In this idealistic vision of our world as run by children, the Dillons envision a world of peace, fairness and kindness, where everyone’s basic needs would be met. No one would be hungry, and everyone would have a place to live. Sick people would have medicine, and good schools would be universal. Unsurprisingly, this world is populated with smiling, happy children of many skin tones, wearing clothing from all corners of the world and representing a variety of religions. The figures on each spread are painted against a bright white background, making the children pop off the page in contrast. Well-meaning but saccharine, it feels like a gesture rather than a call to action. Sentiments such as “No bullying would be allowed” and “Kids would love school” reveal a wistful adult rather than an enthusiastic child.

Excellent introduction to the history of the Washington Monument .  Discusses a short history and geography of Washington , D.C., and then tells about the lengthy time it took to build and complete it, and how it was built.  Includes pictures, glossary, more books to read and critical thinking questions using Common Core.

Have you ever had the feeling of frustration when you almost reach your goal?  In Absolutely Almost, Albie has that frustration all day every day.  He almost gets it but not quite.  The frustration turns to pain when his parents don’t understand why things are so hard for him, and that’s just at home.  Their expectations for him are high and they compare him to themselves and how they did at school.  There’s an ideal he can never live up to yet hears every day.  At school he is constantly teased and bullied because he doesn’t ‘get it’.  He isn’t one of the ‘cool’ kids, for sure, and he doesn’t even have a friend.  He is suspended from an elite private prep school because he doesn’t meet their rigorous academic standards (this is in NYC), and starts anew in a public school.  Once there, it’s the same thing all over again, but another throw-away kid, one with a defect, such as a stammer, becomes a lunch companion.  Albie’s life, as seen from his perspective, is a sad one indeed.  The book is sometimes funny to read, but it’s more sad when you realize Albie is just one of the many kids in schools who have trouble learning in the traditional way, and is unpopular because of it, and whose best friend moves away.  Life is a continual struggle for them.  Albie’s in fifth grade and because his parents have busy jobs, he has a nanny named Calista.  Albie thinks he’s too old for a babysitter, but Calista becomes much more than that.  Calista is the first person to really listen to Albie, to learn of his fears, and she gives him the confidence and strategies to overcome those fears and to learn to speak up for himself.  This is such a touching story, and Albie is a likeable character, that this book would make a great classroom read aloud with followup discussion on bullying,  and how to handle stress and painful situations.

When the late night talk show “Stranger Than Fiction” starts talking about a devil-boy that sneaks into the bedrooms of young girls and steals their dreams in a small Appalachian Mountains town, Violet thinks she might have located her missing boyfriend, River.  River hasn’t been heard from since he left last summer and now it’s Christmas.  Thus begins a road trip that will takes Violet and her friends from the Appalachian Mountains to the North Carolina coast and then to Colorado.

This is a haunting thriller that suggests that the devil may be found in 17 year old River Redding and maybe his half-brother Brodie.  This is the sequel and supposed conclusion to Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.  The ending makes me suspect that there might be yet another book in this series.

Willa’s story begins like an ideal family.   With a blended family from two separate economical situations, her stepfather Jack and his ex-wife seemed to want to ‘do what’s best for the girls’ – the ‘girls’ being Willa’s two stepsisters. Willa, the main character, slowly explains the real story.

Willa lives with her mother, stepfather, and two stepsisters. Always feeling left out, Willa cuts herself to relieve the stress she feels in her home. Willa’s mother has worked hard to give her a good family life, but her past comes back to haunt her. Willa’s biological father murders his current wife and their children and is coming for Willa, but he is caught and killed by the police. The horrible deaths of her family shakes Willa’s world and she is not sure who she is anymore.  With this the family explodes going separate ways.

Willa goes in search of herself when she travels to Texas to attend the funeral of her sisters and there she meets her brother.  During this story Willa learns heartache and truths about her family.  She learns to be thankful for what she has but also how to stand up for what she needs.  The story ended in a good place and made the reader feel like Willa would go on to be a well-rounded person because of her experiences.  It made me think it could be real.

– review by Jodie T.

Henwyn is a cheese-maker’s son who isn’t so adept at making cheese, but longs for heroic adventure.  After being left in charge of cheese making and making a total mess of things, Henwyn is kicked out of his village.  He strikes out looking for Princess Elunid, of whom he has heard was captured by a giant and aims to rescue her.  The stories he heard of her were decades old and she isn’t the young princess she once was.  Henwyn hooks up with Skarper, a goblin who was also tossed out of his clan, and together they make plans to break into a fortress which was long ago boarded up by an evil king but is said to contain riches beyond the imagination.  Fighting goblins and boglins, they both find the adventure they’ve only dreamed of.  Lots of action and clever twists, and the ending quite different than expected.  There aren’t any illustrations but the descriptions Reeve has given are more than enough to paint a vivid  picture in the reader’s mind.