This book is a collection of riddle style of puzzles. The puzzles are presented in the conversation of Watson and Holmes. Illustrations from the world of Sherlock Holmes accompany most puzzles.  These puzzles will test the readers’ intellect as well as their patience. Over 50 puzzles are included. Solutions to each puzzle are in the back of the book. Many puzzles are very challenging!

This Titanic book is a great book for most for readers of most ages. Although the content does not cover much of the ship’s construction, the passengers, or the tragedy, it does cover the facts around locating the Titanic and the recovery of artifacts. It is displayed in a simple context that covers the most basic information. The simple but informative text is accompanied with amazing photos, charts, illustrations and maps on each page.  This is a very intriguing read that is the third in a set of four books.

Ten-year-old Max Monroe discovers the house behind his grandpa’s home used to be the office of the Monroe Detective Agency. Max finds out that his grandfather had a brother, Larry, that ran the agency, but Larry died years earlier. However, Larry’s ghost still exists in the agency house, yet he is sad because he never solved a case. When a magician calls with a problem, Larry gets another opportunity to solve a crime. Because Larry is a ghost, he relies on Max to help him finally crack a case.

This is book one of “The Ghost and Max Monroe” series. With occasional black and white illustrations, this is a good early chapter book.

If your youngest readers are into Mexican wrestling, Lucha Libre, this easy reader might be the book for them.

“HOLA AMIGOS! WELCOME TO LUCHAVILLE, THE TINY TOWN OF WRESTLING LIZARDS!“(p. 4) the announcer says into his microphone as this graphic novel for young readers begins. The wrestlers are wearing their colorful masks has they ‘rumble’. After the first matches there’s an argument about ” ‘SALAMANDERS AREN’T LIZARDS!’… ‘NO… YOU’RE NEWT!  ‘  ” (p. 6). This is followed by a cartoon diagram explaining the difference between ‘lizard vs amphibian‘(p. 7). Little Leon chameleon is afraid of wrestling, but he can change colors when around danger. Soon King Komodo comes to Luchaville and states there will not be anymore wrestling. “WHATEVER WILL THE LUCHA LIZARDS DO?!” (P. 17) Slowly, slowly, one by one, first Flying Dragon, then Gila Monster, and finally Thorny Devil each try to defeat King Komodo to restore wrestling, but they each fail. Then, seven other lizards come forward, in separate wordless cartoon frames, to try their luck. They, also, fail. Little Leon comes forward to wrestle. Leon tricks Komodo by disappearing at key times to successfully win the match and restore wrestling to Luchaville.  “ADIOS.”

With the story over, wrestling lizard trading card information is given on the next few pages. The factual  information includes: real name (scientific name), weight, length, habitat followed by a silly bio and special moves. “Blue-tongued skinks

Real name: tiliqua scincoides

Weight: 15 ounces

Length: 23 inches

Habitat: grassland, rainforest, desert

Bio: These awesome Aussies are friends, not fighters. But they’re not afraid to give competitors a good (blue) tongue lashing.

Special move: the tongue twister!” (p. 39)  [ The first four lines are factual, before the silliness begins.]

Larger than life close-up photos ( 9 X 11in. ) of guinea pigs are on every right hand page throughout this Early Intervention reading non fiction book. The book is presented in nine parts: Purr-fect Piggies, Eyes, Nose, Whiskers, Ears, Teeth, Legs, Feet , and Fur. Text on the left hand hand page is factually presented in three or four sentences. “Cavies’ big eyes see in color, but they don’t see very well. ” ( p. 6) Guinea pigs or cavies ( “another name for a guinea pig” (p. 22 [glossary] ) possess a good sense of smell, hearing and touch- through their whiskers.

Nice addition to a library’s 636 pet section.

208 word count.

Includes:www. facthound

This is a math concept book for addition and subtraction.

Nora is counting down the days to her dog, Ruffer’s birthday. “Nora is planning a birthday party for him– an awesome, unforgettable birthday party.” Nora decides which people and their pet friends to invite, then begins adding up the number of invitations to send.  (3 + 6 + 2 = 11 ) Nora and Ruffer cross out the four days until the party day on the calendar page, one day at a time. When Nora goes to bake “the most delicious puppy cake” there are not enough eggs. They need 10 eggs, they have 4 eggs, they need 6 more eggs. “Oh no! Ruffer accidentally stepped on the egg carton and broke too* eggs! … Nora needs eight more eggs. She decides to buy one carton, which has ten** eggs.” At the store there is a sale happening, so subtraction is shown on the various signs:  

“Eggs

$3 per carton

Today only:

You save $1

Only $2“

Then, they add the prices on the receipt using partial sums. ( $4 + $5 = $9 + $2 = $ 11) Cake baked just in time, the guests arrive for the party. Ruffer graphs the number of bones, stuffed animals, and balls received  and adds the columns. They play ring toss before the party ends.

The illustrations are cute, fun, and animated.

Includes 2 adult help pages and 2 pages of “Addition and Subtraction Game with Ruffer”.

*“too” should be two

** Perhaps eggs are sold in cartons of 10 in South Korea ( where this book originated) , but  seldom, if ever, in the USA.

At first glance Sweetest Kulu looks like an adorable children’s book, but this is not the case. Alexandria Neonakis’ soft muted illustrations of wild Arctic animals cuddling an infant are adorably heart-warming, but these images would never occur with wild animals in real life. The text is what makes this book for upper elementary,  middle, and high school readers. Each of the wild animals bestows an ideal, a trait, the “shared thoughts, feelings, and best wishes with you darling Kulu.”   Animals include: snow bunting, Arctic hare, fox, Arctic char, seal, narwhal and beluga, muskox, caribou, and polar bear.

“Polar Bear, with powerful instinct,

taught you to always treat animals with respect and to never scold them.

Polar Bear made an offering of gentleness, making you a modest

and kind Kulu.”

Author Celina Kalluk “is the Inuktitut Language Specialist and Cultural Arts teacher for grades seven through twelve at Qarmartalik School in Resolute Bay.”

An old carpenter enjoys the singing birds while walking through the park. He decides to build some bird houses. At first, the bird houses each have one hole in them which a pair of birds use. “2 birds times 2 houses… 2×2 = 4     2×2= 2+2 ”  The carpenter continues making bird houses, the some of the birds lay 2 eggs while others lay 3 eggs.  “2×3=6    2×3=2+2+2  …  3×2=6    3×2=3+3” 2 eggs in 3 house and 3 eggs in 2 houses  Soon the carpenter is building bird houses with two holes, then three holes and the multiplication and addition goes on and on in an entertaining fashion. The old carpenter has unwittingly created his own aviary.

The art work is very appealing and the story line is realistic. Illustrator Ju-kyoung Kim has made each bird house unique with many different species of birds coming to inhabit the houses. The facial expressions on the old carpenter convey pride and happiness in what he has accomplished.

The math concept is well represented within the story without being overpowering.  There are six pages following the story with additional practice, two of which are especially geared for adults to use while working with a child learning multiplication/addition.

A gust of wind blows Frog’s hat onto the ground where Elephant sits on it. When asked to move Elephant says, ” ‘ I can’t because I’m too hungry to move.’ ” Elephant asks Frog for something round to eat. Frog brings him an orange. Then Frog is asked for something triangular ( a sandwich), then rectangular ( chocolate bar), then a circle within a circle ( a bagel), then round inside of something triangular ( an ice cream cone), and finally “ ‘…something with a …special shape.’  The frog came back empty-handed…I hung it over there!… Then Elephant str-e-e-tched his long trunk to reach the thing with the special shape – and sucked the sweet honeycomb.” You probably have guessed what happened next, Elephant runs away from the attacking bees in their hexagonal honeycomb and frog finally gets her hat back.

There are six pages following the story, two of which are especially geared for adults to use while working with a child learning geometric shapes

The math concept (figures, shapes, space) is well represented and the story line is fine, too bad the art work isn’t more appealing. Frog and Elephant are torn paper tempera painted figures on a flat dull landscaped background. The most interesting aspect is Elephant’s trunk made of a single piece of torn corrugated cardboard.

Here is a great mini-biography, a part of the Ordinary People Change the World series. It grabs the attention of the reader with its full color comic illustrations including the conversation bubbles. It is written in first person narrative.

Helen was a “normal” child, until sickness at 19 months left her deaf and blind. She lived in a world of quiet and darkness, but then when she was 6 years old, Anne Sullivan, her private teacher, came to live with her family. “I got angry a lot back then. It was so hard for me. I was frustrated.” Anne Sullivan began the slow process of spelling words into Helen’s hand. Once Helen understood the process (no easy job) there was no stopping her. “Close your eyes.” Author Brad Meltzer builds in empathy. Later, Helen learned to read Braille. Because of this book’s thick pages, a raised dot Braille alphabet is included within the book itself. At nine years of age, Miss Sullivan took Helen to teacher Sarah Fuller, who began teaching Helen to talk. Miss Fuller let Helen “put my hands to her face and let me feel her tongue and lips as she made each sound. In an hour, I learned the letters M, P, A, S, T, and I.” Helen went on to graduate college from Radcliffe at Harvard University. Helen became a public speaker. “I started fighting for social change: to help women vote, to help the poor survive, and to help people who needed it most. “

The book ends with a timeline of Helen’s life and 4 black and white photos of her.