An excellent resource for any health class,  “Junk Food” editor Ronald D. Lankford calls on guest authors, experts in the field, to write entries throughout the book.  Filled with up-to-date (2011) statistics, the author cautions the reader that many junk food companies know that the “best way to sell junk food is to make them appear healthier.”  Using techniques such as posting false health claims on packaging (“Zero Trans Fat” or “Contains Whole Wheat”) distracting the consumer from other unhealthy ingredients in the product, many companies trick the public into thinking they’re making smart choices.

Trying to deliver the truth to the reader, “Junk Food” offers some political solutions, such as taxing junk food to help pay for the increasing health care costs.  High blood pressure, kidney stones, heart stress, and obesity are all believed to be side effects of America’s addiction to junk food.

Again, this is a great resource to try to educate young people about making healthy food choices.  The book’s thorough data would make it a great resource for a report.  An “Organization to Contact,” complete with annotated bibliographies, is included at the back.

Written by real-life twins, Times Squared is a fun book for young middle school girls.  The story line was not predictable and kept my interest throughout, wondering what would happen next.

The main characters are twins, Emma and Payton, who experience many awkward moments tweens can identify  with.  Math nerds and fashionistas are represented, first as separate groups and then joining forces to protect their school’s pride and dignity.  Along the way, the girls also gained dignity and pride in themselves.

The cover art reflects the innocence of the seventh grade students and situations.  There were no mean girls or sexual inferences in this easy to follow book.  After finishing the book, I felt uplifted and satisfied knowing there are still light-hearted and relevant books written for middle school readers.  I think this book would be great for fourth through seventh grade girls.

(By Jamie Kenny)

Amber was switched at birth.  Her biological mom writes her letters begging her to reply and promises her the world.  Amber takes a day for herself at the beach to avoid thinking about the custody her biological mom was given.  She meets Cade, who is also on his own personal getaway.  The two teens confide in one another and by the end of the day romance sparks between them.

Using flashbacks throughout the story, the author slowly weaves the tale of Amber’s past and present.  The author uses verse format to depict the emotional journey of the main character.  Readers who enjoy a heartwarming story will be guaranteed a good read.

— Tyler Z.

Eighteen-year-old Lexi unconsciously drowned Steven, the boy she loved, on her 16th birthday.   Later she realizes that her overwhelming urge to swim and sing is part of her  genetic heritage as a Siren; a  murderous muse of the sea.  Lexi’s task is to keep her secret safe along with her friends whether it means being an outcast or not.

In this satisfying fantasy novel, the author uses Lexi’s seclusion as a tool to show emotional distress in relationships among her peers; a common stress in teenagers’ lives.  Readers will be emotionally absorbed by Lexi’s story.  There is romance and regret throughout the pages, compelling the reader forward.  The message in this book is clear:  Lying is not the way to go and honesty is the key to simplicity.

— Tyler Z.

Book 3 of the Norumbegan Quartet, “Gut and Bone” is a mystery/sci fi puzzling the reader as to who to trust.  This “just in the knick of time” adventure continues the story of Brian and Gregory, who enter an alien body in the name of avoiding an alien attack on earth.  This book, for science fiction lovers only, is written at a fast pace with a little gore thrown in for good measure.

In a small town of Montana, where the total number of kids in the high school is twelve, it is more than scary when one girl, Tiffany, goes missing.  The next fall, Nico follows suit.  He was Kendall’s lifetime small town boyfriend, the one who understood her quirky ODC– her best friend in the world.  It’s too much for Kendall to handle–that and losing her school soccer team for lack of players when Nico disappears.  Connected by a love for soccer, Kendall has a rough road to friendship with Jacian, a good foil to showcase both of their strong and determined personalities.  A romance wants to bloom but Kendall can’t let that come out until she knows what happened to Nico.  That’s when the voices start.  Using some suspense and mystery, a reader can sense that Kendall might be next.  But the premise of how she, like the others, could die is so far fetched that readers might be let down in the end.  The soccer terminology is fun for fans of the sport.  While the characters are high school aged, this might find more respect from a middle school aged audience.

With the ease of finding information about people online, at what point does a little snooping become stalking?  When the love of your young life dumps you and you find out who the new girlfriend is, wouldn’t you want to look her up online?  Would you want to see her in person?  Carly did.  Natural curiosity combined with the need to bring closure to a heart-wrenching break-up brings the reader on an adventure in Part 1 of Stalker Girl.  Carly innocently believes that just seeing the new girl will help her understand and move on from the relationship.  But Taylor is different, and Carly needs to see more.  In Part 2, the reader hits rewind and gets to learn of how Carly and Brian met.  Carly is just a normal teen with the dysfunctional family we all have. Brian is the super sweet guitar playing friend who quickly becomes more than a friend in a summer romance.  But when school begins and Brian’s band takes more of his time, Carly’s too clingy for Brian.  Enter part 3 where Carly is now being questioned by not only her parents but a defense lawyer.  How did it go from quiet observations to a threatened lawsuit?   What else could Carly have done?  Readers will feel for Carly and see the knot she ties around herself.  A steadily paced narrative that with the right sales pitch will have interest to most teen girls.

Here is the epitome of summer camp life from beginning to end from the point -of-view of a young camper. This experience is presented with the beginning bus ride to camp, the description of the cabin and its bunks, the mess hall/food, mosquitoes (title) , mail call, laundry, the camp talent show, arts & crafts, water sports, limbo, campfire, bathing/showering ( or lack there of), and ending with the letter home.

Each experience is hilariously and rhythmically phrased for singing to one of the following  well-known melodies:

Yankee Doodle, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Skip to My Lou, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, On Top of Old Smoky, Mexican Hat Dance, Take Me out to the Ball Game, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Itsy Bitsy Spider, B-I-N-G-O, Rock-a-bye Baby, Pop Goes the Weasel, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Do Your Ears Hang Low?

So tune up your vocal cords and guitar or piano to have fun with the misadventures of this little camper.

This travel guide to the Silk Road takes you back to an era when camels and yaks trudged along the road bearing burdens of exotic luxuries such as Chinese silks bound for Europe, and European glass on its way to China.  Other goods among the array included trade staples like tea and salt.

 Directions for projects–from how to tie a Gordian Knot to how to make Central Asian Lagman Noodles, are also part of the useful knowledge in this book.   “Words to Know,”  in highlighted text boxes, and maps and illustrations help to make each subject easy to understand.

History, ecology, food, storytelling, and the evolution of the road over the years are covered.  The index, web sites, and glossary of books on the subject invite readers to further explore this trade route that brought goods, culture, and conquest as well to the countries it passed through.

In Book Speak, Salas has written a collection of  poems all about books; from their ‘feelings’ about being checked out or not checked out, going on an adventure with the reader, life on a shelf, which part of the book they are, the characters within them, and so on.  The poems range from thoughtful, funny, simple and complex, but all are totally interesting.  The illustrations, all done by one artist, are combinations of mixed media.  The art reflects the voice of the poem and is an integral part of the poem.  I couldn’t wait to turn the page to see what would be next.  In fact, this book has inspired me for poetry month in April, in which I plan to use it to introduce poetry to my students.  I hope they will feel inspired to write and illustrate in a manner as unique as this book.