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BIG NATE FLIPS OUT by Lincoln Peirce Harper, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-06-199663-4 Middle Grade Humor Grades 3-6 Borrowed from local library. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Big Nate is a  New York Times  bestseller! Here comes the latest illustrated novel from Lincoln Peirce, all about king of detention and cartooning genius Nate Wright! Everyone knows N-A-T-E does not equal N-E-A-T! And when Nate's sloppiness gets out of hand, his best friend, Francis, is in serious trouble. Can Nate clean up his act, or will he flip out first? REVIEW My students love these books so much I can't keep them on the shelf. However, I can't say that I'm a big fan of them. I think one of the reasons that I don't like them as much as the kids is that I'm not a kid anymore, I don't see things the way they do.  But for what it's worth here is my two cents. Strengths: Comics, comics, and more comics, kids can't get enough of them and ...

ANGUS MACBAIN AND THE ISLAND OF SLEEPING KINGS by Angela J. Townsend Clean Teen Publishing, 2013 Middle Grade/YA Fantasy ABOUT THE BOOK Angus MacBain is unaware that his ancestral roots hail from an ancient sect of Scottish kings. When his dying grandfather gives him a dragon pendant, thirteen-year-old Angus learns of a legacy that will take him across an ocean to the island of Iona and thrust him into a heritage he did not know he had. He soon discovers that his mother, whom he had believed dead, is really a seal fairy, in hiding from a dangerous enemy. To save her, Angus must undergo a perilous journey of destiny and power to battle an evil Dacian knight and those who serve him. With only his family shield and the advice of a wizened vampire hunter to protect him, Angus must navigate dangerous terrain and dark enemies, in a land where the past and the present mingle, and sleeping kings wake. Amazon * Barnes & Noble ABOUT THE AUTHOR Angela Townsend was born in...

A SONG FOR BIJOU by Josh Farrar Walker Books for Young Readers, 2013 ISBN: 9780802733948 Middle Grade Contemporary/Multicultural Grades 4-8 Reviewed from copy borrowed from library. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Life for Alex Schrader has never involved girls. He goes to an all-boys prep school and spends most of his time goofing around with his friends. But all that changes the first time he meets Bijou Doucet, a Haitian girl recently relocated to Brooklyn after the earthquake-and he is determined to win her heart. For Bijou, change is the only constant, and she's surprised every day by how different life is in America, especially when a boy asks her out. Alex quickly learns that there are rules when it comes to girls-both in Haitian culture and with his own friends. And Bijou soon learns that she doesn't have to let go of her roots to find joy in her new life.  Told in alternating viewpoints against the vibrant backdrop of Ha...

MITCHELL GOES BOWLING by Hallie Durand, illustrated by Tony Fucile Candlewick Press, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-7636-6049-9 Picture Book Grades K-2 Reviewed from copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Battle on! Head to the lanes for another hilarious, high-energy story as four-year-old Mitchell and his obliging dad strike a winning deal. Mitchell liked to knock things down. That’s just how he rolled. One Saturday, when Mitchell almost knocks down his dad, his dad catches him and puts him in the car. And when they step into the bowling alley, Mitchell feels right at home. Pizza! Giant crashing noises! Special shoes! But as Mitchell picks up the biggest ball and quickly learns the word gutter, and when Dad does a little kick with his leg and earns a big X on the scoreboard, Mitchell starts to get peevish. How can Mitchell get a chance to do a steamin’-hot-potato-dance too? With wit, warmth, and comed...

THE TRUTH OF ME by Patricia MacLachlan Katherine Tegen Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-06-199860-7 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 2-4 Reviewed from copy borrowed from the library. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The Truth of Me tells the story of Robbie, who loves spending time with his grandmother Maddy. Robbie loves the stories Maddy tells, and also how wild animals trust her enough to come right up to her.   But Robbie has always felt as if something is missing in his life--his parents don’t always act like they love him. Maddy helps him understand that an experience his mother had long ago is at the heart of the problem in his family. With this knowledge, Robbie finds the courage to try to make things right.   This poignant story celebrates how our unique “small truths” make each of us magical and brave in our own ways. REVIEW Robbie doesn't have a particularly good relationship with his parents. His parents seem more interested ...

WIND WARRIOR World Aflame #1 by Jon Messenger Clean Teen Publishing, 2013 ISBN: 098947013X NA/ YA Fantasy Grades 9 and up Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK THE EARTH GIVES WAY TO THE SEA, THE SEA BOWS BEFORE THE WIND,  THE WIND FEEDS THE FLAME,  THE FLAME BURNS THE WORLD OF MAN DOWN TO THE EARTH. The sleepy town of White Halls harbors a dangerous secret. On a picturesque street, two houses down from a lovely little park, in a quaint little home with a wraparound porch, lives a family that seems rather normal. Sure, their twenty-year-old son, Xander, still lives at home, but he’s going to college and dating the leader of the schools top sorority. It’s all very…normal.   However, when a man is miraculously saved from being hit by a bus, Xander’s life turns in to the living embodiment of the tornadoes he can sudden...

WHITE FUR FLYING by Patricia MacLachlan Margaret K. McElderry  Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4424-2171-4 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 2-4 Reviewed from copy borrowed from library. All opinions expressed here are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Zoe’s family rescues dogs in need. There is always the sweet smell of dog and a warm body looking to cuddle or play. There is always a new dog to be saved and loved. Fur flies everywhere. It covers everything. Zoe’s house is never silent. But the house across the street is always silent these days. A new family has moved in and Phillip, the boy, has stopped speaking. He doesn’t even want to try. Zoe knows that saving dogs and saving boys are different jobs, but she learns that some parts are the same. Both take attention and care, understanding and time. And maybe just a bit of white fur flying. REVIEW Some authors seem to have a gift for telling a story with depth and heart using a surprisingly few words. MacLachlan has ...

THE THING ABOUT LUCK by Cynthia Kadohata Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4169-1882-0 Middle Grade Contemporary/Realistic Grades 4-7 Reviewed from copy borrowed from public library. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK There is bad luck, good luck, and making your own luck—which is exactly what Summer must do to save her family in this novel from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Kadohata. Summer knows that  kouun  means “good luck” in Japanese, and this year her family has none of it. Just when she thinks nothing else can possibly go wrong, an emergency whisks her parents away to Japan—right before harvest season. Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left in the care of their grandparents, who come out of retirement in order to harvest wheat and help pay the bills. The thing about Obaachan and Jiichan is that they are old-fashioned and demanding, and between helping Obaachan cook for the workers, covering for her when her...

HUBER HILL AND THE GOLDEN STAFF OF CIBOLA  by B.K. Bostick Sweetwater Books, 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4621-1098-8 Middle Grade Fantasy Grades 3-6 Review copy provided by publisher in return for honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK “He should’ve been back out by now,” Hannah said. “Let’s call the cops.” “Heck with that,” Scott said, opening the car door. “I’m goin’ inside.” “Scott! What are you doing?” “If we call the cops, the Brotherhood will find out somehow. What d’ya think’ll happen to our folks then?” Before she could answer, Scott was out of the car, jogging toward the front door to the Hill household. The black doorway swallowed him up. It’s a race to the Golden Staff of Cíbola! But time and odds are stacked against Huber and his friends. Salazar and the Brotherhood of Coronado are chasing the legendary item as well, and they’re willing to sacrifice anything—or anyone—to get it. When an old diary leads Huber and his frie...

SCALY SPOTTED FEATHERED FRILLED: How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like? by Catherine Thimmesh Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013 ISBN: 978-0-547-99134-4 MG/YA Nonfiction Grades 4 and up Reviewed from purchased copy. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK No human being has ever seen a triceratops or velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. They left behind only their impressive bones. So how can scientists know what color dinosaurs were? Or if their flesh was scaly or feathered? Could that fierce T.rex have been born with spots? In a first for young readers, the Sibert medalist Catherine Thimmesh introduces the incredible talents of the paleoartist, whose work reanimates gone-but-never-forgotten dinosaurs in giant full-color paintings that are as strikingly beautiful as they aim to be scientifically accurate, down to the smallest detail. Follow a paleoartist through the scientific process of ascertaining the appearance of various ...