It’s the middle of the 19th century, and Stephen and Josephine are accompanying their families on the Oregon Trail. During their 2000 mile trek, they see new landscapes and experience peaceful encounters with Native American tribes like the Shoshone. Their journey by horse and wagon lasts six months. Upon reaching their destination, the children promise to keep in touch—Josephine’s family will stay in town while Stephen’s plans to claim farmland.

Gregory uses accessible language to explain what life was like during this point in American history. The inclusion of historical snapshots effectively blends fact and fiction. At the back of the book, a simple illustration of the Oregon Trail provides readers a visual reference of Stephen and Josephine’s journey. There is also a timeline, a glossary of 5 key terms, and an index. Lluis Farre’s cartoonish illustrations add a playful touch.

A little fish is swimming through the ocean when he is spotted by an octopus. The octopus catches the little fish and plays catch with him, fishket ball, lost in a maze, and other games. Finally the octopus says that he looks so cute and probably tastes cute. He puts the little fish in his mouth only to discover that the little fish is a pufferfish and is left with a tongue full of spines.

With very few words on a page, this illustrations carry the story. The expression on the animals convey their feelings and the surprise ending will appeal to readers.

A young boy is so excited to go to the beach the next day, but that afternoon a storm blows in. His family prepares for the storm, but all the boy can think about is how upset he is to not go to the beach. That night he dreams that he sails on a ship with big propellers to blow away the storm. When he wakes the next morning, the sun is shining.

The charcoal drawings emphasize the feeling of darkness in he storm. The beginning of the book, the illustrations are lighter and as the storm approaches the pages are darker until the boy wakes up to sunlight streaming through his window. The last pages of the story have the only color, blue sky!

This book was originally published in Japan in 2009. English translation published in 2016.

Sam would like to earn twenty bucks a pop just like his older sister, but Sam is too young to mow lawns. How can Sam earn some money? He starts out by caring for his neighbor’s chickens while she is away and taking another neighbor for a walk to see the chickens. All of this leads to his desire to own his own chicken. Sam learns some financial lessons along the way.

This beginning chapter book includes sketches of his diverse classmates and neighbors throughout the story. It is a light-hearted story and the first in the Sam the Man series.

This fantasy book takes place is pseudo-New Orleans. It follows the story of teenager Yonie Watereye as she tries to find out the truth of her parents’ mysterious death. The magic in this novel is called Guile: Yonie’s cat, LaRue, has Guile along with other objects, i. e., a locket or a shield. Yonie revisits old and new family members and acquires friends along the way.

The character Yonie felt too much like a stereotyped teenage bookworm. However, LaRue was portrayed as an exciting cat that the reader would like to travel with. The mystery of the the novel was intriguing and the ending of the story was very satisfying. All in all, this book was a good read that would appeal to those who enjoy fantasy and mystery stories.

— Faith E.

Twelve year old Maisie’s grandmother owns a boarding house in Victorian London.  Maisie helps clean and views herself as an amateur detective.  In this 4th book of her adventures, a rare, feathered mask has disappeared from the collection of tenant Professor Tobin.  As Maisie begins to piece together clues, the astute reader can also identify the likely thief.  An interesting twist at the end tells why the mask is so valued.  These mystery stories contain enough twists and turns to captivate budding detectives and problem solvers.  These books do not need to be read in order.

Loula loves her Great Dane, Mister.  Mister is large, unruly, clumsy, messy, energetic, and always hungry.  One day, Loula overhears Mama saying, “I can’t live with that… that Monster any more!”  Loula believes she is talking about Mister and attempts to teach Mister some good manners before Mama “will throw you out like an old pair of shoes!”  Her efforts fall far short so she enlists the aid of Gilbert, the family chauffeur.  Not surprisingly, Mister happily continues being boisterous.  After a disasterous adventure with a squirrel and a museum, they reluctantly return home.  Mama wondered where they had been.  She then asked Loula to hold the door so she could throw out a plant – a monsterous Venus Fly Trap!  Terrific ink and watercolor illustrations are humorous and provide many comic details to the story.  This would make a great read-aloud.  There are many opportunities for discussions about manners and predictions.

This nonfiction book on scorpions for emergent readers has fascinating photographs.  The text is large and well chosen to go with the detailed photos.  Young readers learn about behavior, appearance, and habitat of these incredibly adaptive arachnids.  This is an engaging book – a sure hit with those with a love for arachnids and insects.

Books in this series begin with true/false statements.  The answers are found within the pages and also in the back.  Camouflage simply means using a disguise to help a creature to hide from predators.  However, sometimes camouflage also helps animals sneak up on their prey.  Animals use mimicry, coloration, behavior, physical appearance, and shape as a means to hide.  Photos fill about half the page and are well chosen to illustrate the informative text.  Over 30 animals, insects, sea creatures, reptiles, birds, and even people, are depicted using camouflage.  Words in bold text are defined in context as well as in the glossary.  Additional facts, resources, an index, and a paragraph about the author are included.  This is a terrific resource for any collection.

Webster is a dog who has returned to the shelter after his third unsuccessful attempt at adoption.  He has decided to go the way of the free, independent cowboy: no friends, no attachments to people, no cozy home – a loner through and through.  He calls himself “Bad Hat”.  No matter how gruff Webster tries to be, the other animals in the shelter are friendly, encouraging, and hopeful that everyone will find a “forever family”.  Webster makes an escape one stormy night to continue his life as an outsider.  During his adventures, he rescues a drowning man, saves a toddler in traffic, defends a child from bullies, and brings a litter of kittens to the shelter.  “Bad Hat” is not the best name for this reluctant hero!  Throughout the book, there is mention on the importance of pet adoption and rescue groups.