The question-and-answer format used in this information books is remarkably thorough, interesting, and concise.  The major questions of how, where, when, why, and who are all answered in a direct manner, accompanied by an illustration.  The pros and cons of each question are also addressed.  Using this book to learn about insects should be a top priority in school libraries.

Wow!  The magnification and clarity of the photographs are amazing and is what makes this book a must-have for libraries.  The information and spider fact match what the photo is showing.  Especially remarkable is the fact/photo of a jumping spider using a dragline, as well as a jump in mid-air to show it pouncing on it’s prey.  Fascinating!!

I’m still not sure how this book got the title, A Cheeky Chiller.  I had to look up the adjective cheeky to see if I was missing something.  Of course, it’s British slang meaning impudent or impertinent.  And chiller refers to a spine-tingling mystery.  This book is neither.  On each even-numbered page is a clue as to what the animal is and on the opposite odd-numbered page is a photograph of a portion of the animal.  The last photo is a lovely shot of a chimpanze family.  However, the earlier photos are all rather blurry.  Includes a glossary and index.

This tender story of twelve-year-old Raine crawls right into your heart and settles there  from the very first page.  Raine’s mother mysteriously picks up and moves the two of them from Milwaukee to Sparrow Road for the summer, where they join the quirky artists who inhabit an old dilapidated house.  Instructed to keep quiet at all times so that the artists can work, Raine envisions a miserable summer ahead.  Yet, when Gray James, Raine’s estranged father, comes knocking at the door, wanting to become a part of her life, this quickly becomes a story of acceptance and forgiveness.  Although the main character is twelve-years old, the beautifully written, lyrical writing speaks of life lessons for any age.  Sheila O’Connor is a talented writer with advice for all readers.

Over eight hundred years have passed since Kubla Khan dominated Asia and the Middle East, and still his legend lives on.  Due to his focused concentration of improvement, many positive policies and practices were implemented; such as education for all boys regardless of wealth, help for farmers to farm better with irrigation and proper animals and equipment, a more efficient postal system for better communication over great distances, he was first to implement standardized paper money, blue and white porcelains, more arts and theater.  His respect for the sciences greated an academy of medicine, an observatory which led to a more accurate calendar, and his diplomacy with foreigners enabled to learn from the world’s best and brightest.  One of these foreigners was a young Marco Polo from Italy, who traveled to China with his father and uncle.  He was tremendously impressed over his 17 year visit.  Upon his return home to Europe, he wrote about the wonders he had seen in the book The Travels of Marco Polo. The book was a success and remained so for hundreds of years.  Because of it, Europeans couldn’t wait to see for themselves the wonders of Asia.  This is when the age of East meeting West began.

Nicely printed with color photos, sidebars with deeper explanations, and a fair portrayal of this highly politicized event in history, Tiananmen Square Protests allow students to learn that this was not a one day event.  It was not about one man standing in front of the tanks.  This book takes the first 46 of 100 pages to set the stage for why Chinese citizens of every age pushed for the protests of 1989.  After establishing a history of social protests in China, something most people probably wouldn’t realize existed, author Marcia Amidon Lusted does a seamless job of being non-political in her evaluation of the protests that lasted over two months.  Because of the government cover, official toll of the deaths during the crackdown in June are still unclear, ranging up to 3,000.  Those of us who have live in democracies will want more of the “What if the protests succeeded?”, but the fact is, as she clearly states, that “the younger, post Tiananmen generation knows very little about the protests of 1989…” and see their future in economic terms, not political.  This is an additional selection for libraries that need a more current look at China’s social protest movements.

Jackie Faber just keeps going on the adventures, this time traveling to the Carribean in search of a sunken ship full of gold in Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer.  But it was not her first plan.  She was to finally to wed the love of her life, Jaime, and of course the two get separated again.  This time Jackie is earning her freedom from the British government by leading a ship on a scientific expedition in search of sea sponges that just so happen to be in the near vicinity of the gold filled vessel.  Jaime is on a ship that is to follow behind a by a few days and help with the treasure recovery.  Spanish ships will cause conflict and Jacky will again be the victor, but will Jackie and Jamie ever be together?  Will Jacky follow the rules to gain her own freedom?  Now 16, Jackie’s hormones are racing in this story.  Constant references to getting into bed, be it Jacky and Jaime or other crew members, are give throughout.  All are in the context of being married, but Jacky talks of it over and over again.  If you have a Faber fan, they’ll happily enjoy this next installment…and there’s at least one more to come from the likes of this ending.

Fantasy super star Charles de Lint will impress his fans and create a new following with The Painted Boy.  A tale of shape-shifting clans, gang-banger hoodlums, teen love, angst and rock and roll,  the main character, James Li,  is on his discovery quest not only to find himself, but to do much more.  Set in the Arizona desert, James is a stranger to the land, coming from Chinatown in Chicago.  He aquired his birthmark dragon tattoo at the age of 13 and had been learning lessons from his grandmother to prepare his for this journey.  He makes new friends, including a love interest in Anna, and he makes enemies too.  He soon discovers that his “test” will be to rid the town of the biggest gang leader, who also is a shape-shifter.  The writing spirals between 1^st and 3^rd person, even within chapters, and the variety of personality types, including non-human shape-shifters, keeps the mind interested throughout the story.  This is not your typical fantasy story with it’s contemporary setting and themes.  R* for sure.

This is another terrific book of loving family relationships by Patricia Polacco.  The first of three adopted children tells of the love and special moments in their non-traditional family with two mothers.  Every page is filled with expressions of warmth and affection of the exceptional family as the moms plan activities to provide a well-rounded childhood for their brood.  The lively, colored pencil and marker illustrations are full of life and tenderness.  the families in the neighborhood willingly participate in block parties and activities arranged by the two moms.  Only one cranky parent refuses to have anything to do with this unconventional family.  This story avoids all the terms often used when describing a family with same-sex parents, and may be used to gently explain differences in some families.

Dave Crawley’s cheerful and lively poems focus on schools, cafeteria food, homework, new kids, rules, class pets, and finally, vacation!  They are lighthearted and many have interesting twists.  Liz Callen’s ink and watercolor illustrations are bright and a good match for the poems.  This is a delightful, up-beat collection of school poems and would make a good addition to an elementary school library.