Author Brad Meltzer has written a series of biographies designed for children.  Childhood experiences and observations begin this account of the life of Rosa Parks.  Illustrator Eliopoulos depicts Rosa as a child throughout her life – possibly to emphasize a person is capable to bring about change, no matter how old the person may be.  Her refusal to relinquish her bus seat and subsequent arrest ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the major events to begin the focus on civil rights.  “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”  “I knew the rules said.  But I also knew in my heart: That’s not how you treat people.”  Information is easily read and in a suitable format for young readers.  Included are photographs of Rosa, of her police photo, riding a bus post boycott, and of a typical segregated classroom in the early 1900s.  This is a great resource as a read alone or discussion starter.  Other books in the series include: I am Amelia Earhart, I am Abraham Lincoln, and I am Albert Einstein.  Consider purchasing the set.

Quite possibly there is a boy like Brian in every classroom – one who is excluded from most activities and ignored.  Illustrator Patrice Barton draws Brian in faint black and white while everything around him is in full color.  The teacher is focused on the louder or ill-behaved students and his classmates leave him out of all conversations and games.  Brian amuses himself by drawing amazing pictures.  When a new student, Justin, arrives, Brian gives him a shy smile while the others are trying to decide if Justin is “cool”.  As the class begins to include Justin in games and activities, Justin invites Brian to join in.  As Brian interacts with the others, color begins to slowly seep into him.  By the time a school project is completed, Brian is at last in full color.  This is a thought-provoking story and a great resource for conversations on friendship.  Included are several discussion questions as well as recommended reading list for adults and another for kids.

The cover of every book in this series is quite colorful and appealing.  However, upon opening the book, the reader is taken-a-back by the stark textbook-like style of the interior…with single spaced, old-style typerwriter font and black and white diagrams that harken back to nonfiction books of another era.  Given that students can actually use the book for the information,  it delivers accurate and effective science projects.  The introduction includes excellent information on Science Fairs, Safety First and the Scientific Method, as well as specific tips on writing a Science Fair Report.  Experiments with seeds, leaves, roots and stems, flowers and whole plants are covered in the six chapters. Back Matter includes Further reading and Index.

The cover design is colorful, and quite appealing…yet open the book and you get wordy, single-spaced, old-styled font with black and white “textbook” graphics that make you want to close the book before you go any farther.  If you can overlook the unappealing interior (and maybe older students can) you will find impressive magical looking experiments with underlying solid physics and chemistry.  The unattractive black and white diagrams and illustrations do a great job of clarifying and supporting the text.  Included in the contents is air magic, visual magic, chemistry magic, light and “sticky” water magic, and motion magic.  Also included in the Back Matter is Further Reading and an Index.

Appealing to the grade 5-9 crowd of perpetual procrastinators, this series offers science projects that can be done in one hour or less, 30 minutes or less, 15 minutes or less and even 5 miniutes or less.  An explanation of the scientific method is front and center, as well as a discussion of science fairs.  I especially liked the suggestion for keeping a scientific notebook containing ideas you may have as you experiment, as well as sketches, calculations, hypothesis…and much more.  Each experiment covers “What’s the Plan”, “What You Need” (which sometimes may not be found in an hour, such as oleic acid), “What You Do”, “What’s Going On?”, “Keep Exploring-If You Have More Time!”.  I will be giving this text to our science teacher to try out the experiments on elementary students to see how effective they are for the younger level…as “science fairs” seem to be more prevelant in elementary schools.  Words to Know, Further Reading and Internet Addresses are included in the Back Matter.

For starters, the “simple machine” topic is typically better suited for the primary grades.  This text is geared for grades 5-9, with an older girl visual on the cover.  The title certainly appeals to the procrastinators of that older developmental age.  If science projects can be done in an hour or less…great!!  However, on closer inspection, some materials needed to perform the experiments might not be able to be found within the hour…such as a toy wagon or a spring balance.  Also, many of the formulas included require the students to have prior knowledge, as many terms used are not definied.  Although the design layout of the book is attractive, it is not very user friendly.

Dyamonde Daniel is an outspoken third grader who covet’s the stylish, pink, hight-top shoes of a classmate.  In response to her daughter’s inablility to see the difference between wants and needs, Dyamond’s mother empties Dyamond’s closet, leaving only the  necessities.  When a devastating fire leaves a classmates’s family with virtually nothing, Dyamonde shifts her thinking into helping others in need.  This award-winning author provides us with engaging characters and powerful lessons that can drive discussions on important life lessons.  Bold, pencil-like illustrations pepper the text and engage the Take-Off Stage reader.

Based on the true story of Luis Soriana, who lives in a remote town in northern Colombia, this colorful, primary version, of his amazing saga of bringing books to villages leaves the reader inspired and uplifted.  Starting in 2000, Luis and his two burros began bringing a collection of 70 books to the villagers.  Three hundered people, more or less, look forward to weekly visits of the self-made burro librarian.  Luis understands about the power of story.  “People around here love stories, I’m trying to keep that spirit alive in my own way.” – Luis Soriana.  The illustrations are done in a bright folk art style that is delightfully charming and connects to the ethnicity of that part of the world.  My son-in-law just finished building a book lending box in his Northgate neighborhood, of Seattle.   Luis, I believe, would be very happy.

This book is one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time.  The subject matter, cooking, is a refreshing topic and I believe, totally overlooked but appealing to young adults.  The stars refer to the quality of food and experience given to a restaurant by a newspaper restaurant critic, with four being the best.  Gladys, age 11 and in sixth grade, loves to cook and got her love for food from her aunt who lives in Paris.  She watches the Food Network, reads cook books and is friends with Mr. Eng,  a Chinese grocer, who lets her sample different food.  The spices and herbs in his store play a big flavor difference in turning ordinary food into fine cuisine.  This book is also one of the funniest I’ve ever read because Gladys parents don’t cook.  Their dinners are mainly takeout food from fast food places, some of which are pretty questionable.  When they do attempt cooking, food is burned or nuked beyond recognition and flavor.  Plus foodies know that cooking with sub-par ingredients is a total waste of time and money.  Gladys has a journal in which she writes summaries of meals she’s either created or eaten, including those of her parents.  Her teacher assigns an essay for a contest being held by a New York City newspaper and convinces Gladys to write what she is passionate about.  Gladys’ essay ends up on the food editor’s desk of the newspaper and Gladys is contacted to fill in for the injured food critic.  How Gladys gets herself to NYC is quite an achievement.  With the popularity of television food shows and food stars, as well as Master Chef Junior, this book will resonate with aspiring chefs.  The story line and writing is snappy and funny and moves along quickly, making it a real winner.

Pacific Northwest zoologist turned author- Roland Smith has done it again. This is the third book in his cryptid series. Chupacabra is fast paced. It keeps you wanting more even if you have not read the first two books in the series.  The introductory pages includes: a definition of ‘cryptozoology’, a running list of characters and their ties in the story,  background on chupacabra creatures, an introduction to the series, and a prologue, prior to the first chapter bringing the reader up to date on the events of the previous book – Tentacles.

Teenage Grace is living with her grandfather, Noah Blackwood, in his mansion connected to the Seattle Ark, a wildlife zoo in Seattle, WA. Grace, who  has just met her grandfather, is anxious to find out about a family she has never known. Can Noah Blackwood be as awful as her cousin Marty thinks he is? She has decided to find out firsthand. Marty and his friends Dylan and Luther, are bound and determined to get Grace away from Noah and the pair of dinosaur hatchlings Noah’s men stole from Marty’s Uncle Wolfe in the previous book. When they enter Seattle Ark they are immediately watched  on security cameras. Soon Noah’s top right-hand man, Butch is drugging Luther and taking him into the Ark’s labyrinth of secure underground laboratories. Marty and Dylan hide out in the Ark until after it closes to the public before their search for Grace, Luther, and the dinosaurs begin. Little be little Grace has masterfully played her grandfather’s employees to uncover information revealing her grandfather’s true character. The world sees Noah Blackwood for his efforts to save the world’s rarest animals, when in reality, Noah is collecting these animals for profit and his own private collection. Luther escapes from Butch by going into the ventilation system. Noah has his genetically engineered chupacabra placed into the ventilation system to hunt Luther down and get rid of him permanently. The chase is on. Technologically savvy teenagers verses the technologically savvy secret world of a greedy self-centered billionaire. Who will survive?