Month: December 2017

The Real McCoys by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Imprint

       

Summary:  Moxie McCoy is at a crossroads in her fourth-grade life.  Her best friend has moved away, and she is shopping for another one, specifically one who can help her solve mysteries.  She is also taxed with the job of making sure her younger brother Milton is doing okay while their scientist mother is away hunting insects.  In the midst of all this, the school’s beloved owl mascot goes missing, and Moxie takes it upon herself to solve the case.  This involves multiple trips to the principal’s office to report on her findings, which are mostly confident, if mistaken, declarations of who the real culprit is.  As the day goes on, Moxie finds herself working more and more with Milton, whom the reader will notice has some traits, like patience and thoughtfulness, that Moxie occasionally lacks, even if she is three years older.  Working together, the siblings solve the case, and Moxie even gets a lead on a new best friend, paving the way for book #2.  Includes “Moxie’s Official Debrief” (some questions to help the reader think critically about the story), Moxie’s Dictionary, and an excerpt from one of Moxie’s favorite girl detective stories that she refers to throughout the book.  336 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  Kids will love Moxie, Milton, and the format of this book, with the illustrations woven seamlessly into the text.  Cartoon bubbles and different fonts make the dialog come alive.  Readers will keep rooting for Moxie as she refuses to give up on the case or her friends and family.

Cons:  Readers will occasionally groan at Moxie’s cluelessness.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

‘Tis the Season: Some Holiday Read-Alouds

~ Janet Dawson ~ 4 Comments

If you’re looking to fill the long hours of anticipation of the next two weeks, here are some new books to add to your collection.

Merry Christmas, Peanut! by Terry Border. Published by Philomel Books

Kids will love the illustrations created from household items that tell the story of Peanut and his family as they travel to Grandma’s for Christmas dinner.  Along the way, they pick up a host of lonely characters who need a place to spend the holiday.  If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

 

Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale by Gloria Koster. Published by Albert Whitman and Company

Little Red Ruthie is bring applesauce and sour cream to go with her Bubbe Basha’s legendary latkes.  When a wolf follows her there, she has to quickly think of a way to fill him up on latkes instead of her and her Bubbe.  If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Waltz of the Snowflakes by Elly Mackay.  Published by Running Press.  The Nutcracker in Harlem by T. McMorrow, illustrated by James Ransome.

                 

Two stories inspired by the classic ballet.  The Nutcracker in Harlem reimagines the story in 1920’s Harlem.  Waltz of the Snowflakes is a wordless celebration of a reluctant girl’s first experience at the ballet, and how she slowly gets caught up in the magic of the tale.  For Waltz of the Snowflakes, click here.  For The Nutcracker in Harlem, click here.

 

Nativity by Cynthia Rylant.  Published by Beach Lane Books

Simple, spare text and paintings tell the story of Jesus’s birth, concluding with four of the beatitudes offered as a sample of the adult Jesus’s teachings.  If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

 

Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares.  Published by Candlewick Press

Red the cardinal panics when the enormous tree he and Lulu call home is cut down and taken away…with Lulu still in it.  He follows the tree to New York City, where he finally finds it in Rockefeller Center, ablaze with colored lights.  Red and Lulu become city birds, settling down in Central Park after Christmas.  If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

 

 

 

 

Strong as Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became the Strongest Man on Earth by Don Tate

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Published by Charlesbridge

Summary:  As a skinny, frail child, Friedrich Mueller loved athletics, but frequently was too sick to play.  Although he was a good student, he left university to join a circus where his career as an acrobat helped him get stronger.  When the circus folded, Friedrich worked as an artists’ model and learned more about bodybuilding.  At the age of 20, he changed his name to Eugen Sandow and launched his career as a showman.  When he beat famous strongmen Sampson and Cyclops on a London stage, he became an overnight sensation, eventually traveling to America, where his performance at the Chicago World’s Fair increased his celebrity status.  Back in London, he focused on helping others become physically strong and healthy.  He held the Great Competition, the first organized bodybuilding contest, awarding a gold statue with his likeness, a version of which is still used today.  Includes an afterword with more information, four exercises for kids to try, an author’s note about his own bodybuilding experiences, and an extensive bibliography.  40 pages; grades 1-4.

Pros:  Humorous illustrations and lighthearted text combine to make this a fun biographical read.

Cons:  The fact that Sandow died at age 58 makes me question his health advice.

If you’d like to order this book through Amazon, click here.

Marti’s Song for Freedom/Marti y Sus Versos por la Libertad by Emma Otheguy, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Children’s Book Press

Summary:  Growing up in Cuba, Jose Marti was outraged that some of his fellow countrymen were slaves.  As he grew older, he learned that the key to ending slavery was Cuba’s independence from Spain.  In 1868, the Cuban people started a war for independence.  Marti’s newspaper articles and pamphlets about it landed him in jail.  At age 17, he was released by the Spanish government on the condition that he leave Cuba forever.  He traveled around the world, advocating for Cuban independence, and finally settled in New York.  He loved the city, but sometimes found it oppressive.  He would retreat to the Catskills, where he wrote poetry and stories for children that are still read today. In 1895, Jose went back to Cuba, where he died a few weeks later in a battle for independence.  Seven  years later, in 1902, Cuba finally gained independence from Spain.  32 pages; grades 2-6.

Pros:  Told in both English and Spanish, this is an inspiring biography of a man who never stopped fighting against the injustices he saw.  The illustrations may make it a Caldecott contender.

Cons:  Why is New York consistently referred to as Nuevo York in the English version of the story?

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin

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Published by Peachtree Publishers

Summary:  Rapunzel lives in a tower, visited only by a witch who climbs up her long hair to visit, then steals some of Rapunzel’s golden locks to sell.  When the witch leaves, she tells Rapunzel that if she tries to escape, the witch will put a terrible curse on her.  “But was Rapunzel frightened? Oh no, not she!”  She makes a ladder from her hair, and goes out to explore.  Freedom is exhilarating, and she and a new (horse) friend make an escape plan.  One day, the witch tries to climb out of the tower using Rapunzel’s hair; the girl quickly cuts her hair, and the witch falls to the ground.  Rapunzel’s equine friend is waiting, and the two ride off in bandit costumes to become witch hunters.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A quick and funny retelling of Rapunzel, casting the heroine as an independent girl with no sign of a prince in sight.

Cons:  The style of art and the yellow and black palette aren’t really my cup of tea.

If you’d like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag

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Published by Scholastic

Summary:  Aster lives in a magical community where boys are expected to become shapeshifters, and girls, witches.  He is fascinated with witchcraft and has no interest or ability in shapeshifting, much to his family’s chagrin.  Spying on the witches’ classes, he learns as much as he can, practicing spells on Charlie, a non-magical girl who lives nearby.  When a monster begins stealing kids from Aster’s community, he realizes he is the only one who can help rescue them.  Assisted by Charlie, he makes a daring journey, and is able to reveal to his community the monster’s true–and surprising–identity.  This revelation uncovers some family secrets about some who have also not always conformed to the gender roles of magic, and gives Aster the permission to be himself and explore the magical powers he possesses. 224 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  This highly engaging graphic novel creates a magical world that will draw readers in immediately, and conveys messages about gender roles and being yourself that will resonate with kids.

Cons:  The messages about gender were a little heavy-handed.

If you would like to buy this book through Amazon, click here.

Better Off Undead by James Preller

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Published by Feiwel and Friends

Summary:  Adrian Lazarus often feels like an outsider in his seventh grade class.  Not only is he one of the only African American kids in a mostly white school, but he is dead.  Following a bike accident over the summer, he’s mysteriously become a zombie, and he’s not happy about it.  His nose falls off in the middle of class, and he has to drink formaldehyde smoothies to keep the decay in check.  Much to his happy surprise, he makes some new friends at the beginning of the year, including Talal a tech genius, and Gia, a girl who received mysterious powers after she was attacked by a swarm of bees.  The story takes place in the not-too-distant future, when ecological crises are raging around the world.  Many of these disasters are being caused by a couple of tycoon brothers who take a sudden interest in Adrian.  When he is kidnapped and taken to the brothers for possible experimentation, it’s up to his friends to plan his rescue and defeat the bad guys.  As Adrian overcomes one obstacle after another, he finds himself getting physically stronger as well, and a budding romance with Gia may mean a happy ending for him after all.  288 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  I was surprised by the substance to a story I expected just to be silly.  The zombie aspect was funny, but also poignant, and led to some interesting explorations about what it means to be human.  There were also some environmental messages throughout, with an acknowledgement to Bill McKibben and his ecological activism from the author at the end.

Cons:  I was a little confused on a few details, including exactly what happened at the end.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Red Again by Barbara Lehman

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  A lot has changed since 2004, but the wordless Red Again picks up right where that year’s The Red Book left off.  A boy on a bicycle finds the magical book and takes it to a cupola at the top of his house to read it.  As he studies a map of some islands, the illustrations zoom in to a girl fishing from a rowboat, a red book floating behind her.  When she opens the book, she sees the boy’s house, and eventually, the two are face to face through their books.  With the help of a loaf of bread and a pelican, she zooms through the water to meet her new friend.  In his excited rush to greet her, he drops the book.  It ends up in a snowbank, where it is picked up by…well, I can’t tell you everything.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The Red Book won a Caldecott honor, and this sequel is a worthy successor.  There is a lot to look at in the deceptively simple illustrations that celebrate books and friendship.

Cons:  Some of the connections within the book and between the two books might blow your mind a little bit.

If you would like to order this book through Amazon, click here.

Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Balzer + Bray

Summary:  When a group of U.S. Marines was looking for a pack animal to haul ammunition in the Korean War, they ended up buying a scrawny abandoned horse from a nearby racetrack.  She was given a military rank, and became known as Private Reckless.  The men trained her to duck incoming fire and to retreat, using her insatiable appetite for just about any kind of food to get her to do what they needed.  She learned to stay calm in battle, carrying heavy loads of ammunition on her back.  In one day-long battle, she made 51 trips, totaling 35 miles up and down hills, to carry 9,000 pounds of ammunition.  That earned her a promotion to sergeant, and her Marine friends started a campaign to send her to the United States.  They were successful, and she was able to retire with full military honors and two Purple Hearts, the only animal to ever hold military rank.  An author’s note tells more of Reckless’s story, including a photo and a brief bibliography.  40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  Animal lovers and military history buffs will enjoy this story about a unique horse who won the hearts of the U.S. Marines with her humor, hard work, and bravery.

Cons:  Reckless’s diet of coffee, Coca-Cola, and chocolate.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.