Triple H has gone by a few names on his way to the top: Terra Ryzing, Jean-Paul Levesque, The “Connecticut Blueblood”- Hunter Hearst Helmsley now shortened to Triple H, and his nickname – The Game. His real name is Paul Michael Levesque. He loved wrestling from an early age and started working towards it by first becoming a body builder. Then he moved on to wrestling, first with the IWF, then WCW, and finally with the WWE.

The book is set up for fans with more photos than text. The photos show the “intense competitor” Triple H is especially through glimpses of his facial expressions. Nine times the text is centered within the fist shaped hole of a shattered glass window, adding to the intensity.

Includes an eight item timeline of his life, an index, and glossary.

From zebras to badgers, from parrots to seahorses, this cuddly picture book celebrates cute animals.  Each page features one adorably illustrated species, surrounded by butterflies and pastel-patterned backdrops.  The illustrations are accompanied by short sentences pairing each animal with an action.  It is unclear what qualifies an animal as “itsy-bitsy” – not all of the animals featured are babies, and neither are all of them small.  This is especially obvious when animals pictured opposite each other are in very different scale.  This does not profess to be a nonfiction work, however. Thus, these small problems may be overlooked.  Families will enjoy the gentle text and friendly beasts.  While we may not see a badger curled up with rabbits and ducklings any time soon, it isn’t a bad way to imagine the world.  The field is thick with inoffensive books like this – making this entry an additional purchase.

Romeo Blue is the continuation of the story of Felicity Budwig and her intuitive mind, as first introduced in The Romeo and Juliet Code.  Fliss, as she is nicknamed, is a very smart young girl, probably much like her parents who are spies for America in World War II.  Now a year later, Fliss is set to learn even more about her quirky relatives, including how she has two dads.  Throw in there Nazi spies and the budding pre-teen romance between her and her best friend Derek, and this becomes a light-hearted read full of historical references that could serve to reinforce lessons on WWII and twists that are unexpected.  Definitely upper elementary/middle school material because of historical references and she’s got a teddy bear she still considers to be a companion.  At times it feels a bit old fashioned and may not sit well with students in this digital age.  Given the right framing or book talking, students could pick this up as a stand alone or will be happy to continue the story if they liked The Romeo and Juliet Code.  Recommended for elementary and middle school libraries.

During WWI, when fathers went off to war, those remaining at home plan on knitting hats, socks, and scarves to help keep servicemen warm.  Mikey resists, saying knitting is for girls.  When challenged to enter a contest by the girls, Mikey rashly accepts without knowing what he is volunteering his friends to do.  Mikey and his friends are the only boys in the 3-day event.  Mikey knits one perfect sock and is on his way to finishing his second when he notices a dropped stitch back at the beginning.  As he considers the whole contest, a soldier with only one leg approaches him and encourages Mikey to continue doing what he can to support the men overseas.  At the end of the contest everyone has something to contribute.  Mikey gives his one perfect sock to the soldier.  Although his friends never knit again, Mikey finally finishes a pair to send to his father.  An author’s note tells of knitting clubs and bees for men and women whose sole purpose was to do projects for supporting the troops.  Illustrations are very simple and reminiscent of days gone by.  End pages show photographs of boys and girls knitting items for military forces.

Mary Wrightly is a quiet, polite girl who has such a small, soft voice, she often has to repeat herself.  When Mary and her mother go to a toy store to buy a birthday gift for her young brother, they find the store quite crowded.  As people keep bumping into Mary, she quietly apologizes.  When someone takes the toy for which she was reaching, she apologizes.  She knows it is not polite to sulk, but over and over again, her hopes for finding the perfect gift are dashed.  At last, she finds a perfect small, blue elephant and again someone takes it.  This time asserting herself, Mary exclaims in a loud voice that she wants to give that toy to her baby brother.  This time the other person apologizes!  As Mary carries the soft elephant home, many people admire it.  Mary again uses her good manners and responds politely.  Charming illustrations in jewel-toned pastels are digitally retouched.  They portray expressions and emotions of Mary and others quite well.

When George Brown moves to his new school, he is determined to turn over a new leaf and no longer be a class clown.  However, he has recurring super burp that takes over his body and causes him to say and do crazy things.  George’s baseball team, the Sea Monkeys, are about to play a championship game with their rivals, the Klockermeister Elementary Kangaroos.  George is worried the burp-curse will ruin everything.  Black and white illustrations are on almost every page.  Every page also has some words in bold font.  They are not necessarily words important to the story, but oddly enough, add interest.  Action moves at a good pace and George’s super-burp antics are sure to attract readers.

Atwood tells the stories of heroic women from eight different countries, women who served as couriers, spies, rescuer, and correspondents. She includes the stories of many famous women, like Corrie ten Boom and Marlene Dietrich, and many unsung heroes, like Hannie Schaft, the Dutch woman with “the red hair.”  The book is very text-dense; a few photos and sidebars are included but not many. At the end of each bio there is a short list of books by or about the hero. I found the stories fascinating and inspiring, how each of the women decided to help the cause and their reasons for risking their lives to help others. I was aware of Josephine Baker’s career as a singer, dancer and actress. But I had no idea that she also served as a spy for the French government. Students could easily use this book as the first step in research on the Resistance during WWII, on the lives of specific women, or on heroes in general. The book does not have to be read cover to cover and does include a glossary at the end.

Beginning with the basic shapes of circles, ovals, and triangles, pictorial directions for 20 forest animals and wildlife are shown.  In five or six steps, sketches can go from simple cartoon shapes to a recognizable animal.  Brief information is given about each animal, including a “Fun Fact” in a box with a photograph of the animal.  There are no written instructions however the diagrams are numbered so the progression is obvious.  The first tools and materials used are paper, pencils, a sharpener, and eraser.  Then colored pencils, felt markers, or paints and brush can be used for the finishing touches.  This is one of fifteen books in the Learn to Draw series.