The children in Mrs. Feeny’s primary grade class are telling about their parents’ jobs for Career Day: astronomer, a jeweler, a NASCAR driver, and a dad who changes light bulbs.

“Anthony Swister said, ‘Booooooring!’ and laughed…” Then the student continues ( for 14 pages) describing how the light bulb is on top of the antenna on top of the Empire State Building.

What’s to be worried about when you’re starting middle school?  Lots, according to Claudia, who volunteers to escort her readers as they begin the perilous journey.  Dress comfortably; don’t be afraid to ask teachers for help; go over your notes before tests; you don’t have to be “popular”…Claudia’s advice is good, and covers just about every situation.

It’s nice to see suggestions for kids who don’t make the team.  Claudia makes dog walks sound fun, or dancing to your favorite tunes, even when you’re all alone.  Considering how few kids are sports stars or cheerleaders, it’s smart to consider alternatives, like writing for the school newspaper.

Important words are highlighted, and small drawings bring attention to important people, like the principal, or things, like the ham and cheese sandwich you can bring for lunch.  And Claudia admits she’s lucky to have been in school with the same friends since first grade.  Lots of real-world kids would find that enviable.

So take it from Claudia, pay attention, be kind, try hard.  Her book also has a glossary to explain the big words, discussion questions, a writing activity, tips from other teens, and the names of some more good books.

Rhyming text tells kids about the chincoteague ponies and the firemen who caretake these wild animals.  The language is simple and is aimed at the younger set of picture book readers, though the illustrations can tend to be abstract and may be difficult for younger children to interpret.

Cat lovers, here is a book for you.  That is, if you’re a fancier of feral cats.  Naturalist Jean Craighead George’s interest in cats began years ago when her daughter’s cat presented her kittens, rather formally, to the family.  For years, Ms. George has read about and observed feral cats.  This book, about a boy’s efforts to befriend a feral cat, is the result.

With life-like illustrations to make the cats seem real, I was fascinated by this disparate group of cats who had gathered around a railroad station where an elderly lady fed them.  I spied on their sunning spots, their hunting grounds, and their uncanny ways of sensing where to find shelter and food.

However, when the cats gather in Mrs. Dibber’s basement to ride out a snowstorm, I was rooting for the cats, but couldn’t keep from thinking how terrible that poor woman’s basement must have smelled by the time the cats moved on.  That’s one detail Ms. Craighead George didn’t mention.

Cute story about a class trying to raise money to go to a theme park.  Fun way to learn about addition and subtraction and working as a team.

This book comes from a Kid Racer series. This book is all about snowmobiling, racing and all that goes into it. Upon looking at the table of contents, I found it to be a bit overwhelming! There are 20 chapters! I have to say that I enjoyed reading this book and really think that the average 4th or 5th grade boy will get enjoyment out of it. It does have a lot of information, but also has great photos and extra information boxes that will hold the reader’s interest. The book starts out talking about racing, snowmobile history and  different manufacturers. The book also discusses the different kinds of machines, how they are built and raced, safety, some well known names in the industry and how this can be a family sport. With appealing photos and set up, this is a great addition for some of those reluctant boy readers.

This book is from the Blastoff Readers! in the life cycle series. This book follows ladybugs as they transform from eggs to adults. Start with an explanation of ladybugs, it then explains the egg, larva, pupa and adult stage. With easy to read and understand text and amazing photographs, this is a great book. I guess I had never thought about how a ladybug becomes a ladybug and this book does a great job teaching the life cycle.

The story of Mathew Brady’s life is an important addition to school libraries because photographs taken by Brady and his staff are history’s major record of the Civil War.  This biography, by Don Nardo, is full of photos, from the Lincoln portrait that is the model for the Lincoln penny, to his battlefield photos of the dead at Antietam used by Ken Burns in his Civil War series.

This is a great biography for middle school students as there’s plenty of action in Brady’s life.  Filled with new shops, new ideas, and fast-paced life, New York City was as young and ambitious as Brady when he moved there around 1839.  He opened a business making cases for surgical instruments, but found out that his cases worked well for photographic equipment, and he soon became interested in this new art.

By 1861, his studio was swamped with Union soldiers having their portrait taken before heading to the battlefields of the Civil War. Seeing an opportunity, Brady put darkrooms on wheels, and he and his assistants were off to follow the action.

As an old man, Brady observed that he’d been in the right place at the right time, and with stories from that of the falling skylight that barely missed General U.S. Grant as Brady was making his portrait, to the insider’s view of Brady’s battlefield darkroom, this is a well-told story of a memorable life.

A chronology, chapter notes, further reading, and internet addresses will help serious researchers.  The web sites include many of Brady’s  photos.

All the scouts in Sylvia’s pig scout troop had to do a good deed to earn their next badge.  Sylvia wanted to help her neighbor who twisted her leg. Unfortunately, Sylvia had to stay away because she was too clumsy. Sylvia couldn’t give up that easy. She dressed up as different people delivering food, chocolate, a painting, and a book so the neighbor could rest easy. However, Sylvia could not reveal her secret to the troop because she was told to stay away from the neighbor.  However, the neighbor showed up to the troop meeting praising Sylvia’s good deed which allowed Sylvia to get her badge.

This  23 page book contains 6 stories telling of specific ghost and alien sightings ranging from the year 1718 to modern day.  Each story is written with simple vocabulary and has 7-14 sentences.  Photos or illustrations accompany each page spread.  Some stories have a “Fact or Fiction” page questioning the authenticity of the account. There are reference pages including a table of contents, glossary, read more, internet sites and index.