Choosing the right dog for a pet is not easy. This book will give the reader information about the rat terrier to help in making a decision. Does the reader want an intelligent, very active, spunky, playful, small dog ( 13-18 inches tall, 12-25 pounds ) who is calmer than most other terriers? Does the reader want a dog that is curious, territorial, suspicious of strangers, and will develop a strong bond to its owner?  Then, this just might be the dog for you. Plus, rat terriers make great watch dogs, guarding property, hunting, and catching vermin.

Rat terriers come in as many as 18 official color combinations, with short, dense, smooth coats.

This book is full of good care practices for dogs in general, as well as some information on the origin of this breed.

The text fills the left-hand page in three paragraphs, while the right-hand page is usually filled entirely with a color photo of a rat terrier in one of its many color combinations.

Book #4 in THE CARVER CHRONICLES finds Calvin needing to come up with a science fair project for school. In the meantime, the neighbors next door move to Florida to be closer to their grandchildren. Calvin spends quite a bit of time avoiding the new neighbors, a cranky older cigarette smoking woman and a bully from school – Harper- aka Monster Boy.

Author -Karen English must secretly live inside of boys’ heads to know what they are thinking, she is that ‘spot on’. Take Calvin’s science fair project, ” ‘I’m going to find a bunch of great optical illusions, and I’m going to prove who’s faster at seeing them, boys or girls. Even though I already know the answer.’ ” (21)  Calvin results have him later wondering if he should tamper with the data, just so the boys’ times are not so slow. He keeps the original data.

Calvin’s father meets the new neighbor lady and invites Harper to go to the movies with Calvin and him. How could Calvin’s father have encroached on their father son time, especially with that bully Harper? When Calvin’s friends start coming up with Harper scenarios at the movie theater, Calvin is surprised at himself when he defends Harper.

At the movie, Harper reveals the lady he lives with is a foster mother because Harper and his mother are homeless. Later on an early release day from school, Harper takes Calvin to the Community Garden. There Harper introduces Calvin to his mother and to Harper’s science fair project- do plants respond to classical music. Calvin had doubted Harper would even do a science fair project.

As more and more eye opening events  are witnessed by Calvin, as Harper is concerned, Calvin comes to realize living next door to Harper is “going to be kind of fun.” (139)

Laura Freeman’s pencil sketches, about three per chapter, add just that extra little something to push the characterizations over the top.

The first page of this graphic novel is a super quick mini-bio of the Spider-Man creation story.

Peter Parker has no trouble with math and science in high school, but with history he struggles. It is the opposite for Gwen Stacy, so their teacher- Mr. Maxwell has teamed them up to tutor each other. Peter has taken a liking to Gwen. He is about to ask her out to the Winter Formal when his ‘spidey’ sense goes off.

Vulture is stealing a brief case from Stark Industries. Vulture gets away from Spidey. Just as Iron Man shows up, Vulture escapes. Spidey and Iron Man have never met before and Iron Man wants to see Spidey’s face. Off Spidey goes chasing Vulture. Iron Man follows, not believing Spidey is innocent of the breaking into Stark Industries. With Vulture in view, Iron Man asks Spidey to team up with him. Vulture is soon captured. Before Iron Man and Spidey go their own ways, Spidey asks Iron Man for advice on how to ask out a girl.

The next day, Gwen and Peter get their history tests back, both with “A”s. Peter finally asks Gwen out to the Winter Formal, but he is a day too late. Gwen has already accepted to go with someone else. Later that night, as Spidey sulks a top a tall building, Iron Man shows up and invites him to help fight off a dragon “trying to eat Brooklyn.”

All of Peter’s insecurity and all of Tony Stark’s self-confidence and arrogance come through in this story. I could hear Robert Downey, Jr., in my head, as I read these pages.

It helped me follow along to see the text boxes’ script in two different colors to distinguish between characters speaking.

How appropriate my fortune cookie read, “An optimist is always able to see the bright side of other people’s troubles.”

Boris Snodbuckle and his sidekick Adrian are true optimists. They are seventh grade nerds or geeks at Bendale Public School, which is a K-8 school.  As you might imagine, Boris’ last name gets quite a bit of play in the unpleasant nickname department, but that does not stop him. Boris wants to make Bendale a better place and to do this he plans to run for Student Council President. Boris will be running against super popular, gorgeously handsome, and chief bully Robert. Boris figures out he will need to win over five groups of students in Operation Save Our School: “1. Little kids, 2. Nature lover kids ( Green Goblins), 3. Artsy kids, 4. Brainiac kids, 5. Popular kids”. (30) Boris comes up with a plan, or operation- as he likes to call it, to win over each group.

First plan is Operation Swing Back. This involves getting the swing sets back from the seventh graders for the little kids to use at recess. This operation involves water ballooning the seventh graders. When they give chase the little kids rush in to take over the swings. The operation is a success only to have Robert step in to announce Boris is copying his campaign promise to get the swings backs. Robert is believed.

Second plan- Operation Rally in the Valley involves saving ‘the Valley’ where generations of kids have played from a greedy land developer. Boris succeeds again, only to have Robert take credit for it through social media.

Third plan- Operation Broadway finds Boris auditioning for the school musical. Boris and Adrian both get parts, but so do Robert and his lackeys. Boris’ part is reduced to playing Rock #2, through Robert’s sneaky tricks. Dirty trick after dirty trick Boris doesn’t loose faith. As Rock #2, Boris has no lines, so he learns everyone else’s lines, which will eventually save the show, no thanks to Robert.

These are followed by Operation Triple R,  Operation Feed the World, and finally by Operation Beat His Speech. Each operation has its own set backs, usually Robert. Boris’ optimism rules!

All but once: ” ‘We did all this for nothing, and I’m tired of things never working out– never– and of kids putting me down all the time… and the jokes about my name… and no matter what I do, all I ever get are detentions and suspensions.’ ” (196)  Then Adrian proves himself as a sidekick and convinces Boris not to give up.

Boris has ethics! He won’t throw dirt on Robert in his speech before the election. After the Robert and Boris’ speeches, there is a question and answer session. Here several students ask Robert question after question, as if he is on trial, about all of the things he is guilty of during the campaign. Chanting for Boris erupts!

Boris wins the election, of course. Then, post election, in Operation Gym-Jam the student hold a sit-in (1960s style) until they are given outdoor recess again on mild weather days.

My one complaint about this book is that it needs better cover art to sell this wonderful story!

Be aware the word “wuss” is used once, on page 18.

Here is a mystery for your upper- grade Hi-low readers. The color illustrations are very close to graphic novel style, only page-size. Each page of text has two or three words jumping out at the reader by way of size, color, and/or style. Like in any good mystery, the reader will need to read between the lines.

As the book begins, it’s the first day of middle school for both the narrator and Ms. Fleek the new science teacher. As the weeks pass, Ms. Fleek can not find the key to unlock the science lab room. The class is forced to continue reading and doing textbook  assignments, even though I can see a glow coming from under the lab’s door. By mid-October, Ms. Fleek is questioning her ability to teach science when she still can’t find the key to the lab. Then one night, after yet another strange and bad dream, Ms. Fleek awakes to find the key in her hand. “We’ve been able to do all of our science labs since Ms. Fleek opened THAT DOOR three months ago.    I was so excited when we first had the equipment out! But science class and Ms. Fleek have become strange. She doesn’t smile as much. Well, not real smiles anyway.” (34) In February, the English teacher asked me some questioned about Ms. Fleek. Then,  the English teacher disappeared from school after Spring Break. I have stopped hanging out around the science room. “Anytime that door OPENED … I felt sick.” (44)

Next fall, when I am in 8th grade, “I stayed AWAY from Rm. 201.”  [Cliff-hanger]

We all know children who get a ‘bee in their bonnet’ (pun intended) and won’t let it go. This is such a story, but for all the right reasons.

Hurrah! It’s summer. Anna can’t wait for Friends, Fun, and Flowers day camp to begin in her school’s friendship garden. Her younger brother, Collin, is thrilled to be going to the Bugs, Bugs, Bugs day camp there. Then, not enough people sign up for Bugs, Bugs, Bugs.   Bugs, Bugs, Bugs and Friends, Fun, and Flowers are combined to become Sweet Peas and Honeybees. Anna is not thrilled with having her little brother around. On the first day of camp, they go on a field trip to an apiary, much to Collin’s delight. Anna is asked to be Collin’s buddy as the group walks there. “N-O F-A-I-R!” (18) Anna thinks. Collin is acting like an insect all the way there. “The apiary sat on the rooftop of a nearby apartment building.”(19) Mr. Blanco, the bee keeper, gave information about bees.  Collin stated, ” ‘ honeybee colonies are dying.’ ”    “Mr. Blanco nodded sadly…’And if we lose too many, that means lots of food that we enjoy…might disappear.’ ” (25) Now Anna wants to help solve the bee problem.

Anna asks her father to take her to their neighborhood home owners’ meeting dealing with spraying their yards with weed killer. At the meeting Anna shares her information about the blight of honeybees and of their importance. The meeting goes long, the vote will be taken at a later time.

Anna, with Collin’s help, plans to help the honeybees by throwing a BIG BEE BASH. Their invitations read: “Come to Anna and Collin’s house for honey-sweetened treats, waggle dancing, and bee games and activities. Monday night at 7 p.m.’ …they took a walk around their neighborhood with their mom and dad and passed out invitations to their friends and neighbors. They brought an invitation to Mr. Blanco, and asked him to bring his cool bee stuff and honey to sell. She knew he could get people excited about bees.” ( 86) They posted an invitation at the school garden, too, along with a place to donate to the ‘Wildflower Fund’.

Their Big Bee Bash is a success. The homeowner’s society still vote to spray their yards with weed killer, though. Anna is disappointed she has not made a bigger difference. Her parents reassure her that every little bit helps, “it will all add up.” (104)

In the end,  two hives are put on the roof of mom’s restaurant.

The story ends, but there are two more items of interest. The first are directions to the ‘Waggle Dance Game’ from the Big Bee Bash. These are similar to the dance honeybees do to point out directions to flowers for other bees. The second item is a recipe for Anna’s honey cinnamon ice cream.

What are your personal feelings about Groundhog Day as a holiday? Believe it or not, in this installment of the Black Lagoon Adventures, Hubie thinks it is ridiculous. Nevertheless, when Hubie’s teacher assigns his entire class a job for their school’s morning news show in February he becomes anchorman for February 2, Groundhog Day. As any good reporter Hubie begins with research in the library. It turns out, the groundhog, Punxsutawney  Phil, is only “right 39 percent of the time.” (14) Anything can be right 39% of the time. Hubie is not excited about Groundhog Day like the rest of his class. He thinks it’s silly. Humhog. The school is having a play during lunchtime about Groundhog Day.  Hubie has a hogmare the night prior to his broadcast. In it, Hogzilla “cast a big shadow.” (28) Hogzilla ruins parts of the school. Hubie is hoping the school won’t be serving groundhog for lunch on February 2. Early on February 2, Hubie gets up at 7:25 AM to begin watching for Punxsutawney Phil on TV. Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow. ” ‘I guess spring is in the air,’ I smiled.” (50) The newscast goes well. ABC, NBC, and CBS News all want Hubie to work for them.

The book closes with 8 Groundhog facts.

This would not be a Black Lagoon Adventure book without silly, but humorous, little doodles in the page margins by Jared Lee, in addition to the other major black and white sketches accompanying the story.

In this fourth book by R.W. Alley, the four children go another outdoor adventure using imagination as a key element.

This time, Annabelle escapes her two brothers and little sister by going outside into  the snow in search of the South Pole.  “Annabelle stared into the blizzard. Horrors! It was the Abominable Snow Giant!” Annabelle knocks off its head with a snowball. Annabelle and the roly-polies (magically turned into penguins for the South Pole) help put the Snow Giant’s head back on its body once it promises to be good. Annabelle is in luck because the Snow Giant will take her to the South Pole. As Annabelle, the roly-polies, and the Snow Giant arrive at the South Pole, they realize “The Wizard of the World and his gang (AKA Ananbelle’s siblings) had gotten there first.”  They threaten to melt the South Pole using a hot chocolatey potion. Bravely Annabelle swallows the potion saving the world. Off they go “back to base camp,” which remarkably looks just like their house’s front porch.

Young children enjoy figuring out which items in the world of imagination match up with the children’s world of reality.

Imagination flies again as two brothers and two sisters go out on a fall evening dresses=d in costumes. The youngest, Gretchen, suddenly becomes frightened when the crescent moon disappears. Mitchell, the oldest, dressed in a wizard costume announces, ” ‘Only the Sorcerer of Space can ride the Moon Ladder [ belonging to the swing set] of Magic and Mystery.’ ” With a zoomity up! zappity snap! and zippity snatch! Mitchell’s lightning-wand lassoes the moon. Two Jack O’ Jerks [ extra large orange lawn refuge bags] are eating the moon until the lightning-wand POPs them. Safely back on Earth, Gretchen and MItchell with Annabelle and Clark “headed out into the moon-bright evening.”

Halloween is never mentioned, but the illustrations show the children are on their way to trick-or-treat.

Gretchen, the youngest, goes to the beach with her two brothers and sister. While her sister and brothers play in the surf, Gretchen plays in the sand until her hat flies away. Gretchen catches hold of the hat’s ribbon. Together they sail up into the clouds. Gretchen is able to swim in “the wispy wave-clouds”. A gull flies her away from a thunder storm until Gretchen sees her hat again.”With her hat as a parachute Gretchen… drifted down, down, down to the beach.” As the family picnics, Gretchen states, ” ‘ Big clouds are better than big waves.’ ”

Gretchen’s private adventure above the beach is quite fun, especially with the faraway beach shown in such great perspective down below.