Seven Blind Mice

Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young is a terrific folk tale about seven blind mice.  When something new comes each mouse goes out to see what it is and they all come back with different ideas.  The final mouse looks at the entire thing and figures out what it is teaching a great lesson.

I purchased the picture book as well as the audio version of this book.  The audio version is beautiful and the background music is magical and really adds to the story.  I used it in my music classroom because the music was so fantastic.

I recommend this story to kids 3-7.  It's a fantastic read-a-loud.

The Things You Kiss Goodbye

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor follows Bettina who is growing up in a very strict household.  Her greek father is very controlling about where she goes so when her new boyfriend introduces himself to her father she's thrilled to be allowed to spend time with him.  However, after a summer of him being the sweet and dutiful boyfriend changes.  He starts being more and more cruel, tugging her hair and knocking her books out of her hands.  One day after her boyfriend hurts her she runs into an auto shop and develops a friendship with a man called Cowboy.

This is one of those books that is just uncomfortable and hard to read.  Almost all the men in Bettina's life were just horrible.  From her controlling father who treated her like an inconvenience to her horrible boyfriend and then the only person in her life who treats her well is the 26 year old man that she has a complicated relationship with.  Everything does magically work out at the end for the better but it's a long way getting there.  It's a difficult read but it is still enjoyable.

Appropriateness:  This book is chock full of adult content.  Bettina is sexually active with her boyfriend and is pressured the first time and there are abusive and inappropriate relationships as a focal point of the book.. There is quite a bit of drinking.  I would recommend this book to readers 13+ and use it as a way to discuss healthy dating relationships with your child.

In The End

After the End stars Juneau who has grown up in a small colony that survived after the third world war and has been training to be the spiritual leader for their community.  When she returns from a hunting trip she finds her entire community gone and sets off on a journey to find them.  However she soon finds out that the world is much different than she's been told.

This dystopian novel really worked for me.  There were quite a few believability hurdles that I had to get over but it still worked.  The romance was swoonworthy and the magic/scifi twist turned out at the end.  I sped through the book unable to put it down.

Appropriateness:  There's no adult content in this book.  I recommend it to fans of dystopian romance fans 13+

On Top of Spaghetti

 

This version of On Top of Spaghetti by Amanda L Jenkins is a hilarious version of the song that sings well provided you can get past the huge fart joke that ends the story.  It's a book that'll make you laugh and shake your head.  I recommend it for readers 5-7.

Story of a Girl

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr follows Deanna whose life was ruined after she was caught having sex with a much older boy in the backseat of a car by her father at thirteen who hasn't looked her in the eye since.  The boy went around school bragging about it and her reputation has never recovered. 

I really enjoyed reading this book.  Reading about Deanna as she worked to realize what had actually happened in the past.  That the boy she'd had sex with was using her (the word rape is never used but it's a great example of statutory rape) and had preyed on her desire for love.  Deanna's family is in shambles, her brother is a teenage father living in the basement with his child and her father is emotionally abusive to everyone in the house.  Deanna grows throughout the book and is better off than she started, however things do not end perfectly.  I was interested throughout the story and felt the ending resolved well.

Appropriateness:  There is alcohol and drugs and sex in this book (the sex is described distantly and never erotic) although it's never viewed as a positive thing.  This would be a great book to read with your young teen to discuss statutory rape.  Deanna has a horrific life, yet goes on day by day and works to make things better for herself.  I recommend this book to readers 12+ 

Alienated

Alienated by Melissa Landers follows Cara and Aelyx two teenagers involved in an exchange program that's a first of it's kind.  Cara is shocked when she finds out that she's been chosen to be one of three hosts for L'eihr exchange students who are the first exchange students on earth.  Aelyx and Cara slowly learn about each other while dealing with protesters and hate from those who are not happy with Aelyx's presence on earth.

This is a nice romance with a slow build up. The fish out of water and xenophobia slant were interesting but a little heavy handed at times.  It seemed to take a long time for the meat in the story to start but I remained interested throughout.  I really liked Cara but found myself wondering how she could be so nice to Aelyx who is a snobby jerk for most of the book.  This book is far more romance than sci-fi.

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content in this book.  There are some allusions to erections (Aelyx mentions having to think of the periodic table to calm down) and one scene where it's implied that the two are making out without shirts on.  There's also quite a bit of sex discussions (who won't and how does it happen and talk of reproduction).  I would recommend this book for readers 13+ 

The Twelve Days of a Muppet Christmas

The Twelve Days of a Muppet Christmas is a super fun version of the Twelve Days of Christmas done Muppet Style with all your Muppet Friends.  My students thought it was hysterical and laughed and sang along.

I recommend this book for kids 4-8

Life by Committee

Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu follows Tabitha who has a complicated life.  Her young parents are dealing with the stresses of pregnancy, her best friends have dumped her and spend every minute they can making her life difficult and she's in a relationship with a boy who has a girlfriend.  When she finds a mysterious web address in the back of a book she finds a web community called Life by Committee.  She posts a secret and an assignment is given based on that secret. 

I really liked this book.  The main character had a personality that I loved and her problems were those that girls can relate to.  She was being bullied for the body that she got after hitting puberty (It's not slutty it's from the Gap!).  It's a great book about taking control of oneself and making good choices.  The end is a bit silly but it worked.

Appropriateness:  There's a lot of adult content in the book but nothing graphic.  Tabitha's dad smokes a ton of weed.  There's quite a bit of bullying that's very real in the way that girls bully each other for their looks (it would make a good starting point for a discussion of bullying).  The sexual content isn't extremely graphic but involves cheating.  I recommend it to readers 14+

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

The Taking

The Taking by Kimberly Derting follows Kyra.  After Kyra has an argument with her father and runs out of the car she wakes up behind a dumpster.  After returning home she finds out that five years have passed and she hasn't aged a day.  She becomes close with the younger brother of her old boyfriend and tries to figure out what has happened.

I enjoyed this book and remained interested throughout.  It was interesting, the mystery was believable and the romance was well crafted.  The plot wasn't that different from others I've read with the same sort of premise (girl has no memory, boy helps girl escape the big bad) but I still was interested. 

Appropriateness:  There is no adult content and the romance involves nothing more than kissing.  I recommend this book to readers 12+

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han follows the half Korean Lara who finds her life turned upside down after the letters that she wrote her past crushes are somehow mailed.  Lara soon finds herself in a sham relationship with a popular boy so she can make her sister's ex-boyfriend (and her current crush) jealous.  Things end up becoming more complicated than she expected.

This book had a bit of a slow start and I almost ended up putting it down.  I'm glad I stuck with it because it was fantastic and romantic.  Jenny is a sweet girl whose half Korean heritage (her mother was Korean and her father tries to help the family stay a bit connected to their roots) along with her close relationship with her sisters and her shy personality make her different from most YA heroines.  The book is the beginning of a series so it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger.

Appropriateness:  There are mentions of sex but just in gossipy terms.  The relationships consist of no more than kissing and Lara is very clear with what she's comfortable with relationship wise and it would be a good means to talk to girls who may be dealing with partners who are more experienced than they are.  I recommend this book to readers 12+

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If I Were a Cow

If I were a cow is a book about a cow who decides he's going to go on vacation from being a cow.  To make up from his absence the other animals move into each others jobs.

I read this book to a group of second and third graders for a book review exercise and they adored it.  They thought the pictures were funny (seeing each animal transformed into another) and the story entertaining.  It would be good in a classroom setting to discuss the different habitats of different animals.

I recommend this book for kids from 4-8

The Tyrant's Daughter

The Tyrant's Daughter by JC Carleson follows Laila, who moves to the US with her mother and her brother after the assassination of her father who was the leader of a small middle eastern country.  Laila struggles with acclimating to US culture and learning the truth about her father.

I really enjoyed this novel. The author did a fantastic job making Laila's life as unusual as it is seem realistic and believable. I enjoyed the relationships between Laila and her friends as well as the strained relationship she has with her mother.  I finished the book quickly and was fascinated by Laila's story.

Appropriateness:  There's a bit of romance which includes some heavy petting. I would recommend this book to readers 14+ (although it is not inappropriate for younger readers).

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Who Needs Magic

  Who Needs Magic by Kathy McCullough is the sequel to Don't Expect Magic staring teenage Fairy Godmother Delaney.  Delaney having granted her first wish is heading into summer itching to get another client.  When she meets another teen fairy godmother she starts doubting her own abilities while also being competitive.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first.  Delaney's sefishness level was much higher than it was in the previous book and I just wanted to knock her upside the head so she'd get a clue.  The book was also missing the sweet romance as Delaney's boyfriend goes away for the summer.  The book was still cute and had a sweet ending with nice lessons learned.  Readers of the first book will enjoy this if not as much as the first.

Appropriateness:  There's no adult content in this book, I recommend it for readers 12-16

Over in the Hollow

Over in the Hollow by Rebecca Dickenson and illustrated by S. Britt is a fun Halloween version of the classic children's song Over in the Meadow.  The owls and ghosts and other creatures all make their own sounds, it's got all the scary creatures with their parents making them super cute. 

My students love this version and demand it even after Halloween is over.  It's terrifically fun to sing.

I recommend this book for kids 3-8, it's a perfect sing a long.

A Mad Wicked Folly

A Mad Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller follows Vicky an upperclass girl who is sent home from finishing school after she's caught posing nude in her art school class.  Upon returning home she finds herself engaged to a man she's never met and her father forbids her from her art.  Vicky finds a way around his restrictions, finds herself drawn to the suffragette movement and begins questioning the life that she has grown up with.

This was a fantastic book.  It had all the things that I love in historical romance novels but with a fantastic early twentieth century feminist twist.  Instead of being thrilled to be in the world of debutantes and coming out's Vicky wants to go to college to study the art that she loves.  I adored the descriptions of the clothes, city and the early women's rights movement.  The romance seemed secondary to the story of Vicky finding herself but it was still wonderful and there was a terrifically romantic ending.

Appropriateness:  Vicky is an artist and draws naked men as part of her training.  The drawing is non-sexual and she repeats this several times (although others are outraged) that the drawing is not emotional (although she does have a chaste relationship with her model).  This is a great book to talk to your daughters about feminism and how hard the women in our past had to work so that we could have equal rights.  I recommend it for fans of historical romance 13+

Taking Flight

Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina tells the unlikely story of Michaela DePrince's journey from an orphanage where she was ranked as the least liked child to the stage as one of the world's most recognizable ballerinas because of her amazing story that was first brought to the world in the documentary First Position.

I really enjoyed this memoir and found myself unable to put it down. Michaela's story reads as uplifting even at it's darkest and the only time I felt a bit teary was at the very end (and it was smiley tears). It's a quick and fast read that young dancers (and those who enjoy reading about dance) will find enjoyable and be inspired by. The second half of the book has quite a bit of ballet jargon that may confuse non-dancers (although it's easy enough to just imagine something beautiful). I as the mother of a tiny ballet dancer did not have enough knowledge to imagine many of the steps she spoke of (it would have been nice to have a glossary of ballet terms at the end). The prose is simple and very easy to read and there's a nice set of pictures in the middle to help connect the reader to Michaela.

Appropriateness: Michaela and her mother Elaine did a fantastic job writing about her early life in a way that young readers could handle without feeling that it was too traumatic. I would have no problem letting a fourth or fifth grader read this book and it's written in a way that would encourage kids to want to learn both about ballet and about war in Africa. I recommend this book for readers 10-16 (it's a bit simple for adult and older teen readers unless they're already invested in her story).

10 Turkeys in the Road

10 Turkeys In The Road by Brenda Reeves Sturgis and Illustrated by David Slonim is a fantastic Thanksgiving book that kids love.  The counting book begins with a farmer unable to get by because there are turkeys in the road.  The delightful illustrations continue with each number until they finally steal his truck and he ends up at the turkey circus.

My students loved this book and I was able to put it to a familiar tune and sing the entire thing.  They giggled at the illustrations that get sillier with each page that's turned.

I recommend this book to kids 4-8 and it's a must have addition to holiday picture book libraries. 

Dem Bones

Dem Bones by Bob Barner is a terrific book that weaves the song Dem Bones along with information on the bones in the body.

My students adore this book.  While it doesn't read aloud very well (too much information on each page) they still think it's fantastic and want to hear it.  It's a perfect addition to any home or classroom library. 

I recommend this book for kids 4-8.

At the Old Haunted House

At the Old Haunted House is a fun Halloween Retelling of the classic children's song Over in the Meadow.  This version sings very well and the pictures are engaging and fun without being scary.  My music students love to sing along.

I recommend this book to readers 3-8.

Review copy provided by Amazon Vine

Who took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar>

Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar by Bonnie Lass and Philemon Sturges and illustrated by Ashley Wolff is a delightful animal version of the classic chant.

My students love this book and enjoy guessing who it was that took the cookies.  I recommend it for kids 3-7