Category Archives: Highly Recommend

Grounded for All Eternity

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by Darcy Marks

Mal and his friends are just regular teens, except that their quiet suburban neighborhood is located in an unusual place – Hell. They are currently under lock down during their last vacation together for a while because of an escaped prisoner from the 8th circle of… Hell. The friends end up “falling” into another dimension – Earth – and realize they have to help bring the escaped prisoner home if they want to get back to their regular lives. This funny story was full of adventure and turned the stereotypical ideas of Hell=bad/Heaven=good a bit on its head. As it turns out, BOTH do the world a pretty important service & by working together, they just might accomplish their goals more efficiently. Similar to the recent popularity of mythology books by Rick Riordan and others, this tale melds a bit of the horror genre with the mythology of the hereafter. Much of the story takes place on Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts (& in Hell), so it’s also a perfect October read! There is a slight hint of a possible lgbtq romantic relationship in Mal’s future, but it’s very subtle. Mal has romantic interest in both a girl and a boy in the book – neither of which really develops in the story until a romantic letter he writes at the very end to one of his interests. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am sure my students will eat it up!

Tin Man

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by Justin Madson

Fenn, a lonely boy, meets Campbell, the tin man in a junkyard while looking for spare parts for the rocket ship he’s building in his garage and they instantly become friends. Fenn also finds a metal clock/heart part that he assumes belongs to the tin man & hands it to him. So begins the twisted, modernized tale of the Wizard of Oz, complete with a yellow brick road, a tornado, and a wizard of sorts. Fenn’s sister, his once-helper of the rocket, is struggling with her own problems – the loss of their grandmother, a jerk of a boyfriend, and flagging hopes and dreams. She, too, finds help from the tin man struggling with his own problems and broken heart. Even without knowing the original story of The Wizard of Oz, I think modern readers will enjoy this graphic novel. The art work is done in bold colors and subtle facial expressions, but add to the poignancy and rough times all the characters are striving to get through. I enjoyed all the little “Easter eggs” scattered throughout the story that refer back to the original story. In one scene you see two women talking. One is clearly Glinda & the other, clad in black & white striped tights & red shoes, is a nod to the Wicked Witch of the West. A lion appears on a movie poster and a sweater. The Flying Monkey taco truck. Even the town name forms the initials O.Z.  This is a clever graphic novel that has much to offer. I think readers will enjoy it.

Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation

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by Sylvia Liu

I really enjoyed this action-packed, futuristic story of a plucky twelve year old heroine whose curiosity and determination save her and her classmates from becoming manipulated by adults who should have been protecting and training them. The story shows Hana and her friends in a recently accelerated program to learn how to use a technology that will mesh their minds with the internet and each other. She quickly realizes that something is not right with the program and begins to investigate. She does this while grieving her father and the splintering, distant feelings of her immediate family. Readers who love technology or video games will enjoy the action scenes in the virtual world as the students train with their new tools. I liked that Hana also loves OLD technology, particularly animatronics that she builds from scraps in the junkyard. The pacing of the story is solid and the characters are all multi-ethnic. Even the cover draws you in. I think this title will be a hit with middle school readers who enjoy a fast-paced novel of intrigue and action.

Noodle and the No Bones Day

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Written by Jonathan Graziano, Illustrated by Dan Tavis

What a wonderfully adorable book about a pug and his person. This tale emphasizes that it is okay to have an “off day” every once in a while. Noodle and his person, Jonathan – the author, have busy and adventuresome days every day but when Noodle is feeling under the weather, Jonathan becomes concerned. Soon he realizes that there are days where one must just take the time to relax and be content to just be. A highly recommended tale for elementary students that really explains that it’s okay to have a “no bones” day.

Little Red and the Big Bad Editor

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The Big Bad Wolf Editor actually saves Little Red from being eaten fives times in this retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Who could have guessed the wolf, turned editor, cared more about the rules of good composition than in eating his prey? When Red runs into the Wolf on her way to Grandma’s house with her basket of goodies, topped off with a thank-you note, the editor in the wolf wins over time and time again. Wolf is compelled to correct Red’s composition mistakes: no finger spaces between words, no capital letter at the beginning of each sentence, and no greeting salutation or signature at the end of the note.

Combine that with the ‘cool as a cucumber’ similes, onomatopoeia, and colorful verbs the wolf with his pencil behind his ear are doomed to not enjoy a human meal today. Who would have guessed the IMPORTANCE of a great thank-you note!

Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf Editor

School of Phantoms

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This book is a solid addition to the current craze for scary books for younger children. Former elementary art teacher Kory Merritt does a great job of tapping into some of our deepest fears and weaving them into the plot and his illustrations. Let’s review. The fear of disappearing and no one noticing you are gone (not even your parents)? Check! Your fear of that creepy house on the edge of town that just doesn’t seem right? Check! The fear of scary looking snowmen getting closer whenever you aren’t watching? Check! Unidentifiable, weird creatures coming out of the walls? Check! A dark basement full of alienesque creatures? Check! 

The format is a true hybrid, seamlessly going back and forth between sections with a half page of text with one large picture to a graphic novel. In lesser hands this style can be distracting, but Merrit uses it to build energy and suspense as well as signal moves between different locations and plot lines. The main character Kat is using her phone to film a documentary on the strange goings on in their small town. The result has a Blair Witch Project meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe.

The characters feel like real people and are relatable. From the distracted school principal to the cool science teacher to the janitor who seems a bit out there, each person adds a layer to the story. If you pay close attention to the janitor’s dialog, you will recognize nods to some films like The Princess Bride. 

The strongest part is the illustrations. From the students gathered in the cafeteria to an all out otherworldly invasion, the pictures are powerful. They are what keep you turning pages. The story however goes deeper than what you might expect. This could be a great way to engage reluctant readers of novels to dig deeper and learn about plot devices, character development, or satisfying endings,to name a few. Merritt cleverly builds his narrative across the entire story. While there is a resolution at the end, you also realize the story is not over yet. You are wondering about what will happen next.

This is the second of three books planned for the series. I hope Kory Merritt continues to offer kids great adventures.

Stick and Stone: Best Friends Forever!

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This picture book is a rollicking, rhyming celebration of friendship and what being a family means. Ostensibly, Stick and Stone are off looking for Stick’s family tree, but when the adventure turns from fun to frightening to hopeless Stone tells Stick that he is his family and Stick agrees.

The delightful end papers have stick sprouting leaves of many different trees, which tie in with an illustration in the book. The humor around a stick looking for his family tree, which literally is a tree, remains funny throughout. The sunny illustrations reflect the energy between the two friends. The palette temporarily becomes darker when things get tense, but returns to vibrant color after help is received from another friend. Emerging readers will be successful with the repetition and simplicity of words and the short sentence length.

This book might be an especially good fit for young children who are adopted or, for whatever reason, are unable to make a connection with their heritage or ancestry.

The Care and Keeping of Freddy

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The only thing I would change about this book is the title. I kept looking for a connection, but Freddy remained a minor character.

This story does a fabulous job of showing what can happen to kids when they are let down by adults who are supposed to care for them. Georgia’s mom leaves suddenly the same day she buys Freddy, a bearded dragon, for Georgia. She returns with a new husband and a baby over a year and a half later. Georgia is thrilled. . .or is she? Georgia’s best friend and aspiring writer, Maria has parents who happily retreat to the camper behind the garage all summer leaving her Abuela and six kids to pretty much fend for themselves. New kid in town Roland (Roly) is in foster care with the very religious Farley family because his dad is incarcerated and his mom was declared “unfit”.

These eleven and twelve year old characters come to life as the reader experiences their friendship, struggles, and adventures. Georgia’s relationship with her clearly depressed but doing-his-very-best-for-his-daughter father is especially poignant. We see the emotional roller coaster and hurt Georgia and Roly endure. Georgia is determined to get her parents back together, but then she starts noticing the not-so-great things about her mom that she had forgotten about when her mom abandoned her.

There are no easy answers for anyone in this story, but there is hard won wisdom. It is an intense, emotional ride, but well worth the trip. 

Jazz for Lunch!

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This book is a visual celebration of Jazz. Written in the rhyme, you can feel the music in the rhythm of the words as they connect the food prep of Auntie Nina and her young nephew to the sounds of different instruments. Each page has a few words in large, colorful fonts that jump off the page. The vivid illustrations match the excitement of the music. There are also nods to the legends of Jazz including Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane and Thelonius Monk. The end papers have paragraph bios of the musicians mentioned in the text. This book would work well to introduce children to the joy of experiencing Jazz.

There’s a Ghost in This House

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Every day students ask me for scary books. Here is one that is more Casper the Friendly Ghost than Elm Street. A girl moves from room to room in her 18th century house looking for ghosts that she has heard live there, but she never sees one. The fun is when you turn the translucent page that overlays where she is looking to reveal the playful ghosts that are having fun hiding from her. Each page has one or two short sentences. This book appeals to young children who enjoy the surprise factor in “lift the flap” books. The illustrations of the rooms are done in brown and cream contrasting the girl who has bright yellow and green. This palette also allows the white ghosts to appear clearly. One consideration, is the translucent ghost pages are less durable that the paper ones. Readers will also want to flip these back and forth several times to make the ghosts appear and disappear, so they will have more use. This is a delightful, engaging book that is a perfect fit for early elementary students.