A good beginning text about the Navy Seals in Spanish.  The text is limited to 1-2 sentences per two-page spread, accompanied by large, full-color photos that support the text.  The information is simple and straightforward.  Though the text is limited, the information is solid, although admittedly, more of an introductory text to spark curiosity rather than truly quench one’s thirst for knowledge.

La Llorona is a famous Mexican legend, and is a worthy selection to be included in school libraries, and if your library already has other versions, this one would make a reasonable addition for offering different versions of the same story.  In particular, this one is useful in introducing students to reading script formats.  But if you are only going to have one version of the folktale in your library, I wouldn’t recommend this be the one, as the script version can be a bit confusing, with sometimes Older David speaking as narrator, as he tells the story as a memory, and sometimes Younger David speaking within the memory.  And it’s got a story within a story, which is another useful literary device for teaching, but in combination with everything else going on in this story, it just adds to the muddled feeling of the retelling.

It’s a worthy topic, and the collection of photographs brings it to life, making it real for students.  I just wish the writing was stronger.  It’s adequate.  All the facts are presented.  I just wished they had been strung together more coherently, to actually make a story of the events.  It’s like they were constructing the text to fit the formatting (it all fits very nicely into outlined text boxes, with titles over each paragraph), instead of designing the formatting to enhance the story.

It’s your basic don’t-give-up-on-your-dreams story, in Spanish.  Santiago dreams of becoming a performer, but at the audition for the school play he freezes.  When he confesses to his dad that he didn’t get the part, dad tells him not to give up on his dreams, so he keeps practicing on his own time, which makes him ready to jump in and save the day when the lead in the play is suddenly ill.  It’s fine.  It’s a good little story, with a good message. Just perhaps a bit of a cliche.

It’s your basic don’t-give-up-on-your-dreams story.  Santiago dreams of becoming a performer, but at the audition for the school play he freezes.  When he confesses to his dad that he didn’t get the part, dad tells him not to give up on his dreams, so he keeps practicing on his own time, which makes him ready to jump in and save the day when the lead in the play is suddenly ill.  It’s fine.  It’s a good little story, with a good message. Just perhaps a bit of a cliche.

It’s a collection of 21 traditional stories from around the world, mostly fables, each told in 4 pages.  It’s not that it’s bad, exactly.  But there are way better versions available of all these stories.  The format keeps the telling of each to a minimalist bare-bones version, and the illustrations are cute, but not necessarily culturally relevant.

What is it like to live in a warzone? And what if that war isn’t one you’re fighting?  The tiny island of Saipan was caught in the middle of World War II.  Its residents had to navigate tricky relationships with the Japanese and Americans, as the two countries fought their deadly war.  This is the story of two islanders during those events.  Recommended for collections serving young people, particularly because of its unique topic and setting.

It can be hard to make friends when you move to a new town. When Teddy moves to Richland, he finds himself playing with a series of kids who just… disappear.  And you know how strange noises can make it hard to sleep in a new space?  The tree outside of Teddy’s room seems to be getting more aggressive in its scratching against his window.  This relatively slim volume combines horror and historical fiction in a story that will delight and terrify its readers.  Teddy is an accessible everykid, and his plight is believable and eerie.  Recommended as a strong entry into middle grade collections everywhere.

Where does an author get his or her ideas? What is a day in the life of an author like? This picture book helps to answer those questions by way of a dog.

The author in this book works from home. Her dog is there with her from the waking of each day, to her getting dressed, to her writing at her desk and tossing away drafts, to staring out the window at the world outside, until finally it is time for the dog’s walk. Here the dog helps the author come across possible things to write about. Then, they go home for dinner. Sometimes the author gets an idea at night when everyone else is asleep. “So one light comes on. And the author sits up and writes.”  Then one day, “The dog knows something is different.” He gets left at home “because it’s Author Day at Fred C. Underhill School!” with autographs and book signings. The author leaves telling the boys and girls they are all authors, too. Then it is back home to her dog who is waiting for her.

The story is understandable , but the text is halting at times and does not flow well. Steven Henry’s illustrations carry the story along during those times.

This biography for young readers is too simple. There are nine pages of text accompanied by nine pages of photographers and two maps. The pages of text average three sentences per page. There are thirty-one sentences in all, plus a time line.

The book tells where and when Amelia Earhart was born. It tells she was one of the first female flyers and that she flew across both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Then, on her flight around the world, she missed her refueling stop in the Pacific. ” Amelia and her plane have never been found.” (18)

I hope someone at ABDO writes a biography on Amelia Earhart using the information found in the abdokids.com websites for an older audience.