Jess and her mother make a living in Victorian England as fake spiritualists, ‘helping’ grieving people connect with their deceased loved ones. Jess and her mother discover that Jess can actually communicate with the dead – she is a mesmerist. Her mother contacts an old friend, Balthazar, who turns out to be rather magical himself and they tell Jess about her father, who died fighting an evil man who could raise the dead for his own terrible purpose of taking over the world. Her mother, father and Balthazar were the League of Ravens, who had fought the magical evil that inhabited the world unbeknownst to mere mortals.

Jess joins Balthazar and two other magical children to battle the evil man, Mephisto, before he can wreak supernatural disaster on the world. Along the way, they must fight ghouls and monsters and the plague!

Dark and scary, this book will appeal to children who like to huddle under the blankets at night with a flashlight and a good horror book. It is fast paced and the heroine is a strong and brave leader.

Phoebe and her sister older sister, Alice, aren’t getting along and Phoebe can’t figure out how to fix their relationship. One day, she buys an antique Cartier compact at a flea market in Paris and finds a letter written in World War ll from a girl to her younger sister who had been evacuated from London and was away from the rest of the family for safety. In the letter, there is a ‘spell’ that will bring the sisters back together.

Phoebe decides to follow the clues through London in order to make the spell work for Alice and her. So, she and her friend, Ned, traverse London on a quest to make the spell happen. Along the way, the reader will learn about all the wonderful parts of London and find out at the end if the spell works.

This book is light and sweet and will appeal to fans of realistic fiction.

What could you do with a bubble-gum-related superpower?  Gabby Gomez is walking down the street, minding her own business, blowing the biggest bubble-gum-bubble ever, when she finds out.  This early chapter book will appeal to the hybrid readers and bridge book lovers alike. Montijo uses black, white, and pink to illustrate, and writes a superhero story relatable to everybody.  He incorporates Gabby’s culture, sprinkling Spanish words and phrases into the dialog.  A sure-fire winner, the main drawback to this title is is that there are only a couple of books in the series.  Highly recommended for libraries serving elementary audiences.

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean is a giant pile of garbage.  Scientists have studied the phenomenon, and the creators of this book journeyed to witness science in action.  They focus on three scientists, and show some of the methods of study.  Text is broken up with plentiful photographs of things found in the ocean and the scientists at work.  Maps display how all that garbage got there.  This phenomenon in the world deserves all the publicity it can get, and the straightforward approach here is perfectly accessible to upper elementary and middle school students.  Important for most collections serving youth.

An early elementary informational book about the moon. It is a part of a series about things in the sky. The book features bright photographs, an index, table of contents, key facts, and bold keywords. Some of the vocabulary used is not as attainable to younger audiences, but with minimal assistance could be a resource for those wanting to learn more about the moon. The book did not focus just on the moon. The Key Facts page gave more information about the moon that I would have liked to see in the text itself.

Early elementary informational text about levers. This book is a part of a series called Simple Machines. Each page includes 1-2 clear and concise sentences. The vibrant photographs and text gives examples of levers and the text discusses the features of different levers and why we use levers. Several text features are utilized including bold keywords, glossary, table of contents, and index.

Early elementary nonfiction book about beluga whales. There are 1-2 simple sentences on a page and the information is basic. This would be a good book for beginning readers. Text features such as bold words, glossary, index, and table of contents are included. There is also a quick stats section and online learning resources.

Early elementary nonfiction book about zebras. There are 1-2 sentences on a page and the information is basic. Many text features are used including keywords, headings, table of contents, map, glossary, and index. Readers can also access quick stats in the back.

Houdini, the rabbit, was a natural magician’s assistant. He kept the team together, helped them relax, and performed pre-show checks. He made sure everything was ready for Monsieur Lapin’s show, but one night things go wrong and the magician is accidentally turned into a rabbit. Houdini knows the show must go on so he becomes the magician. Houdini was a hit, but it soon was not as exciting as it had been and during his greatest trick, he turned the magician back into a human. Monsieur Lapin and Houdini soon realize that the spotlight is best when it is shared.

The illustrations in this book are hilarious and tell more of the story. The other rabbits antics will certainly have readers laughing.

Calvin is sad that his next door neighbors are moving away, but it is even worse when Harper, the biggest bully at Carver Elementary, moves in next door. In addition to trying to hide from Harper so he doesn’t discover that he lives next door to Calvin, the science fair is coming up. Calvin wants to win first so that his dad will by him a new video game. In the meantime, Calvin’s dad invites Harper to the movies and encourages Calvin to find out why Harper might be so angry and encourages them to be friends.

The storyline is easy to follow and it touches on the topics of bullies, foster care and homelessness. The black and white illustrations complement the story.

This is book 4 of The Carver Chronicles. Although this is a series, they can be read out of order without feeling like you missed something in a previous book.