Set in chronological order, this book is chock full of interesting snippets of information ranging from prehistoric Europe through recent history of Britain.  Time eras include the  Early Middle Ages, Tudors, Victorian Britain, and give information on famous events such as Hadrian’s Wall, Richard the Lionheart, Bloody Mary, and King Henry’s six wives.  Included in this unique book is cartoon style illustrations which blend humor into the sometimes dire bits of history.  The entire book is a bit of “tongue and cheek” humor which will likely appeal to a vast audience.  High interest, easy read.

Amazing illustrations will lure the lovers of mythical artwork to this unique and beautiful book illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli.  The brief descriptive sentence fragments could be used as a writing prompt for teachers at the elementary or middle school level.  Each phrase in the book describes a group of mythical creatures.  Example: A vengeance of harpies, a grapple of griffins, a storm of thunderbirds, etc.  The back of the book includes a comprehensive glossary listing the mythical creatures throughout the book and their origin.  This book would make an interesting addition to any library or collection, but may be most coveted by those who study mythical creatures, art, or creative writing.

This book is a charming combination of art and science which explores the symbiotic relationship between two unlikely creatures.  The format is an absolute bonus, each page uniquely set with a combination of cartoon type illustrations which include bits of information to tell the story of the two animals and how they mutually benefit one another. The illustrations are beautifully done and will carry reluctant or very young readers and the writing is perfect for fourth grade reading levels.  It will be easy enough to follow the information while being exposed to new and challenging vocabulary.  This book will hold the interest of the young and the adults who are “sharing” the story.  Beautifully composed.  This book is highly recommended.

Inspired by the work of M. C. Escher, this is a marvelous alignment of text and illustration that takes the reader into an off-kilter world, where the story reads through front to back, but isn’t completed until, upon reaching the end of the book, the readers turns the book upside-down and continues back to the front again, with the illustrations an equal combination of sense and non-sensical, regardless of whether you are looking at them right side up or upside down.  Thanks to a bit of syntactical engineering, each page can also be read circularly.  It’s a celebration of imagination.

This non-fiction text describes  a dozen very different school experiences from a dozen different countries scattered around the world.  It begins with a world map labeling the twelve countries to be described within.  Each two-page spread within the body of the book is dedicated to a different country: it includes some basic geographical information about the country, photos, and a description of the personal schooling experience of a specific child from that country.  Within the description, within the context of describing the school, a lot of additional information about the culture of that country is also included.  I really appreciate the variety of settings included: right after reading about a school under a tree in Kenya, with few books, where a school field trip was the first time students had ever been beyond their village, the reader turns the page to learn about an international in Malaysia with over 16,000 books in their library, where a school field trip took students to the Netherlands.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to use the common experience of school to link students to children all around the world.  I just wish they could have managed to include more photos to visually support the textual descriptions of things that will be so foreign to most young readers.

The topic will be a popular one.  The illustrations are inviting.  The ABC format makes it easily accessible, and it’s packed with information.  The rhyming seems a bit contrived at times, and some of the key alphabet words seem a bit of a stretch in terms of relevance to Roman history, but I think its strengths outweigh its weaknesses.  A map in the front illustrates the extent of the Roman Empire at its peak.

This debut novel is a very, very funny story about an overweight 12-year-old middle schooler, a rich genius, who leads a very interesting life.  His genius and fortune have allowed him to control his surroundings to a point that he can dictate who is popular, who isn’t, who succeeds and who doesn’t.  Supposedly the fourth richest person in the world, he has created a somewhat ‘normal’ life, both at home and at school.  The reader gets sucked into all the drama and the technology that controls it, not stopping to think–hey, wait a minute! — would a rich genius really be in middle school taking regular classes in middle America?  A very funny read.  All middle schoolers should enjoy it!

A true story based on two Smith sisters living in Glastonbury, Connecticut in the 1870’s.  The town leaders, all men, decided to impose a tax on only ‘single female landowners’.  The yearly amount would have been $4,000 in today’s dollars.  Refusing to pay, their cows were auctioned off, only to be purchased by the Smith sisters through the benevolence of neighbors who believed they were being treated unfairly.  Their land was seized and each year brought a new fight against the system.  Women were not allowed to vote, not even allowed to say anything at a town meeting.  Their premise was that this was ‘taxation without representation,’ the same thing the colonists had fought one hundred years ago, a reason for the American Revolution.  The story is interesting, but the author’s note at the end of the story is also very interesting.  The Smith family was very, very educated, their father graduated from Yale.  Although this story took place when the Smith sisters were quite elderly, I am surprised that there weren’t some male relatives who weren’t on the town council to make taxation more fair.  Even without relatives, I find it hard to believe a town would actually do that.  But stranger things have happened.  It’s an amazing story.

This beautifully illustrated version of Little Red Riding Hood has been translated and edited by Maria Tarar.  The story is typical of the Little Red Riding story, not much has changed.  The illustrations are large and colorful and the wolf is huge, much larger than in previous versions.  At the end of the story is an additional short story in which the grandmother and Little Red are at grandmother’s house, aware of the wolf outside, waiting.  They trick him and he drowns and they are safe.  Beautiful black on sepia illustrations.  A new addition I had never had before, and very clever.  This will make a nice addition to any library.

Ellen Hopkins’ best selling book Crank will give every teenager, parent, administrator or mentor to teens the gut-wrenching experience of how easily methamphetamine can turn a life upside-down.  Kristina is a perfectly normal, good kid.  She’s done everything her mother has expected of her, yet she seeks to find out about her father who lives in Albuquerque.  A drug-abuser himself, Dad barely has his life together and Kristina is not impressed.  But away from home, she is taken away with a boy who introduces her to “The Monster”.  When she’s high, Kristina creates an alter-ego named Bree.  Bree is more sexual, more risky, more outspoken.  As the summer closes, Kristina hasn’t lost her virginity, but that will change in the months to come.  Returning home, “The Monster” will keep its grip on Kristina as her mother and step-father struggle to figure out what has changed her.  Poetic license with concrete and free verse form, Hopkins fast-moving story explores the psychological side of the drug’s effects more than the physical.  There is no happy ending here, but the awareness of the drug’s torture on the user and his/her family and friends is the lesson in itself.