Geo Librarian

GOODBYE, FRIEND! HELLO FRIEND! by Cori Doerrfeld Dial Books for Young Readers, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-525-55423-3 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Change and transitions are hard, but Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend! demonstrates how, when one experience ends, it opens the door for another to begin. It follows two best friends as they say goodbye to snowmen, and hello to stomping in puddles. They say goodbye to long walks, butterflies, and the sun...and hello to long evening talks, fireflies, and the stars. But the hardest goodbye of all comes when one of the friends has to move away. Feeling alone isn't easy, and sometimes new beginnings take time. But even the hardest days come to an end, and you never know what tomorrow will bring. REVIEW As with The Rabbit Listened, Cori Doerrfeld has written a sweet story that tugs at the heart strings.  Here is the story of two friends meeting for the first ...

CHARLIE THORNE AND THE LAST EQUATION by Stuart Gibbs Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5344-2476-0 Source: ARC from publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade adventure All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Throughout history, the greatest scientists — Einstein, Darwin, Gallileo, Newton — have made discoveries that were too dangerous to trust humanity with, so they hid them. The CIA — and many other people — have been searching for these for decades to no avail. But now, an evil organization is closing in on the most dangerous discovery of all — an equation developed by Albert Einstein himself that could destroy the world. Desperate, the CIA has no choice but to recruit the most brilliant person they can find to help them: A twelve-year-old genius named Charlie Thorne. The catch: Charlie isn’t like any genius you’ve ever encountered before. She’s a daredevil. A troublemaker. And possibly a criminal. Now, Cha...

THE STORM RUNNER Rick Riordan Presents by J. C. Cervantes Disney Hyperion, 2018 ISBN: 978-136801634-6 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy/myths All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. He'd much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno — for his one good leg. What Zane doesn't know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world and he is at the center of a powerful prophecy. A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he's destined to release an evil god from the ancient Maya relic he is imprisoned in — unless she can find and remove it first. Together they return to the volcano, where all kinds of crazy happens. Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks them in a cave, and Rosie gives her all w...

DUST STORM! Survivor Diaries  by Terry Lynn Johnson Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-544-97098-4 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade adventure/survival All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Stranded after a dust storm hits in a desert in New Mexico, sixth-graders Jen and Martin must call upon real-life skills to come to the rescue. When disaster strikes, they will have to use all their knowledge and grit to survive. REVIEW In this fourth book in the Survivor Diaries series, Jen and Martin leave the geocaching group they are with in an effort to get to the cache first.  But when they get caught in a sandstorm they become lost and disoriented.  The fact that they used to be friends and aren't any more doesn't help them work together, especially when Jen senses Martin's competitiveness.  But in order to survive long enough to get help, they must put their differences aside and work together to survive. ...

SUPERBUNS! Kindness is Her Superpower by Diane Kredensor Aladdin, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-4814-9068-9 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Some superheroes can leap tall buildings in a single bound, some can crawl up a wall, some grow wolfsharp claws, and some have superhuman speed. And Superbuns? Her superpower is being kind. Super kind . She can’t help but be kind: watering a neighbor’s daisies; helping a friend cross the street; feeding a hungry goldfish. Superbuns’s older sister Blossom is a super know-it-all who doesn’t believe kindness is a superpower. Not one bit. And all this kindness is slowing them down on their way to Grammy’s house, where a yummy carrot cobbler awaits. But the sisters are being followed by a little fox, and when Blossom learns the fox is not after their cobbler but is lost, she discovers kindness really is a superpower after all. REVIEW  This adorable book follows the adve...

THE UNBELIEVABLE OLIVER AND THE FOUR JOKERS by Pseudonymous Bosch, illustrated by Shane Pangburn Dial Books for Young Readers, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-525-55232-1 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade mystery/speculative All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Nine-year-old Oliver dreams of being a professional magician, but he gets stage fright whenever he performs and ends up forgetting his tricks. Much to his dismay, his friends Teenie and Bea have gotten him invited to a classmate's birthday party as the paid entertainment! Desperately hoping for help with his act, he visits The Great Zoocheeni's Magic Emporium, but Zoocheeni sneeringly refuses to teach him a single trick or sell him any props other than a moth-eaten top hat. Oliver is in for a lucky surprise, though. Inside that top hat hides a wisecracking rabbit named Benny, who agrees to help Oliver impress at the party. Little does Oliver know that he'll also end up accused ...

SKYJACKED by Paul Griffin Scholastic Press, 2019 ISBN:  978-1-338-04741-7 Source: purchased Ages 11-15 Middle grade thriller/adventure All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Six friends who attend Manhattan's elite Hartwell Academy are returning from an end-of-summer camping trip together on a private plane. Everything seems normal... except one of the regular pilots is sick, so there's a replacement; Cassie is starting to get violently ill for no clear reason; and they realize the plane is flying west, not east. Soon it's clear: the plane has been hijacked. But by who, and why? Where are they going? What made Cassie so sick? And even if they somehow make it into the cockpit and overpower the hijacker, could they land the plane? Emotions are running high, and choosing who to trust is a matter of life or death.     REVIEW   Skyjacked takes the reader on a thriller of a ride.  Five teena...

TRUTH OR LIE : DINOSAURS! by Erica S. Perl, illustrations by Michael Slack Random House, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-525-57883-3 Source: purchased Early Reader -- Nonfiction Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Tyrannosaurus rex's closest living relative is the alligator, right? That's a LIE! The TRUTH is, the massive carnivore was actually more closely related to chickens!! Though this engaging early reader is 100% fun, 25% of it is FALSE! In a unique question-and-answer format, proficient readers are quizzed about dinosaurs to see if they can separate facts from "lies." The book's mascot--the Truth Sleuth--guides readers through this funny and fact-packed Step 3 Reader, which features photos and illustrations of dinosaurs and fossils, with funny, kid-appealing art by Michael Slack. REVIEW This new series for young beginning readers is not only informative but gives said readers a chance to play a game and test his/her kno...

SCHOOL OF FISH by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mike Moran Simon Spotlight, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-5344-3889-7 Source: publisher for review Ages 4-6 Early Reader All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK From acclaimed, prolific author Jane Yolen comes a Level 1 Ready-to-Read story bursting with all the excitement and a little bit of the nervousness that color a fish’s first day at a new school. I look around. What do I see? Another fish who’s just like me! A little scared. A little new. All alone and feeling blue. Starting at a new school is never easy, but it can also be really exciting. Beginning readers can follow along as one intrepid little fish goes through the many emotions associated with a new school experience! REVIEW School of Fish  follows the adventures of a young fish attending school for the first time.  At first he's full of confidence, until the unexpected happens when he sees the head of a shark.  After making it on...

ORDER OF THE MAJESTIC b y Matt Myklusch Aladdin, 2019 ISBN: 978-1534-42487-6 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Twelve-year-old daydreamer Joey Kopecky’s life has been turned upside down. After acing a series of tests, he’s declared a genius and awarded a full scholarship at a special (year-round!) school. He’s understandably devastated, until he takes one last test, and the room around him disappears, replaced by the interior of an old theater. There, Joey meets the washed-up magician, Redondo the Magnificent, and makes a shocking discovery…magic is real, but sadly, there isn’t much left in the world. It may be too late to save what little remains, but for the first time in his life Joey wants to try—really try—to do something big. Soon he’s swept up into a centuries-old conflict between two rival societies of magicians—the Order of the Majestic, who fights to kee...

A SMALL ZOMBIE PROBLEM Zombie Problems #1 by K.G. Campbell Alfred A. Knopf, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-553-53955-4 Source: publisher for review Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative/fantasy All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In his fiction debut--and the start of a new series--celebrated illustrator K.G. Campbell brings a touch of Tim Burton to this singularly strange and wonderful story about a lonely boy whose life is about to get a whole lot more complicated when a zombie follows him home. August DuPont has spent his whole life inside a dilapidated house with his aunt Hydrangea. His lonely existence ends abruptly with the arrival of an invitation to meet an aunt--and cousins--he didn't even know existed. When Aunt Orchid suggests that August attend school with his cousins, it's a dream come true. But August has scarcely begun to celebrate his reversal of fortune when he is confronted by a small problem on his way home. So begins an adventure f...

SCOUT : National Hero by Jennifer Li Shotz Harper, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-280247-7 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade contemporary/adventure ABOUT THE BOOK Scout, once a stray puppy with a troubled past, has grown into one of the best search-and-rescue dogs in Mississippi. And now he’s ready for bigger and better things: Scout is joining the National Guard. But Scout’s new life as a K9 recruit is far from easy as he adjusts to his challenging training and a brand-new family. Twelve-year-old Matt is determined to help Scout feel at home in Nevada, but when a terrifying flash flood hits town, the pair must save the day and prove their worth. As Scout and Matt team up to survive treacherous rising water, lead victims to safety, and attempt to rescue Matt’s sister, they quickly learn that bravery is just the first ingredient in the making of a hero. Does the duo have what it takes to protect their town from the fallout of this devastating disaster? SCOUT : Firefi...