Geo Librarian

  OLIVETTI written by Allie Millington Feiwel and Friends, 2024 ISBN: 978-1-250-32693-5 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover & summary provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. ABOUT THE BOOK A heartfelt novel praised by Tom Hanks in the New York Times as including "a conclusion nearly impossible to divine and yet so perfect it includes that most tactile of memories..." Being a typewriter is not as easy as it looks. Surrounded by books (notorious attention hogs) and recently replaced by a computer, Olivetti has been forgotten by the Brindle family—the family he’s lived with for years. The Brindles are busy humans, apart from 12-year-old Ernest, who would rather be left alone with his collection of Oxford English Dictionaries. The least they could do was remember Olivetti once in a while, since he remembers every word they’ve typed on him. It’s a thankless job, keeping memories alive. Olivetti gets a rare glimpse of action fro...

HAZY BLOOM AND THE TOMORROW POWER by Jennifer Hamburg, pictures by Jenn Harney Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2017 ISBN: 978-0-374-30494-2 Source: school library Ages 8-10 Middle grade contemporary/magical realism All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK One perfectly ordinary afternoon, a vision flashes through third-grader Hazel “Hazy” Bloom’s mind—of flying peas. The next day in the school cafeteria, a food fight erupts that involves the very same airborne veggie. After one or two more seemingly silly visions come true in unexpected ways, Hazy realizes she has a strange new power to foresee a visual clue about trouble that’s on its way within twenty-four hours. But seeing is not always understanding, and headstrong Hazy quickly discovers that “tomorrow power” sometimes only gives her the ability to make a hilarious mess of things instead of saving the day. REVIEW Hazy Bloom loves her best friend, Elizabeth, but not her older brother Milo who ...

UNUSUAL CHICKENS FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL POULTRY FARMER by Kelly Jones, illustrations by Katie Kath Alfred A. Knopf, 2015 ISBN: 978-0-385-75552-8 Middle Grade Contemporary (magical realism)/speculative fiction Ages 9-12 Source: public library All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse.... And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe. Told in ...

CRENSHAW by Katherine Applegate Feiwel & Friends, 2015 ISBN: 9781250043238 Middle Grade ? Source: eARC from NetGalley All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience. Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again. Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything? Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary. REVIEW After falling in love with Applegate's The One and Only Ivan , I've been looking forward to read...

THE VANISHING COIN The Magic Shop #1 by Kate Egan with Magician Mike Lane illustrated by Eric Wight Feiwal and Friends, 2014 ISBN: 978-1-250-02914-0 Early Middle Grade Magical Realism Grades 2-4 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Want to see something cool? I can make that quarter  vanish . All it takes is a little magic… Fourth grade was supposed to be a fresh start, but Mike’s already back in the principal’s office. He’s not a bad kid. He just can’t sit still. And now, his parents won’t let him play soccer anymore; instead he has to hang out with his new neighbor Nora, who is good at  everything ! Then, Mike and Nora discover the White Rabbit. It’s an odd shop—with a special secret inside. Its owner, Mr. Zerlin, is a magician, and, amazingly, he believes Mike could be a magician, too. Has Mike finally found something he’s good at? REVIEW Mike makes for a fun character, one I think kids will be able to relate to easily.  Mik...