Author Archives: Candy Ranney

About Candy Ranney

Candy is an elementary school librarian in Shelton, WA at the school where she was a student (so many years ago!). Her library is unique in that she brings her background and love of biology to her students in many ways. Not only does she have an awesome selection of science books; she also has a beaver, bobcat and mink sitting on her shelves and a variety of jarred specimens for her students to study. When she's not in the library, she is taking care of her baby trees on her tree farm and hanging out with her family and many pets. * 2025 WA Library Association School Librarian of the Year

Singing with Elephants

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by Margarita Engle

Oriol, an 11 year old Cuban immigrant lives in California with her veterinarian parents is a thoughtful, somewhat lonely girl. Things change for her when she meets Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Oriol shares her world of words and learns that in order for change to happen, one must open up and share those words like her new friend. She discovers the strength to do so when a baby elephant that her parents care for is in danger of being sold away from its mother into a life with someone who just wants to use it for entertainment and money. Oriol mobilizes the community with her words and discovers friendships and confidence along the way.

This lyrical story, told in verse form is a beautifully written and carries a message that even the youngest citizens can help the world be a better place. People just need to listen to the words.

Little Vampire

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by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg

Tony loves scary stories and horror films. So, he’s quick to recognize his new friend, Rudolph, is a vampire. He showed up at Tony’s window one night after Tony’s parents went out (which they seem to do nightly, leaving Tony alone). Rudolph visits Tony most nights, borrows his books and loans him his uncle’s cape so Tony can fly to the cemetery with him to visit his crypt. Soon, Rudolph’s sister, Anna, joins in the fun. Eventually, Tony’s parents become suspicious and as, for Tony to invite his new friends over for tea. He tries to fool his parents with a substitute and it didn’t go well. Anna, who has a crush on Tony, and Rudolph come to tea and try hard to appear human with mixed results. Tony’s parents shake their heads at his new friends and decide they don’t need to visit again any time soon.

This story is translated from the original German and is part of a six book series. While the premise is interesting, the story lags a bit and its macabre theme isn’t terribly humorous. Kids who enjoy horror fiction might find this book interesting, although it’s not really horror. And, readers that enjoy humorous stories might not like it either.

A Day in the Sun

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by Diana Ejaita

As the world travels around the sun and daylight shines in all the different places , we see how it affects us in the most positive ways. Each two-page spread highlights children in a noted country and what happens on a sunny day, whether it is covering their heads from the very hot sun to taking a swim to cool off. The bright, vibrant colors add to the story and the smiling children throughout remind us that we are all living on the same world under the same sun. This is a lovely book to share.

Aston Martin Valkyrie

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by Kaitlyn Duling

“Cool Cars” series literally says it all in the series’ name. These are books about fast, luxurious and fun cars that are, well, COOL! High interest topics paired with a load of brilliant photos and accessible text make this 28 book set a must-have in your library. Nonfiction elements include: Table of Contents, glossary, index, bolded words and labeled illustrations. Each book has the important facts about a car like its engine type, history, size, speed and future plans of the manufacturers. This photo-heavy, high-low series will be popular among your patrons!

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is a very special car – only 150 have been made and the starting price is over $3,000,000! This is a hybrid model, with a powerful gas engine and an electric motor as well. Because it is so rare, this car is popular at car shows and people stop to stare when one drives by. Readers will dream about seeing one of these cars one day!

Audi RS E-Tron GT

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by Kaitlyn Duling

“Cool Cars” series literally says it all in the series’ name. These are books about fast, luxurious and fun cars that are, well, COOL! High interest topics paired with a load of brilliant photos and accessible text make this 28 book set a must-have in your library. Nonfiction elements include: Table of Contents, glossary, index, bolded words and labeled illustrations. Each book has the important facts about a car like its engine type, history, size, speed and future plans of the manufacturers. This photo-heavy, high-low series will be popular among your patrons!

The Audi RS E-Tron GT is an all electric car that is super fast and luxurious. It was first made in 2021 and has a driving range of nearly 300 miles. There are a lot of plans for this model, including animated lights and, possibly, a smart version in the future!

Ferrari SF90 Stradale

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by Kaitlyn Duling

“Cool Cars” series literally says it all in the series’ name. These are books about fast, luxurious and fun cars that are, well, COOL! High interest topics paired with a load of brilliant photos and accessible text make this 28 book set a must-have in your library. Nonfiction elements include: Table of Contents, glossary, index, bolded words and labeled illustrations. Each book has the important facts about a car like its engine type, history, size, speed and future plans of the manufacturers. This photo-heavy, high-low series will be popular among your patrons!

The Ferrari SF90 Stradale is a special car. It is one of Ferrari’s fastest models and go from 0 mph to 60 mph in just TWO seconds! It’s also a hybrid, with three electric motors and one V8 engine. It was first built in 2019. Readers will love the accompanying photos to this fact-filled book about the Ferrari SF90 Stradale. It’s quite a machine!

Mercedes – AMG GT

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by Kaitlyn Duling

“Cool Cars” series literally says it all in the series’ name. These are books about fast, luxurious and fun cars that are, well, COOL! High interest topics paired with a load of brilliant photos and accessible text make this 28 book set a must-have in your library. Nonfiction elements include: Table of Contents, glossary, index, bolded words and labeled illustrations. Each book has the important facts about a car like its engine type, history, size, speed and future plans of the manufacturers. This photo-heavy, high-low series will be popular among your patrons!

The GT, aka Grand Tourer, is a fast, luxurious Mercedes model that was introduced in 2014. The last one was made in 2021 and next year they might reintroduce it. Young car enthusiasts will recognize the model from its work on the race track as a safety car. Of course, the famous Mercedes Benz badge on the front grill is a huge clue as to its maker. This is a fun, fact-filled book.

The Naysayers

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by Roan Black

The Guardians are back in Book #2 and continue their mission to save Horsa. They move underwater with Stillwater and with some help from Gale, who puts an air bubble around her fellow horses (Terra, Ray and herself) that can’t breathe underwater. They end up in a dangerous maze with a monster (Sharrior) and Firebrand, a warrior for the Naysayers. They manage to escape, losing one relic that Firebrand takes back to the Naysayers, who want to find the yearling first and take over Horsa. Can the young Guardians find the yearling first and save Horsa? That is their mission and they are determined to be successful.

This graphic novel has an exciting mission, engaging characters with a lot of personality and some kinda creepy bad guys. Top it off with really nice illustrations and you have a book that will fly off the shelves. This book is obviously a continuation of a story that started in Book #1. Therefore, it is not a stand alone. It’s worth the commitment to purchase the series when you have all the elements of a good fantasy for the younger readers – good vs. evil, a quest, magic and mythical creatures. Bump up your fantasy section with this this series. The kids will love it!

The Dolphin Dream

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written by Debbie Daddy and illustrated by Fuuji Takashi

Aqua Wave loves dolphins and her dream is to ride a dolphin. The perfect opportunity arises when her older sister’s friend, Kiki, comes with an entire family of dolphins for the annual Trident City Dolphin Dash. Her teammate falls sick and she needs a new partner or she and her dolphin friends will have to withdraw. Aqua Wave really wants to do this, despite her sister saying she can’t. Shira, Aqua’s sister, had fallen off a dolphin and didn’t want the same thing to happen to Aqua. But, she finally gives permission and Aqua has the ride of her dreams. Aqua’s friends, Freddie, Rosie and Poppy cheer her on to the finish line.

This is the second book in the “Mini Mermaid Tales”, a spin off of “Mermaid Tales” by the same author. As part of the Quix Aladdin books (Fast Fun Reads), the books in the “Mini Mermaid Tales” are shorter with unfamiliar words bolded and questions at the end to help reflect on the story. Chapters are short and the font is larger and cast of characters is introduced in the front of each book. Black and white illustrations add to the stories.

This book is perfect for its target audience of K-2 students. This short book will be popular with young readers as it explores mermaids, dolphins, friendships and sibling relationships. Add this to your library if you need books for those readers that are ready for something a little longer.

Twisty-Turny House

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written by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by EG Keller

In a twisty-turny house live four humans a rabbit, seven fish, a rat, two cats and three dogs. The cats are upstairs, the dogs are downstairs and the other pets are in the middle, which seems right. You know, cats and dogs don’t get along. But, one day, one of the cats comes downstairs. The pets in the middle are worried about the impending interaction – will the cat hiss and scratch? Will the dogs howl and chase it? Surprisingly, they get along. The dogs show the cat all the awesome things about living downstairs – the best snacks, great places to dig and great views of squirrels. The cat, along with his pal, show them the great things about upstairs – cold water, great clawing spots and a great place to watch squirrels. But, they wonder if they could look for even better things together in the middle? And, that’s what they do. The middle is the best, together.

This book is a gem! The simple text and colorful illustrations work so well together to convey the curiosity, trepidation, excitement and joy of the animal characters. The twisty-turny house is lovely and detailed and the animals are energetic. Readers will enjoy the interplay between the animals and eventual community they build. Buy this book for your library!