Geo Librarian

For numerous reasons, I've decided not to participate in many challenges this year. I prefer to just read what I feel like reading. But since I have so many NetGalley books to read I thought I might as well participate in this one. I'm going to go for the Gold Star--30+ NetGalley Books this year.  I currently have four that I have read.

There are two subjects that as a librarian I can count on to catch the interest of almost any child.  One of those subjects is animals and the other is mystery.  Kids love mysteries.  The series I'm spotlighting today is a great one for younger readers (6-8).  The detective is the dog (yes, you read that right). The latest book in the series is highlighted below.  The rest of the books in the series are: The Case of the Lost Boy While searching for his mysteriously lost human family, King the dog detective is adopted by another family, who names him Buddy. Buddy succeeds in solving the mystery of their missing boy. The Case of the Mixed-Up Mutts Buddy wonders what has happened to his first family, but right now he's got another urgent case--two dogs, Muffin and Jazzy, have been switched. How can Buddy get poor Muffin and Jazzy back to their real owners? The Case of the Missing Family Buddy has settled in with his adopted family, but he stil...

  Welcome to THE KINDLING Blog Tour. I'm honored to help highlight this awesome book. The Kindling (Middle School Magic) by Braden Bell Cedar Fort, 2012 ISBN: 9781462110278 Grades 4 and up Reviewed from ARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All thirteen-year-old Conner Dell wants to do is pass pre-algebra, play lacrosse, and possibly kiss Melanie Stephens. He didn’t mean to set anyone’s gym shorts on fire or make school lunches explode. But now that the strange powers inside him have been ignited, Conner’s normal teenage life is about to go up in flames! This fast-paced novel is non-stop fun for kids and parents alike. With characters you can’t help but root for, a plot that keeps you guessing, and plenty of humor, it’s a guaranteed thrill ride from cover to cover! Wow! I just finished this book and what a ride! I am very excited to share this book with my students in a couple of months, I think they'll love it.  With plenty of action, interesti...

THE AGE OF MIRACLES: A NOVEL by Karen Thompson Walker Random House, 2012 ISBN: 978-0812992977 Grades 4-7 Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through NetGalley. Book Synopsis comes from Goodreads. “It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It’s possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much.” Luminous, haunting, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles is a stunning fiction debut by a superb new writer, a story about coming of age during extraordinary times, about people going on with their lives in an era of profound uncertainty. On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ...

COLD CEREAL written by Adam Rex Baltzer + Bray, 2012 ISBN13: 9780062060020 432 p. Grades 3-6 Reviewed from ebook provided by publisher through NetGalley. BLURB :  Cold Cereal Facts Serving size 1 chapter Number of servings 40 Primary human characters: Scottish Play Doe, aka Scott, possible changeling Erno Utz,  genius Emily Utz, supergenius  Magical creatures at least 3: Mick Leprechaun (or Clurichaun), Harvey Pooka (rabbit-man), Biggs indeterminate origin (hairy, large) Evil organizations 1:  Goodco Cereal Company Purveyor of breakfast foods aspiring to world domination Adventure 75% Diabolical Schemes 40% Danger 57% Legend 20% Magic 68% Humor 93% Puzzles 35% Mystery 49% Not a significant source of vampires. May contain nuts. Daily values based on individual interest. Reader's estimation of value may be higher or lower, depending on your tolerance for this sort of thing. It's taken me a while to get this review written up, primarily because I'm n...

Lawn Mower Magic written by Lynne Jonnell, illustrated by Brandon Dorman Random House Books for Young Readers, 2012 ISBN13: 9780375866616 112 p. To be released on February 28, 2012. Grades 2-4 Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through NetGalley. BLURB :  With a POP! and a puff of smoke, the Willows' lawn mower calls it quits. A new mower will cost their parents a lot of money, money Derek had hoped to borrow for a train ticket to visit a friend. Luckily Derek and his brother and sisters find a rusty push mower tucked away in the shed. It doesn't look like much, but it turns out that it's been soaking up magic for years. And it's hungry for grass! Can Derek earn his ticket? Maybe . . . if he, Abner, Tate, and Celia can keep the magic mower under control! Not having read Hamster Magic , I didn't understand the references to Derek's family's previous experience with messed up magic.  However, I still managed to follow most of the story.  The s...

Persuasion: A Latter-Day Tale written by Rebecca H. Jamison Cedar Fort, 2012 I SBN: 9781599559476 240 p. Grades 8 and up Reviewed from copy provided by publisher through NetGalley. BLURB : When Anne broke off her engagement seven years ago, she thought she'd never see Neil Wentworth again. But when Neil's brother buys the house she grew up in, it seems fate has other plans in store, and Anne is woefully unprepared for the roller coaster of emotions that accompanies Neil's return. Fans of Persuasion will love this fast-paced, modern retelling of Jane Austen's most romantic novel. Persuasion by Jane Austen is one of my favorite adult books, so I was naturally intrigued when I heard about this book.  I was rather skeptical as I read the first few chapters, after all, Austen's books are considered classics for a reason. But as I got more involved in the story and stopped comparing it to the original, I found myself enjoying it more.  By the time I go...

I wasn't planning on doing any more challenges, but since I will be reading as many NetGalley ebooks as I can, I figure that since I will be doing this any way, I might as well do it as a challenge. My goal will be the Gold Star Level (30+ NetGalley books). Thanks to Red House Books for sponsoring this challenge.