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I thoroughly enjoyed reading both of these cleverly designed concept books. I look forward to reading them with my kindergarten students to see if they find them as amusing as I do. 10 CATS written & illustrated by Emily Gravett Boxer Books, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-914912-58-0 Source: Union Square Books for Review Ages 3-6 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Using amusing illustrations of 10 mischievous kittens playing with cans of red, yellow, and blue paint. The story begins with 1 white cat (the mother) laying down to take a nap. Soon the kittens are playing with the cans of paint, which, naturally, come open. As the brief text describes the number of kittens such as "4 cats with patches", the illustrations show the mischief they get into while mother cat snoozes happily. Once the tubs of paint tip over, the mess the kittens make gets bigger and bigger until even sleeping mama can't avoid being involved.

WORST BROOMMATE EVER! Middle School and Other Disasters #1 written by Wanda Coven, illustrated by Anna Abramskaya Simon Spotlight, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-6659-2528-0 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 9-12 Middle grade speculative (fantasy) All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW In this follow-up series to Heidi Heckelbeck by Wanda Coven, Heidi leaves to attend boarding school. This boarding school offers not only a regular education but a magical one as well. The school houses a secret school for witches that Heidi is excited to attend. She's also nervous though to leave her family and friends behind for a new place and new people. Heidi's excited to find a friend also attending the school. And the school itself sounds awesome. It's a place many young readers would love to attend with its own shopping area, a secret magic school, and fun activities. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when Heidi le

LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS Survival Scout #1 written & illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III Roaring Brook Press, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-250-79046-0 Source: purchased Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Lost in the Mountains follows the adventures of a young girl named Scout as she works to survive in the mountains after she and her brother get lost.  Scout's brother while a supposed professional guide proves to be seriously incompetent providing lots of humor and eye-rolling moments mixed in with the serious instructional moments. Thankfully, Scout proves to be much more skilled in the mountains, with the help of the narrator and a clingy skunk ally.  The first of a new graphic novel series about surviving disasters is both entertaining and informative. A warning on the title page reminds young readers that none of the skills and techniques shown in the book should be tried without a responsible adult. After her br

THE GIRL IN WHITE written by Lindsay Currie Sourcebooks Young Readers, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-7282-3654-4 Source: ARC for review from publisher Ages 9-12 Middle grade horror/fantasy All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW The setting of The Girl in White jumped out at me from the very beginning.  When Mallory moved to Eastport with her family, she wasn't expecting to find a town obsessed with the macabre. For her, it feels like Halloween all year long.  The old sea fishing village turned tourist magnet uses stories and legends related to its past to attract visitors. Parades and creepy decorations dominate the month of October. Even her parents restaurant serves dishes focused on some of the scary legends her mother loves to tell to the customers. The town itself feels like a character in the story.  Mallory isn't thrilled about her new home; she didn't want to leave her friends and home in Chicago, especially for a

BATU AND THE SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN CUP written by Zara Nauryzbai & Lily Kalaus translated by Shelley Fairweather-Vega Amazon Crossing Kids, 2023 ISBN: 978-1662507021 Source: Blue Slip Media Ages 9-12 Middle Grade fantasy/speculative fiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & other materials provided by publisher through Blue Slip Media. ABOUT THE BOOK A warrior’s power lies not in his weapons but in his heart. Batu is just an ordinary kid in present-day Almaty, worried about bullies, school, and his mom’s new baby…until the day he meets Aspara, the Golden Warrior. Aspara steps straight out of Batu’s notebook cover—and out of Kazakhstan’s past. Aspara has been waiting hundreds of years to be summoned to the human world and to finally get his chance to search for the Golden Cup, a magical talisman sent down from the heavens. When the Golden Cup was lost, Aspara watched as many of his friends and family were killed or disappeared. Craving adventure and a sense