The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan - ESSENTIAL

Riordan, Rick The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard), 491 pages.  Disney, 2015.  $20.  Violence (PG-13 - not grossly descriptive, but there is A LOT of it); Mature Content: G; Language: (I’ll get back to you on that - I forgot to count as I was reading).

Magnus Chase has lived on the streets for the last couple of years - expressly to avoid any type of interaction with his creepy Uncle Raymond.  The one day he sees his Uncle Frederick and cousin Annabeth looking for him and decides he’d better find out what is going on.  Instead he gets a weird story from Randolph and ends of dead in what he thinks was a fight with an evil Norse God.  Now he’s dead and in Valhalla, where dead heroes train daily to fight off the end of the world.  What has Magnus gotten into?

Welcome to the rollicking beginning of a new teenaged hero and another set of Gods.  Riordan sure knows how to hook a reader and keep their attention.  And there still isn’t anyone who does it quite as well as he does.   This series feels more mature than his previous works, with an older protagonist and a world created around being dead and fighting all of the time.  I was surprised by the 10-14 age recommendation, because I am not going to recommend this for elementary at all (if you don’t carry The Hunger Games, and elementaries you SHOULD NOT, then you shouldn’t carry this).

MS, HS - ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

The Plan by Alison Paul - ESSENTIAL

Paul, Alison The Plan, pictures by Barbara Lehman.  PICTURE BOOK. Houghton Mifflin, 2015.  $18.

With only twenty words, but excellent illustrations, Paul and Lehman team to create a wonder of simple narration.  This is a perfect book to use to develop visual literacy skills at any age.  For older students, it would also work for prediction, as each word is only one letter different (changed, added or subtracted) from the word on the previous page.

EL - ESSENTIAL; MS - ADVISABLE.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Boo-La-La Witch Spa by Samantha Berger - ADVISABLE

Berger, Samantha.  Boo-La-La Witch Spa, illustrated by Isabel Roxas.  Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin), 2015.  $16.99. Content: G.  PICTURE BOOK

If you’re exhausted after all the haunting for Halloween, you should book yourself into the Boo-La-La Witch Spa.  A cute young witch books herself in for the full treatment.  She wears a fake yeti robe and drinks bat-whisker tea before enjoying soak in a cauldron of mold.  There are scrubs, wraps, and even a pool of snail drool.  Next, the witch is on to massages and sauna with hot dragon-breath.  She is then taken to a salon where a werewolf and warlock highlight her hair.  No spa trip is complete without shopping and treats.  

The illustrations are bright and colorful and not one bit scary.  Even the most fearsome of creatures appears to be quite nice.  Adults will enjoy all the clever references and witchy tweaks to a real spa experience.  Almost all of the clever references were entirely lost on my small daughter, however, she still enjoyed it. A magically witchy treat of a book, perfect for Halloween.    

EL-ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.   

The Sleepwalker Tonic by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller - ESSENTIAL

Segel, Jason and Kirsten Miller The Sleepwalker Tonic (Nightmares!), 360 pages.  Delacorte Press, 2015.  $17.  Content: PG (no obvious mature content, language, or violence, but the creep factor I think warrants a warning).  

Charlie Laird thought his problems were over when he closed the portal to the Netherworld and made friends with his new stepmother.  Instead, something insidious has invaded the town next door and it is heading Charlie’s way.  If Netherworld problems weren’t enough, he finds out that his little brother, Jack,  has been taking frequent, secret trips to the Netherworld and that they might lose their home, because Charlotte’s business has dropped precipitously.  All of Charlie’s problems are connected and their source is in the human world.  Not good.  Who else has access to the Netherworld?

Segel and Miller have whipped up another great tale of things that go bump in the night.  I was surprised when this one came out so quickly after the first - and number 3 is already in the works.  How long can they keep entertaining us?!

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher

Honeyky Hanukah by Woody Guthrie - ADVISABLE

Guthrie, Woody Honeyky Hanukah, illustrated by Dave Horowitz.  PICTURE BOOK.   Doubleday books for Young Readers, 2003 Language: (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content-G; Violence: G;

Woody Guthrie is famous in the Jewish community for capturing the Jewish struggle during the Oklahoma dust bowl.  He wrote songs to celebrate the Jewish culture.  This book includes a CD sung by The Klezmatics.  It’s a fun folk tune that narrates the story.  The illustrations remind me of the Sesame Street characters simple yet sweet. 

PRE-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE-Emilee Teacher Librarian

The Buccaneer's Code (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #3) by Caroline Carlson - ESSENTIAL

Carlson, Caroline.  The Buccaneer’s Code (The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates #3).  Harper, 2015.  $16.99.  301 pages.  Language: G.  Violence: PG (more comical than piratical).  Sexual content: G.

The final outing for Hilary Westfield, the Terror of the Southlands, does not disappoint.  In her previous adventures, Hilary saved the Enchantress from an evil group called the Mutineers.  Although, one of them was caught, most got away including the president of The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates (VNHLP), Captain Blacktooth who isn’t even close to be honorable.   In a bold move, Miss Pimm (the Enchantress) and her friend Claire declare Hilary’s challenge to Captain Blacktooth for the presidency of the VNHLP.  Whoever wins the battle becomes the new president, writes the new bi-laws, whilst the loser is forced into exile at the Pestilent Home for Foul-Tempered Pirates.  Captain Blacktooth accepts Hilary’s challenge, but tells her that she must provide 200 men for the fight or forfeit.  Hilary and her friends try to recruit more allies, but everyone is too afraid of Blacktooth.  Hilary is forced to recruit a more dangerous people than pirates—finishing school girls!  Magic, mayhem, and mystery combine for a most satisfying conclusion to this every-charming series.  Hilary is plucky, smart, brave, and adventurous and her companions are simply hilarious.  The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series is a must for every elementary school library. 

EL-ESSENTIAL.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.   

Peep and Ducky Rain Day by David Martin - ADVISABLE

Martin, David Peep and Ducky Rain Day.  PICTURE BOOK.  Candlewick Press, 2015 Language: (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content-G; Violence: G;

This is a darling story about 2 friends Peep and Ducky.  It’s a rainy day and these 2 friends have to find fun things to play inside.  Their imagination begins to roll and they build forts and all kind fun things.  They get dressed to go play in the rain and find themselves enjoying adventures in the rain.  As friends do they get in minor squabbles and discover how to resolve them.  Bright and fun illustrations.  Fun toddler story.

PRE-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE-Emilee Teacher Librarian

The Blind Wish by Amber Lough - ADVISABLE

Lough, Amber.  The Blind Wish.  Random House, 2015.  $17.99.  306 pages.  Language: G (1 swear).  Violence: PG.  Sexual content: G.

Half-jinni twins, Najwa and Zayele learned in the first book, The Fire Wish, that they were sisters, the truth about their parent’s death and what really started with war between the humans and jinni.  In this continuation, the girls learn that ending a war is much harder than starting one.  Najwa saved the Caliphate’s life, but still the human’s don’t trust her.  Prince Kamal, her romantic interest, has been made vizier and promised his father that he would no longer meet Najwa unless in public.  Najwa learns to her chagrin that her twin-sister is a magus—the most powerful of a jinni and she herself is not.  Zayele is training to be a magus and her suitor Atish, is working hard to chosen as her dyad—united with her to multiply her power.  Zayele still feels grief over her human cousin Yashar (she thought her brother) who was blinded when they went into the desert.  She returns to heal him, only to discover that no matter how powerful you are some things cannot be changed.  Prince Kamal’s brother wants to continue to the war and kill the jinni and his wish causes unforeseen consequences for all.  It is a strong second book with more action and plenty of twists.  Both sisters have great character development and the secondary characters are interesting too.  There isn’t as much romance as in the first book, which I found disappointing.  Still, readers will eagerly be waiting for the third adventure.   

MS/HS-ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.