This is a great book about quilts.  It has information about the history of quilts.  Quilts have been a social part of the art of quilting, with the quilting bee as a way to help each other with their project and a way to talk with their friends.

Quilts have been essential to the survival of many people through the ages. Quilting is an art form and is very much alive today.

In this realistic sports novel, the semi-final March Madness basketball game is detailed while the stories of the players are told as well.  The game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Trojans of Troy University is the epitome of college basketball with it’s exhilarating and fast-paced action.  Meanwhile, the backgrounds to all the important players are told, including the author’s portrayal of an ancient battle between real Spartans and Trojans.

This exciting novel leaves the reader cheering for more.  I particularly liked the format: a few minutes of the game followed by a story from a player’s past, an interview from a few days before, or a sports commentary from a cable news network.  This book will have the reader constantly switching which side they will root for in this epic game for the championship.

— Michael S.

This book is about a young girl, Trisha, who moves to a new school and finds that she is in a class called “the junkyard.”  She didn’t want to be in a special class anymore but her teacher Mrs. Peterson is a wonderful person.

Trisha learns that she and the other misfit students have great abilities.  When they go to the junkyard and find what ever they think can be made into something new.

Working together with the other students “the junkyard,” students build an amazing project for the science fair.

This is a great book that shows what real genius is.  And shows that there is potential in everyone.

These True books are a real deal for a school library, only $6.95 for a hard cover volume.  The text is engaging and clearly written and the pictures are good quality, relevant, and interesting.  This book is about the Pueblo people.  From the earliest known communities to the present, the history, traditions, and Pueblo ways of life are explained.  There is an Accelerated Reader test for this title (level 5.7, .5 points).

This is one in a series of six books about food.  The other titles include:  Food as Fuel:  Nutrition for Athletes; Food Buzz:  Nutrition in the News; Food Culture:  Celebrating Diverse Traditions; Food Options:  Following Special Diets; and Food Safety:  Avoiding Hidden Dangers.  This book is written by a Registered Dietitian (RD) and is current on USDA’s dietary recommendations.  The MyPlate recommendations are clearly explained as are other government resources such as Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign.  The author explains calories and energy, nutrients, food labels, serving sizes, how exercise factors in, and the value of healthy living.  All of this information is clearly written, easy to understand, and is given in context of being a child or adolescent.  There are relevant tables, diagrams and illustrations.  The photography is clear, relevant, excellent quality, and engaging.  Overall, students will learn a great deal from this book about eating for a healthy body.  There is an Accelerated Reader test (level 4.9, .5 points).  I highly recommend this book.

This is one in a series of six books about adrenaline adventures.  The other books in the series include:  Mountain, Rock, and Ice Climbing; Auto Racing; Dogsled Racing; White-water Rafting, Canoeing, and Kayaking; and Surfing.  This book is library bound and is of very high quality construction.  The photographs are full-page, sharp and clear, bright, exciting, and relevant.  Definitely engaging the reader to the text, these photographs are mostly taken by an aerial skydiving photographer.  This book explains the types of skydiving, necessary training, various classifications of experience, required equipment and resources, expenses and risks, not to mention the thrill of the ride.  There is an Accelerated Reader test for this title (level 4.8, .5 points).

Although the story in Spin the Bottle centered around the Monroe Middle School Drama Club, there was little drama in the book.   This is refreshing to me.  The narrator, Phoebe, has been looking forward to middle school and joining the drama club.  She did not plan to have her first crush though, and thankfully, this did not develop into a boy crazy plot.  The story line of friendship was center stage in this book.  The setting of backstage and play rehearsal will appeal to anyone who has performed in a play or has aspirations of being a star.  (By Jamie Kenny)

In the “rags to riches” biography, we read about Tyler Perry who raised himself up from an abusive childhood to a playwright/actor/ movie producer who helps others cope with life struggles.  So strongly did his faith nudge him to help others who were abused, that Tyler Perry wrote his first play, I Know I’ve Been Changed, in 1992 as a gospel musical, urging others to use the power of God to help overcome problems in their daily lives.  Perry poured all his money into the play, and when it failed, he was left homeless.  Perry believed so deeply in his work, he gave the play one last chance with a heart-to-heart conversation with God.  The play sold out that night, which was the beginning of turning his life around.  More plays, mostly about the struggles that plague African-Americans, followed with more success, and then eventually movies.  Tyler Perry is now a millionaire, but claims he doesn’t continue his work for the money — he does it to help spread the message that you can take your problems to God.  Whether you’re a fan of his Madea movies or not, this biography is sure to inspire.

Each book in this series of six focuses on the life of a legendary and powerful female leader from history.  This Dastardly Dames biography about Cleopatra is full of engaging and fascinating pictures, illustrations and text.  The full color picture book format is very readable with text boxes inset throughout featuring side notes that compliment the text.  The text itself is clearly written and easy to follow, yet includes enough rich detail to keep the biography thorough and interesting.  Related history from the Roman Empire and it’s leaders at the time, is woven in to include the political setting and Cleopatra’s primary relationships.  I highly recommend this series and find that students at my school request these books specifically.

This biography about Catherine De’Medici is one of six in the Dastardly Dames series which also includes:  Cleopatra, Agrippina, Mary Tudor, Marie Antoinette and Cixi.  These biographies are in picture book format with engaging illustrations and photographs including paintings and artifacts of the period.  The text is full of interesting facts as well as rumors of royal intrigue which surrounded Catherine throughout her lifetime.  The pictures are well annotated to give additional information and further engage the reader.  These biographies hold the interest of my students at school and have them back asking me for the rest of the books in the series.  I highly recommend the entire series.