How the Executive Branch Works is part of the How the US Government Works series, which includes additional titles of How Political Campaigns and Elections Work, How Political Parties Work, How the Judicial Branch Works, How the Legislative Branch Works,  and How the US Security Agencies Work.  This non-fiction series supports the Common Core State Standards for grades 3-6.

Nicely laid out, easy to read with color and black and white photographs and other illustrations, the text contains sidebars, a timeline, a glossary and an index, and a “Stop and Think” section that would be very useful in the classroom. There is also a reference section that includes books and a link to websites that are routinely monitored and updated.

Armistice Day is a  graphic novel in the Graphic Warfare series that includes these additional titles: D-Day, Fallujah, Gettysburg, Iwo Jima,  and the Tet Offensive. The text is filled with action-packed illustrations and fact-filled narration. Easy to read, but riveting, this text explains how WW I started, the new battle methods used in that war, trench warfare, the final days of the war, and the signing of the armistice agreement with the cease fire on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It concludes with a history of Armistice Day, how it later became known as Veterans Day. The text also includes maps, timelines, biographies, statistics, a glossary and index, as well as a reference to websites that are frequently monitored and updated.

This book, and the entire series, would make an excellent addition to a school library.

Polar Bears Matter is a non-fiction book in the Bioindicator Species series that also includes the titles Bees Matter, Coral Reefs Matter, Dragonflies Matter, Frogs Matter, and Monarch Butterflies Matter. The series supports Common Core State Standards for grades 3-6

Polar Bears Matter has especially nice colored photographs of polar bears in the wild, and of scientists and researchers working to determine what is causing their habitat to shrink, and how to protect these animals from extinction.  There are also sidebars, graphs, charts, a glossary, index, additional resources for further research, and a nice “Stop and Think” section that will useful for classroom use.

Thomas Edison Invents the Light Bulb is a non-fiction book in the Great Moments in Science series. The series, which also includes non-fiction titles on Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, and Rachel Carson, supports the Common Core State Standards for grades 3-6.

The book is filled with period black and white photos and etchings, has numerous sidebars of information, as well as a timeline, glossary, index, and resources for further study. It is interesting and easy to read, and will make a good addition to a school or classroom library, especially for students who are studying inventors and inventions.

Ebola is a non-fiction book for children and youth that explains how the Ebola epidemic occurred, what is thought to cause the virus, the symptoms shown by the infected, how the disease spreads, how the disease can be  or prevented or contained, and what health officials in the affected countries of Africa and around the world are doing to educate communities about this disease.

The book contains numerous color photographs and other graphics, as well as statistics, a glossary, index, and resources for further study.

George is a novel about a 10 year old named George, who loves to read and has a best friend named Kelly. Everyone thinks George is a boy, but she doesn’t feel like one. George is a transgender fourth-grader who prefers to be called Melissa and who identifies as a girl. The main plot conflict is that George really wants to try out for the role of Charlotte in the class production of the play Charlotte’s Web.  George  thought she would always be keeping the secret, but when her teacher states that she can’t try out for the part because she is boy, she and her friend Kelly come up with a plan.

George is praised for filling the gap between transgender picture books for young children and novels for teenagers, as it is the perfect book for mid-grade kids.

As author Alex Gino states, “It’s not just, ‘This is a trans narrative.’ This is a narrative about a young person who is very much trying to become who they are.”

Have you ever played those word games were you have to see how many words you can create from the original word? This book reminds me of one of those games, but for primary age readers. It is a cross between one of those games and a wordless picture book. There are no sentences in this book.  There is usually one word per page. All of the words begin with the letter “p”. Sometimes a letter is added to the word on the previous page and sometimes a letter is subtracted from the word on the previous page. Here is the progression of words: plan, plane, planet, plant, pant, pants, pans, pals, Pa’s, past, post, pot, pit, pin, pint, point, paint, pain, plain, plan. Have you guessed the plot of this book yet? It is about a young girl with a dream to fly a bi-plane as she plants a garden,  hangs pants up on a clothes-line, and goes about her daily life. She takes a key which fell out of the pant’s pocket to open a locked photo album belonging to her Pa. Inside the album are ticket stubs, old photos, a blue ribbon, and pilot’s wings from her parents’ barnstorming days. She shows the album to her pa. Together they paint posters, fit aviator clothing, paint the bi-plane, visit her mother in the cemetery, and pack a picnic lunch and luggage, before flying off over the plain. What a great plan!

The first graders I read the book to loved finding the change from one word into the other, as well as, following the story-line through use of the one word per page and the illustrations!

Poisonous vomit, punching shrimp, hidden claws… oh my!  This high appeal title profiles a wide selection of animals from all over the world which defend themselves in unexpected ways.  Many of the defenses hinge on bodily fluids in some way – and kids can’t get enough of it.  Each tale is accompanied by photographs, and the graphic design of the book has pizzazz.  This and Johnson’s similarly packaged works “Zombie Makers” and “Masters of Disguise” are essential for any public, elementary, or middle school library.

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hitton is a novel written in free verse form as in the style of Brown Girl

Dreaming. It’s about a girl named Mimi whose family moves from Berkley, California to Vermont

*Japanese making Mimi multi-ethnic and feeling like an outsider in her new community. Not only

must she adapt to a new climate with cold winters, but she is in the middle of Junior High. It is set in

the late 1960’s and Mimi questions school policies such as classes being assigned by gender (really,

shop is only for boys). It also highlights historical events such as the first lunar landing.

I like the style of this book with many short chapters making it easy to pick up and put back down, for

busy people who tend to read books in short bits. It has Japanese words and customs sprinkled

throughout which increases the interest. It is a realistic book of a girl on the verge of discovery of who

she is.

Tiny Cooper is not Tiny.  He’s big boned and has a big presence too.  Additionally, he is gay and figuring out how to love in this novel written as a script for a musical by David Leviathan.  Hats off to Leviathan for accomplishing such a feat of writing.  The word choices are so terse, yet so loud and powerful.  Tiny wants to experience the type of love he sees his unconditional parents exchange to freely.  He tries this through multiple boyfriends, each who have their own agendas.  When Tiny does find love, his last partner becomes the one who can’t trust the love Tiny so desperately wants to give.  Ultimately, Tiny shares the message he has had to learn over the course of the story — that you have to fall to learn to trust.  And if you hit bottom, you just have to get up again.

The stage directions Leviathan incorporates are more impressive than the dialogue between actors.  In fact, because of the repetition within music, a reader can fast forward their reading.  Written for a high school audience and above, there are plenty of witty lines which just highlight the truth in certain stereotypes of gay men.   Tiny is jazz hands gay, proud of it, and makes his presence known to all.  It will be interesting to see if this gets picked up in my library.