Who could resist a book with a cover like this?  A slim girl, back turned, stands under the marquee of an old-time movie theater, her pink polka dot tights the only splash of color on a dark, rainy night.

Thus, the mood is set for a mystery that takes place around the Little Arts, a movie theater in a little town where nothing much happens–until the girl in pink tights shows up, and Dani, the young heroine, is consumed by curiosity as to who this stranger is.

As the plot unfolds, just like in the movies, Dani will convince readers that old movies can take one away from life’s troubles, that Rita Hayworth had glamour like no star before or since, and that black and white movies are far more elegant than color.

One more thing to like about this mystery for the middle grades is that there are no scenes to leave you wondering if they’re totally  appropriate for sixth graders, but there’s plenty of action and suspense to keep everyone turning pages.

Colorful photographs, well-placed text boxes, attractive type styles, and easy-to-read text, make this concise yet complete discussion of the Great Lakes easy to read and understand.  The author, Patricia Kummer, lives in Chicago and grew up spending summers on the beaches.  Her knowledge of and love for the area come through in this book.

The lakes in commerce,  research, ecology, art, recreation, poems, sculpture, and song (including, or course, the details of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald), kept me interested throughout.

A glossary, Fast Facts, easy-to-read index, and “Find Out More” pages will help researchers.  The listed web sites, including one on shipwrecks and another with up-to-date environmental information, should remain useful over many years.  This seems especially important in a book that will be used for reference.  The Great Lakes is a great addition to the Nature’s Wonders series.

Stephen Currie’s American History series Environmentalism in America examines the eras, events, and movements relating to ecology awareness, activism, and legislation. The 96 page book is a hardback, and a very typical school library historical short volume that expands on information commonly found in high school history textbooks. Currie gives a brief but solid historical perspective of the subject that has ultimately created and shaped public opinion and activism as well as governmental public policy regarding local and national ecology issues. Overall, this is a well-written but brief informational book.

These Bible stories are short, one to three pages, with simple, colorful illustrations.  The table of contents does a nice of dividing the stories between the Old Testament and the New Testament, which each story titled in bold face type with a brief explanation of what the story is about, and then the book and verse of the Bible in which you’d find the passage.  The only problem is that the stories are blah and somewhat boring–‘he said, she said,and then this happened.’  No explanation of why, no reaction from the people of God, pretty much ‘just because God said so.’  I understand that this is the Bible and all and that people aren’t supposed to question the word of God, however, I think that this was a missed opportunity of what the intention here should be–explain how the Bible or at least particular story pertains to them and how it can be interpreted for today.

Tumtum & Nutmeg, the mice who live at Rose Cottage, are back with three separate stories: A Christmas Adventure, A Seaside Surprise, and A Circus Adventure.  All three stories include Lucy and Arthur, the human children who also live at Rose Cottage with their neglectful father.  Tumtum & Nutmeg are the rock that anchors everyones lives.  They make sure the children have Christmas presents, they take care of their neighbors and get them out of predicaments–they are like the gramma and grampa everyone wishes they had.  A truly comforting book.

I was a reluctant reader of this book when I first glanced at the cover.  With all the cupcakes and the reference to fifth grade, I was sure it would be either a ‘mean girls’ or a ‘twitter techno’ kind of book–you know the type, a lot of blah, blah, blahing about not much of anything.  So I was totally knocked for a loop after I started reading it–I couldn’t put it down!  What really surprised me was all the complicated, kind of grown up issues that were presented.  Planning your life, saving your money and actually having a banking account, running an election campaign, starting a business, dealing with a new girl who tries to steal your friends, what it means to be a friend, and honesty–all just to name a few.  All these issues rolled into a great story.  Plus there are even some cupcake recipes at the end of the book.  So get over the cover–it’s a much more serious and realistic book than what the ‘cuteness’ of the cover implies.

Earth Day should be everyday, not a one day event, but for those who need reminding – this might be the book for them.

Written is rhyme , which sometimes gets awkward, the theme is:

“Just look at this planet!

What a great work of art!

To protect all this beauty,

we must each do our part!…

We can all make a difference,’ E.P. said

‘We can and we do!

Now kindly put down that litter,

and please join my Green crew!.”

After the story, 5 ‘Green Facts’ are given and then ‘More Ways to Green-i-fy!’

Art work resembles acrylic painted scenes of claymation figures.

France is more than the Eiffel Tower and fine dining. It is a country which starts at sea level and goes to ski level.

This book is one in the Exploring Countries series of 20 books. Each has 13 brief chapters written for the intermediate reader. Chapters include: Where is France?, The Land, The Massif Central, Wildlife, The People, Daily Life, Going to School, Working, Playing, Food, Holidays, French Art and Architecture, and Fast Facts.

Browsers will quickly read the ‘fun facts’ and ‘Did You Know?’ insets along with the 8 words in the ‘Speak French!’ section.

Ireland is more than shamrocks and leprechauns.

There are 13 brief chapters in this book written for intermediate age students. It is part of the 20 book  Exploring Countries series.

The photos definitely show off why Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, whether it is in the lush lowlands or in the bogs rich in peat.

Mixed in throughout the book are bits of trivia, such as, “the ruins of around 3,000 castles dot Ireland’s many landscapes”  from page 7’s ‘fun fact’ and “In some parts of Ireland, rain falls more than 220 days of the year” from a ‘Did You Know?‘ inset.

There is more to England than Big Ben and the city of London.

This book is one in the 20 book series Exploring Countries written for the intermediate grades. There are 13 brief chapters. In ” Where Is England?”, the map is big enough for the reader to see that England is a part of the United Kingdom and sits on the island of Great Britain. Some of the other chapters are: Wildlife, Daily Life, Going to School, Working, Playing, Food, and Fast Fact .  In Fast Facts, the English flag is shown with its white background and red cross, which is a part of the Union Jack.

Readers will come across interesting quick bits of trivia in the “Fun Facts” and “Did You Know?” insets throughout the book.

In

This graphic novel by Stone Arch is about an ordinary elementary school kid, who lives his dream.  He goes to the school nurse to get his regular allergy shot, but instead of the school nurse, a wacky scientist injects him with something that makes him a superhero.  He doesn’t know he’s really a superhero yet, but just that he gets an enormous rock head and incredible strength.  He uses his strength the next day during a field trip to the zoo, when animals get loose and charge his friends.  Apparently he’s doing so well that the wacky scientists, who are monitoring his behavior, believe he is ready for phase two.  That the whole story!  Actually, I found I was quite engaged in the story and wanted to see how it would end.  But I’m afraid I won’t find out because these books are just too expensive.  Each chapter is one whole book, and a pricey one at that.  Not enough money in my limited budget.  The ‘commercials’ that are interspersed in the book are too distracting.  Kind of funny, but not worth the cost.

With tongue in cheek humor, Mac Barnett tells the story of Steve Brixton, a 12-year-old, who loves the old Bailey Brothers mysteries so much, he, too, wants to become a detective.  (Think, Hardy Boys mysteries)  He sends in boxtops and money and gets his detective’s license in the mail.  A trip to the public library to check out a book for a school report leads to a case of confusion as the ‘feds’ believe him to be hired by a notorious villian to steal federal secrets.  Try to imagine a slapstick kind of chase.  All the adults are pretty much brainless. Funny, but the whole thing gets pretty tiresome before the story is over.

Historical, economic, geographical, and cultural information is found in the ‘America the Beautiful’ series by Children’s Press.  The part Georgia played in the American Revolution is interesting, but the real grabber is the historical “Trail of Tears” where Georgians got rid of the Native Americans when gold was discovered on Indian land within the Georgia state boundaries.  The white man’s lust for gold and riches is well known and well documented, but how could we justify what we did to an entire race for greed?  Looking at history, I would like to think that today we wouldn’t let that happen; but I’m not sure at all.  I do appreciate the fact that the publishers printed the truth and didn’t try to hide the facts.   This book has valuable information but with budget money so tight, I’m not sure if school libraries could afford to buy a 50-volume set, when information is so easily available on the internet.

I am a new fan of Rachel Isadora!!  I just love her work; she just keeps getting better and better.  In this one, Isadora has illustrated the classic 12 Days of Christmas but with an Africa theme.  The colors are bright and saturated and the space is well used.  Each page illustrates each day with the words remaining the same, but the objects seen in a different way.  For example, the five golden rings were rings worn around the neck as jewelry modeled after South African women’s styles.  The drummers drumming were modeled after musicians from Ghana and Nigeria.  Pleasant surprises like this fill the book and make an old favorite new again.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful book and should be in all school and public libraries as a first, must-have purchase.

See your options and make a good choice:  Good advice on and off the field.  Carlos might be a good quarterback, but he wants to be a superstar.  When his head gets a little too big for his helmet, it causes problems among his teammates and leads his team to losses rather than wins.  Mild conflict and football action will attract young fans of the game, but probably not very many other readers.  Jake Maddox books are popular among reluctant readers, and always have a message of teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Three trillion miles away from earth, it is difficult to make an emergency landing.  So it is a good thing that Superman is on the scene when Jimmy, an intrepid reporter for The Daily Planet, and the crew of the Long Range Explorer find that their hyperdrive engines are dead.  With colorful “BOOMS!” “BZZTS!” and “THWOOMS!” Superman is fighting off space scavengers, pushing giant space rocks out of the way, and finally coming face to face with the evil Kanjar Ro.  Luckily, Jimmy makes it back to earth in time for his deadline, and readers may admire the way he includes the five W’s in his article on the adventure.  Young Superman fans will enjoy this little chapter book that ends with discussion and writing prompts.

How soon we adults forget all the aches and pains and dilemmas of growing up and in this book, Harper does an excellent job of letting us see into the life of an elementary school girl and her classmates and friends.  I’m not sure how old Grace actually is or in what grade, but I would guess about fourth grade and ten years old.  I know teachers, parents and adults in general, find some kids difficult to be around.  But it’s actually nice to see that other kids find these same kids annoying, also.  Dealing with tattletales, snobby kids, and teachers are all strengths that Harper brings to her books.  How Grace deals with them and the lessons learned are ones we all need to hear.  This will make a great read for all kids.

In typical Boxcar Children fashion, in this baseball mystery, the four Alden children solve the mystery of who is giving signals to the best hitter of the opposing team.  What is great about these books are the familiarity of the characters and the mystery is interesting, with enough possible suspects, to make it suspenseful.  Kids who know and enjoy baseball, will enjoy this latest Boxcar Children addition.

What kid won’t get a giggle out of a little bathroom humor?  This title delivers 21 creative poems paired with lively illustrations that cover everything from sisters hogging the loo to potty training.   An entertaining touch of the taboo with out going down the drain.

It took Marco Polo four years of crossing deserts, climbing mountains and struggling against man and the elements to reach his destination: China and the palace of Kublai Khan. This biography of the amazing explorer does more than just relate the facts of his life and trek. Feinstein relates the account of Polo’s 17 years of service to the great Khan, how he ended up in a Genoese prison and how  his life story got written and published. Although only 112 pages, the book is beautiful.  The pages appear to be written on old maps.  The photographs and drawings are stunning.  The book is well-organized and easy to follow, ending with a chapter on the impact of Polo’s travels and a list of resources for further reading.  A solid reference on an incredible man.

10-year old Persimmony Smudge falls into an adventure when she seeks the answer to the question, “Is there a giant sleeping under the island of Mount Majestic?”  First-time author Jennifer Trafton writes in a delightful, lyrical way (…for if there was one talent in the world Prunella possessed, it was a gift for going into hysterics), full of puns (the Lyre-That- Never-Lies), and whimsically profound (“But how do you know the sea goes on and on forever on all sides, and how do you know the sky is blue behind your back when you aren’t looking, because after all it might turn green or purple or orange the way the sunrise changes colors, and did you see how beautiful the sunrise was this morning?) This wacky tale features wonderful artwork by Brett Helquist (from the Series of Unfortunate Events) which helps add dimension to the story.

Friends and detectives-in-training, Milo and Jazz, are at the local fair during the summer.  The fair seems to be jinxed because strange things are happening: farm animals getting loose, pies disappearing, fake snakes in the games.  No one can explain it, until Milo and Jazz overhear a group of older boys known for their troublemaking ways, saying pretty incriminating stuff.  This leads Milo to think that these boys are planning for something bad to happen during the next day’s Fourth of July celebration.  Milo decides to infiltrate the group by pretending he’s a ‘bad boy,’ too.  But rather than planning a heist, the boys are trying to get organized to be fruits and veggies for a parade.  Big mistake on Milo’s part.  The person who they least expected turned out to be the culprit. This book will be a great fit and popular for readers in third and fourth grades who need something to read that’s of interest to them but not difficult.

Kayla Dean is a 15-year-old student journalist who smells a story when she hears that the Lady Lions, a prestigious hip-hop dance team at her high school, chooses members more for their curvy bodies than their dancing skills.  Encouraged by Rosalie, her best friend and fellow journalist, Kayla, who lacks the most basic of feminine curves, embarks on a fitness/dance/makeover process to try out for the team.  Through her own efforts and a dynamite tryout performance, she makes it, and is shocked to find new and supportive friends on the team.

“Being chosen…exceeds the boundaries of earth and space,” Kayla opines.  But her happiness is challenged when Rosalie accuses her of losing both her feminist and journalistic ideals.

This story of  teen friendships and triumphs is told with humor and wisdom, and will appeal to teens facing the everyday trials in their lives.  I especially liked seeing an African-American teen whose problems have nothing to do with poverty of lack of education.  We need more books like this one.

“You never know when everything is going to change, when everything you’ve taken for granted…is going to get smashed to pieces and you’ll realize that there’s nothing you can do, there’s no way out”, Will, the protagonist of the novel, confides to the reader. In The Returners, this is exactly what happens to 15 year old William Hodges. This dystopian novel, set in the very near future of 2016 England, examines issues relevant to current societies around the world: issues of politics, race, immigration, prejudice, and ethnic cleansing.

The novel is suspenseful, engaging, and disturbing. Dream sequences of historical attrocities, including WWII concentration camps and the Rwanda genocide, are constant throughout the book and may be disturbing to the reader. Themes include loss, grief, despair, bullying, regret, betrayal and redemption.

In spite of the weighty subject matter, the novel is exciting and profound, with plot twists unexpected by the reader. Recommended for those fans of dystopias.

It has been a year since the meteorite struck the moon leaving the earth and its inhabitants struggling to survive.  In this 3rd book in the Last Survivors trilogy, teen Miranda (with her diary) surviving in Pennsylvania (from Book 1) and teen Alex who survived in New York City (from Book 2) meet in Pennsylvania under interesting circumstances.  And, yes…romance does bloom instantly between the two even though they hardly know each other.  Staying alive in this unforgiving climate is the ever-present constant in the book.   This novel, with its plots flaws and all, is still an interesting read.  It will leave the reader wanting to know more.  Is this really the end of this series?