A big rig is a big truck.  It carries good across the country.  With large font and short simplistic sentences, Big Rigs on the Go describes the parts of a big rig, what big rigs are used for, and driver information.  Each pair of pages has a full color photograph that supports the text.  A sure hit for early readers.

Contains Table of Contents.  Back papers include a diagram of Parts of a Big Rig, Picture Glossary, Index, and Read More section.

Machines That Go series is also available as Interactive e-books.

Construction workers have many different jobs.  They work together to build things.  Using large easy to read font and simple sentences, this title explains the different jobs in construction.  Each page contains a large color photo that reinforces the text.  Interspersed through the book are occasional circles with thought provoking questions that will lead to discussion.

Contains an index.  Back matter includes pictures of Construction Worker Tools, Picture Glossary of construction terms, Index and Read More sections.

The series is also available as interactive e-books.

You can pick it/You can kick it/You can throw away the core/You can toss it/You can sauce it/You can roll it on the floor. A fun, rhyming text describing the many things you can do with an apple.  The pictures with simple cartoonish characters demonstrate the essence of the text.  Repetitive sentence structure and rhythm with clear illustrations make this a good title for emerging readers.

Also available in the is series, What’s a Banana?

Yellow isn’t just a color, it is a time of year.  Never mentioning to a specific season, this is a lovely celebration of autumn.  All the senses are called into play with the crows announcing its coming, the scent of air, “like mud and dry grass with a sprinkle of sugar,” and the wind that blows the yellow sideways. The charming illustrations reinforce the joy and motion of the season and paired with rich descriptive language makes this a great read aloud.

I Dissent is a stellar biography of a highly accomplished woman as well as a concise introductory explanation of the role of the supreme court.

Ruth Bader was born in an era when a woman’s role revolved around the home and women were discouraged from pursuing careers. Through her actions she showed her disagreement and dissent to the limitation put on people because of their gender, religion, or race.  Yet even when she strongly disagreed with others, for example fellow Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia, she showed that it need not stand in the way of friendship and respect.

The theme of dissent is a constant thread in the book.  Throughout the book, complicated concepts are explained in clear but simplistic text bringing the intricacies of our complex judicial system to level for early elementary students. Illustrations are lively and colorful and Ruth’s expressions reinforce her opinions and strength of her character.

Back matter includes photographs, a more thorough biography, notes on court cases referenced in the book, extensive bibliography and quotation sources.

Ben wants nothing more than to have a beard.  All of the coolest, “boss” people he knows have beards, including his dad.  After creative experimentation with different ways to have something like a beard, including an incident with the permanent marker, Ben’s dad throws Ben for a loop when he cuts off his beard.  This is not what Ben wants.  A quick trip to the costume store helps solve the problem for both son and dad.  The alliteration of “B”s throughout the text keep the story bouncing along.  Another “boss” attribute is the line “Both of Bobby’s dads rocked boisterous beards.”   It’s so refreshing to have this as seamless as any other line in a children’s picture book today.  For this and many other reasons, Beard Boy is recommended for all libraries.

What happens when 10 different pigs bring their favorite foods to add to a sandwich?  Using slant rhyme, Derek Anderson builds suspense as each pig throws in their item to become a towering meal.  When the 11th pigs shows up, every pig is stopped in its tracks as there should only be 10 pigs total.  What’s a wolf doing there?  A silly ending is only the downfall of this super cute read, well maybe that and the choppy cadence.  Still, the illustrations are amazing and will carry the story in young kids’ minds.  Illustrator Derek Anderson, of Hot Rod Hamster fame, has produced his second “pig” book incorporating his own writing with his fabulous illustrations.    Most kids will enjoy Ten Hungry Pigs.

The title and cover of Manners Are Not For Monkeys will draw young readers into this book instantly.  I mean, who doesn’t like to see monkeys behaving badly?  But the problem is that after a move to a cage near the children’s playground, the monkeys do the exact opposite.  They start mimicking the children and use their manners.  Their mother can’t stand this and orders then to chew with open mouths, screech loudly, drop food on the ground and swing around crazily.  The little twist at the end of the story is a perfect finish for this fun review of good manners.  Full-color illustration throughout, though this reader thinks they could be “cuter” — maybe cuter wouldn’t match the message.  Regardless, it will be entertaining and is a worthy purchase if you have additional funds.

Well woven biographical sketches and social history lessons will open many eyes of students who pick up LGBTQ+ Athletes Claim the Field.  Author Kirstin Cronn-Mills was able to capture both the agony and pride these athletes have felt in such a variety of sports.  The unfortunate reality is that their athleticism is shadowed by their sexual orientation, whether they come out while still participating or in retirement, is surprisingly sad.  Cronns-Mills portrays each athlete as the human being they are, with the same rights as the next person, yet those rights have to be fought for in court and in the court of people’s hearts.  Gatekeepers are being challenged and toppled, from Major League teams to K-12 education policies.  LGBTQ+ Athletes Claim the Field should make lists of recommended books for libraries for its well-rounded, primary source filled coverage of the issue.

Josh Baster states he’s the new kid in the “new town, new house, new school. And no player’s guide to give me the tips and tricks I need to make it through the year. This is one game I have to figure out how to beat on my own.” (1)

Josh eats, sleeps, and lives video games. It is not the best way to influence people. On the first day, Josh has a run-in with the top football player Schmittendorf, Josh’s new bully, whom the entire school is counting on to win the big football rivalry game for them.  Bad grades at mid-term  Josh’s mother takes away all of his video games and computer until the end of the quarter. “In every adventure game the character starts out at the bottom. A level-one scrub. No skills, powers, or magic items. And if I want to reach the top, to become the hero who could get the grades, beat the bullies, and maybe even impress the princess, there’s only one way. I have to grind my way through the levels. I need to learn the rulebook, earn the experience points, max out my stats, and level up.

I’ve been playing not to lose. It’s time to play to win.” (35)

This is how Josh acts and reacts to all of his real life situations, by comparing them to how videos games work. What would various video game characters do in this or that situation?  The reference to evolving his math skills to Pokemon, made me chuckle. When Josh takes the advice of one character to stand up to bullies, Josh gets into it verbally with ‘Mittens’, who hits Josh in the head before teachers arrive on the scene. Both Josh and Mittens get detention. This means Mittens won’t being playing in the big football game. When the school looses the football game, the entire school seems to turn against Josh.

On the up side, this middle school holds a Video Game Decathlon as a fund raiser for the class trip each spring.  Josh’s new  student English tutor and her friends (the geeks of this story) want to win this year! Mittens and his video gaming group are able to turn the Video Game Decathlon theme into video sports games, which of course Josh’s new friends know basically nothing about. Josh convinces his new friends, one at a time, to enter the Video Game Decathlon because of his knowledge of sports gaming.  When they win the Video Game Decathlon, Mittens is a gracious loser, a true sport.

The video gaming terms and themes give this book a fresh approach to school life and bullying!

Morgan is a rule breaker.  And a liar.  And a thief.  And her parents have had enough.  When the opportunity comes for them to send her to a “reform” school of sorts, she can’t believe her dad locked the door of the car after she gets out to walk into the airport. But Morgan is also super smart.  And a quick thinker. And can make it on her own.  Even if it means “borrowing” someone’s identity to fly across the country and become a girl named Janelle for the fall.  In this new identity, Morgan will continue to lie, manipulate and theve herself into the people’s good graces, but how long can Morgan keep up the act without being caught?  Don’t You Trust Me is a fast-paced, though slightly far-fetched quick read for girls.  G-rated, this could easily stretch down to middle school as an additional purchase.

This is the first book in the BOB AND TWEET series. The mob of Bobs are slobs, but one Bob (#7- Dean) is not a slob.The Bobs have been requested to move to a new neighborhood. They do not mind. The fleet of  Tweets are very neat, all but one Tweet (#7- Lou). The Tweets move, too. They move right next to the Bobs. After the Tweets clean, exercise, and do yoga, they decide to bicycle down to the swimming pool to swim 100 laps. After the Bobs finally wake up at noon, they decide to go to the swimming pool with their gear meant for the beach- jet ski and BBQ. The Bobs swamp the Tweets who are swimming laps. An argument arises. During the parents’ argument Lou Tweet meets Dean Bob. They discover they have been deceived by the same realtor as to where to move. Then, life guard Mark combs his hair, puts down his cell phone, divides the pool into two sections, and stops the families’ fighting with the Tweets on the right and the Bobs on the left.

” ‘Phew,’ says Dean Bob. ‘I am glad Mark helped out.

I get really stressed when my Bobs start to shout.’

‘I agree,’ says Lou Tweet. ‘I am glad Mark came through.

Most of all I am happy I got to meet you. ” (67)

Both families leave he pool to continue their opposing life styles, but Dean and Lou promise to see each other again tomorrow.

This story has nine short chapters, told in rhyme. The rhyme and zany illustrations are very reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’ style.

The chapter titles definitely state the main idea for each chapter.

Bright bold colors delight the eye of the reader as they follow two bugs with BIG eyes on their first trip to the beach.

Bitsy Bug and Busy Bug build a big sand castle. Then, a ” Bird Bug swoops down. It lands on the castle…It comes down with a crash.” Bitsy and Busy will build again later, for now, they will play in the water.

All the critters are bugs in this world. The dolphins and birds are bugs having antennae with with red knobs. Cute!

Written in very large font, with three or four lines of text per page.

Snail loves his bucket! It has everything he needs and he never, ever, ever, has to leave – no matter how many times Ladybug asks. Until…one day, the farmer picks up his bucket, Snail is dumped out and the adventure begins!

He tastes so many amazing new foods, like pea pods and beets and, best of all, strawberries! He meets new friends, like Gopher and Rabbit. But, disaster strikes and his day becomes terrible (for a few minutes) when he bites a REALLY hot pepper. But, Ladybug and Rabbit save the day – finding Snail’s bucket home, which is now filled with strawberries. Life is good!

This book is a great one for those readers who are ready for a little more that the average picture book. It’s a bit longer, with word bubbles and cartoon-like illustrations. Hopefully, this is the beginning of many adventures for Snail and his friends. Recommended

What a lovely book! The sweet adventures of Lucy and her friends are told in three stories – “The Snack”, “The Treasure Hunt” and “The Hatchlings”. Friendship, fun and a few surprises are detailed in simple language with beautiful accompanying illustrations.

There is a labeled map of their home, reminiscent of Pooh’s Hundred
Acre Woods. Young readers will enjoy referring to it as they move through the three stories, each with a mild conflict that is resolved in a delightful manner. Highly Recommended!

Megafast Motorcycles starts with a general description of what the term “megafast motorcycle” means and then moves on to a two page spread detailing a variety of motorcycles that fit within that term. Sidebars, located on the right side of each spread gives information like power, spead, engine size, price, et cetera that can be compared to other motorcycles in the book.

The photos are edgy and some are blurred to give the impression of speed, which can also be a distraction. There is a glossary, index and table of contents, which are helpful.

Middle grade readers might enjoy this book, but I would make it an additional purchase. Only your real gearheads will care about the torque and engine size of any given bike. Look for books with a wider potential audience.

Russell Freedman brings narrative and historic photos together to give the reader a small taste of what it was like to live in Germany during the time Adolf Hitler’s rise and fall.

Not all Germans were deceived by Adolf Hitler’s promises. Hitler Youth Groups, in economically depressed post-World War I Germany, were pumped full of patriotism and uniforms. They appear to be a cross between high-school pep rallies and boy scouting. At first, Hans Scholl was very eager to be a part of this exciting group. In 1935, his Hitler Youth group took part in the Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg where over 50,000 youth were present. Hans became “disillusioned by the mass conformity of the Nuremberg rally, the mindless obedience demanded of each participant.”(11) Afterwards, when Hans tried to run his patrol his own way he was taken out of his leadership position. By 1936, Hitler Youth group was mandatory. Other German youth groups were outlawed, most disbanded. Hans became part of the d.j.1.11 (German Boys League – Deutsche Jungendschaft) which had to meet in secret. When the d.j.1.11 met, someone might ask, ”  ‘ What is an Aryan?’… The group would reply in hooting unison” ‘Blond like Hitler!’ – who was dark. ‘Tall like Goebbels!’ – the propaganda minister, who was short. ‘Slender like Goring!’ the Nazi military leader, who was fat.” (14)

Sophie Scholl, Hans’ younger sister, was put under suspicion when she would not give up her Jewish friends.

Both, Hans and Sophie worked their mandatory service to their country in the National Labor Service. Before going onto college. After basic training, Hans was able to study medicine at university during the school year and be an army medic on the Russian Front during his summers off from school. Hans and his student friends wondered how they could help heal people in hospital, when outside the Nazis were killing them. Then in June 1942, Hans and a very small group of his most trusted friends began writing the leaflets – THE WHITE ROSE. A non-violent form of resistance, which eventually had them arrested, jailed, and executed. The supplies for the leaflets were all purchased in small quantities, all over the city, by many different people, so as to not raise suspicion. Then the leaflets were mailed from various post offices in a number of different cities to people throughout Germany.  The first leaflet called for resisting the Nazi regime, the second brought to light the atrocities in occupied territories, the third called the Nazi dictatorship evil and to sabotage things helping the war to continue, the fourth stated Hitler, the Fuhrer,  was all lies, Hell and Satan. It ended saying, ”  ‘ We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace.’  ” (46) The fifth leaflet stated the war’s end was near, Hitler will not win, be careful what side you are on. The sixth stated the terrible loss at Stalingrad, “Senselessly and irresponsibly driven” by Hitler.  (57)

Hans and Sophie Scholl were arrested on February 18, 1943. After their trial, where no witnesses were called and no family members were allowed to be present, they were executed by guillotine the same day.

Another White Rose began. Eventually, “British warplanes were dropping White Rose leaflets by the tens of thousands over Germany’s cities and towns.” (82)

There are now numerous streets named after this movement and a museum / memorial at the Munich University.

This book answered so many questions I have often pondered over, but never asked. It is such a relief to know there were German people standing up to Hitler, even though they were ineffective.

When deep in your soul you know what you’ve been taught your whole life is not true, could you be strong enough to do something about it?  Hans Scholl, like most German children in the 1930’s, was indoctrinated to become a Hitler Youth.   He willingly joined against his father’s wishes at 14.  For 3 years he followed whole-heartedly the cry of “Heil Hitler”, rising among the ranks of his peers.  But in 1935, at a Nazi Rally gathering in Nuremberg, Hans’ doubt in the purpose and process began. Much like his father, Hans was an intellectual.  His frustration with the militaristic, brainless Hitler Youth drove him underground to an outlawed group of youth and to conversing with family members against Hitler.  Younger sister Sophie and younger brother Werner were arrested, interrogated and released, as was Hans in the autumn of 1937, which solidified their distrust of the regime.   Fast forward four and 1/2 years to a time where German has conquered much of Europe and Hans and Sophie are both at University in Munich.  Hans and 3 other men wrote their 1st leaflet, a non-violent form a resistance.  One year, 3 months and 6 leaflets later, most of the above were beheaded with others to follow and family members to be inprisoned.  The last leaflet does make it out of the country, reprinted and airdropped by British war planes across all of Germany.  In We Will Not Be Silent, award-winning author Russell Freedman writes a poignant, beautiful biographical sketch woven in intricately with the prose and pictures of history to bring forward the story of the White Rose at a most poignant time in our own American history.  Highly recommended for awards, libraries and classroom use.

This is the first in the series, In Due Time. Strange things are happening in the library at Sands Middle School. Historical figures appear in the library, but the librarian whisks them away. The librarian meets with Matt, Luis, and Grace and shows them a magical book. The three students use the book to travel back in time and have an adventure in 1950s Brooklyn.

This series would appeal to those who have moved on from the Magic Tree House Series, but still want a time traveling adventure book. At the end of the book, the author includes what you would find if you were actually in Brooklyn in the 1950s.

This is number 8 in the Billy Sure Series. Billy and his friend, Manny, are celebrating after selling their rights to their hovercraft invention. Suddenly there is a new inventor in town and that inventor want to bring Manny on as the company CFO. Billy and Manny are trying to save their company by creating a new invention. Billy comes up with an invisibility spray, but so does the competitor. Billy and Manny’s friendship shows throughout the story.

Black and white sketches are interspersed throughout the text. The text is a page turner for those looking for a mystery.

There is a mystery at Odd Street School. The school bell starts to ring at midnight. It rang more than the twelve times that it should have for midnight. It happened again on another night and it is the talk of the school. Who or what is ringing the bell? What is the glowing figure in the bell tower? Agatha and her friends have a mystery to solve.

Told from the point of view of Agatha with an authentic voice. The text is broken up with black and white sketches that add to story. This book would appeal to those looking for a mystery in a short chapter book.

This is number 14 in the Galaxy Zack series. Zack can’t wait for school to end and to go to Camp Stellar on the planet Sylvan with his friend Drake. When they get there Zack and Drake are put in a cabin with two other campers, one of them who is not very nice. Throughout the story, Zack tries to figure out why the other camper is so mean.

This book would appeal to those beginning to read chapter books because the text is easy to read and there are pictures on nearly every page. This story would appeal to those who like space and adventure.

This a picture book biography of Nadia Comaneci, Romanian Olympic gymnast. Nadia was constantly moving – climbing trees and swinging on the branches. She was also fearless. Nadia’s mother signed her up for gymnastics to find a place for her energy. Bela Karolyi spotted her cartwheeling on the playground and Bela and Marta asked her to join their new gymnastic school. The book explains not just her successes but her challenges too. The beautiful illustrations compliment the text. The author also includes a timeline of events at the end of the book.

This is number 17 in the Captain Awesome series. Captain Awesome and his friends just finished watching the new Super Dude movie. On his way home, Captain Awesome sees villains everywhere including his sister, Queen Stinkypants. Captain Awesome has the chance to meet Super Dude, but feels with all of the new and old villains he is seeing may mean that evil is around.

This book would appeal to readers who like superheroes. The language is easy to read and illustrations on almost every page make this appealing to those who are beginning to read chapter books.

Heidi Heckelbeck is a young witch, who sometimes gets into sticky situations with her magic. In this book, Heidi wishes for good weather for her class field trip, but the day is ruined when the storm rolls in before they leave. She is so frustrated that she wishes she wasn’t a witch.
How she fixes this problem, with some help from her Aunt Trudy (also a witch), makes for a sweet story that is perfect for readers ready for the next step past picture books. The accompanying illustrations are well-done and appropriate to the story. Recommended!