Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the professional wrestling world will find Larry Matysik’s  “Definitive Shoot” on the world’s greatest wrestlers to be an educational experience, even while knowing it is totally opinion based.  Matysik’s analysis of the best wrestlers comes across with such an honest tone that even  Vince McMahon should find it a fair assessment with sound arguments based on valid reasoning, despite the fact that McMahon published his own list of the fifty greatest based only on the 50 most popular TV WWE  athletes–WWE being McMahon’s company of course.  Matysik’s list includes wrestlers who did well with their natural ability rather than the scripted acting the WWE portrays today (reviewers personal reflection here).  And his list is not a popularity contest, that McMahon’s  surely is.  Matysik’s categories for evaluation included: working ability, charisma, mic work, drawing ability, legacy, and  the most important — being real.  “Reality.  Legitimacy.  Believability.  The real deal.  A true tough guy.  A wrestler who can wrestle.”  My only critique is that it took 106 pages of explaining his rational before the countdown began. For fans of professional wrestlers, as well as students who find a way to do a research paper on this subject, Larry Matysik’s has the history and the argument that makes for an appreciative read.  Recommended.

In giving voice to memorable teenager Loa Lindgren, Blythe Woolston offers us a penetrating look into the heart of a wounded but marvelously unique soul working her way through the pain of losing loved ones to death, overcoming nightmares in which death (The Bony Guy) haunts and menaces her, coping with seemingly merciless parents, loving a little brother, retrieving her own hope, and making us care as she does.

This voice is not a common one. Loa, assigned to explain “The Freak Observer” by her Physics teacher, laces her experiences together with dreams and physics questions as she works her way through them. Compounded by confusion about Corey, her friend/lover, and his enigmatic, seemingly threatening postcards from Europe, Loa’s life appears bleak and unpromising.

Then change happens just when it should, and it is not, thank the stars, all up to her anymore. As her understanding shifts, there is starlight where before there was a universe of regret, and, as so often in life, new friends and art pave the way for hope, self-love, and fulfillment.

“The Freak Observer” is a conscious entity that pops into being in its own universe because there may be other universes to observe. So, in a sweet dream that comes at last, Loa finds she is able to breathe underwater in a world astonishingly beautiful and new, realizing “this is only another universe. And I’m its observer.”

Well-written and absorbing, this book is a fine path through the brain of a tender young person well on her way. Highly recommended.

Joy in Mudville by Bob Rackza illustrates how anyone can do things unexpectedly, in a unique manner, and succeed wildly at it.  The baseball game is near the end with a score of one to zero when a rookie pitcher (a girl, if you can believe that) takes over and surprises them with different ways of pitching in the forms of different sports.   The illustrations accurately depict the written word and it is easy to picture these pitches and the scenery in your head.  This book stands out because it overcomes stereotypes and is creative in its approach.  Although this is a picture book, it is not one that would read easily aloud due to changes in the cadence and words that don’t quite rhyme.  It is a book that would especially appeal to athletic children of either gender as well as to baseball fans.  It is a follow-up to the famous “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer which is printed in entirety at the end of the book.  In fact, this might be a good comparison piece for students to really look at the difference in word choices, finding evidence of this and practicing some common core skills, even at the upper elementary.  This book is recommend for those who enjoy sports or just breaking the mold.

Though the cover does consent that this is the Unofficial Story of Drake’s musical career, author Dalton Higgins definitely knows the rap scene and provides infinite details about the handsome Canadian rapper Drake.  Born to a father who himself was a musician, Drake was primarily raise by his mother after a divorce when he was 5.  Keeping Drake involved in activities and off the streets of Toronto was a priority and Drake participated in a variety of the arts.  At first, theater rose to the top of his successes.  His break into stardom comes during 8th grade with a TV show titled Degrassi: The Next Generation and from there the ball begins to roll.  His life as as a TV star kept rapping as a chance for release.  But Drake did record and release music starting in the early 2000’s.  Those in the rap scene were skeptical at first but quickly rose to respect his lyrics and style.  The clean cut edge and being from Canada made him different too.  And according to this biographer, Drake had a knack for connecting with the right people and the right time.

This biography is chalk full of minute details.  For the hard core rap fan who know the names and places in the history of rap, it will be an interesting read.  While the overarching structure is chronological, Higgins jumps back and forth throughout a chapter, making reference to events in 2010, 2011, or 2012 and then jumping back to the early or mid 2000’s.  This reviewers head was spinning at times and could only read a few pages in each sitting.  For this reason, Far From Over is an additional purchase for most libraries.

The Campaign by Elizabeth Karre is part of The Opportunity Series of books targeting young adult, reluctant readers.  Using the premise of a teenager getting their “dream job”, the series has ordinary teens in real career situations. “The Campaign” involves the dilemma that arises for Destiny, a senior in high school with financial concerns  limiting her hopes to attend college.  During her summer job as an intern reporter, she discovers false video tapes are being made to discredit a mayoral candidate.  Is Destiny being  paid to be a reporter, paid to uncover political shenanigans or paid to keep quiet?  With a surprising twist at the end, the expected plot is thought provoking  and  realistic..  By using hip language, realistic social situations, teenage romantic crushes, responsibility for younger siblings and money problems, the book is honest.  It could be a recommended read for a reluctant reader that is that is also facing “real” life after high school.

Seven Billion and Counting is intriguing  from the cover with the sub text of “the Crisis in Global Population Growth” to the final page with discussion of possibilities for a sustainable future.  The use of colorful photographs,  charts  and graphs show the hugeness of population numbers in the billions.  A grasp of this many humans on the planet is then discussed in the needs of these people as individuals.  For the planet to provide the basic, life sustaining  requirements, such as adequate food, water and shelter , decisions must be made beyond the boundaries of separate countries, regions or nationalities.  This book gives a clear, graphic presentation of viewing the planet as a whole organism to be nurtured and sustained in order to provide for a magnitude of human beings. Real solutions are recommended through education, public awareness, population control  and  sustainable farming.  This is a pressing problem that needs discussion and action on many different fronts.  Additional purchase for middle and high school libraries.

Andrew Jenks as a young boy felt awkward, shy and out of place. Observing life from behind a camera lens became how he could participate in life yet not have to “do anything”.  Growing up around the world, from Nepal to Belgium to New York City, he clung to family, basketball and a video camera for stability.  After making a short, humorous film to celebrate the graduation of his high school basketball team, Jenks decided that filmmaking was his passion and dream career.  This autobiographical book chronicles his journey  from boredom and depression in college to frustration with the rejection of his first  off-beat, early film projects to the realization of his dream when he is hired by MTV.  Jenks’ goals stay true to his early desire “to do something right for the world”.  His films want to deal with the real stuff that is happening to his generation: homelessness, mental illness, aging and loneliness, poverty, abuse, addiction.  As he states it: “My plan was to tell engaging and substantive stories about important issues, masked as entertainment.”  Using photos, graphics and decorative text, the message that art is a powerful medium to inform and enlighten society is reinforced.  This is an excellent book on many levels.  Highly recommended for all high school and public libraries.

The book offers primary readers an opportunity to accompany a variety of animals to the local fair which culminates in a monster truck show.  The monster truck show features one of their friends driving his own monster truck in the finale.  This cast decides they have some time to kill before the big show and set off to explore the fair and all its rides.  When the time arrives for the big monster truck show, Franco ( the large dog assigned to drive the truck) breaks his glasses.  The crisis is averted when the hamster and friendly mice step in and drive for Franco.

The tale reinforces sizing, sequencing, and includes the young reader in a series of choices connected to the day at the fair.  Readers becomes another friend accompanying the animals to a day at the fair and monster truck event.  It stresses how things can be categorized, such as that rides that are fun, rides that are fast, rides that are both, and offers a variety of food that enables the reader to engage in more choices.  The illustrations reinforce the choices for both the reader and the characters.  Through the illustrator’s vision, primary children have a door that they can enter and spend a day at the fair and monster truck show.  The author and illustrator invite the young reader to accompany the animals on their journey through the fair.  Children are constantly included in making choices, problem solving, and what can be accomplished when all of us work together.  I would highly recommend this book for those working with pre-K and K age groups.

This well written and illustrated biography chronicles Joe Dimaggio’s legendary streak of hits in 1941.  Juxtaposing World War 1 and a world rapidly changing, America’s pastime and legendary Joe Dimaggio’s streak of hits comes alive for upper elementary readers.  The impressionist inspired illustrations transport the reader to this era and the writing weaves mere facts into a captivating story.

This  author highlights one man’s accomplishments in baseball.  In spite of the looming war and the loss and recovery of his favorite bat “Betsey Ann”,  Joe Dimaggio manages to set a record hitting streak that ended with a total of 56 games.  The writer brings history alive for the readers and what could be a list of dry facts becomes one man’s struggle to become the best baseball player he can for his team.  Figurative writing accompanies the dream-like drawings blending a tale that will capture a ten and eleven year old imagination.   Yet the author’s note, annotated source notes at the end  and quotations on the end pages remind a reader that this is in fact non-fiction and could be used as a source for a research report in elementary schools.  Recommended for school and public libraries.

From the Eye on Art series, this text accomplishes its goal of chronicling the history of comics in its many forms.  From being unrespected and then rising as an acclaimed and legitimate art, comics in cartoons, strips, comic book and webcomics are covered.  Of note was the attention given to female artists and the explanation about African American comics.  Colorful illustrations and sidebars break up the text and provide good balance.  A fine resource for students who want to view the beginnings from which superhero comics, graphic novels and webcomics of today evolved.  Resources, bibliographical references and an index are included.