This is a well written book about spying and double agents.  There is a lot of information for such a small book.  You learn what it takes to become a spy.  Why people become double agents.   What espionage is and you learn about some very famous spies.  It is hard to believe that someone would betray their own country to be a spy.  If a spy is caught their punishment is usually death.

If you like the reality shows such as Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Real Housewives, Run’s House, or others that show off the wealth of pop culture icons, then Spoiled is just up your alley.  Authors Heather Cocks (former producer for America’s Next Top Model) and Jessica Morgan (producer of Growing up Gotti), take their knowledge of the rich and powerful lifestyle of Hollywood and create a fun, slightly far-fetched, tongue-in-cheek story about two newly acquainted sisters and their longing for fulfillment amidst the expectations, glamour and trash in celebrity life.  Brooke has grown up all things couture and she knows how to play the game that her father, Brick Berlin (notice the alliteration) has taught her too well.  Enter Molly, love child of Brick some sixteen years ago.  Molly’s mother died of cancer and lifted from the fields of West Cairo, Indiana, Molly is plopped into the false world Brooke and Brick create.  Brooke’s dismay at her new competition for her father’s fleeting affection begins the drama of this soap opera of a story, but Molly soon learns how to play her hand as well as Brooke’s.  Trust, love, loyalty, and friendship are simple themes amidst the name dropping of fancy shoe labels, restaurants and other celebs.  The ending hints of a sequel and just like the cliffhangers of Bravo TV shows, I’m longing for more.

14-year old Mike, who is afflicted with dyscalculia, (a math disability) is being raised by a brilliant father who continually tries to cultivate Mike’s love for math and engineering.  While he goes off Romania for work, Mike’s father sends him off to rural Pennsylvania to live with distant relatives Moo and Poppy.  This small town, of quirky characters, (a great-uncle who never talks, a near-blind great aunt, a punk rocker, a homeless dude, and the “three stooges”) happens to need someone to “engineer” the project of raising $40,000 in three weeks.  Mike rises to the occasion, giving you the happily-ever-after story you seek.

The stick-figure book cover will draw the attention of your Wimpy Kid audience.  The humor and eccentric characters will appeal to those middle schoolers still reading elementary-level books.  Weaknesses of the book include the overwhelming number of characters who happen to be grieving the loss of a loved one and moodiness of the main character.  Plusses include the title (brilliant!) and the clever introduction of math terms at the beginning of each chapter.

I enjoyed this book with the rescue stories, but after the Thirtymile Fire story the others seemed not so exciting.  I liked the survival facts that were given.  They would be of great help if put in those situations.  Each story had good information for anyone to know, information that could save your life.

There is a list of words in the back, Words to Survive By.   There is a list of books that you might like to read and web sites that would have more information.  Also an index.

This is a very cute book about a bear, Lucy, who wants to keep a child as a pet.  Mother bear tells Lucy that children make terrible pets.  But Lucy is allowed to keep the pet, Squeaker.  Lucy and Squeaker are inseparable.   But Squeaker does not train well and ruined the furniture.   Then one day Squeaker disappears and Lucy is very sad. But Lucy saw Squeaker with his family and realized that Squeaker needs to be with his family.

This book has a fun ending that is not expected and the children love.  Great pictures and a fun idea to be a pet to a wild animal.

The South has its own fantastical, mythological history, from debutante balls to African-American folklore.  When the two mix, one great story can emerge.  Twists and turns ripple the story in Katie Crouch’s The Magnolia League.  Alexandria Lee is the nail on a chalkboard as she is whisked into Savannah, Georgia after her mother’s tragic and sudden death.  Raised in a hippie commune in California but now in the care of her affluent and aristocratic grandmother, Alex’s dreads, vintage t-shirts and pot smoking clash head on with everything her grandmother expects of her to become before her coming out opportunity at the Christmas ball.  Alex’s journey of the heart is like that of most teens; rebelling, asking for forgiveness, realizing one’s own worth, and learning to put others before self are all lessons she encounters.  Lust and true love are mixed with hoodoo magic as friendships are tested.  When Alex learns more of The Magnolia League’s past and her mother’s involvement in it, she has to decide what her path will be.  The mysticism of southern culture tied with teen honesty will draw readers into Alex’s story.  No doubt a sequel is coming.

A is for Arrr! is an ABC book telling all about pirates using photographs (they don’t look too scary and may even be from some movies they’ve seen), illustrations, and drawings.  The author was able to use every letter of the alphabet.  The back of the book includes some interesting tidbits plus the usual glossary and index.  This book will make a nice addition to the pirate section of the library.

This is the story of two 13-year-old girls, each on different ends of the spectrum.  Aphrodite, “Dytee,” is a genius and at the age of 13, has already graduated with a master’s degree from Harvard in math.  Mindy, also 13, is in remedial math in eighth grade, and must pass or else will be held back.  Dytee has a theory that everyone can be a math whiz if just given the correct instruction.  Mindy and her co-hort of classmates have been labeled as ‘boneheads’ and don’t think they can learn anything, although they’re desperate to try.  Dytee comes back to her hometown, her home school, and is the new math teacher for the ‘boneheads.’  A 13-year-old teaching other 13-year-olds.  As you can imagine, she has no control over them whatsoever.  She was never part of that group of kids who skipped classes and was so disrespectful to the teachers and who never did any homework.  Just the opposite, she was a ‘good girl,’ well behaved, never truant nor disrespectful.  She dressed like an old lady and acted like an old lady.  After many weeks of torture, for all of them, Dytee was able to strike a deal with the ‘boneheads.’  She knew they wanted to pass math so they could go to high school, and they were desperate.  She entered them in a math challenge bowl as a team.  If they could at least make a respectable showing, she would pass them, for she truly believed that they were competent but were living up to their reputations because it was easier that way to fit in with the cliques.  Each student presented a math project which was designed to exemplify what they wanted to do in life, showing how math was important.  They formed study groups and met each day after school.  Dytee tutored Mindy in math.  Mindy also tutored Dytee in how to be a 13-year-old and to act accordingly, especially in her dress styles.  Needless to say, everyone was an ugly duckling and became swans.  This book would make a great Disney movie.  Snappy dialogue, fast action, but no surprises, in fact, very predictable.  I think girls who are a little like Dytee or like Mindy will enjoy this book.

This book has a lot of play-on-words, which are great!  Some of them are a bit over the heads of children but are great for adults.  It might be fun to explain the meaning of the different play on words.

There seems to be quite the trend these days to capitalize on children’s fascinations with the gross and disgusting.  Many of the books I’ve read in this line have either failed to live up to being as icky as it proclaimed, or else hyped the ew without delivering any real information.  This one really was delivering honest-to-goodness scientific information, and it really was icky enough to make me squirm.  Illustrated with a combination of photos and cartoons.