Geo Librarian

A PROPERLY UNHAUNTED PLACE by William Alexander Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-4814-6915-9 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Ages 9-12 Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Rosa Ramona Díaz has just moved to the small, un-haunted town of Ingot—the only ghost-free town in the world. She doesn’t want to be there. She doesn’t understand how her mother—a librarian who specializes in ghost-appeasement—could possibly want to live in a place with no ghosts. Frankly, she doesn’t understand why anyone would. Jasper Chevalier has always lived in Ingot. His father plays a knight at the local Renaissance Festival, and his mother plays the queen. Jasper has never seen a ghost, and can’t imagine his un-haunted town any other way. Then an apparition thunders into the festival grounds and turns the quiet town upside down. Something otherworldly is about to be unleashed, and Rosa will need all her ghost appea...

THE LOST KINGDOM OF BAMARRE by Gail Carson Levine HarperCollins, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-207467-6 Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) Source: ARC from publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In this compelling and thought-provoking fantasy set in the world of The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine introduces a spirited heroine who must overcome deeply rooted prejudice—including her own—to heal her broken country. Peregrine strives to live up to the ideal of her people, the Latki—and to impress her parents: affectionate Lord Tove, who despises only the Bamarre, and stern Lady Klausine. Perry runs the fastest, speaks her mind, and doesn’t give much thought to the castle’s Bamarre servants, whom she knows to be weak and cowardly. But just as she’s about to join her father on the front lines, she is visited by the fairy Halina, who reveals that Perry isn’t Latki-born. She is Bamarre. ...

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE The Courageous Life of the Legendary Nurse by Catherine Reef Clarion Books, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-544-53580-0 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Most people know Florence Nightingale was a compassionate and legendary nurse, but they don’t know her full story. This riveting biography explores the exceptional life of a woman who defied the stifling conventions of Victorian society to pursue what was considered an undesirable vocation. She is best known for her work during the Crimean War, when she vastly improved gruesome and deadly conditions and made nightly rounds to visit patients, becoming known around the world as the Lady with the Lamp. Her tireless and inspiring work continued after the war, and her modern methods in nursing became the defining standards still used today. Includes notes, bibliography, and index . REVIEW  One of the things that I've always admired about biog...

INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF A CACTUS by Dusti Bowling Sterling Children's Books, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-4549-2345-9 Middle grade contemporary Ages 9-12 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again. Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even w...

CREEPY PAIR OF UNDERWEAR by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2017 ISBN: 9781442402980 Source: publisher for review Ages 5-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear . But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark. A ghoulish, greenish glow. If Jasper didn’t know any better he’d say his undies were a little, well, creepy . Jasper’s not scared obviously, he’s just done with creepy underwear. But after trying everything to get rid of them, they keep coming back! REVIEW There are some words that automatically elicit giggles from young children.  Underwear happens to be one of those words.  If you take a giggle-inducing word and combine it glow-in-the-dark green and a young rabbit who refuses to be 'little' ...

VIVA, ROSE! by Susan Krawitz Holiday House, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3756-6 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade historical fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK When fourteen-year-old Rose Solomon's brother, Abe, left El Paso, he told the family he was heading to Brooklyn. But Rose discovers the truth the day she picks up the newspaper at Pickens General Store and spies a group photograph captioned The Southwestern Scourge of 1915! There stands Abe alongside none other than Pancho Villa and his army! Rose is furious about Abe's lie; fearful for his safety; and worried about her traditional parents who, despite their strict and observant ways, do not deserve to have an outlaw for a son. Rose knows the only way to set things right is to get Abe home, but her clandestine plan to contact him goes awry when she is kidnapped by Villa's revolutionaries and taken to his hideaway. Deep in the desert, amidst a ric...

CHICKEN See Them Grow by Joyce Markovics Bearport, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-68402-042-3 Source: publisher for review Ages 6-9 Early reader nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A chicken pecks the ground looking for food. It was once a tiny embryo inside an egg. So how did it develop? Beginning readers will discover how an embryo inside an egg grows into an adult chicken in this basic introduction to animal development. Each 24-page book features controlled text with age-appropriate vocabulary and simple sentence construction. The clear text, fresh design, and colorful, eye-catching photos are sure to capture the interest of emergent readers. REVIEW I always find it interesting when I pick up a book for children, especially young children, and learn something from it.  Now it's not like I didn't know basic information about chickens, but I did learn a few things.  For example, I did not know that baby chicks can peep inside their...