How to Hug

How to Hug by Maryann Macdonald illustrated by Jana Christy is an adorable picture book about hugs.  There is advice on different types of hugs and hugging different types of people and creatures and super cute illustrations.

I handed this to my daughter who loved it (as did I) and everyone in the house got extra special hugs after reading the book. It's cute and easy to read.

I would recommend this book to readers 0-7 .  It makes a super cute read aloud.

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Pivot Point

Pivot Point by Kasie West tells the story of Addison, a girl with the ability to see the path that will come from the choices that she could make.  When she searches the future that will come after her parents divorce, should she stay with her mom or go with her dad she finds herself in the middle of a mystery.

This was an interesting book, one that I both liked and was frustrated with.  The entire book shifted from one choice to another and the choice that Addison had to make didn't come till the last pages of the book.  I did enjoy reading about Addison and the differences that her life would have taken depending on her choices.

Appropriateness:  This book has discussions of sexual assault including the main character remembering an incident that could have happened.  There is quite a bit of romance in the story but no sexual content other than kissing.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+ 

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris stars Cat the daughter of a hollywood star who finds herself transported to the sixteenth century during a trip to Italy with her father and his fiancee.  Cat has taken the place of Patience a girl from London who has been sent to Florence after the death of her parents.  Cat initially enjoys her trip but soon finds that she misses her home.  Will she be able to learn the lessons that she needs to be sent back to her own time?

I loved this book.  The fish out of water aspect was done well and the plot worked well with a nice ending that had a great resolution.  I loved the descriptions of the time period from the clothes to the servants.  The characters were very well developed, from the crushworthy romantic interest to Cat/Patience's cousin who helps her navigate the time period.  

Appropriateness:  There is a bit of wine drinking (which is appropriate for the time period) but no drunken behavior.  The romance is innocent and consists of nothing more than a few sweet kisses.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+

Pirates at the Plate

Pirates at the Plate by Aaron Frich and Mark Summers is a picture book about baseball that has the pirates and the cowboys (literally) playing eachother in baseball.

I gave this book to several groups of kids to read and the comment I got from all of them was "I don't get it" even the first grade teacher who read the book to her class said that she didn't really really understand the book until the end and the the puns were way over the heads of her students.  The book requires far too much prior knowledge for the age group that is intended for and isn't captivating enough to keep kids entertained.  The pictures were great and perhaps if you're looking for a picture book to get an adult or older elementary child who is obsessed with baseball they might like it but every kid that I had look at the book from the group of first graders to a group of fourth graders (all whom were excited about reading a new picture book) either didn't get the book or thought it was boring. 

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The Madman's Daughter

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd is a retelling of The Island of Dr Moreau that follows his daughter Juliet.  The book begins with her life as a disgraced maid in London.  When she finds her fathers old assistant she insists on traveling with him to the island where her father lives and works on his twisted experiments.

This book was slow.  While I did find myself interested in Juliet and her father the pace of the action was so slow that I finally stopped reading because I wanted something that moved slowly.  If you're the type that likes very long books and love triangles then you'll enjoy this gothic romance.  If you like quick plots and action then you'll want to skip this one.

Appropriateness:  This book is obviously written for the adult crossover audience.  There are rape threats in the first few chapters and quite a bit of talk about how the heroine isn't a lady anymore.  I would recommend this book to readers 14+

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Eve and Adam

Eve and Adam by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate begins with Eve being involved in a horrible accident that causes major injuries to her leg.  She soon finds her mother barging into the hospital to have her transferred to her companies headquarters against her doctor's wishes.  Things get stranger after that as her mother has her working on a genetic program to create the perfect boy and the realities of her mother's research start to become more apparent.

This was an interesting book that sci fi fans will enjoy.  It's got a good mix of interesting technology combined with action and a great mystery plot.  I did have some problems with the story however.  The switching points of view often felt confusing and did not help with the flow of the novel.  I also didn't feel that the romance worked. 

Appropriateness:  There's quite a bit of law breaking and sneaking around in the book and the parental figures are considered enemies.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+

My Life Undecided

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody tells the story of Brooklyn who after finding herself arrested and then shunned from her best friend, the most popular girl in school decides to put every choice that she could make on a blog for random strangers to decide.  Should she eat in the lunch room or the library?  Should she join the debate team?  Go on a field trip or hang out with the cute new boy at school?

This is a terrific book that I literally could not put down.  Brooklyn is a great kid who has made some really bad choices in the past and who sees her life change when she leaves all her chances up to strangers and when she evaluates who her friends really are. 

Appropriateness:  There are some party situations with alcohol (which have negative consequences) and there are a few mentions of sex.  The romance however is sweet and fluffy.  I would recommend this book to readers 12+

My Crocodile Does Not Bite

My Crocodile Does Not Bite by Joe Kulka is a terrific picture book about a boy named Emmett who decides to bring his pet crocodile to school for the pet show.  Cindy Lu however, is not happy about this and complains to anyone that will listen that Emmet should not be allowed to bring his crocodile to school.

This is a terrific picture book that kids will love.  It's funny and silly and has a great surprise ending.  I can picture first and second graders giggling through out the story.  My only problem with the book is the illustrations.  They're not the best and if they'd been better it would have made this good book terrific.

Appropriateness:  This book has an ending that small children could find disturbing (and older ones will find funny).  I recommend this book to readers 5-9.

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Breezier, Cheesier, Newest, and Bluest

Breezier, Cheesier, Newest and Bluest by Brian P Cleary and Brian Gable is a nice picture book to explain Comparatives and Superlatives.

This book does a great job explaining a rather dull grammar concept in a way that is entertaining and easy to understand.  I expect that it will be a big hit with teachers and this is a must purchase for elementary school libraries.

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Tempestuous

Temptestuous by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes is a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest which tells the story of Miranda and her friends as they have a crazy night trapped inside the mall during a snowstorm.  Miranda is working at the mall after being forced to work to repay money that she took arranging a tutoring operation that turned into a cheating ring.  Her involvement in the operation has made her an outcast with her classmates.  When she and her fellow workers and customers are trapped inside the mall during a major snowstorm they get into all sorts of hijinks and have to solve a mystery.

I loved this book.  It did a fantastic job making a classic story modern and engaging for teens.  The characters were well written and there were enough that everyone could relate to one or the other.  I loved the book and found myself engaged throughout.

Appropriateness:  The teenagers in this book act like teenagers.  There are discussions of sex and underage drinking.  While there are quite a few pranks the kids take responsibility for their actions (even staying to clean up at the end when they don't have to) and seem to have a solid moral center.  I recommend this book to readers 13+

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I Know an Old Teacher

I Know an Old Teacher by Anne Bowen and Stephen Gannell is a retelling of the classic "Old Lady" folk song.  The teacher in the story swallows the class pets one by one in a way that is gross but not too gross.  Between each verse two kids repeat a refrain about all the pets.  My students loved this book and thought it was gross and silly.  They couldn't stop laughing.

I recommend this book to readers 5-9.

Wings of Fire

Here's another great student review

Wings of Fire is a fantasy book about five dragons (dragonets).  These dragons are destined to stop a war between the dragon tribes.  The prophesy states when the war has lasted twenty years the dragonets will come.  Clain and his friends must learn how to stop the war while tacking life threatening challenges. 

This is a very good book however it was very violent with many dragon deaths.  The description of the dragons appearances and powers make for an interesting read.

Appropriateness:  This is a great book for middle grade readers 10-14 who are fans of fantasy and dragons. 

Odette's Secrets

Odette's Secrets by Maryann Macdonald is a fictional retelling of a true story of a Jewish girl living in France while it was occupied by the Nazis.  Odette's story begins before the war as things slowly become more uncomfortable for Jews.  After her country is invaded she is secreted out of the city to the country where she hides in plain sight.  Odette must pretend to be Christian and she lives in fear of being discovered.

This is a terrific book for kids to read about how world war two and the holocaust effected kids their age.  This book is less traumatic than most (because she did not enter a camp and because it has a happy ending) making it an easier read than many that are already out there.  It also encourages some though on faith and religion that readers will find interesting.  Odette is a strong girl who grows throughout her journey and readers will be able to relate to her.  This is a must have for elementary and middle school libraries.  I told my librarian right away that she needed to order it.

Appropriateness:  This book, like all dealing with war can be difficult to read.  The author did a great job dealing with the harsh topics while still keeping the perspective of a child.  There are no major male main characters in the book which might turn off boys.  I recommend this book to readers 9-14

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