Geo Librarian

MAC & CHEESE : The Origin Story written by Michael L. Benner, illustrated by Alison Hawkins Orchard Books, 2026 ISBN: 978-1-5461-4076-4 Source: purchased Ages 4-8 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK The Bad Seed meets The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors in a pasta-tively hilarious story about the most enduring friendship of all Mac & Cheese! Mac was a friendly Noodle and rubbed elbows with everyone. But he didn't have the one thing he wanted A friend. Meanwhile, not too far away in Quesoland, Cheese was king. And while he could be a real crowd-pleaser, he didn't have the one thing he wanted : a friend. Join Mac and Cheese in their search for true friendship, told through Michael Benner's hilarious, heartwarming text, and Alison Hawkins' endearing, delightful visuals! Perfect for the youngest readers, this funny and sweet read-aloud will ensure a goud-a time! REVIEW The...

FOREVER FRIENDS Drag and Rex #1 written by Susan Lubner, illustrated by Blythe Russo Pixel & Ink, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-64595-115-5 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Drag (a dragon) and Rex (a T-rex) are roommates and best friends. As in many such early reader series, the book consists of three stories about the two friends and their adventures. Each story is divided into three short chapters. The two friends are, as one would expect, quite different but those differences make the stories feel fresh and the relationship more realistic. The delightful illustrations highlight the characters and the action and break up the text nicely. The first story follows Rex's efforts to make breakfast followed by making a cake for his friend Lilly Pop. Drag attempts to help but causes problems when he can't resist his appetite. The second story finds Drag and Rex playing in the snow. But mis...

  THE GREAT PUPTECTIVE The Great Puptective #1 written and illustrated by Alina Tysoe Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 9781665938242  Source: eARC & ARC from the publisher (THANKS!) Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, author art, & summary provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK A set-in-his-ways housecat has his routine upended by an enthusiastic new puppy with a nose for solving mysteries in this first adorable book in a graphic novel chapter book series perfect for fans of InvestiGators and Narwhal and Jelly. Truffles the cat is the only pet in the house and reigns in peace and quiet, only exerting himself to find the best place to take a nice, long nap—preferably in a spot of warm sunshine. Then Poppy the puppy bursts onto the scene. Poppy is loud, enthusiastic, excitable, and—worst of all—a puptective! She’s got an eye for crime and a nose to solve all mysteries that come her way…even though she’s not compl...

AVEN GREEN MUSIC MACHINE by Dusti Bowling, illustrated by Gina Perry Union Square Kids, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-4549-4222-1 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Aven Green decides to enter the school talent show.  She wants to play an instrument and expects to be an expert quite quickly.  When the reality of learning to play a keyboard turns out to be quite different, Aven's confidence starts to drop.  Things get even worse after a friend hurts her feelings by calling her music "bad noise".  After trying a number of other instruments, Aven throws in the towel and quits. In an effort to encourage her not to give up, her parents take her on a road trip to see a musician perform on a guitar.  The musician, like her, has no arms.  Thanks to a talk with the musician and a gift from her grandmother, Aven finds the courage to perform at the talent show after all....

LEAVE IT TO PLUM! by Matt Phelan Greenwillow Books, 2022 ISBN:     978-0-06-307916-8 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK When a small mammal with an oversized ego tries to take over the zoo, just leave it to the big-hearted peacock Plum to save the day! From award-winning author Matt Phelan, the creator of Knights vs. Dinosaurs and its two sequels, Leave It to Plum! is a highly illustrated young middle grade novel perfect for reluctant readers and animal lovers everywhere. Young Plum is one of the peacock ambassadors for the Athensville Zoo. Every day the peacocks are allowed to wander freely among the zoo's visitors, delighting and guiding kids and grown-ups alike. The peacocks are very proud of their responsibility; none so much as kind, curious Plum. But Itch the ningbing--a type of very small marsupial--doesn't understand why those birdbrains should get so...

ONCE UPON A TIM by Stuart Gibbs, illustrated by Stacy Curtis Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-5344-9925-6 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Join New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs in this first book in a hilarious, highly illustrated new middle grade series about a peasant boy who wants to be a knight, perfect for fans of Max & the Midknights. Tim is just a peasant, but he dreams big. He wants more out of life than to grow up to be a woodsman like his father. Unfortunately, the only route to success in the kingdom of Wyld is to be born a prince. Still, Tim is determined. He is brave and clever and always tries to do the right thing—even though he rarely gets the credit for it. Then news spreads that Princess Grace of the neighboring kingdom has been abducted by the evil Stinx and Prince Ruprecht needs a legion of knights to join him on his quest to rescue her. Tim final...

DO N' T CHECK OUT THIS BOOK! by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise Algonquin Young Readers, 2020 ISBN: 9781616209766 Source: purchased A ges 9-12 All opinions expressed are s olely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Is the sweet town of Appleton ripe for scandal? Consider the facts: Appleton Elementary School has a new librarian named Rita B. Danjerous. (Say it fast.) Principal Noah Memree barely remembers hiring her. Ten-year-old Reid Durr is staying up way too late reading a book from Ms. Danjerous's controversial "green dot" collection. The new school board president has mandated a student dress code that includes white gloves and bow ties available only at her shop. Sound strange? Fret not. Appleton's fifth-grade sleuths are following the money, embracing the punny, and determined to the get to the funniest, most rotten core of their town's juiciest scandal. Don't miss this seedy saga from the creators of the award-winning Thre...

DUDE! word by Aaron Reynolds, Art by Dan Santat Roaring Brook Press, 2018 ISBN: 978-1-62672-603-1 Source: purchased Ages 4 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Aaron Reynolds, the author of Nerdy Berdy and Creepy Carrots! teams up with Dan Santat, the Caldecott–winning illustrator behind The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend to create the hilarious, gnarly summer adventure picture book, Dude! Dude! You have to read this book. It's totally about this platypus and this beaver who are friends. They want to go surfing but dude, there's this shark who's in the ocean, too. But don't worry. This shark approaches and you'll never guess what happens. REVIEW This is one of my new favorite books.  After reading it to several groups of kindergartners I can safely say that this is a winning book.  Aaron Reynolds and Dan Santat make for a thoroughly marvelous team.  While the book only uses one word throughout (Dud...

HARRIET THE INVINCIBLE Hamster Princess #1 by Ursula Vernon Scholastic, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-545-91343-0 Ages 9-12 Middle grade fantasy/animal/fairy tale Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Sleeping Beauty gets a feisty, furry twist in this hilarious new comic series from the creator of Dragonbreath. Harriet Hamsterbone is not your typical princess. She may be quite stunning in the rodent realm (you'll have to trust her on this one), but she is not so great at trailing around the palace looking ethereal or sighing a lot. She finds the royal life rather . . . dull. One day, though, Harriet's parents tell her of the curse that a rat placed on her at birth, dooming her to prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she's twelve and fall into a deep sleep. For Harriet, this is  most  wonderful news: It means she's invincible until she's twelve! After all, no good curse goes to waste. And so begins a grand li...

LION VS. RABBIT by Alex Latimer Peachtree Publisher, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-56145-709-0 Picture Book Grades K-3 Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Lion bullies all the other animals until finally they can't take it anymore. They post an ad, asking for help. One animal after another tries and fails to defeat Lion. Can no one stop him? Finally, a rabbit arrives. No one thinks that such a small animal will be brave enough or strong enough to defeat Lion. But perhaps this rabbit is smart enough? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex Latimer lives near the border of a national park so when not writing or drawing, he spends his free time shooing baboons out of his lounge. The Boy Who Cried Ninja is his first book for children. He lives in South Africa. REVIEW Bullying has become a topic of great interest and as such has inspired many books about it.  I quite enjoyed this one because it is not only ...

BINK & GOLLIE: BEST FRIENDS FOREVER by Kate DiCamillo & Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile Candlewick Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-7636-3497-1 Early Reader Grades K-3 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK All righty, then! Celebrate the tall and short of a marvelous friendship with a new Bink and Gollie adventure. Gollie is quite sure she has royal blood in her veins, but can Bink survive her friend’s queenly airs — especially if pancakes are not part of the deal? Bink wonders what it would be like to be as tall as her friend, but how far will she stretch her luck to find out? And when Bink and Gollie long to get their picture into a book of record holders, where will they find the kudos they seek? Slapstick and sweetness, drollery and delight abound in this follow-up to the Geisel Award–winning, New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Bink and Gollie, written by the beloved and best-selling Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and brought to h...

THE DEDUCTIVE DETECTIVE by Brian Rock, illustrated by Sherry Rogers Sylvan Dell, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-60718-6250 Picture Book Grades PreK-2 Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Someone stole a cake from the cake contest--who could it be? Twelve animal bakers are potential suspects but Detective Duck uses his deductive reasoning skills to "quack" the case. After all, the thief left hairs behind so the thief wasn't a bird. Follow along as he subtracts each suspect one at a time to reveal just who the culprit was. This clever story will have children of all ages giggling at the puns and the play on words. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Brian Rock received a master's degree in Children's Literature and Creative Writing from Hollins University. Brian's short stories for children appear regularly in the regional magazine Kid's World and his poems for children have appeared in H...

As part of this month's celebration of picture books, I'm going to highlight some of my recent favorites.  The one I'm highlighting today, I found hilarious and the students I shared it with did as well. Title: Kel Gilligan's Daredevil Stunt Show Author: Michael Buckley Illustrator: Dan Santat Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers Date: 2012 ISBN: 978-1-4197-0379-9 Picture Book Grades PreK-3 ABOUT THE BOOK From Michael Buckley, the bestselling author of the Sisters Grimm and NERDS series, and Dan Santat, author-illustrator of Sidekicks , comes this hilarious picture book starring Kel Gilligan (a.k.a. “The Boy Without Fear”) that encourages kids to laugh at their fears and celebrates the bravery it takes to try new things no matter how ordinary. Narrated by Kel himself as he attempts his “stunts” with Evel Knievel–like flair, the story unfolds as a performance in which readers themselves become part of the audience, encouraging Kel to get dresse...