The Karma Club

The Karma Club by Jessica Brody stars Maddie who finds herself upset after her boyfriend cheats on her with a popular girl at school.  Maddie, upset that nothing bad has come onto those who have done her and her friends such harm have decided to enact their own bit of Karma.  They start a Karma club to enact vengeance on those who have wronged her.

I had real mixed feelings on this book.  On one hand it was fun and snarky in a mean girls type of way.  On the other hand I found myself hating Maddie more and more with each chapter as the pranks she pulled on her enemies (and her treatment of her friends) gets more and more extreme. Maddie's obsession with popularity also didn't win me over to her corner.  I was satisfied with the ending and think my problems with the book had as much to do with my age as anything else.

Appropriateness:  This is a fun and quirky book that teens will love full of lawbreaking and moral ambiguity.  As long as readers understand that the book is fiction and fantasy I wouldn't worry about them seeing it as more than an outlet to imagine themselves in the same situation doing horrible things to their enemies.  There is quite a bit of talk of sex but no actual sex (just some making out).  I recommend this book to readers 13+

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Middle Ground

Middle Ground is the second book in the Awaken series by Katie Kacvinsky.  This book stars Maddie who is supposed to have integrated back into regular society after her brush with the law protesting digital school.  After causing a commotion by hacking into a night club Maddie finds herself locked in a detention center for youths who are not integrating into digital society.  This detention center is stuff of nightmares.  Can Maddie survive?  Will she able to change things for others in her same situation.

I liked this book.  It did a good job of continuing the story without feeling like the story had stalled or that we had left the dystopian society that we were introduced to in the last book.  Maddie did occasionally frustrate me.  Her actions were in some situations so stupid that it made you wonder how she managed to stay alive.  Her total inability to realize that others were going to notice what she was doing was very frustrating at many points in the book.

Appropriateness:  The romance in the book does not get sexual but it does get a bit close (and one could imagine that it was sexual, it's a bit vague).  The main plot revolves around drugs that make the user hallucinate.  I would recommend the book to readers 13+

Leaving Fishers

Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix follows Dorry who is feeling unliked and alone after her family moves to a new town. After meeting Angela and her group of friends she finally feels accepted.  She then agrees to attend a church party with her new friends and then she slowly becomes wrapped up in their religion, the Fishers.  While things at the beginning seem bright and wonderful they soon get harsher and more demanding of Dorry's time and energy to the point where she is putting her academics and her family relationships at risk.

This is an interesting book that shows readers how cults slowly brainwash new members while also dispelling the myth that cults are always worshipers of strange religions by making the Fishers a Christian Cult.  The author also makes sure to emphasize that faith wasn't the problem, it was the specific religion.  I enjoyed this book and remained interested throughout.  My only complaint is that the book ended too quickly. I would have preferred a longer resolution to the story as it ended very quickly and without as much drama as there should have been.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  There are a few mentions of sex but not in regards to anything the characters are doing. I would encourage parents to use this book as an opportunity to talk to their kids about cults, religion and faith.  I recommend this book to readers 12+

Meet Mammoth

Ogg and Bob Meet Mammoth by Ian Fraser and Mary Ann Fraiser is an easy to read beginning chapter book.  This book stars Ogg and Bob who decide to adopt a Mammoth.  The two talk in cave man speak which makes the book much more simple for young readers.  The several chapters are easy to read and in full color and silly enough to make kids ask for more.

I would recommend this book to readers 5-8

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Give the Dog a Bone

Give The Dog a Bone is a terrific folk song/counting book that kids will love.  The author takes a great twist on the original song adding several suprises while still maintaining the singability of the text.  The variety of old men made my first graders giggle (one is dressed like a cat, one runs away from a swarm of bees) and the surprise ending (raptors hatching from the eggs) made my class laugh and laugh and laugh.  For the independent reader there are many dogs to count (with a listing of how many of each kinds are in the book) and the comic book bubbles throughout add some entertainment.

This book will be enjoyed by kids from 3-8.

Professor Atlas and the Summoning Dagger

I handed this one off to a delightful fourth grader who loved it

Professor Atlas and the Summoning Dagger by Paul Maguireis about two boys Brandon and Tyler who partnered up in a competition to have the chance of a lifetime to try to find the Summoning Dagger of Mercastus with Professer Fielding Atlas, world famous explorer and archaeologist.  When they win thhey travel to England to the site where the Hallswich Castle once stood.  While there they meet some friends and find the summoning dagger which transports them back in time.  Will they be able to find their way back to their homes?

This is a fantastic book that is both fun and exciting.  The student that I gave the book to could not stop talking about how exciting it was and how she read it very quickly.

Appropriateness:  This book features two strong male characters that boys will be able to relate to and has plenty of action to keep them interested.  I would reccomend this book for readers 10-14.

Review copy provided by the author

The Little Vampire

The Little Vampire by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg follows Tony who doesn't have a lot of friends.  One day Tony gets a mysterious visitor in his room.  A vampire that's his age!  Tony then gets to go on adventures with his new vampire friend.


This is an adorable childrens book that short and fun to read.  It's got all the excitement for a kid that want something scary without actually being scary.  It's a nice quick read that kids (and their parents) will enjoy.

Appropriateness:  This book is a beginning chapter book, appropriate for kids reading around the third grade level.  It is interesting enough to be used as a read aloud and is perfect for the kid who likes monsters but does not want to be really scared.

Review Copy Provided by netgalley

The Wrap Up List

The Wrap-Up List by Steven Arntson follows Gabriella who lives in a world where some people are taken by death who writes them a letter and gives them time to wrap up their lives.  They then write a list of their wishes and they have a chance to receive a pardon if they can guess their death's weakness.  When Gabriella receives her letter she makes a few unusual requests.  She wants a first kiss for her best friends and herself. 

I enjoyed this book but for it to be flawed in its setting.  The book took place with a timeline that wasn't logical and didn't make sense, Gabriella's grandfather was in world war two but the political situation in the book (a coming war making a great draft necessary) didn't work with that timeline.  The meat of the book however was fantastic.  I loved the mythology behind the deaths.  There was a great range of characters of different demographics who were well represented, from her best friend who comes out as a lesbian to the Hispanic Catholic faith of Gabriella and her family and the quirkiness of Hercule her death.  The innate sweetness of the book made me smile at the end.

Appropriateness:  There is a bit of alcohol use in the book, it is not glorified and it's made quite obvious that it's Gabriella's first time drinking.  The romance is sweet.  I would recommend this book to readers 12+

A Smidgen of Sky

A Smidgen of Sky by Donna Dorisi Winget follows ten year old Piper whose Mother is getting remarried.  Piper doesn't want a new father or a new stepsister.  Her father went missing after a plane crash when she was young and Piper still hasn't come to terms with his death.  After making some questionable decisions Piper realizes the mistakes that she has made and how she cares for her future stepfather and stepsister.  Can she fix things?

This is a delightful middle grade novel that hits the topics of divorce and remarriage, honesty and internet safety.  Piper was a great character, a girl in love with planes who is helpful to her neighbors.  I was engrossed in the story and finished it quickly.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book and there is a nice lesson on internet safety embedded in the story that is not too preachy.  I recommend this book to readers 9-12.

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

The Poodle and the Pea

The Poodle and the Pea by Charlotte Guillain is a delightful retelling of the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea where all the characters are dogs instead of poodles.

This is an adorable book that kids will love.  The pictures are cute and silly and the story is very simple.  My favorite part is the afterword that encourages readers to retell the story in their own version and gives another simple retelling of the original story.

Appropriateness:  This is a very easy to read story that kids will love.  I would recommend it to readers 2-7 and teachers who are looking for books to illustrate how folk tales can be retold in different ways and change through time. 

Review copy provided by netgalley

Flood

Flood by Alvaro Villa is a wordless picture book that tells of a family surviving a storm and a flood which destroys their home.

I really enjoyed this book and think that it will be a help to kids who are going through storm damage or who have witnessed it on the news.  While the damage is scary the story ultimately has a happy ending.

Appropriateness:  I would recommend this book to young readers of any age.  It is a terrific wordless picture book that could be a classic for years to come.

Review copy provided by Netgalley

Monster Knows Numbers

Monster Knows Numbers by Lori Capote is an adorable counting book that kids will love.  Each page has a different thing in Monster's room to count.  The pictures are adorable and well drawn and the text is easy to follow and read. 

This book is appropriate for ages 0-4

Dancing in the Dark

Dancing in the Dark by Robyn Bavati is a beautiful coming of age story about Ditty, a girl who is raised in a very Orthodox Jewish household who wants nothing more than to dance. After asking her parents if she can take ballet and being told no due to her religion she takes matters into her own hands. Ditty lies to her parents and starts attending classes working to pay her tuition and supplies on her own. Will she be able to achieve her dream of being a dancer and if she does will her parents support her choices and how will she handle the constraints of her religion with the requirements of ballet?




This is a beautiful book that I could not put down. It starts when Ditty is just twelve and follows her till she is eighteen. She makes hard choices and decisions for herself about her life and her religion while keeping her family in the dark. I could not put this book down finding myself engrossed throughout. The author provides a nice note to readers about her experiences growing up as a Jewish dancer along with a note that Ditty's family is not meant to represent all Orthodox or Jewish families.


Appropriateness: There is no adult content in this book. Although Ditty does lie to her parents in order to fulfill her dreams she maintains respectful to their beliefs and the beliefs of others. I would recommend this book to readers 13+

 Review copy provided by netgalley