Geo Librarian

MOONLIT Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods. When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t. But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself? Amazon Kindle * Amazon * Goodreads WiDo Publishing * Barnes & Noble PRAISE  "Virginia's trees look like they're burning. Most of them blaze crimson or gold, but some still have a chokehold on their green. I wish they'd give it up already. Leaves are more beautiful wh...

HOLLYWOOD, DEAD AHEAD 43 Old Cemetery Road, #5 by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise Harcourt, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-547-85283-6 Middle Grade Humor Grades 2-5 Re viewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK In this fifth volume from 43 Old Cemetery Road, the trio at Spence Mansion leaves Ghastly for Hollywood, California . . . and for a shot at stardom! The film producer Moe Block Busters wants to make the 43 Old Cemetery Road story into a movie—and he promises it will be a sure-fire hit! Lured by the lights of Tinseltown, Ignatius B. Grumply, Olive C. Spence, and Seymour Hope pack their suitcases. But when they arrive in Hollywood, Olive has a sure-fire fit when she discovers how quickly fame changes Iggy and Seymour. Even worse, Olive has been written out of the script! “Little old lady ghosts are so yesterday,” says Moe. “What America wants is a terrifying ghost named Evilo.” Well, if it’s Evilo they want, it’s Evilo they’ll get. And Olive knows just the femm...

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty by Tonya Bolden Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4197-0390-4 Middle Grade Nonfiction (History) Grades 3 and up Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK Published on the anniversary of when President Abraham Lincoln's order went into effect, this book offers readers a unique look at the events that led to the Emancipation Proclamation. Filled with little-known facts and fascinating details, it includes excerpts from historical sources, archival images, and new research that debunks myths about the Emancipation Proclamation and its causes. Complete with a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, "Emancipation Proclamation" is an engrossing new historical resource from award-winning children's book author Tonya Bolden. REVIEW This book is a beautiful example of the amazing things being done with books for children.  Everything about the book from the design to the writing i...

Hades and the Helm of Darkness (Heroes in Training Book 3) by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams The Heroes in Training are entering the Underworld—if Hades can conquer his canine fears, that is. The Underworld usually isn’t really meant to be a fun place—but tell that to Hades! He loves the dark and the stinky smell of sulfur. However, there is one thing that Hades is not a fan of: dogs. And when Zeus and his fellow Olympians encounter Cerberus—a snarling, three-headed dog—Hades must conquer his fears and tame the hound so everyone can continue into the Underworld and deposit their Titan prisoner, Oceanus, back where he belongs! But with magical water that causes forgetfulness, hot beds of lava, and another epic battle with two more Titans standing in their way, will Zeus and his heroes make it out of the Underworld with everyone intact?   Amazon * Amazon Kindle * Barnes & Noble Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams deliver fun, adventures, and a few surpris...

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...

THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING by Linda Urban Harcourt Children's Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-547-76348-4 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK For Ruby Pepperdine, the “center of everything” is on the rooftop of Pepperdine Motors in her donut-obsessed town of Bunning, New Hampshire, stargazing from the circle of her grandmother Gigi’s hug.  That’s how everything is supposed to be—until Ruby messes up and things spin out of control. But she has one last hope. It all depends on what happens on Bunning Day, when the entire town will hear Ruby read her winning essay. And it depends on her twelfth birthday wish—unless she messes that up too. Can Ruby’s wish set everything straight in her topsy-turvy world? REVIEW  I think one of the most fascinating things about this book is how the author slipped back and forth between the past and present so easily.  She shows us how Ruby is feeling in the present and then slowly goes ...

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...

HOUND DOG TRUE by Linda Urban Harcourt Children's Books, 2011 ISBN: 978-0-547-55869-1 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 3-5 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK A story about small acts of courage from the author of A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Do not let a mop sit overnight in water. Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true. REVIEW One thing that Li...

Goddess Girls #10 - Pheme the Gossip Get to know Goddess Girl Pheme…the original “gossip girl”! As the goddess girl of rumor and gossip, Pheme prides herself on being “in the know” and having the most up-to-date info on anyone and everyone at Mount Olympus Academy. To make sure that people really get her VIP messages, her words tend to linger in cloud letters above her head—just in case people don’t catch what she says! But not everyone is thrilled with Pheme’s insider knowledge on everything MOA—including the Goddess Girls. Can Pheme ever be trusted? Or will this “gossip girl” find herself on the other end of the rumors? Purchase Barnes & Noble * Amazon Praise for The Goddess Girls “…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist "Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging." ~Publisher's Weekly  “…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Librar...

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