Like other titles in the Enslow biography series, Henry Hudson is a good, if simplistic, telling of the explorations of this English navigator. The book provides a basic overview of Hudson’s adventures, including some background on the conflict between the English and Dutch for the conquest of trade routes and the New World. I did learn something; I had no idea Hudson died after being put off his last ship by mutineers. A Timeline, Glossary and list for Further Reading are provided if the reader would like more information.

Thisbe has always wanted to be a writer.  She has filled journals with her prose, bits of stories, character names, short, character bios, all kinds of snippets. Finally she has started doing all of her writing online and has folders and folders on her desktop.

Her freshman year has not been going particularly well.  She and her closest friends are drifting apart, her parents (who BTW are writers themselves – but they don’t write FICTION) are on an extended holiday in England, which means Grandma Ed (for Edna) and her stinky dog are coming to stay. Thisbe finds she is happiest when she is alone with her words. So when her English teacher gives her an assignment about Audience (with a capital A) which is a group project, Thisbe is dismayed.  Until she learns that one of the options is to pair with a student from another school online.

Thisbe meets Iphis, who becomes her new BFF. And she learns a lot more than just about audience throughout the course of the story.  The most delightful thing about this coming of age book is Thisbe’s voice.  It is authentic; it is lyrical and often hilariously funny. Much of the book is written in journals, text speak, emails, and IMs. And since Iphis is into writing poetry, there is plenty for prose and poetry lovers alike.  Chick lit, sure.  But good.

And BTW, it is set in the PNW, an added bonus.

Emma Healy has never fit in with her family; they are all scholars and geniuses, her siblings are all 20 years older than her or more, and she is just ordinary.  In fact, she has cultivated being average in school. Her neighbor, Peter Finnegan, does not fit in at home either. His mother, who died giving birth to him, was raised in this small, college town in upstate New York and never left. Peter’s father, a local cop, doesn’t understand why Peter can’t wait to leave the town that was good enough for his parents. But Peter has spent his life planning to leave; he is a walking atlas. 

One night, Emma finds the birth and death certificates of Thomas Healy, her twin brother.  A twin! Who might have been like her – an ally in this crazy family! Emma heads off on a quest to learn about this brother who no one has ever even mentioned.  When she gets stranded, she calls Peter for help. And the two embark on a road trip that takes them on a journey of discovery, about history, about themselves, about family and each other. 

I really liked this one. Both characters were realistic; Emma and Peter were both stubborn and often aggravatingly self-centered.  Peter’s lack of self-confidence and naiveté was endearing. The author demonstrates just how easy it is to drift apart when you let grief or secrets divide you from those you love.

Quentin Jacobsen has adored his next door neighbor, Margo Roth Speigelman, for as long as he can remember. Even though they had a few adventures as children, Quentin knows the quirky, popular Margo is out of his league now.  Until one night when she climbs through his bedroom window at midnight to invite him on an all night rampage of revenge.  The next day at school, Quentin hopes everything will be different now. It is and it isn’t.  Margo has disappeared – again. She has left clues behind – again. But this time the clues seem to be directed directly at Quentin. And he is determined not to let her down.  

Margo is misunderstood by her parents and unwilling to conform to gain their love. I wanted to understand what made her tick, why she was compelled to run. Quentin’s friends supply excellent comic relief: Ben who refers to himself in the third person, refers to all girls as hunnybunnies, and will do anything to get a date for prom; and Radar, whose family collects black Santas.  But it is Quentin’s journey that is the most engaging and will draw readers in. I wanted him to be successful in his quest, and I couldn’t wait to see how he accomplished his goal.

I have been a fan of John Green since meeting him at WLMA a few years ago. This is by far my favorite to date.

Simple in formatting and color choices, the series Buddy Books First Biographies by Abdo Publishing offers Walt Disney as one of seven American who might be of interest to children.  Name recognition alone will probably carry children over the bland color pallet of stark white with minimalistic blue and red accents.  Maps of the U.S. are helpful to give student perspective of places where Disney lived.  Pictures are both black and white as well as color, some of which take up a full page.  Large simple font make this the classic 2nd grade biography book.  An additional purchase at best.  Could be purchased for ELL students at upper grades because the name recognition will draw interest.

Secret Saturdays takes place in the Red Hook Projects of Brooklyn,  New York,  the home neighborhood of the author, Torrey Maldonado.  His intimate familiarity with the location resonates throughout the book.  The language of the book  has a genuine, honest quality that will appeal to readers looking to understanding of the pressures of teenagers growing  up and the challenge of maintaining a friendship when trust is broken.

The main character, Justin, is best friends with the coolest guy in school, Sean.  Sean the Man is mad popular with his ability to rap the best  “dissing”.  The best disser is king of the hill and is respected and not hassled.  Sean and Justin share a talent for rapping as a way to express feelings and ideas.  But their friendship is tested as Sean hides where he goes on Saturdays, which is to visit his father in jail.

Maldonado’s language choice is true to the setting of the book and the age of the characters.  Even though the age of the boys is 12, the voice will ring true to older students.  It is lively and colorful, interspersed with rapping and jive talk.  The desire to be successful in school and to have a close relationship with their moms is an uplifting aspect to the book. Introspective dialogue about the  difficulty for young men to be emotionally sensitive gives the book a dimension beyond the story line.

Middle school and high school students will relate to the language of this book  as well as a  compassion for the challenges that face young people today.  Recommended for middle and high school and public libraries.

Ethan Zohn and David Rosenburg have an amazing book series on their hands if they continue the journey to other countries in Soccer World.  Soccer is a world-wide sport that can open conversations to learn about a country’s culture.Rosenburg’s beautifully formatted, full color cartoon-like drawings work very well with Zohn’s 1st person narrative as he takes the reader on a visit to South Africa.  Both make this non-fiction text much more interesting than the standard non-fiction texts.   Beginning with the flight, readers’s arrive with Ethan in South Africa.  Chapter by chapter they see people, places, geography and animal life.  Step by step art and science projects draw more interest into the country.  Every chapter also has words2know which are then in bold when used in context.  80% country study to 20% soccer, this book will sell itself to soccer lovers who will find themselves reading for pleasure while learning about the country at the same time.  The only downfall is that chapters are only numbered in the table of contents.  In the text itself, numbers are not used – only the chapter title runs across the top of the right hand page in the header.  With a portion of every book sale going to Zohn’s Grass Roots Soccer Organization and to the Craig Willinger Foundation, which works like the Make-a Wish organization, this book will be an excellent addition to any school  or public library.

First the bad news.  There are ugly diseases, from Ebola virus to bubonic plague, still lurking in many parts of the world.  The good news is that the hard work of “disease detectives” can keep most of us safe from microbial invasion most of the time.   But don’t expect to be reading lists of facts and studying graphs and charts in this book.  Rather, you’ll read of the race against death in the middle of winter that was the first Iditarod sled dog race.  Or the chilling tale of a Zaire school teacher whose night sweats and rash were the beginning of a horrifying death by Ebola virus. 

Whether this book is used for reference, health class instruction, as a guide to a career in science, or just to read, it has riviting stories.  But be warned, the descriptions of the diseases are graphic, and there is a text box that tells exactly how to prevent HIV infection.  Though young readers would love the Iditarod story, the HIV information, deatils of bubonic plague, Ebola virus, the black death, and other diseases are frightening.  But from the introduction, with homeless men turning blue on the streets of New York, to the chapter on bioterrorism, Outbreak is never dull.

This short biography tells the story of Stephenie Meyer, the shy Arizona housewife who wrote Twilight and became an international celebrity author in a matter of months.  Meyer’s life is a great example for kids.  Her parents read to their children.  She worked hard, got good grades in school, and earned a scholarship to Brigham Young University.  While there, she read lots and lots of books and earned a degree in English with an emphasis on literature.

From writing the books to making the movies, this biography gives Twilight  fans a look into the author’s life, thoughts, and ideas.  The most gratifying part of her whole experience, Meyer says, is that her books are helping so many young readers discover that reading is fun.

From the Xtreme Sports  series, this book is all about base jumping. The book discusses BASE jumping. BASE stands for the places where a person may jump (building, antenna, span or earth). The book then goes into detail about the four places to jump with accompanying pictures of each place. The book also discusses the history, gear, worldwide jumps and the discussion of whether it is a sport or a stunt. The book has nice photographs, easy to read text and a nice layout. The giant red headings are interesting. All in all a decent book.