I was a reluctant reader of this book when I first glanced at the cover.  With all the cupcakes and the reference to fifth grade, I was sure it would be either a ‘mean girls’ or a ‘twitter techno’ kind of book–you know the type, a lot of blah, blah, blahing about not much of anything.  So I was totally knocked for a loop after I started reading it–I couldn’t put it down!  What really surprised me was all the complicated, kind of grown up issues that were presented.  Planning your life, saving your money and actually having a banking account, running an election campaign, starting a business, dealing with a new girl who tries to steal your friends, what it means to be a friend, and honesty–all just to name a few.  All these issues rolled into a great story.  Plus there are even some cupcake recipes at the end of the book.  So get over the cover–it’s a much more serious and realistic book than what the ‘cuteness’ of the cover implies.

Earth Day should be everyday, not a one day event, but for those who need reminding – this might be the book for them.

Written is rhyme , which sometimes gets awkward, the theme is:

“Just look at this planet!

What a great work of art!

To protect all this beauty,

we must each do our part!…

We can all make a difference,’ E.P. said

‘We can and we do!

Now kindly put down that litter,

and please join my Green crew!.”

After the story, 5 ‘Green Facts’ are given and then ‘More Ways to Green-i-fy!’

Art work resembles acrylic painted scenes of claymation figures.

France is more than the Eiffel Tower and fine dining. It is a country which starts at sea level and goes to ski level.

This book is one in the Exploring Countries series of 20 books. Each has 13 brief chapters written for the intermediate reader. Chapters include: Where is France?, The Land, The Massif Central, Wildlife, The People, Daily Life, Going to School, Working, Playing, Food, Holidays, French Art and Architecture, and Fast Facts.

Browsers will quickly read the ‘fun facts’ and ‘Did You Know?’ insets along with the 8 words in the ‘Speak French!’ section.

Ireland is more than shamrocks and leprechauns.

There are 13 brief chapters in this book written for intermediate age students. It is part of the 20 book  Exploring Countries series.

The photos definitely show off why Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle, whether it is in the lush lowlands or in the bogs rich in peat.

Mixed in throughout the book are bits of trivia, such as, “the ruins of around 3,000 castles dot Ireland’s many landscapes”  from page 7’s ‘fun fact’ and “In some parts of Ireland, rain falls more than 220 days of the year” from a ‘Did You Know?‘ inset.

There is more to England than Big Ben and the city of London.

This book is one in the 20 book series Exploring Countries written for the intermediate grades. There are 13 brief chapters. In ” Where Is England?”, the map is big enough for the reader to see that England is a part of the United Kingdom and sits on the island of Great Britain. Some of the other chapters are: Wildlife, Daily Life, Going to School, Working, Playing, Food, and Fast Fact .  In Fast Facts, the English flag is shown with its white background and red cross, which is a part of the Union Jack.

Readers will come across interesting quick bits of trivia in the “Fun Facts” and “Did You Know?” insets throughout the book.

In

This graphic novel by Stone Arch is about an ordinary elementary school kid, who lives his dream.  He goes to the school nurse to get his regular allergy shot, but instead of the school nurse, a wacky scientist injects him with something that makes him a superhero.  He doesn’t know he’s really a superhero yet, but just that he gets an enormous rock head and incredible strength.  He uses his strength the next day during a field trip to the zoo, when animals get loose and charge his friends.  Apparently he’s doing so well that the wacky scientists, who are monitoring his behavior, believe he is ready for phase two.  That the whole story!  Actually, I found I was quite engaged in the story and wanted to see how it would end.  But I’m afraid I won’t find out because these books are just too expensive.  Each chapter is one whole book, and a pricey one at that.  Not enough money in my limited budget.  The ‘commercials’ that are interspersed in the book are too distracting.  Kind of funny, but not worth the cost.

With tongue in cheek humor, Mac Barnett tells the story of Steve Brixton, a 12-year-old, who loves the old Bailey Brothers mysteries so much, he, too, wants to become a detective.  (Think, Hardy Boys mysteries)  He sends in boxtops and money and gets his detective’s license in the mail.  A trip to the public library to check out a book for a school report leads to a case of confusion as the ‘feds’ believe him to be hired by a notorious villian to steal federal secrets.  Try to imagine a slapstick kind of chase.  All the adults are pretty much brainless. Funny, but the whole thing gets pretty tiresome before the story is over.

Historical, economic, geographical, and cultural information is found in the ‘America the Beautiful’ series by Children’s Press.  The part Georgia played in the American Revolution is interesting, but the real grabber is the historical “Trail of Tears” where Georgians got rid of the Native Americans when gold was discovered on Indian land within the Georgia state boundaries.  The white man’s lust for gold and riches is well known and well documented, but how could we justify what we did to an entire race for greed?  Looking at history, I would like to think that today we wouldn’t let that happen; but I’m not sure at all.  I do appreciate the fact that the publishers printed the truth and didn’t try to hide the facts.   This book has valuable information but with budget money so tight, I’m not sure if school libraries could afford to buy a 50-volume set, when information is so easily available on the internet.

I am a new fan of Rachel Isadora!!  I just love her work; she just keeps getting better and better.  In this one, Isadora has illustrated the classic 12 Days of Christmas but with an Africa theme.  The colors are bright and saturated and the space is well used.  Each page illustrates each day with the words remaining the same, but the objects seen in a different way.  For example, the five golden rings were rings worn around the neck as jewelry modeled after South African women’s styles.  The drummers drumming were modeled after musicians from Ghana and Nigeria.  Pleasant surprises like this fill the book and make an old favorite new again.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful book and should be in all school and public libraries as a first, must-have purchase.

See your options and make a good choice:  Good advice on and off the field.  Carlos might be a good quarterback, but he wants to be a superstar.  When his head gets a little too big for his helmet, it causes problems among his teammates and leads his team to losses rather than wins.  Mild conflict and football action will attract young fans of the game, but probably not very many other readers.  Jake Maddox books are popular among reluctant readers, and always have a message of teamwork and good sportsmanship.