All about Matter is a science book for young readers explaining what matter actually is and gives beautiful examples of the three states of matter.  The language is simple and elegant, yet so easily understandable.  The accompanying photos speak volumes.  A must-have for all elementary libraries.

Job Site shows how machines do the work of many people.  From lifting heavy objects, to digging holes, to moving piles, there are machines that are made specifically to do it.  Interesting perspective of shading by the illustrator.  Many young kiddos love machinery and this book will fit their needs.

Funny Cars is a very interesting book–I had no idea it was so expensive to participate in such a sport.  Funny cars race at excessively fast speeds for short distances, such as 330 mpg in 1,000 feet, which takes about 4 seconds.  The car bodies are light, about 90 pounds, the there is much protection for the driver built in.  The tires and engines don’t last long and need to be frequently replaced or rebuilt.  Car racing is a popular sport and this book will give a race fan more information in which to understand the high stakes.

Remember going on a road trip when you were a kid? Now?  I remember having a bunch of excuses why I couldn’t go or can’t go, depending on when, but then after all the procrastinating, I had the best of times.  Here, Pig Pig has been invited to go on summer vacation traveling around with Aunt Wilma and Uncle Fred (Fred and Wilma? sound familiar?).  Of course he doesn’t want to go, but does so reluctantly.  The simplest of things can be such glorious adventures, like a rock shaped like an elephant–when would you ever ride an elephant? Not too many words, as the pictures do a fine job of telling the story.

Nobel Genes, as in being conceived from a Nobel price winner sperm bank donor, is what this teenaged boy believes he has. When his scholastic abilities don’t match expectations, he beings to question the story that his single mom has told him throughout his life. The unnamed boy in this 1st person narrative has unanswered questions which he is afraid to ask out loud: who is father is, why he has no known relatives, and why aren’t the Nobel genes kicking in to make him the brilliant student his mother expects him to be. He also has the daunting responsibility of caring for his mother who suffers from mental illness, alcoholism, prescription drug abuse, and suicidal tendencies.

This is a disturbing and emotionally dark story, poignant and wrenching, but with  hopefulness that the boy will learn to control his own destiny, regardless of his genetic make up.

Spoiler Alert: a scene of incest; implied not graphically shown.

Susan Patron’s historical novel set in Bodie, California at the height of the gold rush era includes a mystery, a ghost who actually appears, and lots of fast action.  These elements should make it popular with young readers, but they also make it a bit different from other books in the Dear America series.

Behind the Masks is the diary of Angeline Reddy, daughter of the town’s attorney-at-law.  Angeline’s father has been declared dead, though she and her mother believe he is still alive.  Angeline’s mother has taken to her bed after a 1880’s style tooth extraction.  Plus, the town is being terrorized by vigilantes.

Patron’s careful research gives Angeline’s diary the true feel of an 1880s town.  We see a school, an undertaker’s establishment, a masked ball, vigilante justice, women’s clothing, cleaning the kitchen floor, and much more.  The book kept me interested from beginning to end.

One needs to be diligent when reading  the chapter where the villains are confronted during the masked ball, and Mr. Tucker reveals why the ghostly figure in the red cape cannot find rest.  It has so many elements I had to read it twice,  and  I wondered how the heroine could remember it all to include it in her diary.  Historical notes are included at the end of the book.

This book is set in late winter 1955 in a small farming community in South Dakota.  As winter progressed, extreme weather set in with repeated heavy snowstorms which closed roads and stranded families on their farms.  The main characters are composed of one such farming family with three girls ranging in age from middle school to high school, dad and pregnant mom.  The book is a delightful and exciting snapshot of their lives during these winter-time challenges.  Themes of family, perseverance, patience, hard work, friendship, helping others and coming of age are all prevalent.  I enjoyed this novel set in more innocent times and will recommend it to my students.

Susan Shaw’s Tunnel Vision can catch a reader in the first three pages.  Liza’s mom is dead and Liza is the next target.  But why?  Immediately rushed into the U.S. Marshall’s protective services, Liza and her dad are on the run from being on a hit list.  Moving from the east coast to the mid-west and back again, Liza must hide her bright red hair and her fear as she feels everyone knows who she is.  It doesn’t help that the mainstream media caught their “story” and made it national news, broadcasting their picture over and over.  While the story is a little far fetched, the “what if” scenario makes a reader keep going.  The minor characters aren’t given much time to develop and be an integral part of the story.  Only one comes back into the picture.  Overall it has an interesting premise but would be a good additional selection for high school and public libraries.

Photos of Veterans Day celebrations tell the story as much as the text does in this book. Parades, speeches, school visits by soldiers in uniform, and flowers on graves of veterans and at memorials are some of the ways we thank our veterans for keeping us ‘free and safe’ on this day in their honor.

Includes: What you can do-an activity, Learn More, and web sites.

Father Ghost is coaxed into telling Franny and Frankie a bedtime story. One story becomes two, and then three. Each story has a twist of a scary ending.

The Haunted “Hamburger had two round eyes as green as pickles… a wide, squiggly mouth as yellow as mustard… [and] wet bloody cheeks as red as ketchup.”

These three tricky stories are a Halloween treat for their readers.

Paul Meisel’s wide-eyed ghost children with dark circles around their shallow sleepy eyes are a delight.