I like the end papers in this book.  Unfortunately, that’s about all I like about it.  When a young girl wakes up to a horrible hair day, both her parents are too absorbed in their own interests to care, so the girl imagines a bunch of if-only scenarios that would make it better, until at the end she runs home, and this time her mom decides to pay attention and she brushes it.  It’s just a bit odd.

I guess there’s nothing bad about it.  I just couldn’t find much to get excited about, either.  I’m not sure what the point of the books is.  I can tell from the back flap that it is apparently a sequel to Cats Got Talent, and maybe if I had read that one as background, I would care about these further adventures of the cats.  But as it is, there’s here to actually make me care about this trio of cats getting kidnapped by an untrustworthy talent agent who uses trickery to make them famous.

This is book five of the Lighthouse Family series.  Pandora the cat,  Seabold the dog and 3 adopted mice have created a family characterized by kindness and comfort.  In The Octopus, the mice children Whistler and Lila explore an estuary during the lowest tide of the year, seeing creatures they have never seen before.  They offer friendship to Cleo, a stranded octopus and Cleo in return helps free Lila’s feet from the dry crusted sand as the tide comes in.  The story ends with Cleo bringing his family to share a companionable afternoon with the lighthouse family in the sea cave below the lighthouse cliff.

Short chapters and a peaceful, kind message make this book a good choice for young readers.

This book addresses many of the inter-dependencies and complexities of this rain forest ecosystem; from food chains, to pollination, seed dispersal, and human impact.  The book includes primary source documents and online extensions.  Questions appear at the end of many sections and captions.  Photographs, diagrams and maps support the text.

Contains Table of Contents, Stop and Think, Glossary, Learn More, and Index.

While the information is solid, the sentence structure appears stilted and oversimplified making it a choppy read.

‘Every Christmas Eve in the little village of Dorta where I grew up, high in the mountains of Switzerland, we have a carnival like no other. We call in ‘Drumming the Mountain Dragon’. ” (4) The carnival beginnings with the retelling of the story of Mimi and the Mountain Dragon around a bonfire in the center of town.

Hundreds of years ago, the towns folk of Dorta would try to frighten the Mountain Dragon every Christmas Eve in hopes she’d leave the town alone for another year. Then one year, 1314, little Mimi found a baby dragon in her family’s wood shed. Not wanting the baby dragon to be killed Mimi decided she would take the baby back up the mountain to its mother on Christmas Eve while the entire town would be in church. No one would try to stop Mimi at that time.

When Mother Mountain Dragon first saw Mimi with Baby Dragon she was angry. Then Baby Dragon flew to her and Mimi was no longer a threat. Mountain Dragon was thankful for the return of her baby. ” Why it should have happened that the mountain above the castle began at that particular moment to shed itself of its winter snows, none will ever know. But it did. And as Mimi could clearly see, it was not the Mountain Dragon roaring and raging that set the avalanche tumbling and rumbling down the mountainside.” (38) Mountain Dragon flew down to Dorta with baby and Mimi on her shoulders. Mountain Dragon saved all the towns people who were still in the church, now buried in snow, by melting the snow with her deep blast of fiery breath.

“And from that day to this, with the Mountain Dragon, and the little dragon, looking out for us and protecting us, we have never once had an avalanche anywhere near the village, nor a forest fire, and no one ever since has disappeared in the mountains.”   (45) They retelling of the story is done. The village people leave the bonfire and go home, knowing they are safe for another year.

Aislyn Hollings, Ryan’s central character in this gripping, unusual book, has a serious social disorder, a deep and lifelong terror of speaking in public, of doing anything that draws attention to herself outside her family and small circle of friends. Debilitating as it is, this crippling imbalance has kindled her interest in gene therapy, to which end she’s engaged in research at a genetic engineering company, Nova Genetics, in Tacoma. Her oral presentation about her investigation into DNA and gene therapy in a scholarship competition goes awry due to her disorder, heightening the desperation and causing her to say yes to trying an experimental therapy, CZ88, developed by a professional on the staff of Nova Genetics, works, to Aislyn’s amazement, but the secrecy surrounding the drug and the side effects of the treatment soon expose the deadly consequences not just for Aislyn but for the others to whom this viral experiment has been administered.

The writing is tense and interesting, exploring a subject rarely represented in literature for Young Adults, opening the reader to the burgeoning, controversial world of genetic experimentation. “How much do we allow humans to change themselves and at what price?” asks the writer. What therapies are ‘right’ (like easing the suffering of those with Cystic Fibrosis like Aislyn’s little brother) and the sudden development of traits like instant charisma.

The book, 317 pages long, touches on themes of scientific integrity, responsibility, trust, copycat drugs, viral terror, military uses of bizarre inventions and the quest of a young woman to find a cure. It’s a great read.

Highly recommended!

Reviewer: Holly Gwinn Graham

The first book written by author A.J. Grainger, Captive is sure to leave an impression on young readers as well as old. Readers will quickly be drawn into the plot, written in both the past and present.

Things are not always as they seem for Robyn, the sixteen year old daughter of the British Prime Minister. Especially when the Prime Minister’s best friend owns a large pharmaceutical company that has been targeted by the extremist group AFC. The AFC already has one of its members in jail for the assassination attempt of the Prime Minister himself. Now they want the release of their member! Nothing will get in their way.

Despite the increased security and words of reassurance from the security team, Robyn is taken hostage by the AFC. Her captors tell her she can go home as soon as their demands are met. That was ten days ago and no one has come for her. During her capture she learns the pharmaceutical company her father is associated with was responsible for the death of a 12 year old boy; the younger brother of one her captors. Was the head of Bell –Barkov responsible for the young boy’s death? Did they knowingly skip the vital trial studies and put a drug on the market knowing it was unsafe? Did the Prime Minister, her father, help to cover it up?

While held captive, the young Robyn begins to question her father’s honesty. Could she really take the word of her captors, after all they are Extremist. One of her captors is not like the rest, he is kind to her. He only wants answers and an investigation into his brother’s death. Will the two help each other and will feelings start to arise as often do between captor and captive?

The author does a great job of developing the characters in this story and the well-developed mystery makes this work of fiction a page turner for its readers. Recommended for anyone wanting a quick read.

In this early elementary fantasy graphic novel, Fluffy the cat, the Commander of P.U.R.S.T., must save his friends when his base gets invaded by aliens.
This is a cute and hilarious read. It is well-written and easy for young children to understand. Young adults and up would appreciate this endearing book. The art is adorable and expressive.
Cat lovers would especially enjoy this read! A wonderful book for all.
— Kellyn S.

In this graphic novel, the story follows an elephant named Otto who leaves his home in Africa in search of his best friend, a monkey named Georgie who was taken by a man with a wooden nose. His search leads him to New York City where he gets caught up with a gang of nefarious crocodiles…where trouble for Otto ensues.
Overall, the story is cute and well-written. The art-style is eye-catching, but not overbearing with too many details. Students who enjoy reading about animals and adventure will enjoy this read.
— Kellyn S.

This book is a collection of Bigfoot eyewitness accounts in graphic novel form.
Recommended for elementary and middle school children who are interested in reading testimonies about Bigfoot sightings in the United States. The illustrations are fair for the story lines and the informational text is easy to understand although the font of the spoken text could be easier to read. Overall, this was a fun informational read.
— Kellyn S.