Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman - ADVISABLE

 

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman. PICTURE BOOK. Holiday House, 2022 (reprint, gift edition with a poster and 25th anniversary afterword). $25. 9780823452552

Content: PG (goblins, scares, gambling)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Hershel of Ostropol came into town on the first night of Hanukkah tired and hungry. But when he arrived, the village was silent and dark. Not a single Hanukkah candle could be seen. The villagers explained that they cannot have Hanukkah because of the Goblins haunting the synagogue at the top of the hill. Hershel decides to help the village. They tell him that he must spend eight nights in the old synagogue. The Hanukkah candles must be lit one by one each night. On the eighth night, the king of the goblins must light them himself to break their power. Hershel goes up to the synagogue and each night tricks each goblin and lights the candles. On the final night, will Hershel be able to trick the King of the goblins into lighting the candles himself?

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins is delightful and clever. I enjoyed finding out how Hershel tricked each scary goblin. Hyman’s illustrations were magical and masterful.

PGPowers 

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux - ADVISABLE

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, 304 pages. Poisoned Pen Press, 2020. $16.

Language: PG (9 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The narrator has gathered the facts and is writing to put forth the true story of the Opera Ghost – who surely was real. Madame Giry knew him as generous. Management knew him as a curse. Christine knew him as the Voice, her Angel of Music. Raoul knew him as a rival.

Originally published in French in 1909, this classic is one that the Horror Writers Association (HWA) wants to keep alive in their horror genre reprints, though reading it didn’t feel like how I imagined a horror would. Leroux includes footnotes throughout the book, and the HWA have added notes in the introduction and after the epilogue to expound on the context of this story and its author. While the text can be difficult to work through at a few points, I enjoyed reading the original story behind the beloved musical.

Christine and her father are Swedish, Daroga is Persian, and Carlotta is Spanish. Raoul, his brother, and all the other characters are French. The mature content rating is for mention of alcohol. The violence rating is for gun use, mentions of hanging and murder, and attempted suicide.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - OPTIONAL

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, 416 pages. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2022. $45.

Language: PG (3 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

With their father serving as a chaplain during the Civil War, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy try to be good for their mother – but it’s not always easy. They get into scrapes with each other and their neighbor Laurie, but their loved ones are always there to help them along the way.

This new edition of a beloved classic is the same in text and now includes illustrations by Marjolein Bastin in the margins and in the white space at the end of chapters. Each chapter of Little Women teaches a lesson to at least one of the sisters and to readers – anything from hard work to hope, forgiveness to pursuing dreams, heartbreak to healing.

The March family and John are white, Laurie is Italian, and Friedrich is German. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, including underage drinking. 

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild - ADVISABLE

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, 268 pages. Random House, 2018 (Reprint). $17. 9780525578611.

Content: Language: G; Violence: G; Mature Content: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: EL - HIGH, MS - AVERAGE

Pauline, Petrova and Posy were all orphaned and taken in by a kindly old gentleman who promptly left them with his niece while he headed off on years of globetrotting. His absence makes finances tight, so the girls are sent to a training school for dancing, acting, and singing. Pauline proves to be a talented actress, Petrova gets along okay (though she'd rather be training to be a chauffeur!), and Posy's dancing talent is immediately obvious. The story follows their training, their relationships with one another and those they live with, and their eventual successes as the years go on.

This was just a delightful read from cover to cover. I enjoyed it as an adult, but I know I would have loved it even more as a child. This is a classic children's book for a reason and I can't wait to share it with my nieces who have yet to discover the Shoe books.

Reviewer: TC

Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfield - ADVISABLE

Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, 281 pages. Random House, 2018 (Reprint). $17. 9780525578642.

Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: EL - HIGH, MS - AVERAGE

Harriet's doctor recommends she take up skating as a way to rebuild her strength after a long illness. She meets Lalla, a young skating ingenue, her first day at the rink and they become fast friends; Lalla's well-off family ends up including Harriet as a partner to Lalla's schooling, skating, and many other adventures. But when Harriet's skating begins to take off at the same time Lalla's faces some real struggles, the two friends will have to find a way to overcome the obstacle and see if their friendship can survive.

This is a classic children's novel first published in 1951 and I think the story really does still hold up. Its 100% clean reading and the kind of story I personally loved as a young girl. The writing does strike me as being more of an upper elementary fit, but middle school readers could appreciate it, too. This particular version has a really lovely cover that would also make it a great gift.

Reviewer: TC

Do You Know the Monkey Man? By Dori Butler - ADVISABLE

Do You Know the Monkey Man? By Dori Hillestad Butler.  201 pages. Peachtree, 2005, 2018.  $8. Content: G.  REPRINT

MS – ADVISABLE.  

When Samantha was three, her twin sister drown in a boating accident. Ten years later, a psychic tells her that her sister is very much alive. Now Samantha wants to track down the father she hasn’t heard from for so long and clear up this mystery. 

Wow – has it really been thirteen years?  While I still not fond of the chosen title, I like this new cover so much better than the original.  If you can get students to pick it up, they will still love reading about Samantha’s mystery.

Cindy, Library Teacher

Curious George's Box of Books by H.A. Rey - ESSENTIAL

Rey, H.A. Curious George’s Box of Books. BOARD BOOK Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. $19. 9781328798954  

This set of four classic Curious George board books comes in a cardboard box.  The books included in the set are: 1 to 10 and Back Again; Opposites; Are You Curious?; and ABC’s.  Adorable George takes kids through the basic concepts, such as counting and the ABC’s, with illustrations of George and his world.  

My kids love Curious George and his cute personality. The little monkey makes learning fun and the bright appealing colors are attractive for young readers.  Of course, in my opinion Curious George is a standard classic character of childhood, so if you don’t have these books-you need them.  Keep in mind these aren’t new, but a reprint.  

PRE-K – ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander - ADVISABLE

Alexander, Lloyd Taran Wanderer (Chronicles of Prydain, #4), 218 pages. Henry Holt and Company, 2017. $26.

Language: G; Violence: PG; Mature Content: G.  

Taran feels like he needs to know who is parents are in order to know who he is, so he sets out on a quest.  He is told of a mirror that will show him the truth, so Gurgi and Taran meet many people, good and bad, along the way.  Taran wants to be of royal birth so he can marry Eilonwy and he struggles internally with what it means to be Taran.  

I love the Chronicles of Prydain.  Like all of Alexander’s books, Taran Wanderer has great characters who fight against evil, usually while on a journey.  This is the 50^th Anniversary cloth cover edition and there are some extras in the back, including a pronunciation guide.  The violence is PG because there is a death but it’s not graphic.  This is a great boy read.  

EL, MS – ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Illiad by Rosemary Sutcliff - OPTIONAL

Sutcliff, Rosemary Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Illiad, 128 pages. Illustrated by Alan Lee. Frances Lincoln Children’s Books (Quatro), 2017 (2005). $20.

Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.  

Paris hears of a beautiful woman named Helen and so he travels to see her.  Paris falls for Helen and gets her to come away from her husband, King Menelaus, to go home to Troy with him.  Menelaus is furious and gathers a whole big army to take against Troy.  The fighting lasts over ten years with a lot of bloodshed and brave leaders killed.   The Greek Gods favor certain people which makes the war last even longer.  Eventually Odysseus, tricks the people of Troy with the Trojan horse and Helen is returned to her original home.  

This was not an easy read for two reasons: first, there were so many names it would have been great to have a character list; second, the poetic writing style makes it so you have to read it slow and even re-read passages.  The illustrations are quite graphic and the scenes are gruesome battles where the victor tends to desecrate the body of the dead (Hector’s death is especially upsetting).  This book is broken down into different stories for each chapter, but there is a lot covered so this might be best used by a teacher in a Greek unit.  

MS, HS – OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.     

Jack's Path of Courage by Doreen Rappaport-OPTIONAL

Rappaport, Doreen, ill. By Matt Tavares. Jack’s Path of Courage: The Life of John F. Kennedy. Disney Hyperion, 2016. $8.99. INFORMATION. REPRINT.

What inspired John F. Kennedy to become the man he did? JFK was an eloquent with words, a courageous individual, and a charismatic speaker. In this book, Rappaport uses simple, but effective text to bring to life the different aspects of Jack’s life. The illustrations are beautifully done and easily complement the text. Easy to understand, the author and illustrator work well together to draw the reader into the story. Younger readers who enjoy non-fiction or who need to learn about a president for school will enjoy reading this book. Included are sources for more information, a timeline, and a bibliography for use with common core standards.

 EL (K-3). OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.

Nobody Is Perfick by Bernard Weber - OPTIONAL

Waber, Bernard Nobody Is Perfick. 144 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. $9.99. Language: G; Violence: G; Mature content: G.  REPRINT

This graphic novel/short story hybrid is hard to classify. The book is made up of a series of short humorous vignettes that all end with some sort of punchline. The stories are told in pencil drawings and speech bubbles, and have no real point beyond making the reader smile. I spent the first half of the book trying to figure out what this whole thing was about, and the second half trying to decide if I liked it. As an adult, I feel like the book is a waste of time but I think elementary age readers might enjoy the short stories of jokes and pictures. Its overall an okay book, but not one that readers are likely going to love.

EL (K-3), EL--OPTIONAL. Reviewer: TC

In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Stories by Alvin Schwartz - ADVISABLE

Schwartz, Alvin In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Stories (I Can Read! Level 2), illustrated by Victor Rivas. 63 pgs. CHAPTER BOOK.  Harper Collins, 2017. $16.99. Language: G; Violence: G; Mature content: G. REPRINT

This is a beginner chapter book made up of 7 different scary stories with perfectly created illustrations to go with it. Many of the stories will be familiar to adult audiences. The scary level varies from story to story--some are just amusing and others are fairly creepy. This is a perfect book for young kids who are interested in scary Halloween-y type topics. The text level is easy enough for young readers to confidently read, and the topic is one that will interest many. That being said, it will not work for all kids as I--a person who does not like scary stuff--found some of the stories and their illustrations a bit much for a 1st or 2nd grade audience. Still, a lot of kids will probably love it.

EL (K-3)--ADVISABLE. Reviewer: TC

Hear the Wind Blow by Mary Downing Hahn - ADVISABLE

Hahn, Mary Downing Hear the Wind Blow, 271 pages.  Houghton Mifflin, 2003, 2017.  $8.  REPRINT.  Language: PG ( 5 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (hanging, war violence)

Haswell and his family are barely surviving on their Virginia farm during the American Civil War.  Their father has already died and they haven’t heard anything from the oldest son for months.  When a rebel soldier takes refuge with them and Union soldiers retaliate by burning down the farm buildings, Haswell has no choice but to make a desperate journey to take his sister to safety and enter the area of the most vicious fighting to find his brother – dead or alive. 

It was nice to see this title refreshed and reprinted. I am so used to Hahn’s ghost stories that this one always surprises me.  I also like it for its reminder that all kinds of people lived in the South during the Civil War and it is important to remember them and understand their stories.

EL, MS – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher

A Little House Picture Book Treasury - ADVISABLE

Wilder, Laura Ingalls A Little House Picture Book Treasury: Six Stories of Life on the Prairie, 207 pages.  Harper, 2017 (REPRINTS). $25. 9780062470775

Orginaly published as short picture books in the 1990’s, these six tales combine to give a lush visual look at life from the beloved Little House books.  This makes me want to look up any other illustrated Little House stories and collect them all!

EL (K-3), GIFT – ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher