Geo Librarian

BUSY BUILDERS, BUSY WEEK! by Jean Reidy, illustrated by Leo Timmers Bloomsbury, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-61963-556-2 Source: Blue Slip Media & Publisher for review (Thanks!) Picture Book Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In this bright, bold picture book, a cast of animal characters are building a brand-new playground in a local park for their community! Each day of the week contains a different construction plan as the steam-rolling, digging, and planting gets underway. Tuesday! Mix day! Pipe and boards and bricks day. Stack, spin, pour it in. Give the fence a fix day. Wednesday! Load day! Take it on the road day. Hoist, haul, pull it all. Something being towed day! The construction project comes together for a joyful, rhyming walking tour of a neighborhood, where young readers can learn the days of the week while watching everyone work as a team! Click here for a free classroom curriculum guide and storytime kit! ABOUT T...

ALL ABOARD FOR THE BOBO ROAD by Stephen Davies & Christopher Corr Andersen Press, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-5124-1598-8 Ages 4-8 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. REVIEW Fatima and Galo help their father load his minibus in preparation for traveling the Bobo Road.  The children continue to load the bus as they continue down the road and things get more crowded.  Each stop on the road (Lake Tengrela, Karfiguela Falls, Domes of Fabedougou) provides a glimpse into the wildness and beauty of this road through Burkina Faso in Western Africa.  The gorgeous illustrations provide a beautiful complement to the text.  With the need for more diverse books in children's literature, I was delighted to come across this one.  The book provides a glimpse into a way of life and geography very different than the one most children in the United States are familiar with. Books like this one fill an important niche in children's literature, one t...

FUZZY by Tom Angleberger and Paul Dellinger Amulet Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2122-9 Middle Grade Speculative (Science Fiction) Ages 9-12 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK When Max—Maxine Zealster—befriends her new robot classmate Fuzzy, part of Vanguard One Middle School’s new Robot Integration Program, she helps him learn everything he needs to know about surviving middle school—the good, the bad, and the really, really, ugly. Little do they know that surviving sixth grade is going to become a true matter of life and death, because Vanguard has an evil presence at its heart: a digital student evaluation system named BARBARA that might be taking its mission to shape the perfect student to extremes! REVIEW One thing you can always count on from Tom Angleberger is an entertaining story. I had to seriously suspend disbelief for this one, but it was entertaining nonetheless.  Fuzzy is a robot who is supposedly being inte...

A BIG SURPRISE FOR LITTLE CARD by Charise Mericle Harper, illustrated by Anna Raff Candlewick Press, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-7636-7485-4 Ages 4-8 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Fall in love with a disarming picture-book hero in this quirky ode to spirit, identity, and the joy of having (or being) a library card. In the world of cards, each one has a special job to do. Big Card keeps important papers in order. Tiny Card can be exchanged for a prize in an arcade. Round Card hangs out in a glamorous boutique. But is any card as lucky as Little Card? He’s going to school to become a birthday card — in other words, to sing, play games, eat cake, and be happy all day long. But wait! On the day he’s supposed to take his talents into the world, Long Card tells him there’s been a mix-up and they need to trade jobs. How can Little Card bring his exuberance into a library, a quiet place of books and rules and hushing? Offbeat and utterly end...

THE TROUBLE WITH ANTS The Nora Notebooks, #1 by Claudia Mills, Illustrated by Katie Kath Alfred A. Knopf, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-385-39161-0 Middle Grade Contemporary Ages 8-12 Source: Blue Slip Media All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Science-obsessed fourth grader Nora has ants all figured out—now she just has to try to understand her fellow humans! The trouble with ants is . . . . . . people think they’re boring. . . . they are not cuddly. . . . who would ever want them for a pet? Nora Alpers is using her new notebook to record the behavior of ants. Why? Because they are fascinating! Unfortunately, no one agrees with her. Her mom is not happy about them being in the house, and when Nora brings her ant farm to school for show and tell, her classmates are not very impressed. They are more interested in cat videos, basketball practice, or trying to set a Guinness World Record (although Nora wouldn’t mind that). Mostly they are distracted by...

THE TERRIBLE TWO GET WORSE by Jory John & Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kevin Cornell Amulet, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4197-1680-5 Middle grade humor Ages 8-12 Source: giveaway All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK On their own, pranksters Miles and Niles were pretty devious. Now that they’ve formed a pranking duo, they’re terrible! But their powers will be tested when their favorite nemesis, Principal Barkin, is replaced by his stern and cunning father, Former Principal Barkin. Now Miles and Niles will do just about anything to get their old antagonist back—including pranking alongside him. Authors and friends Mac Barnett and Jory John “are in perfect comic harmony” (Publishers Weekly) in this series that celebrates inventiveness, friendship, and the power of teamwork—for good, or for terrible. REVIEW Mac Barnett and Jory John have created another wacky tale of two boys who see themselves as professional pranksters.  But as they continue to pl...

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING by Arthur A. Levine, illustrated by Katie Kath Running Press Kids, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-7624-5906-3 Picture Book Ages 4-8 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Every morning is beautiful when Noah visits his Grandparents. When Grandpa and Noah wake up, they take off singing and hardly stop: walking the dog, splashing through puddles, and eating French toast with cinnamon. But one summer Grandpa seems to have forgotten how to do the things they love. Does he even know who Noah is? Grandma steps in energetically, filling in as best she can. But it is Noah who finds the way back to something he can share with Grandpa. Something musical. Something that makes the morning beautiful again. This is a story about how love helps us find even what we think is lost. REVIEW Okay, I'll admit it, this book brought tears to my eyes.  Probably because it's hard to watch the people we love g...

MY GOLD MEDAL ADVENTURE: Funny Fill-In National Geographic Kids, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4263-2404-8 Ages 8-12 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Do you love sports? Are you excited for the 2016 Olympic games? Here's an activity book that puts you right at the center of the gold-medal action! Fill in the blanks as you and a friend try your best at gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and much more! REVIEW National Geographic has created there own version of Mad Libs.  Here there are 22 paragraph long stories related to various aspects of the Olympics.  Each story has blank spaces for the reader to add his or her own words to the story.  Each blank specifies what type of word is needed.  If the reader wishes to play the game on his or her own the opposite page has a place to list words without looking at the story.  I also enjoyed the fact included on each two page spread.  This is a fun ...

A TIGER TAIL (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) by Mike Boldt Simon & Schuster, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4814-4885-7 Ages 4-8 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. REVIEW After discovering one morning that she has grown a tiger tail, Anya decides that there is no way she can go to school.  She tries really hard to convince her parents that she can't go to school this way but they just don't understand.  She works hard to get rid of the tail, but nothing solves the problem.  She even fakes being sick but to her dismay her mother lovingly pushes her out the door.  After missing the bus, her father drives her to school.  She fantasizes about joining the circus.  Unfortunately, by the time her daydream is over, she's at school and must face her classmates with her tail.  Luckily, she quickly finds out that maybe her tail isn't so bad and that everyone has unique characteristics.  Boldt...

ACCIDENTALLY ME by Kim Karras Cedar Fort, 2016 ISBN: 9781462118670 YA Contemporary Source: eARC from publisher (Thanks!) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK WANTED: Pretend stalker. No experience required. Tall, dark, and quirky preferred. Sabrina is desperate to go to her dream college, but her parents want her to stay close to home. If she wants to maintain her perfect child image, Sabrina must break rules that even her rebel sister keeps . . . REVIEW I wasn't sure what I thought about this book at first. Sabrina kept behaving in ways that seriously annoyed me.  I mean seriously, hiring a stalker to convince your family to let you attend the college of your choice?!  I knew that would turn out badly and it did.  I kept hoping she would start making better choices and then she would make another bad choice.  I did sympathize with her low self-esteem that has skewed her view of not only herself but the way she sees her family ...

125 WACKY ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS See all the Weird, Wonderful, and Downright Bizarre Landmarks from Around the World National Geographic Kids, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4263-2407-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Going on a road trip? See the silly side of travel as you explore the wackiest landmarks from around the world -- a place where you can walk in real dinosaur tracks, a hotel where you sleep in an igloo, a crazy beard festival, a UFO museum, and so much more. You won't believe our world is full of so many bizarre and wonderful places! REVIEW When I picked this book up, I was definitely curious about what I would be reading about in the book.  I was not at all disappointed.  I had no idea that there were so many interesting and strange places in the world.  Everything from special events (international air balloon festival) to works of art (turtle built out of tire rims) to hotels (tree h...

FANCY NANCY TEA PARTIES FOR FANCY ________ by Jane O´Connor, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser Put Me in The Story, 2016 $29.99 Source: publisher for review (personalized for my niece) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Fancy   Nancy  Tea Parties $29.99 Hardcover Personalized Book Fancy Nancy, hostess extraordinaire, can’t wait to share her party-planning expertise with your little one! From recipes and crafts to etiquette tips and French lessons, this precious personalized book contains everything your child needs to throw the perfect tea party. A personalized letter from Nancy herself to your fancy kiddo? Oui! Plus, your child’s name is worked into the text and adorable illustrations throughout the book. Wrap up with a set of recipe cards from the Kitchen of Fancy Nancy, and best of all, cut out and frame the certificate declaring your child a graduate of Fancy Nancy’s Tea Party Course! Que magnifique! REVIEW Any Fancy N...

HUNDRED PERCENT by Karen Romano Young Chronicle Books, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-4521-3890-9 Middle Grade Contemporary (Realistic) Ages 8-12 Source: ARC from publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The last year of elementary school is big for every kid. Christine Gouda faces change at every turn, starting with her own nickname—Tink—which just doesn't fit anymore. Christine navigates a year's cringingly painful trials in normalcy—uncomfortable Halloween costumes, premature sleepover parties, crushed crushes, and changing friendships. Throughout all this, Tink learns, what you call yourself, and how you do it, has a lot to do with who you are. REVIEW I have rather mixed feelings about this book.  While the book does contain issues and problems common to 6th grade, there were several things I had a problem with as well.  Tink is an interesting character who feels like a real 11-almost 12-year-old who worries about things li...