Category Archives: Highly Recommend

Candace, The Universe, and Everything by Sherri L. Smith

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

This is a book about heritage, perseverance, and coming of age. Candace, the Universe, and Everything tells of a girl named Candace struggling with the shifts involved with growing up as she discovers a fantastical world inside of her locker, where she meets two women researching and experimenting on portals. The tale explores Black heritage, women in STEM, and difficulties of growing up with friends with the use of humor and inventive language. The connections she makes with the women in the locker prompts her to consider her place in the universe as she transitions to a difficult period in her life. Candace, the Universe, and Everything is a remarkable story about intergenerational struggles and development. This is highly recommended to young adults grappling with identity and self-doubt.

The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham by Ryan James Black

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham is an excellent book exploring themes of teamwork and friendship. The book is about a young, independent boy who accidentally releases a monster onto the streets of London. He begrudgingly teams up with two other teens to diffuse the problem. Black explores companionship, altruism, and magic as Nimble Nottingham learns to work with other people to save his city and dog. The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham is a fantastic story about learning to trust others and ourselves. This is highly recommended to elementary and middle school readers who are also fans of Rick Riordan’s books.

A Roof!

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In a small village on an island in the Philippines, a storm blows in one night – a storm big enough to damage buildings. Maya wakes the following morning with a roof in the backyard. Maya and her father roll the roof up like a lumpia and set off to find its owner. On their journey they witness both the devastation of the storm and the beauty of their strong community. A farmer and his carabao help carry the roof, fishers help them cross the raging river, and a multitude of community members help clear the debris. Finally that roof is reunited with the family so they can rebuild, “nail after nail, board after board, heart after heart,”

This is an uplifting story based in the Philippines, a country often hit by natural disasters. The endnotes explain that writing your address on the their metal roof, is a common practice. The Filipino community spirit called bayanihan embodies the tradition of working together to support the community’s needs.

This book is highly recommended for lessons highlighting Southeast Asian/Filipino culture and to show the impact of all members working together to address the needs of the community.

On Thin Ice

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By Jessica Kim

Twins, Phoebe and Dexter, are fierce competitors on the ice. When Phoebe’s partner is injured and Dex is cut from the star hockey team neither knows what to do. Dexter agrees to pair up with his sister so she can still compete but is there enough time for him to learn the routine? Let alone be successful? While these two and their mother are still reeling from their dad’s death from cancer, they have become further apart from each other and their friends. Will they reconnect? Will their mother be okay? This middle grade fiction will be enjoyed by many who are interested in sports, school stories as well as family tales.

I would strongly recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school. There is a light crush in this book as Phoebe gets to know her brother’s replacement on the team but nothing that would be concerning for younger readers.

I Hate Everything by Sophy Henn

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Ghost declares, “I HATE EVERYTHING! His ghost friend listens and asks him if he hates sweets, dressing up, and cakes. Ghost does not. Through his friend listening ghost realizes maybe he doesn’t hate everything.

The illustrations feature adorable, expressive ghosts and vivid pictures on bright backgrounds. A great story for dealing with a bad day and strong emotions.

The Day the Crayons Made Friends by Drew Daywalt

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Another book in the Crayon series by Drew Daywalt. Duncan’s crayons have disappeared again. This time the crayons have set out to make friends. White crayon no longer feels invisible since meeting the chess set and filling in as the missing queen. Blue crayon’s problem of being short is solved when they find a doll who’d lost a head and they team up. Each crayon’s story is told as a letter from that crayon.

Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India’s Woven Trees by Sandhya Acharya

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In the state of Meghalaya in India, there are bridges or Jingkieng Jri created from the living roots of rubber fig trees. The War Khasi-Jaintia weave the roots together to make bridges for the community to be able to cross the mountainous area they live in. The Living Bridges last for hundreds of years and withstand the monsoons in the area.

This book follows a young boy on his way to learn to build a Jingkieng Jri. He notices the insects and birds that make their home in the bridge, but also the damage that is happening to the bridges from littering and people stealing the sap. He decides that he can take action and teach others to clean up the bridges.

The back matter includes information about living bridges, a glossary and pronunciation guide, photographs of a Living Bridge and a bibliography.

Blastoff! Readers: Wild About Cats!

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By Shannon Anderson

These wonderful non-fiction books about wildcats for intermediate readers will be a hit with cat lovers in your library. These titles are four of ten in the Bellwether Blastoff! Readers Level Three: Wild About Cats! Series. This series is at level three and thus second through fifth graders will enjoy the reading content most although many lower readers will enjoy the beautiful photography on each and every page. They all have a Table of Contents and Chapters that are consistently the same in each of the books and thus, are helpful for readers and teachers as they can create consistent research questions from all books in the series. There are some words are in bold. These are in a Glossary in the back of the book with helpful definitions. The end of the book also has basic facts, other book recommendations to read and learn more, an index, and web information on how to get more information at a simple reading level. Some interesting text features in these books are: maps of where they live, what the name of their babies is, images of their preferred habitats and if they are at risk of extinction.

I would highly recommend these books for any library that provides informational books for primary leveled readers.

Blastoff! Readers: Community Critters

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By Clare Koll and Betsy Rathburn

These vibrant covered non-fiction animal books for early readers will be in high demand at the elementary library. These titles are six of ten in the Bellwether Blastoff! Readers Level One: City Critters Series. While these books are grade one level, many will enjoy the beautiful photography and clear writing contained within. They all have a Table of Contents and Chapters that are consistently the same in each of the books and thus, are helpful for emerging readers when reading many in the series. There are minimal words on each page. Some words are in bold. These are in a Glossary in the back of the book with helpful definitions. The end of the book also has basic facts, other book recommendations to read and learn more, an index, and web information on how to get more information at a simple reading level. Many will know these animals as they are common in many communities but these books give clear information on species and genus, where they choose to have their home and types of food they eat.

I would highly recommend these books for any library that provides informational books for primary leveled readers.

Blastoff! Beginner’s: Community Workers

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By Amy McDonald

Having the opportunity to receive quality non-fiction books for early readers is always appreciated in the elementary library. These titles are six of sixteen in the Bellwether Blastoff! Beginners: Community Workers Series. Since primary (kindergarten-1st Grade) students focus on community members and their professions, these books can be a benefit for the classroom as well. Each of these books start with sight words that students will need in order to clearly understand the content. The Table of Contents/Chapters are clear, concise and consistently the same in each of the books and thus, are helpful for basic research questions to be answered by students. There are a minimal words on each page as well as vibrant images for clearer understanding and higher interest. The end of the book also has basic facts and a glossary for further comprehension. The final page also has an index as well as web information on how to get more information at a lower reading level.

I would highly recommend these books for any library that provides informational books for primary leveled readers.