As the 6th book in a series, it would probably just be an additional purchase on its own, but I liked it enough to think it would be worth seeking out the rest of the series.  Main Character, Zach Gaither, is apparently an alien, born on another planet but sent to earth as an infant, to be raised by humans as an undercover agent for the Galactic Patrol.  Now in junior high, Zack has only recently become aware of his true identity, and has presumably been on five previous adventures in that role.  Now it has come time for the Galactic Council to decide whether or not Earth should be invited to join the Galactic Union, but enemy aliens have decided to sabotage Earth’s chances, and have become aware of Zack’s identity.  Zack (along with his good friends, of course) must evade the enemy aliens while venturing off-planet to speak on Earth’s behalf before the president of the galaxy and many strange delegates from distant worlds.  The characters and engaging, the plot is action-packed, the illustrations are quirky, and there’s a good deal of humor throughout.  Likely to be a hit with kids.

Seriously?  This was painful to read.  The saddest part about it is that there are many sentences (or even whole paragraphs) that are actually very well written, with good voice and humor, but there’s no glue to hold the story together.  The characters are underdeveloped and the plot is disjointed, and it’s hard to even follow exactly what’s going on — let alone care.  To give in the benefit of the doubt, it is part of a series, and perhaps, if one had already read others, the characters might be previously introduced enough for a devoted fan to follow — in that case, it might work itself up to being an additional purchase, but I’m not willing to spend good money on other books in the series to find out.

Well, it’s got a sturdy, shiny binding, and it’s a cute story, which I’m sure would make a fine souvenir for children who had seen the play while visiting Washington D.C.  It tells the story of some children who are taking a tour of the White House, when George Washington pops out of his famous portrait and starts escorting them on travels through time to visit children and adults who lived have at the White House.  While dodging the secret service agent on their tale, the students witness the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, consult Mrs. Kennedy about redecorating the white house, crash Susan Ford’s prom, etc.  While it’s got lots of random White House trivia for readers to learn, it’s not exactly the kind of book that would be useful for research, but it’s also not exactly the kind of book that’s likely to have a wide appeal for recreational reading.

What a fabulous series for creating a bridge between graphic novels and traditional fiction chapter books.  I expect these books to have high appeal for reluctant readers who are fans of graphic novels:  The book is short (48 p.), with lots of full-page color illustrations in bold comic-book style.  The plot is action-packed, describing the initiation rites of Batman’s latest sidekick, a junior-high hero-in-training who is anxious to fill the shoes of the most recently retired (e.g. grown-up) Robin.  Setting out on his final test to see if he’s ready to join in on Bat missions, the young Robin-wanna-be faces repeated distractions which interfere with completing his given task, as he stumbles across others who need his help.  As an added appeal, the text of the story is sprinkled with traditional comic book sound effects (Crash! Thud! Whack!) in large, bright fonts, and the binding is library reinforced.  I’d like to get more in this series for my library.

A delightful and varied collection of poems, ranging from traditional nursery rhymes and the works of famous authors such as Shakespeare, to the original works of children (youngest age 2).  The poems are gathered into chapters that focus the reader on different traits often found in poetry, and roughly corresponding to Howard Gardner’s Intelligences: one chapter for word choice, one for poems that convey descriptive visual images, one that plays with the sound of words, etc.  The illustrations will draw kids in, the poems written by other children makes this a source for inspiration, and the organization makes it a tool for instruction as well.

An eight-year-old girl, frustrated with the experience of multiple moves in her short life, contrasts her own new-home transitions with the experiences of her grandmother, who has only lived in two homes in her 65 years.  The water-color illustrations are beautiful and genuine.  The text is a little rambling and the point seems a little unclear.

The illustrations are gorgeous!  The text introduces the reader to how to say hello in ten different languages.  Each of the cultures represented by those languages is beautifully captured in the dress of the characters.  I especially like that the book does not present these languages in the context of world travel, but in the context of a little girl’s walk through an urban neighborhood, greeting people she knows — reminding us of the diversity within our own communities.

A fun and informative book that answers the “why?” of an assortment of bodily functions — sure to capture the curiosity of many elementary school students.  The table of contents lists all the questions the book addresses, from “Why do you get hiccups?” to “Why do you throw up?” and “Why do you yawn?”  One to two pages answer each question with clear and complete explanations, including both the physical mechanics part of the why and the evolutionary advantages offered by each human trait.  Be prepared for protests from any parents who are of an anti-evolutionary mind-set, as the book explains that humans are not only evolutionarily related not only to chimpanzees and other primates, but all other animals including fish and bacteria.

The book design is better than its content.  It’s visually appealing and bills itself as “first-hand accounts of war from those who lived through it.”  But the text actually included few quotes from primary sources.  It included chapters about various individual who fought in a variety of capacities, for both sides during the American Civil War, but it was a bit dry.  Idid like that glossary terms were defined right on the pages in which they were used, as I know students are unlikely to actually make use of the glossary in the back.  Even though it claims to be a Reinforced Library Binding, I don’t trust the smooth finish of the cover to wear well.

I was disappointed.  I know this author has been popular among adults for a long time.  I think he needs to stick to what he knows best.  His narration for kids was stilted.  The characters did not ring true.  And it was boring.