Young readers will find out “What is  a wildfire?”, “What causes wildfires?’, “Wildfire safety”, and “Fighting wildfires”.

9″ x 11″ color photos provide visual clarification for the text from a brush fire, to a campfire, to creating a fire break.

Lexile: 460 L

Part of the series-  Exploring Countries– this  Level 5: Fluent Readers book gives a clear but brief overview of Japan: ” Where Is Japan?”, “The Land”, “Volcanoes and Earthquakes”, “Wildlife”, “The People”, “Daily Life”, and  “Going to School” to list a few.

Includes Fun Facts or Did You Know on each turn of the page, such as this one from page 9,  “An earthquake happens somewhere in Japan every day. The country experiences up to 1,500 earthquakes each year.”

Also includes: Fast Facts, Glossary, Index

If you have students who are looking for books to help them select the perfect pet, then add this book to your collection.

Authors Charles and Linda George inform the reader on important aspects prospective dog owners should know before purchasing a dog, such as:  “How Big do Beagles Get?’, “Brushing Hair and Clipping Nails”, “Make Room for Your Beagle!”, “Loyal Friends”, “Curious About Everything!”, and “Taking Care of Your Beagle Puppy” to name a few sections in this book. Each page includes a “Fast Fact” such as this one from page 25: “If you’ve been away for a while, get ready to be licked and pawed when you get home.”

Lexile: 660 L

Author Matt Haig won UK’s prestigious Nestle Children’s Book Prize with the book Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest (titled Shadow Forest).  In this sequel, we find Troll-Son threatened to be sent to the Betterer–a troll feared by all troll children–and he runs away to Samuel Blink, his human friend-hero.  Troll-Son is part of a family of four trolls: Troll-Father, Troll-Mother, Troll-Daughter, and himself.  They all must share one eyeball.  It has become difficult for Troll-Father and Troll-Son to hunt rabbits and they’ve had to come home empty-handed.  Troll-Mother thinks it’s just laziness and she decides to send Troll-Son to the Betterer so that he can learn how to work harder.  The Betterer (a troll who once actually thought he was human and so he thinks he is ‘better’ than the ordinary trolls) is feared by all, but especially the troll children.  Rather than have to endure bettering, Troll-Son takes the family eye and heads to where Samuel Blink lives.  Here is where the background knowledge from the prior book would be helpful, but it’s not necessary in order to get what’s happening.  When he arrives, it’s a surprise to Samuel, who has to hurry to hide him.  His sister has made friends at school with the daughter of the village’s richest man and who is also the sworn enemy of his Uncle Henrik.  He would love nothing better than to find a troll at Samuel’s house so that he can get him in trouble, and has sent his daughter to do his spying for him.  Poor Samuel is trying to save his aunt and uncle (with whom he and his sister now live since their parents died) from this evil man, while in the meantime Troll-Father, who is eyeless, and the Betterer are on Troll-Son’s trail, intent to bring him back to the forest.  Samuel is torn between saving his aunt and uncle and saving the troll who sees him as a hero.  Readers with strong visualization will be able to see the setting and characters clearly.  Lots of action and the realization of just what makes a hero are strong.  Highly recommended.

This graphic novel is an entertaining Arthur story with an excellent historical/literary introduction that separates fact from myth surrounding the character of Arthur.  This tale has fantastical creatures, battles, intrigue, magic, heroism and villains.  There are a few spots in the story that are a bit confusing in terms of following the text bubbles in coordination with the illustrations.  On occasion, the text refers to a picture on the previous page which is a bit awkward.  Generally speaking however, the story flows well and held my attention and interest.  I would recommend this book, especially as an introduction to the tales of Arthur for the reluctant reader.

This is a 32 page Heinemann Info Search non-fiction book all about hurricanes for grades 4 and up.  This book explains the formation, movement, hazards and weakening of  hurricanes and typhoons or cyclones.  There are case studies included which highlight specific hurricanes in recent history.  The photographs, maps, charts and diagrams illustrate and support the well-written text.  This book does a good job of explaining the human and environmental impact of hurricanes and touches on how technology is being developed to help predict and minimize hurricane-related devastation.  It is AR level 5.6 worth 1 point.

Our students love graphic novels and they are wonderful for introducing these students to the classics in a very accessible and non-threatening way.  I often have students ask for the original text of a classic after reading the graphic novel version.  This version of the Jungle Book should be no exception.  Engaging and exciting pictures and storyline draw in the reader and the length keeps him/her reading to the end.  At an AR level of 3.0 and .5 points, this book will also appeal to the reluctant reader.

This 144 pg book is a wonderful addition to our non-fiction sewing section.  It is thorough and clearly-written with pictures and diagrams to demonstrate throughout the text.  The chapters include: choosing a machine; knowing your machine; using your machine; sewing seams; sewing hems; zippers and buttonholes; gathers, tucks and pleats; biding and trimming; decorative techniques; glossary and index.  This is book is an excellent resource for students interested in learning to sew by machine or hand and I highly recommend it for grades 5 and up.

This 48 pg non-fiction book about Civil War soldiers is well-written and interesting with well-placed and helpful text boxes, photographs and maps.  The information is clearly presented with human interest stories throughout.  I also appreciated the thought provoking questions sprinkled in to generate additional consideration of the material.  There is a timeline,  glossary and table of contents.  I highly recommend this book and would like to purchase the entire series.  The AR level is 6.7 worth 1 point.

This biography is from the series, Lives Cut Short and chronicles the short life of Michael Jackson. The book talks about Michael’s life – the good and the bad. It discusses Micheal’s life growing up, the Jackson 5, going solo, Thriller, marriage, family and his death. This book really coves it all! In its chapter book format, the book presents information in all aspects of Micheal Jackson’s life. The book has nice photographs of Michael and his life and additional info boxes. The end has a timeline, quick facts, a glossary, and further reading. This book would be best for 6th grade and up just for the overload of info. For students doing biography reports, this book might be a challenge to pull information out of because it just has so much information. However,  the information is there and for those students interested in Michael Jackson they will enjoy reading it cover to cover to do the report.