Our library has all the Tacky the Penguin books and they are a hilarious series.  Wonderful to read-aloud, my students always enjoy story time when we read Tacky.  Tacky is a penguin who although wacky and a bit of an odd-ball, always ends up saving the day and proving the hero.  His unique perspective on life is enthusiastic, friendly, and creative.  This book includes a Christmas music CD ala Tacky.  These funny songs will delight the reader.

I enjoyed this middle elementary level chapter book sequel to The Lemonade War.  Each chapter was titled with a legal term related to the progression of the story line.  The main characters are 4th grade students (which is perfect for AR level 4.5) who suspect a classmate of stealing over $200 from another classmate’s shorts pocket while they were all off swimming.  They decide to have a trial on the playground and planned extensively for it.  Although the defendant was not found guilty, the main characters learned a lot about friendship and the deception of appearances.  The story does resolve well with the money returned and significant character development.  I read this book quickly because I wanted to keep reading.  It is very appropriate for grades 3 – 5 and I will recommend it to my students.

Three teenage girls from different lifestyles come together to study French at a summer school in Switzerland.  Ingrid is the wild child.  Shirin is the brain and the bookworm.  Vivien is trying to find herself.  The three girls find themselves staying in the same dorm room.  At first, they are very hesitant to become friends, but eventually they come to find out over the summers that they are meant to be best friends.  This is the story of how three different young ladies were able to bring out the best in each other through friendship.

The author writes from three different perspectives; one for each main character.  The reader will appreciate how diverse the author’s writing is because she is able to communicate the three different personalities believably well.  With the exception of no closure to the characters’ stories, this novel sends the message that true friendship can come from the most unlikely people.

— Christina D.

In a fantasy world where humans primarily travel in airships powered by creatures called bestia, two twin slaves are sold along with a new airship to the emperor of the Shinzo land.  These twins are the ship’s bestia keepers and as the ship is stolen from the emperor, they are caught up in the excitement and join the new crew as freed people.  The twins are not normal bestia keepers; they each possess their own special power.  Soon the new captain’s quest to save the Blue Dragon of the East becomes apparent, and the twins are the only ones who can unlock the magical weapon, the quillblade. With it’s untamed power, one of the best crews in the land, and two better than average bestia keepers, the race is on to save the world from the demonic wastelands and it’s dark taint. This non-stop action novel will keep the reader at the edge of their seat. The author’s fast paced writing draws the reader into the ups and downs of the characters and keeps the reader guessing what will happen next at every turn.

— Michael S.

This is a retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Rapunzel.  The text of the story is geared for elementary aged students and follows the classic story closely.  The illustrations have a cartoonish feel but utilize rich colors and cloth-like textures.  Many elementary girls enjoy princess stories making this is a nice addition to our library collection.

This picture book features the journey of Moses and the Israelites through the desert including God’s gift of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai.   The beautiful and brightly painted illustrations bring this story alive.  The characters of the story are very human, making it easier to relate to in the present day.  I especially enjoyed the Author’s notes at the end of the book which further explain the biblical references.  This book is a lovely addition to our catholic school library and I’m happy to have it as a resource for elementary teachers focusing on the Old Testament stories about Moses.

This terrific magic book includes 8 easy to follow card tricks as well as an introduction so the budding magician can deliver the tricks with finesse.  The tricks are easy to learn due to the clear explanation and demonstrative photographs for each step of the trick.  This is so helpful for the magician to really refine the delivery of the trick.  The cover of the book has an engaging photograph as well.  The author is a currently performing magician which adds credibility to the work.  I expect this book to circulate well and perhaps we’ll see some of these tricks in the school talent show!

This is a level 2 early reader (AR test at level 2.9, .5 points) with chapters for those emergent readers.  I generally like the Cam Jansen mysteries but didn’t care for this story due to characterization issues.  A main character, Cam’s aunt, although an adult in the story, behaved more like a disruptive young child.  Her behavior didn’t make sense to me and probably would be distracting to young readers as well.  The story is about figuring out what happened to Cam’s box of popcorn which went missing during the circus.  The mystery is properly resolved and I did enjoy the memory game included in the back of the book.

In another edition of the Boxcar Children, the four children have earned reputations as first-rate detectives and are in a competition with another family of kid detectives.  The other family, the Best family, have won this competition four times and are looking forward to their fifth win, earning them an all expense paid trip to Hawaii.  Right from the start, their Aunt Fiona, tries to sabotage them by mismarking landmarks on maps, stealing a  precious object from Benny, and by spying on them and then telling her nieces and nephews their clues.  The Alden children are pretty smart and catch on to her antics.  I really enjoy this series because of it’s readability and consistency.

This notebook-style book is two summer stories in one: Amelia’s Longest, Biggest, Most-Fights-Ever Family Reunion, and Itchy-Twitchy, Lovey-Dovey Summer at Camp Mosquito.  In the first story, Amelia, and her sister Cleo meet their father for the first time.  Amelia is distraught as she’s not sure she likes her father, and even worse, Cleo bonds with him and his new wife and child immediately.

In the second story, Amelia and her best friend, Carly, are off to summer camp.  Trouble ensues when they fall for the same boy.  Friendship prevails, but not before  some hurtful fights cause tension and competition for Luke’s affection.

Being artistic, Amelia draws pictures throughout her journal, adding a certain amount of charm and humor.  The disadvantage to this format in the Amelia’s Notebook series, is that there are no chapters or page numbers.  This makes it awkward to put the book down for the night and pick up where you left off the next day.  On the other hand, this will appeal to students who love to draw.

In a school where teachers turn a blind eye to problems, it is difficult for one to make their voice heard.  Alex is a bright young pianist who is looking forward to her final project but any bright spot in her life is eradicated when a drinking game gone wrong at a party turns into date rape.  Alex knows that at her school, no teacher will listen to her and she does not want to get the police involved.  It seems that Alex will have to live with this crime with no consequences for her attacker when her friend tells her about a secret society at the school founded by Alex’s sister – The Mockingbirds.  This society acts as judge and jury for any problems that teachers refuse to acknowledge from bullying to spreading rumors, and now date rape.  Alex has a chance to enjoy life again, but is she willing to go through the trial and face her attacker again?

In this realistic novel, the author portrays a powerful way in which a small group of students can make a difference in the lives of those who are bullied.  The main character is written as an in-depth believable teenage girl who questions herself and her problems in ways that actual teens would act.  Surrounded by her friends, while they don’t always understand her, it helps to make her problems more authentic.  This gripping story will appeal to readers of all genres.  This page-turner comes with an unconventional romance based not on “love at first sight,” but on standing by someone when they are in need and on two people who make each other a better person.

— Sarah J.

Very lovely illustrations to this book which has soul in it’s stories.  They are loosely woven around the theme of respecting our planet and appreciating the creatures who share our world.  This book is a collection of stories, with tales from many different cultures around the world. Russia, Greece, Africa, Japan and other countries have similar stories about loving the natural world.  Nice message told from these stories, nice way to compare cultures and note what we all have in common–the same planet.

Recommended.

Beautiful science book, with a focus on the connection science has with art and inventions by humans.  How art forms have been found in nature and mimicked by people who are looking for ways to better our quality of life.  For example, Velcro was discovered by a Swiss inventor who noticed how stubbornly cockleburs clung to clothing, after studying them under the microscope, he discovered that they had hooks.  Then he developed his own famous two sided fastener with loops on one side and hooks on the other.  This book is heavy on the earth sciences and would be best shared adult to child to absorb all of the facts.  Students will appreciate the artwork and linking the outdoor world to their world.  Recommended.

Absolutely darling, over-sized, beautiful picture book with Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations!  He’s taken another classic tale and transformed it into an enchanting visual effect.  Pencil and watercolor paintings with beautiful details–just as you would expect from Pinkney–consistent with his style.  You’ll have to read it yourself to see if the kittens ever find those mittens!  Highly recommended for the elementary bookshelf.

A popular comic novel with a look and sense of humor similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, in that the humor is ever so slightly “off color”.   Probably best for the upper elementary grades for readers with quick wit or low readers needing a different look to a a chapter book and visual prompts in the form of cartoon style drawings.  All in all, a fun style book which should motivate the less serious readers into action! Recommended.

In this fourth installment of The Faeries’ Promise, Alida, the faerie princess, helps the nearby villagers, thereby breaking Lord Dunraven’s law that states no contact between humans and faeries.  In order to feed his increasing army, Lord Dunraven exacts a larger toll on the villagers by forcing them to give up half of their food.  Worried that the villagers will starve over the winter, Alida uses her magic to hide half of the food for the villagers.  In turn, the villagers find out that the faeries have returned to their nearly home and invite them to their Winter Feast at the first full moon.  The humans and faeries learn to trust one another again.  However, Lord Dunraven, whom everyone fears, both villagers and faeries both, and his daughter are stranded in a winter storm and Alida’s compassion rescues them.  In doing so, Alida has forged a friendship with Ellen Dunraven who promises to change the law when she takes over from her father.  Again, an interesting story which should be popular with girls.

Wishes and Wings is book #3 of The Faeries’ Promise series, so there was some background that was necessary to understand the story.  The story revolves around Alida, a faerie princess, whose mother is the queen of all the faeries.  Alida had been recently reunited with her family after being kidnapped and spending years locked away in the human lord’s castle tower.  She became friends with a human boy, and together they were able to escape the wicked lord’s castle.  The boy, Gavin, joins the faerie realm and together they all move back to their original homeland, through a long and treacherous journey.  Once there, the faeries work on rebuilding their community but the difference from before is that the lord’s soldiers are looking for them.  They must use their magic to conceal their existence, only Gavin knows.  Their work is interesting and there are a couple of times when the soldiers are close to catching them.  It isn’t too difficult to catch up on the previous two installments of this series, but it is difficult to read this as a stand alone novel.  As a series, it is worthy of having in the library and I have already ordered books one and two.

This book is about a boy named Jacob who was a trouble maker especially for substitute teachers.  He has a friend Dexter and Sarah.  After causing a disaster in the classroom and getting kicked out of school, his mother picked him up and took him home.

When Jacob and his friend Dexter and Sarah were in the back yard they spotted a spaceship and the spaceman wants to trade the ship for a corn dog.

Then they travel into space and have many more adventures there.

This book was hard for me to read, there were so many things going on I got confused.  May a fourth or fifth grader would like to read it.  and it was way to silly for me.

In this suspenseful crime novel, teenage Oz tries to prove his brother’s innocence after a dead body is discovered in the family’s restaurant freezer.  Oz learned that his father, a nuclear scientist for the U. S. government, was actually selling secrets to the Russians prior to his dad’s death.  The dead body is that of the magazine reporter who broke the story of Oz’s father’s traitorship.  Oz’s brother is quickly connected to the crime.  Oz won’t rest until he proves his brother’s innocence which leads to the uncovering of a massive conspiracy on all levels of government.

The author writes this story from Oz’s point of view; the reader will want to put themselves into Oz’s shoes and make decisions for him.  The characters are very well-developed.  The plot has many twists and turns that the reader will not see coming.  One will be able to put the pieces of the crime puzzle together only to have to reassemble them on the next page!  An exciting read with unexpected events at every turn of the page.  Readers will be enthralled with this page-turner!

— Cameron L.

A visual delight for children to take this “abecedarian journey” through our planet’s ecosystems, geological wonders and weather phenomena. Enlarged, captivating watercolor drawings rivet your eyes, as the side bar text informs and instructs. A poem accompanies each letter to ground your mind to the subject. I appreciated learning about an unusual geological landform called karst, which is dissolved bedrock making underground passageways and caves. Oversized format makes it ideal for group sharing. Back matter includes a discussion…What Does Climate Change Mean? Words appear to be explained in the text, in lieu of a glossary.

Nocturnal life in the forest is brilliantly illuminated throught poems, compelling linoleum-block print artwork, and detailed notes of the subject on each double-page spread. The poetic forms are quite varied as nine creatures are featured…snail, primrose moth, great horned owl (Dark Emperor), orb spider, baby porcupette, cricket, wandering red efts (newt, salamander)…plus the oak, mushrooms, and the moon. The closing “Moon’s Lament” is in the medieval style known as an ubi sunt…that laments the loss of heroic, beautiful things.
“Where are my ghostly shadows,
my pools of of molten silver,
poured with such extravagance?
Where has it all gone-
my glory,
my radiance-
now that day as come?
Alas. Another eternity of sunbeams to wait.”
Final Glossary aides the reader with science terminology. A gem of a book appropiate across curriculums. (Listed in Boston Globe’s Best Books of the Year 2011.)

Utilizing both novel text and graphic novel, this historical fiction may appeal mostly to reluctant readers. Based on the late 1970’s where, in California, a drought caused most swimming to be emptied, skateboarders honed their skills “in the deep end”. A surfboarding store, in Venice Beach, (Zephyr Productions) joined with a skateboarding team (Z-Boys) to promote their business. One team member, Tony Alva, eventually wins 1st World Champion of Professional Skateboarding, and features in the plot. The protagonist, Skip, a gifted skateboarder, moves from California to Ohio. He wants to be included but gets connected with the wrong gang/bullies. Eventually he enters a skateboarding tournament with the “good guys” and Tony Alva scores him a 10. The story abruptly ends there, leaving open opportunities for the reader to “discuss” what happened next. With a Time Line, Discussion Questions, and Writing Prompts as part of the back matter, this book lends itself to reading with a supportive adult. The manga-ish graphic flash cover and illustrations, plus simple text, may be just what you need for a specific reader.

This book is full of bright watercolor illustrations to compliment a story line featuring Sebastian and his friends on a camping trip.  Along the way, they discover they are missing some of their equipment, setting up subtraction problems.  The readers can work together to solve the math problems and learn more about fact families.  This combination of math and literature combines disciplines in a way that makes learning fun.

This book describes the operation and professionals who work at TV stations.  The text is a bit dry, although informative.  The glossary and index at the back of the book are very brief and the illustrations are ok, but not particularly good quality or very interesting.

Set in the late 1590’s, this book follows Shakespearean Actors in London.  What is theater life like, for novices up to experienced actors?  What happens when the plague hits London and the show must hit the road?  These topics are explored in fascinating text and cartoon-style drawings in the first half of this book.  The second half focuses on Shakespearean life in London after the famous Globe theater is built.  There is a glossary and index.  The Accelerated Reader test is level 5.1, .5 points.  This series presents information in a understandable, interesting and comical format.