Category Archives: Recommendation

Dan in Green Gables: a Modern Reimagining of Anne of Green Gables

Posted on by

by Rey Terciero and Claudia Aguirre

This graphic novel retelling of Anne of Green Gables features a male “Anne” living in rural Tennessee with strangers after being abandoned by his mother. He struggles with the very conservative religious beliefs of his grandparents, particularly the Grandpa. Dan is gay and that goes against the r. I really liked that it was easy to read and I wanted to keep reading. I don’t usually read graphic novels, but this one was compelling and made me want to read more. The art is colorful and Dan keeps the signature red hair of the inspirational “Anne”.  I also appreciated that there was a warning about possible triggers in the book for readers at the very beginning regarding bullying, physical assault and homophobia. All of these topics are handled gently in the book, but do represent real experiences that some individuals experience. That being said, I didn’t like the way some characters treated Dan, but I realize this was part of the plot. His grandfather had some positive realizations about Dan and accepted him more for who he was by the end. Dan even chose to stay with his grandparents even though his mother came back to get him. Overall, I’d give it 4-5 stars.

Reviewed by Rosalee B, 7th grader at Komachin Middle School

The extraordinary orbit of Alex Ramirez

Posted on by

by Jasminne Paulino

This beautifully written verse novel about a neurodivergent 7th grader named Alex pulls you in immediately. Alex is in a self contained classroom because of outbursts in third grade. Now, in 7th grade, he desperately wants to be in a regular science class to learn about his favorite topics like everyone else. He still struggles to keep thoughts in his head and not let them explode out of his mouth or body. He has new friends in his SC class and still sees what used to be old friends but who now taunt and tease him. He just wants the chance to try. Alex has a lot on his plate as he learns to navigate asking for help to meet his goals and adjust to new demands on his studying. I loved how he really had to advocate for himself with his teachers, but also his parents. It’s hard to watch someone struggle and TRY, even though that is how we grow. Alex struggles with this too! I also really liked that when the students made mistakes, there were legitimate consequences and restorative methods for healing and moving forward. The other thing I enjoyed about the book was the mix of Spanish and English. Alex’s family has Puerto Rican roots, so at home, they speak a mix of Spanish and English. I do not speak Spanish, but interestingly, did not find it a barrier to understanding the family conversations. I didn’t even feel like they all needed to be translated. It was lovely to see it all mixed in as part of the norm. I highly recommend this beautiful book showing strength and bravery in the face of adversity and challenge. 

Traitors in Space

Posted on by

by Tim Collins; illustrated by Steven Wood

In this Sci-fi mystery adventure, readers get to read many, many endings depending on which decisions they make as they read. I found myself octopus-fingers in pages as I tried out the many choices offered along each path. I did not even get to all of them! The basic premise is that this band of space travelers has picked up rocks and potentially an alien being at the planet they had been exploring. Midway through their cryogenic sleep home, the crew awakens fearing that an alien is hiding within one of them. It’s happened before causing the brave decision to blow up the entire former ship and all aboard to save Earth. The travelers would like to avoid that. The only way to stop Earth from being infected is to figure out who is no longer themself and eradicate the now-alien among them. Each path leads to accusations and showdowns. In some scenarios the culprit is found; in others, all become infected and Earth will be doomed. Black and white illustrations keep the book accessible to struggling readers, but doesn’t overwhelm the text.  Along the way, there are brainteasers to solve. Some of these were quite hard, though luckily the answers are given in the back. My only objection with these is that they did not REALLY need to be solved in order to continue down the path. They could be easily skipped since they had no real connection to the plot line of that particular scenario. I think readers who love choose-your-own adventure stories will enjoy this modern story. (The old paperbacks from the 1990s? 1980s? are out of print and look pretty tired now. It’s time for some new multi-path adventures.) I did as many paths as I had energy to do and did lose interest in trying to follow all of them. So, did I read all of the book (192 pages)…no. Did I enjoy what I DID read…yes. I think middle school readers will find the same.

Marsupials series

Posted on by

Unique and interesting animals are a great way to encourage the curiosity of young readers. The Marsupials series by Bullfrog Books is sure to catch their interest! With less than a dozen words per page in simple sentences, the content is perfect for preschool and early elementary children. Bullfrog books uses large up-close photos to support the text. The Table of Contents is limited to the five sections of each book – the body of the book and the four endpaper sections; Parts of the animal, Picture Glossary, Index, and Learn More. The square shape of the book is easy for young hands to enjoy independently.

The Bullfrog Books Marsupials series includes the following titles: Kangaroos, Koalas, Opossums, Sugar Gliders, Tasmanian Devils, and Wombats

Mythical Creatures series

Posted on by

People have always used their imagination to explain the unexplained. The Mythical Creatures series describes some of the best known creatures in an engaging, age appropriate way that is sure to be a hit with young readers. Each book contains ten chapters focusing on different aspects of the creature. This includes the mythical origins, typical characteristics, unique powers or skills, geographic home, and similar mythical and real life creatures. Short sentences are divided on the page into a variety of text boxes. Labeled illustration and diagrams support the content and break up the pages in a manner reminiscent of a screen. Includes Glossary, Index, and Table of Contents.

The Mythical Creature series currently contains eight titles. Titles used for this review are: Centaurs, Giants, Werewolves, and Kraken.

The Unexplained series

Posted on by

Phantoms Among Us, by Spencer Brinker and Stuart Webb
Alien Visits, by Spencer Brinker and Stuart Webb
Creatures Walking, by Spencer Brinker and Stuart Webb
Lost Worlds, by Spencer Brinker and Stuart Webb

This set of books about unexplained phenomena is a perfect addition to a middle school non-fiction collection. Each book covers its topics with text and full-color images, maps, photos, and appealing illustrations on each page. A Table of Contents, Glossary, Read More, Online resources, and an Index are also included in each book. Books are at a 7th grade reading level, but skinny enough to not be intimidating (48 pages each). Interest level is for 5th – 8th grade. I found the text to be engaging. I liked that each book grouped similar phenomena together, for example, Atlantis, Lemuria, and other legendary, lost lands were all in the same book, Lost Worlds. Similarly, Bigfoot, Yeti, and other apelike cryptids are all grouped together in the Creatures Walking volume. I did find the white text on black background a little bit hard to read, but that could just be my older eyes! Each book also had interesting tangents blocked on some of the pages, giving extra or supplementary text. For example, in Phantoms Among Us, one of the extra blocks just explained the word “mediums” to add extra context to the other text on the page about communicating with the dead. A reader could read it or skip it depending on their background knowledge. I think my students will enjoy these additions to our collection on odd and unexplained mysteries of the world.

The Glade

Posted on by

by Naseem Jamnia

This book is about a girl and her friends who find a mysterious glade in their dreams while at a camp where someone went missing in the past. Their friendships are tested as they protect each other from the force in the glade that wants to come back to the real world. I think this book was interesting because it had so many surprises like dreams that led characters to a mystical world.  It was also very fun to read because the conflict tested the friends in a very suspenseful way.  It took a while to get into the book – about 50 pages or so before it really got moving. Once you got into it, the author did a great job  making the book interesting to read and fun to spend time finishing. The plot  was very good with twists and turns. If readers can stick with it, they won’t regret it!

Reviewed by Rosalee B, 7th grader at Komachin Middle School

War Histories series

Posted on by

The Korean War, by Kieran Downs
The Gulf War, by Alex Monroe
The War on Terror, by Alex Monroe
The War of 1812, by Alex Monroe

This set of War histories is perfect for the struggling middle school reader who really loves books about Wars. All of these books are at about a 3rd grade reading level, but have an interest level of 3-7 grade, so perfect for a struggling middle grade reader. Each book is organized in a predictable way, full of images and reasonable blocks of text. Maps are included to place the events in visual locations.For example, in the War of 1812, the map clearly shows the countries involved in the conflict and the location where the battles happened.  The reader sees both sides of the conflict in text, charts, timelines and images. For example, in the War on Terror, there is a visual timeline showing the events leading up to the war through the time when the troops pulled out of Afghanistan. In The Gulf War, text and visuals highlight the leaders of the two countries involved in the conflict. A glossary of terms is included in each book and an index to find some of the key terms associated with the conflict. Each book also includes a link to an online database for more information (www.factsurfer.com ) and additional text resources a reader might look for to continue their interest in the subject -all published by the same company as the original book. For example, the Korean War book recommends a book on the United States Army, one on the Cold War, and one on World War II.

What if you fall for me first?

Posted on by

by G. F. Miller

Sofia Santini and Holden Thomas meet in the eighth grade year of middle school,. Sofia is desperate to catch the attention of her school crush Mark Chen, a popular guy within the school. Holden agrees to help out but only  in return for letting him add the transformation to his YouTube channel. Somewhere along the way both Sofia and Holden catch feelings for each other rather than making Mark Chen have feelings for Sofia. This wonderful romance novel captures the sweet love and romance of middle school teenagers. This book will capture the mind of true romance novel readers, or even those who are looking for love. The well-developed writing between the constant waiting for love and the anticipation of it happening really kept me on my toes and wanting to turn to the next page.What I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the book was the drawn out mystery of the true feelings between the two main characters Sofia and Holden. Honestly? It’s hard to find something that I disliked about the book!  If I’m being honest I wasn’t the biggest fan of how long it took for the two main characters to finally fall for each other! But that’s just a patience problem.

Reviewed by Bailey M., 8th grader at Komachin Middle School

Sueños salvajes (Wild Dreamers) (Spanish Edition)

Posted on by

by Margarita Engle

The story is written in short verse- easy to read and detailed with nature and historical references in the last few years in Cuba. It is  a short romantic story of two young Cubans struggling to fit in at school and finding themselves with nature, wildlife, and the naturalization process of real events in CA.  A romantic story of two adolescents trying to find safety and cultural identity. The poems contain realistic nature facts and past Hispanic historical events stretching back to the 1400s. This book is best for older teens who might have more connections to understanding the historical events.There is a lot of history to take in with this short novel.  It is easy to read because of the verse style. I did not like the open ending because there was no closure.

The book was read & reviewed in Spanish by Mabel T., Komachin Middle School staff