Much needed in the life of children, clear instruction on internet usage in this nonfiction book.  Covers chat rooms, bullies, “free gifts”, personal information, and strangers.  Excellent for students to know so that they remain safe while online. One analogy utilized in this book is that being online is like being at the mall.  Some strangers aren’t nice and may try to trick kids.   There is a safety pledge at the end of the book, along with the usual further reading book list, internet site, glossary and index.  Fact Hound link on this Capstone book.

Eva Ibbotson has always been one of my favorite authors.  In one of the last books prior to her death, Ibbotson has again created a fun fantasy for grades fourth through seventh.  A group of misfits: an old hag, a troll, a wizard, and an orphaned boy, are on a mission to save a princess from an ogre.  But when they arrive at the ogre’s castle, they find things are not what they seemed.  The princess is harrassing the ogre, the ogre is suffering from a nervous breakdown, and the group must figure out how to restore sanity.  A bit predictable, but the lightheartedness wins out.  Ibbotson has a clever way of describing things which makes for an interesting read.

Shelley Coriell, noted romance writer, has entered new territory with Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe, her debut novel. Strong in voice, characters, plot, topics, and emotion, Coriell takes readers into the engaging world of Chloe Camden, junior at Del Ray High School in Southern California, as major changes are shaking her life.  Chloe loves vintage shoes, her friends, her family of loving brothers, parents and aging grandmother, and her job at a popular Mexican restaurant. She’s not prepared when her best friends turn on her, her mother and grandmother implode into arguments, and the entire school seems intent upon shunning her. Forced to become part of the struggling high school radio station, KDSR 88.8 FM, in order to satisfy requirements for her Junior Project under the guidance of a new school counselor, she finds herself challenged to leave the past and her expectations behind. Using skills her job has helped her hone, she finds success, acceptance, and newfound talents doing a call-in radio show that blossoms into greater funding for the station, hard-won new friendships, and even love. The book has the reader rooting for Chloe all the way as she navigates quirky colleagues, broken friendships, new romance, and creative ways to be in the world – learning to listen, acting with heart, and stepping into the unknown bravely as she also speaks her mind.  Coriell’s book is a terrific read from start to finish, well written, perfect for teen audiences.

This 11.25 ” X 9.5 ” book is divided into three sections: Good Camouflage, Great Camouflage, and Amazing Camouflage. At the beginning of each section is a camo meter divided into thirds. ‘Good Camouflaged‘ animals are categorized as ‘hide-and-seek’ . ‘Great Camouflaged‘ are categorized as ‘out of sight’. And ‘Amazing Camouflage‘ are categorized as ‘master of disguise’.

The good camouflage animals are the arctic fox, horned lizard, and goldenrod crab spider.

The great camouflage animals are the dead leaf butterfly, leafy sea dragon, and mimic octopus.

The amazing camouflage animals are stonefish, cuttlefish, and great potoo.

The amazing animals’ camouflage is the sort I always wanted to be able to show students when I taught this science unit but never had available at the time!  Supports National Science Standards.

The left page has four sentences and the right page is totally covered with these remarkable photos.

This 8.25″ X 7″ book is divided into three parts: What is Water?, Living Things and Water, and Why Do Living Things Need Water?

The top 5 inches of each page is photo of plants or animals with water ( eight of the 18 photos are of drinking water), while the bottom 2 inches contains a single large font statement. From page 16, “People need water to keep their bodies working.” And from page 21, “People use water to keep clean.”

“The fans booed Dolph Ziggler as he stepped into the ring.” So begins this mini-bio of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) wrestler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth A.K.A. Dolph Ziggler. He was a star wrestler on his high school team and he set a school wrestling record at Kent State University where he was studying political science. Should he go to law school or wrestle professionally, the later won, and the rest is history. Dolph Ziggler has won several WWE titles.

“He wrestled as a heel named Dolph Ziggler.” The book’s glossary states : heel – “a wrestler seen by fans as a villain”.

This book is short, sweet, and to the point, with more photo bravodo than text.

Includes: glossary, index, and www.factsurfer.com.

Reminiscent of Bill Martin, Jr.’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear with its question and answer format, the answers in this book do not always trip off of the tongue in English, as they might have in their original French. BUT the two color optic artwork and how it amazingly alines to show through the cutout page is FABULOUS! The animals include: cow, chick, snail, sheep, ladybug, trout, fox, and rooster.

“Mooing cow,

for whom do you wait?

This maid stepping with

a very quick gait.”

I am truly glad someone chose to show how different the sizes of dogs can be between / among breeds: golden retriever, chihuahua, and Great Dane.

Photos of real animals ( superimposed on drawn backgrounds)  show comparison and size perception in realistic scale for : big & small, tall & short, long & short, wide & narrow, and the same size.  The reader is asked questions and answers in rhyme.

Twins, Zoe and Ben help their uncle  “undertake top-secret missions for a covert environmental organization called WILD.” This mission takes them to Adilah Reservation for the protection of orangutans in exotic Borneo.  Using their keen observational skills, playing off of each others carefully chosen words, and spy gadgets – BUGs (Brilliant Undercover Gizmos) and EEL ( Electronic Escape Lines) –  they discover who is sabotaging the reservation’s wooden walkways high up in the forest canopy, scaring away the orangutan, and warning the authorities of the potential forest fire.

Thirteen fast paced, action packed chapters.

Includes: glossary, Discussion Questions, Writing Prompts, and www.facthound.com code.

Proofreaders missed two mistakes: page 34 – ‘returened’ should be ‘returned’ and line 6 on page 48 the word ‘like’ was omitted (“It looks they have horns on their beaks.”)

This is a book that keeps you curious to the end.  There are many words that invoke visual as well as other senses.  Some of the words would be a challenge for young readers, but the story, if read to them would hold their attention.  I liked the colors of the illustrations.  The book describes a farm experience, something many children never have.  A pleasant  read.