Geo Librarian

SCARY SCHOOL (Scary School #1) written by Derek the Ghost, illustrated by Scott Fischer HarperCollins, 2011 ISBN13: 9780061960925 237 p. Grades 3-6 Reviewed from e-book provided by author for review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review. BLURB : You think your school's scary? Get a load of these teachers: "Ms. Fang," an 850-year-old vampire. "Dr. Dragonbreath," who just might eat you before recess. "Mr. Snakeskin"--science class is so much more fun when it's taught by someone who's half zombie. "Mrs. T"--break the rules and spend your detention with a hungry "Tyrannosaurus rex" Plus Gargoyles, goblins, and Frankenstein's monster on the loose. The world's most frighteningly delicious school lunch. And the narrator's an eleven-year-old ghost. Join Charles "New Kid" Nukid as he makes some very Scary friends--including Pet...

IT'S A SMALL WORLD words and music by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman illustrations by Joey Chou Disney Press, 2011 ISBN: 978-142314689-6 32 p. Grades PreK-1 Reviewed from personal copy. Originally created for the 1964 World's Fair, the song "it's a Small World" quickly worked its way into the hearts of millions.  Nearly half a century later, its simple and poignant message still rings true.   Joey Chou's bright, colorful illustrations accompany the words, taking us on an international tour from the mountains of China and Russia to the plains of Africa and the Americas and more.  Plus there's a CD that features a wonderful recording of the song.  Through its poetic text, charming illustrations, and bonus CD, this book reminds us that it really is a small world, after all.  This book is adorable with it's childlike simplicity.  I  loved the bright colors and energetic design.  I found lots of things in the book to talk about wh...

THE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ADVENTURES OF AGENT AUGGIE SPINOZA written by Steven Stickler I.A.I.P.H. Press (self-published), 2012 Available in paperback in April 2012 Grades 3-6 Reviewed from e-book sent by author for review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. No compensation was received for this review. BLURB : Auggie Spinoza is a ten-year-old boy with a secret: he is a special agent who can travel through time. Now, he finds himself locked in a desperate battle against evil forces trying to change the course of history. To defeat them, Auggie must pursue a dangerous quest to find a set of mysterious clues hidden in the past. With the help of a clever new friend and advice from a cast of famous characters with names like Jefferson, Darwin, and Plato, Auggie fights to fulfill his destiny and save his world from ruin. Along the way, he learns the importance of thinking clearly and shows the awesome power of a code-breaking, book-loving, time-traveling ten-year-old wit...

The winner of my Leap into Books Giveaway of $20 worth of book(s) from the Book Depository  is... Susan from The Book Bag! Congratulations!

Penny and Her Song written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes Greenwillow Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-208195-7 32 p. Grades K-2 Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB : Strike up the band! Ready the confetti! Meet Penny--a brand-new mouse from Caldecott Medalist Henkes. Penny joins the beloved Lilly, Owen, Chrysanthemum, and Wemberly with her very own new picture book series.  In this book, Henkes introduces us to a new character, a character just as interesting and unique as Owen or Lily, a character who loves to sing. Penny arrives home from school wanting to sing her song for her family.  After both mom and dad interrupt her performance to remind her that the babies are sleeping and she needs to be quiet, Penny determines to sing her song for herself.  But she discovers that singing to herself is just not the same as singing for someone else.  She searches her room for someone to perform for without success. Finally, her parents come to her rescue and Pen...

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March written by Cynthia Levinson Peachtree, 2012 ISBN: 978-1-56145-627-7 176 p. Grades 3 and up Reviewed from purchased copy. BLURB : We ve Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary-, middle-, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham, Alalama, between May 2 and May 11, 1963. Fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi s and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. s precept to fill the jails, they succeeded where adults had failed in desegregating one of the most racially violent cities in America. Focusing on four of the original participants who have participated in extensive interviews, We ve Got a Job recounts the astonishing events before, during, and after the Children's March. Levinson has done an incredible job with this book.  Not only does she give an account of the events leading up to and including the Children's March but she merges comments from some of the participa...

With my one year blogiversary coming up, I've decided it's time for some improvements.  So this year I've decided to participate in Bloggiesta, which is being hosted by There's A Book and It's All About Books , in hopes for getting some great advice on some nice ways to improve my blog and to make some new friends of course. One can never have to many of those. Here's what I am looking to work on: creating a banner and a button for my blog. creating a rating system (maybe little globes?) create tabs for giveaways, etc. If I have more time I may try a different design.  Here's hoping to a great weekend (March 30-April 1, 2012). Here are the goals for Bloggiesta: to spend time that weekend (as much or as little as your schedule allows) working on your blog to create a to do list to share on your blog and link up with other participants to hopefully participant in several mini challenges and learn something new to connect with other participa...

Welcome to my Leap into Books Giveaway. For this giveaway I am offering: $20 Young Adult or Middle Grade Book from Book Depository. To Enter: Leave a blog comment about a book you read and loved as a child.  Please include an email where I can reach you. You do not need to be a follower to enter.  Everyone has an equal chance to win. You must be 13 or over to enter. The winner will be chosen using random.org. I will notify the winner on March 6th.  You will have 48 hours to respond before I pick another winner. This giveaway will run from February 29th through March 5th. Check here for more great giveaways.

SCARLET written by A.C. Gaughen Walker Children's, 2012 ISBN13: 9780802723468 292 p. Grades 9 and up Reviewed from personal copy. BLURB : Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for. One of the things I find interesting about the book world is the fact that there are books for every sort of...

ALL THE WATER IN THE WORLD written by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4169-7130-6 32 p. Grades K-2 Reviewed from personal copy.  Illustrations come from Amazon.com and are copyrighted material. BLURB : All the water in the world is all the water in the world. We are all connected by water, and this message is beautifully, lyrically delivered from poet-musician-author George Ella Lyon. Where does water come from? Where does water go? Find out in this exploration of oceans and waterways that highlights an important reality: Our water supply is limited, and it is up to us to protect it. Dynamic, fluid art paired with pitch-perfect verse makes for a wise and remarkable read-aloud that will resonate with any audience. This is a wonderful book, full of poetic language and gorgeous illustrations.  In fact, the book flows rather like its subject, water. I love the way the water cycle is introduc...