Category Archives: Reviewer’s Library Type

Really Truly: A Pumpkin Falls Mystery by Heather Vogel Frederick

Posted on by

I chose this book because (1) Our students love the Mother-Daughter Book Club series and (2) I already have books 1 and 2 in the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series. I haven’t read the first two in the series but was pleased that the author filled in enough detail that I didn’t go into the story feeling lost.

As in The Mother-Daughter Book Club, one of Frederick’s themes is “family.” The close-knit Lovejoy family (their last name says it all!) has gathered for their yearly family reunion, this time in New Hampshire. Our protagonist, Truly, adores her cousins, but with a love-interest this summer, she’s anxious for them to leave so the best summer of her life with R. J. can begin. When the week is up, the unexpected happens when her mom signs her up for mermaid camp with her cousin. It was at this point in the story that I lost interest — it was an odd choice for the author and at that point, the book fell flat for me.

Things That Go Away by Beatrice Alemagna

Posted on by

Whether good or bad, “things” go away. A bird, sleep, lice, a bad thought The big and small aspects of our everyday life do not stay the same.  Yet one thing will always remain. The hug that concludes the book shows the “thing” that will never pass, move on, or change is love. This is a comforting book that will bring a smile to your heart.

Beatrice Alemagna cleverly uses a see-through page with a black drawing to illustrate change as the image moves, fades, or is transformed with the flip of the page. A close look at the illustrations can guide a closer look at what changes in our lives.

The Popularity Code by Stephanie Faris

Posted on by

The pitfalls of social media come alive in this middle school novel, timely and important while not feeling “preachy” to the reader. When a website called SlamBook is popularized at Faith’s school, Faith is interested in what begins as nice comments to one another. But this is middle school, and the platform soon turns to cyberbullying. The target: popular kids. All changes for Faith when she becomes a victim of conversation when people are talking about the comments that she is leaving. As happens with Digital Courage, students, including Faith, find that it’s easy to be mean when you’re hiding behind a screen of anonymity.

While this book was hard for me to read as an adult, full of middle school drama, students will find it relatable and telling where social media can take some dangerous turns.

You Matter by Christian Robinson

Posted on by

As Christian Robinson portrays a circular path of interconnection, he reminds us that we all matter. Starting and ending with little stuff too small to see, Robinson’s text and illustrations remind us that our place in the world, how we are perceived by others, or our successes or failures cannot change the fact that at the most basic level, each part of our world matters. Even compared the magnitude of space and the breadth of time we matter. The powerful words interspersed with the refrain “you matter’ circles back to the small stuff.

A must have for all libraries and an excellent tool to support Social Emotional Learning lessons.

Lubaya’s Quiet Roar by Marilyn Nelson

Posted on by

Lubaya is a quiet child who appears to sit on the sideline whether it’s at school, with friends or home with family.  Yet, while not engaged as you would expect from a child, she takes the world around her and merges it with her imagination.  This imagination finds an outlet on the back of old protest posters. Upsetting news on the TV has her family reclaiming the protest posters for another march.  In this way, Lubaya’s truth and dreams in artistic form become part of the message of the protest. The beauty of this message is Lubaya’s quiet roar.

In a time when protests are regularly on the news, Lubaya’s Quiet Roar reminds us that the loudest voices don’t necessarily have the most to say. We all have the potential to listen, look, dream and illustrate a different, better world.

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt

Posted on by

Set in 1968, following the death of her best friend, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene’s Preparatory Academy for Girls. Here she struggles to fit in with her wealthy, tight-knit classmates, with grief heavy on her heart. With pressure from her instructors to work toward’s their “Accomplishment” for the year. Feeling inferior in all things, Meryl Lee can’t imagine what her Accomplishment will be.

In a sub-plot, Matt Coffin, seemingly family-less, is on the run from thugs and needs a friend, too. Their lives intertwine as they both search for meaning in their lives in this coming-of-age story, rich with lyrical writing, references to literary works and humor, this book would make a great read-aloud.

The Project

Posted on by

Awful, infuriating, disgusting. Maybe, because I grew up in UT with the constant reminder of Warren Jeffs and his brainwashing of “his people” that I just did not enjoy this book. It is just a reminder of the evil and corruptness that comes from people who pray on the sick, weak, lost. 

Snow Birds, by Kirsten Hall and illustrated by Jenni Desmond

Posted on by

With a jacket cover beautiful enough to hang on a wall, Jenni Desmond’s illustrations are a delight. There is little wonder that she is a multiple award winning illustrator as her pictures are the crowning touch in this poetry book about birds. We experience poems about Great Gray Owls, Buntings, Chickadees, Snow Geese, and many others, with each page donning a different format to keep our readers engaged and anticipating the next page. Every poem written for each bird includes the sound/noise that the bird makes–it’s song–as interpreted by Kirsten Hall. A lovely, repetitive phrase for each bird.

This book is a lovely addition for an elementary school or children in this age bracket.

The Collectors, by Alice Feagan

Posted on by

What a wonderful story idea with two young girls, who happen to be from differing cultural backgrounds, come together to explore the forest through the lense of a young scientist. Our book even pictures and lists the items they take with them, such as: compass, binoculars and trowels. The young scientist have a magnificent collection of butterflies, leaves, beattles, seeds, ect.

There is some patterning in the story as the young protagonists find items which are too BIG, too DEEP, tooHIGH, to reach. But they never give up and move onto what is left to discover. Until, they get chased by a bear. (This is the only part of the story that I would make a change as my personal experiences leaves to to believe most bears are harmless and the less we fear them the more we will protect them). Luckily, the girls returned unharmed but worried they had failed their mission. Until, they look back at their journals and realize they had catalogued a rare bird species, mapped the forest and watched baby birds hatch. A lovely book of discovery!

Supertato, by Sue Hendra & Paul Linnett

Posted on by

Everyone loves a superhero book featuring an ordinary russet potato! The Large size book with large sized illustrations will make this a fun read aloud to a younger audience. In the supermarket, produce section, a frozen pea makes a get away.Who would have thought that such a small guy could be so strong? He can push shopping carts, lift a potato masher and chase our superhero down the aisle. Luckily our potato hero was able to trick the pea into falling in jello. At the end of the story, the author asks the reader to check their freezer for frozen peas. Just in case, one happens to escape!