CENTAUR RISING

Arianne and her family leave their home for the evening to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. This grand spectacle gives her mother some reprieve from their financial troubles.  When it's time to go back home a great light flashes which stirs their horse, Agora.  Little do they know that this extraordinary light would change their lives forever.

When a pony is born the next year, Arianne's family must think of creative ways of caring for it with the little money that they have. To their surprise, the pony is a centaur.  The family must now think of ways to teach the community that although he may look different, there are special qualities that the centaur possesses.

Jane Yolen creatively weaves a tale about the life of a horse and a boy, who must stand together, to help their family regardless of their personal challenges.  The author also includes a historical note about medical practices during the 1960s.  An interesting and eye-opening read. For 5th and up.

LIFT THE FLAP FOR SOME FUN FUN FUN

Hello in There!: A Big Sister's Book of Waiting by Jo Witek and illustrated by Christine Roussey is a fun story of a very excited big sister who begins to imagine what the baby in the womb is thinking, doing and might look like. One side is big sister doing her everyday thing and  the left side has a flap that you open to see what baby is up to.  This book is for all those families looking for a tongue in cheek way to get their child ready for a new baby.

In Who's in the Tree? And Other Lift-the-flap Surprises by Craig Shuttlewood animals rhyme and do silly things. Kids will want to guess where the animals are hiding and lift the flap to see if they were right!  A fun book for the little ones. 

For ages 3 and up. 

WHAT IS GIFTED EXACTLY?

Ungifted by Gordon Korman is a funny tale of a series of unfortunate incidents.  Unintended accidents really, according to Donovan.  You see, Donovan wasn't gifted and never even wanted to go to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction until he got in trouble again, and realized this was as good as any place to hide out from Dr. Schultz, the school district superintendent.   However, being in the gifted program isn't as easy an out as it seems and it's just a matter of time before he's discovered for the fraud that he is.  

As the robotics team, all the teachers and every single student wait for Donovan's special talent to reveal itself, the gifted students in his homeroom discover that what they really want is normalcy in the form of Donovan in their lives, not to mention being grateful to him for getting them out of summer school by way of his pregnant sister because of a missed human development class. 

What follows is a series of mishaps, subterfuge, the forging of friendships and camaraderie among the unlikeliest of eighth graders.  Told from multiple points of view in each chapter, this is another fun and fast paced winner.  For reader 6th-8th.