This book is exciting! The photos that cover each page spread are big and bold. There is a lot of information packed in this book!! The reader will learn about aircraft carrier missions, their history, the types of aircraft carriers, their crew, construction, propulsion, their hangers, flight deck, and more!! This book is very attractive to young readers. It includes a table of contents, glossary and index.

Then tiger shark has been identified as one of the largest, most dangerous sharks in the ocean! Readers will learn many more shark facts such as the physical appearance of a tiger shark, their location and habitat, the birth of litters, their temperament and strengths to hunt, their part in the ocean’s ecosystem, and how humans are their predators, hunting them for assorted reasons. Large photos are included on each page spread to support written detail. This book contains a table of contents, a glossary, index and resource pages.

This book contains some basic information about Appaloosa horses including their physical appearance with examples of different coat patterns, Appaloosa history such as the ties of the Appaloosa to the Nez Perce and the early settlers, the development of the Appaloosa Horse Club, and competitions and shows. Photos support the written details. This book includes a table of contents, a glossary, resource and index pages.

The fourth book in the Karate Made Simple series, readers will learn about how karate got its start, how karate expanded, about major competitions, the Japan Karate Federation, karate in schools, and famous people from karate history. Large color photos are located on each page spread supporting the written details. This book includes a table of contents, an index, glossary, karate chronology, and website pages.

The third book in the Karate Made Simple series, readers will learn about a typical training routine, examples of warm-up and cool-down exercises, basic stationary stances, techniques about moving, sparring drills, spontaneous sparring, and details about karate competitions. Large color photos are located on each page spread showing step-by-step images of performance. Detailed instructions accompany each image. A respectable balance of gender is used. This book includes a table of contents, an index, glossary and website pages.

The second book in the Karate Made Simple series, readers will learn karate stances, how the hands and body become weapons, three punches, three strikes, four kicks, four blocks, and four kata (practice forms). Large color photos are located on each page spread showing step-by-step images of performance. Detailed instructions accompany each image. A respectable balance of gender is used. This book includes a table of contents, an index, glossary and website pages.

The first book in the Karate Made Simple series, readers will learn the karate students’ discipline of heart, mind, and body through practice and respect for their opponent. Also discussed in detail is the gi (uniform), belts and rank, protective gear, the dojo (the place where karate is practiced), and basics of the competition arena. Large color photos are located on each page spread. This book includes a table of contents, index, glossary and website pages.

Fourth grade crime fighter,  Jo Schmo, is ready to fight more crime after defeating Dr. Dastardly in Book #1, but “the bad guys must be taking a break…It happens.”  So Jo invents a time machine to travel back to the California Gold Rush of 1849, where outlaw Wyatt Burp is causing havoc with his Hole in the Head Gang. (They wanted to be the Hole in the Wall Gang, but that name was already taken.)  Jo and her sidekick dog- Raymond track Wyatt Burp down as he and his gang head out of town on a stolen sailing ship. Whenever Jo gets too close Wyatt burps them out of the way. Finally, Jo outsmarts Wyatt by replacing his sarsaparilla, which is Wyatt’s key he his gigantic powerful burps, with Raymond’s dog drool. That done, Jo flies Wyatt off to jail. Not wanting to stay in 1849, she and Raymond travel back to the present.

True love that is life changing.  True love that is breath taking.  True love that is heart aching.  This is the love that Skye has hoped would magically show up during the summers of her teen years.  With school beginning in just days, it looked like this summer would be hopeless as well, until she made eye contact with Seth.  Seth is a year older and leaving for college soon.  One amazing evening alters their worlds.  When the plan to meet again the next morning is disrupted by Seth’s mother’s early arrival in town, the two are left without any good byes.  But they just can’t get each other out of their own minds.  With no contact information, their chance meeting again at the end of next summer was expected.  Luckily there are other parts to this novel that help it stand on it’s own, such as the alternating chapters in Skye and Seth’s voice, the side drama of Skye’s girlfriends’, and Seth’s art.  A teenage romance novel with honest voices amidst in an idealistic, narrow life, Skye and Seth will question if each other is really all they need.  If you’re a Colasanti fan, you’ll know the answer and still love reading the book to watch it unfold.   Recommended for high school audiences.

The reader is introduced to ordinary fourth grader, Jo Schmo, when suddenly Jo receives a red cape in the mail from Uncle George, who is retiring from being a superhero. “Use it well,” writes Uncle George. Grandpa Joe, who lives in the shack behind Jo’s house, helps trim the cape down to Jo’s ankles. The extra fabric lands on Jo’s dog, Raymond – Jo’s new sidekick! The cape’s instruction manual says “to fly” think lofty thoughts. After crashing several times, Jo gives up on flying for the time being. Jo is able to stop trains – “it’s all in the wrist” – permanently.

Enter Dr. Dastardly, who wants to bring dinosaurs back to life with his Re-animator Laminator, so he can take over San Francisco and then the world. Before meeting up with Dr. Dastardly, Grandpa Joe texts Jo (who is in school at the time) about a bank robbery happening at that very minute. Jo and Raymond leave school ( on a bathroom break) to try to stop it. The robbers get away. Jo catches the two bank robbers in ” ‘the longest bathroom break in U.S. history,’ said Mrs. Freep. ‘What did you do, fall in?’  ” (p. 54) After stopping several more crimes, Jo and Raymond meet up with Dr. Dastardly at the museum of natural history. They are able to stop the dinosaurs( Dr. Dastardly has brought to life) and Dr. Dastardly. As chapter 21 comes to a close, Jo has finally unraveled her ‘lofty’ thoughts and is able to fly. “Tomorrow there would be more problems to face in the city, more villains to catch, more crimes to stop, and Jo Schmo would be ready to face them. But for now, there was only one thing on her mind.           Sponge cake. (p. 105)      [It is lofty.]

Stay tuned for book #2 of The Adventures of Jo Schmo.