Maisie Hitchins, a young girl living with her grandmother in Victorian England, is an intrepid detective, solving cases from her grandmother’s boarding house.

In this fourth book of The Mysteries of Maisie Hitchins series, she sets out to solve the mystery of the stolen Amazonian mask for her friend, Professor Tobin. He had travelled the world collecting wonderful artifacts, which Maisie spends countless hours dusting in his room at the boarding house. He decides to donate items to the British Museum, when the prized mask disappears! Maisie is on the job with her helpful friend, George, and loyal dog, Eddie.

Through their investigation, they learn that a boy (Daniel) from the Amazonian tribe from whom Professor Tobin procured the mask is in England to retrieve said mask. He is part of a side show while he searches for the mask, which he needs to take back to the Amazon rainforest in order to remove the bad luck that befell his tribe when his grandfather gave mask away. Together the three children find the thief and the mask. Daniel sets said from England with the mask as Maisie, George, Eddie and Professor Tobin wave goodbye.
This is a sweet little mystery with a strong female character.

Maisie is smart, resourceful and brave. The setting and some of the language will be unfamiliar to younger readers, but where better to get an introduction to Victorian England than in a mystery? This part of a series, yet this particular book can stand alone.

Max, a 3rd grade boy, is getting used to his new life as a boy with two homes. One home is with mom – the home in which he has always lived. The other home is his dad’s new apartment, with a bedroom for Max and boxes everywhere.

Max isn’t so sure about this new home arrangement and sometimes fells sad. But, as he gets to know the people in dad’s apartment building and neighborhood and starts some new weekend routines, he realizes that home can be in more than one place.

The main characters are Caucasian, but many of the secondary characters, including Max’s best friend, are multiethnic. The illustrations capture the gentle tone of the book, done in black and white.

This story is very relevant to today’s children, many of whom are living the life that Max shares with two parents and two homes. The emotions that he feels are normal and the reader will understand that those feelings are okay and things can get better, because mom and dad still love Max – even if they are in two different places.

Recommended

A year has passed since Shiloh has become part of Marty’s family.  It’s almost Christmas but the holiday spirit is low.  Judd, Shiloh’s previous owner, is trying to be a better person, a new minister preaches more fire and brimstone than love, and a severe drought has made life harder.  Marty and his family suspect the new pastor of hiding abuse of his daughters when they discover Rachel locked in a toolshed.  A sudden wildfire destroys several houses and although Judd’s home is also burned, he is blamed for setting the fire.  Marty’s parents offer Judd a place to stay while he rebuilds his house and searches for his dog.  While uncomfortable, with the support of his family, Marty begins to see his community in a new light.  As in the other books, the warm feelings of love, compassion, and family mingle with messages of tolerance and forgiveness.  Despite being the last in a quartet, this book can stand on it’s own.  Another wonderful read!

Dav Pilkey’s third installment in the Dog Man series is a, “tale of oppression…a tale of redemption…a tale of rebirth…a take of hope…a tale of two kitties.”  The three story lines of Dog Man, Petey the Cat, and Mecha Flippy converge when good comes out on top.  Petey’s clone, a kitten joins the story, but refuses to take up his creator’s evil.  The story ends with Mecha Flippy in jail but turned to the side of good by the friendship of the kitten. Petey has escaped the Police Chief and is off to create more havoc.

Step by step direction on drawing the characters is at the end of the book.  Also included is a comic explaining the benefits of reading to a pet.

Sure to be a hit, especially with reluctant readers.

Josh, the oldest of three boys, has always admired Vikings.  He is brave and afraid of nothing.  However, his younger twin brothers are getting bigger and wilder, which does worry him.  While staying with their grandparents, they all take an adventure to Viking World.  At the same time, Thor and the gods in Asgard are watching over them.  As the twins get into mischief, Josh spies them on a Viking ship just as archers with flaming arrows are about to demonstrate a Viking funeral.  A similar problem is happening in Asgard as the dragon, Fafnir, is about to attack.  Josh finds an inner strength to protect his brothers – in a way that also helps the gods protect Asgard!  The large, colorful illustrations add many details to the story.  Throughout Viking World are runes on wooden beams.  A key in the back helps decode the messages.  They are quotes about dragons and bravery from Tolkein, Neil Gaiman, John Lennon and Churchill.  Awesome addition!  This book is a real treat on many levels.

A very successful baseball player became quite unhappy with his life.  One day, while visiting a zoo, he enjoyed watching a walrus.  The more he thought about it, the more he wanted the walrus in his life.  The zoo would not sell it to him until he could prove he could take good care of it, so he created a huge, complete environment for it.  All went well, until baseball season started.  He missed his walrus so much he decided to quit the team to spend more time at home with his friend.  However, he discovered taking care of a walrus was expensive and soon ran out of money.  The walrus was returned to the zoo.  When the player tried to re-join the team, he found he had been replaced.  Sadly he went to the zoo to say goodbye to his friend  As he entered, he noticed a sign requesting an experienced caretaker for the walrus.  He knew his prayers were answered.  Simple, cartoon-like illustrations are colorful and expressive.  This provides a good look at the responsibilities of owning a pet and being happy.

Filled with magical realism reminiscent of Isabel Allende, Maggie Steifvater takes readers to the fantasy of town of Bicho Raro, Colorado, where strangers find themselves coming to “find themselves”.   Three cousins, who act more like siblings, Beatriz, Daniel and Joaquin, all possess the family power to bring out the inner darkness in people but it is up to the visitors themselves to find their own miracle cure in defeating their inner demons.  Young adult readers who are used to plot-driven contemporary coming of age novels will need to be patient with Steifvater’s writing and try to look at it via the lense of good art rather than entertainment.  Motifs of owls and roses, conflicts of inner powers vs outer perceptions, and landscapes both real and fantastical will swoon some readers and surprise previous Stiefvater fans. Plus, the gorgeous cover will sell this as well.  Recommended for upper middle and high school libraries.

Interesting, although sometimes creepy, creatures of the Central and South American rainforests are described in this 32 paged book..  One interesting feature in this series shows the comparative size of the creature to a hand or an average adult height.  Another, is a rating scale of each being for size, power, strength, aggression, and deadliness.  The tiny Brazilian treehopper, has an odd-shaped helmet to ward off predators.  Other animals include the poison dart frog (which isn’t poisonous when raised in captivity!), the Brazilian wandering spider whose bite is 30 times more deadly that of a rattlesnake, as well as the Hercules beetle, which eats 24 hours a day.  Also included are the vampire bat, the singular mammal whose diet is only blood (a sanguinivore), the Goliath bird-eating spider, larger than your dinner plate, and the Goliath tigerfish, with 32 sharp, one inch long teeth! The last three include the electric eel, whose electrical impulses can knock a horse off its feet, the green anaconda, which can weigh up to 500 lbs., and the harpie eagle, a huge bird whose 5 ” talons can be the same size as a grizzly bear’s.  Each page includes full color photos, a paragraph about habitat or behaviors, and a fact box.  Additional facts are presented in the back with an index.