The Lady is a Spy by Don Mitchell - ADVISABLE

The Lady is a Spy by Don Mitchell, 223 pages. NON-FICTION. Scholastic Focus (Scholastic Inc.), 2019. $17.99

Language: PG (4 swears, 0 "f"); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Virginia Hall was named at birth but lived under many aliases in her career as a spy—first for England and then for America. Though she had a prosthetic leg, Hall was athletic enough, intelligent enough, and crazy enough to take the risks needed to aid the French resistance during WWII without being captured.

This secret side of history is not one that schools often teach, and I loved being able to come to know some unknown heroes. Mitchell’s book focuses on Virginia Hall, though he goes into detail about several of her colleagues as well to show how important Hall’s work was. Besides learning amazing history, I think this book will do well for students to read because it shows that we don’t really know what we will do and where we are going to end up.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrif - PUBLIC

Death Prefers Blondes by Caleb Roehrig, 442 pages. Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan), 2019. $18.

Language: R (100+ swears 100+ 'f's); Mature Content: R (sexual situations); Violence: PG13.

BUYING ADVISORY: NEW ADULT - PUBLIC ONLY 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

17yo Margo is a rich socialite - the media calls her mad-Margo and reports on her crazy rich girl antics. Her friends are a group of boys - high school students by day, drag queens by night, and high-tech burglars after hours, all with personal reasons they need the money from their heists. Knocking off art galleries, the Chinese Embassy, even a castle in the hills of Los Angeles, was fun for Margo, she's a natural leader and this well organized group never lets her down, but when her ailing father suddenly dies, Margo suspects murder, and now, it's personal. (Plus, the Russian mafia is probably out to get her). 

High crime with James Bond level technology - the action is exciting and dangerous, the story is gripping with lots of twists and turns. Margo's friends are sweet, and flamboyant, but I wanted the drag queen story to go somewhere. It was a great disguise element, made for an interesting subplot, but felt like a stereotype. Roehrig stops the intimacy just short of on page, but with so much talk about it I hesitate to recommend this for a school library. Check it out at the public library if you are looking for a high school Oceans 8.

Lisa Librarian

In Her Skin by Kim Savage - OPTIONAL

In Her Skin by Kim Savage, 289 pages. Farrar Straus Giroux Books (Macmillan Publishing Group), 2018. $17.99

Language: PG-13 (19 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

From a rough, poor life on the streets to a relaxed, rich life with a new family—that’s the payoff for Jo’s next con. She’s pleased when everything seems to be going perfectly, but soon Jo has to wonder if she is the one behind the con or the one being conned.

At first, the story was intriguing and exciting, but I lost enthusiasm as I kept reading. I didn’t enjoy or understand the direction that the story was going in, and, by the end, I had a lot of questions that were never answered. The mature content rating is for drug use, criminal actions, and implied sex, sexual abuse, and prostitution, and the violence rating is for murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

I Spy the Illuminati Eye by Sheila Keenan - OPTIONAL

I Spy the Illuminati Eye by Sheila Keenan, 111 pages. NON-FICTION. Penguin Workshop, 2018. $8.99

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Keenan explains the history and contemporary knowledge (and theories) about the secret Order of the Illuminati. Being a secret and exclusive Order, Keenan openly acknowledges that some information may be faulty—but that doesn’t make the secrets any less fun to speculate about.

The information was interesting to read and to get my thoughts rolling, even if I don’t believe most of the contemporary theories proposed. My favorite part is that Keenan makes the secret order information applicable by giving readers ideas about forming their own secret groups!

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Science Comics: Polar Bears: Survival on the Ice by Jason Viola - ADVISABLE

Science Comics: Polar Bears: Survival on the Ice by Jason Viola, illustrated by Zack Giallongo.  120 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL/ NON-FICTION  First Second (Roaring Brook Press), 2019.  $20.  

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

A mother polar bear is teaching her two bear cubs about how to survive.  As she teaches them to hunt and build dens, she also explains different parts of the eco-system that affect their survival, such as the ice.  Mama polar bear explains interactions polar bears have had with humans and how the climate change is affecting their lives.  

I enjoyed this non-fiction glimpse into the lives of polar bears and their interesting habits.  Some of the Science Comic graphic novels have concepts that are too hard for elementary readers to understand, but this one is perfect for upper elementary or middle school.  I think this is an effective way to show how climate change is impacting the animals of our world and why the ice maters to our planet.  I put the violence as PG because when the bears are eating a whale it is bloody.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.

Watch You Burn by Amanda Searcy - OPTIONAL

Watch You Burn by Amanda Searcy, 340 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House Children’s Books), 2018. $17.99

Language: R (35 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Exile for Jenny looks like a motel under construction with her dad and his girlfriend. Jenny’s stepdad didn’t want her in Ohio anymore, which she understands. But she’s going to do better now. She’s not going to let the burn take over her anymore. Not here.

I did not enjoy reading this book. Jenny’s story wasn’t just slow, I didn’t understand what the point was for the first 100 pages. By that point, I saw that Jenny was trying to put together a puzzle, but I didn’t care about what the end picture was supposed to look like. Furthermore, the ending felt like the beginning, as if none of the story ever happened. The mature content rating is for underage drinking and implied sex, and the violence rating is for arson and murder.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Dragon Ridge Tombs by Tianxia Bachang - OPTIONAL

The Dragon Ridge Tombs (City of Sand #2) by Tianxia Bachang, 279 pages, Delacorte Press (Random House), 2018. $18.

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Tianyi is back on the tomb treasure hunt with his buddy Kai and a dodgy antiques dealer named Gold Tooth.  They travel to a remote location to find treasure and discover that the Dragon Ridge Tombs are a labyrinth death trap.  The three have to use everything at their disposal to navigate the perils of this tomb. They also discover that events from the first book tie into this one and may have put them in even greater danger. 

If you haven’t read book one, this could be confusing.  This is definitely a middle book.  It draws upon the adventures in the first book and will leave you wanting to know how this story ends.  It has been translated into English and is rife with Chinese myths and folklore, which is interesting.  This book seemed more readable than the first one, or maybe I just figured out Bachang’s writing style.  There is a huge section of backstory with this one, so be prepared. Even though the backstory slowed the pacing, there was still enough action and mystery keep it engaging    

Michelle in the Middle, Teacher

Freya and the Magic Jewel by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams -- OPTIONAL

Freya and the Magic Jewel (Thunder Girls #1) by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams, 257 pages. Aladdin (Simon & Schuster), 2018. $17.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS -- OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Freya, the young Norse goddess of beauty and fashion, is off to a boarding academy in Asgard. And she's not happy about it, since she's leaving behind her popularity in order to attend school with her sworn enemies. Freya vows not to be away for long, though. She just has to rescue her grandmother, who has disappeared, and then she's out of there. Well, that's the plan, at least. If only it were as easy as that...

I was excited to read this one, since I've heard a lot about the Goddess Girls series, and Norse myths have long been of interest to me, but there was SO MUCH telling instead of showing in this book that it was hard to feel truly invested. In addition, Freya's goals kept shifting; it felt as if the authors hadn't really nailed down her character and what she truly wanted. Although there was plenty of action (highlighted with over-generous use of exclamation marks), by the end of the book, it felt as if very little of value had happened.

Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist

We Say #NeverAgain by Falkowski and Garner - ADVISABLE

We Say #NeverAgain by Melissa Falkowski and Eric Garner, 246 pages. NON-FICTION. Crown Books (Random House Children’s Books), 2018. $17.99

Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The teachers and students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School went through a life-altering experience on Valentine’s Day 2018: a school shooting in which nearly 50 people were injured or killed. In the articles written by the Parkland student journalists, they offer their perspectives on reporting what happened, the surprising backlash they received, and how things must change for the future.

In fifty articles, these students talk about the tragedy, the blessings, and the confusion that overlays everything since the day of the shooting. When I was reading the first article, which is a first-hand account of the day’s events, I cried. In my mind, I know that these events are real, but this is the first time a shooting has felt real to me. The most powerful articles to read were when the journalist students reported what they and their classmates did during the school shooting.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Science Comics: Wild Weather by M. K. Reed - OPTIONAL

Science Comics: Wild Weather by M. K. Reed, 119 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. First Second (Macmillan), 2019. $19.99

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

An educational graphic novel featuring Stormin’ Norman Weatherby, a news channel meteorologist. When Stormin’ Norman becomes frustrated with the ignorance of his coworkers regarding weather, he sets them straight—on the air!

I thought the degrading humor was a bit juvenile and overdone, but I think this graphic novel style teaches science effectively because it has to be simple enough to come through in short, connected pieces and is based on pictures. Some of the topics covered are still hard to understand in their simplified form, but I feel like I understand climate change and other weather topics better now than I did before.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson - NO

The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson, 210 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL First Second (Roaring Brook Press), 2019.  $20.  

Content: Language: PG (4 swears); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – NO  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW  

Fifth grade Faith is excited to be invited on the soccer team by popular girl Amanda, but when Faith gets to the field she realizes that she is going to be on the C team which is not the popular kids.  The C team doesn’t have any skills and all of the players and the coach are distracted.  Middle school life is overwhelming for most of the girls and they all seem to be having their own kind of friend troubles.  Eventually while in the middle of a soccer game, they all decide to quit and go and watch television and eat pizza together at one of the girl’s houses.  

This book is all over the place.  Faith is the main story, but she often daydreams about this fantasy world where a knight builds a castle.  I felt like that was a bit random and didn't help the rest of the story.  Then there were random page spreads where it gave a glimpse into some of the girl’s lives from the team-one of which shows a girl picking her nose (gross) while reading a magazine.   I also had issue with the mature content where two girls are sharing a bed during a sleep over and one of the girl’s tells her friend that she is actually a boy and then they start kissing (these characters range in age from 5^th-7^th grade). There is a character whose page spread is all in Spanish with no translation.  Overall there are too many characters with too much going on and the lesson at the end was horrible-to quit soccer in the middle of a game, leaving the other team standing on the field, and go watch television as long as they were all friends?  That seems like an irresponsible way to handle the problem.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.

The Untold History of the United States: Young Readers Edition, 1945-1962 by Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick –NOT RECOMMENDED

The Untold History of the United States: Young Readers Edition, 1945-1962 by Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick, 305 pages. Atheneum (Simon), 2019 $20. 9781481421768

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG13.

BUYING ADVISORY: HS -NO

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

This book features a collection of true stories from history spanning 1945-1962. Some of the features stories are Hiroshima, Bikini Atoll, Cold War Stores, Korean War, Iran, the Banana Industry and more. While it does go through a historical timeline of sorts, its main focus are the untold and unknown stories. Like a group of women who survive Hiroshima with grievous injuries, and how they are flown to the US for plastic surgery. Another example is how Milton Hershey moved into Cuba to farm sugarcane and the treatment of the Cubans there. Features a smattering of photographs.

This book is rated for 5-6 grade and there is no way. This book is better understood by a reader who had some knowledge of the historical events of that time period. That being said, we never studied this time period in high school or college, as we always ‘ran out of time’. I found the stories shared in this book to be downright depressing and just difficult to read. While its important these stories are remembered and shared, a whole collection of them was just too much for me.  I much prefer the Guts and Glory Series by Ben Thompson, which shares interesting stories that are just right for young readers while using language they relate to. A teacher could use selections from this book for some eye-opening history as an attention grabber. 

Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel - ADVISABLE

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel, 256 pages. Alfred A. Knopf (Random House Children’s Books), 2018. $17.99

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Ethan’s dad is a famous artist, which is pretty cool. Everyone expects Ethan to have the same talent, but he doesn’t, which isn’t cool at all. With the expectations of his friends to draw a graphic novel for their class project, Ethan is desperate to do something that looks good—but maybe he doesn’t have to do it alone.

While Ethan’s story has a message of honesty and respect, I was most touched by the idea that sometimes bad things happen when we’re trying to do our best. Ethan struggles to fulfill all the responsibility he feels, and his triumph is taught in an imaginative story for readers. Both the written story and the illustrations were fun to read through.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Waning Age by S.E. Grove - OPTIONAL

The Waning Age by S.E. Grove, 333 pages.  Viking (Penguin), 2019.  $19

Language: R (12 swears, 1 “f”); Mature Content: PG (sexual harassment); Violence: PG-13 (described suicide, bloody fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

Natalia lives with her little brother, Cal, in a world where most everyone loses their emotions as they mature.  Except that Cal is still the same exuberant young man he has always been.  One day Cal is called in for extra testing at school and then he is whisked away – adopted even – by a corporation which wants to understand what makes him tick. With the help of a few concerned friends and a new (love?) interest Natalia is still not sure that she will succeed.

Grove mimics the feel of the world in her writing – conveying the dull feel of an emotionless world at the beginning and then ramping up the emotion as Cal becomes imperiled and Natalia rises to the occasion.  Most readers will have a hard time with the duller start., though, and I am not sure that they will persist with reading. 

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow - OPTIONAL

Satchel Paige: Striking out Jim Crow by James Sturm, illustrated by Rich Tommaso, 90 pages.  GRAPHIC NOVEL / NON-FICTION Jump at the Sun (Disney), 2007.  $18.  

Content: Language: PG (‘n’ word); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW  

Through the eyes of another black baseball player who is retired, Satchel Paige’s popularity is portrayed.  While telling a couple of stories about baseball games in which Paige made a big impression, the prejudice of the deep south is also shown through the actions of two white landowners against a sharecropper.  Paige was a fast and impressive pitcher who liked to take his time on the mound and made a lot of money playing the game.  At a time (the 1920’s) when there was a Negro league, Paige drew a lot of attention and played for many different teams.  

I wanted to love this book and my son who loves baseball was interested by the front cover, but the story line is hard to follow, and the illustrations have no color which makes the story even more confusing.  There are a couple of pages at the back that give more historical background of the time period and the racial situation during Paige’s lifetime, but as far as biography on Satchel Paige, this isn’t very informative.  There is a picture of a lynching and the use of the ‘n’ word. 

Reviewer, C. Peterson 

The Crooked Castle by Sarah Jean Horwitz - ESSENTIAL

The Crooked Castle (Carmer and Grit #2) by Sarah Jean Horwitz, 356 pgs, Algonquin Young Readers, $17.95 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: ADVISABLE

After Carmer, a talented young mechanic, and Grit, a faerie princess, defeated the Wingsnatcher, they hopped on the Moto-Manse and left Skemantis to see the rest of the world. When a ballooner crashes outside their home, the pair is led to Rinka Tinka’s Roving Wonder Show where nothing is exactly what it seems. When a string of local airships crash, Carmer and Grit step up to find the dark secrets behind the high flying acts. 

I enjoyed this book. It was a really fun one to read and held the same magic as the first one. Violence is PG because there is some fighting and magic use, but nothing too bad. 

Student Reviewer: Julia M.(10th grade)

You'd Be Mine by Erin Hahn - HIGH

You’d Be Mine by Erin Hahn, 272 pages.  Wednesday Books (Macmillan), 2019.  $19.  

Content: Language: R (100+ swears; 36 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.  

BUYING ADVISORY: HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH  

Clay is a bad boy country Rockstar who at eighteen is notoriously a ladies’ man and likes to find trouble.  In order for his label to keep him on, he needs to secure an up and coming singer named Annie, who is notoriously a good girl.  Annie has her own issues though, including living in the shadow of her famous musician parents, who died from a drug overdose and suicide.  Broken Annie and breaking Clay must learn to get along in order to keep their dreams of being musicians, but they when they begin to have feelings for each other, the both have to face the past.  

I enjoyed the romance between Clay and Annie, even if the beginning seemed a bit insta-love.  There were times where the story seemed less developed than it could have been, but overall, I think readers looking for a Rockstar romance will enjoy this.  The content includes sexual references, underage drinking and drug use as well as a descriptive suicide and drug overdose.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - ESSENTIAL

The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, 325 pages.  Freeform Books (Disney), 2019.  $18.  

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Kira has spent the bulk of her teen years helping her foster mother, Cady, raise search and rescue dogs.  Kira and her dog Saskia are a good team together, but both of them are a bit broken from their own traumatic childhoods.  When a six-year old girl goes missing in the Sierra Glade Mountains, Kira goes with her mother Cady to help look for the girl.  What Kira finds is Cady’s family secrets, a cute boy with his own broken past and Kira learns her own strengths.  

I totally enjoyed this book.  I liked the different layers of the story with intense moments of action.  I liked the characters and the setting.  There are times where I laughed out loud because some of the dialogue is hilarious.  I also liked that it has clean content.  There is a burial site that is found but it is isn’t graphic.  The characters are almost graduating from high school, so it fits better in middle and high school.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson

The Devil’s Thief by Lisa Maxwell - ESSENTIAL

The Devil’s Thief (Last Magician #2) by Lisa Maxwell, 686 pgs, Simon Pulse, $19 

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

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

When Esta traveled back in time to stop Harte from stealing the Book of Mysteries, she was met with unexpected surprises. Now that she has escaped New York through the barrier with Harte, the pair is on their way to finding the four elemental stones. Their first stop brings them to St. Louis where they are met by and old enemy while a new enemy arises. Past and Present collide as a time travelling thief and a magician race to save the Mageus. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was just as good as the first one and the characters are wonderful. Mature Content is PG because there is a romance between Harte and Esta and there is the idea of genocide of the Mageus. Violence is PG because there is fighting between characters. 

Student Reviewer: Julia M.(10th grade)

Strange Star by Emma Carroll - OPTIONAL

Strange Star by Emma Carroll, 230 pages.  Delacorte Press, 2016.  $17.  

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

BUYING ADVISORY: MS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Felix is the doorman at an estate in which Lord Byron and Mary Shelley are visiting.  One night in a storm, a young girl, named Lizzie, comes to the door looking for help finding her little sister Peg.  Lizzie recounts a story to Felix and Mary Shelley of weird happenings before her sister was taken from her.  Lizzie explains that a doctor came to their small town and needed help preparing his estate, but at night a strange monster was let loose and people’s animals were being killed.  Soon Peg and Lizzie were caught up in the doctor’s experiments and they were seperated, so Lizzie followed the trail to Lord Byron's estate.  

Lizzie’s story was interesting, and I cared to find out what was happening.  Because Lizzie’s story is a retelling to Mary Shelly, the connections with Frankenstein were obvious.  The violence includes torture and experimentation. 

Reviewer, C. Peterson