In this sequel to “Trading Faces,” twins Emma and Payton get out of detention (for playing the ‘ol twin switcheroo” in book 1) in exchange for tutoring the counselor’s son in math.  The catch:  their own dose of twin antics.  The young tutoree has an identical twin himself.  Having heard about Emma and Payton’s famous switch, Mason and Jason pull the same stunt on the girls, over and over again.  Texting, playing Wii and crushes will help draw middle school girls into the humorous storyline.

12-year old Isabel seems trapped in a world where nothing special ever happens to her.  She dreams of traveling and being noticed for being good at something.  She lives in a small town in Oregon with an insecure mother who wants to open a cupcake shop.  The whole family rallies behind her, lead by Isabel, who shares her mother’s love of baking.  Family love, friendship, and determination to succeed are all themes that run throughout the book.  The happy ending will satisfy the reader who cheers the family on throughout the book.

Students will love reading about funny-man Adam Sandler in this visually-appealing biography.  The book is loaded with photographs that make you smile! The reader learns of celebrities that influenced Adam’s life, the struggles of breaking into show business, and his eventual successes.  My only complaint is that the author occasionally admitted he had heard two different versions of how something in Adam’s life  happened.  It made me wonder how he could write a biography without the full research.

Two students who are on the school newspaper staff, are frustrated that their adviser only allows them to print articles that show their school in a good light.  Zebbie and Amr start an underground, online newspaper called “The Truth About Truman” meant to be a true and honest newspaper about middle school life.  Anyone in the school can submit articles, and have their written guarantee that nothing will be censored.

The online newspaper quickly becomes a platform for bullying when a popular girl, Lilly, gets trashed by anonymous posts.  First, a picture of Lilly is posted from younger, chubbier days; next it’s announced that she’s a lesbian (though she isn’t), and finally a place to enter a “Why I Hate Lilly Clarke” essay contest, where the winner of an essay wins $5.

The vicious bullying leads to Lilly running away from home.  A great discussion book about people’s feelings, slander, and how to treat others, “The Truth About Truman School” is told in alternating character’s voices to give a perspective of bullying from all sides.

In true, Lois Lowry style this is a different sort of chapter book! This is the story of the four Willoughby children that try to actually become orphans because their parents are so dreadful. Little do they know, their own parents are trying to get rid of them too. When their parents set out to explore the world, the children are left alone in the care of a nanny. With a dropped off infant at their doorstep, an old single man and a story with numerous references to literary heroes and themes in children’s literature, this is such a fun book. I loved that the story is like a puzzle that pieces together perfectly at the end. While I loved it, I just don’t know how kids will take to it. It is confusing at times and written in an old fashioned style. It would be a fun read aloud because kids could get a lot out of it with a little help and explanation by a teacher.

At first glance, this looks like a fiction picture book about dinosaurs and butterflies. With its paper collage illustrations and bright colors, this book is very attractive to young children. This book is really neat because it actually is a nonfiction book about the other things that were alive during the time of dinosaurs. It talks about how butterflies, plants, insects, small mammals and reptiles were alive at the time of dinosaurs and survived after their extinction. The book presents information in an easy to read format and has a time line at the end of the book showing kids how it all fits together. I thought this book was really informative, fun and great for the little kids that want to learn about dinosaurs, but the traditional books are too difficult. I also liked that it makes us think about more than just dinos during prehistoric times. Not many books discuss the other plants and animals that were alive at the time of dinosaurs.

In this delightful picture book, baby raccoon wants mama to pick her up and be the baby, but then she wants mama to put her down and be thebig girl. The paintings make this a really beautiful book. The pictures of the raccoons are really cute and the colors are just soft and sweet which is just the theme of the entire book. In one phrase, baby is asking  to be picked up and in the next she asking to be put down and the story all in rhyme. My only issue with this book is it is directed toward toddlers, making it a little young for even the elementary library. It sure is sweet!

On Februrary 1, 1960, the Greensboro Four, David, Joseph, Franklin and Ezell were the first student demonstrators at the Greensboro Woolworths’ Food Counter where they peacefully sat, ordered a donut and coffee, and waited to be served.  Their goal?…to end segregation.  These four began a ripple effect of similar sit-ins from south to north to west across America, where 70,000 blacks and white, men and women, young and old joined in through August of 1961.  Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King’s call for nonviolent action, these four showed the true meaning of peace.  Written and illustrated by an award winning husband and wife team whose lyrical language and energetic illustrations make for a powerful read-aloud!  Back matter includes a Civil Rights timeline, additional background information on the story content, plus books and websites for further enjoyment.

This well-paced novel about Eddy, a middle-school boy, helps you to understand the struggles of living with Autism.  Eddy has a brilliant mind for science.  He knows the scientific Latin name for all plants and animals.  He has an incredible memory for facts — the story is interrupted often with “Random Access Memory of Edison Thomas” facts.  When Eddy makes mistakes, as middle schoolers often do, he recites the period table to calm himself down.

Eddy becomes obsessed with the fact that a traffic policeman loses his job, causing an unsafe crossing intersection for pedestrians.  To deal with his stress, he puts his inventive mind to work, taking parts of various pieces of machinery and a garden hose and devising a traffic-calming device.  Proud of Eddy one moment, and embarrassed for him as  he deals with bullies the next, the reader easily gets caught up in the emotions of Eddy’s life.

Set in West Virginia in the 1940’s, Jimmy Cannon is from a family that has been in the railroad business for generations.  Jimmy himself is looking forward to joining his father and older brothers one day, after he completes high school.  Each chapter is dated “All Hallows’ Eve” one year later, so we watch Jimmy in this coming-of-age story and the relationship he has with his father, but anyone with a fascination with railroads will enjoy this book.