Seeds! Seeds! Seeds!

Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! follows Buddy a bear who learns all about seeds after he gets a surprise in the mail from his grandfather. This is a perfect book to go along with a lesson on seeds for preschool-first grades and provides follow on activities that kids or teachers might want to do. The pictures are made from cut paper and add to the story.

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A Tale of Two Dogs

A Tale of Two Dogs begins with Morgan the sweet and furry puppy coming into Amy's life. However Morgan is very naughty. So do Amy's parents train the dog? NO! They take him to the POUND (they don't even bother to look for an appropriate owner)! Then they bring home another dog. What horrible pet owners, and how horrible for Amy. The book does have a happy ending when the kids get the dog back but I still can't find anything redeeming in the story. If a child was reading it to deal with a pet that had to be given away it sends a bad message as it does for general pet ownership.

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City Dog, Country Dog

City Dog, Country Dog is a delightful retelling of the fable Town Mouse, Country Mouse which is great for comparison/contrast. The author also peppers the book with french phrases (defined on each page) and the dogs are named after two impressionist painters whose works are discussed in the end and "repainted" throughout the story.

I would recommend this book for readers 5-9 and it would be a great gift for elementary art or french teachers.

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Racing Against the Odds

Racing Against The Odds is a picture book biography of stock car racer Wendall Scott as he fights prejudice and discrimination to become the best in his sport.

This is a great book that kids will love. The message is great and the subject matter interesting even for reluctant readers. I would recommend this to readers 6-10

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Peep Leap

Peep Leap tells the story of a group of baby ducklings. When it's time for the ducklings to hatch duckling ten is the last to come out of his shell and when it's time for him to jump into the water he's frightened and wants to stay in his warm nest. He finally gets the courage and jumps!

This is a great book for kids who are afraid of making a new start. I would recommend it to readers 2-7

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Why Kimba Saved the World

Another student review:

Why Kimba saved the world by Meg Welch Dendler follows Kimba who lives as a house cat with her sister Hiro, but she soon finds out that alien-cats are watching her. 

The main characters being cats makes this for a interesting but strange story.  The beginning of the story was very interesting but it dragged at the end making it difficult to finish.  It's not a bad book but it's very strange.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  I would reccomend it to third and fourth grade girls.

Sketchy

Sketchy by Olivia Samms follows Bea who has just been released from rehab and is only three months sober.  While in rehab she developed the ability to draw what is in the minds of others.  Because of this she finds herself obsessed with finding the man who raped popular girl Willa.

I really liked this book.  Bea is an interesting girl who struggles with sobriety.  The flashes back to the past show the damage that the drugs did to Bea's life.  The mystery is ever present with a touch of supernatural but is not too extreme.  I sped through the book not wanting to put it down and I've hated everything lately.

Appropriateness:  There is a ton of adult content in this book but it's handled in a way that uses the adult content as a teaching tool.  There is a lot of drug and alcohol use as well as rape being a main plot of the book.  I would recommend this book for teens 14+ and would recommend that parents use it to talk to kids about addiction.

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Oh, A-Hunting We Will Go

Oh A-Hunting We Will Go by John Langstaff and Nancy Winslow Parker is a fantastic book based on the classic folk song.  This book works well both for beginning readers and for teachers looking for a sing-a-loud book.  I've been reading this book in my class for years and the kids always love the rhyming pairs and trying to guess what will be next for each animal and catching the rhyme and love singing along. 

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

Romance for Teens -- The Runaway Princess

The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne tells the story of Amy, a gardener who unknowingly finds herself in a relationship with a Leo who is part of a royal family.  The relationship turns even more upside down when an unexpected development puts him much closer to the throne than originally expected.  She finds herself going through the ups and downs dealing with the media and Leo's family expectations.

I loved this book.  It's one of those perfect chic-lit romance novels that makes you smile throughout the entire novel.  It felt like a wonderful movie in print.  The heroine was a strong confident woman who was as interested in her career as her romantic life.  I finished this book quickly, unable to put it down.

Appropriateness:  This book is fairly clean for a romance novel.  There is implied sex but nothing the least bit erotic.  I would recommend this book to readers 16+ and it's a perfect romance novel for teens crossing over into adult literature.

Romance for Teens -- Married With Zombies

Married With Zombies by Jessie Peterson follows Sarah and David, a bickering couple on their way to divorce, until the zombie apocalypse.  Sarah and David are on their way to marriage counseling when they notice things seem a little off.  When they enter the office they find that their marriage therapist is eating the couple that has the appointment before theirs.  The two have to figure out how to get out of Seattle to safety and handle all the risks that they find along the way.

This is a terrific book that is full of action and humor.  Sarah and David fight their way through both their relationship and the zombie outbreak in a way that's heartwarming, funny and terrifying.  I couldn't put it down and had to get my hands on the sequels right away.

This is an adult book that teens will enjoy.  While there is a lot of cursing (the F bomb is probably dropped fifteen times in the first chapter) and some sexual banter there are not any sex scenes that may turn off teen readers. 

Soccerland

Soccerland by Beth Choat tells the story of Flora a young soccer player who gets a change to go to the international sports facility and go to a camp where they pick the girls that have a chance to play on the under fifteen US soccer team.  At the camp Flora faces homesickness, difficult social situations, cutthroat competition and a coach that's hard to read.

I almost didn't read this one.  I'm not a fan of books that are put out by minor publishers because the writing and editing is almost always bad.  This book however was terrific and felt very professionally edited.  I loved reading about Flora and the adventures and stresses she had while at camp and couldn't put it down.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book and only a hint of romance.  While this is a sports book it's appeal is broad enough to interest those who aren't obsessed with sports.  I recommend this book to readers 10-15

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Hippo goes Bananas

Hippo goes Bananas by Marjorie Dennis Murray illustrated by Kevin O'Malley tells the story of a gossiping group of animals who all tell each other about how Hippo is going bananas when he has his tooth ache.

This is a fantastic book that is great for showing young kids how to add to a story (and how gossip works). The kids who I read this book to thought it was very funny and wanted to read it over again.

My Favorite Things

My Favorite Things illustrated by Renee Graff is a great singable version of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein Classic.  The version is altered a bit to fit the format and this makes it easier to sing.  My students enjoyed singing the sing and the pictures that went along with the lyrics.