Little kindergartener, Sadie, does not quite feel right. Her mother asks the usual questions, “sore throat?” , “tummy ache?” , and checks for a rash.s “A strange cough rumbled in her throat and turned into a roar…as her fingernails grew longer and longer…as her teeth grew sharper and sharper.” SADIE transforms into a frisky leopard cub.The pediatrician “announced, ‘ I am a doctor for children not for leopards.‘  ” So mama and the 3 brothers take her to a veterinarian. The vet was excited to see such a healthy leopard, but couldn’t help if Sadie was really a person. So mama and brothers took Sadie to the zoo. BUT mama could not stand the thought of Sadie in a cage, so she took Sadie home and doctors her with “a big bowl of chicken soup, which she lapped right up.” Sadie and mama “watched interesting programs on the nature channel.” By bedtime Sadie was feeling better, but mama was feeling “kind of funny…” As the reader turns to the final page, Sadie the little girl, is sleeping curled up with mama the leopard.

Everyone loves birthdays, but here is a boy who thinks he has it mastered with his 10 rules.

“Here’s a little secret.

I’m a birthday pro.

When it comes to festivities,’There’s nothing I don’t know.”

Percy Isaac Gifford explains these 10 rules will help you.

#1 Make the most of your birthday it’s only once a year. (Birthday cheer with cheer leaders pictured.)

#2 “Today is all about you!” (Dancing around – pictured.)

#3 Get ready, Get set. Get picture perfect. take a bath for all of the photos.

#4 Do the math.   Friends + family = fun!

#5 Party like it’s your birthday.  Balloons, hats, and noise makers will help.

#6 There’s no time like the present for a present- Thank you.

#7 It ain’t over till there’s singing.

#8 Part A: Have your cake,  Part B: and eat it too!

#9 Be careful what you wish for.     “As you put your gifts away… What does all this mean? …Growing older is a wondrous thing.

#10 Birthdays Rock! Growing up is cool!

Percy is polite, says “thank you”, shows his appreciation for all the festivities, and has moments of introspection .

Teresa Murfin has smiles with and without teeth showing in her action packed mixed media illustrations of Percy’s birthday.

Fifth-graders, Sylvan, whose parents’ divorce causes him stress, and Charity, who lived in Kenya for the past five years, both strive for normalcy at school and start a petition to keep their teacher from being fired.  Certainly appropriate for students dealing with issues who want to be “normal.”  A pleasant, clean novel.

Evil books have been released from the library. There is only one hope, the League of Librarians. On a bus, a book is loose, sliding along the floor. It only contains one sentence among many, many blank pages. A student picks up the book, reads the sentence and instantly disappears. Each person on the bus who reads the sentence disappears. However, a hero jumps on board the bus to stop the book from its evil actions. It is the Blind Librarian to the rescue. This gripping mystery is followed up with discussion questions, writing prompts, and a glossary. This book is written for students who have a lower reading level.

This is the fifth Nancy Drew Mystery in the long line of Nancy Drew mysteries. The suspense holds up more than 80 years since it was written. The reader may notice the absence of cell phones, lack of air conditioning in the car, and watching a movie in a theater instead of at a drive-in, but this all adds to the mystery and suspense of this, now- period, piece. New readers to the mystery genre will enjoy this book as much today as when it was new in 1931.

Nancy has just flown into Phoenix, AZ, for a vacation with her friends at their aunt and uncle’s Shadow Ranch. Uncle Ed and Aunt Bets are the new owners of the ranch which they acquired in payment for a debt. Now things are starting to go wrong at the ranch beginning with the appearance of a mysterious glowing phantom horse who runs through the pasture at night right before something goes wrong. Once after the phantom horse appeared  the ranch’s only source of power and the water stopped working. Sabotaged! Another time the phone lines were cut (and even if this was in today’s time, the ranch would be in a dead cell zone, considering how far out from town they are). Nancy’s friends are very confident she will be able to solve the mystery of the phantom horse in time to prevent their aunt and uncle from loosing their ranch. Nancy analyzes the events. She is full of suppositions and suspicious of everyone outside of the family. Trips into town to talk with the sheriff and get supplies add new clues and suspects into the mix. As it turns out, Nancy is gifted an antique watch from the 1880s, which once belonged to the daughter of the original ranch’s owner, for helping stop a thief. This watch becomes one of the first real clues to solving the mysteries. The watch’s original owner was in love with a robber who had buried a treasure somewhere on the ranch. Horseback rides into remote parts of the ranch, a near kidnapping of Nancy, and setting a trap in an ancient Indian dwelling keep the suspense and intrigue going through until the end.

The cover art was very appealing, but the horse’s rider should have been wearing Western attire, not English riding clothes.

Young primary grade readers will immediately identify with the photos of children with missing baby teeth.

Factual information on the number of baby teeth, permanent teeth,  ages for beginning and ending of childhood tooth loss, and how to care for teeth is given.

This book does not talk down to its readers. Page 18 states, ” Eating right builds strong teeth. Eating too many sugary foods can cause cavities. germs in our feed on sugar. The germs make acid that attack teeth. The acid can lead to cavities.”

There are 9 Fast Fact trivia factoids spread throughout the book.

This 6″ X 7″ includes an activity page asking the child to count their own teeth and a second page with a pictorial mini-quiz on how to maintain a healthy smile.

Includes: glossary, index, and web site:  www. factsfornow.scholastic.com   keyword Teeth.