Author, Bridget Heos, sets to hook her readers by comparing and contrasting real spider silk with that in the Spider Man movies. She follows this by going down to the cellular level of spider silk for comparison. While spider silk is extremely strong the practicality of trying to collect it is not easy.

In steps the genetic research scientists to isolate the spider silk gene and implant it into goat embryos, alfalfa, bacteria,  and silkworms. Next they must extract the spider silk milk and be able to turn it into actual silk.

Heos introduces the reader to the scientists and their lives when not engaged in the laboratory work. For example, they raise the goats, playing with them, and giving them a normal goats’ life outside of the testing. Photographer, Andy Comins, gives us a close up of a spider named Piggy Two on page 45. The sidebar reads- ” Piggy Two is taped down so that silk can be extracted. It will make her tired but will not hurt her. She is given a sip of water and a cricket before the process begins.”

Heos brings up the ethical side of genetic research. All of this is done for the betterment of the world. Cruelty is not practiced. But one issue brought up is how others ( non-scientists) see this work. When working with genetically modified alfalfa, what happens when the neighboring farmer’s field is outside the testing area (say the farmer is trying to raise organic alfalfa) but the bees pollinating the field cross the fence line? Now the genetic test subjects are on both sides of the fence, whether that was the plan or not.   Three-quarters of the way through the book, there is a “Be a Part of the Discussion” section.

The ‘quest’ mentioned in the subtitle had not been reached at the time of publication, but this book is thought provoking!

As Book 3 of the Witches at War series begins, Sam has come along way from being an orphan apprenticed to an old witch, to being a gorgeously dressed, lavishly housed prisoner of Diabolica Nightshade. “On the night of the Midwinter Moon she[ Diabolica] is going to crown herself Wicked but Lovely Witch Queen of All the World. All this is very bad.” Diabolic taunts Sam about her being good and succeeds in enraging Sam. Sam decides to go NASTY even to the point of turning her best friend into a zombie-witch. Diabolica is convinced Sam is evil, after Sam offers and takes a ‘truth potion’. No one can lie after taking the truth potion, but while Sam is telling the truth, it is not the whole truth, because the right questions have not been asked of her. Diabolica’s coronation turns into a battle field with spells flying threw the air. Diabolica’s only competitor for the Witch Queen of All the World, Esmelia, is leading the battle charge against Diaboica, but it is Esmelia’a secret admirer, who leads the wizards into the fray, as the battle seems lost, that wins for the ‘better’ of two evils.

Tween girls now have a super hero group to call their own! The Ultra Violets!  The cover art by”Emmy-nominated animation character design artist, best known for his work on the hit Cartoon Network shows Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Samuri Jack… ” Chris Battle  will draw in the readers. Next, the book is published in purple ink! The Fuchsia is now – dawns the cover.

Four 2nd grade best girlfriends , whose mothers all hold PhDs,  are being baby-sat in a lab at Fascination Laboratory, or FLab, when an accident exposes them to “blue-red goo splattered all over the ninja-princess-samurai-schoolgirls… Heliotropium, the liquefied post-atomic hybrid particle capable of genetically altering any bio-organism on earth.” [Reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]  Fast forward four years, the  BFF girls are now reunited in middle school and are having a sleepover. Perhaps its puberty, the author doesn’t say, but ‘freaky talents‘  are developing in three of the four friends: purple hair & the ability to change the color of objects, the ability to solve complex math equations with ease, and the ability to out dance anyone on the planet while doing cool ninja moves. The fourth girl has always been the quiet one of the group, but not having any super powers, soon becomes a problem. Then once her super powers emerge – she is the evil one.

Author, Sophie Bell, has captured ‘tween years. Sophie talks directly to the readers at times as on page 96,  “But yes! This chapter also involves a flash of brilliance. A hint of romance. A dash of jealousy. And a lavender dog.” There are numerous take-offs on famous books, characters, etc. : orange brick road, Forever Twenty Fun, Build-a-Girl Workshop, Victoria Shush [Secret] ,Cinnaubonpain, simple is as simple does, with great responsibility, Cher- I’ve got you babes…   And let’s not forget the ‘tween style of talking with IDK  &  NBD, shortened words, and combined words [viomazing] only ‘tweens can understand.

BeauTek housed in the Mall of No Returns, run by Develon Louder [Revlon & Este Lauder] has created mutants and is running tests on animals. This the Ultra Violets have to stop!  “The fate of an entire city in the hands of three sixth-grade girls”

Watch for Book 2 in this series!

Dragonbreath’s 8th book begins with eight pages of full-size graphic novel style illustrations of Wendell Iguana’s nightmares. Danny Dragon helps his friend Wendell overcome the nightmares (which do in fact look like horses) by going into Wendell’s subconscious using a portal inside the refrigerator with a dream-eater in tow. Wendell’s scary school related dreams are defeated by the baku, dream-eater, and “They rode the Night Mares out of the dreamlands.”

Students who have read the first seven Dragonbreath books will want to read this one, too, partly for the art work which accompanies the story.

Pip escapes from an orphanage and manages to sneak a ride on a coach headed for Hangman’s Hollow, a place he’s only heard about in stories but didn’t believe existed.  Once there, he thinks he may have made a mistake in leaving the orphanage and the seafaring future which awaited him, as Hangman’s Hollow is not kid-friendly.  Sam, the owner of a pub, befriends Pip and hides him with his own son who is hidden.  Pip makes his first friend ever and learns how to survive in a world where kids are hunted.  First of all, the illustrations in this book are remarkable.  They are generously placed in the book depicting the evil-looking characters that hunt children, the forbidden forest, the deadly animals, and even the town itself.  The story moves along quickly as Pip and his new friend try to find another child whose siblings and parents have been jailed.  Lots of action and drama and cliffhangers.  Writing is a strong element in this book; I love the vocabulary and the varying sentences.  I would use this book in teaching writing to show how sentences should be mixed up, short and long, simple and complex.  It seems that many UK authors have this ability.  Mould does an excellent of this book one of a new series.  I am definitely adding this and the others to my library collection.

In this fantasy/romance/horror novel, newly mermaid teenage Luce belongs to a tribe of mermaids that sink ships. After a cruise line interrupts a funeral of one of her friends, the mermaids are forced to sink the ship. Once a human hears a mermaid’s song, they must die. However, Dorian, a boy on the cruise ship, sings back to Luce, and she, breaking the mermaid’s covenant, rescues him. Newly orphaned Dorian wants to take revenge for his family and sets out to meet the mermaid that tore his world apart. When the two world’s collide it becomes more than just a simple story of revenge bringing into play the lives of all the mermaids and the traditions that they have been practicing since the dawn of the existence.

This is not a happy-go-lucky lovestruck mermaid story; it is a realistically dark tale. The characters appear to be people that one could see or meet any day. The writing is not complicated; it is easy to understand, but a haunting feeling still lingers after the last page. Readers of fantasy will enjoy this book for its depth and how it confronts every obstacle that would otherwise make the book seem superficial and not nearly as dark.

— Kit H.

In this adventure/mystery/supernatural novel, teenage Tessa is a variant; she can absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and become them. In a small town in Oregon, there has been a series of murders. Tessa is given the mission to play the role of recently murdered Madison who, the world believes “miraculously survives” the attempt on her life. But, in reality, Tessa has to find the murder while trying not to be murdered herself.

The writing style was not too complicated, but it still created an impact on the reader. The plot was fast-paced and flowed evenly until just before the ending where it stumbled, but picked up shortly after. Most of the characters appeared realistic, but a few were fan service. Readers will enjoy the combination of mystery, suspense and the supernatural aspects of this book. Note: One suspects a sequel.

— Kit H.

In this first in a series graphic novel, a young teenage boy has his life changed by events that he can not control. James is forced to join a secret government organization that uses kids to get information on terrorists. This story tells of James’s training and his first mission.

The writing style is written from a teenager’s point-of-view; the language is clear and one that a teenager would use. The artwork is outstanding; the anatomy poses of the characters are true to form and the backgrounds are detailed. The story hooks a reader immediately and can keep one’s attention throughout the entire book. Note that there is some violence in the book and a few actions that may not be suited for younger children (smoking, drinking). This book is recommend for those readers who enjoy action novels.

— Kellyn S.

In this graphic novel, there are three tales of famous war dogs from three different major wars. The first story takes place during World War I – Germany where Boots accompanies a medical assistant in the battle field. The second story takes place during World War II – Greenland where Loki helps a soldier get back to the air base when the soldier gets separated from his group during a mission. The last tale tells the story of Sheba, a war dog in Vietnam.

This book is very informational; the reader is able to learn historical facts about canine war dogs and how they were important during wartime. The creative writing style is continuous throughout the book. The artwork is realistic even though it is in comic book style form. Each story is fast-paced, getting to the point quickly but effectively. These stories are about war – death and blood are depicted. The stories are powerful and fascinating to read. I would recommend this book to mature readers who appreciate and understand the meaning of war. Dog lovers would also enjoy these tales.

— Kellyn S.

Here is a plotless book much like I SPY by Jean Marzolla. Curious George visits and explores 12 structures which are all jam packed with items a curious little monkey would love to touch and play with when left alone. As the reader turns each page of this 10.25″ X 10.25″ book, the top left corner shows a picture of the outside of the structure ( forest cabin, vacation trailer, desert adobe pueblo, tropical stilted bungalow, lighthouse, houseboat, medieval castle, zoo monkey house, high-rise skyscraper*, a tree house, a barn,  and the house were the man with the yellow hat lives) above its brief description told in rhyme, with 4 or 5 or 6 isolated pictures of items to find in the larger page and a half spread of the inside of that particular structure. Each rhyme ends with – “Where is George?”

Young readers will enjoy searching the pages of this book for George and the items!

Printed on heavy paper.

* Skyscraper is misspelled by omitting the second ‘s.