This is the third book in this dragon series by Jessica Day George but I was able to follow the story easily without having read the first two books.  There were a few references to past events and characters but some context was given so I understood well enough.  The characters were believable with strong female heroines and male heros both among the dragons and humans sprinkled in among a few “bad guys”.  The plot was an exciting adventure fantasy with a satisfying outcome.  I would recommend this book to my 4th – 8th grade students.

This Lion Book of Day-By-Day Prayers is full of beautiful illustrations and thoughtful, yet easy to read and understand prayers.  The table of contents neatly categorizes the prayers into chapters by theme and an index of first lines at the back also makes this resource accessible.  There are several prayers per page separated by the illustrations which so nicely compliment each prayer.  I look forward to sharing this resource with the students and teachers at our Catholic K-8 school.

12-year old Paris Pan and her family have just moved into a new house in a new town called Nowheresville, Oklahoma.  Little did they know that twenty years ago, a young lady named Beth took a dare and slept in the woods on the night of her thirteenth birthday.  Beth was never seen again, and two weeks later, her dead body was found on the Pan’s property.  Since then, as girls turn 13 in Nowheresville, their rite of passage is to “take the dare” and spend the night in the woods.

As Paris prepares to take the dare, is it her imagination, or does she hear voices coming from the property?  Where are the dolls coming from that the dog drags in? Is that Beth’s face that keeps appearing in Paris’ dreams at night?  Might Paris be clairvoyant?

The author’s tone has enough humor in it that the reader can be pretty certain this is no ghost story.  One-by-one the mysterious incidents become explained.  I was surprised by Asian author Cynthea Liu’s unconvincing broken English by Paris’ s parents.  Likewise, the stuttering of the character named Tom seemed poorly done.  But, I was proud of Paris’ stand on bullying at a time she was desperate to make new friends.

Percy Julian, whose grandparents were slaves, could not get a high school education in his home state of Alabama in the early 1900s. So his parents put him on a train to Newcastle, IN, so he could attend DePauw University to catch up on his high school classes and then go on to earn a degree in Chemistry. He excelled in the field of organic chemistry, going on to work on developing a plant-based treatment for glaucoma and beating a British scientist to the correct formula.  However, even after earning a doctorate in Chemistry in Austria and many other accomplishments, he could not get a job in the United States.  No university would hire a black man to teach white students. Julian did not allow these setbacks to deter him from his passion, though. This biography is solid, but basic. The author’s three page digression to explain the racial situation in the Deep South in the early 1900s was simplistic as well as distracting. A timeline and list of additional resources are provided.

Like other titles in the Snapshots in History series, this is a solid overview of the Allies’ push to win WWI.  The book provides information on the Allied and Central commanders, weapons from that time, casualty statistics in clear and easy to read boxes and inserts. The photographs are good and some copies of front pages of newspapers are included; most of the primary source documents seem to be from letters and diaries of soldiers. A Timeline, Glossary and list for Further Reading are provided if the reader would like more information.

Like other titles in Abdo’s Essential Library, this is solid, if simplistic, overview of the life and military career of Patton.  I learned much about his childhood and adolescence that I did not know. It was suggested that Patton might have suffered from dyslexia and ADD, which might account for his poor grades. However, it is his military brilliance and incidents of jealousy and bad temper for which he is most often remembered, not his record in school. The book is very balanced in its treatment of Patton, not glossing over his tirades, but providing background and the big picture to put the events in perspective. The book focuses on his military accomplishments – his training programs, tactical brilliance and his relationship with his men. A Timeline, Glossary and list for Further Reading are provided if the reader would like more information.

Like other titles in the Enslow biography series, Henry Hudson is a good, if simplistic, telling of the explorations of this English navigator. The book provides a basic overview of Hudson’s adventures, including some background on the conflict between the English and Dutch for the conquest of trade routes and the New World. I did learn something; I had no idea Hudson died after being put off his last ship by mutineers. A Timeline, Glossary and list for Further Reading are provided if the reader would like more information.

Thisbe has always wanted to be a writer.  She has filled journals with her prose, bits of stories, character names, short, character bios, all kinds of snippets. Finally she has started doing all of her writing online and has folders and folders on her desktop.

Her freshman year has not been going particularly well.  She and her closest friends are drifting apart, her parents (who BTW are writers themselves – but they don’t write FICTION) are on an extended holiday in England, which means Grandma Ed (for Edna) and her stinky dog are coming to stay. Thisbe finds she is happiest when she is alone with her words. So when her English teacher gives her an assignment about Audience (with a capital A) which is a group project, Thisbe is dismayed.  Until she learns that one of the options is to pair with a student from another school online.

Thisbe meets Iphis, who becomes her new BFF. And she learns a lot more than just about audience throughout the course of the story.  The most delightful thing about this coming of age book is Thisbe’s voice.  It is authentic; it is lyrical and often hilariously funny. Much of the book is written in journals, text speak, emails, and IMs. And since Iphis is into writing poetry, there is plenty for prose and poetry lovers alike.  Chick lit, sure.  But good.

And BTW, it is set in the PNW, an added bonus.

Emma Healy has never fit in with her family; they are all scholars and geniuses, her siblings are all 20 years older than her or more, and she is just ordinary.  In fact, she has cultivated being average in school. Her neighbor, Peter Finnegan, does not fit in at home either. His mother, who died giving birth to him, was raised in this small, college town in upstate New York and never left. Peter’s father, a local cop, doesn’t understand why Peter can’t wait to leave the town that was good enough for his parents. But Peter has spent his life planning to leave; he is a walking atlas. 

One night, Emma finds the birth and death certificates of Thomas Healy, her twin brother.  A twin! Who might have been like her – an ally in this crazy family! Emma heads off on a quest to learn about this brother who no one has ever even mentioned.  When she gets stranded, she calls Peter for help. And the two embark on a road trip that takes them on a journey of discovery, about history, about themselves, about family and each other. 

I really liked this one. Both characters were realistic; Emma and Peter were both stubborn and often aggravatingly self-centered.  Peter’s lack of self-confidence and naiveté was endearing. The author demonstrates just how easy it is to drift apart when you let grief or secrets divide you from those you love.

Quentin Jacobsen has adored his next door neighbor, Margo Roth Speigelman, for as long as he can remember. Even though they had a few adventures as children, Quentin knows the quirky, popular Margo is out of his league now.  Until one night when she climbs through his bedroom window at midnight to invite him on an all night rampage of revenge.  The next day at school, Quentin hopes everything will be different now. It is and it isn’t.  Margo has disappeared – again. She has left clues behind – again. But this time the clues seem to be directed directly at Quentin. And he is determined not to let her down.  

Margo is misunderstood by her parents and unwilling to conform to gain their love. I wanted to understand what made her tick, why she was compelled to run. Quentin’s friends supply excellent comic relief: Ben who refers to himself in the third person, refers to all girls as hunnybunnies, and will do anything to get a date for prom; and Radar, whose family collects black Santas.  But it is Quentin’s journey that is the most engaging and will draw readers in. I wanted him to be successful in his quest, and I couldn’t wait to see how he accomplished his goal.

I have been a fan of John Green since meeting him at WLMA a few years ago. This is by far my favorite to date.