Geo Librarian

COMING SOON! The Ninja Librarians By Jen Swann Downey Sourcebooks Jabberwocky April 2014 ● ISBN: 9-781-4022- 8770-1 Hardcover/$16.99 ● Ages 9 -13 “A rollicking adventure with a smart heroine, heaps of mystery and the whole of history to explore.  It's like finding Lara Croft running your local library!”  —Lissa Evans, author of  Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms , long-listed for the Carnegie Medal (2012) and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2011) Your  mission should you choose to accept it: support and promote the unsung heroes of literature, the defenders of the Dewey Decimal system, the freedom fighters of free speech -- Ninja Librarians! Dorrie Barnes had no idea an overdue library book would change her life. When Dorrie and her brother Marcus chase her pet mongoose into the janitor’s closet of their local library, they accidentally fall through a passage into Petrarch’s Library —the headquarters of a secret socie

WISH YOU WEREN'T by Sherrie Petersen Intrepid Publications, 2014 ISBN13: 9781494766825 Middle Grade Science Fiction/Fantasy Grades 3-6 Source: e-book provided by author for review (Thanks!) ABOUT THE BOOK Marten doesn't believe in the power of wishes. None of his have ever come true. His parents ignore him, his little brother is a pain and his family is talking about moving to Texas. Not cool. So when he makes an impulsive wish during a meteor shower, he doesn't expect it to make any difference. Until his annoying brother disappears. With the present uncertain and his brother’s future in limbo, Marten finds himself stuck in his past. And if he runs out of time, even wishes might not be enough to save the ones he loves. AMAZON                     BARNES & NOBLE                   KOBO Praise for WISH YOU WEREN’T: “If you’re looking for the same old formula middle grade fantasy, this isn’t it. Wish You Weren’t is magically real. You wouldn’t b

CHARLIE BUMPBERS VS. THE REALLY NICE GNOME by Bill Harley, illustrated by Adam Gustavson Peachtree Publishing, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-56145-740-3 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 3-5 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) ABOUT THE BOOK Charlie Bumpers has his heart set on playing the role of the evil Sorcerer in the fourth grade play. He's even got the laugh down pat: Mwa-ha-ha-ha! But his dreams of villainous stardom go up in smoke when he finds out that Mrs. Burke has cast him as the Nice Gnome! Determined to rectify this terrible injustice, Charlie concocts one plan after another, but nothing seems to work. To make matters worse, his dad has assigned chores to all the kids in the family and Charlie's job is walking Ginger, the diggiest, sniffiest, and poopiest dog in the universe. Can Charlie deal with these challenges without causing havoc all around him? ABOUT THE AUTHOR A two-time Grammy award-winning artist, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award

About the Books: The Grimmtastic Girls Book #1 Title: Grimmtastic Girls #1: Cinderella Stays Late | Authors: Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams | Publication Date: March 25, 2014 | Publisher: Scholastic Inc. | Pages: 192 | Recommended Ages: 8 to 12   Summary: The authors of the hit Goddess Girls series put a fun and girly twist on another super-popular theme: fairy tales! Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia... A Grimmtastic girl named Cinderella is starting her first week at Grimm Academy on the wrong foot. Cinda's totally evil stepsisters are out to make her life miserable. The Steps tease Cinda, give her terrible advice about life at the academy, and even make her look bad in front of her new friends, Red, Snow, and Rapunzel! But when Cinda overhears the Steps plotting a villainous deed that could ruin Prince Awesome's ball, Cinda, her new friends, and a pair of magical glass slippers have to stop them--before the last stroke of midnight!      

FORESTS About Habitats written by Cathryn Sill, illustrated by John Sill Peachtree Publishers, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-56145-734-2 Picture Book Grades PreK-2 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Award-winning author Cathryn Sill and her husband, noted wildlife illustrator John Sill, offer young readers a first glimpse into forest habitats. In simple, easy-to-understand language, this guide teaches children what forests are and what kinds of animals and plants live in them. A glossary and afterword provide readers with further fascinating details. ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR Cathryn Sill, a former elementary school teacher, and John Sill, a prize-winning and widely published wildlife artist, have published twenty-one books in the acclaimed About and About Habitats series.  The Sills live in North Carolina. REVIEW When I first heard about this series, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, I mean, so many

O NE LITTLE MATCH by Thomas S. Monson, illustrated by Dan Burr Shadow Mountain, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-60907-868-3 Picture Book Any Age Source: Publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Thomas S. Monson loved spending summers at his family's cabin in Utah's Vivian Park. One summer day, he and his best friend, Danny, decided to clear a field so they could gather with their friends and have a campfire that night. The tall, stubborn weeds would not pull out easily. So Tommy had the idea to burn them up instead. He knew he shouldn't use matches without permission from his parents. But he ignored the feeling that warned him of the danger and raided the matchbox in the cabin. Back in the field, he lit one little match and prepared to set the parched June grass ablaze... Readers of all ages will resonate with this wonderful true story that demonstrates the blessings of obedience and "the dangers that can come from something as

LOST FOR WORDS by Natlie Russell Peachtree Publishers, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-56145-739-7 Picture Book Grades PreK-2 Source: Publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Tapir wants to express himself, but he can't find the words! He and his friends all have nice new notebooks, just waiting to be filled. Giraffe decides to write a poem, Hippo writes a story, and Flamingo composes a beautiful song. But poor Tapir can't think of anything to write - and the harder he tries the more upset he becomes! But everything starts to change when Tapir stops trying to write, and instead he begins to draw . . ABOUT THE AUTHOR   Natalie Russell is an author, illustrator and printmaker whose work has been widely exhibited. When she's not in her studio creating books, she can be found at Dundee University in Scotland where she teaches illustration. For more information, please visit www.natalierussell.co.uk . REVIEW I found Lost f

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY An Erica Coleman Mystery by Marlene Sullivan Covenant Communications, 2014 LDS Fiction Source: Publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Meet Erica Coleman—a gifted and quirky private investigator with an OCD-like passion for neatness and symmetry, a penchant for cooking, (ten terrific recipes are included), and a weakness for chocolate. In A Death in the Family , the second in the Erica Coleman series, private eye Erica Coleman and her family happily anticipate Grandma Blanche’s eighty-first birthday celebration in the picturesque town of Florence, Oregon. But when the feisty matriarch, a savvy businesswoman, suspects wrongdoing and asks Erica to investigate her company, things get sticky. Before the investigation can even begin, Blanche’s unexpected death leaves Erica with more questions than answers—and it is soon clear Grandma’s passing was anything but natural: she was murdered. When another relative

MAX MAKES A CAKE by Michelle Edwards, illustrated by Charles Santoso Random House, 2014 ISBN: 978-0-449-81431-4 Picture Book Grades K-2 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Baby sisters can be so annoying! That's what Max thinks. Max needs his daddy's help—right now!—to bake a surprise Passover birthday cake for his mommy. But as baby Trudy fusses instead of napping, and Daddy tries to settle her down, their time to bake is slipping away. With her warm and pithy storytelling, Michelle Edwards captures the moment in a child's life when he realizes that he has the power to do things on his own. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michelle Edwards is the author and illustrator of many books for children, one book for adults, and nearly one hundred essays and cards for knitters. Her picture book titles include Chicken Man , winner of the National Jewish Book Award. Michelle lives in Iowa City, Iowa, with her husband, a hou