Large font and colorful photos on opposing landscape pages is characteristic for Abdo Kids titles. These features make it a good choice for young non-fiction readers.  Table of Contents, More Facts, Glossary, and Index are standard features.  The inclusion of both academic and content vocabulary in the glossary add to this title’s positive points.

A good choice for young shark fans.

This informational text with large font and full page photographs on opposing pages has the basic features expected in a primary grade non-fiction text which would make this an acceptable choice to include in a collection.  Unfortunately, in a time when the national perception of police is racially charged, this book does not include images representing an adequate spectrum of our nation’s racial make-up.  Not recommended.

In this sci-fi second volume in the Undertow Trilogy, Lyric, a teenage girl, must find and rescue all the people the government stole from her city of Coney Island. She must also face difficulties among her circle of so-called friends. Lyric, with her special power of controlling water, must learn who to trust and who not to trust for the better of the world.

The first volume, Undertow, was action-packed with a great main character. Unfortunately, this book was dull through the majority of the book and the main character was very stereo-typed as a ditzy teenage girl. Lyric was written as very power-hungry person, but was willing to change herself for a boy. The story was not predictable, but the element of surprise was not exciting. The last 100 pages were a good read — more action and more character connection. However, in the last chapter, the genre changed from sci-fi to complete fantasy, which some may view as positive, but, some readers may find it to be too disconnected from the book. Hopefully, the third book in the series will portray the main character with a different outlook and be filled with non-stop action.

— Natalie S.

In this contemporary novel, Lily, a junior in high school, begins to leave notes under her desk in chemistry class and someone responds to her notes…which eventually blossoms into romance.

This book is super cliche; typical mean girl with the guy she can’t get. The main character changes herself so much throughout the book that she is not the person you first meet. Although this is a predictable story, it did have worthy aspects in its plot: 1. Good family values, 2. Moral strength in the main character; and, 3. True to high school life. This book is written for those readers who enjoy a light romance book.

— Natalie S.

Bridget Heos’s enthusiastic, creative voice in It’s Getting Hot in Here: The Past, Present and Future of Climate Change is inspiring.  This is not your typical piece of non-fiction for student research.  Heo’s passion for the who, what, when, how and why is evident throughout.  Students will walk away knowing the science in how climate changes have happened historically, not just warming but the times of cooling and freezing as well and how the two have interplayed.  They will be taught how nature is constantly changing its climate and that we are actually just making it happen exponentially faster.  Of course, she gives the standard ways to help stop climate change and the most recent research behind this, but students will learn how the little things we do without thinking also add to the big picture, such as how tilling the soil to plant a new crop is releasing naturally produced underground methane gasses or how our expectation of readily available food sources has a direct impact on climate in terms of mass breeding of animals and the amount of waste they produce, let alone all of the steps to get that animal fed and on our table for dinner.   Every chapter ends with a “Be the Change” segment with real life ideas that we can do to help slow down global warming.  Additionally, this is a gorgeously printed book.  While closer to the size of hardback novels, it is the vivid pictures are used as examples and  every 15 pages or so as wallpaper, making the book visually stimulating.  But the best part of this addition to all of the literature out there on climate change is Heos’s voice.  She is enthusiastic and clever in every aspect of her writing.  In talking about the Big Bang and how the Earth began evolving, she explains how bacteria in the ocean first started photosynthesizing light and releasing oxygen about 2.4 billion years ago.  But oxygen was poisonous to bacteria not in the ocean.  Heos writes a little typed note stating:

Dear Oxygen,

Thanks for destroying the world.  We’re going to go live in a hole now.

Love, Bacteria.

That flash of wit shows up many, many other times and keeps the tone educationally fun.  For all of these reasons, I would highly recommend this book.

This biography of Hillary Clinton, part of A Real-Life series of biographies, is better suited for school age audiences than the other Clinton biographies I have in my library collection. Living History or Hard Choices, for instance, are both considerably longer and have a higher reading level, making them less accessible to students who want a quick biographical overview.  Hillary Clinton: American Woman of the World features photos, including recent ones from the 2016 campaign, a Time Line, Further Reading and Viewing, Sources and Source Notes, and an Index.

This 2016 biography is a good addition to school libraries. Other biographies in the A Real-Life series include Sally Ride, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

Precocious, 6 year old, Eloise observes The Plaza Hotel, where she lives, being decorated for Christmas and decides to help. Illustrator, Tammie Lyon, has Eloise drawing decorations on the hotel’s hallway walls, taking a red ribbon off of a wreath, and a garland off of a banister. The hotel staff are eyeing Eloise as Eloise eyes the giant Christmas tree in the hotel lobby. Eloise takes a silver bow off of a present leaps into the air to the top of the Christmas tree “To fix the tree.” Soon Nanny is there to take Eloise back to the hotel’s top floor, where they live.

On a cold winter New York City day, Eloise is bored until Nanny takes her ice skating. Eloise zooms past, between, and through several groups of people, as Nanny cries out, “Eloise, watch out!” Then, Eloise begins showing off her twirls for the tourists. The skating comes to an end when Nanny takes Eloise off to get hot chocolate, after Eloise flies through the air on her skates into the arms of a policeman.

Fun energetic pictures with marvelous facial expressions fill the pages of this easy to read book.

6 year old, Eloise, who lives on the top floor of The Plaza Hotel, is off exploring the Lost and Found without her Nanny’s knowledge. Eloise has a great time trying on 19 hats, napping on a fur coat, drumming on a hat box, and jumping rope with neck ties she’s tied together until Nanny and the hotel manager find out where she is.

Fun energetic pictures with marvelous facial expressions fill the pages of this easy to read book.

In 1944, John McLendon, coach of the North Carolina College of Negroes’ Eagles, organized a secret basketball game with Duke University Medical School, an all white team.  Because of segregation, these two top teams were prohibited from playing each other.  John McLendon studied under James Naismith, the inventor of the game and coached his players with an innovative style.  Both teams were hesitant as the game began, each using their coach’s techniques.  As the game progressed, the Duke squad were stunned with the Eagles’ fast-break style of attacking the basket.  The final score was Duke 44, Eagles 88. Then surprisingly, they played another game. The teams mixed and played shirts against skins.  The trepidation with which they started dissolved as they played.  Skin color no longer made a difference.  Both teams vowed to keep it secret as serious complications could occur if word got out.  This was 20 years before Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.  The artwork also adds to the historical perspective.  Illustrations begin with the shades of gray in black and white photographs.  As the teams play the game they love, more color is introduced.  John Coy brings this remarkable story out of the sports history books to be enjoyed today.