WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BE POPULAR!!

How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston is all about Kacey Simon and how she was the queen bee, until her eyes got infected from her cool new contacts which made her trip and chipped her teeth.  Kacey's amazing weekend resulted with her getting braces AND glasses AND a lisp all in the same weekend. Her fall from queen of mean, giving what she thought was well meaning advice on her weekly school television broadcast, hits her hard and fast, especially when a former best friend tells her like it is.

For readers in 6th-8th grade who enjoy a fast paced rom-com.

QUESTION BOY HAS QUESTIONS

Question Boy, a child dressed in a cape and a leotard with a Q on his chest, drives everyone crazy with all his questions. All he wants are answers! He doesn’t have a clue about what to ask or even what not to ask. He feels such a need to understand things that he has no control over it.

He lives in a neighborhood with numerous action heroes such as Oil Man, Paperboy, and Police Woman, but none of them can satisfy his need to know it all. Until one day he meets Little Miss Know-It-All in the park. He finally meets someone who will answer all his questions!!! But Little Miss Know-It-All not always have the right answers and what she doesn’t know she makes up.

 A very cute and funny story with great comic illustrations. Expressions on the characters are great. The book will help parents to talk about good ways to find answers either by researching in a children’s encyclopedia or nonfiction book. Question  Boy Meets Little Miss Know-It-All is written and illustrated by Peter Catalanoto. For ages 5-6.

From Vivian the children's librarian at the Casa Verdugo Branch Library:

A Big Boy Now by Eileen Spinelli

A wonderful growing up story which highlights many of the activities that a young child accomplishes and feels good about such as, making one’s bed, pouring cereal into a bowl, and riding a bike without training wheels are just a few examples.  When an unexpected fall from the bike occurs, mother is very reassuring and mentions that even Daddies come to Mom for aid.  This kind of assurance helps to build and reaffirm one’s confidence.

WHO CAN YOU TRUST?

A book review from Jennifer - Montrose Branch Children's Librarian

Judy Award Winner Book:  Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

Set in an unforgiving Nordic landscape, Solveig and her two siblings await news from their father, a Viking king. While a war wages, he’s sent them deep inside a fiord with his most trusted advisors. Initially, it seems a safe place to brave the long, bitter winter. But when Norse warriors appear, sent by her father, Solveig wonders if something is amiss. With more mouths to feed, rations are fewer and tensions begin to rise.

Solveig, besides warranting protection, has little value to her father. She’s neither destined to bring wealth through marriage, nor inherit her father’s crown. So when her father’s skald, or storyteller, suggests an apprenticeship – she eagerly accepts. Solveig quickly discovers the power of stories, both real and imagined. And through her storytelling, helps distinguish friends from enemies.


A gripping tale about loyalty. For grades 5 – 8.

WHERE'S THE BOOV??

Adam Rex writes about the weirdest, most unbelievable things. But his books are funny. And interesting and entertaining. In fact, it will be hard for you to put down one of his books without finishing it first.

His latest book for kids, COLD CEREAL, is about a young boy named Scottish Play Doe. Yes, his middle name and last name form a common toy for toddlers involving a clay-like substance. So, he prefers to go by the name Scott and just not tell anyone the part about his middle name. He moves to a city where the main source of income is a cereal factory. But it's not just any cereal factory. Strange and mystical creatures reside inside and appeal to Scott to save him from the treachery within!

While this is in no way similar to his first children's book, The True Meaning of Smek Day, it will appeal to anyone who loved that book as much as me. For 5th grade and up.

THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE!

If you want to read a book where you can change the journey or the faith of the characters in a story, than this is the book for you! The book is about a group of young hikers who have decided to reach the very top of Mount Everest. However, while the reader is enjoying the great expedition, he/she is also going to be responsible in making choices about the directions that the group should take to reach to the top of the mountain. This means that a lot of logical and strategic thinking needs to be made in order to have a successful expedition for the young hikers.
This Choose Your Own Adventure book is full of interesting scenarios, graphs and pictures that will really make you feel as though you are actually on the expedition yourself. The only thing is that you might not get to feel the actual snow or the cold. However, your imagination will do that for you since it’s written very descriptively….

So lets begin our adventures...

Worst-Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Everest: You Decide How to Survive! by Bill Doyle and David Borgenicht.

For grades 5th-7th.

BOXING BRINGS A COMMUNITY TOGETHER

From Jennifer, Children's Librarian at the Montrose Branch Library:

A Judy Award Honor Book:

Bird in a Box by Andrea Pinkney

Have you ever wondered why footballmakes grown men cry? Or, why people riot at a soccer game? It’s because peopleplace their hopes, their dreams in sports teams and figures. Sports bringpeople together around a cause. In the 1930’s, that “cause” was Joe Louisbecoming the country’s next heavyweight boxing champion.

Pinkney’s “Bird in a Box” ties three coming-of-age stories together through boxing. Hibernia, the daughter of apreacher, dreams of becoming a famous jazz singer. Willie, an aspiring boxer,has his dream ripped away from him. Otis, a boxing fan, becomes orphaned in afreak accident. A charity concert at the local orphanage brings all three together. Before long, a friendship develops. It’s strengthened by a shared dream – to see Joe Louis, an African American boxer, take the heavyweight title. For African Americans of the time, Joe Louis represented more than a sports figure. He instilled hope and pride, which shows the reader that sports is more than “just a game.”

Not your average sports story. For grades 4 – 7.

MINE! MINE! ALL MINE!

From Vivian, Children's Librarian at the Casa Verdugo Branch Library:

Betty Bunny Wants Everything by Michael B. Kaplan

Mother Rabbit allows each of her children to select one toy from the toy shop but things don’t go as planned.  Betty Bunny decides to fill a cart with toys and have a wild tantrum at the store.  Mother Rabbit doesn’t tolerate Betty’s behavior and takes her young one home without any toys.  Mother and Father Bunny must devise a plan to help their tantrum-throwing child make responsible choices about saving or spending money.  A nice story that introduces the importance of budgeting money and the value of modeling patience and understanding.

CEMETERIES + SKULLS = SAMMY KEYES

Sammy is back with another thrilling mystery. She and her friends decide to take a shortcut through the town cemetery after trick-or-treating on Halloween and they run into "a beast". Scared witless, they run home. But instead of candy, they find their sack filled with two skulls.

Hmm... what did Sammy get her friends into this time?

Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls by Wendelin van Draanen is perfect for readers 6th-8th. You don't have to read this just during Halloween time though.

THE CASTLE IS ALIVE!

Castle Glower is an unusual castle. It's a magical castle. It can change rooms, add rooms and hallways depending on its mood. It always seems to know when there are changes within the household or special visitors are coming. Princess Celie loves the castle and its many quirks can map all its changes everyday.

When Princess Celie's parents, the King and Queen, are attacked en route to bring home her older brother from school, everyone assumes that they are dead and her oldest brother would become the king. But with no changes from the castle, that can mean only one thing. Her parents are still alive.

The castle loves Celie most of all and would do anything to protect her and do anything she asks. Can the castle help find her parents before the bad guys take over her kingdom? An unusual thrilling and humorous fantasy story where the castle comes alive. Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George is for readers 4th - 6th.

ALL ABOUT GRANDMAS

Today, there's no such thing as a typical grandma. They come in different shapes. They do different jobs and have different hobbies. They even go by different names! But one thing grandmas have in common is their unconditional love, kindness, patience and wisdom they have to share. Its presence in the lives of their grandchildren is a valuable contribution. From the nagging Grandmas to the cooking Grandmas this book covers them all. It’s a great book to show the little ones that there is a world full of Grandmas and each one is special. Perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Includes a list of names for grandmothers in different language. Pictures are bright and colorful and the rhyming is wonderful. Recommended for ages 3-5. Written by Roni Schotter, illustrated by Janice Nadeau.

From Vivian the Children's Librarian at the Casa Verdugo Branch Library:

Box of Shocks by Chris McMahen

Oliver has a life filled with security—he lives with his working mother and father, he has a beautiful and organized home, he takes prepared lunches to school, and he gets to go on annual trips to see his Uncle and Aunt. 

On one ordinary day, Oliver discovers a buried box and decides to fill it with items that will give his parents the shock of their lives.  Reckless and dangerous acts of behavior is involved in getting these items and Oliver is consumed with protecting it.  Unfortunately, Oliver’s Box of Shocks is left behind in his old home and he decides to go on with his reckless behavior in order to get it back.  What Oliver soon discovers is that not everyone has the same disposition as he and that the last item placed in his box is the most meaningful. For older readers.

A BASEBALL STORY

From Mr. B at the Grandview Branch Library:

King of the Mound (My Summer With Satchel Paige)

By Wes Tooke

Twelve year old Nick was “king of the mound” for his team until polio put him in the hospital for a year. Now, with his weak leg in a brace, even his dad – a catcher for historic the semi-pro Bismark Churchills – calls him “a cripple.” The Churchills are an integrated team – one of the last, as integrated semi-pro teams were banned starting with the 1936 season. But, in this summer of 1935, Negro league star Satchel Paige, another “king of the mound,” has been hired in the hope he can take the team to the newly inaugurated semi-pro championships.

As Nick’s leg heals, Satchel helps Nick heal while the team plays the circuit, North and South. Racial tensions, state politics, legendary players, a budding romance, and some useful life lessons make this historical sports novel a winner for young readers or baseball fans of any age.

MAKING ANIMALS SAFE

If you ask me, a life without a pet is no life at all. But not all pets have the luxury of being a  part of someone's family, a warm place to stay, or a safe place to live. In the town where Billy lives, there are a lot of stray cats, and not everyone in town want them around. When Billy discovers Conga, a hurt starving kitten, he has to keep her a secret because he KNOWS his Dad would take her away. This small kitten leads Billy on a dangerous adventure, but it isn't long before he's teaching the town a thing or two about the importance of love for all creatures. CAT FOUND by Ingrid Lee is a story that will pull in animals lovers and captivate them with it's dangerous and exciting plot twists. Written for simpler reading level, but contains content that might be mature for some. For grades 3-7.