Geo Librarian

LONG ROAD TO FREEDOM Ranger in Time #3 by Kate Messner Scholastic Press, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-545-63921-7 Historical fiction/time travel Ages 8-10 Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Ranger is a time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training. In this adventure, he goes to a Maryland plantation during the days of American slavery, where he meets a young girl named Sarah. When she learns that the owner has plans to sell her little brother, Jesse, to a plantation in the Deep South, it means they could be separated forever. Sarah takes their future into her own hands and decides there's only one way to run -- north. REVIEW Ranger is such an appealing hero, especially since he doesn't know he is one.  As a dog, all he knows is that when his time traveling first aid kit hums, its time to go help someone.  Messner has created an appealing historical fiction series that draws kids in with it's time t...

STOWAWAY! Puppy Pirates #1 by Erin Soderberg, illustrated by Russ Cox Random House, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-553-51167-3 Ages 6-9 Source: ARC from author All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Ahoy, mateys! Set sail for fun and adventure on a pirate ship full of puppies! Wally is a pup with a nose for adventure. So when he stumbles onto a ragtag group of puppies who sail the seven seas, he knows he has to join the fun! But if pirates are supposed to be gruff and tough, this furry little guy isn’t exactly first-mate material.  Does he have what it takes to become a full-fledged puppy pirate? Two perennial kid favorites—dogs and pirates—combine in this new chapter-book series perfect for fans of the Rainbow Magic series and all things piraty! REVIEW Wally, a golden retriever pup, left the farm in order to find a place to call home.  When he encounters a crew of puppy pirates he is determined to join them.  The problem is that he is ...

MURPHY, GOLD RUSH DOG, 1900 Dog Chronicles by Alison Hart, illustrated by Michal G. Montgomery Peachtree Publishing, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-56145-769-4 Middle Grade Historical Fiction Grades 3-6 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK An action-packed and heartwarming story of a dog in gold rush-era Alaska All Murphy wants is a home and a loving family. After escaping from his brutal and merciless owner, he is taken in by a young girl named Sally. She and her mother have just arrived in Nome, Alaska, intent on joining the other gold seekers and making a new life there, free from their wealthy but oppressive family in Seattle. Yet even with Murphy at their side, Sally and Mama find living in the mining town harsh and forbidding. When it seems they may have to give up and return to Seattle, Sally and Murphy decide to strike out on their own, hoping to find gold and make a permanent home. But dangers await them - n...

Bark, George written and illustrated by Jules Fieffer HarperCollins Publishers 1999 ISBN: 978-0-06-205185-1 Grades PreK-2 Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB : Bark, George is a delightfully silly picture book about a dog who can't seem to bark right; for some unknown reason, he makes all sorts of other animal sounds. This is delightful book, perfect for sharing with preschoolers or kindergartners.  I have found that it inevitably elicits giggles.  I enjoy reading this book with great emotion, shock, frustration, and a surprising twist at the end.  I find that I like to pause before turning that final page.  The illustrations are deceptively simple yet convey every emotion.  This book reminds me of Mo Willem's Elephant and Piggie and Pigeon books.  How these authors convey so much in so few words and simple lines amazes me. I highly recommend this book, it's great for read-a-loud time. Dogs written and illustrated by Emily Gravett Simon ...

Waiting for the Magic w ritten by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Amy June Bates Atheneum Books for Young Reader, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4169-2745-7 Interest Level: Grades 3-6 Reviewed from copy borrowed from school library. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own. BLURB : People may drift apart But love can hold them together. Sometimes we find that love through magic – Sometimes that magic is all around us This is a story about all of these things. But it's also a story about how four dogs and one cat help one boy and his sister save their family. This is a rather interesting blurb.  I think this is the first blurb I've read that reads like a poem.  Yet it fits the rather dreamy, gentle nature of the story.  In some ways it reminds me of Kate DiCamillo's work on The Tale of Despereaux , The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , or The Magician's Elephant .  The writing is certainly as good as DiCamillo's and the illus...

A Dog's Way Home written by Bobbie Pyron Katherine Tegen Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-06-198674-1 Interest Level: Grades 4-8 Received free in a giveaway hosted by A Patchwork of Books . Opinions expressed here are solely my own. BLURB: One late fall afternoon, a tragic highway accident leaves eleven-year-old Abby and her beloved Shetland sheepdog, Tam, stranded at opposite ends of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Though each is determined to be reunited with the other, the days separating them turn to weeks, then months, and dangers and changes fill up Abby's and Tam's lives. Will they ever find their way back home to one another?  I consider myself generally speaking a cat person.  I'm much more comfortable around cats than dogs.  But I do still enjoy reading books about dogs.  When I first heard about this book, I wasn't sure that I would really like it.  Of course, I do really like other dog books.  Jack London's Call of the Wild and White Fang are ...