This book is completely weak on information. There is nothing that a student is going to learn from this book if they have already spent a whole day in a classroom. It completely over-simplifies the job of teachers. I realize they are trying to keep things simple for early readers, but by spending 24 pages to tell readers things they already know this book just reinforces the belief some struggling readers hold that reading holds no purpose.

Seriously, this book is just encouraging kids to keep junk. When George starts out to help clean up the neighborhood, he ends up deciding he wants to keep everything he found. When the man explains that a collection is one particular kind of thing, and asks George to choose one particular kind of thing to keep and to throw out the rest, George wants to keep it all, so he just arranges it all by color and and calls it a color collection. It’s still junk: a broken mug is still a broken mug, and a single high-heeled shoe still serves him no purpose, and it’s all still all over the living room floor of their apartment; but somehow we’re supposed to be impressed that he turned trash into something “beautiful”?

If it funds are limited, a book more broadly about volcanoes in general and/or a book more generally about Hawaii seem like more sensible options. But if you’ve got a class studying a unit on either volcanoes or Hawaii, and would like a selection that offers more specific information about these particular volcanoes, this is a good choice. It includes a bit of information about the history of the park, the role of volcanoes in creating the Hawaiian islands, general information about volcanoes, as well as specific details about the history and behavior of these particular ones. And it does it all with a format and simplicity of text that makes it suitable for young audiences.

It’s small, compact, simply laid out, with large font and full-page color photos. All these design elements keep it inviting and non-intimidating for young readers. There are just a few sentences per page, each easily understood, and yet it doesn’t feel skimpy on information. It manages to describe the physics of sound waves and vibrations in terms of tangible things with which young students will be familiar (e.g. stating that though sound waves move through the air invisibly, they do so much as ripples in a pond move through the water). All in all, it’s a solid choice to support the science curriculum.

I go down to Las Vegas, Nevada, not to gamble, but to go out into the desert hiking. I have lived where dust storms occur, but have never been in one myself. I have been on a week long bicycle tour in the Rocky Mountains. And I have gone hiking with my sons’ boy scout troop when survival gear is always inspected before leaving the parking lot. All of these play a part in this story. Now every time I think about this book, my eyes get scratchy and itchy.

This book is set in the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. It is the retelling of what should have been a great time at a club geocaching competition by sixth graders on bicycles. It turns out to be a story of survival , as the title suggests, but it is also the tale of how two young people rediscover their lost friendship and why.

When the club’s van gets stuck, Mr. Lee goes for help, while the 6th grade geocaching team stays with Mrs. Sloan and the van. Martin’s need to win this competition has Martin sneaking through Mr. Lee’s brief case to find the coordinates. Jen sees this and follows Martin out into the desert, when no one is looking. Shortly, the dust storm engulfs them. At times, they have no idea where the other one is the dust is so blindingly thick and loud. The dust stings their eyes and skin, fills their ears and noses. The dust is choking. They survive the storm, but will they survive the desert! They are lost. Their bicycles are ruined. They are in an arroyo which will be the path of the flash flood, that follows a dust storm.

Jen has book knowledge and Martin has math on his side. If they work together these two who were once good friends might get out of this alive. They will face coyotes and the coldness of the desert by night, extreme heat without shade and thirst without water by day.

What Jen and Martin did not do is stay put, so searchers could easily find them. They can hear the rescue helicopter, but it can not see or hear them.

What Jen and Martin did do correctly and how they were finally rescued could have all been avoided, but they are back to being friends due to being put to this test. They, also, are doing volunteer hours of community service to help pay back for the hours put into their rescue effort.

I am looking forward to reading the other three books in this series.

After the story there are ‘Survival tips from the New Mexico Search and Rescue Council’, plus a list of the ten bare essentials of wilderness travel.

In this day and age of computers and photo shop here is an amazing true story of how innovative young people can be when they want “to get back at the adults for scolding…” one of them. (29)

Elsie (16 yrs. old) and Frances (9 yrs. old) only wanted to play a prank on their parents. Cameras for the general public were still rare in 1920. Elsie’s artwork was very good. Put the two together and the girls took a photo of Frances with fairies out in the woods of Northern England. It was never intended for anyone else to ever see the photo(s).

Just like today, some people yelled, “Fake,” while others believed. I will compare it to Big Foot photos. You decide which side of the fence you are on.

The book makes me smile and chuckle because it has similar applications to today’s photos of Big Foot and UFOs.

from author’s note: The difference now is that we are trained not to accept automatically but rather to question, and when possible, to investigate on our own to determine the truth. Though the internet is a powerful tool in trying to confirm or deny a suspicious story or photo, it can also spread misinformation just as easily. Having the internet doesn’t mean you can kick back and think less. On the contrary, it forces you to think more.”

2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles just makes you want to smile every time you see her smile, which seems to be all of the time! This book concentrates on Simone Biles’ enjoying what she does, being good at jumping and then striving through hard work to get even better at it. There is not much ‘meat’ to the text (only two short sentences per page turn) but this is a ‘feel good’ book all the same. The nine photos just make the reader want to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahhh’ at Simone Biles’ form, concentration, and the happiness she is experiencing.