This graphic novel by Stone Arch is about an ordinary elementary school kid, who lives his dream.  He goes to the school nurse to get his regular allergy shot, but instead of the school nurse, a wacky scientist injects him with something that makes him a superhero.  He doesn’t know he’s really a superhero yet, but just that he gets an enormous rock head and incredible strength.  He uses his strength the next day during a field trip to the zoo, when animals get loose and charge his friends.  Apparently he’s doing so well that the wacky scientists, who are monitoring his behavior, believe he is ready for phase two.  That the whole story!  Actually, I found I was quite engaged in the story and wanted to see how it would end.  But I’m afraid I won’t find out because these books are just too expensive.  Each chapter is one whole book, and a pricey one at that.  Not enough money in my limited budget.  The ‘commercials’ that are interspersed in the book are too distracting.  Kind of funny, but not worth the cost.

With tongue in cheek humor, Mac Barnett tells the story of Steve Brixton, a 12-year-old, who loves the old Bailey Brothers mysteries so much, he, too, wants to become a detective.  (Think, Hardy Boys mysteries)  He sends in boxtops and money and gets his detective’s license in the mail.  A trip to the public library to check out a book for a school report leads to a case of confusion as the ‘feds’ believe him to be hired by a notorious villian to steal federal secrets.  Try to imagine a slapstick kind of chase.  All the adults are pretty much brainless. Funny, but the whole thing gets pretty tiresome before the story is over.

Historical, economic, geographical, and cultural information is found in the ‘America the Beautiful’ series by Children’s Press.  The part Georgia played in the American Revolution is interesting, but the real grabber is the historical “Trail of Tears” where Georgians got rid of the Native Americans when gold was discovered on Indian land within the Georgia state boundaries.  The white man’s lust for gold and riches is well known and well documented, but how could we justify what we did to an entire race for greed?  Looking at history, I would like to think that today we wouldn’t let that happen; but I’m not sure at all.  I do appreciate the fact that the publishers printed the truth and didn’t try to hide the facts.   This book has valuable information but with budget money so tight, I’m not sure if school libraries could afford to buy a 50-volume set, when information is so easily available on the internet.

I am a new fan of Rachel Isadora!!  I just love her work; she just keeps getting better and better.  In this one, Isadora has illustrated the classic 12 Days of Christmas but with an Africa theme.  The colors are bright and saturated and the space is well used.  Each page illustrates each day with the words remaining the same, but the objects seen in a different way.  For example, the five golden rings were rings worn around the neck as jewelry modeled after South African women’s styles.  The drummers drumming were modeled after musicians from Ghana and Nigeria.  Pleasant surprises like this fill the book and make an old favorite new again.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful book and should be in all school and public libraries as a first, must-have purchase.

See your options and make a good choice:  Good advice on and off the field.  Carlos might be a good quarterback, but he wants to be a superstar.  When his head gets a little too big for his helmet, it causes problems among his teammates and leads his team to losses rather than wins.  Mild conflict and football action will attract young fans of the game, but probably not very many other readers.  Jake Maddox books are popular among reluctant readers, and always have a message of teamwork and good sportsmanship.

Three trillion miles away from earth, it is difficult to make an emergency landing.  So it is a good thing that Superman is on the scene when Jimmy, an intrepid reporter for The Daily Planet, and the crew of the Long Range Explorer find that their hyperdrive engines are dead.  With colorful “BOOMS!” “BZZTS!” and “THWOOMS!” Superman is fighting off space scavengers, pushing giant space rocks out of the way, and finally coming face to face with the evil Kanjar Ro.  Luckily, Jimmy makes it back to earth in time for his deadline, and readers may admire the way he includes the five W’s in his article on the adventure.  Young Superman fans will enjoy this little chapter book that ends with discussion and writing prompts.

How soon we adults forget all the aches and pains and dilemmas of growing up and in this book, Harper does an excellent job of letting us see into the life of an elementary school girl and her classmates and friends.  I’m not sure how old Grace actually is or in what grade, but I would guess about fourth grade and ten years old.  I know teachers, parents and adults in general, find some kids difficult to be around.  But it’s actually nice to see that other kids find these same kids annoying, also.  Dealing with tattletales, snobby kids, and teachers are all strengths that Harper brings to her books.  How Grace deals with them and the lessons learned are ones we all need to hear.  This will make a great read for all kids.

In typical Boxcar Children fashion, in this baseball mystery, the four Alden children solve the mystery of who is giving signals to the best hitter of the opposing team.  What is great about these books are the familiarity of the characters and the mystery is interesting, with enough possible suspects, to make it suspenseful.  Kids who know and enjoy baseball, will enjoy this latest Boxcar Children addition.

What kid won’t get a giggle out of a little bathroom humor?  This title delivers 21 creative poems paired with lively illustrations that cover everything from sisters hogging the loo to potty training.   An entertaining touch of the taboo with out going down the drain.

It took Marco Polo four years of crossing deserts, climbing mountains and struggling against man and the elements to reach his destination: China and the palace of Kublai Khan. This biography of the amazing explorer does more than just relate the facts of his life and trek. Feinstein relates the account of Polo’s 17 years of service to the great Khan, how he ended up in a Genoese prison and how  his life story got written and published. Although only 112 pages, the book is beautiful.  The pages appear to be written on old maps.  The photographs and drawings are stunning.  The book is well-organized and easy to follow, ending with a chapter on the impact of Polo’s travels and a list of resources for further reading.  A solid reference on an incredible man.