Thursday, December 31, 2009
About Penguins: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill
Robot Zot by Jon Scieszka
I Really Absolutely Must Have Glasses by Lauren Child
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Mothstorm by Philip Reeve
Arthur Mumby with the help of his sister Myrtle share their third adventure (Larklight, 2006; Starcross, 2007) in Victorian space. The Mumby’s and their friend’s Christmas celebration is ruined when their Christmas pudding goes rogue and a space ship from Her Majesty’s Navy arrives. There is an unknown cloud near Uranus and they go to investigate. They discover shaper and her alien minions who have come to conquer and enslave our universe. Will Art’s ingenuity and Myrtle’s manners be enough to save the day? This original and entertaining series combines history, science fiction, and adventure with a dash of romance. MS – ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.
The Word Snoop by Ursula Dubosarsky
Who knew that the English language could be so much fun? Author Ursula Dubosarky shares the odd and interesting aspects of the English Language: from doublespeak to Pig Latin, from apostrophes to acronyms. She gives explanations, examples, and interactive clues for the reader. Dubosarky covers the history of alphabet to current texting. The illustrations by Tohby Riddle are whimsical and fun; often combining heads of famous people with cartoon bodies (e.g. Benjamin Franklin kicks the alphabet).
EL- ESSENTIAL. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson - ADVISABLE
I actually read this book twice. I know! How often do I take the time to do that. But I really enjoyed Destiny and her new friends and was totally blind as to her real destination. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
MS, HS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher
The Brother’s Story by Katherine Sturtevant
Sturtevant, Katherine The Brother’s Story, 271 p. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009. $16.99. Sexual Content – R.
Kit and Christy are twin brothers, barely surviving with their mother in a tiny, rural English village during the hard winter of 1683. Kit is tired of guiding and saving his dimwitted brother, so he quietly leaves and heads off for London. There he finds some friends, many new challenges and maybe the strength to choose the direction for his life. It’s too bad that Kit is so preoccupied with sexual things. Even though the descriptions use the vernacular of the day, the situations are still obvious, descriptive and distracting. I would have enjoyed his story much more without them.
NO. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Stuck in the Mud by Reverend Awdry
Awdry, Reverend W Stuck in the Mud. Random House, 2009. $3.99. STEP INTO READING Level 1.
Thomas the Tank Engine finds an old broken down engine on an abandoned track and must race Spencer to Sir Topham Hat to see if they can help Hiro or not. Train-crazy little boys will love this first reading book. They can memorize all of the words or actually learn to read them.
PreK – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Never After by Dan Elconin
Elconin, Dan Never After, 295 p. Simon and Schuster, 2009. Language: R (45 “f”, 130 other – I stopped counting after 130 pages); Violence: R; Sexual Content: PG-13.
Ricky Darlin is desperate to escape his tense family situation, so when a intriguing young man offers to take him away to a magical place where he can forget his worries, he jumps at the offer. Stepping right into his worst nightmare. Now Ricky is stuck on a tiny island, with just a handful of other teens who are trying to escape Peter’s clutches. Unfortunately, Peter is protected by a crew of zombies. Together, James Hooke, Mariah Bell, Nigel, Alex and Ricky – with some help from the local Indian princess – will have to defeat Peter and find their way back home. While this book is an interesting take on the legend of Neverland, the angst and anger of these teens comes out in a spew of swear words. I finally just had to stop counting just so that I could get through the book. Too bad.
NO. Cindy, Library-Teacher
I Can Draw Wild Animals by Simon Abbott
Dinosaur Park by Hannah Wilson
Cashing In by Susan Colebank
Colebank, Susan Cashing In, 314 p. Dutton (Penguin), 2009. $16.99. Language: PG (5 swears). Reggie (Regina) is a senior, just barely making it through school, working diligently every day at the local Cashmart, so that she can earn enough money to get out of town and get away from her money-hungry, gambling, infomercial-shopping mother. Her dad died a couple of years earlier and since then her mother has barely held things together, mostly by using lots of credit cards or bumming money from Reggie and her brother. Then Mom pops the good news – she’s won a huge jackpot – so the family starts spending money like water. Something will have to happen to reign in Mom and get Reggie to stand up for herself. Reggie’s life is like a train wreck – you know that something bad is going to happen and you just can’t look away. She has good friends and a possible love interest – you can only hope that Reggie will make the right decisions. HS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Lost Worlds by John Howe
Howe, John Lost Worlds, 88 p. Kingfisher, 2009. $22.99. Take a journey to 24 worlds – most historic, some imaginary, all wonderful – through the eyes of John Howe, the concept artist for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. From the realm of Faerie, through Timbuktu and on to the city of Troy, this is a journey to delight the eye. I am not sure how it fits into ta library collection, but if you have students who love reading about wonderful worlds, drawing imaginary creatures, then this book will be one they will want to see. If you have die-hard LOTR fans, they will probably want this because of the author and illustrator. PUBLIC. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Gnash, Gnaw, Dinosaur! by Tony Mitton
With short poems and cute illustrations, meet seven dinosaurs. While the lift-the-flap part is fun, there, unfortunately is no background information for a child who is more serious about their dinosaur knowledge.
EL (K-3) – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Animal by Miranda Smith
Friday, December 25, 2009
Time Quake by Linda Buckley Archer - OPTIONAL
Violence: PG.
Kate and Peter are stuck back in 1763. Their travels through time have landed them on the wrong side of the continuum. Now Lord Luxon has control of the machine and he is determined to find a way to go back and stop the American Revolution in its tracks and win modern America for England. Meanwhile, the world is fragmenting into different time lines and Kate is starting to disappear – her grasp on time and life is quickly slipping away. Gideon and the Tar Man (his brother) will have to combine forces and do something really desperate in order to save the lives of the children they have come to love.
Writing about time travel can get very confusing, but Buckley-Archer has done a very good job in this series of keeping the convoluted paths from becoming quagmires. While these books may never be the most used in your library, they are a solid addition to a larger collection with a strong fantasy clientele.
EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow by Marilyn Kaye
Kaye, Marilyn Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, 212 p. Kingfisher, 2009. $7.99. Content: G. Amanda is the focus of this third book in the Gifted series. She supposedly has the ability to predict the future, but most of the time she doesn’t interpret her visions very well. Now kids from the gifted class are disappearing and Amanda will have to sharpen her vision if any of them are going to be rescued. In fact, every member of the class will have to step up to the plate for this challenge. MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library-Teacher
Scat by Carl Hiassen
When Heaven Fell by Carolyn Marsden
The World of Fairies by Calliope Glass
Walt Disney by Russell Schroeder
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Auntie Claus: Home for the Holidays by Elise Primavera
EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.
"Shwatsit!": No One Knows Just What It Means by Christin Ditchfield
EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Kiss, Kiss by Selma Mandine
EL-ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Have You Ever Seen a Sneep? by Tasha Pym
EL – OPTIONAL. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Pigs Make Me Sneeze! by Mo Willems
EL – ESSENTIAL. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
The Squire's Quest by Gerald Morris
EL/MS – OPTIONAL. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Bringing Down the Moon by Jonathan Emmett
How Do Lions Say I Love You by Diane Muldrow
This is Olivia, illustrated by Patrick Spaziante
Olivia Leaps by Natalie Shaw
PreK-K /EL- OPTIONAL. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Cat o' Nine Tails by Julia Golding
The curtain rises on the fourth adventure of Cat Royal. Cat is bored with the life of a lady. She receives a letter from Syd’s parents informing her that he is missing. Cat, Pedro, and Frank, accompanied by his cousin Mr. Will Dixon, head to the docks in search of Syd. They are attacked and Cat, Pedro, and Frank are forced to become sailors on the Royal Navy’s boat the Courageous. Pedro and Frank find their sea feet fast, except for Cat (pretending to be a cabin boy) is being picked on by everyone. Cat wanted adventure, but she didn’t plan on proving herself on the high seas. Will she be able to escape the ship, Mr. Maclean, and the Creek Indians to find her friends before her final curtain? Author Julia Golding continues to create memorable characters and polished historical adventures. Recommend to fans of L. A. Meyer’s Bloody Jack series.
MS/HS – ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
My Rotten Life by David Lubar - ESSENTIAL
Language: G, Violence: G, Sexual Content: G.
EL - ESSENTIAL
This book is a funny, well-written tale about trying to fit in with a zombie twist. Fans of David Lubar, humorous fiction, and science-fiction/fantasy will enjoy reading this book.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Nate the Great and The Hungry Book Club by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Mitchell Sharmat
A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet by Anthony D. Fredericks
Imogene's Last Stand by Candace Fleming
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Angel Girl by Laurie Friedman
The Seven Sneezes by Olga Cabral
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
“There are a million rules for being a girl. There are a million things you have to do to get through each day. High school has things that can trip you up, ruin you, people smile and say one thing and mean another, and you have to know all the rules, you have to know what you can and can’t do. And one of them is this: YOU DON’T KISS YOUR BEST FRIEND’S BOYFRIEND! (taken from The Unwritten Rule)
Sarah has been best friends with Brianna forever it seems. Now Sarah has a secret that could ruin that friendship forever. She is in love with Ryan, Brianna’s boyfriend. Sarah had given up thinking she could ever be with Ryan, because Brianna is 1-georgeous and 2-irresistable. However, things get all confused when Ryan kisses her.
This new book by Elizabeth Scott is a great book about friendship and what we will do or not do for that friendship to continue. A realistic look at relationships: parent to child, friend to friend; boyfriend to girlfriend. This book is another winner from teen writer Elizabeth Scott.
I read it in one sitting. . . . I couldn't put it down. Teens will devour this book.
MS/HS ESSENTIAL Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse
Johanna is a servant to Dame Margery Kempe, who is renowned (or despised) for excessive holiness and weeping. When Dame Kempe’s father dies, she decides to go on a medieval pilgrimage to the holy land. Dame Kempe brings Johanna along to clean, cook, and care for her and others on the trip. The company is attacked by robbers. There is dissent within the group. An exhausted Johanna hopes to make it home alive; with or without the hypocritical Dame Kempe. Author Rebecca Barnhouse bases her story on a medieval text The Book of Margery Kempe. The story is mostly fictional, but the details are well researched and the book is well written. Recommend to fans of author Karen Cushman.
MS – ADVISABLE. Samantha, Public Librarian.
When I Wore My Sailor Suit by Uri Shulevitz
The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis
Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
It’s a bird, It’s a plane. . . . . it’s the Lunch Lady? That’s right! This lunch lady serves justice up on a plastic tray!
In this exciting and hilarious episode the librarians are up to something. Determined to undermine the new gaming system coming to town the public, elementary and high school librarians pool their resources and devise an evil plan to get rid of the terrible X-Station 5000. The lunch lady soon discovers their plan and with the help of the Breakfast Bunch, she foils the plot of the evil librarians.
This second volume is not quite as brilliant as the first, but this new graphic novel series aimed at elementary school kids with capture their attention.
*On a personal note I was disappointed that the librarians and their books were the evil in this episode. I think there is a place for both video games and books. Both get kids to read.*
ELM –ADVISABLE Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Who Lives Here? Forest Animals by Deborah Hodge
Who Lives Here? Savanna Animals by Deborah Hodge
Polo and the Dragon by Regis Faller
Have You Ever Seen a Duck in a Raincoat? by Etta Kaner
Amazing Animals: Rainforest Romp by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker
Mitton, Tony and Parker, Ant Amazing Animals: Rainforest Romp 24 pgs. Kingfisher, 2009. PICTURE BOOK. $9.99. Come along with Rabbit, Mouse, and Bird as they take us on a tour of the South American rainforest! This is a cute rhyming book that will teach young kids all about the different kinds of amazing animals one would expect to see in a rainforest including sloths, howler monkeys, anacondas, and jaguars. There is also a look and find page at the end of the book which kids are sure to love! EL-ADVISABLE. Whitney, Library-Teacher.
Babymouse Dragonslayer #11 by Jennifer L. Holm
Billed as “The next big epic fantasy!,” Babymouse #11 does not disappoint!
This terrific volume of Babymouse stories includes reference to some of the classic literary works of fantasy. Fans will cheer her on!
ELM –Essential Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library