The Word Collector by Sonja Wimmer

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Synopsis:   Luna is girl who lives in the sky and collects words.  One day she notices all the good, sweet words she collected have disappeared from the world.   She can’t sleep and makes a decision to spread her healing words throughout the world.

What I like about it and who would enjoy it:  Artistically drawn with text incorporated into each picture, “The Word Collector,’’ as a story is difficult to follow. The author/illustrator tries to convey the power of words to heal, but the art work is dark and busy, and just plain odd.  Translated from the Spanish with a European sensibility, something may have gotten lost in the translation!  Sonja Wimmer is an award-winning illustrator whose work has been featured in books, posters, and magazines. Her illustrations for “The Word Collector” won the Gold Award for Best Illustrator at the 2011 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.   (Ages 4 – 7)

 

Catty Jane who hated the rain by Valeri Gorbachev

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Synopsis:   Poor little Catty Jane hates the rain and is afraid of thunder and lightning.  Nothing her mother does can console her – not even an offer of a cookie!  But when her friends Froggy, Piggy and Goose arrive they cajole Catty into a rainy day party and a different attitude!   Gorbachev’s illustrations are bright and enjoyable, but still convey the gloominess of a rainy day and the moodiness of Catty Jane.

What I like about it and who would enjoy it:   This is a sweet, old fashioned story that many young children may enjoy.  I recommend it as an additional purchase for picture book collections.  (Preschool – grade one.)  Gorbachev is author of many picture books, including “Chicken Chickens,” and “Where is the apple pie?”

One Sheep, Blue Sheep by Thom Wiley /illustrated by Ben Mantle

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Synopsis: With clever rhymed text, five sheep stumble into buckets of different color paints left around the farm.  Die cuts cut into each page reveal the “new” color of each sheep and the chaos continues as sheep bump each other, paint cans go flying and one sheep falls into a puddle.   To the rescue comes the farmer with some shears and all is well.

 

What I like about it and who would enjoy it:  Adults will quickly pick up on the “nursery rhyme” references in the text, such as “The farmer laughed to see such sport,” or “There were five sheep with fleece as white as snow.”    Young children will enjoy the board book format and enjoy a fun way to learn about colors.    Age 1 – 3.

My name is Elizabeth by Annika Dunkee and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

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Synopsis:   Young Elizabeth likes her name.  She likes that it is nine letters long and that there was a queen named Elizabeth.  She has no patience when people call her Lizzy, Beth or Betsy!   She shouts at them rudely:  MY NAME IS ELIZABETH!   Everyone respects her wish, but Elizabeth learns a little patience when her younger sibling calls her Wizabef?   “Close enough,” says Elizabeth.    Illustrations are pale blue, orange and black and have an old fashioned feel.

 

What I liked about it and who would enjoy it:  The story serves as a reminder to ask small children what they prefer to be called, but also a reminder for respectful communication.  It would be a good edition to any picture book collection.  Preschool – grade one.

Backyard Ballistics: Build potato cannons, paper match rockets, Cincinnati fire kites, tennis ball mortars, and more dynamite devices by William Gurstelle 2nd edition.

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Synopsis:  William Gurstelle, a professional engineer, is a believer in DIY Science and the creativity of amateurs.   He wanted to create a book to inspire new generation of young scientists and engineers and encourage hands on experimentation.  He was told he would never find a publisher due to safety concerns with the projects he chose.  When he did find a publisher and the first edition had strong sales.  In the 2nd edition published in 2012, the author has added new devices and added more sources for materials.  He strongly emphasizes safety above all else for each project.   Instructions are clear, (including diagrams, materials & photographs),and  are clearly designed to help you complete the project successfully.  Sources are listed for each project and each project has related information on scientific principles and history.   Projects range from the simple Cincinnati fire kite to the complicated Electromagnetic pipe gun.

 

What I like about it and who would enjoy it:  The author is highly qualified in the subject area and the projects included in the books are meticulously researched.    Gurstelle is the author of “The practical Pyromaniac, the Art of the catapult, and “Building Bots.”   He has been building DIY projects for thirty years and is the Pyrotechnics and Ballistics editor at Popular Mechanics.     “Backyard Ballistics” belongs in every public library.  Hand this to Science teachers, Boy Scout leaders and remember safety first! (Adult, high school)

 

A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

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Synopsis:  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tetsu Kishi, his mother and sister Kimi are sent to Arizona to a relocation camp called Gila River.  Their father is sent elsewhere to be questioned by the government.    At Gila River the family faces a harsh climate with rattlesnakes and scorpions, a community latrine with no walls, food that makes them sick and little or no privacy.   Tetsu and Kimi worry about the family dog they left behind.  Is he alive?  They write letters to a neighbor hoping to find out.  They also wait for word from their father.  Tetsu misses playing baseball, a passion he shared with his father.

When the authorities start a school for the camp, life becomes a little less grim for Tetsu, especially when he meets other boys who love baseball.   They start building a ball field and practicing for competition.  All goes well until his sister Kimi falls ill and Tetsu stops playing to take care of the family.

 

What I liked about it and who would enjoy it:  This is good historical fiction for 5th through 8th grade and excellent choice for elementary and middle school libraries.  Author Kathryn Fitzmaurice spent many months at the Pacific Laguna Niguel National Archives and also interviewed former internees.  Many of the incidents in the story come directly from her interviews.  In short episodic chapters, Fitzmaurice draws a compelling portrait of a grim historical period and the people caught up in it.  Resources are appended for student research.  (Grade 5th – 7th)

The Lifeguard

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The cover, featuring a handsome shirtless lifeguard, gives the reader the impression that The Lifeguard will be a romantic beach read. But the reader may be disappointed. The characters are poorly defined; for instance the reader learns next to nothing about the lifeguard, Pilot, other than that he is handsome and has supernatural healing powers. Sirena, the main character, doesn’t articulate what it is about Pilot, other than his good looks, that has her so obsessed with him.  It may just be the supernatural “presence” that read people can’t understand.  And everything about her is extreme — the high to low roller coaster of her emotions makes for a bumpy ride.  The best character is Pilot’s grandfather, from whom Sirena learns the most about life.  The plot defies believability but the novel likely will appeal to the most die hard romance fans.

Shift

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Shift is the sequel to Shade and is the second book in the Shade Trilogy. Shift takes up two months after Shade ends and continues the story of Aura, her dead boyfriend Logan, and a new love interest Zachary. This paranormal love triangle romance is full of action, dangerous and sexy entanglements with twists and turns. An intriguing, steamy romance that will have the readers turning the pages with anticipation.  Note: This is a very mature Young Adult novel with erotic images.

Edda

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The final book in the Avatar Chronicles trilogy, Edda‘s story follows immediately upon the previous books, Epic and Sage. As very little back story is presented in Edda, it is best read after the first two books. The main character, Penelope has known no world beside the video game universe of Edda her entire life. She is the only human avatar in a land of electronic beings, and has been virtually abandoned by the humans of her planet. The main plot of Edda concerns the threat of war emerging between Edda and Saga. Secrets come out about Penelope’s past, and loyalties are tested.

This fantasy contains the same main characters as the first two books and makes it easy to keep track of the characters over the course of the series.

Traitor’s Son

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The sequel to Trickster’s Girl, Traitor’s Son continues an intriguing adventure story, full of non-stop action and interesting characters, including a likable teenaged hero. Blending magic and science with Pacific Northwest Native mythology, this fantasy novel will appeal to teenage readers.