare to find a reissue that has some staying power. Perhaps because this is historical fiction Basil's escapades have the same charm and intrigue today that they did when I read them in the early 1970s!

Nice boost for the end of the year.

After spending days wrangling textbooks and hunting down students with overdue books, it was nice to see this published:

http://www.slj.com/2016/05/books-media/challenging-gender-norms-with-boys-read-pink-celebration/

I feel that I can go on!

Best Friends For Never

Vrettos, Adrienne Maria. Best Friends For Never
April 26th 2016 by Scholastic Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Hattie has moved from New York City to a small town where her father has bought a dental practice. Determined to reinvent herself, she sheds her fantasy book loving, cat t shirt wearing self, and managed to fit in with a group of friends. This leads her into some new interests, like joining the field hockey team. After seeing popular girl Zooey be publicly dismissed by her two best friends, Hattie starts to worry that the same thing might happen to her. The group is really excited about the local Harvest Festival, and at a sleepover preceding it, Hattie asks her friends to sign a "friendship pact" assuring that they will never be mean to each other. Her friends know how she obsessed about Zooey, so agree. The next day, however, they all pretend that they don't know her, and Hattie is beside herself. She ends up working on a school project with Zooey and slowly begins to realize that she has been cursed with the Harvest Jinx, and her best friends really don't know who she is. She and Zooey, with the help of History Society employee, Maude, investigate and try to figure out how to break the curse before it wears out on New Year's Day. How did Hattie lie to her friends, and how will she thwart the curse before it becomes permanent. 

I've enjoyed Vrettos' work in the past, but it's definitely been more Young Adult. This shows a fine feeling for the need for middle school students to find a group of friends and do whatever they can to stay a part of that group. Hattie wears corduroy pants, a stripy hoodie, and Converse tennis shoes (which she actually rather likes) just like her friends, and participates in a sport to keep their approval. She also eats things she doesn't like, and is not free to talk about the passions she had back in NYC with her friend Rae. This all rings so true to life. 

The leap into fantasy confused me at first, but made a lot of sense the more I thought about it. It plays off the fear that most 7th grade girls have-- my friends will all suddenly decide to NOT be my friends any more. It is nice that Hattie gets to know Zooey better, and the delving into town history has its moments. 

Hattie's parents, as well as the other adults in the book, are wonderful and supportive, and make brief appearances taking the girls to activities and consulting about problems. This is a nice touch, instead of killing off all the parents! 

Readers who enjoy magical realism, as well as middle school drama, will want to add Best Friends For Never to their bookshelves alongside Margolis' If I Were You, Hubbard's You Wish, and Standiford's Switched at Birthday, as well as Mass' Willow Falls series. 

The Skeleth and Medieval Adventures

Jobin, Matthew. The Skeleth.
May 10th 2016 by Philomel Books 
Copy provided by the publisher 

Having concluded their epic battle with The Nethergrim, Edmund, Katherine and Tom are separated and trying to get on with their old lives. Katherine is told that since her father was the trainer of warhorses but is now gone that she can't stay in that position. Lady Isabeau decides that Katherine will have to work as a skivvy in the palace, which doesn't utilize her skills at all. Edmund's parents are still running their inn and are more supportive of his experiments with magic, which is especially important as he works to conquer the Nethergrim and the new threat-- the Skeleth, which turn ordinary mortals into possessed fighting machines. Tom is trying to rescue Tristan and make his way back to Lord Elfric, but with the Skeleth, as well as the evil Lord Wolland, this is not easy. It doesn't help that the Nethergrim sneaks into Edmund's thoughts and tries to control him, or that Elli, a girl who is also interested in wizardry, is distracting him from both the threat of the Nethergrim and from his affection for Katherine. While the crew, aided by the return of John Marshal, wards off the latest threat, there is still plenty of tension in the kingdom to warrant a third book. 
Strengths: There will always be students who thirst for medieval fantasy/adventure books. Maybe not every school year; after a good ten years of light interest, I have a lot of students wanting Tolkien read-alikes. This has all of the basic elements they crave-- fighting, intrigue with kings and lords, horses, and magical evil threatening to destroy the world. The good thing about these fantasy books is that they are a good investment-- T.A. Barron's twenty year old copies of The Lost Years of Merlin and a 33 year old copy (as well as a 20th anniversary edition which is now 13 years old!) of Diane Duane's So You Want to Be a Wizard are still getting good use. Oh, and a 43 year old copy of Beckman's Crusade in Jeans. I make sure we use the taxpayer's money well!
Weaknesses: Nothing terribly fresh, and the use of somewhat stilted, medieval language wore on me. My students will probably like that. (E.G. "What folk had sought to build upon the ruins of the Nethergrim's domain washed away like sand at a riverbend." page 214, ARC.)
What I really think: The ARC that was sent to me has been passed from student to student, and the readers are loving it. 


Flanagan, John. The Ghostfaces (Brotherband #6)
14 June 2016 by Philomel Books
Copy provided by Edelweiss Above the Treeline

The crew of the Heron are beset by a horrible storm that lasts weeks and wears on the ship and the crew. When they finally find land, hours away from running out of water, they are grateful to be able to dry out and get their bearings. They set up shelter, Lydia goes hunting and is able to bring back food, and Thorn, Hal and Edvin plot their return to Hallasholm. After the Herons kill a bear and rescue to native children, they are introduced to the children's tribe. Mohegas, or the Mawagansett tribe, knows the Common Tongue because a man named Orvik, who is also from the Herons' country, washed ashore years long ago and settled in with the tribe, teaching his language to them. This makes it easy for Wulf and Ulf to have a flirtation with twin maidens, and for Stig to fall in love with a native woman, Tecumsa. The two groups get along well, especially since the Mawagansetts are threatened by a violent tribe who paint their faces white, with black around their eyes like skulls. While they haven't attacked in a number of years, they are in the area attacking other tribes, and when they finally come to the Mawagansetts, the Herons help defeat them. However, the losses are heavy, and the Brotherband sets sail for home with heavy hearts. 
Strengths: Flanagan is a facile writer, and he creates characters that are easy to love. What's the biggest hardship in the New World? NO COFFEE! It's the force of these characters and their appealing world that make me want to curl up with a cup of tea and immerse myself in the stories, and why my students read and reread these regularly.
Weaknesses: I have to deal with a lot of boys who have very bad Book Hangovers and refuse to move on to other books. Also, ever since Charlotte's Library mentioned the preponderance of food in the books, it's bothered me a tiny bit, even though I still enjoy reading about their repasts. 
What I really think: There would be a huge protest in my library if I didn't buy this one! I have FOUR copies of the first several Ranger's Apprentice books, and they regularly fall to little pieces. Hugely, hugely popular series, and something that even I look forward to!

MMGM- Red

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.




Shurtliff, Liesl. Red
April 12th 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Copy received from the publisher 

Red (who is a friend of Rump as well as Jack) does not have the knack for magic that her grandmother has; in fact, when she tries to do magic, it usually ends poorly. When her grandmother becomes ill while her parents are off traveling, however, Red knows that she is the only one who can find a way to make her grandmother better, and she sets off on a quest to do so. After grabbing a dwarf by the beard and making him tell her where she can find ways to heal her grandmother, she sets off. On the way, she meets Goldie, who is a bit bratty but ultimately useful, and the two investigate a witch who has a fountain of youth in a well, make friends with a wolf of whom Red has long been afraid, and end up spending much longer with a Beast than they intended to. In the end, Red manages to cure her grandmother, but also find out a lot about herself. 
Strengths: Little Red Riding Hood is one of my favorite fairy tales, and this had lots of nice twists to it. It would be a fun book to read with a class, and then watch Hoodwinked in order to compare the two. There are lots of fairy tale elements that would make for good discussions. 
Weaknesses: I never did warm to Goldie and found her presence annoying. Red needed a companion, but I wish it had been someone else. Also, she just leaves her sick grandmother alone in the care of a goat? Poor choice. 
What I really think: I may have to go back and reread Rump; I remember not really liking it at all, but since I enjoyed the other two books in the series (which can be read without reading the first one), I feel I owe it another shot. 

Krieger, Emily. Real or Fake?: Far-out Fibs, Fishy Facts and Phony Photos. 
May 10th 2016 by National Geographic Children's Books
Copy provided by publisher

This travel size (6 1/2" square) book presents a large variety of odd occurrences, and asks readers to decide whether they are real or fake. Each topic gets a four page spread, with the first two pages telling the story and showing pictures (of, for example, a 1950s "spaghetti harvest" in Italy) of the event, and the next two pages explaining either what really did happen or why it did not. These are not grouped in any discernible way, with tales of animals mixed in with urban legends and historical hoaxes.  Photos are accompanied by photo collage pictures that are funny and will make kids chuckle. I can see this being a great read to bring on a family vacation. Kids could read the entries, and the whole family could opine on whether the item is "real or fake" before turning the page. 

There are also no sources listed for the information. This is not meant to be a scholarly reference book, but rather something to read for fun. It is available in both paperback and hardcover formats, and is a more instructional book than Ripley's Believe it or Not or Guinness World Records books for reluctant readers.                              


Light, Kelly. Louise and Andie: The Art of Friendship
June 14th 2016 by Balzer + Bray
ARC from Young Adult Books Central

Louise is excited when a new neighbor moves in, and Andie likes art as much as Louise does. The two embark on a variety of projects, but when they argue over one picture, it rips in two and the friends stop playing together. Andie cleverly remakes their project so it is an extension of both of them, and shows their differences as well as their similarities. 

This is a great story about making new friends, but also about the type of fight that is so typical to young readers who frequently don't know how to back down and apologize. The exuberant pictures aptly show the girls' excitement at meeting each other and finding a shared interest, the bitterness of their fight, and the disappointment they both feel at being unable to resolve the issue. Andie's solution is a clever one, and it's good to see the characters embark on a new art project involving their engaging pets. 


The artwork has a retro feel, with bold colors and a 1960s feel to the furnishings and fashions shown in the picture. Andie rocks some white GoGo boots-- perhaps this will start a trend and I'll finally be able to own a pair!

Cici Reno: Middle School Matchmaker

Springer, Kristina. Cici Reno: Middle School Matchmaker
April 19th 2016 by Sterling Children's Books 
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Cici is excited to start a new school year, but is a little apprehensive when her best friend, Aggie, returns from vacation having undergone improvements in the chestal region. Aggie isn't thrilled with the way she is treated, either, but does think that Drew is nice to her and that she might want to "date" him. Cici, who is a fan of Twitter, finds his Twitter handle and direct messages him as Aggie, and sets the stage for the two to hang out together. When Aggie and Drew do get together in real life, it feels forced and wrong. Aggie plays volleyball, and talks about that a lot, while Cici and Drew have much more in common. Cici starts to realize that she really likes Drew, which is awkward not only because of Aggie, but also because Drew is her brother's friend. Will Cici be able to keep both of her friendships as well as navigate the difficult waters of middle school?
Strengths: This is basically a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac for young readers, quite like Shaw's Flavor of the Week (2003). Of course, that story never gets old, and smaller, less mature girls everywhere will adore this book, since Drew likes Cici for herself and not for any physical attributes she possesses. The attractive cover alone makes this worth purchasing! Loved the supportive family, and the realistic details of middle school. 
Weaknesses: Aggie was a bit one dimensional, and I don't know of any middle school students who Tweet. It's all Instagram, and has been for a number of years. 
What I really think: There are a lot of things that will date this book, but the girls will read to to shreds long before that happens. 

Shovan, Laura. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
April 12th 2016 by Wendy Lamb Books/Random House

Emerson Elementary's building is in very bad shape, so the school board decides to sell the land so a grocery store can be built in the underserved area. The fifth grade class has only 18 students in it, so it is easy to relocate the students. Even though the fifth graders will be going on to middle school, they get all bent out of shape about their building closing, and they mount an unsuccessful protest. The extremely diverse class (where the students have more than their fair share of family and health problems) writes a book of poetry to be included in a time capsule when the school closes. 

Strengths: Everyone seems to love this. The poetry isn't bad, but it's not as good as Helen Frost's. There are notes on poetic forms at the end of the book. I liked the fact that they addressed the idea of "food deserts".
Weaknesses: Schools close. They get repurposed. My children's 1-5 magnet elementary school is now all day kindergarten for disadvantaged students. It seems irresponsible to me to encourage people to complain about a school district's considered plan to best utilize tax payer money by shutting down a building. Sometimes that has to happen. If owners have to tear down franchise restaurants after 30 years to keep up with codes, we shouldn't be surprised if school buildings from the 1920s are no longer useful. I don't like change very much, but when you are dealing with the public's money, you have to be practical and not sentimental. 
What I really think: I am not the target demographic for this, and it just annoyed me. 

Change Up

Jeter, Derek. (Mantell, Paul) Change Up (Derek Jeter #3)
April 26th 2016 by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
E ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline

Young Derek is excited because his father is finally coaching his baseball team, but is not happy because Gary, his academic archnemesis, is on the team. Gary is an idiot, and doesn't want to be on the team. His mother wants him to get into shape, and thinks that baseball is a good way for him to accomplish this. He doesn't, and comes late to practice, lies to the coach about having asthma, and constantly bedevils Derek, who then gets into trouble with his father when he reacts. Most importantly, Gary upsets the team, and they don't play well or gel as a group. Derek tries to be nice to Gary and help him improve his skills so that the team does well. His friends Dave and Vijay help a little, but his father tells him he has to solve his own problems. 
Strengths: I love that Derek has a contract with his parents about grades, behaviors, and sports, and they hold him accountable for his own actions. He occasionally tries to make excuses, but they basically just have to quirk their eyebrows and he retreats with an apology and takes ownership of the problem. Since I used to "accuse" Picky Reader of things just to circumvent her "But I didn't...", I really appreciated this! The ensemble cast is strong, and the books have good lessons and lots of baseball. 
Weaknesses: Dave's parents finally show up, but I think it is weird that usually Dave is cared for by the family chauffeur, who is also a coach. That just seems so unlikely to me! Maybe it's like the East Coast nannies that I don't understand. 
What I really think: Paul Mantell does a fabulous job. This looks like it will go to ten books, and each book will address a certain tenet of Jeter's philosophy. I would rather they be stand alones, but they are serviceable baseball books, if a bit preachy. 

YA Guy Friday- Anything You Want

Herbach, Geoff. Anything You Want
May 3rd 2016 by Sourcebooks Fire 
E ARC from Netgalley.com

Taco is an exuberant high school junior who is addicted to Maggie, a wild cheerleader whom he is dating. Her parents are less than thrilled about their relationship, which explains why he tries to climb in through her bedroom window. They are even less thrilled when he falls and breaks his coccyx. This sidelines his football career and causes him to miss some school, but Maggie's guilt ridden parents ease up their restrictions, and Maggie spends more time at Taco's house. His father has moved away for work after Taco's mother's death, and his older brother Darius spends his time drinking or working, so the two use their lack of supervision to decide to "do it". Repeatedly. Eventually, Maggie becomes pregnant, and Taco is both thrilled and terrified. He is an eternal optimist, so despite his problems, he makes plans to marry Maggie and raise their child. His problems are legion-- in order to pay off his fine for climbing Maggie's house and disturbing the peace, he is "volunteering" for Nussbaum, a local lawyer. He's also trying to keep good grades and be in the school play, but also takes a night shift job in the hospital to earn money. Maggie's behavior is erratic, Darius starts to drink even more heavily, their father isn't sending money, and Taco's world comes crashing down around him. Luckily, support comes from an unexpected source, and Taco's optimism is reaffirmed as he is able to move forward. 

This is a frenetic, roller coaster ride of a book, filled with the misguided energy that only the young seem to have. Herbach is a master of the teen male voice, and Taco's personality jumps off the pages. Maggie's scattered reaction to her pregnancy, as well as her interactions with her angry but concerned parents, is also pitch perfect. The father is conspicuously absent and reticent when presence, and the adults in Taco's life are all baffled by his behavior but supportive when they figure out its causes. 

The best part about this book was Taco's relentless optimism. Without it, this would have been just another depressing book about a boy dealing with death, abandonment, pregnancy, drinking and all the other sad issues, but Taco's mother imbued him with a spirit that made him able to say, even on the worst days "Today is the best day of my life, and tomorrow will be even better."

My only quibble with the book is that it is not meant in any way for middle grade readers; the language and descriptions are circumspect and perfectly appropriate for high school, but just a bit much for middle school. It seems hard to imagine that a teenager today would be as clueless about birth control as Taco is, but since there are still unplanned pregnancies, this must have some shred of truth in it. It is also disappointing that SourceBooks is issuing this only in paperback-- Herbach's writing is of the caliber that makes this an instant high school classic, and he deserves a better binding!

The Ark Plan (Edge of Extinction) / Crisis Zero

Martin, Laura. The Ark Plan (Edge of Extinction)
May 10th 2016 by HarperCollins
ARC from Young Adult Books Central

What's worse than being an orphan? Being an orphan in a dystopian world where scientists have brought dinosaurs back to life only to have them bring viruses with them that wipe out a huge chunk of the population and contribute to the downfall of civilization! Sky Mundy's mom died when she was born, and her father disappeared on a mission five years ago. She is being grudgingly raised inside the North Compound, one of the underground communities where survivors have banded together and kept some semblance of civilization going for 150 years. Sky has never really been outside, since most people who go outside are soon attacked by dinosaurs and killed. When she finds a letter from her long-gone father, however, she decides to follow the instructions in it and travel to Lake Michigan to see if she can find her father. Her best friend, Shawn, who only has an aunt to care for him, decides to go with her, and the two venture out into the treacherous world together. Luckily, they soon make the acquaintance of Todd, whose small community has found a way to live in trees and survive dinosaur attacks that way. Unfortunately, the forces behind Sky's community manage to track her down and attack Todd's community, taking everyone who lives there away. The three children are left alone with limited resources to survive and solve the mystery of Sky's father. 

This gets big points for a fresh, new dystopian vision that involves dinosaurs in an intriguing way! There are not enough middle grade books that involve dinosaurs, and many readers who thought of nothing else in first or second grade are always glad to see an adventure book for older readers involving this passion! I liked how the tree dwellers and the underground dwellers were largely unaware of each other, and the challenges faced by both groups were very different, but equally chilling. Sky and Shawn have a nice friendship, and the addition to their group of Todd, who has completely different skills and a different outlook, makes the adventure more interesting. 

I really liked the descriptions of the underground compound and the details about every day life within it. In that way, it had some similarities to Stuart Gibb's Space Case or DuPrau's City of Ember. Readers who liked Baldacci's The Finisher, Hughes' A Crack in the Sky or Mikaelsen's Jungle of Bones will appreciate the adventures in the wilderness, and readers who want dinosaur books will be thrilled to help Sky identify the types of dinosaurs that are attacking!

There is most likely a sequel to this-- crucial information about Sky's past and her father's activities are mentioned late in the book, and the group's mission isn't finished by the time the last page is breathlessly turned! 

Rylander, Chris. Crisis Zero
February 2nd 2016 by Walden Pond Press

ADORE this series. However, I checked out a digital copy from the Ohio E Book project, read it while recovering from foot surgery, and didn't get around to writing the review for a week. No concrete memory other than I enjoyed it, although the second one was slightly better because they went to Mount Rushmore. Definitely purchasing to complete a fantastic series. 

Side note: Several of my students were trying to get books for the summer from the public library and weren't at all happy that only e books were available. This was a title our public library ONLY bought in that format. On the other hand, students who can never get to the library in the summer but who have smart phones were THRILLED to learn about the Ohio E Book project, even though I believe I HAVE mentioned it before now. A few dozen times. My students prefer "actual books".