Geo Librarian

CLEMENTINE AND THE SPRING TRIP Clementine #6 by Sara Pennypacker, pictures by Marla Frazee Disney-Hyperion Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-142312357-6 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 2-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK For Clementine, spring is a really big deal. It's the time for seeing her apple tree start to grow, for watching her friend Margaret go crazy with spring cleaning, and for going on the school trip to Plimoth Plantation. Clementine is ready for Ye Olden Times, but she isn't so sure about surviving lunch there-the fourth graders have strict rules about no eating sounds. (What is snicking, anyway? ) If that wasn't enough, Clementine also faces the challenges of learning Olive-language and surviving The Cloud on Bus 7. Hearing the pilgrim lady talk about why she made the long journey from England makes Clementine think about rules. Who makes them, and what do they mean to the people who have to live with them? Today Clementine has to d...

LIKE BUG JUICE ON A BURGER by Julie Sternberg Amulet Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4197-0190-0 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 3-5 ARC provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK I hate camp. I just hate it. I wish I didn’t. But I do. Being here is worse than bug juice on a burger. Or homework on Thanksgiving. Or water seeping into my shoes. In this sequel to the critically acclaimed Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie , Eleanor is off to summer camp. At first she’s excited to carry on the family tradition at Camp Wallumwahpuck, but when she gets there she finds icky bugs, terrible food, and worst of all: swim class, where she just can’t seem to keep up with everyone else. But as the days go on, Eleanor realizes that even the most miserable situations can be full of special surprises and that growing up is full of belly flops. REVIEW I admit I am not the biggest poetry fan and I'm always a little bit caut...

THE GUY NEXT DOOR by Kate Palmer Covenant Communications, Inc., 2012 ISBN: 978-1-60861-201-7 Romantic Suspense ABOUT THE BOOK On the surface, Eva Black’s life seems practically perfect. The small-town kindergarten teacher is set to wed ambitious lawyer Sean Langley, and their plans for a dream wedding are well underway. Eva accepts that she will soon live life in the spotlight as a member of the prestigious Langley family, but can she overlook her fiancé’s tendency to dominate the details of her life and push the limits of her standards? Mere weeks before the wedding, Eva is thrown into a traumatic, life-changing event that changes her view of family commitment and creates a sharp contrast between her ideals and Sean’s. With her engagement to Sean in jeopardy, Eva finds herself relying on the support and encouragement of Peter, her kind and attentive next-door neighbor. Faced with a choice between her penitent fiancé and the increasingly mysterious Peter, Eva i...

SPRITE/KIN by Leigh Michael CreateSpace, 2012 ISBN13: 9781468184419 Grades 8 and up Complimentary copy received from author for blog tour. All opinions expressed are solely my own.  ABOUT THE Two Part Series Annabelle Walsh thought she had it all. She was the star of her swim team, had a loving family, a great boyfriend, and to top it off, she’d be starting at UCLA in the fall. One day, she’d be referred to as Dr. Annabelle Walsh. She was living every girl’s dream – until her life was turned upside down. All starting with finding out that she's not just a human, but also a water spirit. Half-human, half-sprite to be exact. Although not just any sprite, Annabelle is prophesied to be the only one who can save both the sprites and mankind. With a mix of current events, anecdotes from Greek mythology, tidbits of folklore, and Leigh’s own imagination, we join Annabelle in her journey to restore order beneath the sea. Each step of the way her mind, body, and soul are pushed...

THE ROAD TO MERCY by Kathy Harris Abingdon Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4267-4193-7 Adult Christian Fiction Copy received from publisher for blog tour. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK   Josh Harrison, a contemporary Christian singer, and his wife Bethany face a difficult decision that also tests their faith. A rupture in Beth's carotid artery leaves her on the brink of death even as she's pregnant with their first child. While Dr. Ben Abrams urges her to terminate the pregnancy to save her own life, she and Josh step out on faith and decide to carry the baby to full term. During the next few months, Josh struggles with his faith, Beth hides a secret that may destroy their marriage. She also discovers a decades-old connection to Dr. Abrams that could change his life forever. ABOUT THE AUTHOR   Kathy Harris is an author by way of a “divine detour” into the Nashville entertainment business. After graduating with a Communications degre...

THE SERPENT'S RING The Relics of Mysticus, #1 by H. B. Bolton Paperback, 2012 ISBN13: 9781478332572 Middle Grade Fantasy Grades 3-6 Copy received from author for blog tour. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK   Evan and Claire Jones are typical teenagers, forced to go with their parents to yet another boring museum ... that is, until something extraordinary happens to make their day a little more than interesting. After following a strange little creature into a closed exhibit, Evan and his older sister, Claire, discover the Serpent’s Ring, one of the magical relics formed from the shattered Mysticus Orb. Purely by accident, they have awakened its powers and opened a portal to Sagaas, land of ancient gods. Before the siblings can comprehend what has happened, the Serpent’s Ring is wrenched from Evan’s hand by an enormous bird and flown back to Aegir, the Norse god of the sea. Evan and Claire, accompanied by a band of unlikely h...

THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3670-2 Middle Grade Historical Fiction Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. A hilarious Southern debut with the kind of characters you meet once in a lifetime Rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known. Full ...

STELLA BATTS NEEDS A NEW NAME by Courtney Sheinmel, illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell Sleeping Bear Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-58536-183-0 Grades 2-4 Reviewed from purchased copy. Meet Stella Batts. She is eight years old and she loves to write. She loves to write lists; like her favorite things and kids in her class. And she's writing her autobiography ('That means it's all about me'). Stella favorite color is yellow and she LOVES fudge. As a matter of fact, there is a special fudge counter at her family's candy store because fudge is one of her favorite things to eat But Stella has just one problem---her name. A boy from her class keeps calling her 'Smella' after she trips on their class nature walk ('I don't even want to say what I landed in, it was too gross, so I'm going to leave that part out.'). So Stella decides there's really only one thing to do; she has to change her name. After all, how hard can it be to pick a n...

TALES FROM A NOT-SO-GRACEFUL ICE PRINCESS  (Dork Diaries #4) by Rachel Renee Russell Aladdin, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4424-1192-0 Grades 4-8 Reviewed from purchased copy. In an all-new addition to the New York Times bestselling series that’s as popular as it is dorky, Nikki Maxwell is determined to help out her crush! Nikki Maxwell isn’t at all surprised to find out that her crush Brandon volunteers at a local animal shelter. He’s such a sweet guy—of course he wants to help those adorable puppies! Then Brandon tells her that the shelter is in danger of closing, and Nikki knows she can’t let that happen. Especially when she discovers a shocking secret about Brandon that makes keeping that shelter open more important than ever. So Nikki and her friends Chloe and Zoey enter an ice skating competition to help raise money for the shelter, but (big surprise) Mackenzie has to stick her nose in and cause trouble so that she can be the one to swoop in and save the day. No way wi...

SIDEKICKS by Dan Santat Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-439-29811-7 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from personal copy. INTRODUCING: METAL MUTT! STATIC CAT! AND... FLUFFY!?! Captain Amazing, hero of Metro City, is so busy catching criminals that he rarely has time for his pets at home. He doesn't even notice when they develop superpowers of their own. So when he announces that he needs a sidekick, his dog, hamster, and chameleon each decide to audition. But with each pet determined to win the sidekick position, the biggest battle in Metro City might just be at the Captain's house. Then archvillain Dr. Havoc returns to town, and suddenly the Captain's in serious trouble. Can the warring pets put their squabbles aside? Or is it curtains for the Captain? It's stay, sit, and save the world in this romp of a graphic novel! This book provides a delightful reading experience for those who enjoy graphic novels. Not only are the illustrations bright and appealing ...

LEGENDS OF ZITA THE SPACEGIRL written and illustrated by Ben Hatke First Second, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-59643-447-9 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from personal copy. Ben Hatke brings back our intrepid space heroine for another delightful sci-fi/fantasy adventure. Zita is determined to find her way home to earth, following the events of the first book. But things are never simple, and certainly never easy, in space. Zita's exploits from her first adventure have made her an intergalactic megastar! But she's about to find out that fame doesn't come without a price. And who can you trust when your true self is being eclipsed by your public persona, and you've got a robot doppelganger wreaking havoc . . . while wearing your face? Still, if anyone can find their way through this intractible mess of mistaken identity and alien invaders, it's the indomitable Zita, in Legends of Zita the Spacegirl. REVIEW This is another fun graphic novel for middle grade readers. Zita ...

GIANTS BEWARE by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre First Second, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-59643-582-7 Grades 1-5 Reviewed from personal copy. Make way for Claudette the giant slayer in this delightful, fantastical adventure! Claudette’s fondest wish is to slay a giant. But her village is so safe and quiet! What’s a future giant slayer to do? With her best friend Marie (an aspiring princess), and her brother Gaston (a pastry-chef-to-be), Claudette embarks on a super-secret quest to find a giant—without parental permission. Can they find and defeat the giant before their parents find them and drag them back home? Giants Beware! offers up a wondrous, self-contained world in the tradition of the very best of Pixar. Claudette and her friends will have you laughing out loud from page one.   Graphic novels are by far the most popular genre of books in my school library.  They come and go on a daily basis, so I'm always on the lookout for new ones to add.  While there...