Getting the chance of a lifetime to become an intern at a top teen magazine could open many doors for Harper Anderson.  Too bad it begins with a lie.  In Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies, witty and intelligent Harper lands this position by writing a sample teen dating blog post using her best friend’s reality as her own.  Now in Manhattan at Shift headquarters, Harper is expected to write a blog every Wednesday that’s as juice and drama filled about the teen dating scene as her application’s sample.  The problem is that Harper has had no real dating life.  She doesn’t go out of her shell.  Nor does she fit into New York style.  Her aunt, whom she will live with for the summer, helps her continue the facade by dressing Harper to look her part with designer clothing.  Harper must them continue to tell little white lies as she gets to know the other interns she’s competing with for the call back next summer.  Harper learns to think on her feet and navigate the dog-eat-dog path of interns while cracking her own shell along the way.  Ultimately though, the lying can not last and a pivotal weekend when her best friend surprises her with a visit sends the book spiraling to its conclusion.  Chic lit at its best, this title has romances, budding feminism, and inner turmoil that will keep a reader entertained.  Recommended for high school and public libraries.

Glow has page after page of stunning photographs of bioluminescence.  On a black backdrop, the large white text starts by introducing and defining the concept of bioluminescence.  While found on land and in the air, more than anywhere else, bioluminescence is found in the water.  The book continues with a simple explanation of the chemicals animals produce that creates the glow of bioluminescence.  Animals glow to hunt, to hide, to call for help, and lose an enemy, and so on.  The simple text is supplemented on each page with a more indepth scientific explanation of the animal pictured and the concept being highlighted.

End papers include an explanation of how the photographs were taken as well as a diagram of each creature featured in the book, highlighting where on the creature the bioluminescence occurs.  Scientific name, size, and location included.  Also contains a bibliography.

The combination of the large text with simple concepts and vocabulary and the small text with the indepth scientific explanations make this a wonderful choice for a mixed-age partner read.

Roland Smith takes us to a world we have no experience with, probably do not want any experience with,  and keeps us glued to the pages while he explores that world for us.

This time, Roland takes us into the underground caverns of New York City. Here there are not one but two separate groups of people living in chosen isolation from the world we know above ground. Each group has secret ties to the above ground world. Secret even to the members of their own groups.

Now enters a young man who was born during a lunar eclipse- Cooper. Cooper does not understand why all his life he has been drawn to the dark of night. His parents do not understand it either. Nor does his younger brother, Patrick. When Coop leaves home after finishing high school, his family does not hear from him for months. Then suddenly Coop secretly contacts his brother. Just before Christmas, Coop mysteriously breaks off communication with Pat again. Pat tries to get his parents involved in finding Coop. When that fails, Pat sets out on his own to track down Coop. Little by little the pieces fall into place. Pat finds himself being blindfolded and taken down beneath the streets of New York City. Pat finds where Coop has been, but too late. Coop has moved onto another group living beneath the city. Warnings of how dangerous this other group is does not detour Coop. And so, Pat continues his search for his brother.

Roland hits the emotions involved with being in the dark, your skin will crawl, but you will not be able to put this book down.

Any books about cars are hot ticket items for the k-2 crowd and this particular title will fly off the shelf. It is written is very clear short sentences, with additional boxes of text for added information. The photos are crisp, with a mixture of close ups and wider angle shots.

The necessary nonfiction pieces: table of contents, glossary, index and labeled diagrams are all there. Teachers will appreciate the nonfiction elements as they are teaching.

This book is highly recommended!

Bob and Flo and their friend, Sam, decide to play a rousing game of hide-and-seek. It took Bob a few tries to figure out what the ‘hiding’ part of the game entailed, but his friends were patient as he tried again and again.

This is a great book for the preschool/kindergarten crowds who are figuring out how to play together. They will recognize the kitchen area and blocks and relate to the penguins’ activities.

The illustrations are well done and the expressions (or lack of) on the penguins’ faces work well in the story.

Additional selection/

Uruguay is part of the Exploring Countries in the Blastoff! Readers Level 5 series by ‘children’s press’.

This is a great way for middle primary students to read for information.  Each page usually contains a photo or part of one from the preceding page and one or two paragraphs of information. Just enough information to grab the students attention without overwhelming them. The contents include: location of Uruguay, wildlife, daily life, going to school, working, playing, food, and holidays. Sprinkled throughout the book are ‘Fun Facts’ (trivia) and ‘Did You Know?’ The last two pages before the glossary and index are “Fast Facts About Uruguay”. Here the reader will find a flag illustration, area, capital city, population, official language, national holidays, religions, major industries, natural resources, manufactured products, and money. Short, sweet and to the point. Just right for third and fourth graders, as well as, fifth graders.

Ten Little Bluebirds is a board book meant for pre-school and kindergarten. The ten little bluebirds cleverly diminish in number from ten to one with each turn of the page. The ten little bluebirds, in fact, diminish because they are cut only once and are fit into holes in page.

“Ten little bluebirds, singing in a tree.

Bright eyes, bright wings, as happy as can be.

Except for one, who wants to stay,

to sing with Mom all through the day.”

AS the reader turns the page, a new and different animal invites the little birds “Hey! Come and play. And one little bird decides to stay.” All is fine until the proofreader missed the mistake on #2 , when “Two little birds decide to stay.” Oops, only one should have stayed to complete the math concept being presented and the stories predictablity factor.

Each verse has a sentence with rhyme, but without practice, on the part of the reader, it does not stand out.

All ten birds are back with their mother at the end of the book for the end of their day.

Preschoolers will enjoy the cut-outs and counting the little birds.

This book is part of the I See Ocean Animals series. it has all the necessary parts that make up a great nonfiction book – Table of contents, glossary, index and more. There is a large photo on one side of each two page spread with two to three simple sentences on the the other side. There is the occasional question for deeper thinking. All in all, this is a solid addition to the library. Recommended.

A delightful book about seventeen-year-old Rick Dresner who is spending the summer in Mexico working for friends helping to add to their home in a barrio.  He learns much about living in Mexico, improves his Spanish so he can have real-life conversations, experiences the cultural differences that create some tensions between him and the family, and becomes more understanding of poverty, people crossing the Mexican-U.S. border, how hard the work is, and the differences in hospitality and foods.   This book is excellent to go along with the study of the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

This is the third book in the Gadgets and Gears series by Kersten Hamilton. The series takes place in the early 1900s when idustrialization is booming. In this book, Kersten Hamilton introduces the readers to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whom she fictionalizes as a friend of Aunt Rhodope and to the Sisters of Suffrage.   The story is being told by Noodles, the dachshund,  pet of Walter Kennewickett, aka Wally. (Noodles uses quite a few ‘BIG’ words, but always explains them for the reader, much like in the Lemony Snickett series.) Wally’s parents- Oliver and Calypso are scientists and Wally is a scientist-in-training. The Kennewicketts are inventing gadgets all the time for the betterment of society. Their use of batteries and electricity is new for this time period.

As this book opens, Wally’s parents are taking part in a three country Electromobile Rally in London, England. Wally is helping his Aunt Rhodope photograph the rally when a strange ticking sound is noticed. Aunt Rhodope and Wally, also, notice a poor man in tattered clothes, who later turns out to be known as the villain The Tick-Tock Man. After the rally leaves town ,Wally is informed by a street performer (Dobbin) he’s been watching that the Tick-Tock Man is out to nap him. Wally and Dobbin talk. Later, Dobbin sends Wally a note asking to meet with him. It is a matter of life and death. It turns out Dobbin’s sister, Briney, has a wind-up heart. Dobbin needs to find Tick-Tock to save Briney’s life. Tick-Tock has the keys needed to wind up Briney’s heart to keep her alive (like a Grandfather clock), but Tick-Tock is missing. Wally will help find Tick-Tock because that’s what Kennewicketts do. Wally and Aunt Rhodope enlist the help of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to help solve the whereabouts of Tick-Tock.  Along the way Hamilton adds flavor to the plot using London’s famous thick fog, constables, Scotland Yard, and in this case, wild swine who live in the sewers of London, much like the rats and alligators of other cities urban legends.

Tick-Tock comes to Briney’s aid, for he truly cares for the little girl, but it is too late for his keys to help her. What Briney needs is a bigger, new heart for she has outgrown the one she has. Tick-Tock holds Dobbin to the promise he made in exchange for Tick-Tock’s helping Briney. Dobbin will be required to “be a good man. From this day on…” and with that, Tick-Tock removes his own wind-up heart to save Briney. (114)

In the Epilogue, Oliver and Calypso Kennewickett will take Dobbin and Briney to live with them in America.

Readers should not skip reading the Author’s Note on pages 127-130. Here they will find some interesting information about the real Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.