Geo Librarian

MILES LEWIS, PET SITTER written by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Wayne Spencer Penguin Workshop, 2025 ISBN: 978-0-593-75273-9 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From the award-winning author of the Jada Jones chapter books comes an illustrated spin-off series perfect for STEM fans! When Miles and his classmates welcome a few frogs as class pets, it's a reminder that what he really wants more than anything is a dog to call his own. But his parents don't think he's ready, and his attempts to show them that he truly can care for critters all end in disaster. Can Miles pull it together and prove that he's responsible enough for a pet once and for all? REVIEW Miles Lewis wants a dog really badly. After participating with his class in the arrival of some class pets, he's inspired to prove to his parents that he's ready ...

  TROUBLING TONSILS! Jasper Rabbit's Creepy Tales #1 written by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2025 ISBN: 978-1-6659-6108-0 Source: ARC from publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-9 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK From the team behind the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal–winning Jasper Rabbit picture books comes the first entry in a spin-off chapter book series in which Jasper tells the story of a young marmot whose tonsils get the better of him. Jasper the Rabbit is back! A little older and wiser, he collects creepy stories to share as cautionary tales. If you’re ready for some chills and chuckles alike, tune in as Jasper weaves the yarn of Charlie Marmot and the particular pickle he found himself in. See, Charlie here has a his tonsils have become infected and have to come out. No biggie, right? But when he dec...

  QUEEN OF THE SEA Cruise Life #1 written by Reese Eschmann Scholastic Inc., 2025 978-1-339-01815-7 Source: purchased Ages 8-11 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book covers & summaries provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Caitlin and her big brother, Dylan, are still getting used to shuttling between Mom’s new little house and Dad’s fancy new condo after their divorce. But summer means a solid six weeks with her dad. Finally, one toothbrush in one place and all her outfits together! So when her dad announces that he’s gotten a new job on the fanciest, most fun, family-friendly cruise line -- and he’s bringing his kids along -- Caitlin has mixed feelings. For about a minute! Then off she goes on the adventure of a lifetime on the biggest ship she’s ever seen, the Wandering Princess, which is tricked out to perfection. But soon the pressures of being a crew kid get to Caitlin. She's already had to adjust to two new homes . . . will she be able ...

  EMMA MCKENNA, FULL OUT The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class #1 written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Algonquin Young Readers, 2024 ISBN: 9781523525737  Ages 7-10 Early middle grade realistic fiction Source: publisher for review All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by the publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Emma looks forward to attending her new school, Curiosity Academy with her new teacher, Mrs. Z. Until her former friend turned arch enemy, Lucy shows up in the same classroom.  Emma wants to make friends but after an unfortunate incident between her and Lucy that resulted in an unpleasant nickname, she's wary. Friendships can be tricky things as Emma discovers as she wrestles with her conundrum. In addition to the friendship concerns, Emma wants to participate in helping her school choose a mascot for the school, but she absolutely doesn't want to get up on the stage to present her suggestion. Can Emma find a way through her friendship concer...

MERCY WATSON IS MISSING! Tales of Deckawoo Drive #7 written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Duden Candlewick Press, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-5362-1023-1 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Every favorite character from Kate DiCamillo’s New York Times best-selling Mercy Watson books makes an appearance in this extended, riotously funny series crescendo. When Mercy Watson the pig goes missing, all of Deckawoo Drive is in an uproar. The Watsons are inconsolable, and the local police, fire, and animal control departments are no help whatsoever. Bossy neighbor Eugenia Lincoln is not quite as sad as she might be, but thankfully her sister, Baby Lincoln, has the idea to hire a private investigator. Granted, Percival Smidgely, PI, may be more bumbler than gumshoe, but his pigeon, Polly, is there to point the way. Meanwhile, Frank and Stella Endicott an...

AVEN GREEN, SOCCER MACHINE written by Dustin Bowling, illustrated by Gina Perry Union Square Kids, 2023 ISBN: 978-1-4549-4223-8 Source: Publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 7-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Aven loves to play soccer. Having no arms doesn't slow her down at all. In this fourth volume of the younger Aven series (she shows up as an 8th & 9th grader in Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus & Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus ), Aven works to become team captain. With her father as the team coach, Aven figures she's got it made. But her unwillingness to share her ball skills and her tendency to boss around her teammates leaves her out when her father chooses her friend Kayla to be team captain. Her disappointment leads her to quit the team until she realizes just what it means to part of a team. Aven's enthusiasm makes her easy to root for in each of her adventures ...

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...

AVEN GREEN SLEUTHING MACHINE by Dusti Bowling, illustrated by Gina Perry Sterling Children's Books, 2021 ISBN: 978-1-4549-4221-4 Source: purchased Ages 6-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Cover image and book blurb obtained from Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK Third-grader Aven Green has been solving mysteries for a whole month—cracking such cases as The Mystery of the Cranky Mom. But can this perceptive detective solve two cases at the same time? First her teacher’s lunch bag disappears. Then Aven’s great-grandma’s dog goes missing. Fortunately, since Aven was born without arms, all the “arm” cells went to her super-powered brain instead. (That’s her theory.) This hilarious chapter book showcases a new side to Dusti Bowling’s unforgettable protagonist. REVIEW Dusti Bowling's heroine, Aven Green, won me over from the first moment I met her in Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus .  So it was with delight that I picked up Aven Green Sleuthing Machine .  In this...

MINDY KIM AND THE YUMMY SEAWEED BUSINESS by Lyla Lee, illustrated by Dung Ho Aladdin, 2020 ISBN: 978-1-5344-4009-8 Source: publisher (Simon & Schuster) for review Ages 7-10 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Mindy Kim, a Korean American second grader moves to a mostly Caucasian Florida community. In an effort to adjust to her new school, she starts a snack trading ring with the Korean food from her lunch to make new friends.  REVIEW  Mindy Kim wants a puppy really badly.  But her father isn't eager to get her one.  Having just moved from California to Florida and learning to live without her mother, Mindy and her father try to settle into their new home.  Mindy reluctantly starts school as the new kid and the only Asian American in her school.  Her Korean-based lunch is one of the few things she looks forward to.  But when some of the other kids make fun of her seaweed snacks that pleasure is taken from...

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 ...

WINTERLING written by Sarah Prineas Harper, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-192103-2 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from personal copy. With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land. Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mor rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter. I have to confess that I picked this book up because of the cover....

Here's the rest of my favorite early chapter books.  GOONEY BIRD GREENE   by Lois Lowry Two-time Newbery Medalist Lois Lowry introduces a new girl in class who loves being the center of attention and tells the most entertaining “absolutely true” stories. There’s never been anyone like Gooney Bird Greene at Watertower Elementary School. What other new kid comes to school wearing pajamas and cowboy boots one day and a polka-dot t-shirt and tutu on another? Gooney Bird has to sit right smack in the middle of the class because she likes to be in the middle of everything. She is the star of story time and keeps her teacher and classmates on the edge of their seats with her “absolutely true” stories. But what about her classmates? Do they have stories good enough to share? I love Gooney Bird's uniqueness and her ability to tell interesting stories. Not only are these fun reads, but they are perfect for reading aloud.  Each book focuses on one curriculum topic, bu...

I love reading early chapter books, there are so many good ones.  But I noticed as I worked on this list that there are not very many early chapter books that aren't part of a series.  Most of my favorites are part of series.  This isn't bad, after all repetition is good for younger readers and I personally love revisiting my favorite characters.  But sometimes these books can be too formulaic, each story reads pretty much like the story before.  The books on this list do not fall into that category, maybe that's why I like them so much.  Not only do they have delightful characters, but interesting plots as well. ANNA HIBISCUS by Atinuke Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. Amazing Africa. She lives with her whole family in a wonderful house. There is always somebody to laugh and play with. Anna Hibiscus loves to splash in the sea with her cousins and have parties with her aunties. But more than anything else in the world, Anna Hibiscus would love to...

Here's the second half of my Chapter Book Series Favorites.  Keep in mind that this list is not exclusive, I'm always finding new books and series that I like.  For example, I just finished reading Jennifer A. Nielson's The False Prince and loved it, you can see my review here .  I'm eager to read the sequels.  So stay tuned in as I continue my search for great books. DRAGON SLIPPERS series by Jessica Day George Many stories tell of damsels in distress, who are rescued from the clutches of fire-breathing dragons by knights in shining armor, and swept off to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, this is not one of those stories.  True, when Creel's aunt suggests sacrificing her to the local dragon, it is with the hope that the knight will marry Creel and that everyone (aunt and family included) will benefit handsomely. Yet it's Creel who talks her way out of the dragon's clutches. And it's Creel who walks for days on end to seek her fortun...