100 Hungry Monkeys is a counting book, each page full of monkeys first looking for something to eat, then running into a monster, and then escaping.  Each pair of pages offers small items to find and read.  Kids will enjoy counting all of them.

Lots of students, especially boys, are interested in car racing.  This book gives them the history of auto racing as well as the numbers involved.  In car racing, the main number people care about is speed–how fast can a car go?  Car racing has been around longer than people think, as early as the mid 1890’s.  By the early 1900’s, cars were topping speeds over 120 mph.  Cash prizes were awarded to people who could build cars going great distances.  Large money prizes have always been awarded in big races.  In 1911, the first ever Indy 500 (500 miles) was held with a $25,000 prize; in 1912, the prize was $50,000.  Now, as it was then, money seems to follow the cars.

In this volume of the Swedish triplet series, the girls find and care for a stray dog.  When they take him back to his home, he returns to them again.  His owner realizes that the dog, Mike, isn’t suited for farm work and gives him to the three girls.  They are indescribably happy to have him.  Again, what a sweet story Lindman has written.  Young students will truly enjoy reading a story about kids that get to keep a dog they’ve found.  Some things never get old.

This story goes back to a time when life was very simple and simple stories were entertaining for children.  Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka are three Swedish triplets (dressed alike) who take care of their aunt and uncle’s cat while they are gone.  The story is somewhat unrealistic as it takes place so long ago and in Sweden.  But kids reading it won’t know that; they will be entralled that the cat had kittens.  This is a story in which the story is read to the child.  The story is simple and sweet, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

I recommended this book for third grade and up because I believe the information presented is so clear and understandable.  Kathy Allen gives suggestions of how, when, and why to use your cellphone and also gives examples of consequences for not following those suggestions.  Opportunities are given for discussions of what is the right thing to do in a given situation, as well as safety precautions to take.    Anybody new to a cellphone will benefit from reading this book.

This is a cute story about a dog who gets an outfit and is embarrassed. He is teased by the other dogs. Then he sees Dart who has an outfit and is not fazed by it.  In fact Dart seems to be better because of his outfit.  And Dart likes Zorro’s outfit!  They play together and have a great time.  Zorro decided that the outfit wasn’t so bad after all.

A chronology of Plains Indians using their love for horses as a key vehicle to their successful life on the Great Plains of North America.

This book is refreshingly presented from the Plains Indians side of history. Presented with vintage photographs by Edward S. Curtis and Walter McClintock, along side artifacts and present photos by William Munoz.

Eight chapters beginning with Chapter 1- Living in the Dog Days  tells of life on the plains before Columbus and the Spanish bringing horses to North America. Dogs pulling travois were used to help the people follow the herds before horses were introduced to America.  Chapter 2- The Miraculous Horse tells of the ill treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards. The Indians were frightened of these never before seen animals at first. Over the years, horses broke free from the Spaniards in some places and in other places the Indians acquired horses after driving the Spaniards off. The horse would now slowly work its way across the Plains as wild horses or by being traded between tribes. Once this began, Plains life became more mobile because horses could travel further, faster, and carry more with travois and dogs could carry. Chapter 3-More Than a Hundred Years of Horse Culture tells of  buffalo hunting, war horses,  horse-stealing raids, and the white encroachment of the Plains.  Then, in  Chapter 6-Tragedies Strike and Chapter 7- Life Between Two Worlds deal with separating the Indians from their horses. Much of this history is about Indians without their horses.  “The authorities believed that Indians without horses would be easier to control…” ( p. 65)  Indians are now on reservations, children are going to boarding schools, and some Indians are earning money performing in Wild West Shows around the country and in Europe. Chapter 8- Indians and Horses Today brings us to 1934 with the appointment of a new commissioner for Indian Affairs and the passing of the Indian Reorganization Act. Indians are allowed to own horses again. This leads up to the year 1986 when THE BIG FOOT Memorial Ride is begun in memory of the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890.  The book closes with, “As they continue their efforts to keep their culture vibrant and meaningful in today’s world, the Plains tribes will always be sure to include their most important animal partner– the horse– in their plans and in their dreams.”  (p. 93)

In this series, a brother, sister, and best friend are members of a club, the Spotlighters, who consider themselves detectives.  They’ve had some experience in solving mysteries and work well together.  The story doesn’t say how old they are, but middle school age seems to fit by their actions.  In this episode, there was a famous artist who had lived in their town.  He loved puzzles and riddles and had left clues for his only daughter to find his treasures.  Unfortunately, she died young and the mystery was left unsolved.  With nothing to go on except the daughter’s diary, the Spotlighters put together the clues to piece it together.  There is some conflict with the ancestors of this artist not cooperating, and the possibility of ghosts in the cemetery, but the three friends test their various theories.  I enjoyed this book because it seemed to fill a need for students who read at a lower level than what their age would indicate.  The cover art of the book shows older kids, not young kids, which would also appeal to middle-schoolers.  The characters are believable and resourceful and the dialog is appropriate.  The story moves quickly and kids won’t get bored.  This would be a great addition to both elementary and middle school libraries.

From the Eye on Art series, this text accomplishes its goal of chronicling the history of comics in its many forms.  From being unrespected and then rising as an acclaimed and legitimate art, comics in cartoons, strips, comic book and webcomics are covered.  Of note was the attention given to female artists and the explanation about African American comics.  Colorful illustrations and sidebars break up the text and provide good balance.  A fine resource for students who want to view the beginnings from which superhero comics, graphic novels and webcomics of today evolved.  Resources, bibliographical references and an index are included.

This Hot Topics series title provides up-to-date and well referenced information on the enormously passionate issue of gun control.  Support for the “pro” and “con” stances are the usual, predictable rationales:  Gabby Gifford’s case in Arizona, a right to carry state; the “stand your ground” defense of George Zimmerman in Florida; stand and defend.  A surprise was to read of gun control as a form of racism since certain classes are prevented from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights due to the costs and fees of gun ownership.  Without the financial resources, many cannot access the ammunition nor even the weapon itself, whereas the well-to-do can.  Another concept that seemed novel was that bearing arms can be seen as an equalizer.  It evens the playing field for a woman versus a man or a small man versus a larger man or an individual versus a group.  Great layout with highlighting, text boxes and colorful illustrations.  For a thin book, it is thick on material.  Excellent bibliographical references, discussion questions for each chapter and additional resources provided.