The Exceptionals by Erin Cashman - ADVISABLE

Cashman, Erin  The Exceptionals  Holiday House,  2012.  $16.95.  236 pages.  Content:  Language:  PG-13 (21 swears; 2 Gods); Sexual Content: PG; Violence: PG.  

Claire’s family members all have special talents, such as truth-sayers or mediums, but she can only hear animals.  She has pretended like she can’t hear animals ever since she decided that it wasn’t that special.  After her parents decide to move her to the special academy that is run by the family, Claire becomes more interested in tapping into her talent.  Claire also meets a strange and mysterious boy in the forest named Dylan who she falls for, but he doesn’t go to the school.  As the star students start disappearing from the special school, Claire’s parents go in search of the problem, but Claire and Dylan, with the help of Claire’s brother and friends, find that the problem is closer than they realize.  Also, Claire discovers that her talent is been part of a prophecy and she needs to develop it to help her family and the friends that she has made.  

This book has a lot of action, great characters and a fun storyline.  There are parts of the book that have bad transitions and a few times the author builds up a part of the story, to explain it too quickly in a sentence or two.  The cover is awful, and the character on the cover looks to be twelve, even though the characters in the book are sixteen.  Overall, I enjoyed the read.  MS, HS-ADVISABLE.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.

The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser - ADVISABLE

Kaiser, Ruth.  The Smiley Book of Colors.  Golden Book, 2012.  $8.99.  PICTURE BOOK  Content: G.  This book has 2-3 pictures for each of the colors of the rainbow, grey, black and white.  There is rhyming text throughout.  The text talks about being happy and smiling and it becomes contagious.   It also says to look for happiness everywhere because it will give you a good feeling.  The bright pictures with the happy text make this a fun book, but most fun of all is finding the smiley faces in each of the photographs.  This is a great book for younger readers.  It would also be fun to use in an art class, to spur ideas for photography.  EL (K-3), EL (4-6), MS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Timepiece by Myra McEntire - ADVISABLE

McEntire, Myra.  Timepiece: An Hourglass Novel.  Egmont, 2012.  $17.99.  336 pages.  Content: Language: (swears: 42; God: 1); Sexual Content: PG-13; Violence: PG.  

In the second installment from the Hourglass series, the Hourglass, a group of people with different abilities to manipulate time and time travel, are threatened by Jack Landers a man who wants to alter time, regardless of the consequences.  This story is told from the perspective of Kaleb, whose father established the Hourglass group.  Kaleb is a party boy, with the talent to read others emotions, and sometimes take and give their memories back.  When he falls for his friend Emerson’s best friend Lily, he tries to mend his partying ways and contribute more to solving the mystery of Jack.  Kaleb’s mother is in a coma because Jack took her memories and left her empty, and Kaleb’s father is attacked by Jack and has his memory altered as well.  When Lily and Kaleb track down Jack, they try to use Kaleb’s ability to extract memories to help his parents recover theirs.  

The characters in this book are fun to follow and the storyline is fast and entertaining.  I was surprised to have Kaleb be the narrator, because in the first book it is Emerson, but it actually worked for the better in this book.  I can’t wait to read the next book.  

MS-OPTIONAL, HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Silly Goose’s Big Story by Keiko Kasza - ADVISABLE

Kasza, Keiko  Silly Goose’s Big Story.  G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2012.  PICTURE BOOK $16.99.  Content: G.  Goose is good at telling stories and acting them out with his three friends: Squirrel, Beaver and Porcupine.  But because the stories are made up by Goose he thinks that he should always be the hero of the stories.  When Goose and his friends have a disagreement about taking turns to be the hero, a wolf comes out of the forest and grabs Goose for lunch.  Because Goose is so good at telling stories, he convinces the wolf that there is a wolf-eating monster that is looking for him, and then his friends shake the bushes and scare of the wolf.  At the end of the story Goose realizes that his three friends aren’t just good at playing the hero, but they are the hero.  Cute illustrations and a great moral to the story.  EL (K-3)-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Magritte's Marvelous Hat by D.B. Johnson - ADVISABLE

Johnson, D.B. Magritte's Marvelous Hat. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2012. $16.99. PICTURE BOOK. Content: G.

In this surrealistic romp, the author reimagines Belgian painter Rene Magritte as a dapper dog. When Magritte buys a floating bowler hat in a shop, he discovers that he can now paint better than ever before. The hat is playful and wants to explore Magritte's world with him, but as Magritte grows more enamored of his painting, he ignores the hat. When the hat retaliates by flying off, Magritte finds he can no longer paint the way he used to. How will this artist continue to create without his muse?

The story and illustrations are filled with whimsy, including many nods to Magritte's own work, as they explore the importance of taking care of your muse. Heightening the surrealistic effect, Magritte's Marvelous Hat includes several transparent pages that change the image when turned. Would make a nice introduction to a unit on surrealism.

EL - ADVISABLE. Reviewed by: Caryn.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan - NO

Dylan, Bob and Jon J Muth Blowin' in the Wind. Sterling Children's Books, 2011. $17.95. PICTURE BOOK. Content: PG. This beautifully illustrated picture book sets the lyrics of Bob Dylan's classic song to pictures. While the words do make for a haunting and poignant song when paired with music, they are a rather odd choice for a picture book for young children, not only esoteric and depressing, but also a bit awkward when read straight. In addition, the illustrations, although gorgeous, do not always fit with the pictures, and in many cases far too much is left to the imagination. Would most likely require a lot of background information and scaffolding for the intended audience to fully understand what the book has to say. May work better for older children or adults, who have more of a connection to the song and its background. Includes bonus CD with the song as performed by Bob Dylan. EL - NOT RECOMMENDED. Reviewed by: Caryn

Five Little Monkeys Storybook Treasury by Eileen Christelow - ADVISABLE

Christelow, Eileen Cinco Monitos Coleccion de Oro / Five Little Monkeys Storybook Treasury. Bilingual edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. $11.99. PICTURE BOOK. Content: G.

This fully-illustrated collection brings together five different Five Little Monkeys stories in both Spanish and English. Bonus content in the back includes lessons on how to draw a monkey, a short biography of the author, the lyrics and sheet music for the song "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed", and a sheet of monkey stickers. Collection contains the following volumes: Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the bed, ...Sitting in a Tree, ...with Nothing to Do, ...Bake a Birthday Cake, and ...Wash the Car.

Readers who have long loved the antics of these mischievous little monkeys will have plenty to enjoy in this collection, as the little ones follow their impulses straight into trouble...over and over again. The illustrations are a nice complement to the story, conveying the sense of good-hearted impishment in the little monkeys. This edition contains both the English and Spanish translations of the stories. While a good idea, sometimes the two sets of words are done in similar colors and/or placed close together, making them difficult to distinguish at first, which can lead to some confusion on the first few reads.

EL - ADVISABLE. Reviewed by: Caryn

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles - PUBLIC

Elkeles, Simone Perfect Chemistry. 360 pgs. Walker & Company, 2009. $17.99. Language: R (including multiple 'f'), Sexual Content: R, Violence: R.

Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis couldn't be more different. Alex is a member of a gang, destined to drop out of high school, do drug deals, and, he believes, die a young and violent death just like his father. Brittany Ellis prides herself on being perfect - a facade she carries well, despite her crumbling private life. When Alex and Brittany are assigned as chemistry partners, they protest, but as they work together the sparks begin to fly. But does their romance have a chance, or are they star-crossed lovers in an intolerant world?

While the opposites-attact romance and gritty details of urban life will keep many reluctant readers turning the pages, the strong language and explicit sexual content make this more suitable for older teens - or even adults - in a public library setting. The relations between the two characters become very advanced and are described, at times, in detail. Drugs and alcohol are also touched upon, but not condoned.

HS - PUBLIC. Reviewed by: Caryn

Fenway Fever by John H. Ritter-ADVISABLE

Ritter, John H.  Fenway Fever, 224 pgs.  Philomen, 2012.  $16.99  Language- G.  Violence-G.  Sexual Content-G. 

A young 12 year old kid nicknamed “Stats” is a huge Red Sox fan.  His father works at a hot dog stand at Fenway Park.  Stats is concerned when the Red Sox start another losing streak, and teams up with one of their pitchers, Billee Orbitt, to try to figure out a way to save the team from the once again being cursed.  They crunch numbers, investigate and try to determine what, if anything, might be done to save the Red Sox from further embarrassment. 

This is a great book for any baseball fan, but especially a Red Sox fan like myself.  Although fictional, there are a lot of similarities between the characters in this book and real life Red Sox players.   I really enjoyed this book.  It was an easy read.  It was funny and exciting.  

EL.  ADVISABLE.  Student Reviewed: JL- age 16.   

Will at the Battle of Gettysburg 1863 by Laurie Calkhoven- ESSENTIAL

Calkhoven, Laurie.  Will at the Battle of Gettysburg 1863, 144 pgs.  Puffin, 2012.  $5.99.  Language- PG.  Violence- PG.  Sexual Content- PG.  

Young Will has dreams of joining forces to fight in the Civil War.  His father and older brother have already left home to support the Union and Will, age twelve, is now left in charge of his siblings and his mother at home.  But his greatest dream is to a drummer for the Union army.  Little did Will know that when the Rebels came to Gettysburg, he would get caught in the middle.  The real war was nothing like his dreams.  “In a few minutes, grey uniforms outnumbered the blue ones around our house.  ‘Shoot that man going over the fence!’ one of them yelled.  There was a loud bang and then a scream.  I closed my eyes and slumped against the wall, swallowing hard.  This was not the battle of my daydreams.”  

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Although most of the bloody gore of the actual events were left out, there is enough to be cautious about little ones reading this novel.  There is more reality in this chapter book than one would guess, but it’s well written and part of history.  It was interesting to see the events of the war through a 12 year old boy’s perspective.  Although historical fiction, the story seemed real!    

EL.  ESSENTIAL.  Reviewer: SL. 

We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han - ADVISABLE

Han, Jenny.  We’ll Always Have Summer.  Simon and Schuster, 2012.  $9.99  291 pages.  Content: Language: R (swears: 44; “F”: 5; God: 14); Sexual Content: PG; Violence: G.   

In this final book in a trilogy, the main character Belly is finally at college with her best friend/ boyfriend Jeremiah.  She is completing her freshman year and finds out at the end of year party that Jeremiah cheated on her over spring break.  When she deals with the heartache and realizes that she can’t live without her best friend, Jeremiah is so grateful to have her back that he proposes.  Jeremiah and Belly plan a wedding set at their favorite summer place in Cousins.  Their marriage plans are met with opposition by both of their parents because of their young age, but more so by Jeremiah’s brother Conrad, Belly’s first love and first boyfriend.  As Conrad helps Belly plan the wedding, he decides that he needs to honestly tell her how he feels about her before she gets married.  With their honest discussion, they bring up past feelings, but Belly declares her love for Jeremiah.  Jeremiah has always only ever wanted Belly to himself, but Belly tells Jeremiah that a part of her will always love Conrad.  At the end of the book, Belly has more growing to do before she can decide who she wants to marry.  In a satisfying ending, Belly grows up to be able to make a mature decision about love.  Great characters and emotional situations that feel real.  The whole series is hard to put down.  

HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood St. by Peter Abrahams- ADVISABLE

Peter Abrahams.  Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood Street, 320 pgs.  Philomel, 2012.  $16.99.  Language-G.  Violence- PG.  Sexual Content- G.  

Robbie Forester is a normal girl who volunteers at a soup kitchen.  But when a homeless lady dies, Robbie gets a bracelet with magical powers.  There are other people who are connected to this bracelet.  She needs to find them and work together to stop Sheldon Gunn, the rich man who wants to kick out all of the poor businesses in Brooklyn. I liked this book because there was never a dull moment. It was very well thought out. It was exciting and it was an easy read.

EL - ADVISABLE.  Student Reviewed: ML-age 13. 

Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter - OPTIONAL

Winter, Jonah  Jazz Age Josephine  Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman.  Atheneum Books, 2012.  PICTURE BOOK  Content: PG.  

Josephine is a little girl born in St. Louis, Missouri.  She lives in poor conditions in the run-down black side of town.  She likes to dance and entertain people, but when a group of white people burn her family’s neighborhood, she decides to run away to a safer place.  She goes to New York and becomes a part of a chorus line and entertains many people, but when the manager of the show wants her to put paint on a black face, she feels as though she is disgracing her race.  She decides to go to Paris, France to perform during the Jazz Age and becomes a big hit and is very successful.  She does miss her home in the United States and is sad that she can’t find the freedom there that she finds in France.  This has funky illustrations that are colorful and show movement to illustrate her dancing.  The text is repetitive rhyme and sometimes has lines like “Zee-buh-dop” to express rhythm.  It’s an interesting synopsis but the reader would have to be interested in the subject to keep reading once they started.  

EL (4-6)-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

To the Mountaintop by Charlayne Hunter-Gault - ESSENTIAL

Hunter-Gault, Charlayne,  To the Mountaintop,  198 pgs.  New York Times Company 2012. $22.99, Language-PG (  n-word).  Violence-PG.  

This is a book of nonfiction about the  Civil Rights movement.  Charlayne was part of that movement.  Charlayne was born and lived in Georgia.  She takes on the journey from 1959 to 1965   through her perspective of this  tumultuous time.  Charlayne  is one of two of the first  black students to desegregate the University of Georgia.  She needed tenacity and persistence to make it happen.  She withstood so much adversity and  racism  during her historic ordeal.  She does tell herstory  as part of the  movement from  the lunch counter sit ins to the March on the Mall, where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke and gave his “I have a Dream” speech. From the experiences of the Freedom Riders to the demonstrations , she takes you year by year  through these social changes. I would recommend this book to all libraries.

MS,HS- ESSENTIAL. Linda,  Elementary Teacher.

Revived by Cat Patrick - ADVISABLE

Patrick, Cat  Revived  Little Brown and Company, 2012.  $17.99.  336 pages.  Content:  Language:  PG-13 (13 swears; 10 God); Sexual Content: PG-13; Violence: PG.  

Daisy has died five times, and been brought back to life five times through a drug that revives dead children.  After her latest death, Daisy and her agent parents, Mason and Cassie, move to Omaha where Daisy for the first time in her life has a best friend and a boyfriend.  Her best friend is battling cancer and Daisy starts to understand what death really looks like.  While at the mall with her friends, Daisy is seen by a girl, Nora, from her old city who thought she was dead.  Quickly after that sighting, Daisy finds out that Nora was killed in a car accident and then administered the drug and brought back to life.  Daisy becomes concerned about this government program and its intentions, and when she involves Mason in her concerns they find themselves fighting for their lives.  

I couldn’t put this book down.  It is written well and the character development isn’t sacrificed for the good of the mystery.  Fun read.  

MS, HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Endlessly by Kiersten White - ESSENTIAL

White, Kiersten Endlessly  HarperTeen, 2011.  $17.99 400 pages.  Content:  Language: PG (1 swear); Sexual Content: PG; Violence:  PG.  

Evie is trying to live a normal life with her boyfriend Lend, but the paranormal agency, IPCA, she used to work for keeps trying to get her to help control the paranormal world.  While IPCA falls under new management and Evie fights for her independence from  the agency, she also has a problem with the Faerie Realm who keeps insisting that she is the only person who can correct the hole that allowed paranormals in the world in the first place.  With threats on her boyfriend’s life and a few friends that manipulate Evie to get her to see what needs to be done, Evie starts to prepare to heal the Faerie Realm.  Evie with the help of her sister and boyfriend creates a gate in the universe for the Fae to return to their own protected world.  

This is a great ending to a fun trilogy.  The main character has a sense of humor and the minor characters are creative and enjoyable.  The ending was satisfying and completed a good series.  

MS-ESSENTIAL; HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

The Family Tree by David McPhail - OPTIONAL

McPhail, David  The Family Tree  Henry Holt and Company, 2012. $16.99  PICTURE BOOK  Content: G  

This is the story of one family’s experiences with a particular tree.  In the time of home settlers, a man came and cleared trees from a field, using the trees to build his home.  But one tree he leaves because it will be perfect to shade his house in the summer and protect it from the winter winds.  As time goes on the man brings a wife to his home in the prairie and they have a son.  The man grows old and his son takes over the home and has a family of his own.  The tree stays on the property for the kids to play with, but soon a road is being constructed in front of their property and they threaten to take out the tree.  A young boy from the family of the settler, stands in front of the tree and soon wild animals come out of the woods and sit in front of the tree until the construction workers decide to build the road around the tree.  The illustrations are great and the story helps explain how land can stay the same even as time passes.  

EL (K-3)-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott - OPTIONAL

Abbott, Tony  Lunch-Box Dream  Frances Foster Books,2011.  $16.99  173 pages.  Content:  Language PG (9 swears; 8 God); Violence: PG; Sexual Content: G.  

Bobby and his brother Ricky are going on a road trip with their grandmother and mother.  Their plan is to visit Civil War sights on their way to Atlanta to drop off their grandma and then take an airplane ride home, but on one of their stops they get lost, and Bobby’s mother panics and ruins the car tires.  They end up having to take a bus back home because they can’t afford the plane tickets.  Every other chapter is told from the view of a black family in the South who send their son to visit relatives, but their son goes missing and they all assume the worst.  When the black family gets on the bus with Bobby and his family they sing a mourning song, but when they family stops at their destination they are relived to find that their son is waiting for them on the platform and he isn’t lost.  

This story reflects on some of the history surrounding the Civil War and Jim Crow laws.  The main character is not likable and his story isn’t resolved, he doesn’t come of age at any point in the novel and he has a negative attitude were he criticizes himself constantly.  The kid is obsessed with the gross parts of battle, vomiting, body odor and mentions them in points of the story that are unexpected.  I thought the storyline was boring and had no direction, the characters were vague and the writing was choppy.  

MS-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

I Love my Daddy by Giles Andreae - ADVISABLE

Andreae, Giles and Emma Dodd  I Love my Daddy  Disney Hyperion, 2011.  $12.99  PICTURE BOOK  Content: G.  

In this sweet story a child tells all of the reasons that she/he loves his dad.  Told in rhyme, some of the reasons the child loves their dad is because he is funny, he sings and dances, he gives horse rides and he shares his food.  The illustrations are bright and colorful and the child could be either a girl or boy.  The story is simple and short, and would be great as a board book.   

PREK, EL (K-3)-ADVISABLE.

It’s Milking Time by Phyllis Alsdurf - OPTIONAL

Alsdurf, Phyllis  It’s Milking Time  Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher  Random House, 2012.  $16.99  PICTURE BOOK  Content: G  

A little girl goes through all of the steps of milking cows on their family dairy farm.  In the morning she is in charge of gathering the cows from the field and pushing them towards the milking barn.  Her father connects the stanchions to the cows and she provides the cows with food.  She also feeds the calves in another room.  After they have milked the cows they clean up all the equipment and the milk is taken by truck to other places to make into butter or poured into bottles.  The little girl is proud of the way she helps her family on the farm and as she goes to bed she reflects on the fact that they will start the next day with the same chores because milking takes place every night and morning.  The illustrations are pretty, but the writing style is inconsistent- at times the story reads like a poem and other times is it just told like a story.   

EL (K-3)-OPTIONAL.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.