WILL DANNY MCGEE BE ABLE TO SWALLOW IT ALL?

A book review by Katherine: 

Can he swallow the whole world, that Danny McGee?  Don’t take my word for it, you’ll just have to see. 

What starts as two siblings’ trip to the beach, quickly becomes Danny’s mission to consume everything, and I do mean everything, in the world.  Fans of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein will positively devour the rhymes and flow of Danny McGee Drinks the Sea.  With a pinch of naughtiness, a dash of gluttony and a smidgen of sibling rivalry, this book is the perfect recipe for some lighthearted reading fun.  Andy Stanton’s entertaining rhyming text is perfect for read alouds, while Neal Layton’s amusing illustrations beg for closer inspection in one-on-one or independent readings. 

For ages 4-10    

SURE BEATS BOILING OIL

If you read Harry Potter or the Hunger Games, and you like stories where society is out to destroy the lives of children, then THE UNWANTEDS by Lisa McMann is a good book to read along the same lines. In the dark, dreary land of Quill, some kids become "wanteds" and some are relegated to "unwanted" status, which means they are sent to die in a giant pit of boiling oil. Only the unwanteds actually end up in a magical world of creativity and free thought, something completely frowned upon in the land of Quill. Kids learn magical fighting techniques, in preparation to fight for their beliefs in a battle that comes when not everyone is prepared to fight. It's not to difficult to read, it is action-packed, and reflects positively on those that are more creative than calculating. For grades 4 and up.

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

Life is not easy for ten-year-old Ada, living with her mean mother and younger brother in London at the eve of the Second World War. Born with a bad foot, Ada never learned to walk right, which made her mother ashamed of her. Ada is not allowed to go outside, or talk to anyone, and barely gets enough food from her mother. But Ada is a fighter, and takes care of her younger brother and tries to survive to the best of her ability. When the war starts, children are evacuated to the English countryside, away from major cities that might get bombed by the Germans, and Ada and her brother finally get away from their mother to live with a lady named Susan. Although Susan never wanted children, she takes care of the two children, and Ada's life truly begins, and it includes learning to ride a horse, making a friend, and even catching a spy. But what happens when the war ends?

The War that Saved my Life is a beautiful, sad, and heartwarming tale about a girl faced with the worst circumstances who decides to fight for her life. It is also a book about love and family, and the way that both can be found in unexpected places. Ada is a wonderful character to read about, because even though she is hurt, she is brave enough to take care of herself and find her voice.

Although this is mostly the story of Ada and her brother, it is also a historical fiction book. The descriptions of daily life in the English countryside at the beginning of the war are fascinating to read about. Ada and her brother Jamie have to live with a stranger, just as many children had to do to get away from the danger of large cities. And besides that, they have to live on food rations and stand in long lines to get any food at all. They have to look for suspicious activity and report it, and even take care of wounded soldiers. But all that seems bearable with caring people around them as the village comes together to help each other.

This is a book you won't want to put down until you get to its bittersweet conclusion. Fans of The Book Thief will especially enjoy this book.

For readers in 5th-8th grade.

DORY FANTASMAGORY

Dory, otherwise known as Rascal, is the baby of the family and boy, does she have an imagination! But try as she might, she cannot get her brother and sister to play with her. They think that she is such a baby because she sees all kinds of monsters everywhere, and has an imaginary monster friend to boot. To make her stop acting like such a baby, Dory’s siblings come up with an ingenious plan. They sit Dory down and tell her that the evil Mrs. Gobble Gracker who steals babies is after her, and she needs to stop acting like a baby in order to be safe. Now, Dory is on the run from Mrs. Gobble Gracker, and she has to come up with a plan to avoid being stolen.

Dory Fantasmagory is quite the page-turner with an adorable character who will make you laugh from to the last page. Third- and fourth- grade readers will love this short book for its great story and hilarious illustrations. 

CANDY HEARTS & SECRET CRUSHES

It is close to Valentine's Day, and the students in class 4-O are in for a surprise. Someone has left candy hearts in each of their desks.  But what makes these hearts particularly sweet are the special messages on each of them.  Why, though, do the messages seem directly related to the student?  This is the mystery that Jessie Treski, the school's editor for the 4-O Forum, is trying to uncover.

Jessie's discovery of candy hearts,  poems of love, and the idea of crushes have piqued her interest, so she must find out if other students currently have a crush, had a crush, or never had a crush on someone before.   A class survey is soon published, but what kind of results will Jessie get?  Is Jessie, herself, able to truly understand what the survey results mean?

Jacqueline Davies skillfully captures the voice of young and energetic Jessie, a fun-loving girl  who finds herself in the middle of a classroom where boys and girls are starting to think about each other in different ways.  Ms. Davies' addition of poetry is the perfect touch to this sweet coming-of-age story.  It has the power to make readers of all ages reflect upon their first crush. 

Read Candy Smash and other books from the Lemonade Wars series, available in three formats- print, eBook, and audio CD.  Reserve one or all today!  

For 4th grade and up.

TROUBLEMAKERS

A young boy loves to imagine that he and his stuffed animal are pirates.  One day, he runs out of props for his adventures and decides to sneak off with his sister's toy.  She is not pleased, and a cat and mouse chase soon follows.  He eventually gets disciplined for his actions, but he quickly notices that something is amiss.  Different toys start to disappear, including HIS favorite stuffed toy.  If it is not the young boy who is taking the toys then who can the troublemaker be?

Lauren Castillo's The Troublemaker is a simple story about a boy who learns the value of sharing and compassion.  Ms. Castillo's pen and ink are well matched with this story, which promises to delight young children.  

For Pre-K-2nd grade.

FLY HOME

Jewel spends a lot of time over at the cliff.  It's the only place where she ever feels truly understood and not alone.  At home, her grandfather doesn't speak and her parents keep secrets.  Secrets about the day Jewel was born.  The day her brother went missing.  The day he thought he was a bird and tried to fly off of Jewel's cliff.  Her dad tells Jewel to stay away from the cliff and the duppies that are spirits and tricked Jewel's brother into trying to fly.  Her mother tells her father to stop filling Jewel's head with nonsense.  Jewel ignores them both and doesn't question their life.  Until the day Jewel meets John.  The boy who shares a name with her brother.  The boy her grandfather is convinced is a duppy.  The boy who may be able to help Jewel and her family share their secrets and learn to be a family once more.

Follow Jewel and her family on their journey of healing in Crystal Chan's book, Bird, for tweens in grades 6 and up.

TURNING TWELVE IS NOT EASY

It all starts the summer Suzy is going to turn twelve. First, her mother leaves to take care of her sick grandmother. Then, her little brother Parker saves the life of their neighbor by calling 911 after she collapses at home. Now Parker is a neighborhood hero and he is letting it go to his head. To add to her woes, Suzy is starting to think of her friend Gilbert as a little more than a friend, and her best friend is chosen for a play while she is rejected. When her brother’s hero antics ruin her twelfth birthday, it is the last straw for Suzy.  

After deciding that she has had enough of being Suzy Quinn, she tries to be like her favorite poet, the reclusive Emily Dickinson. But there is a chance that she might be taking it too far when she decides to only communicate with her friends via letters and refuses to do anything that Emily could not do.

This breezy verse novel by Eileen Spinelli is a perfect book for those leisurely summer afternoons, at home or on the beach.

For grades 4-6.

READING IS SO DELICIOUS...ESPECIALLY WITH SOUP

Jayna, or Gingersnap as her mother liked to call her, is an excellent soup maker.  She knows just the soup for every occasion and can make a soup with whatever happens to be in the fridge - even if its just a carrot and some soup stock.  Which is a good thing, since it's 1945 and food is being rationed due to World War II.  Some days, it feels like there isn't ever enough to eat - and there is never enough sugar or butter to make cakes and cookies.  Cooking and baking remind Jayna of her brother, Rob, who shipped out with the Navy as a cook and is her only family.  Jayna and Rob's parents both died in a car accident, leaving the kids to bounce from foster home to foster home until Rob was old enough to adopt Jayna.  Now that Rob is somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Jayna has to live with their landlady, Celia, who is too concerned with Jayna's manners and safety.

Jayna feels all alone in the great big world - that is until she starts hearing a ghost speak to her.  The ghost comes and goes, but tells Jayna she's there to help her find a family.  She encourages Jayna to go into Rob's closet where she finds a cookbook that Jayna believes belonged to her mother and there the adventure to find her family begins.

Kids in 4th grade and up can follow Jayna as she leaves upstate New York in search of a grandmother she never knew but desperately wants to find in Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff.

CRAZY CALVIN COCONUT

Calvin Coconut hears the word "responsibility" a lot.  His mom is always giving him new responsibilities since his dad moved to Las Vegas to become a famous singer and never came back, making Calvin the man of the house.  The problem with all this responsibility is that Calvin gets into trouble - a lot.  The first day of fourth grade arrives and Calvin gets into trouble at every turn.  There's a food fight, an issue with a centipede, and a big bully who won't leave Calvin alone, causing him to forget to pick up his little sister from school.  To top it all off, Calvin's mom tells him that they will have a teenage girl coming to live with them from Texas.  His mom says she'll be nice, but as soon as Calvin meets her, he knows there's going to be more trouble involved.  Especially when she tells him that if he doesn't watch out, she's going to show him what "Texas Nice" really means.

Join Calvin and his friends as they grow up and get into trouble in Hawai'i on the island of O'ahu.  Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury is a great fit for voracious 3rd grade readers and all readers in 4th - 5th grade.

WHAT KIND OF A NAME IS STELLA BATS?!

This is a cute story about a girl in third grade who is getting teased about her name - a boy keeps calling her Smella! Seeing as her name is actually Stella, she starts thinking of a new name right away! It's bad enough her last name is Bats! The story is written like an autobiography, and Stella tells all about her parents' candy store, her annoying little sister and all of the good things and bad things about being in the third grade. STELLA BATS NEEDS A NEW NAME by Courtney Sheinmel will appeal to those just starting to read chapter books. For grades 2-4.

AUGUST 2012

NOW AND THEN

T.J has always taken care of his sister, Angela.  In and out of foster homes, T.J. was the only one who could coax his sister out of her bad moods.  He was the only one who knew why she made origami paper cranes and let them fly whenever she could.  He tried to protect her from the truth about their mother until neither of them could bear the lies anymore.  Now, though, T.J. is waiting in the Emergency Room for his sister to wake up from a bad fall.  They have a new life now, with new parents, and a new house, but their painful past still haunts them.  As T.J. sits waiting for Angela to wake up, he remembers all of the things - good and bad - that got them to this point and will shape their future - if she ever wakes up.

Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch is a heart-breaking story of a young boy coming to terms with his past and looking toward a brighter future.  This book would be great for middle school fans of A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer.

WHO IS A JEOPARDY FAN?

Beans for 100 please. This girl is one of the biggest fan of Jeopardy, the game show, and tried unsuccessfully in the past to get on during Jeopardy Kids Week.   BUZZZZ.  Who is Olivia Bean?  

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen by Donna Gephart is the biggest queen of trivia  and she must watch Jeopardy every night.  When there's finally a chance for kids to audition for the game show and possibly go to Hollywood, she's determined to find a way to get on.  But, Olivia has a weakness.  Geography.  Can she make it?  Only if she can enlist the help of her nemesis and next door neighbor who is the king of trivia and is great at geography.   She can't let the opportunity pass her by because this might also be her only way to see her dad in LA since the divorce. 

For readers and Jeopardy lovers in 4th-6th. 

FAIRIES AND FIGHTING IN ENGLAND

A plague is threatening North America, and the Morgans ship their children off to England so they won't be exposed. It is here that Rowan, Meg, Silly (short for Priscilla), and James, along with friend Dickie Rhys and foe Finn Fachan (other plague-threatened children) learn all about the wonderful world of fairies. Only it's not so wonderful. The Morgan's Aunt Phyllida Ash turns out to be the ancestral protector of the fairy kingdom, and does everything in her power to prevent the children from encountering fairy life. But it doesn't take long for the Morgan children to be sucked into the Midsummer War between good and bad fairies. UNDER THE GREEN HILL by Laura L. Sullivan is a good tale of heroic gestures, a glimpse at fairy-dom, contains some moral undertones, and includes a lot of great vocabulary words! For grades 6 and up.

GEORGE CLOONEY FOR A FATHER?!

Her parents divorced and are now living separate lives. Her father has moved on and is living the good life in L.A. with a whole new family while she is left with her lonely mother, who has a knack for always picking the wrong guy.

Dudley Wiener is just the absolute last straw. How can her mother possibly date a man with that name, plus his jokes are horrible. It is time for Violet to take action and get the perfect man for them... George Clooney.

Dear George Clooney Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsen is a funny and heartfelt story about the messiness of love and family for readers in 6th-8th.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME...

FOREVER ROSE by Hilary McKay is not your typical family, not your typical little girl and NOT your typical book. Is your Dad an artist living far away from home? Does your mom hide away in a shed pretending to paint pictures? Do your brother's friends come to live with you? Even if none of these things happen in your life, Rose might be someone you can relate to because Rose feels very alone. The youngest of five or so siblings, it's almost as if everyone forgets she even exists. Nothing a little hiding out with a tiger at the zoo wouldn't help... For grades 5 and up.

HAMLET, YOU ARE SPECIAL

Hamlet's parents are Shakespearean professors. Not only do they teach about Shakespeare, they wear the clothes, speak in the style and eat the food of Shakespeare's time. You get the idea. Shakespeare fanatics. And that's how Hamlet came to be called Hamlet and her sister Desdemona. But, it doesn't end there.


Hamlet thought eighth grade was going to be her year to be at the top of the heap and everything would go smoothly, but no. Her genius seven year old sister, Dezzie, who needs to fulfill her arts requirement before going off to college will be going to be going to school AND attend classes with her. What's worse, in English and Social Studies, they will be studying all things Shakespeare. And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.


Read all about The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne. A tragic comedy for readers in 6th - 8th grade.

ALVIN AT IT AGAIN

Poor Alvin, his dad thinks that camping will be a great bonding experience just like Henry David Thoreau and his father! Uh... that wasn't quite what Alvin had in mind when Alvin told him about his time travel experience. What's a boy to do if he's afraid of nature, the dark, getting lost, hit by lightning... gulp... or worse. Once again he goes to his older brother for advice, and between him and his uncle's survival tips, maybe camping won't be so bad after all.

Alvin's Packing List:

generator

night vision goggles

super duper flashlight

water purifying tablets

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look has Alvin confronting more phobias but done in such a gentle and funny way that you can't help but chuckle along with Alvin. Along with the expressive character illustrations this book is a must for readers in 3rd - 5th.

PARIS IS ALIVE AND DOING FINE

Paris is forced to take piano lessons from Mrs. Rosen with her older brother as chaperone. Paris is sassy while Mrs. Rosen is funny and a great storyteller. The strong willed twosome form a unique friendship over stories of the Holocaust, pre-war Europe and her brother Michael. But when Paris innocently wears a yellow star, given to her by Mrs. Rosen, to school, a chain reaction is set off.

This is a beautifully written and moving novel about one young girl making sense of life. Vive La Paris by Esme Raji Codell is for mature middle school readers due to the topics presented in the novel, deaths, teenage pregnancy, etc.

SAMURAI WANNABE

Seikei can now return to his family as a samurai, but how will they treat him after all these years? In A Samurai Never Fears Death, the third book in the series, Seikei returns to his hometown but instead of a warm family reception, he finds his brother and sister at the center of several murders and a smuggling ring.

An intricate historical murder mystery for middle school readers and older.