Every middle and high school library should have at least one copy of this book.  It Gets Better is a compilation of essays and statements created by a huge variety of people, from Barack Obama to Ellen Forney to a freelance writer living in Los Angeles.  Each of the messages target teenagers in middle and high school who are bullied because of their sexuality.  Many of the messages tell personal stories of teenage bullying, and seek to communicate to bullied teens that life will get better after high school.  Even though this focuses on GLBTQIA teens, the message will hit home for any troubled young person.  Simply having this volume in the library will send a signal of hope and safe space to GLBTQIA patrons, and, hopefully, to everyone else as well.

There are perils aplenty in this fourth book in the Wolves of the Beyond series, and fans should be satisfied.  I found it interesting that author Kathryn Lasky has observed and researched real wolf behavior in order to write these books.  That’s evindent when the wolves enjoy feasting on the still-warm blood of an unlucky victim.  But these wolves seem to have human intelligence as well when they discuss dinner preferences for marmot or red squirrel over caribou.

If you’ve read the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books and the first three books in the Wolves series, this will be familiar territory for you.  As a first time reader, I had a time keeping up with new words like “gadderheal” and “raghnaid.”  I admire Ms. Lasky for her work.  It would not be easy to invent and name whole new countries and populations, and to keep the characteristics of each true-to-form in each appearance.  No wonder her readers keep coming back for more.

Book #5 in the Vampire Academy novel series, Spirit Bound, takes Rose Hathaway on a quest to free her imprisoned true love, Dimitri Belikov, who also happens to currently be a Strigoi, an evil undead vampire.  Strigoi are always hunting Moroi. but Rose has discovered a way to change Dimitri back into the Moroi he once was.  She is hopeful that their passion will ignite again, despite the fact that she has a boyfriend already.  Richelle Mead give just enough of the back story that a reader can pick up this book and read it as a stand alone, until the end of course, where the cliff hanger will make a reader want to find out Rose’s fate that is literally on the chopping block.  There is nothing that should offend anyone in high school or above.  The pace is clean and crisp and a surprisingly good read for another vampire story.  Movie rights have been sold and Rose’s female heroine is worthy of a chance at the big screen.  Book #6 is the end of the series, though there is a spin off series set for 6 books as well.  At 500 pages, these will take up shelf space and will attract a mainly female audience.

Azael Arevalo is a gangster who loves to do his tagging artwork.  He is loyal to his MS13 homies, a Mexican gang in Houston, Texas, because his own family life is so tragic.  So it’s no surprise to the reader as they learn that the alternating then and now chapter subtitles refer to Az’s life before and after landing himself in prison.  But he doesn’t know why he’s there specifically.  In the then chapters, we find out that his mother died shortly after his little sister was born, turning his life upside down.  After his father gives up custody of his sister to an aunt and because of his alcoholism, Az and his brother are pretty much on their own.  In the now, Az is tortured by having to watch therapy sessions of Lexi, a white girl who is also incarcerated.  He quickly figures out that there is a connection between why they are both in jail, but he can’t remember anything.  Az’s language is gritty and authentic, with sex on his mind as much as why he is where his is.  The redeeming qualities in this story come not only from Az as from Lexi as both will be true to themselves, even if it’s a truth the mainstream society rejects.  Ashley Hope Perez catches both the male and female voice of these characters with the spite and tension that teens in prison would hold.  This is an additional selection to add to collections.

With Brother/Sister, Sean Olin takes readers into the minds of two teenagers for whom the world is unraveling fast. Sparely written, deep but easy to read, Olin’s book lets us into the minds of siblings Will and Asheley Baird through their own words as they explain to interrogators how they came to be in the nightmarish fix they’re in: Will is a murderer and Asheley has abetted his crimes, all for what each thinks of as love.

As the plot unfolds, Olin gives us reasons for these two to be almost powerless in the face of their undoing…a disappeared, abandoning father; a drunken, hopeless mother who abrogated her duties, placing impossible burdens on the shoulders of her then-6 year-old son; Asheley’s boyfriend, abused himself, who makes things worse; an ineffectual stoned “step-dad”; and a cast of teenaged characters for whom the world is drinking, party-crashing, crushes, and sports.

Struggling to belong, hoping for happiness, Asheley wants friends but finds only she can control her brother’s increasing anger and violence. Will, desperately alone and torn with self-doubt, fixates on Asheley as the one he must protect at all costs, to whom he must dedicate his life as he inexorably becomes divorced from reality.  Sadly, it is the day of each one’s greatest triumphs that marks the beginning of their undoing.

Many themes make this a worthwhile book for readers, showing that without real parenting, lives can go woefully, tragically astray.

Highly Recommended

With Irises, award-winning author Francisco X. Stork paints the lives of two young women at a crossroads in consciousness and beliefs, faced with decisions that will either allow or destroy their most cherished dreams. Stork’s sensitive handling of an uncommon subject is a valuable journey that will help readers understand the choices we often must make as we weigh the costs of loving against the obligations we have to ourselves of living our own authentic lives.

Kate and Mary Romero have spent two years since the accident that left their mother in a vegetative state, living under the stern, restrictive, limited but loving influence of their father, Church of God Pastor Manuel Romero. His certainty that removing life-supports from his comatose wife would be a sin against God has left the family in service to the all-but-lifeless mother in the parish house provided by the congregation.

The sudden death of their father begins a process of awakening in older sister Kate, who burns to attend Stanford University and become a doctor, and in 16 year-old Mary, a gifted artist whose ability to ‘see the light’ and put it on canvas has vanished since her mother’s tragedy. Mary’s unsuccessful attempt to re-render the famous Van Gogh painting, Irises, has shown her how lifeless and dull her painting has become since her mother’s accident.

Both girls’ dreams, fostered and encouraged by their lively mother, crushed and denied by their father, bring each to the edge of despair at the contemplation of accepting endless servitude to their lifeless mother.

Vivid characters emerge to help the sisters decide whether to sacrifice their hopes to keep their mother “alive”, or to make the leap of faith called for in ending what their mother herself would call no life at all. As the faults of the father emerge, the sisters seek help from distant Aunt Julia, who has health problems of her own.

Having removed life supports from my own dying mother, I connected with the story. Soul and spirit combine in the painful process of letting go, giving this book its own luminous quality.

Highly recommended.

Brian Gable’s zany cat/critter illustrations entertain and help “visually” define over 50 compound words set to Brian B. Cleary’s large (2 cm) text as it rambles over and  under the critters on the page.

Brian B. Cleary defines a  “compound word: [as]  A word made up of two or more shorter words” on the verso page set upon an easel with a teacher cat tapping the definition with her pointer. Then on page 10-11, he states,

” You’ll cut those big words down to size

when you see what they’re made of:

words you can pronounce and can spell

and aren’t a bit afraid of!”

This colorful, kid-friendly cookbook contains over 100 recipes that look simple but delicious.  Geared for 4th grade and up, kids will find not only sweet goodies in the cookbook but also some healthful recipes such as Fruity Bran Loaf, Wholemeal Apricot Rock Cakes and Snack Bars (which are full of whole grains, seeds and dried fruit).  The instructions are written clearly and step-by-step with pictures to illustrate technique.  Each recipe includes large, colorful photographs of the finished treat which should inspire young bakers.  Every recipe looks delicious!  This should be popular in our library, I will book-talk it!

The author noted that she grew up in a small village in Italy where her family gathered every year to crush the grapes at harvest time.  This story is about Claudia, a small girl in Italy whose family owns a vineyard.  She’s afraid of heights and is reluctant to climb the ladder to the roof where the big barrel is placed for crushing grapes.  With gentle support from her family, Claudia is able to join the other children in the grape stomping.  She ends up delighting in the task and overcomes her fears.  The harvest celebration culminates in a big Italian family feast until the exhausted Claudia cuddles in for a well-deserved afternoon nap on Grandma’s tall bed.  This picture book was an interesting read, particularly with the author’s cultural connectivity and use of Italian words (glossary included) sprinkled throughout the story.  The illustrations were bright and colorful, depicting the beautiful Italian countryside.

Buzz and Fly Guy go for a car ride with Dad , when Fly Guy gets sucked out the car’s open window. Fly Guy goes from car to truck, to boat, to circus train, to airplane, to rocket with Buzz and Dad in hot pursuit.

Tedd Arnold leads his readers on in wide-eyed wonder, just like his wide-eyed characters!

This book was fun to read due to the humorous writing style as well as the text being in letter format.  Some of the characters are town phantoms and there are mysteries to solve.  The story is about a small town which is about to lose it’s post office in lieu of a new technology called VEXT-mail (which is hilariously faulty).  To spice up the story a bit, there is strange, mysterious and sometimes mildly threatening fan mail arriving at Spence Mansion, the home of eleven year-old Seymour Hope and his adoptive parents  Ignatius Grumply (an elderly writer) and Olive C. Spence (a ghost writer, literally!).  Most of the characters have phonetically comical names such as Dr. Izzy Dedyet, the town doctor.  Seymour and his new friend Wy Fye (who is addicted to texting on her cell phone) work to solve the mysteries and save the post office.  A light and entertaining read, Ms. Klise’s books are popular in our school library (K – 8 gr).

Damon, his mother, her friend and Jaden, are helping to pack up the belongings in grandfather’s house because he now lives in an assisted living community. When Jaden shows grandfather an old photo, grandpa tells of how the boy in the photo disappeared without a trace 60 years ago all due to a treasure map they had. Later, Jaden finds the same treasure map. Clues on the map lead Damon and Jaden into a dark, creepy cemetery and a hidden underground vault.

Told in nine short (less then 10 pages each) chapters with  ten black and white drawings by Nelson Evergreen, Jason Strange (pseudonym) reveals his investigative notes on this mystery with a surprise bone-chilling end.

Includes: Discussion Questions , Writing Prompts, and a glossary.

I enjoyed the twists in the story, but  later (perhaps because I’m an adult) became dissatisfied by over-thinking the mother’s role in the story.

The cover artwork makes this a good Hi-Lo book for older readers.

This is book 3 in the Lemonade War Series following The Lemonade War and The Lemonade Crime.  This book is well-written and engaging, drawing me in to the plot and characters so that I didn’t put it down until I’d finished the last page.  This story is about 9 year old Jessie, her 10 year old brother Evan, their mother and Grandmother.  Jessie, Evan and their mom take trip to visit Grandma who has been having some health problems, including signs of dementia.  While visiting, the kids discover that their Grandma’s valuable antique bell is missing from her property which sparks a mystery to be solved.  They meet a new friend along the way, who shows strong signs of autism.  The themes of friendship, acceptance, standing up to bullies, mystery, aging loved ones, work ethic and reliability are all present in this story.  I highly recommend this entire series and have found that my students enjoy these books as well.

This is the tongue-in-cheek sequel to THE WICKEDEST WITCH in the Witches at War! series by author Martin Howard and illustrator Colin Stimpson. “Only a power-crazed evil sorceress out to take over the world would wear heels like that, and, in fact, Deadly Nightshade was a power-crazed evil sorceress out to take over the world. So that was alright.”  And to do that Diabolica needs The Black Wand of Ohh Please Don’t Turn Me Into Aaaaargh … Ribbet. The politics of the witching world continues as Esmelia plots to gain the title of The Most Superior High and Wicked Witch permanently while her apprentice, Sam, simply plots to stay alive, though hopefully not as an apprentice to Esmelia.

The NUMBER 1 rule in the witching world is witches do not have children! Sam knows who her grandmother was, Sam’s mother has just learned Sam is her daughter, but doesn’t know who her own mother was. A puzzle to be solved, a throne to gain, and the world to conquer.

Who, oh, who will come out on top, and how does the classic children’s song/dance the Hokey Pokey turn into a magical dance of Hocus Pocus which helps to foil evil?

Children can contribute to the holiday season with these 7 no-bake recipes.  Color photographs show the tools and techniques needed, along with a description of what they are and how they are used.  Simple instructions along with detailed photos show young chefs how to make sandwiches, snacks, salads, and desserts to help celebrate the holidays.  Each recipe comes with a tip to switch it up for personal tastes or if a change of ingredients is preferred.  The glossary includes pronunciation cues as well as definitions.  Suggested books for other recipes are written at a similar level.  The facthound internet site provides a variety of additional information on many subjects along with an assortment of games.  A Capstone Kids site provides even more kid-centered projects and activities.  If one takes the time to investigate these sites, they will surely be bookmarked for later enjoyment!  A metric conversion chart is included.

Libraries can never have enough origami books for students!  Origami paper heads the list of useful materials.  This is followed by folding techniques and symbols which are described and illustrated.  The interest level indicated is from grades 1 to 3, however some experience following origami instructions practiced fingers will certainly help young folders avoid frustration.  Each model includes an additional tip.  The books listed for further reading are at a variety of skill levels.  The facthound internet site offers additional origami projects and other crafts and activities for kids.

Basic facts about the American black bear begin this informative book.  Colorful double-page spreads combine additional statistics with detailed and labeled photographs.  Words to know are in bold font and defined at the bottom of the page.  The same words are in the glossary with the pronunciation clues.  Each page includes a fast fact with extra details.  A map shows where American black bears are most often found.  The book is well designed with a pleasing balance of informational and easily read text with a variety of well-chosen photographs.  The final page consists of one more “Amazing but True” fact.  Recommended books for further reading are written at a similar level and interest are in the back with the index.  A facthound internet site provides a variety of information,k games and activities to accompany this book on bears.  Molly Kolpin consulted with a a research ecologist to insure accuracy.

This is the third of Ashley Spires’ graphic novels of  Binky, the Space Cat Adventures.  Binky is bored with the routine of his life.  His space station is secure, his humans are safe.  One day his human brings home Gracie, a foster cat.  Binky resents having to share his home, food, and playthings, as Gracie competes for human attention.  When Binky discovers Gracie is actually sent to evaluate him, he goes from being confident to becoming panicked as he appears to be failing everything.  When security of the space station is breached, both Binky and Gracie work together to fend off the invasion.  He gets a promotion and Gracie is assigned her own space station – right next door.  New adventures are bound to follow.  The pages in this graphic novel are well designed and the reader is taken easily through the action, flashbacks, and private thoughts.  This is sure to be popular with both cat and graphic novel fans.

Dogs, horses, elephants, glowworms, camels, pigeons and dolphins are some of the animals that accompanied troops during battles throughout history.  Photographs and drawings illustrate their heroism around the world.  Within the pages are additional boxes of information titled, “What Would You Do?”, “Remembering Bravery”, Number Crunching”, and “Secret Heroes”.  Words in bold font are defined in the glossary.  Also included are stories of how some of these animals helped their people.  Nonfiction and fiction books are included in the bibliography.  All are at similar reading and interest levels.  Also included are 3 web sites, the address of a place to visit, and an index.  This is a very informative book and would make a great addition to an upper elementary or middle school library collection.

The recipes in this book depend on basic ingredients such as grains, spices, yogurt, dried fruits, and nuts.  Specific dishes, most of which have been passed down for generations, list ingredients as well as directions on how to prepare them.  As recipes and traditions are shared, many Afghan terms, and pronunciations, are included.  This book is chock-full of background information on the history and traditions of each food.  Recipes list ingredients and instructions for cooking but a true understanding of the dish is in the reading of eating habits and customs.  Text is easily read and the layout is pleasing.  This book is interesting to read even if one does not intend to prepare any of the recipes!  Books for further reading and informative websites are included in the back with a glossary, index, photo credits and a paragraph about the author.  Recommended for elementary libraries.

Books in this series begin with two, Find the Truth!, statements.  By the end of the book, readers will know which statement is true and which is false.  Short chapters tell about life of the native Algonquian people before Europeans arrived in the 1600s, life and anxieties of the colonists as they struggled to achieve a successful way of life, and eventual statehood in the 1700s.  Pivotal people and events are noted as well as a look at daily life and concerns.  Paintings and photographs illustrate the text.  The layout is pleasing and the writing is clear and easily understood.  This series provides interesting details for casual reading as well as adequate information for reports.  A list of other books to read, web sites, places to visit, a glossary and an index are found in the back.  Recommended for elementary and classroom library collections.