Category Archives: Recommend

The Burning Season by Caroline Starr Rose

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

The trend of survival stories has been continued in Caroline Starr Rose’s novel, The Burning Season. A young girl named Opal lives on a mountain far away from society, where she longs to attend a regular middle school away from the wilderness. She had been training as a fire lookout, a job for which she must alert people of a possible forest fire. As someone who is afraid of fire, she questions whether the job is for her. When an emergency fire takes place when she is left alone, she must be brave and work fast under pressure. The novel is an excellent story of survival, belonging, and tenacity, and a fantastic read for readers interested in firefighting or who have enjoyed literary classics such as Lord of the Flies.

Into the Rapids by Ann Braden

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

The novel takes place in a moment of distress for the main character, Addy, whose town has just been hit by a difficult storm. Although the story is not a difficult one to understand, the concepts of grief, trauma, and moments of need are significant parts of the story. The concepts are presented with a digestible tale of a young girl trying to carry on her parents’ legacy by making her way through the storm and to a survival camp. Through this journey, however, she discovers tools of strength in character, friendship, and courage. Overall, the book is an excellent read for readers who may relate to the trials presented to Addy, both mentally and physically.

We Built This City by Cat Patrick

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

The novel follows a young girl and her exciting journey towards stardom. It is also a nostalgic read, as it takes place before the 2000s, and in an era of rock, pop, and guitar music. The book will be particularly enjoyable for incoming middle school readers, who will be able to relate to the main character’s values, conflicts, exciting times, and big dreams. Cat Patrick’s story is motivational, drama-filled, and a thrilling read for middle-level readers or people who have enjoyed novels such as Out of My Mind or Every Last Word.

Los Monstruos: Rooster and the Dancing Diablo

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

This book is an extraordinary read for people hoping to expand on their knowledge of Mexican culture. Rooster and the Dancing Diablo, the second book in a series, follows a town where children have mysteriously gone missing. A young man named Rooster goes on a magical adventure with friends in order to save the town. It also includes Mexican folklore, and is an engaging way to learn about different cultures. Diana Lopez has written a story that is inspirational, depicts the ups and downs of friendships, and is overall a fantastic story for people of all ages.

Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales! Troubling Tonsils by Aaron Reynolds

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Jasper Rabbit tells the tale of Charlie Marmot. Charlie has a sore throat and when his dad takes him to the doctor, the doctor says he needs to have his tonsils removed. Charlie decides he wants to keep the tonsils in a jar and take them to class for show and tell. Only before his surgery a strange sound keeps him up at night. And on the day of surgery, his tonsils are gone.

Jasper Rabbit’s retelling reads like a show from the Twilight Zone which may be missed by younger readers. The creepy tale will be a hit for those who like spooky tales. This is a short chapter book with any pictures being gray and black. The only thing that has color is the tonsils.

Beverley, Bat Your Service by Kelly Collier

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Beverley Bat lives in an old abandoned house. He loves to entertain, but no one comes to visit until one day a car pulls up with people in it. Excited to entertain, Beverley reads about how to host people guests. Beverley sprays a welcoming scent of eau de rotten eggs and cooking Bolognese de millipede for dinner. The humans didn’t appreciate all of his efforts.

A fun, not so spooky story. The use of thought and speech bubbles and onomatopoeia draws readers into the text. The illustrations are colorful and the characters are expressive.

A Tempest of Tea By Hafsah Faizal

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Reviewed by Emilyn 10th grade – This book wraps you up and never lets you go! It has a strong and relatable heroine, as well as mostly light-hearted fun with underlying themes of colonialism and bigotry. With a ragtag group of protagonists you can’t help but root for, the rich and immersive world will stay with you long after you finish it!

All My Bests by Britnee Meiser

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Reviewed by Michelle, a high school student

All My Bests is an excellent middle-grade novel by Britnee Meiser that demonstrates the importance of the balance between romantic relationships, familial relationships, and friendships. Fans of Every Last Word or Real Friends will enjoy a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Immie who is entering high school. She discovers difficulties in new friendships and long-standing relationships as she navigates a new world, and begins to steer through new, foreign emotions. Readers who enjoy stories of perseverance, companionship, and transformation will enjoy this story of self-discovery. The simplicity of this story provides a strong account of the difficulties in growing up that many teenagers will relate to. This novel is endearing and an outstanding book in middle-grade literature.

Here Are the Seeds by JaNay Brown-Wood

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This rhythmic cumulative tale (similar to “The House That Jack Built”) follows two children planting seeds in a garden. First they plant the seeds in the earth that nurtures their seeds, but oh no! The plants in the shade are not growing so they children move them to the sun. As the story continues, the children discover how different things slow the plants growing or help their garden grow. The back matter talks about the things the children encounter: water, sun, bugs, worms, and mushrooms and how they help a garden grow. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and fill the whole page.

Coding with Rain Forest Animals

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Adventures in Unplugged Coding is a series of books that take the reader through 4 unplugged challenges that help the reader understand how to use higher-level thinking skills to solve problems. The connection is made between the activities and how computer code writers think. This series of books is categorized as Express! Which are classified as maker space books.

Coding with Rain Forest Animals has 4 unplugged activities:

  1. A Rare Sighting
  2. Rain Forest Escape
  3. Snake Eyes
  4. Picture Perfect

Each activity requires a minimal amount of supplies: Paper, index cards, pencils, markers, dice, game pieces, and small toys. The activities would be best accomplished with a partner or small group. The readers would have opportunities to solve problems together and work towards a solution, also when turning the page they will be able to learn about the solution and how that activity is related to coders.

Readers who use this book would need to read at a 3rd or 4th grade level but as long as there is one strong reader in the group they could guide others through who may be younger or have a more difficult time reading.