I must confess that Teddy Roosevelt is not one of my favorite presidents, but I love Dan Gutman’s writing, and the cover drew me in. And… I’m glad I read it. This is a fantastic book for curious children (or kids working on research papers who don’t like traditional nonfiction books). The story opens with … Read more
Who doesn’t like reading old fairy tales with new twists? In this collection of Twisted Fairy Tales, the authors present six twisted tales illustrated by Chris Jevons and James Hearne. In the first offering, Cinder-Elephant, Newman and Hearne deliver a delightful spin on Cinderella. In this version, poor Cinderella has to deal with wicked stepsisters … Read more
It is without a doubt that women (and many other groups) and tales of their accomplishments have been lost to the sands of time. For every one person who made it into the history books, countless others have been ignored. Prudence Wright and the women of Pepperell, MA is one of them. From an early … Read more
Oh my, where to start with this amazing story? Woods throws the reader immediately into a coastal town, Allora, where the fish jump right out of the sea, which is struck by the plague. As people drop like flies, the coffin maker sees to their needs until so many people begin dying at once, they … Read more
I have to get this out of the way: WHY END THERE!?! Who do you get when you mix Magic School Bus’s Miss Frizzle, Wayside School’s Mrs. Jewls, and a touch of Doctor Who? Mr. Bambuckle is who! The 6th grade class in 12B (because what school has a 13th classroom) are disconnected from themselves … Read more
Smith hit a home run with this one! Mr. Penguin, a penguin from the South now living in the Northern city of Cityville, loved reading adventure stories and one day decided to invest everything he had in becoming an adventurer. He had the office, the hat, the faithful partner, but the only thing he didn’t … Read more
Oh my gosh! Brenna hit a home run with the book! It grabs you by the throat and pulls you in on the very first page, and doesn’t let go of your heartstrings until the last page. Better have some tissues handy (good tears…not bad). The story is told through short alternating chapters between Jeannie … Read more
O’Connor landed a backside bluntslide with this one! Sibby is living with her grandparents after her parents sold their house. Change is hard, but is made even harder when you don’t talk about your feelings. On her first day of school, she meets Freddie, who became a bully over the summer. Life changed for him … Read more
Rodkey’s book starts out on Mars. Humans have mucked up Earth so bad, survivors are huddled together in a failing Mars station. Life in the station is rough for Lan and Ila. If wearing holey trade-in clothes wasn’t bad enough, the food riots caused by their father’s Chow convinced many it was time to leave. … Read more